The carriage had just left not long ago when Jingrong arrived at the South Gate. Outside, the carriage that had been waiting was already gone.

Feeling somewhat puzzled, he asked the guard at the gate, “Where is Prince Rong’s manor carriage?”

“It just left.”

“What about Master Ji who entered the palace with this prince?”

He had a vague sense of foreboding.

The guard also answered truthfully, “That Master Ji already boarded the carriage and left.”

Well done, Ji Yunshu! This prince is such a large living person—did you not see I wasn’t on the carriage? Or are you deliberately not waiting for this prince?

Bold enough indeed!

Anger arose in his heart, which he forcefully suppressed!

He probably understood the reason Ji Yunshu didn’t wait for him. Nothing more than worrying he would prevent her from going to Mount Liang, so she simply acted first and reported later.

Little girl, when this prince catches you, you’ll have it coming.

Jingrong ordered the guard to bring him a horse. Mounting it, he headed in the direction of Mount Liang.

Behind him, Jing Yi’s ink-black pupils stared tightly at Jingrong riding away.

His trusted aide Dou Quan asked from the side, “Prince Rong is alone. Should this subordinate…”

Jing Yi’s lips curved slightly, his tone sinister, “Best to handle it cleanly and neatly. Don’t leave any traces.”

“Yes!”

As Dou Quan prepared to carry out the task, Jing Yi reached out to stop him. After thinking carefully, he said, “Actually, go notify Yan Weiyi instead. Have him send people with rock-spotted poison. After all, he also can’t wait for Jingrong to die. While at it, eliminate Ji Yunshu as well to avoid future troubles.”

“The prince is wise.”

“After all, this is in the capital. We can’t dirty this prince’s hands.”

Accompanied by a light laugh!

…

Mount Liang was not far from the city gate, also situated beside the official road. Along the way, Ji Yunshu occasionally lifted the curtain to look outside. From time to time, carriages passed by.

Half an incense stick’s time later, they arrived at the foot of Mount Liang.

Ji Yunshu descended from the carriage and looked at the sky. It was exactly noon now, and Mount Liang’s dampness wasn’t very heavy.

The coachman asked curiously, “Master Ji, what are you doing here?”

“It’s nothing. Just wait here for now.”

“But…” The coachman was somewhat troubled.

“Don’t worry. I won’t go far, just around this vicinity.”

“I’d better follow you, Master. If something happens, I won’t be able to explain to the prince.”

As he spoke, the coachman had already pulled the carriage to the side and tied the rope to a large tree, preparing to follow Ji Yunshu up the mountain.

However…

Ji Yunshu declined, saying, “You’d better stay here and look after the carriage properly. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens, you and I will have to walk back to Prince Rong’s manor. By then, the sky will be dark and the city gates will be closed.”

This official road could be considered safe, but leaving such a luxurious carriage on the side with no one watching—it couldn’t be guaranteed that someone wouldn’t take advantage and steal it.

After all, walking back to Prince Rong’s manor from here was indeed too far!

So, it was better to be more careful!

The coachman thought about it and was also somewhat worried. Moreover, he couldn’t argue with Ji Yunshu, so he could only wait in place.

According to what Jing Zhaoyin said, the body was discovered at the foot of the southeast side of Mount Liang. At this moment, Ji Yunshu’s position was on the west side.

She stood in place thinking for a while.

She couldn’t help but murmur, “If the deceased came down from here, how did she get to the southeast side? Did she go around the mountain base, or did she cut through this forest?”

After carefully calculating in her mind, she suddenly realized!

Her eyes widened, slightly surprised.

But within that surprise, there was also some delight.

She broke off a wooden stick, planning to cut through the dense forest before her to reach the southeast foot of Mount Liang.

As soon as she entered the forest, the dampness inside rushed at her face, and the icy air currents made her whole body shiver.

While the light at noon was the brightest, inside this forest, the light was blocked by densely packed tall trees, making it dark and oppressive. Mottled tree leaves reflected on the muddy ground, and coupled with the cold wind blowing through, the rustling sound revealed an eerie strangeness.

Fortunately, she had seen plenty of corpses, so naturally she wouldn’t be afraid of this deep forest.

Relying on the wooden stick in her hand, she pushed herself forward step by step. The dampness grew heavier and heavier, and the cold began to spread wantonly over her body. Her steps became increasingly heavy, and even her breathing became hurried.

Because the slope went upward, on the muddy road surface, her foot suddenly slipped.

Her body lurched forward. Before she could react, a powerful large hand tightly grasped her waist, gripped tight, and pulled back forcefully, lifting up her body that was about to fall.

Her back pressed against a solid chest!

“If this young master hadn’t appeared, miss, you would have fallen.”

A warm yet frivolous tone rang in Ji Yunshu’s ear.

The voice’s identification was very obvious. Ji Yunshu quickly removed that hand from her waist.

Turning around, her expression puzzled, “Why is it you?”

Li Shiyan looked at her with a smile. In his hand, he still held that exquisite folding fan, his eyebrows raised.

He said, “It seems I guessed correctly—you really are Shu’er.”

Uh!

Ji Yunshu was too lazy to refute and pursed her lips, “What are you doing here?”

“From Prince Rong’s manor to the palace, and then here—I’ve been following you the whole way.”

“Following me?” Ji Yunshu looked puzzled. “You followed me all the way from Yuzhou to the capital. Why exactly?”

“Didn’t I say? Seeing your case-solving methods, this young master greatly admires them and wants to discuss them further with you. Incidentally, we could also drink wine and compose poetry together, make friends, that’s all.” The reason seemed perfectly reasonable!

Sick!

With so many women in the world who want to drink wine and compose poetry, there are plenty of women to accompany him. Why must he stick to her!

She glanced at him. Ji Yunshu said impatiently, “Thank you for your help just now, Young Master. However, you should leave quickly. I don’t have time right now.”

“I know—you’re investigating the disappearance case.”

“Since you know, then don’t come disturb me.”

“Actually, I’m also quite curious about who that murderous perverted killer is.” As he spoke, he boldly moved closer to Ji Yunshu and continued, “These past few days, I’ve heard quite a bit about this disappearance case. I also know that a body was discovered on Mount Liang, and it was you, miss, who examined the corpse.”

Ji Yunshu stepped back one step, putting distance between them, and asked calmly, “So what?”

He waved the folding fan in his hand, “So, I want to help you. Look, this forest is cold and the ground is damp. A weak woman could easily have an accident. Just consider… me your assistant. How about it?”

Indeed, to cut through this forest to the southeast corner, she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t step on a wooden stake like the deceased and fall to her death after slipping.

After careful consideration, Ji Yunshu nodded.

“Fine. But my ears hurt a bit. If you can keep quiet, it would be best to keep your mouth shut.”

“Don’t worry, this young master won’t disturb you.”

Li Shiyan raised those peach blossom eyes as if he’d obtained some tremendous benefit.

Ji Yunshu walked forward, and he honestly followed closely behind.