Chapter 213 erases the word "disobedience" from Jin Shu's dictionary.
The next morning, the courtyard was bathed in sunlight.
As was customary, Zhou Zheng waited at the entrance of the Prince Jing's bedroom early in the morning.
He was dressed in black robes, expressionless, with his back to the tightly closed door of the sleeping quarters, one hand always gripping the hilt of the Tang sword behind him.
He had just arrived at the Prince's Mansion when Shen Wen mentioned the news of the assassination attempt on Jin Shu's courtyard last night. Upon hearing that Li Jin had personally led the attack, he was filled with guilt and self-reproach, unsure of how to face him.
As Prince Jing's personal bodyguard, he was not by the prince's side when the prince needed him most...
Zhou Zheng's expression darkened further.
He waited for half an hour, until it was broad daylight, and then he heard some noise behind him.
In an instant, he was shocked: something was wrong.
He quickly turned around and stepped forward, knocking twice on the door and calling out, "Your Highness!"
There was no response from inside the house.
Zhou Zheng didn't care about anything else. He drew his long sword, reached through the crack in the door, and suddenly flicked it upwards.
With a bang, he pushed the door open and rushed in, anxiously looking around.
The sleeping quarters were empty.
Zhou Zheng headed straight for the carved bed, but stopped halfway there, stunned.
Li Jin, dressed in white, stood in front of a bronze mirror, his brows furrowed.
Seeing Zhou Zheng barge in, he wasn't annoyed, but asked in a friendly tone, "Which one is more festive?"
Zhou Zheng paused, his gaze falling on the two outer garments in Li Jin's hands. When he looked up again, he saw Li Jin's smile and the question mark above his head could circle the Jingwang Mansion.
“…These two are only worn by the prince on special occasions,” he asked tentatively.
Li Jin nodded: "Yes, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is special."
Zhou Zheng was even more puzzled. In previous Mid-Autumn Festivals, Li Jin would spend them with a dark expression because they would evoke memories of his mother and Li Mu.
But today, not only was he all smiles, he was also holding two large floral banquet dresses in his hands, one in each hand.
After a long pause, Zhou Zheng frowned and asked, "Is Your Highness attending a palace banquet today?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jin pondered for a moment, glanced at the two banquet dresses in his hand, one black and one purple, and simply put them aside. He then picked out a very luxurious set of clothes embroidered with golden floral branches from his everyday clothes.
"This one will do," he said, smiling gently.
That profile shot made Zhou Zheng's heart skip a beat; he couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen such a smile.
But on second thought, I can understand it.
After all, this year's Mid-Autumn Festival will be graced by the presence of a special person who will keep the prince's six-year promise.
The young general of the Xiao family, who grew up with the prince and went through life and death with him, has returned from the border.
Of all the people Li Jin trusted, only he knew the full story of what happened outside the palace during the rebellion six years ago, and what the situation was like inside.
Thinking this, Zhou Zheng felt a flame ignite in his heart. He stood there with his back straight, gazing at the prince who had been lying low for six years.
Today is indeed a day to celebrate, a day that the prince should be happy about.
The gold embroidery thread shone brightly in the sunlight, making Li Jin's already handsome figure even more striking and dashing.
He straightened his clothes with both hands, exuding a calm and composed aura, truly a "peerless gentleman".
Looking at himself in the bronze mirror, Li Jin chuckled softly.
He had made up his mind: once he received the gift, he would give her an enormous return gift.
If she agrees, the matter of her cross-dressing will be forgiven; if she doesn't...
He narrowed his eyes slightly, determined to erase the word "disobey" from Jin Shu's dictionary.
However... things didn't go quite as Li Jin had expected...
Under the sunlight, Jin Shu frowned slightly as she looked at Li Jin, who was dressed in gold: "Didn't Your Highness say you were going to see the Young General today? Why are you dressed like..."
She paused, swallowing back the phrase "like a beauty pageant."
Li Jin paused slightly as he waved his fan, lowered his eyes, glanced at Zhou Zheng behind him, and said indifferently, "Prepare the carriage, we're going to the General's Mansion."
Zhou Zheng cupped his hands in acknowledgment and said "Yes," then turned and left.
Inside the main courtyard of this square gate, the ginkgo leaves are golden and the maple leaves are red, contrasting with the gray walls and black tiles, making it seem as if one is in a painting.
After Zhou Zheng left, Li Jin looked at Jin Shu, whose gentle and refined face was radiant with a smile that seemed to rival the sun in the sky.
“Shen Wen and Bai Yu have both gone to keep an eye on Pei Yide, so now it’s just the two of us in this courtyard.” Li Jin stepped forward, bent down, and smiled.
After he finished speaking, he stepped forward again and said, "Sir, what important matter do you have to discuss? You can speak now."
If what was just now was the sun, then from this distance, it seems to have the feel of Buddha's light shining everywhere.
Jin Shu was puzzled: "Huh?" Her features contorted in a question mark as she looked at Li Jin, and shook her head inexplicably, "It's nothing, I'm fine."
fine?
Li Jin raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, looking at the doubt in her eyes, wondering if he hadn't hinted enough.
After a moment, he smiled and said, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival."
In that instant, Jin Shu suddenly realized what was going on. He took a step back, cupped his hands, and bowed solemnly: "On this Mid-Autumn Festival, may Your Highness be safe and well, and enjoy happiness for ten thousand years."
He did understand, but he didn't reach the same level of understanding as Li Jin.
Li Jin paused, her brows furrowing slightly, and stood there waiting for a moment. After a while, she parted her cool lips and asked, "That's it?"
Jin Shu looked up, surprised, and asked, "What...what else do you want to say?"
What else is there to say?
At this moment, Li Jin's smile faded slightly: "Mr. Jin, is that all you have to say?"
Jin Shu looked completely bewildered by the question.
Upon seeing this, Li Jin's eyes twitched involuntarily.
You're something else, Jin Shu.
He stood there, exhaled a long breath through his nose, and said with pursed lips, "Come with me."
He wasn't in a hurry. After all, there was a whole day during the Mid-Autumn Festival. When it came to being patient, no one was better than Li Jin.
After saying that, he raised his hand and patted Li Jin on the shoulder, then strode towards the door.
On the way, he didn't forget to ask, intentionally or unintentionally, "Have you sent the return gift to Lord Zhu?"
He turned his head to the side, glancing at Jin Shu's face out of the corner of his eye.
After she shook her head, it didn't matter how she answered.
"Has Your Highness seen Lord Yan recently?" Jin Shu asked.
But Li Jin slowed his pace, lowered his eyes, and shook his head: "He must have something important to do."
Upon hearing this, Jin Shu nodded and said nothing more.
She recalled what cotton and linen masks looked like in her previous life, and made a few by hand in her spare time, placing them on Yan Zhao's desk as Mid-Autumn Festival gifts.
Seeing that she seemed completely unaware, Li Jin didn't mention anything more.
He didn't know how to bring it up with Jin Shu.
For several days in a row, there was no news of Yan Zhao.
Eunuch Chen in the Imperial Study, Consort De and Li Qian in the harem, as well as Zhang Xin and Su Shangxuan, who were usually close to Yan Zhao, had no idea where he had gone.
Even Emperor Li Yi of the Great Wei Dynasty had a hint of worry in his eyes.
"The odds are against us."
These were the last words Li Yi spoke to Li Jin as he was leaving the Imperial Study.
If even the Emperor's shadow has lost contact with him...
Li Jin stood in front of the carriage, lifted the curtain, hesitated for a moment, and then boarded the carriage.
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