As Han Ran exited the imperial palace, he saw Yu Jin waiting under a tree not far away.
The winter tree was bare, with only branches remaining, but because the snow on the branches hadn’t melted, the ordinary and somewhat ugly tree had become a beautiful jade tree, exceptionally pleasing to the eye.
The young man standing beside the tree had an upright posture and clear eyes, even more captivating than the jade tree.
Han Ran hesitated briefly before walking over.
“Prince, you haven’t left yet?”
“I was waiting to leave with Commander Han.”
Han Ran rubbed his nose.
Prince Yan was certainly direct in his speech.
Given his position as the Commander of the Brocade Scale Guard, most officials kept a respectful distance, and few would approach him, especially not openly.
“After you, Your Highness.”
Yu Jin’s beautiful eyes curved with a smile: “Is Commander Han returning to the office?”
Han Ran instinctively looked up at the sky before mumbling, “I need to go back.”
The day had just begun, so he couldn’t just go home to drink tea.
“Then I’ll accompany you there,” Yu Jin said.
Han Ran looked confused.
Yu Jin explained with a smile, “Didn’t Father Emperor order me to eliminate the bad influence caused by Princess Consort’s cousin within three days? I need to have a chat with him.”
Han Ran glanced at Yu Jin, filled with deep distrust.
Was it just a chat? If it were him with such a distant relative who had caused such trouble, he would want to wring the person’s neck.
Regardless of his thoughts, Han Ran couldn’t refuse Yu Jin’s request, so he nodded.
With Han Ran’s arrangements, Yu Jin quickly met Uncle Dou.
At this time, Uncle Dou looked like a frost-bitten eggplant. Seeing Yu Jin, his eyes brightened: “Your Highness, you’ve finally come to save me!”
The last time he went to the Marquis’s mansion to ask his sister for money, he learned that she had moved into Prince Yan’s residence. He had secretly watched outside the prince’s mansion and knew that this young man before him was Prince Yan, his niece’s husband.
It was heartbreaking to recall. He still couldn’t forget the terrifying scene of his niece making scissoring gestures at his lower body in the middle of the night, which made him too afraid to even approach the prince’s mansion gate.
It was also because of this that he had no money to spend, and when someone offered him silver, he was tempted…
“Save you?” Yu Jin smiled coldly.
Uncle Dou felt a chill run down his neck and shrank back.
“You committed evil deeds using the Princess Consort’s name, and you still expect me to save you? It’s already merciful that I’m not cutting off your troublesome root and sending you to serve in the palace.”
Uncle Dou’s face suddenly turned pale, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at Yu Jin.
Cut off… He couldn’t bear to hear those two words now!
Yu Jin clasped his hands and pressed them together, saying impatiently, “Let’s do this: follow my requirements, and I’ll guarantee your life. Otherwise—”
Uncle Dou was terrified by the killing intent in the other’s eyes and nodded blankly.
Two hours later, Yu Jin left the Brocade Scale Guard office and headed to the scene of the incident.
Another snowfall had covered the dark red bloodstains on the stone path as if nothing had happened. However, the residents nearby couldn’t stop talking about it over tea and meals, and as the winter days grew boring, the rumors spread even wider.
Gossip about the royal family and nobility was truly addictive…
As Yu Jin walked along, he heard an earful of idle talk.
“I think Li’s wife died in vain. Tsk, tsk, that person is a relative of Prince Yan’s wife, with powerful backing.”
“Wasn’t he arrested by the Brocade Scale Guard? Don’t they show no favoritism?”
“That depends on who it is. Of course, they show no favoritism to us, but how can they not show favoritism to Prince Yan’s wife’s relative? Officials protect each other. You’ll see, in the end, he’ll be quietly released, and we won’t even know about it.”
“Poor Li Dalang just returned today. When he heard his wife was gone, he immediately coughed up blood and fainted. When he woke up, he struggled to seek justice, but people had to talk him out of it…”
“By the way, Li’s wife’s brother was taken away that day. How do they plan to care for that child?”
“Who knows? In any case, the Li family is ruined. What a sin…”
As Yu Jin listened to these rumors, his face grew colder and colder.
Even if he hadn’t promised the Emperor, he couldn’t allow this matter to fester.
He was an idle prince who could afford not to care about his reputation, but A Si couldn’t. This world was already particularly harsh on women.
Yu Jin stood at the corner of the wall, and Long Dan immediately approached: “Your Highness, shall we begin?”
“Yes.”
Long Dan waved his hand, and a team of people lined up on the street, beating their bronze gongs with earth-shattering noise.
People who were bored out of their minds immediately flocked from all directions, with experienced onlookers even tucking folding stools under their arms.
The team beat their gongs with all their might, and layer upon layer of people gathered around, with more and more joining the crowd.
“What’s happening?” Those who arrived late asked eagerly, standing on tiptoes.
“We don’t know yet,” replied those who were asked, tapping the people in front of them. “Brother, what’s happening inside?”
The tapping continued forward until finally, a response came back: “They’re still beating the gongs, nothing else for now.”
The crowd quickly exchanged glances, excited: Based on experience, big gossip was about to emerge!
The gong beating finally stopped, and the team brought chairs from somewhere, setting them up in the middle of the cordoned-off area.
As soon as the gongs stopped, those on the outermost edges who couldn’t see what was happening inside became even more anxious, constantly poking the people in front of them: “What’s going on? What’s going on?”
“The chairs are being stacked one on top of another like they’re building a high ladder.”
“Building a high ladder with chairs? Could it be acrobats?”
Soon, even the people on the outside stopped asking. The chairs in the center were being stacked higher and higher, reaching a height of about 20 feet in the blink of an eye, tall enough for people inside and outside to see clearly.
A small, thin person stood at the top of the chair ladder. Someone threw chairs up, and he caught them steadily, carefully placing them, then flipping onto the new height.
The spectators cheered loudly.
As the chair ladder reached a height of over 30 feet, the crowd fell silent.
At this height, a fall would be fatal, so they decided to watch quietly, not wanting to startle the person with too much noise.
However, the person standing in the air showed no signs of nervousness.
He was the best actor in the city, specializing in this very skill. This height was nothing to him, and as long as he completed today’s task, the reward would be enough for three years of income for the entire acrobatic troupe.
“At this height, no matter how many people are gathered, everyone inside and outside can see, right?” Yu Jin said calmly.
Long Dan wiped his face: “Your servant thinks even people outside the city can see it.”
The city walls were only about 20 to 30 feet high.
Only His Highness could come up with such an idea.
Yu Jin looked up, a faint smile on his lips: “That’s good.”
Since the news had already spread, the bigger the commotion, the better.
People love to watch a spectacle, and he, as the creator of this spectacle, felt the same way.
The actor standing steadily on the chair ladder in midair looked around and cupped his hands to the spectators.
The onlookers held their breath, anticipating his next move.
The actor reached into his bosom and pulled out an object, suddenly throwing it outwards. A long banner unfurled in the wind, with eye-catching black characters on a blue background.
“What does it say up there?” asked those who couldn’t read, anxiously.