Chapter 195 The Transport Map from Six Years Ago
"Lord Bai, please put that painting down."
As Li Jin spoke, he stepped onto the table using an octagonal chair and lifted the bottom of the painting.
Bai Yu crouched down, walked to the top of the painting, tied the rope in his arms to the beam, and hung upside down.
He hovered in mid-air, gazing at the scroll depicting a saint before him, and quickly removed the thick rope behind the nail.
The moment the scroll fell, Li Jin's gaze immediately fell upon the two sharp creases that were unnaturally present on the surface of the scroll, which should have been flowing and curved.
There are layers in this painting.
He knelt down, turned the entire painting over, and gently patted the back of the framed painting.
With each pat, the sounds from his hands were mostly crisp. This sound changed noticeably as Li Jin's palm touched the back left of the painting.
The snapping sound turned into a muffled thud.
He paused for a moment, then rubbed his palm vigorously on the back of his hand a few times, but there was no obvious bump or dent.
Li Jin, filled with doubt, lowered his body, leaned closer, and listened carefully again.
Yes, there is indeed a hidden compartment underneath.
Generally, the mounting of paintings by literati and artists involves four basic steps: backing the painting, framing, backing, and mounting on a rod.
Li Jin looked at the edge of the painting, pulled out a small knife from the fan handle, and twirled it in his hand twice.
He held his breath and, with a knife, carefully separated the mounted ribbons and brocade from the outermost part of the framed painting, along the outermost layer.
As the knife sliced through the brocade, the layers of the painting were gradually revealed to Li Jin.
Inside was a folded drawing and a letter without an envelope.
He carefully took it out and laid it out in front of him.
For a moment, Li Jin was stunned.
Before me is a map showing the most secluded route from the south of the capital to the royal palace.
He set the other letter aside, looked at its contents, and felt a chill run down his spine.
The letter, though brief, tells the story of a shocking conspiracy.
The person who wrote the letter asked Liu Quan, the then Vice Minister of Works, to secretly build two carriages that could travel smoothly and discreetly on this road.
They even specifically instructed that it should be the kind that could be easily destroyed afterward.
The letter also mentioned that success or failure hinged on this one move.
The signature is a cloud pattern.
Cloud pattern... Li Jin recalled Xiao Pan'er's words: He said that Prime Minister Zhao Wencheng is cloud pattern.
Thus, the Crown Prince's three greatest supporters were Xu Weiyou, the Minister of Justice with a bird motif; Pei Yide, the Minister of Revenue with a plum blossom motif; and Zhao Wencheng, the Prime Minister with a cloud motif.
They were connected to the same thing at different times and through different cases.
These three people must have played a crucial role in Li Mu's death six years ago.
Li Jin looked at the two pieces of paper in his hand and took a deep breath.
Taking advantage of this time, Shen Wen invited in a middle-aged couple who were his neighbors in the courtyard.
The two stood in the middle of the courtyard, looking at the simple inner hall before them, and shook their heads and sighed.
"This Liu couple rarely go out and we hardly ever see them." The middle-aged man was a scholar with a thin face, who seemed to have tuberculosis. He would gasp for breath after saying just a few words.
"We didn't notice when they moved in. By the time we did, we'd been neighbors for several years already."
After saying that, he raised his hand to cover his mouth, turned to the side, and coughed for a long time.
Seeing this, the woman raised her hand and gently patted his back, glancing at his face with concern.
Seeing that he had recovered a little, she looked up at Li Jin and said, "We are just ordinary people, and our family is not well-off. My husband has been ill for many years and earns some money by copying books and writing legal documents. I do some small embroidery work to supplement our family income. We live a very hard life."
"But this family, whenever they encounter us, don't treat us with the same respect and distance as others. Instead, they lend a helping hand, give us some money, and introduce us to good doctors in the capital." She sighed, "They are good people..."
After she finished speaking, she shook her head with regret in her eyes.
Li Jin glanced at her sincere face, nodded, and asked, "Do only the two of them live in this courtyard?"
The couple exchanged a surprised glance and shook their heads.
“No, there’s also an old housekeeper living here,” the man said, pointing to the other side of the room. “He usually lives in that room; he’s quite a familiar face.”
Upon hearing this, Li Jin frowned: "Common?"
“That’s right,” the woman said. “The Liu couple don’t usually go out. The housekeeper does all the grocery shopping and stocking.” She thought for a moment. “Every two days, the housekeeper goes out to buy some vegetables and fruits. I sometimes run into him at the market.”
Hearing this, Li Jin remained silent for a long time. He tapped his arm lightly with his fingertips and asked, "When was the last time you saw him?"
The woman pursed her lips and thought for a moment, then glanced at her husband beside her, somewhat uncertain: "It seems to have been seven or eight days ago."
The man confirmed this answer, nodding between coughs, "Yes...yes..."
Seeing that he was tired from talking, Li Jin raised her hand to signal him not to rush and to take his time.
Did he tell you at that time whether he had any special plans afterward? Like going on a long trip or something?
"No," the couple said in unison.
There were no plans to travel far, yet they have vanished without a trace, neither alive nor dead.
After the two left, Li Jin pushed open the door of the side room and looked at the spotless, lifeless interior. His face darkened considerably.
Nine times out of ten, the butler has also met with a terrible fate.
Having investigated the case to this point, Li Jin knew that further investigation would yield no results.
He was almost certain that Liu Quan and his wife had been hiding for some reason after resigning from their official posts.
They evaded capture for six years, but ultimately could not escape being found by the crown prince.
Li Jing, who would never allow anyone to have any leverage over him, sought them out so that the truth from six years ago would forever sink into the endless darkness.
Shen Wen followed behind him, watching Li Jin's back for a long time before asking, "Your Highness, this courtyard has been cleaned so thoroughly, what's our next step in the investigation?"
How do I check?
Li Jin stared at the map and letter in her hand for a long time before turning around and looking at Shen Wen's face.
“I’m not going to investigate anymore,” he said resolutely. “At least not now.”
Li Jin knew that investigating further would yield no results, but it would put the entire Six Doors on a dangerous edge.
These words startled Shen Wen. He took two steps forward, patting his chest, and said, "Your Highness need not worry. Your Highness saved my life. I am willing to share this danger with you."
To everyone's surprise, Li Jin shook his head and chuckled softly, "There's no need to take such a big risk."
He said, "This case, in the end, is part of a series of cases."
He held up the map and letter in his hand: "All we need to do is find the person who connects these cases, and the problem will be solved."
Upon hearing this, Shen Wen raised his hand and scratched his head: "Does Your Highness know who is behind this?"
Li Jin nodded: "Seventy percent certain."
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