Dou Quan, who had been standing at the door the entire time, had heard the conversation between the two.

He came in to ask: “Why does Your Highness want to pull Yan Weiyi into this?”

Jing Yi tilted his head, the corner of his mouth curling up wickedly. He picked up the teapot and continued pouring tea into a cup that was already full. The tea overflowed, spilling onto the table.

This behavior was nearly pathological!

He said: “Yan Weiyi is ultimately a hidden danger. Once he loses this prince’s control, it’s inevitable he won’t reveal that this prince used him to poison Jingrong. But if the Crown Prince’s palace siege is connected to him, then he would be the one who poisoned Jingrong under the Crown Prince’s orders, and it would have nothing to do with this prince. Therefore, Yan Weiyi must die to be silenced forever.”

“This subordinate was dull-witted.”

“Now, we just wait for three days from now.”

He gently set down the teapot, staring at the spilled tea following the grain patterns on the table surface, flowing to the table’s edge, dripping drop by drop to the ground, spreading point by point.

Like a splendid map of the realm…

Within three days, Ji Yunshu didn’t step out of Bamboo Creek Garden even once. Muruo came by once to discuss Jingrong still being in prison.

But Ji Yunshu evaded everything, instead carefully studying the skeletal remains from the coffin. Wearing gloves, she reached into the coffin, her nose assaulted by an extremely pungent smell of decay. Because the coffin and bones had been exposed to air multiple times, the smell seemed to have changed quality—not only permeated with the smell of decay but also with a very strong stench.

It was like—

The smell emitted by damp clothes pressed into the bottom of a trunk!

No wonder. With the continuous heavy rain these days, and the coffin not being made of quality wood, having gotten wet, it wasn’t strange at all that it would emit this kind of smell.

Ji Yunshu seemed possessed, continuously examining those skeletal remains.

Muruo said many things without getting any response from her, so he grabbed her arm.

“Are you hearing what I’m saying?”

“I heard it, I heard it all.”

“Jingrong is still in prison. That old fox has already fled the capital and escaped. And you’re like this? Not caring about anything anymore?”

Ji Yunshu forcefully pulled her hand from his grasp, her eyes indifferent as she said: “I told you, stop investigating this matter. Prince Rong will be fine.”

Muruo’s voice sank heavily. He grabbed her arm again, pulled forcefully, and directly turned her body to face him.

He asked seriously: “Miss Ji, you understand my temperament. I never meddle in idle matters. Even if someone died in front of me, I wouldn’t intervene to save them. But Jingrong is different. He and I grew up together. I cannot watch him in the Imperial Prison and remain indifferent. It was you who said you would definitely find evidence to prove he had nothing to do with this matter. But what are you doing now? Can staring at these broken bones save him?”

After finishing, he kicked over the coffin.

The skeletal remains inside scattered across the floor as a result. Ji Yunshu abruptly pushed him away, crouched down, and carefully picked up the bones one by one.

As she did so, she said: “These skeletal remains are the key to solving the Linjing Case. Once damaged, they will greatly affect the portrait.”

Muruo looked utterly disappointed!

“For you, Jingrong isn’t even afraid of death. But what about you? You say you care about him, but now you disregard his life and death, your mind full of nothing but the Linjing Case.”

After speaking, Muruo angrily left, his sleeves swinging.

Ji Yunshu crouched on the ground, picking up the scattered bones in her hands, her eyes reddening involuntarily.

But she fiercely drew in a breath, holding back her tears, and slowly picked the bones back into the coffin.

Maintaining her extremely calm facade.

Shi Zijin, hidden in the shadows watching her, felt somewhat heartbroken despite being a killer who had experienced many cruel things since childhood. Seeing Ji Yunshu at this moment still pained her.

After all, she was someone who knew everything from beginning to end!

…

During these three days, Jingrong recuperated from his injuries in prison. Jing Yi never came by.

After the third day, the Crown Prince had his grand wedding, and Jingrong was sent to the Supreme Court’s prison to await trial.

Also because of the Crown Prince’s grand wedding, the Chengqing Hall fire case was postponed for trial. This case was also temporarily handed over to the Supreme Court.

With a prince imprisoned in the Supreme Court’s prison, the Supreme Court Minister trembled and transferred this matter to Vice Minister Yu of the Supreme Court.

Wearing his official robes, he went to the prison to see Jingrong.

He even ordered people to bring in fine wine and dishes—mountain delicacies and seafood, all present.

Vice Minister Yu was originally a smiling tiger. In just half a year, he had risen from a minor clerk to the position of Supreme Court Deputy Director. One could imagine he was definitely not an easy person to deal with!

Precisely because he wasn’t easy to deal with, Jingrong had repeatedly excluded him, his purpose being to avoid having much contact with this person lest he get tainted.

“Prince Rong, this humble official ordered some small dishes prepared. Why not have a taste?”

“No need.”

Vice Minister Yu had thick skin and smiled: “This Chengqing Hall fire incident has caused an uproar throughout the court. Several court officials died as well. Now that the Supreme Court has taken on this case, it’s truly quite thorny.”

Why weren’t you burned to death?

Jingrong was too lazy to respond.

Yet Vice Minister Yu sighed and continued: “Although this humble official hasn’t had much contact with Your Highness, this humble official believes this matter certainly has nothing to do with Your Highness. Among all this, there must be some misunderstanding. Therefore, this humble official will certainly do everything possible to exonerate Your Highness. Moreover…”

“Vice Minister Yu.” Jingrong interrupted him.

“This humble official is here!”

“Didn’t Father Emperor order this matter be handed to Prince Yi? How did it suddenly get transferred to the Supreme Court?”

Vice Minister Yu thought for a moment: “Originally this case should have been submitted to the Supreme Court. It’s just that Prince Yi suddenly took it over.”

Jingrong was shocked: “What do you mean? Wasn’t it His Majesty’s order for Prince Yi to have full authority to investigate?”

“The Supreme Court never received such notification. Originally, on the night of the fire, Your Highness should have been sent to the Supreme Court, and this case should have been taken over by the Supreme Court. But Prince Yi wouldn’t allow it, only saying His Majesty wanted him to try the case first. So it was delayed several days until today when Your Highness was sent over, and the case was also handed over.”

So Jing Yi had simply used His Majesty’s one statement to imprison him in the Imperial Prison, forcing him to confess, to prevent the Supreme Court from interfering and ruining his plan.

He should have thought of this earlier. No matter how confused Father Emperor was, he wouldn’t let Jing Yi handle this matter with full authority. Father Emperor couldn’t possibly be unaware of the struggle between the princes.

A miscalculation!

However—

Why, before he had confessed and signed, was Jing Yi willing to send him to the Supreme Court? If he wanted to extract a confession through torture again, wouldn’t that be more difficult?

Unless—

He planned to release him, and if he wanted to release him, he would need to find a scapegoat.

He was suddenly shocked!

He finally understood why Jing Yi had changed his cell, summoned imperial physicians, and sent him to the Supreme Court. All the signs indicated that everything had been changes that occurred after Jing Yi met with Ji Yunshu.

Seeing his brow furrow tightly, Vice Minister Yu asked carefully: “Your Highness, what’s wrong?”

A flash of urgency crossed Jingrong’s eyes as he asked.

“Vice Minister Yu, this prince asks you—today is the Crown Prince’s grand wedding. Has there been anything unusual at the Eastern Palace?”