Chapter 40 Serves Me Right for Being Single
If you're going to be handling a case, why did you suddenly start drinking?
Before her, Li Jin held a small blue-and-white porcelain cup in her hand, sitting by the window, sipping her drink while gazing at the bustling streets outside.
Jin Shu, who was sitting next to him, only had a plate of peanuts in front of him, without even a cup.
As if knowing what she was thinking, Li Jin turned around and tapped the table with her fan: "Three drinks and you're done, let's just forget about it."
“Last time in Dingzhou, you drank yourself into oblivion.” He smiled slightly, his features exquisite. “You’re as thin as a bean sprout, but carrying you on your back is still quite a challenge, you’re rather heavy.”
Originally, Jin Shu was still marveling at how handsome the man in front of her looked, exuding the air of a dashing young gentleman against the antique backdrop.
But the phrase "a bit hard to handle" completely shattered all her feelings.
To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that the "playboy" prince beside her was someone Jin Shu couldn't afford to offend, she would genuinely want to praise him as a "conversation genius"!
With this kind of conversation, even the peanuts in front of her didn't taste good anymore.
Therefore, it's no wonder that this Prince Jing, at twenty-five years old, doesn't even have a second wife, let alone a princess or concubine.
She took a deep breath, swallowed a whole bunch of complaints, and every time she put a peanut in her mouth, she would silently repeat, "I can't mess with this."
Li Jin smiled faintly, feeling a strange sense of accomplishment as he looked at her displeased expression.
He drank alone, saying nothing, until the white jade wine pot was empty. Then he raised his hand and beckoned to the girl who had been standing to the side for a long time: "Girl, how long have you been working as a waitress in the restaurant?"
When suddenly asked, the girl looked confused: "To answer your question, it's been about seven or eight years."
"What time do you usually close?"
The girl was even more confused.
The man in the pale yellow robe, gentle and refined, whose social status and family background were clearly extraordinary, suddenly started asking her all sorts of questions, making her very nervous.
After a moment's hesitation, the girl bit her right thumbnail and asked cautiously, "...Is the wine in our shop not to your liking, sir?"
Seeing the woman's hesitant demeanor, Zhou Zheng stepped forward and took out the black plaque of the Six Doors from his pocket.
The lifelike dragon above, along with the six-door inscription in seal script and gold lettering, startled the girl in front of her. She took a half-step back, too nervous to speak.
"Don't be afraid. The Six Doors handle cases. Just answer whatever they ask you." Zhou Zheng put away the sign and retreated behind Li Jin expressionlessly.
On one side was the young waitress from the restaurant, her face pale with fright, trembling and unable to speak; on the other side was Li Jin, who was calmly and gracefully pouring wine for herself, her sleeves tucked in.
The silence lasted for a long time before Li Jin finally looked up, glancing at her still terrified face: "Why don't you call your restaurant manager over?"
It's unnecessary to force someone to do something they can't.
The girl was like a fish on the shore, feeling suffocated by the oppressive atmosphere of the six doors in the room. Upon hearing these words, it was as if she had been pushed back into the water. She nodded repeatedly, stepped back, turned around, and ran to find the shopkeeper.
Having handled many cases, she has met all sorts of people, including many like her who become speechless with nervousness at the mere mention of "Six Doors".
In the capital of the Great Wei Dynasty, the relationship between the government and the people was already quite delicate. It was quite normal for ordinary people without any powerful connections to feel afraid of the constables from the Six Doors.
Li Jin was already used to it and didn't find it strange at all.
Before half an incense stick's time had passed, the restaurant owner pushed open the door and entered.
Unlike the restaurants next door, the owner was a woman in her mid-thirties, with a cool and aloof demeanor and a gentle, refined smile, quite unlike the usual appearance of a common merchant.
With just one glance, Li Jin had a general idea of what was going on, his gaze fixed intently on her every move.
The boss first turned around and closed the door, then raised his hand and performed a standard curtsy: "Lord of the Six Doors, may you enjoy ten thousand blessings and peace."
Whether it's posture, temperament, or even facial expression, everything is impeccably perfect.
Li Jin squinted, took a sip of the wine in his glass, and carefully scrutinized her from head to toe.
The woman before him was dressed in a crimson blue robe, her hair tied up in a bun, and the details of her curtsy were all the standard manners one would only see in the imperial city.
Without eight to ten years of immersion, one would certainly not have achieved this level of style.
He put down his wine cup, his face expressionless, and coldly asked, "What's your name? How long have you been out of the palace?"
The restaurant owner paused for a moment, then nodded and replied, "My name is He Lin, and I have been out of the palace for ten years."
After a long pause, Li Jin nodded and said, "Sit down."
The atmosphere in the room struck Jin Shu as very strange.
In the past, when I worked with Li Jin on cases, whether it was interrogation or intelligence gathering, this man had never used such a cold attitude.
However, it was clear that after the restaurant owner performed a curtsy, Li Jin's aura became terrifyingly cold.
So much so that Jin Shu, who was sitting next to him and cracking peanuts, felt as if she were in an ice cellar, her hair stood on end, her brows furrowed, and she didn't dare to make a sound.
But the one who started this chilling atmosphere didn't seem to care. He tapped his fingers on the black table in front of him, skipping all the beating around the bush and small talk, and went straight to the point: "You must answer my question truthfully. What time did your restaurant close last night?"
"We close at 3:45 PM."
Do you cater to female guests?
"have."
The room fell into an eerie silence for a few seconds. After a moment, Li Jin chuckled softly, his gaze sharp as he looked at her smiling face: "...The boss seems to know what I'm going to ask."
He Lin didn't hide anything and nodded: "That's right."
With a whoosh, Li Jin flicked his fan open, shaking it repeatedly in his hand: "Very well, it saves me the trouble of asking you one by one. Tell me everything you knew last night from beginning to end."
In Jin Shu's eyes, this woman named He Lin, though gentle and polite, also seemed to lack a certain warmth and humanity.
It's not hard to understand.
As they reached a certain age, the palace maids who left the capital city, having lived cautiously and prudently in that imposing and treacherous environment for so many years, would inevitably develop a shrewd and worldly air about them.
They are all exceptionally skilled at shirking responsibility and turning black into white.
Li Jin was well aware of this.
Instead of spending time asking her and giving her a chance to organize her thoughts and circumvent the question, it's better to let her speak for herself.
If you make things up, there will always be illogical and inconsistent parts. Using these as a starting point can save a lot of time.
But He Lin hesitated for a moment, looking very embarrassed, and said, "Sect Master, you've asked the wrong person. Last night, Miss Lin drank at Jinhua Restaurant on the other side of the street and did not come to my restaurant."
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