Chapter 199 My First Wall Slam in Twenty-Six Years of Life
There was a commotion in the Imperial Study. Although Li Jin didn't say anything, secrets don't stay hidden forever. Jin Shu knew, and the Grand Tutor knew too.
Against this backdrop, the Crown Prince's sudden questioning of these questions seems rather meaningful.
Jin Shu knew very well that these few questions were meant to test her and also to warn her.
After he and Su Yu left, Li Jin finally felt relieved. He looked at Jin Shu and smiled approvingly: "Sir, you come from humble origins, yet you are so at ease in front of the Crown Prince."
The phrase "not as good as His Highness" subtly implies that the Crown Prince should draw a conclusion regarding the cause of death.
Li Jin smiled faintly, and without waiting for Jin Shu's response, turned around and looked at Su Hang, directly changing the subject: "Lord Su, while the body is still here, let everyone in the manor identify it."
"If no one recognizes them, the Six Doors will take them back."
Su Hang frowned, peeked at the corpse lying behind Li Jin, and his face showed a mixture of emotions.
At the tender age of twenty, coming from a scholarly family, he had never seen such a scene before. He suppressed the churning in his stomach, his facial features forming a "囧" (jiǒng, meaning awkward or embarrassed) expression.
"I've already given the instructions, and the servants have identified most of them. Only the young ladies in the back courtyard are left."
He paused, looking at Li Jin, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating. After a long while, he lowered his voice and said hesitantly, "Your Highness Prince Jing, may I have a word with you in private?"
Seeing the two of them acting so mysteriously, Jin Shu tilted her head in confusion.
Su Hang led Li Jin to an open space, where there wasn't a single tree within ten meters.
He stopped in the middle and respectfully cupped his hands: "Your Highness, since our last encounter on the street, my father has had something he wanted to say to you, but he has never been able to find the opportunity."
“His Highness the Crown Prince is also in the residence today. The most dangerous place is the safest place, so…” He took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to Li Jin. “My father said that His Highness will understand once he reads it.”
Li Jin looked around. The place he was in was surrounded by low grass and trees, and was embraced by artificial hills in front and behind, like a small basin.
He lowered his eyes, took the letter from Su Hang's hand, opened the envelope, and glanced at it.
A white sheet of paper, with a long, dark ink line drawn from beginning to end.
Li Jin raised an eyebrow, glanced at Su Hang, then folded the letter in half with both hands: "Tell the Grand Tutor that I understand."
Su Hang didn't understand and looked puzzled, but he wanted to ask but didn't dare to.
Seeing that he didn't understand, Li Jin smiled and added, "It's impossible to avoid any losses, but I can still protect the entire Su family."
"It's unlikely that the Grand Tutor would want to make a huge profit without spending a lot of money."
After saying that, he patted Su Hang on the shoulder, and as he brushed past him, he said with a smile, "I'll trouble you, Lord Su, to relay this message word for word."
In the middle of the white paper, a black line runs evenly, without bias, signifying neutrality.
But Li Jin wasn't stupid. Su Yu had turned the Imperial Academy upside down for the past six years. Now, seeing the fierce infighting within the Crown Prince's faction, he wanted to find a foolproof plan without investing any resources. He simply wanted to remain neutral in exchange for Li Jin turning a blind eye once he came to power.
Where in the world can you find such a cheap deal?
Li Jin does indeed lack the Grand Tutor's assistance, but compared to that, the Grand Tutor urgently needs Li Jin, a reliable ally, even more now.
In the short two-quarters of an hour they spent going back and forth, the identification of the body was nearing its end.
In the entire Grand Tutor's mansion, there was truly no one who recognized the corpse lying there.
Li Jin guessed the outcome, so he told Zhou Zheng to transport the body back to the Six Doors. Before leaving, he left a message: "Anyone who provides information will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver."
Hearing the exclamations of "twenty taels" from the crowd around him, he closed his fan and smiled faintly.
A living person cannot simply appear out of thin air. Once he enters the mansion, he will inevitably attract attention in broad daylight.
After trying to identify each person but finding none to recognize him, Li Jin could only conclude that the circumstances at the time must have made those who knew him hesitant.
"A generous reward will surely bring forth brave men." He walked ahead, stepping over the threshold of the six doors.
“That young master is no ordinary person. His clothes are extraordinary, at least more valuable than the material of my black robe.” Jin Shu followed behind him. “I noticed he has a jade pendant at his waist, and there seems to be something hidden in his waistband. Let’s open it and take a look; perhaps we can find something.”
At this point, Jin Shu and Li Jin stopped in their tracks simultaneously.
In the courtyard of the Six Doors, in the middle of the bluestone path, Li Qian, dressed in a black robe, stood in front of Yun Fei, holding a yellow invitation card.
Their angle was such that their backs to the door were not visible to Li Jin and Jin Shu, who had just returned.
Seeing Li Qian sneak out again, Li Jin felt a surge of anger and strode forward.
But Jin Shu grabbed his arm and pulled him behind a pillar.
"What does the princess mean by this?" Yunfei asked, frowning as he looked at the invitation in her hand.
Li Qian clicked her tongue and scratched her head: "Sigh, it's the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. My brother will most likely not be going. I'll be bored by myself. If Lord Yun were here..." She paused, "Lord Yun, you could come and keep me company."
Seeing that Yunfei remained silent, she shoved the invitation directly into his arms: "Oh dear, just have dinner with this princess, why are you being so fussy! This is an honor that many people would gladly accept, you don't need to thank me!"
After saying that, she snorted coldly, quickly turned around, scratched her head, and ran out.
In the courtyard, Yunfei stood alone, staring at the invitation in his hand. He took a deep breath, and after a long while, he turned and left with a heavy heart.
After he walked away, Jin Shu, who had been engrossed in watching the commotion behind the red pillar, suddenly looked enlightened.
"No wonder they're making a fuss about going to Xiangji Temple to light some lamps."
“Mr. Jin,” Li Jin’s voice came, terribly deep, “Jin Shu.”
Only then did she snap out of her daze. Looking at Li Jin, whom she had pressed against the red pillar with her arm covering her forehead, she let out a cry of "Ah!" and released her grip, taking a large step back.
Li Jin gritted his teeth and spat out a few words: "How dare you!"
After saying that, he placed his hand on his chest and tried to calm his heart, which felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.
In his twenty-six years of life, the first time he had ever experienced a proper "wall slam" was when a woman pinned him against a pillar—it was utterly humiliating.
He removed his arm from her forehead, his gaze sharp as he stabbed at her helpless expression. He took a deep breath and stepped forward: "Is it pretty?"
He went a step further: "Do you like watching it?"
Taking it one step further: "Do you like watching it?"
After asking the three questions, Jin Shu was almost pressed against the wall behind her, with Li Jin's chest only a foot away from her.
She shook her head frantically: "It's not good, I don't like it, I'll never watch it again!"
Li Jin raised an eyebrow, bent down to the side, and deliberately stared straight at her face, enjoying her embarrassed state. He smiled gently, then switched to a fierce expression in the blink of an eye: "Then hurry up and get to work!"
Hearing his fierce reprimand, Jin Shu pursed her lips, struggled to wipe the wall behind her, squeezed out of the cramped space, and hurriedly ran towards the coroner's room with her head down.
Seeing that she had run far away, Li Jin took a deep breath, raised his hand to cover half of his face, and glared at Bai Yu and Zhou Zheng, who were peeking out from the roof: "Go get to work!"
That's incredible! How come I never noticed before that the entire Six Doors organization loves gossip so much?
He took a deep breath and glanced back at the red pillar.
This is so frustrating!
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