A deal?

Making a deal with Jing Yi was the same in nature as making a deal with a jackal.

Ji Yunshu looked at him coldly, not speaking!

Jing Yi curved his lips and asked: “Doesn’t Miss Ji even want to know what kind of deal this prince wants to make with you?”

She still didn’t answer or respond!

“Right now, Prince Rong is like a lion trapped in a cage, his hands and feet bound. To this prince, he poses no threat at all. However, this ultimately isn’t what this prince wants. Letting him die just like that would be far too simple.” Jing Yi’s face was full of regret!

No!

He couldn’t let Jingrong die just like that.

Without tormenting him thoroughly, he would never give up.

“What exactly do you want to say?” Ji Yunshu spoke up to ask.

Jing Yi’s sinister brows lifted: “As long as this prince is willing, I can let Jingrong safely extricate himself.”

“You would be so kind-hearted?”

“He is after all my brother. This prince will still consider our brotherly affection.”

Bah!

What a hypocritical saint.

Just like carrying the banner of Lei Feng while doing the deeds of a beast—they were one and the same.

Moreover, in these times, even bending down to pick up fifty cents would invite karmic retribution, let alone such a huge windfall?

Of course it wasn’t trustworthy!

Ji Yunshu said: “Since Prince Yi says this is a deal, then what are the conditions?”

“You!”

“Me?”

“That’s right!” Jing Yi took two steps forward. On his vicious face appeared a cold smile. He reached out and once again pinched Ji Yunshu’s delicate, pointed chin, lifting it up, and said: “What this prince wants is very simple. As long as Miss Ji agrees to one thing for me, I guarantee that Jingrong will definitely safely leave the inner prison. The matter of regicide will also have nothing whatsoever to do with him!”

“Agree to what?”

“Leave Jingrong and follow this prince.” Jing Yi said seriously.

To Jing Yi, Ji Yunshu was not only Jingrong’s weak point, but also a bomb so clever that even he, a prince, feared her.

Therefore, he needed Ji Yunshu. He needed to bind this bomb that could explode at any moment to his own side, lest others take her and use her to blow him up!

But these words were met with Ji Yunshu’s cold laugh.

“On what basis does Prince Yi think I would agree to you?”

Jing Yi was in no hurry, speaking with her calmly and peacefully: “Based on Jingrong. If you agree, I will guarantee his safety. If not, perhaps today he will die in the prison.”

“Despicable!”

“So what if I’m despicable? If it can achieve my goal, this prince is willing to be despicable once. Even if I’m reviled by the world in the future, at least this prince will have left his name in history.”

This way of thinking was truly intoxicating. But undeniably, what he said also made quite a bit of sense.

Ji Yunshu almost wanted to give him a thumbs up for a moment!

She bit her pearly teeth, a stubborn streak flowing through her eyes, and said: “Prince Rong didn’t commit regicide at all. A completely fabricated charge cannot be pinned on him. As long as I’m alive, I will definitely find evidence to prove Prince Rong’s innocence. Prince Yi, you may want to be infamous for ten thousand years, but I don’t.”

“You…”

Jing Yi was angered again, his fingertips applying force, pinching Ji Yunshu’s chin painfully.

He said: “You’d better agree to my conditions, because this prince’s patience is poor—the same applies to both you and Jingrong. Just one word from you can decide his life or death. But if you remain stubbornly defiant, this prince can also guarantee to you that before you find evidence to prove his innocence, in a moment, I will make you watch him die with your own eyes. Listen well—this is not a notice, but a threat.”

Uh!

“If you kill him, His Majesty won’t spare you either!”

“Father Emperor is now gravely ill and has entrusted this entire matter to this prince. Miss Ji, think about it—if Jingrong were to commit suicide out of guilt and fear, would that be possible?”

Yes!

These words basically scattered all of Ji Yunshu’s rationality at this moment. Right now, nothing was more important than Jingrong’s safety.

Her eyes flickered slightly, and she actually felt a trace of hesitation in her heart.

Jing Yi continued to strike while the iron was hot: “Miss Ji is a clever person. This prince’s conditions have no harm whatsoever to you or Jingrong. If you follow this prince and become a retainer in Prince Yi Manor, should this prince ascend to the great throne in the future, naturally I won’t treat you poorly. And Jingrong will safely leave the inner heavenly prison. He’ll still be a prince of Great Lin. If this prince sits on the throne in the future and he wishes to be a carefree prince, this prince will bestow upon him the title of Carefree Prince.”

“…”

“Will you agree? Or will you not agree?”

Ji Yunshu lowered her gaze, her heart feeling as if ten thousand ants were wantonly gnawing at it. On one side were her principles, on the other side was Jingrong’s safety.

How should she choose?

…

Leaving the palace, Ji Yunshu returned to Prince Rong Manor.

Muruo hadn’t returned to Yuhua Pavilion but had been waiting for her at Prince Rong Manor all along.

“Did Prince Yi make things difficult for you?” Muruo asked with concern.

She shook her head!

What did he say to you?

Shook her head!

Said nothing.

Muruo slapped his forehead: “Weren’t you going to investigate those burned iron wires? I’ll enter the palace now to find Kong Yu.”

His foot had just lifted when Ji Yunshu grabbed him.

She said: “No need to go!”

“Why not? Aren’t you looking for evidence?”

“It’s useless now. Nothing is useful anymore. I have my own plans for this matter.” Her voice was very light, and her eyes were somewhat vacant.

Muruo saw there was a problem in this. He narrowed his eyes, examining her carefully, then grabbed her hand in return and asked seriously: “What exactly did Prince Yi say to you?”

She turned to the side, forcefully pulling her arm back from Muruo’s hand, and hugged both arms.

She replied: “He said nothing. Young Master Muruo shouldn’t ask anything either. In any case, Jingrong will be fine. Young Master Muruo should also quickly return to Yuhua Pavilion. Wei Yi must still be waiting for you. And regarding this matter, please keep it secret from Wei Yi as well, Young Master Muruo.”

After speaking, Ji Yunshu turned and left Prince Rong Manor, heading in the direction of Zhuxi Garden.

Muruo just watched her like that, not pursuing to get to the bottom of things.

On the road back to Zhuxi Garden!

A fine drizzle began to fall from the sky. Ji Yunshu’s head, shoulders, and face were all dampened by the fine drizzle.

She still kept walking forward without stopping, her cloth flat shoes with upturned toes also wading through the water…

Until—

A green oiled paper umbrella appeared above her head.

Her footsteps still didn’t stop, her gaze looking at the faint light ahead.

Beside her, Shi Zijin held the umbrella and slowly walked forward following her steps.

Ji Yunshu suddenly called out “Zijin.”

“Present!”

“In the end, was I right? Or was I wrong?”

Shi Zijin didn’t answer.

She turned her eyes to look at Shi Zijin and asked again: “If it were you, what would you do?”

To Shi Zijin’s ears, this kind of question was really too difficult to answer.

She shook her head: “I don’t know, but I can understand.”

“Understand?” Ji Yunshu smiled bitterly: “You won’t understand.”

Shi Zijin didn’t quite understand what she was hearing and could only closely follow her steps forward.

Near the Qingming Festival, the rain also increased.

The black sky seemed to have burst open with a hole. The heavy rain grew heavier and heavier, and the thunder grew louder and louder…