Chapter 66 – To Ashes With it! (1/2)

The death of the witness marked the end of that lead.

Ji Yunshu refused to accept such an outcome. She pondered and suddenly asked the magistrate, “Lord Liu, is it possible to determine Seventh Uncle’s address by today?”

Magistrate Liu shifted his eyes pensively and answered, “There are lots of people called Seventh Uncle in this city, but only one should have worked in the Jiang Mansion. I’ll send someone to investigate the records, and we should be able to find him.

As he said so, Magistrate Liu called over a few runners to explain the task at hand.

Ji Yunshu had a heavy heart, and bewilderment clouded her judgment.

‘Seventh Uncle’s sudden death… Was he really silenced by Madame Jiang?’

Jing Rong, who was aware that by now Ji Yunshu had completely sunken into her thoughts, quietly sat on the rosewood chair and savored the freshly infused tea.

Yi Junshu kept herself busy. First, she asked for a brush, a sheet of paper, and ink. Then, she painted a portrait that she carefully folded up before putting it away into her sleeves.

It wasn’t long before the Magistrate came back with a piece of paper on which an address was written. He handed it over to Ji Yunshu and said, “Yunshu, this should be the place. What do you…”

“I intend to go there.”

“Then I’ll go with you…” proposed the magistrate, who was interrupted before he had the chance to finish.

“Milord, please stay in the yamen. It is perfectly possible that my trip will turn out to be fruitless.”

‘Well, that’s true,’ thought the Magistrate,

Jing Rong, who up until now sipped his tea while taking a seat, opened his mouth, “How would I do for a companion?”

Ji Yunshu stored away the address, looked at Jing Rong and said, “This humble one will not inconvenience Prince Rong for such an errand.”

Jing Rong stood up and approached her. His sharp expression revealed a hint of irritation.

“What? I’ve just expressed my trust in you, and now you’re refusing to reciprocate; instead, you’re distancing yourself?”

“This humble one is too lowly to be worthy of being bestowed with your trust, Prince.”

“I have the sole say over whether it’s worth it or not.”

Jing Rong itched to step forward, lift Ji Yunshu’s chin up, and forced her eyes to focus on him. He wanted her to have a good look at him, consider his proposal, and see his sincerity. But he stopped himself from doing it; he did not want to forcefully touch her delicate visage.

As for Ji Yunshu, she lowered her head and dodged his gaze.

Seeing that she stayed silent, Jing Rong said, “Teacher Ji, we cannot afford to postpone this case, and you know that better than anyone else. In addition, I’m the one who ordered to continue the investigation or else madam Jiang would have been allowed to dispose of the corpse. If your investigations amount to failure, then I will seem like one as well. So, this isn’t just about you and the yamen. I have a personal stake in this case.”

‘Just admit that you want to come. At least it’ll spare me a headache from following you through all these circuitous pretexts.”

Ji Yunshu could not do anything but nod at this point. “If your highness wills it so, then I cannot refuse. Please follow me then.”

As she spoke these words, Ji Yunshu exited the hall. Jing Rong raised the corners of his lips, relaxed his brows, and followed suit.

Upon leaving the yamen, the two headed toward Seventh Uncle’s home. Fortunately, due to the size of Jinjiang City, any neighboring village was bound to be close by as well. As such, the duo arrived at their destination after roughly an hour.

Ji Yunshu was focused on her steps and did not pay any attention to Jing Rong. In contrast with the quiescence of the latter, happiness and satisfaction were written all over his face. He glanced at her straight posture and the way she walked, which was neither too fast nor too slow.

Something as simple as that seemed absolutely adorable to Jing Rong.

He remembered Lang Po’s words from a few nights ago: “Milord, we’ve found it. Teacher Ji… well, Miss Ji to be exact… she’s the third miss from the Ji Mansion.”

Jing Rong remained still for a long time after hearing what Lang Po said. Then, he abruptly slammed the table with his palm and exclaimed, “I knew it; I said that there’s no way I was interested in men!”

Oh, the joy which soothed his heart!

Then, Lang Po reported the reasons behind the injuries on Ji Yunshu’s back.

Oh, the fierce anger which then burned within his heart!

Therefore, the next day, he delivered some turniplike cowparsnip roots and immediately taught Ji Shuhan a lesson.

‘But…’