Those eyes were so unfamiliar!

So unfamiliar that Ji Shuhan almost didn’t recognize this daughter standing before him.

For a moment, he actually felt a bit timid.

His feet unconsciously moved back a small step.

In Ji Yinshu’s ice-cold dark eyes, a trace of resolute energy overflowed.

She parted her lips again. “Luan’er is my only family in this world. I absolutely won’t allow her to die unjustly. Not only will I investigate, I’ll investigate thoroughly and carefully!”

“…”

The entire great hall fell silent as a grave!

Luan’er was her only family? Then what were they?

The first to react and speak was Ji Yuanzhi.

He stepped forward with a somewhat rebuking manner and said, “Stop spouting nonsense here, saying Luan’er was forced to death by someone—it’s all without evidence. Are you trying to make this matter even bigger? That lowly servant clearly committed suicide out of fear of punishment. She cleared your name—otherwise, do you think you could be standing here?”

Speaking with such righteous conviction!

Even Ji Muqing joined in, walking over with raised eyebrows.

She said, “Third Brother is right. Without evidence, you claim Luan’er didn’t poison anyone and say she was forced to death by someone. Could it be you want to return to prison and take the crime of poisoning people upon yourself?”

“Stop bringing shame to our Ji family!” Ji Yuanzhi snorted.

Singing in harmony, truly like two monkeys performing tricks!

A perfect match!

Ji Wanxin coughed twice, playing the peacemaker.

She weakly spoke up. “Elder Sister, Third Brother, don’t speak like this. Yinshu doesn’t mean it that way.”

“You shut up.” Ji Muqing glared at her. “Are you surnamed Ji or not? Your elbow is turning outward.”

Turning outward?

Indeed, they had never considered Ji Yinshu as family!

Hearing these words, Ji Yinshu’s thin lips suddenly curved slightly, carrying a trace of mocking laughter.

At this moment, she actually found them somewhat pitiful.

Perhaps noticing that hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth, Ji Yuanzhi questioned her.

“What are you laughing at?”

She looked coldly at everyone and said, “I laugh at your pitifulness—pitiful that while living, you’re just empty shells, not even comparable to the dead!”

“How dare you say we’re not human?”

Ji Muqing became angry, raising her hand to strike her. The moment she swung down, Ji Yinshu actually grabbed her wrist.

At the same time, she raised her own hand.

Smack—

She struck Ji Muqing heavily on that overly powdered left cheek!

Everyone was shocked!

In that moment of astonishment, Ji Yuanzhi grew furious with rage, not expecting Ji Yinshu would dare to hit people!

So he pulled the still-unresponsive Ji Muqing behind himself and raised that large palm.

Just as it was about to swing toward Ji Yinshu’s face—

The next moment, it was grabbed by a powerful large hand, which then forcefully twisted it, nearly breaking his wrist alive!

“Ah—”

As the pain in his wrist intensified continuously, Ji Yuanzhi bent his knees down, in so much pain that sweat covered his forehead.

Jingrong’s bloodthirsty, cold eyes, as if filled with mercury and carrying poison, stared at Ji Yuanzhi.

“Bastard, how dare you touch this prince’s person!”

His knuckles exerted force, as if about to crush Ji Yuanzhi’s hand bones alive!

Seeing it was Jingrong, Ji Shuhan was shocked and immediately knelt down, prostrating on the ground.

“Greetings… to Prince Jingrong.”

The next instant, everyone in the great hall except Ji Yinshu knelt on the ground.

Jingrong’s narrow eyes swept a glance but didn’t tell them to rise.

Kneel—kneel properly!

Ji Yuanzhi’s face twisted in pain, kneeling on one knee, his hand tightly gripped by Jingrong held above his head, nearly deformed.

Because it hurt so much, he couldn’t even speak words of plea!

Seeing his son’s hand about to break, Ji Shuhan’s expression grew anxious.

He quickly pleaded, “Your Highness, my son is ignorant and has offended you. Please show mercy and spare my son.”

“He didn’t offend this prince, but offended Yinshu.”

Calling her “Yinshu” in front of everyone, carrying a domineering flavor of “she is mine.”

Ji Shuhan’s face turned pale.

“Your Highness, my son only… only…”

“Enough!”

Jingrong interrupted with a word.

He swung his arm, releasing his knuckles.

Ji Yuanzhi, hugging his nearly broken hand, knelt on the ground, his head pressed to the floor, his face turned pale from pain.

He was just short of wailing!

Old Madam Ji, feeling sorry for her grandson, hurried to check his injuries.

Jingrong clapped his hands, still not letting them rise.

His cold eyes swept again. “Lord Ji’s estate has been quite lively recently.”

Ji Shuhan said in panic, “Your Highness, these are just some trivial family matters of this official’s household. I’ve… troubled Your Highness.”

“Trivial matters? Are human lives also counted among them?” Jingrong’s tone rose slightly.

Carrying a frightening sense of intimidation!

Ji Shuhan didn’t speak, his gaze showing signs of evasion.

Jingrong sneered coldly, then turned his gaze to Ji Yinshu beside him.

He said seriously and earnestly, “Don’t you want to investigate who forced Luan’er to death? Fine, this prince will investigate with you. If anyone dares to obstruct, this prince will slaughter them.”

Those kneeling on the ground all trembled!

Ji Yinshu’s face remained cold and indifferent, rubbing with unshakable resilience. She took small steps forward, looking at the people on the ground.

“No matter who forced Luan’er to death, I, Ji Yinshu, swear I will absolutely not show mercy, even if it means righteous extermination of relatives—I won’t hesitate.”

Her tone actually carried a trace of harshness!

Ah!

These words were as if determining that Luan’er’s death was related to one of them!

That’s right—for the Ji family’s reputation, what wouldn’t these people do?

She didn’t linger or say more. Turning around, she left the great hall and headed toward the west courtyard where she resided.

Watching her like this, Jingrong’s heart ached fiercely.

He took small steps to follow, never once telling the people on the ground to rise.

After Jingrong left, the roomful of people finally got up.

Ji Yuanzhi still hugged his hand, crying “Ow” in pain, while Old Madam Ji beside him felt endless heartache!

Ji Muqing covered her reddened face, tears streaming directly.

In all her years, this was the first time she’d been slapped!

As for Ji Shuhan, after struggling up from the ground, he sighed—both angry and helpless!

But one gaze, carrying hard-to-fathom emotions, kept staring at Jingrong’s gradually disappearing back.

That was Ji Wanxin!

Her sickly-looking face, turning pale, seemed to hide a dark energy.

She didn’t understand why she couldn’t attract his gaze.

…

On the road back to the west courtyard, Ji Yinshu didn’t say a word. Jingrong followed at her side.

After a long while, Jingrong finally consoled her. “Don’t be too sad about Luan’er’s death.”

She didn’t answer and continued walking.

Jingrong suddenly took two steps forward, blocking her path.

Heartache flickered between his brows as he looked down at her. “If you’re suffering inside, you don’t need to hide it. This prince said he wouldn’t be a cage to confine you, but didn’t say he wouldn’t be your sheltering eaves. Even in fierce winds and violent rains, heavy snow and dense cover, as long as this prince has brick and tile, he will naturally shield you from the wind’s hardship.”

His words always carried a man’s noble bearing within their gentleness.

Truly warming one’s heart!

She avoided that gaze, her eyes reddening.

She said softly, “I thank Your Highness for repeatedly coming to my aid. I will remember it in my heart. But right now, I only want to immediately find the true culprit.”

“Where will you investigate from?”

“The place where Luan’er committed suicide.”

She lowered her head, already bypassing Jingrong, striding forward in large steps.

Jingrong followed.

Arriving at the west courtyard’s rooms, she pushed open the door. Meeting the eye was a length of white silk suspended from the roof beam, with the stool beneath it also toppled over.

After Luan’er was carried to Yi Zhuang, no one had touched her room.

Good—hopefully the evidence she needed was still all there!

Jingrong stood to one side, not planning to disturb her.

Ji Yinshu walked to the basin stand in the room. A basin of water rested on it.

She extended her fingertip into it, dipped some water, then brought it to her nose to smell.

Sure enough, there was the scent of kumquat.

Then, she took out that note Luan’er had left, looked at the fingerprint on it, pondered in her heart for a moment, then immediately opened the sandalwood box she kept in the room.

She took out a brush, dipped it in ink, and carefully drew on paper.

Very quickly, the fingerprint imprinted on the note appeared even more clearly on the paper.

Jingrong walked over and asked her curiously.

“This is a fingerprint?”

She examined that fingerprint and said very firmly, “This is what the person who forced Luan’er to death left behind.”

“So certain?”

“This fingerprint is imprinted beneath the characters, which is sufficient to show that when Luan’er was writing this note, someone handed this note before her, which is why this relatively broad fingerprint, similar to a man’s, was left behind.” Ji Yinshu analyzed.

Jingrong thought for a moment. “Could it possibly be that someone touched this paper long ago and left it?”

“Impossible.” Ji Yinshu’s tone was even more certain as she continued, “This fingerprint has a kumquat scent. In this world, probably only the water basin in my room would have kumquat added, because kumquat can dispel corpse odor. So every time Luan’er changed the water, she would add a little according to my requirements. Therefore, that person must have washed their hands in the water basin in this room, then handed this note to Luan’er, which is why this fingerprint was left. Moreover, a mark imprinted with kumquat water will only appear for six hours. After six hours pass, the kumquat essence will dry and this fingerprint will disappear. So based on the timing, there’s absolutely no mistake.”

With this explanation, Jingrong nodded. “Then, can you tell whose fingerprint this is?”

Ji Yinshu held that paper. “Perhaps heaven is also helping me.”

Speaking thus, she handed the drawing she’d just made to Jingrong and asked, “Your Highness, look—what’s different about this fingerprint?”

Jingrong looked carefully and said, “An ordinary person’s fingerprint, if imprinted on paper, should be deeper and more obvious in the middle position. But this fingerprint is missing a part in the middle—only the outer, finer fingerprint lines show.”

Yes, in the drawing, it was indeed a fingerprint, but the middle portion of the fingerprint was missing, without even a trace of fingerprint lines.

Could it be that person’s finger was missing a chunk of flesh in the middle?

Ji Yinshu nodded. “This is a thumbprint. The person who forced Luan’er to death has no fingerprint in the middle position of their thumb. Either this person’s finger is deeply indented in the middle position, or the middle position was injured and formed a scar, so the middle fingerprint wouldn’t be imprinted.”

“Wait…” Jingrong’s expression suddenly grew grave, as if thinking of something in his mind.

His eyes suddenly brightened. “If this prince didn’t see wrong just now…”

“Your Highness knows who it is?” Ji Yinshu was somewhat excited.

Jingrong’s mouth slowly uttered three words: “Ji Yuanzhi!”