At the third watch, still wandering in water!

Water!

From the tune, the first two deceased died at the zi hour and the mao hour respectively, but it didn’t specify the exact time of death for the third person, so… any time would do!

“Ji Yunshu, today I’ll send you on your way to accompany the Duke in death.”

“Miss Mujin, killing me is useless.” Ji Yunshu gasped as she tried to persuade her.

“What? Afraid now?”

“Even if you kill me today, what good will it do? Duke Yuguo is already dead, and you cannot escape the capital.”

These words brought a disdainful laugh from Mujin: “Don’t forget, since I could disguise myself as Jiao Shiniang to enter the capital, I can disguise myself as someone else to leave it.”

After a slight pause, she said, “You don’t need to be afraid either, because after you die, the next person I’ll kill is that Prince. He’ll soon go down to accompany you, so you won’t be so lonely on the road to the Yellow Springs. You two can be paired up, becoming ghost mandarin ducks together!”

Ji Yunshu: “Miss Mujin, think about it—the current Emperor of Da Lin is Duke Yuguo’s own son. The late Emperor passed the throne to him precisely to compensate Duke Yuguo’s household. The current Emperor no longer pursues the matter of Duke Yuguo’s household. Why must you persist? Duke Yuguo committed treason while alive. If you kill me, you place the current Emperor in an unrighteous position. How will the common people of the realm view this? How will the civil and military officials of the court view it? If you truly want to repay your debt of gratitude, you shouldn’t provoke strife between Duke Yuguo and the imperial family and court again. You’ll harm yourself and also harm the Emperor!”

Huh?

The current Emperor was Wei Yi, Duke Yuguo’s young heir.

Of course she didn’t want to bring trouble to the Emperor. After all, Wei Yi had only been Emperor for half a year. The court situation was not yet stable. If remnants of Duke Yuguo emerged now to kill people—and killed Minister Ji, who held no low position in the court—it would definitely stir up turmoil.

Then, could Wei Yi’s throne remain secure?

Ji Yunshu continued: “Give up. Do it for the Emperor’s sake.”

“…”

Mujin’s heart wavered slightly, her gaze flickering.

But—

“You shut up!” She suddenly roared in fury. “After I kill you, no one will know who I am, much less implicate Duke Yuguo and the Emperor.”

All hesitation turned to foam!

The next moment, Mujin grabbed the back of the chair, an evil smile on her lips.

“You should just die.”

Then—

With a forceful push of her wrist, she shoved the person and chair down.

“Splash!”

Water splashed up.

Ji Yunshu fell into the water. Cold water immediately engulfed her body, penetrating straight into her skin.

“Hahaha…” Mujin stood on the shore laughing incessantly.

The more Ji Yunshu struggled, the faster she sank. She said: “Mujin, you can’t change anything. Don’t make mistake after mistake!”

“Haha, what I want… is for you to die!”

Because a stone was tied to her feet, Ji Yunshu’s body sank even faster. The lake water had already passed her shoulders, neck, chin…

It choked into her mouth.

“Cough cough cough…” She was a landlubber and had an innate fear of water.

In the end, she could only let her body gradually sink into the water.

It passed over her head!

No matter how she struggled, the rope on her hands couldn’t be broken free.

“Glug glug glug…” Water kept choking into her mouth.

She opened her eyes wide, seeing Mujin’s figure on the shore swaying with the water waves, along with that eerie and triumphant laugh.

“Ugh… ugh…”

The suffocating sensation instinctively drove her to breathe forcefully, but with each breath, water crazily choked into her nose and mouth. Her entire body felt like it contained a blender, stirring her up in extreme agony.

Her pupils involuntarily widened even more!

Her body gradually lost strength amid the frantic struggling!

Finally, the rippling water waves gradually formed a white light before her eyes.

Growing brighter and brighter!

At this moment as death approached, the only person filling her mind was Jingrong.

Countless bits and pieces of their time together flashed continuously through her mind.

Jingrong, Jingrong…

She kept calling this name in her heart.

“Boom!” A tremendous sound.

That white light seemed to be violently torn open. She saw a figure swimming frantically toward her as she sank to the lake bottom. Her survival instinct also caused her to suddenly regain consciousness at this moment, seeing clearly who that person was—Jingrong!

It was him!

Jingrong swam desperately, tightly grasping her body.

In that moment when their eyes met, Ji Yunshu feared nothing.

As long as he was there, all her fears would disappear.

Jingrong desperately pulled her upward, but the stone tied to her feet had become wedged between two large stones at the lake bottom. No matter how he pulled, he couldn’t dislodge it. Jingrong tried to untie the rope on her body, but Mujin had tied that headless, tailless knot—the more he untied it, the tighter it became. He immediately drew out the dagger he carried with him to cut the rope, but this rope was made of some unknown material, extremely hard and very difficult to cut.

It seemed Mujin had long made thorough preparations to ensure her death!

At this point, several more guards dove down to the lake bottom to rescue her. Together they tried to pry apart those two stones, but it was still useless.

“Mmm…” Ji Yunshu used her last bit of strength to shake her head at Jingrong, signaling him not to save her and to go up quickly.

Jingrong didn’t listen. He continued cutting the rope like a madman.

Ji Yunshu also exhausted her last breath and no longer had the strength to hold on.

After her body shuddered a few times, her eyes slowly closed and her head drooped…

On shore.

Mujin had already been seized by two guards. She showed no fear whatsoever and laughed loudly.

Wei Yi, waiting anxiously, walked before her. His originally clear eyes were filled with murderous intent.

“If anything happens to Yunshu, I will kill you with my own hands.”

Mujin was startled and said: “Can Your Majesty truly let go of the dozens of lives from Duke Yuguo’s household? That Prince personally killed your father. He is your enemy. You should kill him.”

“Shut up!” Wei Yi glared at her, his expression dark, and ordered: “Take her to the Ministry of Justice!”

“Yes.”

The guards took Mujin away.

She kept shouting: “They caused Duke Yuguo’s death. You should hate them, should kill them.”

…

The voice echoed for a long time.

At the lake bottom, Jingrong looked at the unconscious Ji Yunshu. He cut the rope until his hands were covered in blood, but he dared not let go.

Finally—

The rope broke!

Ji Yunshu’s entire body came loose from the chair. He immediately pulled her and swam upward.

They reached the surface!

“Your Highness!” The guards on shore pulled the two of them up.

After reaching shore, Jingrong laid her on the ground, desperately pressing her abdomen with his hands.

“Yunshu, Yunshu…” He shouted loudly. “I won’t allow you to die. Do you hear me? I won’t allow you to die. Do you hear me?”

Wei Yi trembled all over, also shouting repeatedly: “Shu’er, do you hear me? Shu’er…”

No movement!

Suddenly—

A guard beside them said: “Your Majesty, Your Highness, Minister Ji…”

Dead! He didn’t dare speak those last two words aloud.