Chapter 34 ends abruptly.
The tragic murder of a widow, after so many days of meticulous investigation, from Xiaolin County to Yiyang City, has come to an abrupt end.
Jin Shu looked at the three corpses lying in the coroner's room and examined them overnight by candlelight.
Fang Qing, and her two children, are the same.
There was a large amount of inhaled ash in the mouth, nose, and trachea, and there were burn marks on the inner wall of the trachea. The blood was cherry red, and the exposed skin all over the body was severely burned.
She tried her best to find signs of homicide, but in the face of all the evidence, she had to conclude that she died of smoke inhalation and that it was an accidental death.
There were no strange signs, no scratches from sharp objects, no blows from blunt objects, nothing at all.
Li Jin stood at the door with his arms crossed, saying nothing, and before long it was dawn.
With great difficulty, he finally accepted the fact that all clues had been exhausted, and said calmly, "Sir, write down the case file. This case should be closed."
After saying that, he turned around, faced the rising sun, and took a deep breath: "Thank you."
Inside the room, Jin Shu's eyes reflected Li Jin's retreating figure, and she felt an indescribable sense of suffocation as he walked away.
That day, Li Jin locked herself in her room all day and refused to see anyone.
The next day, Zhou Zheng stood guard at the door with a solemn expression, while in the courtyard, Jin Shu led Jin Rong, writing characters stroke by stroke.
She would glance at the direction of Li Jin's door from time to time, still feeling uneasy.
The case had run out of leads, and at this critical juncture, Fang Qing coincidentally died in a fire in the woodshed, which ignited a fire in the side room.
It's like walking on the road to victory when suddenly a thunderbolt strikes, the road cracks open, and the smooth path ahead becomes a dead end, a towering cliff, or an insurmountable chasm.
They had to stop there, had to retreat, go back to the original point of divergence, and choose another path.
I'm not reconciled!
Even after giving it your all, all your efforts may end up being for nothing. Anyone would feel that fate is unfair and that this is a source of despair.
Jin Shu understood this feeling, but there was nothing she could do to help.
Li Jin stayed indoors all day, and Du Jin, the magistrate of Yiyang County, was so frightened that he almost fell ill. He was restless, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, and so nervous that he didn't know what to do.
“There’s no need for that. Your Highness knows what’s going on.” Zhou Zheng said with a dark face. Just as he was about to block Du Jin for the sixth time, the door behind him creaked open.
Li Jin frowned, looking at Du Jin, whose face was full of anxiety: "Lord Du, I've been investigating your case for three days, stayed up for two nights without sleep, and slept in your room all day. Are you still not done yet?"
Upon hearing this, Du Jin looked aggrieved: "Well, I was worried that Your Highness's health might not be able to withstand it, since you haven't been out all day and haven't eaten or drunk anything."
Li Jin frowned and waved his hand: "Alright, I'm hungry, prepare the meal."
These words moved Du Jin, whose face was already etched with wrinkles, to tears of gratitude. He ran off to instruct the kitchen to serve the meal.
They looked like they were celebrating the New Year.
I wonder what kind of torment he has been enduring these past few days. Perhaps he is filled with anxiety, fearing that the famous Prince Jing might starve to death in his own room.
Watching him leave the courtyard in high spirits, Jin Rong put down his wolf-hair brush, jumped off the stone bench beside him, and ran to Li Jin. Like a little adult, he said seriously, "My brother always says that there's always a way out. If one road is blocked, try another. Don't be sad about the case, Prince Jing. There are many paths to take."
Li Jin raised her eyebrows and glanced at his face: "Brother Prince Jing?"
In the courtyard, under the peach tree, beside the stone table, Jin Shu, holding a calligraphy brush in one hand, looked even more stunned than Li Jin in front of her.
Ugh! This little brat, why is he suddenly spouting such nonsense!
Sigh! This Prince Jing, how could he nitpick over such an insignificant word after offering such comforting words!
She pursed her lips, put down her calligraphy brush, and hurriedly came over to tug at Jin Rong: "Don't call him that! Prince Jing is Prince Jing. If you call him 'brother,' what will happen?"
As she spoke, she feigned anger and pressed her hand down on Jin Rong's head: "Quickly apologize to His Highness!"
Looking at the brother and sister in front of him, Li Jin smiled meaningfully: "Calling me brother is not bad."
Jin Shu paused.
"Anyway, we won't get them mixed up." He narrowed his eyes slightly, and the folding fan in his hand drew an arc in the air, brushing against Jin Shu's right ear.
This sudden action left Jin Shu stunned, and all the words she wanted to say vanished into thin air.
Li Jin, as if on purpose, ran the cold handle of his fan along her jawline, then tapped her shoulder twice: "You agree, Mr. Jin?"
A breeze rustled through the peach trees, causing them to dance and sway gently. Scattered rays of light fell upon Li Jin and reflected in Jin Shu's eyes, subtly adding an ambiguous touch to the slightly awkward atmosphere.
However, among those involved, one was smiling broadly, while the other's neck was stretched out with great difficulty.
Jin Rong, standing in the middle of them, saw this and chuckled to himself.
As expected, Jin Shu glanced down at him, glared at him, and inwardly roared.
A shovel, a big-headed devil.
She took a deep breath and reassessed the current situation.
He, Li Jin, the third prince of the Great Wei, is meticulous and logical.
She, Jin Shu, had no power, no money, and no influence—a person with none of these three things.
If you can't beat them, can't afford to offend them, and can't win a fight, your chances of winning are zero.
She swallowed hard, then immediately put on a big smile: "Your Highness, Jinrong is still young. It's just a child's joke. Please be magnanimous and don't frighten the child."
"Did I scare him?" Li Jin raised her eyebrows and looked at Jin Rong with a smile.
Then this precocious little fellow waved his hand and shook his head, saying righteously, "That's not true."
"See, he said no."
The two people in front of her, working in unison, completely baffled Jin Shu.
In just half a month, how did Prince Jing manage to bribe even Jin Rong? She pursed her lips, remaining silent for a long time.
It was the end of March, and the weather was getting warmer. Zhou Zheng, who had been standing at the door worried for two days, finally relaxed his furrowed brows when he saw that Li Jin was in a good mood.
"Pack your things, sir. We'll be setting off tomorrow." Li Jin gently stroked Jin Rong's long hair, his gaze tender.
This child always gave him a strange sense of familiarity, like a long-awaited reunion, or like an instant connection.
"Don't worry. Although there are no more leads to follow from Fang Qing, Zhou Zheng still took out quite a few things from the secret room that night. After returning to the capital, we'll organize them and make a long-term plan."
Li Jin looked up at the azure sky and stretched: "Besides, as long as Yang An is still in our hands, there is still a chance for things to turn around."
As he spoke these words, his eyes were filled with a smile, as if to tell them that Prince Jing, Li Jin, with his gentle smile, was still there, just as always.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
