It kept them busy until the afternoon.
After each piece of the skeleton was properly collected, Magistrate Liu would hurriedly return to the yamen while Ji Yunshu planned to go back home.
As she passed in front of Jing Rong, she stated, “Prince, I’m afraid that we will have to seal the access to the vicinity of this tree. If anything urgent requires my presence, this humble one will come right away.”
“Rest assured. I’ll let people cordone this area off and forbid people from approaching it.” He replied in a straightforward manner.
“Many thanks, your Highness.” Her voice rolled out from her gradually paling lips.
The day was nearing its end and as the sun ended its course in the horizon, the trailing obscurity reached Ji Yunshu’s face, covering the sick pallor on her thin lips.
Jing Rong blurted out, “The sky is growing dark. Teacher, why don’t you have a meal before going?”
‘Is that an invitation?’ Ji Yunshu thought.
Ji Yunshu pursed her lips into a smile, “This humble one has just been in contact with the dead. If I stay for a meal, I’m afraid that it will lower your appetite. Besides…”
Her gaze lagged on the figure of Wei Yi, who was sitting on the stone stairs not far away, while fiddling with an object. That fool was frightened out of his wits just earlier, but now it was as if everything was but smoke before his eyes.
The world of a simpleton was as simple as that!
She retracted her gaze and said, “The sky is getting darker. I still need to send back Wei Yi lest his family gets worried.”
“You really have too many excuses…”
“I… This humble one’s words are all true. I hope your Highness won’t make things difficult for me.” Ji Yunshu lowered her head.
Jing Rong’s expression suddenly darkened. He clasped his hands behind his back, “Fine. This prince will not make things difficult for you. However, Teacher Ji shouldn’t forget that I will call on you at anytime for your advice concerning the matter related to the Lin Capital Case.” He was no longer overbearing as he spoke, as if he suddenly became another person. ‘I might as well soften my approach as to avoid Ji Yunshu declining my invitation again.’
Ji Yunshu clasped her hands in greetings, then called Wei Yi.
Wei Yi, who was holding onto an object, happily laughed as he ran to her at her call. Then, he asked, “Big Brother, are we going back? It’s not fun playing here.”
“Hmm… Let’s go back.”
She was gentle to Wei Yi like before.
As she led him away, Jing Rong’s eyes followed them tightly, as their figures gradually faded into the distance, until they were no longer in sight. It was only after he could no longer see them that Jing Rong’s gaze changed slowly into an impenetrable wall, preventing anyone from peering into his thoughts.
After a long time, he finally called out Lang Po, who stepped forward, “Any instructions, Your Highness?”
“How much did you understand of Teacher Ji’s explanation of the yin yang corpse?”
Lang Po scratched his head. He was a rough man, so how could he comprehend so many things? Thus, he truthfully answered, “Err… I think he was talking about that person being afflicted by homosexuality.”
‘Hey! Hey! Hey! Don’t say nonsense if you didn’t understand anything! Teacher Ji’s explanations were so clear, how did you manage to understand so incorrectly?’ Yet the word “homosexuality” smashed Jing Rong’s mind as if it rang some truth.
Behind his back, his hands clenched tightly into fists. He shouldn’t have any homosexual tendencies, right?
‘Impossible!’ His expression turned solemn as he addressed his subordinate, “Lang Po, didn’t I order you to investigate Teacher Ji’s background? What progress have you made?”
“Reporting to your Highness, I investigated, but…”
“But what?” Jing Rong’s expression sharpened.
“Teacher Ji went into… Lord Ji’s residence. He should be a person from the Ji Mansion. This humble one had already dispatched a group of people to investigate further. I believe we should have more information soon.”
“Lord Ji?” Jing Rong immediately frowned, “You mean that old guy Ji Shuhan?”
Lang Po tensed, “Yes, your Highness.”
Revealing an inquisitive face, Jing Rong’s eyelids lowered as he started to mutter in a low voice, “Ji Yunshu, Ji Yunshu, Ji… In the entire Jinjiang city, only Ji Shuhan’s family bore the surname Ji. I should have thought about it earlier.”
It was absolutely out of Lang Po’s expectations that his prince’s interest in Ji Yunshu was so strong.
Not waiting for Lang Po to react, Jing Rong voiced out new instructions, “Investigate him once again in my stead.”
“Yes, your Highness.”
“Investigate when he received the wounds on his back, how he got them and who flogged him. This Prince wants every single detail clearly reported to me.” His tone revealed a vicious feeling and extreme anger!
‘This Prince didn’t just drink water to grow up!’