Chapter 201 The Gap in Strength
A generous reward will surely attract brave men. Two taels of silver were thrown in, and before half a day had passed and it was even dark, a maid from the Grand Tutor's mansion, wrapped up tightly, ran all the way to the Six Doors and stood trembling in front of Li Jin.
"The dead man was Young Master Lin."
In the early autumn air, the little girl was wearing a thick cloak, looking mysterious, as if she were hiding something.
She breaks down a sentence into two parts, saying one half and hiding the other half. After finishing one part, she pauses, looks around, and only says the next half when she feels safe.
"Young Master Lin is acquainted with a distant cousin who lives in our household."
She was hiding behind the wooden door of the main courtyard of Li Jinmen when she said this.
"But today, Miss Cousin is ill and is resting at home, so she didn't come out to identify me."
At this point, the person hid behind the antique display shelf again.
“Normally, Miss Cousin has very little contact with people in the manor, so not many people in the manor know her friends.” Finally, she pulled Jin Shu, who was standing to the side, and used her as a wall to peek out.
After saying this, Li Jin didn't even raise his eyes, and nodded: "Tell your second young lady that I understand."
Upon hearing this, the girl finally breathed a sigh of relief, gave an awkward laugh, and then took out the food box that she had been hiding behind her back.
"Your Highness Prince Jing, these are jujube blossom pastries made by my young lady herself..."
Li Jin waved his hand and said, "This king..." He paused for a moment before changing his tone and smiling, "I'll trouble you to hold this for me, sir."
His gaze fell on Jin Shu's face, who was standing to the side.
Jin Shu was stunned for a moment before saying "Oh" and taking the food box from the little girl's hand.
The girl was moved to tears, her excitement overflowing, and her hand trembled slightly as she handed over the food box.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Seeing this, she pointed to the eight-immortal chair next to her, "Why don't you sit down and talk slowly?"
The young maid glanced at Li Jin's profile, swallowed hard, and quickly waved her hand, "No, no, I appreciate your kindness, sir, but I have to hurry back to avoid arousing suspicion."
After she finished speaking, she curtsied, leaving Jin Shu full of confusion, and then ran out.
Inside the room, she held the black lacquered, carved food box, watching Li Jin intently protecting the book in his hands, and pursed her lips: "Where should I put this?"
Without looking up, he said, "Put it in your stomach."
Seeing that Jin Shu was confused, Li Jin put down the protective book in his hand, stamped it, and said as he got up to file it, "I don't like sweets."
No sooner had Li Jin finished speaking than the little girl who had rushed out in a flurry returned in a hurry.
This time, perhaps because he had successfully completed the most difficult task, he seemed like a completely different person from before.
She strode into the room with a graceful air and gave a proper curtsy: "Your Highness, I forgot to mention earlier that my young lady has been losing things lately."
At this point, Li Jin snapped the box shut, turned around, and stood with his hands behind his back: "Losing something?"
“Exactly,” she said. “They’re not big items, just small things like pearls, hairpins, jade pendants, and earrings.”
"At first, the young lady thought it was because she was forgetful and had misplaced things, but later more and more items were disappearing, and those that hadn't been moved for years would suddenly disappear when the brocade box was opened again."
She pursed her lips: "Miss said not to bother the Prince with such trivial matters, but this servant feels..."
She raised her eyes and glanced at the imposing Li Jin in front of her: "This servant believes that even if it is a small item, it is something that Miss cherishes. Miss will be sad if it is lost."
That's truly heartfelt; they know they should create an opportunity for their young lady to meet them.
Li Jin lowered his eyes, pondered for a moment, and nodded, saying, "I understand. You may go back now."
The little girl's face lit up with joy, her mouth stretched into a wide grin, and she ran out happily as if it were New Year's Day.
Watching her boisterous departure, Li Jin looked at Jin Shu, whose attention was entirely focused on the food box.
"Do you know who her young lady is?" He raised an eyebrow and, before she could speak, added, "She is the owner of that handkerchief, the second young lady of the Grand Tutor's mansion, Su Wanying."
Seeing Jin Shu's face stiffen for a moment, he smiled faintly and said no more.
That evening, Jin Shu looked at the eight jujube blossom pastries in the food box. The outer crust was visibly flaky, and the sweet aroma could be smelled as soon as the lid was opened.
She, who usually loves all kinds of pastries, suddenly had no appetite for anything.
She looked at it for a long time, but still put the lid back on untouched.
The next day, Li Jin led the way, followed by Zhou Zheng and Jin Shu. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Su Hang at the entrance of the Grand Tutor's residence, they walked together toward the courtyard where Su's cousin lived.
“She was unwell yesterday and couldn’t move in bed, so I couldn’t identify her,” Su Hang said. “She is the child of my distant aunt. She is of marriageable age and, rather than marrying in Jiangnan, my aunt wants my mother to find a son-in-law in the capital.”
"What illness is it?" Li Jin asked as they walked.
At this point, Su Hang's face showed a look of unspeakable distress: "He said he was sore all over and exhausted..."
He frowned and pursed his lips: "I can't say for sure. The doctor prescribed some medicine and told me to rest in bed and see how it goes in a few days."
My whole body aches, and I'm completely exhausted...
This illness is truly vague and perplexing.
"Does she have any injuries?" Li Jin asked Su Hang as they approached the courtyard gate. "External injuries."
Su Hang thought for a moment, then shook his head: "No."
Stepping through the courtyard gate, Tan Qin, the cousin of the Su family, already dressed, came out of the house with the help of her maid.
Upon entering, Li Jin immediately noticed the iron shovel leaning against the door.
He looked it over; the wooden pole was three feet long, with a wide, flat iron shovel at the bottom, about the size of a disc.
Standing in the courtyard, looking at Tan Qin, who was as delicate as a willow swaying in the breeze, he asked directly, "When was the last time Miss Tan saw Young Master Lin?"
The young lady, who had been looking delicate and charming, visibly stiffened her expression.
She pursed her lips into a thin line, and after a long while shook her head: "It's been a few days."
Li Jin nodded and asked in return, "How many days?"
His gaze was sharp as a knife: "Young Master Lin mentioned to someone at the tavern that he came here to find you three days ago at their invitation. Where were you that day?"
These few words exchanged left Su Hang, who was standing to the side, completely bewildered.
He felt a vague unease.
The Ministry of Justice has its quicksand, and the Six Doors have its shadows. Now that I've actually encountered a case and experienced it firsthand, I can truly see the difference between quicksand and shadows.
In just one night, Li Jin already knew who the suspect was, where he had been, who he had met, and what he had said, even though he hadn't been able to identify him before.
This power is now only used for solving cases...
Watching Li Jin's retreating figure, Su Hang took a deep breath and began to understand what kind of opponent the Crown Prince was facing.
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