Chapter 105 The soft persimmon has finally hardened.
"Human hearts are hard to control." Yan Zhao stood with his hands behind his back, glancing at Li Jin's face.
When Zhou Zheng came over so mysteriously, Yan Zhao thought something serious had happened.
But now, seeing Li Jin's nameless rage burning with murderous intent, he stood with his hands behind his back, frowning as he stood in front of him.
This is really a big deal.
"What, are you saying that only officials are allowed to set fires, but common people aren't allowed to light lamps?" Yan Zhao suppressed a laugh. "You, Prince Jing, are allowed to manipulate others, but the weak aren't allowed to fight back?"
Li Jin sat behind his desk, his hands resting on the table, raising his eyebrows to glare at Yan Zhao's face, his heart heavy with sorrow.
“You actually have time to sit here now.” Seeing his composure, Yan Zhao walked to a small table to the side, fiddled with the potted plants on the table, and chuckled, “When I came here, I saw Yunfei with her, saying he was treating her to something nice.”
As Yan Zhao spoke, he glanced at Li Jin's face out of the corner of his eye. He saw that Li Jin's lips were tightly pressed together, and he remained unmoved.
He paused, then added, "They are quite a good match."
These words inexplicably stirred something within Li Jin. He took a deep breath, stood up with a surge of anger, and strode out.
Yan Zhao didn't stop him, but just as he stepped out the door, he raised his voice slightly: "If you lose my precious disciple, you'll be sorry."
Li Jin stepped out the door, paused upon hearing this, turned back to look at Yan Zhao's retreating figure, pursed her lips, and said with some surprise, "...She's leaving?!"
Before him, Yan Zhao turned around solemnly, looking at Li Jin's face seriously in the flickering candlelight: "Put yourself in my shoes, would you leave or not?"
In short, Li Jin's mind, which had been clouded by evil spirits, finally cleared up a bit.
He stood there, watching Yan Zhao tending to the potted plants, and after a long while, nodded: "I understand."
After saying that, he disappeared into the night outside.
"You shouldn't go." Yan Zhao didn't turn around, but called out to Zhou Zheng, who was about to chase after him. "With Bai Yu protecting you in secret, nothing will happen."
He sighed: "Some things can only be resolved smoothly when the two of them face each other alone."
Yan Zhao looked at the lush potted plant in front of him, at his own reflection on the wall, and at the star-studded sky outside the window. His fingers gently caressed the plant, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his usually serious face.
"Go and deliver two letters for me." He turned around. "Deliver them discreetly to the Imperial Study."
Given Li Jin's oblivious and infatuated nature, Yan Zhao needed to make thorough preparations beforehand.
Human hearts are hard to control. Love is like that; one can act on it without realizing it. Hatred is the same; by the time one realizes it, it's too late to turn back.
For so many years, Li Jin has kept his hatred hidden, but that doesn't mean he can also keep his love hidden in his heart and remain unmoved.
Yan Zhao chuckled lightly and shook his head in a self-deprecating manner.
What's with this "unmoved" attitude? It's hardly like someone who's unmoved.
That night, Yunfei was simply an innocent bystander. He only saw that Jin Shu was not in good condition and was worried about her, so he gave her a ride.
Standing at the entrance of Jin Shu's courtyard, Yun Fei saw that she was in a better mood. He hesitated for a long time before saying, "Recently, the court and the public have been putting pressure on Your Highness. It is understandable that Your Highness is in a bad mood because you have to deal with them all by yourself. Please don't take it to heart, sir."
Looking at his upright and smiling face, Jin Shu nodded: "Thank you, Lord Yun. Jin Shu is alright."
After saying that, he forced a smile and pushed open the gate to the courtyard.
She couldn't bring herself to say it.
A thousand grievances were stuck in his throat, but he couldn't say them.
He caused her to lose her ancestral home and become homeless, forced her to come to the capital, and arranged for her to work at the Six Doors.
He was the one who helped her find the best teacher for Jin Rong, helped her pass the coroner's exam, and gave her the opportunity to meet the strongest coroner of the era.
He was the one who gave her the stage to achieve her goals, and he was also the one who put her at risk of having her entire family executed once exposed.
He was the one who smiled and said, "I'll take care of everything," and he was also the one who stole Jin Rong's jade pendant in the middle of the night.
She appreciated his good qualities, but was also annoyed by his unreasonable behavior.
After closing the door, she sighed softly, and as she turned around, she froze.
Li Jin had appeared behind her without her noticing. A clear line was cast between them by the moonlight filtering through the eaves.
Jin Shu was inside, and Li Jin was outside.
Unlike before, the smile on his face was replaced by a look of sorrow. After a long while, he cautiously spoke: "Jin Rong is staying at my palace tonight and will not be returning for the time being."
Jin Shu was stunned for a moment, looking at his unilateral decision-making manner, and took two steps forward: "How could you make such a decision on your own?!"
Then Li Jin took out two jade pendants from his bosom. Under the moonlight, the jade pendants were smooth and translucent, as if they had a delicate luster.
He frowned as he looked at Jin Shu's angry expression: "Come here, I have something to say to you."
After saying that, fearing that Jin Shu would leave in a huff, he looked at her face with a worried expression and added softly with a pleading tone, "It's really important."
He couldn't bring himself to say the word "beg"...
With her eyes lowered, her pale yellow dress shone brightly in the moonlight, as if it were gilded. In Jin Shu's eyes, it gathered into a feeling called "loneliness".
She sneered and muttered, "Who wants to hear that?"
Then, I followed him to the stone table.
The two people faced each other under the moonlight. Li Jin placed the two jade pendants on the table with a velvet cloth on them, looked at Jin Shu's face, and said solemnly, "I hope you can hand over Jin Rong to me."
Jin Shu was taken aback: "I'm handing Jin Rong over to you?"
“Okay.” Li Jin nodded. “Leave it to me; you and he will be safer.”
In the courtyard, a gentle night breeze caressed Jin Shu's astonished face. The grievances in her heart, ignited by Li Jin's words, finally manifested as anger: "Why?!"
She looked at Li Jin's face and said, "Why do you have to turn my life upside down and then ruin Jin Rong's life too?! What did he do to you? Can't we change it?"
Jin Shu, who has always been reluctant to cause trouble and seemed unhurried and easily fooled, now stands on the opposite side of Li Jin with sharp questions.
This woman lay low, concealed herself, and concealed all her sharpness, simply because she didn't care about those things and could back down.
“Jin Rong’s matter is unacceptable.” Jin Shu shook his head. “I can refuse to be the coroner, I can forgo the money, I can go back to Dingzhou and start over, but I cannot hand him over to anyone, including Your Highness Prince Jing.”
She spoke so decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
Seeing her resolute expression, Li Jin nodded knowingly.
He knew this would happen.
In the night breeze, beneath the dappled shadows of the trees, Li Jin took a deep breath and closed his eyes: "...What if I told you that he is the heir apparent of the Great Wei, the legitimate bloodline of the Li dynasty, and my brother's only child in this world?"
Jin Shu froze, a look of disbelief flashing across her face.
"What if I were his uncle, and he were my nephew?" Li Jin slowly opened his eyes, looking at her astonished expression. "In that case, would you still take him away?"
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