How did she remember that in novels, princes were all portrayed with the perfect setting of cold arrogance, aloofness, unapproachability, and being sparing with words?

But this one… could he be a pirated version!

Ji Yunshu had already been rendered speechless by the jokes he kept making and could only admit defeat.

“This humble one has short legs, so naturally arrived late. I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness.”

“This prince just likes people who admit their mistakes, but remember, this won’t be tolerated again. This prince doesn’t like waiting for people.”

Those raised eyebrows were truly conspicuous.

Ji Yunshu stopped arguing and got to the point. “Then let’s not waste time. This humble one should examine the corpses first.”

“They’re laid out over there.”

Jingrong used his chin to indicate the five corpses covered with white cloth not far away.

Ji Yunshu glanced over, then looked at Jingrong and said, “Please open your mouth, Your Highness.”

“What?”

“Open your mouth.”

“Why?”

Such verbosity!

Ji Yunshu simply extended five slender fingers, stood on tiptoe, pinched his cheeks, took a small piece of something from her waist with one hand, quickly stuffed it into his mouth, then released her grip.

The action was smooth and flowing, absolutely perfect!

Jingrong’s mouth was suddenly stuffed with something. His face was completely blank until a tingling, spicy sensation spread across his tongue, and only then did he become alarmed.

“You… what did you feed this prince?” He was extremely nervous.

Could it be poison?

After all, this little scholar was capable of anything.

But Ji Yunshu glanced at him lightly. “Don’t be nervous. It’s just a piece of ginger.”

“Ginger? Do you think this prince has never eaten ginger? How could ginger be numbing?”

“The ginger is coated with sesame oil.” As she spoke, she had already walked toward those five corpses and added casually, “Doesn’t Your Highness dislike the smell of corpses? Ginger slices coated with sesame oil can make you more comfortable. Or, Your Highness can go outside.”

“Do you take this prince for a timid coward?”

“This humble one wouldn’t dare.”

She had already slightly lifted the white cloth from the corpses, then turned to glance at Jingrong, her lips tinged with amusement.

“The putrid smell of these corpses is even worse than that of the Zhou family’s young lady. They also carry a bloody smell, a burnt smell, and a cooked meat smell, just like… the fragrant meat balls Your Highness just ate.”

Jingrong immediately felt his stomach churning. The nauseating feeling extended from his abdomen to his throat, making his entire face contort involuntarily.

He was certain this little scholar did it on purpose!

“You… how do you know this prince ate fragrant meat balls?”

Ji Yunshu lifted her eyelids. “Only Guangfu Restaurant’s fragrant meat balls are first roasted over charcoal fire for half an hour, which is why the meat tendons are soft but not loose. Then they’re simmered together with bone broth and seasoned with mustard grass and fennel, so the soup is fresh but not greasy, presenting a reddish color. If it drips onto fine brocade, the sauce not only won’t spread in color but will form layer upon layer of thin thickness, just like that droplet on Your Highness’s collar.”

“Eh?”

Suppressing his nausea, Jingrong instinctively looked down at his collar and touched it with his hand. Indeed, that droplet of sauce hadn’t spread and had thickness.

“Are you a cook?”

“No.”

“Then how do you know so much?”

“I heard it from the beggar at the street corner.” She answered carelessly.

Are you kidding me? Someone who can afford Guangfu Restaurant’s fragrant meat balls would still need to be a beggar?

Jingrong felt his brain capacity had completely crashed. After meeting Ji Yunshu, his entire system needed to shut down and restart.

And it might not even be fixable!

But this was true—Ji Yunshu really had heard it from a roadside beggar.

Perhaps because of the mental crash, Jingrong suddenly blurted out, “When you help this prince solve the case, this prince will take you to eat them.”

A gust of cold wind suddenly blew in from outside, seeming to make even the coffin lids sway.

Hey, you two, this is Yi Zhuang! The surroundings are full of corpses, memorial tablets, and candles. You’re discussing fragrant meat balls late at night—do you have any consideration for starving ghosts?

“Then this humble one thanks Your Highness in advance.”

Ji Yunshu replied to him and completely pulled away the white cloth. The charred corpse’s skin and flesh had changed from swollen to shriveled, clinging tightly to the bones, revealing a distinct skeletal frame.

There was also a pool of blood around it. Looking carefully, it had flowed out from inside the corpse’s body.

The most disturbing part was still the deceased’s exposed belly. Because the coroner had performed an autopsy and opened the abdomen, the corpse had been cut open and then sewn up with rough fishing line. But the stitching was clearly too crude—half a section of small intestine was still exposed at the navel position.

Jingrong walked to her side and wrinkled his nose. Indeed, he couldn’t smell the corpse odor, so he asked seriously, “Well, can you determine anything?”

“Difficult.”

“How so?”

Ji Yunshu considered for a moment and answered, “If Your Highness wants to know who the murderer is, then this humble one is powerless. This humble one can only judge the cause of death based on the corpse’s condition and what characteristics the killer might have.”

Jingrong’s brows furrowed deeply.

She continued, “The five corpses first engaged in fierce combat with someone, then died from poisoning. One can imagine that the murderer intended to kill them. If this humble one’s guess is correct, the ultimate objective should have been directed at Your Highness.”

Jingrong wasn’t surprised. He had already known this in his heart. His eyes narrowed into a thin line, his devious thoughts difficult to fathom.

Seeing him like this, Ji Yunshu understood as well.

“It seems Your Highness already knows who the murderer is, so why still have this humble one examine the corpses?”

“This prince doesn’t know.” He answered definitively and said, “I just vaguely feel that someone is deliberately preventing this prince from returning to the capital, but as for who? This prince has no way of knowing.”

Such a serious Jingrong, contemplating in silence, that face polished to such handsomeness radiated the mature steadiness inherent in a man’s bones, like finely carved jade.

It actually made Ji Yunshu unable to look away for a moment!

Until this gaze was caught by Jingrong, he rolled his eyes. “Is there something dirty on this prince’s face?”

Shaking off her gaze, Ji Yunshu startled herself.

He was a high and mighty prince, a caustic bastard. No matter how low she had fallen, she couldn’t possibly look favorably upon him!

Quickly averting her gaze, she said, “If Your Highness wasn’t looking at me, how would you know I was looking at you?”

“Truly sharp-tongued.”

Jingrong maintained his composure, his brows still furrowed. “Didn’t you say you could help me find the murderer’s characteristics? Why aren’t you working?”

Helpless!

Ji Yunshu skillfully retrieved a package from the nearby table and unfolded it beside the corpse. It turned out to be a small pouch filled with various small knives.

“Are these your things?”

“Mm. Sometimes when encountering difficult officials, they’ll suddenly call you to Yi Zhuang in the dead of night. There’s no choice but to leave the tools here to avoid forgetting to bring them when arriving in a hurry.”

Jingrong shuddered. Difficult officials—he was one of them!

And while Ji Yunshu was speaking, she had already selected a wide blade, lifted the corpse’s chin, and cut toward the neck with the knife.

Because the corpse had already been charred, when the neck was cut open, there wasn’t much blood—only the sound of crispy skin cracking could be heard.