Chapter 224 In Mr.'s eyes, I am not even as good as a piece of gossip.
In the Cold Palace, Li Jin stayed with Consort Xiao until nightfall.
In the deep palace of the Great Wei Dynasty, the early autumn air was slightly chilly. Li Jin didn't cross the threshold until Consort Xiao was fast asleep, bidding farewell to Granny Xi.
He walked along that dark road, surrounded by silence and coldness, the atmosphere particularly oppressive against the backdrop of towering palace walls on both sides.
Inside the Taiji Hall, singing and dancing filled the air, and toasts were exchanged. Everyone spoke sweetly, reciting congratulatory messages, but beneath their smiles lay hidden thoughts.
A grand Mid-Autumn Festival banquet thrust Prince Jing, Li Jin, who had been hovering on the fringes of the succession struggle and the battle for power, into the very center of the Taiji Hall.
This also strengthened the Crown Prince's resolve to eliminate Li Jin completely, as he had always been unable to find an opportunity or a legitimate reason to do so.
Six years later, the life-or-death struggle between the two princes is about to erupt.
This time, however, Li Jin will not make the same mistake as Li Mu.
He stood before the extreme, looking at the faces inside wearing "masks," then turned and left with his hands behind his back.
As if sensing his departure, Eunuch Chen stood in the center of the Crown Prince's Hall, watching his figure approach from afar with his back to the hall, and smiled as he cupped his hands in a salute: "Your Highness."
Li Jin paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Could it be that Li Yi has something else on his mind?
Then Eunuch Chen raised his head slightly and glanced at him: "Your Highness, there is no need to be nervous. This old servant is just here to see you off."
A night breeze rises and blows across the Taiji Hall square, which spans 800 meters in diameter.
Li Jin stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes unfathomable.
Above, the full, bright moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival shines, reflecting the stars and casting layers of silvery light.
The white jade floor seemed to be draped in gauze, and Li Jin and Eunuch Chen gazed at each other silently in the night.
After a long pause, Li Jin remained silent, nodded, and walked past his hunched figure.
"If Eunuch Chen has anything to say, please speak plainly." His voice was calm, but every word clearly reached Eunuch Chen's ears.
The chief eunuch, who had lived half his life in the imperial city and served an emperor, smiled and quickly turned to follow him.
"This morning, His Majesty made a bet with the Crown Prince, saying that Prince Jing would not come today." Eunuch Chen paused, "because His Highness took on a case from Feng Chao."
Li Jin paused, slowing down by a third.
“There’s a man named Yang Defa in this case,” Eunuch Chen chuckled. “I saw him about six or seven years ago when I went to the Prime Minister’s residence to deliver the imperial edict.”
Beside him, Li Jin walked slower and slower.
Eunuch Chen added knowingly, "He is the study companion of the Prime Minister's eldest son, and it seems... he is the younger brother of Yang Qingyun, the Vice Minister of Revenue."
Li Jin turned his head to the side, gazing at Eunuch Chen's face under the starry sky. He remained expressionless and silent throughout.
Eunuch Chen, still bowing and smiling, added, "The Yang family never mentions him. This old servant remembers it because... he was born unable to have sex."
Li Jin stopped in her tracks.
Under the moonlight, the gate to the Taiji Hall plaza was only a hundred meters away from the two of them.
He took a deep breath, turned around, and asked solemnly, "What Eunuch Chen told me must not be just a casual remark or a simple chat, right?"
Then, Eunuch Chen lowered his eyes, looked at the white jade ground, and bowed with his hands clasped. He bowed deeply, and stood silently in front of Li Jin.
In that instant, Li Jin understood.
He took a deep breath, raised his hand to help Eunuch Chen up, and said meaningfully, "My Prince Jing's mansion doesn't have a single eunuch." Then he patted Eunuch Chen's arm and said, "Eunuch, you don't need to worry."
After saying that, he took two steps back, turned around and walked towards the gate of Taiji Hall Square.
Behind him, Eunuch Chen stopped in his tracks, looking at the figure that was already showing signs of becoming a king.
He placed his hands in front of him, holding a whisk in his hand.
After a long while, he looked up at the vast sky filled with stars and murmured to himself, "The world is about to change."
A palace banquet, a scheme orchestrated by the Emperor of Wei.
He used his power to forcefully push Li Jin, who had been standing in the corner, to the opposite side of the Crown Prince.
The stage for this battle for the throne is about to open, just as he wished.
The carriage swayed and rocked. Li Jin sat inside, lifting the curtain to look at the people celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival outside the capital.
Some are admiring the moon, some are listening to music, some are reuniting with family...
Behind him, fireworks lit up the sky with a riot of colors.
The loud bangs of the explosions painted everyone's faces with vibrant colors.
At this moment, he was the only one walking against the light.
After this commotion, Li Jin returned to the Prince's Mansion at 3:45 PM.
He stood under the gate of Guangliang for a long time, pondering, but ultimately gave up the idea of going to see Jin Shu.
Passing through the corridor of Prince Jing's mansion and pushing open his own door, he saw a small purse lying on the sandalwood table.
Zhou Zheng glanced at his surprised face and scratched his head: "Mr. Jin said he didn't know when you would be back, so he asked his subordinate to bring it over."
Li Jin paused for a moment, took a few steps forward, and frowned slightly as she looked at the golden purse.
This was not the one he had seen by Jin Shu's bedside last night; there were no traces of embroidery on either side.
He held it in his hand, weighed it a few times, and smiled faintly.
Oh well, it'll be his sooner or later anyway.
The night was deep, and it was past midnight.
Jin Rong had already fallen asleep, while Jin Shu sat alone in the courtyard, still battling with the various colored embroidery threads in her hands under the bright moonlight.
A breeze swept by, and she looked at the second embroidery she had painstakingly finished in her hand. She rubbed her fingertips, which were covered in tiny blood spots, and sighed with a grimace.
Too ugly, too fatal, too embarrassing to show off.
I just don't understand. I'm quite good at sewing, so why is embroidery so suffocating?
Jin Shu shook her head, put down the purse in her hand, picked up the teacup beside her, and took a small sip.
Looking at the full moon in the sky, she smiled slightly.
It's as if, as long as we're all under the same moonlight, even if we're not physically together, it's still a perfect Mid-Autumn Festival night.
Behind her, Li Jin, holding a long sword and dressed in a dashing night outfit, sat quietly on the roof, glancing at her smiling profile, and in the quiet moonlight, wiped away the assassin's bloodstains from the sword.
The next morning, Jin Shu saw Jin Rong off as he returned to the Imperial Academy. The moment he stepped into the Six Doors, he was pulled aside by someone.
She stared blankly at Li Jin, who had pinned her against the pillar. The man had his arms crossed and was only a foot away from her.
Smelling the familiar sandalwood scent emanating from him, Jin Shu held her breath, and her mind went blank.
Before she could react, she heard a familiar voice in her ear.
"How dare you!" Li Qian's voice choked with emotion as she pointed a finger at Yun Fei standing in front of her. "You dare to refuse this princess's invitation? Who gave you the courage?!"
Dressed in a black robe, Yun Fei frowned and lowered his eyes, looking away for a long while before finally pursing his lips and saying, "This humble official is merely a minor official, I have no such..."
"Who said that!" Li Qian's voice was even louder. "Whether someone is qualified to stand beside me is for me, the princess, to decide!"
Her eyes reddened as she looked at Yunfei's silent expression, a wave of heartache washing over her. Gritting her teeth, she uttered, "You just wait!"
After saying that, he turned around and ran quickly out of the Six Doors.
The moment she left, Jin Shu clearly saw her raise her hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks.
"Hey!" Jin Shu reached out to chase after her, but saw Li Jin slowly tilt her head, lean close to her cheek, and chuckle softly: "Mr. Jin is barely able to take care of himself, yet he has time to worry about others?"
As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow and took a small step forward: "In your eyes, sir, gossip is so interesting?"
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