Chapter 175 The Prince Has It, But the Prince Doesn't Have a Chin
Li Jin was more worried about the intrusion into Yun Jianlin's study than about the Ministry of Revenue finding fault with him.
“The Vice Minister of Revenue at the gate is probably just a cover,” Li Jin said, taking a sip of tea. “He’s there to provide cover for the people going to your study.”
Yun Jianlin nodded in agreement: "That's also my analysis."
"Although these people have caused trouble before, it's rather strange that they're doing it at this critical juncture."
He glanced at Li Jin's face, then looked towards the house behind him, where he could only see Jin Shu's busy back.
Yun Jianlin took a deep breath, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke again: "The Prince's protection of Mr. Jin is becoming increasingly evident."
His expression was solemn. After hesitating for a moment, he said earnestly, "At this time, it may not be a good thing for Mr. Jin if His Highness protects him too much."
Li Jin sat opposite him, not moving, but his gaze had turned noticeably colder. He stared at Yun Jianlin's face, completely ignoring his well-intentioned reminder without responding.
"This matter concerning the Ministry of Revenue is very likely unrelated to the Crown Prince," he said casually. "It's quite possible that Pei Yide himself couldn't sit still any longer."
Li Jin leaned forward and nodded, saying, "Lord Yun, this is an opportunity. It's an opportunity to rip the Crown Prince's eyes out of Shengzhou."
Seeing that he deliberately skipped over the matter of Jin Shu, Yun Jianlin knew he had overstepped his bounds and did not bring it up again.
He knew that Li Jin must have his own plans and arrangements.
"What does Your Highness require of me?" Yun Jianlin asked, bowing respectfully.
Li Jin glanced at the teacup in front of her and smiled, "Go tell on me."
His eyes narrowed into crescent moons: "You just imitate the way the Ministry of Justice always cries pitifully, and cry pitifully as much as you can."
Upon hearing this, Yun Jianlin understood.
Li Jin didn't actually mean for him to cry pitifully, but rather to play the victim in front of Li Yi. The more he showed his face, the less the Ministry of Revenue could do about him, and the more carefully they would have to handle him.
In this way, he would have the opportunity to gradually replace all of the Crown Prince's spies in Shengzhou with his own people.
Thinking of this, Yun Jianlin frowned slightly, looked at Li Jin's smiling face, and asked, "Does Your Highness really not want to replace him with your own candidate?"
In the power struggles at court and the battle for the throne, Shengzhou and the capital held almost equal weight.
It took Li Jin six years to help Yun Jianlin take over Shengzhou. Logically speaking, it would be perfectly reasonable for him to turn this area into one of his spheres of influence.
But even now, Li Jin still shakes his head and says, "Lord Yun is the prefect of Shengzhou. You can decide on the selection of personnel and their abilities." He smiles and says, "You can trust your own people to work with."
Seeing his repeated refusals, Yun Jianlin felt grateful, stood up, respectfully cupped his hands, and bowed: "This humble official is here to thank Your Highness!"
After Yun Jianlin left, Li Jin looked at the peaceful scene before her, with leaves falling gently, and finished her cup of tea before getting up and returning to the room behind her.
Just then, Jin Shu finished her examination and raised her hand to cover the victim's face with a burlap sack.
She glanced at Li Jin out of the corner of her eye, then calmly took off her gloves and untied the two ropes tied around her wrists.
“Besides the fatal wound on the neck, the victim had purplish-blue bruises on her back, abdomen, and thighs, abrasions on the soles of her feet, and clear drag marks on her back.” She paused. “All these signs indicate that the victim must have had a fierce struggle with the murderer.”
“I just examined the contents of his stomach. Based on the degree of digestion, I believe the victim died within two to three hours after eating dinner.”
"Combined with the rigor mortis and the degree of cloudiness in the pupils, the most accurate time for the murder should be around 11:45 AM last night."
After speaking, Jin Shu raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at Li Jin, who seemed somewhat absent-minded: "...Does Your Highness have something on your mind?"
Li Jin paused for a moment, then chuckled, "It's nothing, don't worry about it."
Seeing his smile, the room fell silent for a moment. Jin Shu nodded when she saw that he didn't seem to be hiding anything: "Your Highness can trust me more."
Before Li Jin could respond, Jin Shu craned her neck to look outside the yard: "The pork seller hasn't come back yet?"
One sentence was all it took to stump Li Jin.
He quickly waved his fan open and said with a smile, "I'll have someone kill one for you right now, sir. It won't be that quick."
Upon hearing this, Jin Shu looked at him in surprise: "It's not worth it!"
"I like it." He raised his chin slightly, his tone carrying a hint of indulgence. "I'm happy to."
Those two simple words, for some reason, carried a peculiar power, like fingers plucking a string, stirring Jin Shu's heartstrings.
She pursed her lips, looked away, and exhaled through her nose: "Just buying some meat..."
Why does it even come across as domineering?
Less than half an hour later, the young yamen runner who had previously inquired about Jin Shu's whereabouts appeared at the door, carrying three large pieces of pork, several thick logs, a pointed hammer, and a meat mallet, panting heavily.
He first peeked inside and saw that everything had been tidied up. Then, with a forced smile, he hurried inside and said, "Your Highness, Mr. Jin, I have prepared everything you requested."
From that day forward, it became an unforgettable day for this lowly clerk.
Three pieces of pork, skin removed, were placed side by side on the bed in front of him. Li Jin handed him a pointed hammer and pointed to one of the pieces with his chin: "Put some force into it and hammer it ten times."
"Huh?" The young constable was completely bewildered and took the hammer from his hand.
He looked at the new hammer, glanced at Li Jin with a puzzled look, then looked at the pork in front of him, and felt a pang of heartache.
Isn't this a waste of food?
Li Jin seemed to read his mind, and smiled, "Finish the hammering as soon as possible and send it to the kitchen so it can be ready for dinner and distributed to everyone in the yamen."
The young constable hesitated for a moment, then quickly rolled up his sleeves, stretched his shoulders, and struck a pose as if ready to fight. With full force, he shouted, "Your Highness, step back! Don't get hurt!"
Before he could finish speaking, the hammer swung past Li Jin's eyes.
His excited expression made Li Jin lean back a little, and he bumped into Jin Shu's shoulder.
His sudden action startled Jin Shu, who almost instinctively reached out and wrapped her arms around Li Jin's back as he turned away.
Logically speaking, this protective gesture should have warmed Li Jin's heart.
But after only a few seconds of warmth, Jin Shu anxiously pried open his chin and looked at him back and forth many times.
Seeing his heartwarming words, I gradually felt a chill run down my spine.
Li Jin grabbed her wrist, his brows furrowed: "In your eyes, sir, I don't even have the ability to dodge this hammer?"
Jin Shuyi spoke righteously, his gaze still lingering on the prince's jawline: "Your Highness has one, Your Highness's chin doesn't."
Beside her, a junior constable raised his hand and unleashed a flurry of blows, exactly ten in total. He finished, panting, and turned back with a triumphant look on his face: "How was that? Was the movement considered standard?"
After saying that, he stared blankly at the scene before him.
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