Chapter 52 A cornered dog will jump over the wall
News of Lou Jin's recovery was kept strictly within the high walls of the Jin King's Mansion.
From the outside, the Prince Jin's mansion remained gloomy and deserted, with only the precious medicinal herbs sent by the Imperial Physicians' Office and the emperor's occasional rewards hinting that the prince was still struggling on the brink of life and death.
After the Fifth Prince Lou Yi took charge of the Ministry of Justice, he indeed made frequent moves.
He first used the pretext of "rectifying the security of the capital and eliminating bandits" to swiftly deal with several insignificant gangs, making a grand gesture.
Immediately afterwards, the focus shifted to some gray forces connected with the Southern Frontier, including the peripheral members of "Black Wind Stronghold" that Shan Lan had previously investigated.
This move was undeniably brilliant.
"He's trying to cut his losses and divert the trouble elsewhere."
Lou Jin listened calmly to Shan Lan's report in his study.
He stood by the window, his posture upright, showing no trace of illness or weakness. His aura was so well concealed that one would hardly perceive his presence unless seen with one's own eyes.
Ye Xunyang, sitting to the side wiping his spear, looked up upon hearing this and asked, "Then what do we do? Just watch him erase the evidence?"
"Let him clean it up." Lou Jin turned around, a cold glint in his eyes. "The cleaner he cleans it up, the more guilty he'll seem. Besides... the real evidence is never on those small fry."
He walked to the desk and spread out a map of the capital's defenses: "Shanlan, have our men keep a close eye on the places where the escapee might be hiding, as well as some of the Consort Xian's secret businesses in the capital. The bigger Lou Yi's moves, the easier it is for him to lose sight of one thing at a time."
"Yes." Shan Lan accepted the order.
“My lord, there is one more thing. Our informant outside the Entropy King’s mansion reported that two nights ago, a suspicious person secretly sneaked into the mansion and stayed for about an hour before leaving. According to the description, his figure is seven-tenths similar to the swordsman who appeared at the mountain god temple that night.”
"Lou Shang?" Ye Xunyang was taken aback. "That swordsman is one of Lou Shang's men? Could it be that he's not with Lou Yi?"
Lou Jin understood: "They may not be the same group. Perhaps Lou Yi recruited martial arts masters by offering them great rewards. Or perhaps... someone wants to use Lou Shang as a blunt weapon to stir up trouble again."
He looked at Shan Lan and said, "Find out the swordsman's background and his relationship with Lou Shang and Lou Yi."
"Understood."
After Shan Lan withdrew, Ye Xunyang put down his spear and walked to Lou Jin's side, somewhat worried: "Your Highness, the situation seems to be getting more and more complicated."
Lou Jin grasped his hand, his palm warm and dry, carrying a reassuring strength: "It's alright. What we need to do now is be patient."
He paused, then looked at Ye Xunyang: "But you, staying cooped up in the mansion all day, don't you find it boring?"
Ye Xunyang shook his head: "How could I be bored with you?"
He paused for a moment, then added, "However, it would be even better if we could stretch our muscles a bit."
Lou Jin chuckled: "Want to spar?"
"Mm!" Ye Xunyang nodded vigorously, eager to try. "I used to be afraid of hurting you when we fought, but I don't have to be now!"
Looking into his bright eyes, Lou Jin's heart stirred, and he had a mischievous thought: "Okay. However, just sparring is a bit boring, how about... adding some stakes?"
"What kind of prize?" Ye Xunyang asked curiously.
"If you win, I will grant you one request. Otherwise, if you lose..."
Lou Jin took a step closer, his breath brushing against his ear, his voice low and ambiguous, "Then grant me one request."
Ye Xunyang blushed and his heart raced at the sudden closeness, but he forced himself to remain calm and straightened his chest: "Let's compete! Who's afraid of who!"
He was very confident in his martial arts skills!
A moment later, at the Prince's Palace drill ground.
Two figures moved with lightning speed, entangled in a fierce battle.
Ye Xunyang's spear strikes are like a dragon, fierce and domineering, while Lou Jin continues to use skill to overcome force, his movements graceful and elusive, always managing to evade the enemy's attacks at the last possible moment and launch precise counterattacks.
However, unlike before, Lou Jin, who had fully recovered, possessed an inner strength far beyond Ye Xunyang's imagination, and his speed and power had increased by several levels.
Ye Xunyang felt the pressure increase sharply. He used to be able to withstand more than a hundred moves, but now he was already struggling after only thirty or so moves.
Finally, Lou Jin found an opening and, with lightning speed, struck the acupoint on Lou Jin's wrist.
Ye Xunyang felt a numbness in his arm, and the spear almost slipped from his hand. He was also pulled backward by a gentle force and fell into a solid embrace.
"You lost." Lou Jin's deep voice, tinged with amusement, rang out above them.
Ye Xunyang's cheeks flushed red, somewhat unconvinced, yet he had to admit the difference in skill: "Your Highness, you...you cheated! You didn't use your full strength before!"
"The past is the past." Lou Jin wrapped his arms around his waist to prevent him from breaking free. "The present is the present. Does the prize still stand?"
Ye Xunyang's ears turned red: "Of course it counts. What does Your Highness want me to agree to?"
Lou Jin lowered his head and whispered a few words in his ear.
Ye Xunyang's face instantly flushed red to the roots of her neck. She jumped away from his arms and stammered, "You, you...no! That...that picture book...it's too, too..."
What follows is too embarrassing to say.
Lou Jin looked at him leisurely, his eyes mocking: "A bet is a bet, is the Princess going to renege on her debt?"
"I..." Ye Xunyang was speechless, looking at Lou Jin's wicked smile, feeling both angry and ashamed.
"...We'll talk about it tonight!" he said, then practically fled.
Lou Jin watched his hasty retreating figure, feeling great, and laughed loudly.
After his recovery, teasing his queen seems to have become one of his new pleasures.
However, this warm and relaxed atmosphere did not last long.
That night, Shanlan brought an urgent message.
The person who escaped has been found.
But what they found was a cold corpse. He had been silenced and his body dumped in a mass grave on the outskirts of Beijing. He had died just last night.
"Has it been verified whether it is really you?" Lou Jin was worried that it might be a fake.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, we consulted an old nanny from the palace, who confirmed that he is indeed Eunuch Feng, who served Consort Xian. The coroner also examined him and found no evidence of disguise."
"Killing someone to cover it up, that was swift enough." Lou Jin's eyes turned cold. "Was anything found at the scene?"
"The murderer handled it very cleanly."
"But we found a bit of silk fiber under Eunuch Feng's fingernails. It was indigo blue in color and of expensive quality, unlike what he used."
"In addition, a special fragrance residue was found in the mud on the soles of his shoes. It has the same composition as a calming incense commonly used in the Fifth Prince's study."
"It seems that our fifth brother has resorted to desperate measures."
Lou Jin stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the deep night with a cold glint in his eyes. "The more he tries to erase the traces, the more flaws he will reveal."
He paused for a moment, then ordered, "Shanlan, find a way to deliver the fibers and spices from Eunuch Feng's fingernails to Vice Minister Liu in the Ministry of Justice."
"Understood!"
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