Before long, Muruo arrived and examined her wound again.

He nodded. “Not bad. The wound isn’t very deep. This should be from the Xuanchi Sword, right?”

“How did you know?” Ji Yinshu asked.

Muruo washed his hands and smiled. “The Xuanchi Sword bestowed by His Majesty is incredibly sharp. The blade is completely different from ordinary swords. I’ve had the fortune of seeing General Ji’s sword before, so I recognized it from your wound.”

“Oh!”

Ji Yinshu didn’t respond further.

After a moment, Muruo asked her curiously, “Yesterday you asked me which was more important—conscience or life. Today, Chief Minister Ji committed suicide out of guilt. Is there a connection to what you asked me?”

His curiosity was overflowing!

“…”

“Your lack of response means yes, doesn’t it? Now I’m even more curious—what does this have to do with conscience?”

How strange!

Ji Yinshu still didn’t answer. She kept her head lowered, her thoughts drifting who knows where.

Seeing she wouldn’t respond, Muruo felt he was asking for trouble and let it go.

…

Meanwhile!

Su Ziluo entered the palace again, but this time it was a private meeting between him and Emperor Qizhen.

Inside the hall!

“The person is already dead, which brings this matter to a conclusion. However, regarding what Master Su mentioned earlier about returning the cities, I’m afraid that will be difficult.” Emperor Qizhen didn’t beat around the bush.

Su Ziluo listened, pondering for only a moment.

Then he said, “General Weichi was murdered in Dalin, and the killer was your own Minister of War, Ji Li. This case appears to be closed—a life for a life, which is indeed so. However, this humiliation will not be accepted by our King of Qujiang or the people of Qujiang.”

His attitude was extremely firm!

And Emperor Qizhen didn’t need to guess at his meaning.

He spoke bluntly, “Using one life to force me to return two cities to you—isn’t that rather laughable?”

Utterly ridiculous!

“To Your Majesty, a mere two cities mean nothing, but to us in Qujiang it’s different. Only if Your Majesty agrees will this murder case truly be concluded. From then on, I will order the thirty thousand troops to withdraw from the border, and there will be no more warfare between our two nations. But…”

“What?” Emperor Qizhen was shocked.

“If Your Majesty refuses, you might consider this: when a general is killed in another country, it will inevitably spark public outrage. Our tens of thousands of soldiers will fight with deadly determination. The situation then will not be as it was five years ago, controlled in Your Majesty’s hands. In that case, Your Majesty won’t merely be returning two cities—you might lose even more.”

A naked threat!

Emperor Qizhen was inherently proud; his authority could not be challenged by others.

Su Ziluo’s repeated provocations made him unable to endure it any longer.

Yet—

He didn’t fly into a rage.

Instead, he said calmly, “Master Su’s meaning is clear to me. I presume this is also King Qujiang’s intention. Very well, I agree to consider it carefully. In two days, I will give you my answer.”

How strange!

Shouldn’t he be dragged out and executed?

Such magnanimity—as if he’d been completely transformed.

In the end, Su Ziluo truly left the hall safely!

The rage Emperor Qizhen had suppressed finally erupted uncontrollably.

All the memorials and writing brushes on the table were swept to the floor.

He pounded the table with his fist. “What a Su Ziluo!”

…

That very evening, Su Ziluo received a note secretly delivered by Ji Yinshu.

Tomorrow at the hour of the rooster, west city tower.

He crumpled the note in his hand, intending to throw it away, then gradually unfolded it bit by bit, smoothed it out, and after staring at it for a long while, held it over the candlelight.

He burned it!

His calm, water-like eyes revealed no emotion.

Until—

Lie’er walked to his side, glanced at the note that had burned to ashes, and made several hand gestures at him, his face full of distress.

Su Ziluo beckoned to him, signaling him to come closer.

When Lie’er crouched before him, a smile finally appeared at the corner of his mouth, his tone both heartbroken and indulgent.

He said, “Lie’er, I promise you that once everything is settled, I’ll take you back to your homeland, all right?”

He nodded!

He gestured again with his hands.

But Su Ziluo shook his head, his smile fading. “No, Shu’er won’t go with us. She’ll stay here. There’s someone here who will take care of her.”

“Ah, ah, ah!”

“It’s not that. How could I not want Shu’er? But she no longer belongs to me.”

His voice gradually weakened!

Lie’er’s large eyes kept staring at him, tears streaming down.

Over the past two years, Su Ziluo had only confided his innermost thoughts to him.

Probably because he couldn’t speak, wouldn’t reveal his secrets to others, and wouldn’t pry into his affairs, Su Ziluo often told him about what happened during those three years in Jinjiang.

He had told him everything about his time with Ji Yinshu!

Facts proved that Lie’er was indeed an excellent confidant.

After a long while, Su Ziluo reached out and closed the window, sitting in his wheelchair for a long time.

Lie’er crouched beside him without further disturbance.

The next day!

His Majesty issued an order graciously allowing Ji Huan to take Ji Li’s corpse back home for burial, but forbidding the erection of a tombstone.

Ji Huan didn’t make a fuss either. After carrying the corpse out from the Ministry of Justice’s prison, he transported it back to Jinjiang.

As for that old imperial codger, he naturally closeted himself to deliberate!

Should he give the cities?

Or not?

The eunuchs outside didn’t dare disturb him, and the officials at court didn’t dare disturb him either.

They feared calamity would descend from heaven!

So no one wanted to drink from that “boiling pot of soup.”

Ji Yinshu remained in her courtyard. When others spoke to her, she didn’t respond. She didn’t eat or drink.

With no other option, the maids went to inform Jingrong.

The first thing Jingrong said upon entering was, “Why don’t this prince send you to a nunnery? How about becoming a little nun?”

She actually wanted that!

Shave her head bald and be done with it all!

But thinking about it, she had grown her hair for several years now—she couldn’t bear to part with it!

She stood silently beneath the plum tree.

Heavy with worries.

Jingrong sighed and said seriously, “If you truly want to see your eldest brother off, you can still make it to the city gate if you rush there now.”

“I don’t want to see him off.”

It wasn’t for Ji Li’s sake!

Jingrong continued.

“Ever since you reported the case, you’ve been like this. This prince doesn’t want to pry, but I can’t bear to see you continue this way.”

“I’m fine.” She replied indifferently, then hastily added, “Perhaps it’s just that too many things have happened recently, and my heart feels stifled.”

Jingrong knew she had something on her mind but didn’t call her out on it.

After waiting a little while, he had someone bring some food and practically dragged Ji Yinshu into the room, pressing her down to sit at the table.

“Hurry and eat something!”

It wasn’t coaxing—it was a commanding tone.

Ji Yinshu pressed her lips together, somewhat resistant, but still obediently picked up her chopsticks and put a mouthful of rice in her mouth.

Seeing this, Jingrong directly used his chopsticks to place a piece of meat in her bowl.

“A woman looks unsightly when too thin.”