Jing Yi had deployed everything in the capital—all signs pointed to preparations for unforeseen circumstances.

Yet—

Jingrong wasn’t worried about any of this.

In his heart, he actually had his own measure!

He instructed Shi Ziran, “You just have Lu Jiang watch carefully over every movement in the capital. If there’s any news, report immediately.”

As they say, the emperor isn’t anxious, but the eunuch is.

Shi Ziran said, “Your Highness, Prince Yi is deploying his own people everywhere in the capital. Clearly he’s intentionally plotting something. Your Highness, you can’t just sit by and ignore this any longer. If something happens in the capital, then…”

He was interrupted!

“When did you become so talkative? Just follow my instructions and handle it.”

Jingrong shot him a look.

Shi Ziran fell silent, swallowed a few times, and reluctantly acknowledged, “Yes.”

A short while later, Lang Bo hurried over.

His expression was grave!

With both hands cupped in respect, “Your Highness, the person sent to console and investigate Miss Mujin has returned.”

From the tone of his voice, it wasn’t good news.

Jingrong: “What did they say?”

Lang Bo swallowed a few times, his voice heavy, “The person… is dead!”

“Dead?”

“It’s been clearly investigated—she died by suicide.”

Mujin committed suicide?

The atmosphere around them instantly turned cold.

But it was also too strange.

Jingrong felt puzzled, pondering, “She was a woman of extremely proud character, and quite fond of proud scholarly types like Zhu Mohan. She absolutely wouldn’t commit suicide easily.”

Muruo across from him picked up his words, “In my view, this matter won’t be so simple. Unless she was acting under someone’s orders—deliberately giving you the poisoned cold-dispelling tea, then once the mission was complete, she committed suicide, just like those corpses of Prince Yi’s. But she clearly wasn’t Prince Yi’s person.”

“But who could be the person instructing her from behind the scenes?”

“Heaven knows just how many more people you’ve offended? Everyone wants you dead. Your character isn’t even as good as my drinking habits.” Muruo raised his tone, not forgetting to mock him thoroughly.

Jingrong glanced at him.

This brat—sooner or later he’d give him a good beating.

After finishing collecting the chess pieces on the board, Jingrong brushed his robes and left.

“Where is Your Highness going?” Lang Bo asked.

Muruo narrowed his eyes, leaned back, and smiled without speaking.

…

Ji Yinshu sat inside the room, taking out a scroll of a portrait.

She spread it on the table!

Moving it closer toward the oil lamp’s direction.

On it was the pre-death likeness of that suspicious skeleton from the “Linjing Case.” The man in the painting appeared to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, his appearance not particularly outstanding. Looking closely, his features bore considerable resemblance to someone.

As she held the portrait examining it, on the paper were two round, small marks!

Not water stains, but tears.

Because the pigments used for this portrait were all mixed by her personally—if rainwater seeped onto it, once dried it wouldn’t leave marks. But tears were different—even after drying, marks would still remain.

Before she had given this portrait to Uncle Fu to dry, there had been no tears on it.

That meant after Uncle Fu received the portrait, he had cried?

If that was truly the case, what relationship did the person in the portrait have with Uncle Fu?

Doubts unfolded bit by bit in her mind, stirring until her head buzzed. She simply rolled up the portrait again and left the room.

At some unknown time, the sky had begun raining again.

The misty drizzle washed the ground that hadn’t yet completely dried, making it wet and slippery. The surface seemed to gleam with a layer of smooth silvery water, reflecting the surrounding crimson light that swirled before one’s eyes. Following those rippling waves, it was somewhat dazzling.

She stood under the eaves, staring at the rainwater slowly flowing down, becoming faster and faster…

Perhaps because she was too focused, she didn’t notice at all when Wei Yi walked to her side.

He gently tugged at her loose sleeve, “Shu’er, what are you thinking about?”

His voice was very gentle.

She came back to herself, turning to look at him, “It’s so late already—why haven’t you gone to rest? Your body just recovered. Don’t catch cold.”

“It’s fine. I’ll stand with you for a while.”

He straightened his body, standing obediently, also tilting his head slightly up to watch the rainwater flowing down from the eaves.

At night, the wind gradually picked up.

Brushing against Ji Yinshu’s body, it involuntarily made her shiver.

Seeing this, Wei Yi immediately breathed warm air into his palms and placed them against her cheeks, gently cupping them.

“Shu’er won’t be cold.”

A boyish smile hung on that clean face.

Ji Yinshu smiled gratifyingly.

She shook her head, “I’m not cold.”

Wei Yi still cupped her delicate face until it was warmed.

Then, raising a gentle smile, he turned to look at the sky, his eyes brightening.

Despite the misty drizzle, he still spotted a solitary star hanging in the night sky.

He pointed with his hand!

Very excitedly saying, “Shu’er, look, that star has come out. With all this heavy rain these past days, I haven’t seen it in so long.”

“Why are you looking for stars?”

“Because that’s my mother. Mother said that if one day she wasn’t here anymore, she would become a star in the sky and would always stay with me.”

Ji Yinshu had mild nearsightedness—she couldn’t see it!

Following his gaze, she only saw pitch darkness.

“Do you see it?”

She shook her head!

“Right there.”

He pointed again.

Ji Yinshu still shook her head.

Wei Yi simply walked behind her and pointed again from her angle.

“Can you see it now? Right there.”

Ji Yinshu squinted her eyes, stretching her neck but still couldn’t make it out clearly.

But Wei Yi wouldn’t relent. Suddenly he grasped her hand and followed his own hand pointing toward the sky.

Accompanied by the drizzle, that scene was very beautiful!

And the two bodies were also pressed tightly together!

Because she was shorter by more than half a head, her back and shoulders pressed against his solid chest, firmly enveloped by that figure, completely nestled in his embrace. She could even feel Wei Yi’s warm, steady heartbeat pulsing against her back shoulder. By her ear was his even, powerful breathing—warm and tingling.

Involuntarily, she shivered again.

That feeling was indescribable.

“Shu’er, still can’t see it?”

Mm, she couldn’t see it!

But she still nodded and responded, “I see it.”

Only then was Wei Yi satisfied, lowering their hands while saying, “People die when they grow old, die when they fall ill, and even die when they commit great crimes. If I also die someday, Shu’er, I’ll become a star in the sky like Mother, watching over you and staying with you every day.”

“Wei Yi?” Her heart ached sharply.

Her eyes reddened.

Who would have known—

Wei Yi reached out, slowly embracing her small body from behind, resting his head on her thin shoulder.

At that moment, Ji Yinshu’s body trembled!

Warmth flowed from the man’s chest and arms behind her into her body, as if all the blood in her vessels was boiling, stirring her mind blank, her thoughts scattered.

But she had no desire to break free. Instead, she felt somewhat greedy.

Perhaps because this warmth came at just the right moment—so right that she couldn’t bear to push away this embrace and place herself into the bone-chilling cold wind.

After a moment, Wei Yi said, “Shu’er, I know the person you like in your heart isn’t me. I also know you won’t become my wife. But it’s okay, really okay. As long as I can stay by your side, anything is fine…”

His voice grew fainter and fainter.

Her body was being held tighter and tighter by him…

In the distance, a gaze fell coldly upon the two figures!

Jingrong stared at those two silhouettes pressed together, an indescribable emotion surging in his heart that he couldn’t make sense of.

He could only turn and leave.