Ji Li?

Jingrong was stunned, clearly shocked by her answer!

He asked seriously, “Tell me the truth. Is the murderer really Ji Li or not?”

A doubtful tone.

Ji Yinshu replied coldly, “Yes, the murderer is him.”

“That’s not what you said before.”

“Before, I didn’t have definitive evidence, but now it’s different. He’s the one who killed Yuchi Lin. All the evidence points to him. Moreover, I’ve already written the case report. By now, the Administrator of the Metropolitan Prefecture has probably already submitted it to the Emperor.”

Word by word, plain and flat, her eyes even carried a trace of ruthlessness!

As she spoke, she had already walked to the writing desk. While organizing things, she continued, “After this matter is concluded, we can proceed quickly with exhuming the body to investigate the ‘Linjing Case.’ That’s what truly concerns Your Highness and me.”

“Ji Yinshu!”

Jingrong raised his voice to call her name.

However, Ji Yinshu acted as if she hadn’t heard, never putting down what she was doing.

Until Jingrong walked over, gripped both her shoulders, made her face him, and questioned her again.

“You promise me that what you’ve said is true!”

Looking into Jingrong’s eyes, Ji Yinshu showed not the slightest guilt.

She replied firmly, “The one who killed him was Ji Li.”

“Fine. Since you’ve said it, I believe you.”

He released her!

Jingrong also swept away all his previous doubts.

Before long, the Emperor issued an edict summoning all civil and military officials into the palace. Jingrong also changed into his court attire and immediately entered the palace.

If Ji Yinshu’s case report truly stated that the murderer was Ji Li!

Then it also meant that between the two nations, turmoil would inevitably arise.

After all, a general of Great Lin beheading a general of Qujiang was a form of open provocation.

Either Emperor Qizhen would agree to Su Ziluo’s demands, return the two cities, and avoid warfare!

Or the two nations would go to war, just like the Battle of Cangshui five years ago.

Blood flowing like rivers!

But since ancient times, no emperor willingly wanted war.

The entire imperial palace was shrouded in a heavy, oppressive fog.

Ji Yinshu simply stood in her courtyard, watching the plum blossoms falling one after another. In her heart, the panic from last night had disappeared.

Instead, there was complete calm!

She didn’t know how much time had passed when news came from the palace.

The Emperor had decreed that at noon tomorrow, Ji Li would be convicted and executed!

As for the matter of returning the cities, nothing was said.

…

The next day, the day of the execution.

The Ministry of Justice prison.

Ji Li sat on a straw mat, a piece of straw between his fingers, twirling it in his hand. A window open at the top of the cell allowed a beam of silvery-white light to shine through, falling on the yellowed straw.

Rumble, rumble—

The rumbling sound of wooden wheelchair wheels approached from far to near.

Finally stopping outside Ji Li’s cell door.

The jailer removed the iron chain from the door, and Lie’er pushed Su Ziluo inside.

Ji Li kept his head lowered, his gaze always fixed on the straw at his fingertips.

At the corners of his mouth, however, floated a trace of mysterious cold laughter!

After a long while, he finally slowly raised his head, meeting Su Ziluo’s bone-chillingly cold gaze. That kind of gaze was like countless knives wanting to cut him open bit by bit.

“You’ve finally come?”

His voice was sinister!

Su Ziluo wore a solemn expression as he said, “It seems you’ve been waiting for me all along!”

“More or less.”

“At this moment, do you have anything to say?”

Ji Li smiled. “The Emperor has already issued the decree. What more is there for me to say? Should I argue that I didn’t kill anyone, or beg you to spare me?”

“You deserve to die!”

Su Ziluo’s flat tone clearly carried hatred.

However—

This earned a disdainful laugh from Ji Li. The straw in his hand flicked from his fingertips and landed at Su Ziluo’s feet.

He said, “But five years ago, you were the one who should have died on the battlefield, right, Ji Pei?”

Hearing that name, Su Ziluo smiled faintly.

He tilted his head but said nothing!

Ji Li’s body leaned back against the wall behind him, his hands resting on his bent knees, adopting the posture of a sage.

He said, “You must never forget that your life is not your own—it’s mine, it’s Ji Huan’s. Without us, you wouldn’t be here today.”

“So I should thank you?” Su Ziluo asked calmly.

“What do you think?”

His brow furrowed tightly, and the hands resting on his wheelchair clenched into tight fists. “You killed my father. You should still remember that, shouldn’t you? You used your sword—you killed him with one strike.”

Ji Li thought carefully. “So that defeated general who died under my sword was your father!”

A proud expression!

Su Ziluo moved his wheelchair in front of him, staring at him. “I can give you two choices. One is to end your own life. The other is to die by my hand. You choose.”

“What? You think if you kill me inside this prison, you can escape?”

“You needn’t worry. I’ll handle it cleanly. Besides, your Great Lin Emperor has already decreed your conviction and execution. If you commit suicide out of guilt at this moment, it would be perfectly natural.”

Perfectly natural?

“Tsk, tsk, tsk…” Ji Li shook his head disdainfully.

He seemed to be waiting for something, so he showed not the slightest fear.

Seeing him like this, Su Ziluo’s mouth curved into a smile as he asked, “Are you waiting for someone to rescue you?”

Eh!

Ji Li’s eyes showed alarm.

“Administrator Ji is a clever man. You know this murder case concerns both nations, and no one can save you. So you made plans to save yourself long ago. If the Emperor convicted you, you would find someone similar to yourself, cover his head, and before you were executed, send him into the prison to die in your place.”

He laid out Ji Li’s entire purpose clearly!

As if he had participated in that plan himself.

Just as Su Ziluo finished saying this, Ji Li’s face suddenly darkened.

Shocked!

Su Ziluo continued, “If you’re waiting for a substitution, then you don’t need to wait anymore. Because the person you were waiting for died before I came here to see you.”

“What did you say?”

“Your plan won’t work anymore, Ji Li. When people make mistakes, they must bear the consequences. You too, me too, everyone does.”

The next moment, before Ji Li could speak, Su Ziluo’s thumb pressed on a small mechanism on his wheelchair.

A silvery-white thin wire suddenly shot out from inside, instantly wrapping around Ji Li’s neck.

“You…”

Ji Li was forced to tilt his head back, both hands desperately grasping at the completely invisible wire.

His face turned completely red!

The suffocating sensation in his throat prevented him from uttering a single word.

Not even to beg for mercy!

But Su Ziluo coldly watched his wide-open eyes, watched as his eyes filled with terror and disbelief.

And this kind of expression was exactly what Su Ziluo wanted!

Ji Pei’s urgent gasping sounds echoed through the dim prison cell, one gasp after another.

He was like a bird locked in a cage, subject only to slaughter!