The little fellow treasured the small brush holder that Qin Shiyu had given him.

The brush holder was perfectly round and cylindrical, with lifelike flowers and birds carved around it, and a circle of wave-like patterns around the rim.

It was very beautiful.

Now Qi Li clutched this brush holder as if to cherish the memory.

When Jingrong looked at him, the little fellow happened to raise his gaze to look at him, his round eyes rolling in circles, brimming with tears.

It was heartbreaking.

Jingrong walked over and patted his small head to comfort him.

Qi Li didn’t dodge but let him pat his head. If it had been before, he would have certainly pursed his little mouth and glared fiercely at him. How could he be so well-behaved as he was now!

Minister Qi then asked the people of Prince Rong’s residence to temporarily look after his son. Qi Li obediently followed the young lady of the household to the rear courtyard, waiting for his father to finish discussing matters before coming to fetch him.

In the hall.

Minister Qi’s face was full of worry. He cupped his hands, and his first words were: “Your Highness should not have returned to the capital.”

In Minister Qi’s view, the capital now was like a red-hot iron furnace—anyone who entered would either die or be injured.

Jingrong’s eyes darkened.

He said nothing!

Minister Qi’s eyelids drooped slightly: “Before Minister Qin died, this humble official went to see him. He said that to secure people’s hearts, one could only stay far away. If the emperor wanted to balance the court, he must first remove Your Highness’s influence. Then in the court, there must be his own chess pieces, isolating those who differ, in order to control the overall situation! Though this official has been in the capital for less than a year, I still know something about how deep or shallow the waters of the court are. Why must Your Highness place yourself in the middle of it? Wouldn’t it be a better strategy to stay away from the court, stay away from the capital!”

To wander freely through the jianghu—wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Why wade into these deep waters!

But Minister Qi was, after all, not Jingrong.

So in the end, he didn’t understand him.

Jingrong gazed at the pitch-black sky outside, letting out a long, heavy sigh. After a prolonged silence, he finally turned his gaze to rest on Minister Qi’s worried face, his brows slightly furrowed: “It’s rare that Minister Qi is still willing to say these things to this prince. However, what you just said… once you leave my Prince Rong’s residence, you must not mention it again.”

“This official understands.”

Jingrong no longer discussed with him the pros and cons of this return to the capital.

Minister Qi also stated his purpose for coming: “This official came so late to show Your Highness something.”

Having spoken!

He withdrew a memorial from his sleeve and handed it to Jingrong.

It was the memorial Qin Shiyu had submitted to the emperor requesting to retire and return home.

On it… there were still a few drops of blood, particularly striking.

Jingrong took it, his expression darkening.

“What is this?”

“This is the memorial Minister Qin asked this official to submit to the emperor before his death. He was carrying it when he died.”

It was just a memorial—what was so strange about it? Why bring it so late at night?

Jingrong looked through it.

It contained all of Qin Shiyu’s reasons for retiring and returning home. Three points were explained in great detail. Wei Yi had approved it with his imperial brush, writing the character “Approved” at the end, and at the same time, he had also written four characters beside it.

“Do not hasten your return journey!”

The intent was to persuade Qin Shiyu to stay and consider more carefully.

Jingrong’s eyes tightened.

These four characters… held deep meaning.

He murmured aloud: “Do not hasten your return journey, do not hasten your return journey…”

Suddenly, his palm tightened!

These four perfectly written characters—where was the intent to persuade him to stay?

Clearly… they were a reminder and a warning.

Minister Qi said from the side: “There have been no mountain bandits in the capital region for years, yet Minister Qin happened to encounter them! And if those bandits were after money, that would be one thing—but why did they also want Minister Qin’s life? Moreover, Minister Qin had been an official for many years and came from a military background. Local officials all showed him deference. Where did those mountain bandits get the audacity to attack Minister Qin?”

Though he raised several questions, in reality he was indirectly telling Jingrong something.

Who was Qin Shiyu? He was once a legendary figure who dominated the battlefield. How many people had fled with their tails between their legs just upon hearing his name! Even many military generals were wary of him—let alone those petty thieves and mountain bandits!

Unless…

They had been ordered to do so!

Jingrong understood the meaning in his words: “What you’ve said, this prince had already thought of on the journey back to the capital. This is also one of the reasons this prince returned to the capital.”

“Then Your Highness…” Before he finished speaking, Jingrong raised his hand to interrupt him, his expression serious: “Minister Qi, this prince will say it again—what you’ve said today, once you leave my Prince Rong’s residence, you absolutely must not mention even half a sentence. If it reaches the ears of those with ulterior motives, I’m afraid it will invite unnecessary trouble. After all, this matter doesn’t just involve official wealth and status, but the Da Lin empire itself.”

The Da Lin empire.

Minister Qi cupped his hands and bowed, fully understanding: “This official knows his limits and will not speak carelessly.”

Jingrong then settled his expression and returned to his seat. He set the memorial aside and said: “Minister Qi, why don’t you tell this prince about the current situation in the court, or rather… which high-ranking officials are close to the emperor?”

“Vice Minister of Rites Shen Changqin.”

“Shen Changqin?” Jingrong was quite surprised.

“According to what this official has secretly learned, it was Vice Minister Shen who collected evidence about Minister Lu’s matter and reported it to the Censorate. After the Censorate investigated and confirmed the facts, Censor-in-Chief Minister Li then submitted a memorial to the emperor, and only then was Minister Lu’s crime determined.”

The Vice Minister of Rites certainly reached far!

In Jingrong’s impression, Shen Changqin was a timid, rigid scholar who never offended anyone in the court, high or low. For him to openly accuse Minister Lu this time was completely unlike his usual conduct, which clearly indicated there was a dark force behind him.

And the mystery within this—any perceptive person would naturally know.

Jingrong’s hand resting on the tea table shifted, his fingers lightly tapping a few times, the sound heavy and forceful.

After a long while—

He instructed: “Minister Qi, tomorrow you go to the Ministry of Finance and have Minister He pull out all the files of the newly appointed officials. Once organized, send them to this prince, but don’t make it public.”

“Yes.”

In the rear courtyard.

After returning from the Ministry of Justice, Ji Yunshu had been staying in the study, drawing the likeness of what the skeleton looked like when alive.

Although they had confirmed that the deceased was Hua Ling.

The autopsy results had shocked her greatly!

She suspected that the deceased might not be Hua Ling at all.

Fortunately, the skeleton wasn’t too old, and since it hadn’t been burned or soaked in water, external factors had minimal impact. So the time needed to draw what the skeleton looked like when alive wasn’t much. The anatomical diagram of the skull was roughly complete. She had obtained some clay and was now molding it!

Completely focused.

She didn’t notice at all that a small figure had slipped in through the door.

Not until the little person accidentally bumped into the table corner, making a “bang” sound, did she raise her head to look.

The little figure standing by the table also happened to look at her.

A pair of large eyes filled with apology, looking completely innocent.

Pointing at the solid table corner, he said: “It tripped me.”

Oh my, he had learned to tattle first.

Picking on an honest table that couldn’t talk back, wasn’t he?

But where did this little milk baby come from? Such a small size, chubby as a ball, with delicate features, his little mouth pursed hard, those prominent ears looking extremely cute. At this moment, he was still clutching an exquisite small brush holder in his arms.