In the mourning hall, Wei Yi held Ji Yinshu and wouldn’t let go!

Outside the mourning hall, Jingrong’s face was expressionless—no one could guess his thoughts.

Lang Bo stood beside him, his gaze also looking at Ji Yinshu and Wei Yi inside.

These two days, he’d been ordered to take care of Wei Yi, watching him without blinking until dark circles formed around his eyes. He could be said to have not left his side for a single step.

Naturally, since Wei Yi didn’t eat, he too had emptied his stomach for two days.

Sighing lightly, he murmured to himself, “Miss Ji has encountered so many matters, yet her heart still thinks of Young Master Wei.”

Within these words carried several parts admiration!

Jingrong shot him a cold glance that instantly froze his skin stiff.

He could only lower his head and shut his mouth!

Lang Bo was quite puzzled in his heart—his prince was not only not jealous but calm to an unreasonable degree.

Unusual, too unusual!

But how could he know that Jingrong’s heart had long ago torn and ached like withered branches in the winter month?

Ji Yinshu had Ji Pei in her heart. That person seemed to have taken root in her heart—someone he couldn’t surpass no matter how hard he tried.

Even though Ji Pei might truly be dead.

Yet he couldn’t even compare to a dead man!

Thinking of this, Jingrong lightly curved his thin lips in a bitter smile.

At this moment, Ji Yinshu had already gently pushed Wei Yi away, using her sleeve to wipe the tears from his face.

“They say you haven’t eaten anything for two days. How can this continue?” Somewhat heartbroken.

“But… I can’t eat.”

“Even if you can’t eat, you must. If you starve and ruin your body, when your parents’ funeral procession leaves tomorrow, how will you have the strength to send them off?”

Mentioning this, Wei Yi tightly pressed his dry lips together, making no objection.

The Wei estate servants immediately went to the kitchen to bring food. Wei Yi, with tears in his eyes, forced himself to swallow several mouthfuls, his cheeks stuffed full.

He hiccupped from crying, his body shaking, causing the chopsticks in his hand to also shake onto the table.

Clang clang—

Several sounds!

Ji Yinshu picked up the chopsticks, just preparing to put them back in his hand when her hand paused, her brows deeply furrowing.

Hm?

Just as Wei Yi was about to take the chopsticks, Ji Yinshu had already brought the two chopsticks before herself, examining them carefully.

“Shu’er, you took the chopsticks away—how can I eat?” Mouth full of food.

Ji Yinshu’s expression tensed. Her fingertips moved between the two chopsticks as her heart seemed to form a general idea.

“Shu’er…”

Wei Yi forcefully swallowed the food in his mouth and called to her!

Coming back to her senses, Ji Yinshu smiled slightly, put the chopsticks in his hand, and stood up.

She said, “You eat properly. I’m going out for a bit.”

“Where are you going? Shu’er, don’t leave me.”

Wei Yi clutched at her clothes, not letting her go.

Ji Yinshu reached out to pat his head, her eyes showing certainty. “Wei Yi, I told you—I won’t leave you. You eat obediently, and when you finish eating, I’ll come back, okay?”

“Oh!”

Nodding, he agreed in a muffled voice!

As soon as she went out, Ji Yinshu ran into Jingrong.

Seeing her anxious expression, he asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”

“I think I know what that wood shaving is.”

“What?”

“Chopsticks!”

With this conclusion, Ji Yinshu headed toward the Wei estate’s kitchen.

Jingrong had no time to think. Leaving Lang Bo behind, he also quickly followed.

The two arrived at the kitchen and smelled a faint vinegar scent!

The servants and maids inside were also busy working. Seeing them arrive, they all put down their work.

Ji Yinshu asked a young maid, “The utensils your master and mistress used the night of the banquet—are they still here?”

The young maid first looked wooden, then nodded repeatedly. “Yes, they are.”

“Bring them to me.”

“Yes.”

The young maid hurriedly brought that set of utensils.

Except for the wine pot and two cups “taken” by Jingrong, what remained on the tray now were two exquisite water-pattern porcelain bowls, two white jade spoons, and two pairs of precious wood chopsticks placed on an ivory stand.

As soon as the utensils were set down, Ji Yinshu picked up one of the chopsticks and examined it carefully.

Shaking her head: “Not this one!”

Picking up another, shaking her head: “Not this one!”

Picking up another, she suddenly startled: “Yes, it’s this chopstick.”

Everyone watched Ji Yinshu, seeing her seemingly performing a one-person show, all confused.

Jingrong wasn’t flustered either. Seeming to understand her meaning, he instructed a servant, “Bring some scale powder.”

This fellow had actually become clever!

However, Ji Yinshu had no time to praise him.

When that servant brought the scale powder, she picked up some and sprinkled it on the chopstick. In the blink of an eye, the entire chopstick turned black!

“Poisonous.” Her tone slightly light, inevitably somewhat shocked.

Using the same method, she sprinkled scale powder on the remaining three chopsticks. One of them also turned black.

The young maid closest, eyes full of confusion: “Miss Ji, this… what’s going on? How can there be poison on these chopsticks?”

She also wanted to know!

Pondering in her heart for a long while, she looked at Jingrong and spoke. “From start to finish, our direction was wrong. It wasn’t poison in the wine at all, but poison on these chopsticks. The chopsticks entered the mouth, plus drinking wine down the throat—this is how they were poisoned. And that small wood shaving left in the teacup came from these wooden chopsticks, stuck to the mouth, then left in the teacup when drinking tea.”

With this explanation, everyone seemed to understand.

But Jingrong seemed puzzled again. “Since only one pair of chopsticks is poisonous, how did two people both get poisoned?”

“I think Uncle Wei and Aunt Wei each held one poisonous chopstick.”

Reasonable and logical!

Jingrong’s expression grew serious as he asked the people in the kitchen, “On the night of the banquet, who arranged the utensils?”

His tone seemed to grip a ball of flame, yet made people suddenly cold.

Two young maids from the distance poked out their heads, both walking over, extremely panicked.

“It was… it was us two servants.”

“Why is there poison on the chopsticks? What explanation do you have?” Jingrong questioned.

The two maids were so frightened they shook their heads repeatedly. “Your Highness, we didn’t poison them! These master chopsticks are used daily—there’s never been a problem! We two servants absolutely had no intention to harm the master and mistress! We beg Your Highness to investigate clearly.”

They didn’t seem to be lying!

“Then on the night of the banquet, did anyone else touch these chopsticks?”

Shaking their heads: “No, these utensils were all placed by us two personally. The master and mistress’s utensils were also personally delivered by us. No one else touched them.”

Speaking decisively, without a single leak!

Jingrong had nothing more to ask.

Only Ji Yinshu’s gaze once again fell on those poisonous chopsticks as she asked, “These chopsticks… are they from your estate?”

The two maids looked at each other, both raising their heads and widening their eyes to look at those chopsticks.

They exclaimed, “No! These chopsticks aren’t from our estate.”

To prove their words, one of the maids pointed to the top end of those chopsticks and said hurriedly.

“All the chopsticks in our estate have a small corner carved away at the top with a knife, but this pair of chopsticks has no carved corner at all. They definitely aren’t from our estate.”