Jing Rong waved his hand. “Governor, go do your assigned tasks at once. Human life is priceless. We cannot afford to let this case drag on any longer. Do remember to be discreet. We don’t want to alert the murderer.”
“Yes, your Highness!” The capital governor received the order and set off in haste while holding onto the two portraits.
Now that the case had a clue and if her conjecture of Gan Chouliang being the murderer is correct, then he would certainly act tonight. At that time, they would be able to arrest him on the spot.
Hidden within her sleeves, Ji Yunshu’s hands were tightly clenched into fists. Her mind became preoccupied with the case. As she was caught in a trance, Jing Rong reached for her and shook her. “The case has some progress. Now, shouldn’t it be my turn to ask you about something?”
“What?”
“Did you go out today?”
‘What has to come, will come.’ She nodded her head. “Yes.”
“What for?”
“To meet Li Shiyan.”
Jing Rong’s expression turned sour as he felt jealousy brewing inside of him. “Your relationship seems quite good, huh?”
“Not really.”
“Then, why did you go meet him?” His tone sounded very indifferent, yet his mood was low and his words sharp.
Ji Yunshu was still thinking about the case and wasn’t in the right mind to reply to him. “Your Highness, I’m currently not in the mood to answer such questions.” Then, she sat down, waiting for new progress from the capital governor.
Jing Rong watched her, but he was quite depressed. ‘Forget it. When this case is resolved, I’ll ask her again.’ With nothing else to do, he also sat down and waited for the governor’s news.
Hidden on the side, Jing Xuan was observing everything from the start. The admiration she had for Ji Yunshu continued to grow, gushing stronger like the tide of a tsunami. However, she was worried that Jing Rong would discover that she had snuck into his residence, so she secretly returned to the palace. Upon her return, she was caught red-handed sneaking in by her mother, Concubine Xiao.
Concubine Xiao looked at her in anger. “Did you go to the Rong estate, again?”
Jing Xuan smiled while sitting down next to Concubine Xiao and acted spoiled. “Imperial Mother, I only went for a walk. I didn’t go to Imperial Brother Rong’s place.”
“Don’t lie to me. I have someone keep an eye on your whereabouts.”
“Imperial Mother!”
“You never do as I said.” Concubine Xiao reprimanded her. She felt disappointed that her child didn’t follow her expectations. She reached for Jing Xuan’s hand and patted it twice. “Xuan’er, you are a princess and should act like one. Look at you right now. Always running outside of the palace and not even bringing an imperial guard with you. What if something were to happen?”
“Nothing will happen. No one would ever dare to bully me, so please rest assured Imperial Mother.”
“How can I not care about you? You are not a child anymore. Sooner or later, you will marry. I have already talked with your imperial father about your big event. He has agreed to help you choose a good partner for you. Your prospective husband will certainly come from a prestigious family. So, be obedient and stay in the palace. Stop running everywhere and work on that unruly temper of yours.”
When she heard about getting married, Jing Xuan became hesitant. She pouted and twisted her body. “Daughter doesn’t want to marry.”
“Daughter, how can you say such things.”
“I… If I was to marry, I want to choose him myself.” Jing Xuan willfully spoke.
Concubine Xiao’s expression darkened. She asked, “Tell me the truth. Are you… in love with Teacher Ji?”
“Imperial Mother, I…” For her secret to be suddenly revealed, Jing Xuan furiously blushed. She lowered her head while her mouth curled up. She spoke with shyness. “In fact, Teacher Ji is really intelligent. He was able to resolve the missing girls case. Your daughter… really admires him.”
“What did you just say?”
“Although he still had no meritorious service yet, I believe that he…”
Concubine Xiao interrupted her daughter’s rambling. Her expression showed anxiety. “I’m not asking you that. Did you say that he already resolved the missing girls case?”
Jing Xuan nodded and added. “I heard him with my own ears.”
“What did you hear? Tell me everything you saw as well.” Jing Xuan unsuspectedly told everything she knew to Concubine Xiao. The more Concubine Xiao heard, the darker her expression became.