Chapter 280 Should I take responsibility myself? How should I take responsibility?
Midnight, the early morning, can be considered the middle of the night.
Jin Shu sat in the carriage, looking at Li Jin, who was sitting opposite her with a big, imposing figure and a half-smile on his face. His mouth opened and closed for a long time.
“My monthly salary was originally twenty-five taels, and with all the planning I’ve done this month, I’ve roughly calculated that I’ll have at least fifty taels of silver,” Li Jin said, a smile playing on his lips.
Upon hearing this, Jin Shu looked at his smile and felt no joy at all.
Judging from Li Jin's appearance, it's unlikely that he'll be able to get those fifty taels back easily.
She pouted, her brows furrowed, waiting for Li Jin to finish his sentence.
"As the saying goes, don't go into debt before the New Year, or you won't be in debt until the New Year." He raised his chin slightly, his smile deepening. "Once midnight passes, it will be the New Year."
He chuckled, took out a silver ingot from his pocket, weighed it in his hand, and said, "I still want to celebrate the New Year. If Shu'er doesn't come to collect it at midnight, then this will be considered settled, and I can have a good New Year."
Hearing this, Jin Shu's eyes twitched.
He's a logical genius, with an old man's way of thinking.
She clicked her tongue and deliberately emphasized, "It's you, Your Highness, who owes me money."
“Yes.” Li Jin nodded in deep agreement. “That’s right.”
Seeing his deliberate actions, Jin Shu felt extremely aggrieved.
Fifty taels is no small sum.
Just as she was heartbroken and hesitant, Li Jin suddenly remembered something and added, "By the way, when Shu'er was granted an official position, all of Father Emperor's rewards were kept with me."
"These things, including Zhu Hu Na Bi, you don't need for now, so I'll leave them with you." He paused, his expression suddenly turning somewhat greedy, "But those ten strings of luminous pearls from the East Sea, the three bushels of turquoise gemstones in the golden cup, and the priceless jade ruyi..."
Li Jin smiled, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons. She adopted a bargaining stance, waved her hand, and feigned disdain: "Piling up several boxes takes up space and is difficult to store."
Jin Shu pursed her lips, her heart practically bleeding.
As expected, Prince Jing changed the subject and sighed helplessly: "We've worked together for so long, you should know that I've never liked owing anyone anything."
Upon hearing this, Jin Shu was quite shocked, her gaze shifting back and forth between him: "So Your Highness intends to annex it all?"
Li Jin nodded, clapping her hands with great satisfaction and praising, "Shu'er understands me!"
Understand? Understand my foot!
Jin Shu looked at his smiling face and let out a cold breath: "He swallowed my money, we are sworn enemies! Midnight it is!"
Li Jin raised an eyebrow.
She curled her lip and glared at Li Jin: "Anyone who doesn't go is a coward!"
Hearing Jin Shu's bold words, Li Jin felt immediately relieved.
He smiled brightly and added, "It's a deal."
Unfortunately, he couldn't return to Prince Jing's residence with Jin Shu.
In the deep of night, the clouds parted and the moon appeared. The carriage slowly came to a stop, and Li Jin jumped down alone.
At this moment, inside the main courtyard of the Six Doors, Song Zhen stared blankly at the chessboard in front of her, a full inch of snow falling on her shoulder.
The fireworks have faded, but the starry night remains forever.
He lowered his eyes and raised his hand, staring blankly at his still-warm palm.
After a long while, as if realizing something, he hurriedly raised his hand, picked up the teacup that Li Yiduan had given him, and, by the moonlight, dipped his hand into the white residue inside.
In the freezing cold, Song Zhen rubbed a little bit between two fingers, brought it to her nose and smelled it slightly.
"flour?!"
He looked at the white patch on his fingers with surprise, and after a long while, he let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
Song Zhen swept the snow off the chessboard, looked at the black and white pieces facing off, and reached out to take a piece from the snow-covered chess box beside her.
Before the chess piece was placed, a series of hurried footsteps could be heard approaching from afar, treading through the snow.
She looked up and met Li Jin's gaze.
He nodded, smiled slightly, and put the chess piece back: "Your Highness Prince Jing, congratulations."
His voice was soft, with a smile that seemed detached from worldly affairs.
Li Jin stood by the door, pondered for a moment with his hands behind his back, before slowly walking to the opposite side of him.
Looking at the empty teacup on the opposite side of Song Zhen, he frowned slightly: "Has someone been here?"
Song Zhen raised his eyebrows and smiled faintly: "I came to see Cen Zhen." He paused, looked up at Li Jin under the stars, "But Cen Zhen is no longer in this world."
Li Jin remained silent, but understood the meaning behind his words.
He stood by the table, looking at Song Zhen's pale face: "Cen Zhen is dead, but what Song Zhen did cannot be erased."
Li Jin stood by the table, leaned forward, took out a black piece, and flicked it with two fingers. In no time, it landed in an unexpected spot with a clang.
“Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor.” Song Zhen said, as he picked up the white pieces and placed them against the black pieces.
In Go, the move of "touching" is used to probe, just as Song Zhen is thinking now.
He stopped, still smiling faintly.
Li Jin remained silent, and without much thought, took a step that broke through the air, directly entering Bai Zi's control range.
“Not everyone who is in the dark is evil.” Li Jin did not look up, but kept his eyes fixed on the chessboard, as if he could see every move Song Zhen would make.
Wearing a blue robe, he was an avid chess player. He looked at the chessboard where the white pieces had just been in the lead, but now they were being attacked by Li Jin's two pieces, resulting in a double attack.
Currently, it has become a situation where no matter which step Song Zhen takes, there is bound to be a mistake.
He frowned slightly, and his indifferent expression vanished.
This New Year's Eve began at noon with Li Yi playing a game of chess. Now, after being cleansed by a heavy snowfall, under the dim light of the moon after the snow stopped, Li Jin has taken over the game.
It closely resembles the changes that occurred in the Great Wei Dynasty over the past six years.
Song Zhen, who had orchestrated the entire game, spent six years creating a game that should have been a losing proposition for Black.
The situation is already decided; no matter how much they struggle, they will likely be unable to escape his grasp.
But Li Jin's two unexpected moves left him momentarily bewildered.
What should have been a proactive situation has unknowingly turned into a passive and defensive posture.
"Whether it's good or evil is not important." Song Zhen shook her head. "What's important is that the Prince's side cannot be stained with my likeness."
Li Jin chuckled softly and placed another piece: "Song Zhen, you're going to lose this game."
Song Zhen was momentarily stunned.
"Do you know why?" Li Jin tilted his head slightly, raised a finger, and said softly, "Even a genius like you still has some vulgar skills that you don't even realize yourself."
A common mistake in chess refers to a move that appears to be a normal move but actually results in a loss of advantage. Many people make this mistake so often that they don't even realize it.
"Using your vulgar methods, turning the tables won't be difficult." Li Jin's words were loaded with meaning, his gaze cold as he stared at Song Zhen's face.
Clumsy hands...
Song Zhen wasn't stupid. She slowly raised her head, her smile fading, and looked at Li Jin with a very solemn expression.
"His Highness promised me that once the matter was settled, Miss He would be released, and I would take full responsibility for what I had done."
Li Jin raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I agree." He narrowed his eyes slightly, "But I didn't say when I would release it, did I?"
Song Zhen froze, staring at Li Jin in disbelief.
Seeing his shocked yet slightly angry expression, Li Jin raised his hand, brushed the snow off the stone bench, lifted his robe, and sat down.
"You should take responsibility for your own actions..." He smiled enigmatically, "How does Young Master Song intend to take responsibility?"
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