Bone Painting Coroner

Without any warning, Mo Ruo walked to Jing Rong’s side. He sat down in the long corridor, leaned his back against the pillar that was painted in red, and lazily rested one foot on the pillar. Surprisingly, he did not have a wine bottle with him! His gaze followed Jing Rong’s to look at the heavy rain outside as he mumbled to himself, “It's the sixth month. A rainy season. One storm after another. I wonder when will this stop.”

Jing Rong tilted his head and a beam of light from the lantern fell right on his face. The orange-red light diffused and spread across his face. He asked Mo Ruo, “Where is Wei Yi?”

“He's talking to his friends, telling them stories that happened in the Capital. When I came out, he was seemingly talking about… story of the bells. Anyway, it was all in a jumble and I couldn't really understand so I left.”

“How is he?”

“You mean Wei Yi?”

“Yes.”

Mo Ruo remained silent for a moment before he shook his head, “I've checked his pulse and from what I discovered, he's undeniably getting better. Not to mention his unusual behavior the past few days - he has been acting almost like a normal person. However… I don't know. I really have no idea. How about you? What do you think?”

Jing Rong remained silent for a brief moment before he replied, “It should be good news if he's really gotten well. This can also put Yunshu at ease.”

“But, from what I see, you're not very happy about it.”

“I have another concern on my mind,” he said as he focused his eyes.

Mo Ruo parted his lips, “I know what you're worried about. Teacher Ji mentioned it to me before. It's regarding… the truth of Wei Yi's parents’ deaths.”

Indeed, Mo Ruo understood him very well. Jing Rong had no intention of hiding his thoughts. He nodded and said in a straightforward manner, “That's right, that's my utmost concern. When Wei Yi regains his lucidity and finds out that he unintentionally poisoned his innocent parents, he will definitely blame himself. Moreover, I do not want him to hate Ji Yunshu for this.”

“Don’t you think you're worrying unnecessarily?”

“Perhaps!”

The silence resumed as they exhausted the topic.

A short while later, Lang Po rushed over with an announcement, “Prince, Ji Shuhan is here. He's now at the front door, requesting to see the Prince. As it’s raining heavily outside, I had no choice but to usher him to the hall.”

“Ji Shuhan?”

Interesting! This old man has good ears. He has gotten the news of the Prince's arrival in such a short time. 

Jing Rong said with a smirk, “Make a cup of hot tea for him to stay warm. Then… leave him waiting.”

Leave him waiting?

Lang Po paused in confusion before he replied, “Yes.” Then, he left.

Mo Ruo laughed. “Ji Shuhan? Teacher Ji's father?”

“Yes. An old jackal.”

“I suppose he used to work for the Royal Court as the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites.”

“Your memory is not bad at all.”

“I guess it is.” Mo Ruo did not try to be humble as he continued, “Ji Yuanzhi, his son, is dead, and so is the Old Madam of the Ji Family. I’m not sure if I am supposed to show sympathy to them or tell them that they got what they deserved.” Jing Rong smiled in silence.

Jing Rong departed to the hall leisurely after about an hour. Ji Shuhan was still politely standing in the hall. Noticing Jing Rong’s arrival, he immediately greeted the Prince with his hands cupped.

“Lord Ji can put yourself at ease. You can forgo the formalities.” Jing Rong took a seat and gestured at the chair beside him, “You, too, have a seat. You’re not young anymore, don’t torture your legs by standing.”

Ji Shuhan’s face was painted with humiliation. He could only obey and sit down beside Jing Rong.

Jing Rong looked outside before asking, “Lord Ji came over personally in such heavy rain. Is there anything important? Or...?”

Ji Shuhan replied politely, “Knowing about Prince’s arrival at the city, this one didn’t dare to slight the Prince. Hence, I came over as soon as I found out about the news to visit and greet the Prince.”

“This Prince accepts your greeting.” Jing Rong smiled. However, the atmosphere seemed to be extremely icy.

Before the two of them could have a lengthy conversation, Ji Yunshu returned from Liu Residence. The thin-framed body gradually walked towards the front door. As Ji Shuhan looked over to the door, his gaze got more and more focused on the daughter he had removed from the family tree. His eyes were filled with hatred and ferocity. The hands that were covered by his sleeves turned into fists while veins popped out of his forehead. However, due to the presence of Jing Rong, he could not act as he wished, otherwise, he would have gone up and killed the unfilial daughter. This little animal, who not only brought death to her biological brother and her grandmother, she also burned down the house! 

Ji Yunshu arrived at the front door of the hall at a steady pace. She shook off the rainwater on the umbrella, kept it neatly, and rested it against the door frame before she entered the hall. She was not surprised at Ji Shuhan’s presence, and her expression was extremely cold. It was as if the man who shared the same blood with her, was merely thin air. She sat down, ignoring everyone around her, and poured herself a cup of hot tea. She then took two sips of the warm tea and complained, “It’s so cold outside.” Jing Rong smiled to himself as he heard.

Indeed. If Ji Shuhan was an old jackal, then Ji Yunshu was definitely a young jackal. They were each other’s best counter. The atmosphere in the hall was as cold as the freezing winter air. Ji Shuhan could only sit there quietly as he tried to suppress the rage in him.

After Ji Yunshu finished the cup of hot tea, she told Jing Rong, “Your Highness, can you let me speak to my father in private?”

“Of course.”

Jing Rong agreed right away. He held back his laughter as he stood up and said to Ji Shuhan, “Lord Ji, you can spend some father-daughter time with her. This Prince will wait right outside.” In other words, this Prince is guarding right outside. I’ll not let you go if you have the guts to touch her. 

Ji Shuhan’s only choice was to nod and agree.

After Jing Rong left the hall, the two of them remained silent for almost a quarter of an hour. Ji Yunshu drank another cup of warm tea before she took the initiative and started the conversation, “You should take good care of yourself. Your health has never been good. Moreover, the weather has been unpredictable. You did not have to come over to greet Prince Rong in this weather. He will not mind if you fail to visit.”

Unexpectedly, Ji Shuhan frowned and said in a disappointed manner, “One should never forgo basic manners. You’ve forgotten everything I taught you while you were young!”

Ji Yunshu was not bothered. Instead, she replied coldly, “How can I ever forget the things dad taught me? However, some things are not supposed to be done explicitly. Otherwise, it will seem to be slightly purposeful. I remember this other lesson from Father, too.”

“I’m not your father. You’re no longer part of the Ji Family.”

“Oh yeah, I’m no longer part of the Ji Family. I almost forgot if Sir did not mention it.” Her tone remained monotonous.

However, this frustrated Ji Shuhan even more. His face wrinkled together while he pointed at her. “How can the Ji Family have a daughter like you? You were the reason Yuanzhi died. If it wasn’t for you, who was so determined to investigate the case, he wouldn't have died. Luan’er had already admitted to the crime back then. Yet, you insisted to carry on with the investigation. Eventually, your grandmother died out of anger too! What sin have I, Ji Shuhan, committed? Why did I give birth to a sinner for the Ji Family?”

“Sinner?” She sneered and her eyes turned icy, “Ji Yuanzhi deserved the punishment. His death was worth no sympathy, no one should feel remorseful for that. I didn't do that merely for Luan’er. I did that for truth and justice. He had to pay for it as he was the murderer.” Her sharp words spared no mercy.

The corner of Ji Shuhan’s lips twitched, but no words were released from his mouth.

Ji Yunshu continued, “I know that you hate me and think that I humiliated the Ji Family. You wished you could beat me to death like how you did to Ji Pei back then. However, your hatred should be directed only toward me. You should not have used your status and abused First Brother and Second Brother’s power to pressure the Ministry of Personnel to remove Lord Liu from his official position. He handled Ji Yuanzhi’s case fairly and did nothing wrong!”

What?! So Ji Shuhan was the person who caused Liu Qingping to lose his job? And for vengeance?! 

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