Chapter 28
Qian Yuan dragged Jian Xinyi to the alley entrance. The lights from the hotel next door reflected in the alley, so it was not too dark and vaguely illuminated the figures of the two.
"Why did you pull me over here?"
Jian Xinyi looked flustered and looked back from time to time. She felt better only when she saw that Lao Lin didn't react.
Qian Yuan's expression remained grim, showing no sign of improvement. He asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Jian Xinyi didn't expect him to be so stingy. She curled her lips and said, "Isn't it just a one-two tael a month that I'm extorting from you? I'm not asking you to actually pay. I'm just covering up the lie."
"That's not what I'm talking about." Qian Yuan shook his head. "I've never looked down on anyone, nor will I look down on any family."
She was stunned at first, then she remembered when she said this.
It was originally what Lao Lin said, and she just agreed casually without taking it to heart.
But once Qian Yuan pointed this out, Jian Xinyi had to think about the right and wrong of it.
She has always prided herself on her adaptability, but when she really lives here, there are some things that cannot be changed.
For example, she never treated Qian Yuan as a real prince.
She has always been a divider, trying hard to integrate into this society while treating people with huge differences equally.
There was no bright moonlight at the entrance of the alley anymore, as if the Moon Fairy had been stripped of her bones and left in the troubled mortal world.
"I know you've always been like this."
Jian Xinyi looked at Qian Yuan's sharp and cold eyes. Although they were cold, perhaps there was a warm current beneath the ice.
Qian Yuan stared at her blankly. Under the dim light, he could not feel a trace of warmth.
Those were clearly words of comfort, but those eyes were exceptionally cold.
He didn't know why, so he could only stare at her blankly.
Jian Xinyi naturally understood that the reason that had not made sense to him before would still not make sense even if she explained it again.
They are not from the same world.
"Let me make it clear to you. From now on, please don't say things like there's a disparity between our statuses, okay?"
Qian Yuan's eyes were filled with resentment, and his heart trembled when he saw Jian Xinyi.
She herself was an outsider drowning in the inherent warm water.
He was willing to give her a hand and be her boat.
But the closer she clung to the boat, the more the warm water would rush over her and erode her.
Until she sank completely.
"Let's go back."
Jian Xinyi didn't say anything more. She looked at Qian Yuan who was silent in front of her. The dark night permeated his pupils, making her unable to understand his expression.
Qian Yuan sighed, turned around and walked into the depths of the night.
After returning to the bookstore, Lao Lin wanted to ask her about the restoration of the map, but seeing that she looked unhappy, he didn't say much and had to urge her to go to bed quickly.
With so many chaotic things happening, Jian Xinyi was in a state of confusion and naturally couldn't sleep well.
I closed my eyes, but I still couldn't get rid of that horrifying scene.
Jian Xinyi was at a loss, but she knew that the more afraid she was, the more she would be affected by the situation.
She slowly tried to paint what she saw today, and the delicate brushstrokes made Jian Xinyi's hands tremble uncontrollably.
The blood, the stench, mixed with the dark alleys, everything was recorded as she saw it with her own eyes.
After finishing a painting, she felt exhausted all over and fell into a deep sleep soon after lying in bed.
In the dream, there were long palace steps, carved beams and painted buildings, and gilded dragons and phoenixes were tightly embedded in the bright red pillars, unable to move.
The bird in the cage flapped its wings and crashed into the cage it was trapped in, blood splattering everywhere.
In just a moment, the blood condensed into the shape of a head and rolled towards her.
Jian Xinyi woke up suddenly. The sun was shining brightly outside, instantly clearing away the gloom in the house.
Before she could come to her senses, she heard Lao Lin's voice coming from outside, "Zhuiyu, Zhuiyu, wake up quickly, there's someone outside again."
Jian Xinyi had no choice but to pack up quickly and walk out.
She walked in a hurry and her thigh accidentally hit the table, knocking the restoration drawing she had drawn last night to the ground.
"Zhuiyu, hurry up."
Lao Lin's urging voice outside the door became louder. Jian Xinyi picked up the picture and put it in her sleeve, then hurried out.
She looked dazed. She hadn't slept well last night and had gotten up early this morning. As soon as she went out, she was dazzled by the light. A colorful halo flowed down her black eyelashes. When her eyes fell, someone turned around.
The man was wearing a neat round-necked blue-black brocade robe with a slightly gray collar. His long hair was neatly tied up with a wooden crown, and he looked dignified and elegant.
"Miss Lin." The man took a few steps forward and stopped at a moderate distance. "I am Sun Liqing, a judge at the Dali Temple. I have some questions for you regarding yesterday's incident. Please go to the Dali Temple."
Dali Temple?
Jian Xinyi was confused, but she saw the person in front of her took out a small wooden plaque with the words "Dali Temple" vaguely engraved on it.
"Can you trust this wooden sign, young lady?"
She had seen his ID, so she naturally didn't feel embarrassed and nodded gently, "Okay, please, Master Sun."
The two of them walked out of the bookstore together. They happened to run into Lao Lin, who was paying special attention to her. He pulled her aside and asked, "Where are you going?"
"Didn't I tell you yesterday to go do some work for them, haha."
Jian Xinyi pulled Sun Liqing out with a smile on her face, and finally got past Lao Lin.
Sun Liqing saw this and thought Jian Xinyi was afraid of getting into trouble and didn't dare to explain the situation to her father. He comforted her, "Miss Lin, don't panic. This is just the Dali Temple conducting its usual inquiries. This case involves many people, and the Jinwu Guards have handed it over to the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice for handling."
"I know, but isn't this a secret?"
Jian Xinyi looked at him curiously. Didn’t he know that it was important to keep it a secret?
Sun Liqing sighed, "I originally wanted to, but now that the news has spread throughout Yongye Lane, I guess it's no longer necessary."
"So soon?"
Jian Xinyi couldn't help but admire that in this ancient time without mobile phones, news could spread so quickly.
"It is estimated that someone fanned the flames. After all, the identities of the two deceased are not simple."
Sun Liqing shook his head, frowning, looking very distressed.
"Two?" Jian Xinyi's eyes turned, "One from Yudu Lane and one from Yongye Lane?"
"Um."
Sun Liqing said nothing more, and the two of them fell into silence.
Jian Xinyi looked up at Sun Liqing several times. Sun Liqing's eyelashes were extremely long, the typical baby-straight, pure and lovely, which made her forget to find some topics to liven up the atmosphere. But she racked her brains and couldn't figure out what to talk about with the ancient people.
"The weather is nice today, the sun is shining brightly."
She chose the most conservative yet safest topic.
"It's really nice. We haven't had such good weather for several days."
Sun Liqing raised the corner of his mouth slightly, but was startled when he saw the vendor's stall in front of him, "Be careful."
Before Jian Xinyi could react, her arm suddenly tightened and she was pulled towards him by Sun Liqing.
The two of them were so close that she could feel Sun Liqing's warm breath on the back of her neck, brushing against her softest skin.
"Feel sorry."
Sun Liqing's eyes dodged wildly, and for a moment he didn't even know where to put his hands. He was so embarrassed that his face turned red.
Seeing his awkward expression, Jian Xinyi couldn't help but burst out laughing. "It's okay. Lord Sun is very quick-witted and swift-handed. He's truly worthy of being from the Dali Temple."
Sun Liqing still didn't dare look at her. He lowered his head and replied, "No, Miss Lin, you are joking."
Jian Xinyi wanted to tease him, but when she looked up, she saw the gold-painted plaque of the Dali Temple and the two ferocious stone statues next to it. It was obvious that this was not an ordinary place.
A man and a woman were standing outside the door, both dressed in blue and black round-necked robes. The man's round-necked robe had a slightly gold-painted lapel, so he was probably of a higher official rank.
Sun Liqing bowed to them one by one, "Right Prime Minister, Chief Clerk, Miss Lin is here."
The man spoke first, probably the Right Prime Minister mentioned by Sun Liqing, "Miss, please."
Jian Xinyi was taken to a place that looked like an interrogation room. There was only a small oil lamp in the narrow space. Even though the sun was so bright today, the room was still very dark.
She sat down on the small wooden chair, feeling extremely uncomfortable and swaying from side to side for a long time.
The woman saw her uneasy expression and said soothingly, "Miss, there's no need to be nervous. It's just that the higher-ups are taking this case very seriously, and as part of the Dali Temple's routine, they're asking about the crime scene."
Jian Xinyi nodded, and looking at the three people lined up in front of her, she felt even more nervous, which was much more terrifying than an interview.
Seeing that she had gradually calmed down, the woman continued to ask, "Girl, do you still remember what happened that night?"
After saying that, he picked up a pen to take notes.
But Jian Xinyi was still thinking about when to start and describe the story completely.
But in Sun Liqing's eyes, it meant something else. Seeing that Jian Xinyi hadn't replied yet, he thought she must be frightened, and quickly added, "If you're scared, it's okay to be vague."
"Well, I happened to run into that alley and discovered it by accident."
Jian Xinyi looked around and no one spoke.
Everyone fell into an eerie silence, and the only sound they could hear was the scraping sound of the woman's pen as she wrote furiously.
"According to the Jinwu Guards' confessions, you ran into the alley to avoid capture. Why did you want to avoid the Jinwu Guards?"
The right prime minister in the middle looked at Jian Xinyi with sharp eyes and raised his questions.
Jian Xinyi was still unsure whether to tell the truth about the plagiarism, "I..."
Seeing her hesitant and unwilling to speak further, the Right Prime Minister's expression became increasingly serious, and he pressed her further, "In your confession, you mentioned that the packages in the alley were either rich or noble. Did you, tempted by the wealth, team up with your accomplices to kill Minister Song and then dump the body?"
Jian Xinyi was about to speak up to refute him when he interrupted her, "Also, I noticed you had close ties with Shi Kui, who was involved in the Xianxianlou case. Who is he to you?"
Three pairs of eyes were directed at Jian Xinyi at the same time. Even though she had lived two lifetimes, she had never seen such a scene.
What is this all about?
Sun Liqing saw her looking around, unable to utter a word. His expression softened slightly and he consoled her, "It's okay. Miss Lin can answer them one by one."
When you live under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.
She could only sigh and slowly answer, "I'm not interested in the package. Shi Kui and I are just friends. We're not very familiar with each other, and we wouldn't commit a crime together, let alone cut off someone's head."
"Look." Jian Xinyi slowly took out the reconstruction diagram from her sleeve and pointed at the wound on the neck with narrowed eyes. "I remember that the knife wound on the deceased's neck was extremely round and smooth. It would be impossible for someone without experience to do that."
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