Chapter 258 When it comes to cunning and ruthlessness, they are evenly matched.
The snow in the capital has not yet melted.
The snow on the Six Doors had frozen into a thick layer of ice.
Li Jin strode ahead with his hands behind his back, while Jin Shu followed cautiously behind.
She frowned, carefully placing herself on the ground for fear of falling, while grimacing and complaining about Li Jin's devastating words.
There were three meters between them, but in Jin Shu's eyes, all she could see were "The Five Elements belong to the King of Hell, and my birth chart is missing me," and the phrase "I haven't conceived Prince Jing's heir yet."
She clicked her tongue, and the more she thought about it, the more convinced she was of being tricked.
Seeing her carefully lifting the hem of her dress, Li Jin lowered his eyes and slowed his pace.
On the long bluestone path leading to the main gate, Li Jin, dressed in pale gold, stood smiling against the light.
Wherever his gaze fell, Jin Shu carefully gripped the hem of her dress, held her breath, and walked toward him.
"Do you need me to hold your hand?" he asked with a faint smile.
Jin Shu frowned and bit her lip: "Why does Your Highness seem to have taken the wrong medicine today?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jin raised an eyebrow, withdrew her outstretched hand, and shook her head while sighing, "Shu'er is really not frank enough."
As he spoke, he took something out of his pocket.
In the sunlight, he held the crookedly embroidered "Jin" character pouch in his hand and swung it back and forth a couple of times.
Jin Shu was taken aback at first, then skipped the shy step and ignored the ice on the ground, rushing forward to snatch it back: "Give it back to me!"
Li Jin deliberately raised his hand, raised his eyebrows, leaned down, and stared straight at her face: "Although the embroidery is really ugly, I am broad-minded and don't care about trivial matters, so I will reluctantly accept it."
As he spoke, he took advantage of her momentary shock and stuffed the garment back into the innermost layer of his shirt, raising his voice defiantly: "If Shu'er wants to go back, take it yourself."
Then, he raised his thumb and pointed to the center of his chest, whispering, "Here."
Seeing Jin Shu's stunned expression, Li Jin smiled with satisfaction and glanced at the rooftop on the opposite side.
The long bluestone path with six doors was covered in snow.
He deliberately bypassed the clean, snow-free corridor, intending to take advantage of the opportunity to be alone with Jin Shu and plant a seed in her heart.
Zhang Xin was right; the feeling of attachment he gave Jin Shu was far too safe.
“It’s safe enough that she doesn’t think Your Highness would dare to take another step forward.” He laughed, his fingers gliding over the tabby cat’s back. “If Your Highness is truly sincere, I will give you a trick that will cure all ills.”
Two days ago, Li Jin frowned and looked at him with disbelief: "Lord Zhang, you can even draw this?"
Sitting at the octagonal table, Zhang Xin laughed heartily: "A person's character and behavior are never separate." He leaned forward mysteriously, "Your Highness, would you like to give it a try?"
There was a silence between the two for about ten seconds.
After a long pause, Li Jin's finger traced the edge of the table: "...I hope Lord Zhang will not hesitate to offer his guidance."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xin raised an eyebrow, clearly somewhat surprised.
Although he was the one who proposed it, he really didn't expect that Prince Jing of Great Wei, the God of War on the battlefield, would actually nod and show weakness.
Seeing his surprise, Li Jin raised his hand and coughed lightly, his cheeks slightly flushed: "...I have hinted and suggested several times, but she has always managed to find a unique angle to get around it."
After saying that, his eyes darkened slightly: "The overall situation is now settled..."
Li Jin paused, took a deep breath, and said, "To be honest, Lord Zhang, Jin Shu deposits all of her monthly salary into the bank. After the case of the Grand Tutor's daughter, she occasionally meets with Zhu Dongli and Chen Xi, the Director of Studies at the Imperial Academy."
He looked at Zhang Xin's thoughtful face and said in a deep voice, "She has been inquiring about places with beautiful scenery and a good place to live."
After saying that, Li Jin picked up the warm teacup and gently blew away the foam.
"She's leaving?" Zhang Xin suddenly realized.
Li Jin remained silent for a long time, took a sip of tea, and nodded: "Based on my understanding of her, the day the case is closed will be the day she leaves."
"Does the prince not want her to leave?" Zhang Xin smiled, "or does he want her to live in the Jing Prince's mansion for the rest of her life?"
"Neither." Li Jin shook his head and put down his teacup. "Her life or death is uncertain. I just hope she can remember me for a longer time."
“Long enough…” he lowered his eyes, “long enough that, in case she survives, I will still be able to come and get her.”
Looking at the incredibly conflicted Li Jin in front of him, and at his handsome profile, Zhang Xin exhaled a puff of white smoke, his voice laced with laughter as he waved his hands repeatedly, sighing with great emotion, "Oh dear, this is too difficult."
Li Jin's back stiffened.
“Since she’s determined to leave, she won’t leave any room for doubt,” Zhang Xin said deliberately. “She’ll be out of the Six Doors one minute and married the next.”
Before Li Jin could speak urgently, Zhang Xin cut him off with another insult: "Hasn't Your Highness heard that the best way to forget someone is to immediately move on to the next beautiful love?"
One sentence struck a nerve with Li Jin.
He took a breath, raised his hand to his forehead, and rubbed it back and forth. The thought of a strange man standing next to Jin Shu made it hard for him to breathe.
Seeing Li Jin's love-struck appearance, Zhang Xin stroked the tabby cat in his arms and said with a smile, "The best way to deal with people like the Prince, who seem harmless on the surface but are actually wicked, is to be straightforward."
He sighed, "Whether it's explicit or implicit, who is Mr. Jin? He doesn't show off, but he's as clear-headed as a mirror, knowing everything. From the very beginning, the prince's tricks haven't been very effective on her, have they?"
These words left Li Jin stunned.
“When it comes to being cunning, you two are evenly matched, it’s impossible to tell who is more ruthless,” he said. “So Your Highness, stop beating around the bush. If that doesn’t work, just be direct. Let’s go in with a white knife and come out with a red one.”
Zhang Xin gestured with his hand as if he were a knife, back and forth, making Li Jin's eyebrows rise and fall.
"Oh, as the saying goes, nature is the best teacher. If you go straight for the ball, see how she tries to dodge it. She can't get around it."
Upon hearing this, Li Jin opened and closed her mouth, staring at him for a long time without uttering a sound.
After a long while, he sat up straight, pursed his lips, and asked, "Will it work?"
Zhang Xin laughed: "Try it, you'll know once you try."
At the time, Li Jin was skeptical, but now he had to admire Zhang Xin.
He truly deserves to be called the most elite criminal profiler in the Six Doors.
They are proficient in behavioral analysis, have an excellent understanding of human nature, and can delineate people's mentality and even predict their next move by analyzing their behavioral characteristics.
He truly deserves the title of "soul writer".
Li Jin glanced at Jin Shu behind her, who was furious but had a blush on her cheeks, and then smiled slightly at Zhang Xin, who was standing on the roof and looking over from afar.
Snow covered the eaves, and Zhang Xin stood behind Bai Yu with his hands behind his back.
He nodded in acknowledgment, then smiled and said, "To deal with someone who pretends to be ignorant when they know the truth, you have to give them a push."
The sudden sound from behind caused Bai Yu, who was sitting on the eaves, to slip and almost fall.
Seeing this, Zhang Xin quickly pulled him aside and smiled apologetically, "Oh dear, did you frighten Lord Bai?"
Thick snowflakes fell softly from the top of the corridor. Bai Yu patted his chest and gasped for breath: "Why did Lord Zhang come up here?"
“Come up here to clear the snow,” Zhang Xin said, stroking his beard and lowering his voice. “And while you’re at it, let’s see how your progress is going.”
Bai Yu paused, "What process?"
Zhang Xin raised an eyebrow: "To strike at the heart."
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