The Imperial Coroner Season 2

Chapter 78: Spicy Pot (Part 4)

At a loss for words, Leng Yue suddenly remembered she did have one piece of evidence on her.

Steadying her mind, she rose from her kneeling position and retrieved from her bosom the silver bracelet that had been warmed by her body heat.

"Look at this."

Seeing Jing Yi's slight startle, Leng Yue quickly lifted the silk thread attached to the silver bracelet, swinging the delicate silver ornament before his eyes. With full confidence, she declared, "On your first birthday, my mother took this off my wrist to add to your Zhuazhou items." Among all the objects on the table, you grabbed nothing but this. I hadn't even reached my hundredth day then, and we were betrothed. Isn't that right?"

Jing Yi stared fixedly at the swaying silver bracelet, offering no response.

"And this..." Leng Yue hesitated before pulling out the envelope she had nearly torn in half from her bosom, showing him the side inscribed with "Divorce Letter." "You should recognize your own handwriting on the envelope."

Jing Yi's gaze lingered on the two glaring characters for a moment before shifting to Leng Yue's face with even deeper astonishment. His lips parted slightly, trembling. "You are..."

Leng Yue had the word "yes" ready on her tongue, but Jing Yi took a breath and continued gravely, "Did the Crown Prince send you?"

Leng Yue's wrist stiffened, nearly sending the silver bracelet flying.

It made sense. He had entrusted this item to the Crown Prince to pass to Leng Yan, who would then deliver it to her upon her return to the capital. Judging by the timeline, Jing Yi's house arrest coincided with the emperor's passing, around when the city gates began strict inspections. If he knew before his confinement that she hadn't returned to the capital, her sudden appearance before him with these items could indeed suggest she was sent by the Crown Prince to put on an act...

But what had things come to, that he couldn't even trust the Crown Prince after all these years of acquaintance?

"Wait, let me think again..."

"..."

From the sudden disarray in Jing Yi's eyes, Leng Yue faintly perceived that every woman who had previously impersonated her before him must have performed far better than she was doing now...

Since even the most compelling evidence proved ineffective, the only way to prove her identity to Jing Yi was through matters known only to heaven, earth, and the two of them.

Logically, such things should be plentiful, but when it came to selecting one, she found that while there were many options, choosing a specific one wasn't so straightforward.

From childhood to adulthood, it seemed every incident was something only the two of them would do, but upon closer reflection, each seemed vaguely familiar from stories or observations—nothing particularly unique...

Unique...

A spark of inspiration flashed through Leng Yue's mind, her eyes brightening.

If uniqueness was the criterion, nothing could surpass this particular event.

"On our wedding day, there was a charred corpse under the marital bed!"

"..."

From Jing Yi's face, which abruptly shifted from pale to green, Leng Yue deduced he must have recalled something from that situation. She hurriedly added, "You helped me examine that charred corpse—right on the study floor. I used a dagger to pry open its mouth, and you used a writing brush..."

"Get lost..."

"Not 'get lost'—'poke,' to be precise, or more accurately, 'dip'..."

"You, get lost..."

"...""Even this won't work?" Leng Yue genuinely felt like grabbing him by the neck and shaking him. But if she rashly approached Jing Yi now, who knew what dangerous actions it might provoke—actions that could harm both others and himself. She had no choice but to patiently say, "Only the two of us were present at the time. Besides us, who else could know about it?"

"Prince An..."

A curse nearly escaped Leng Yue's lips, and she had to bite down hard to keep it from coming out.

Just how chaotic had the capital become? How could it have driven him to suspect even Prince An!

Seeing Jing Yi suffering like this, so close yet unable to lend a hand, Leng Yue grew anxious—so anxious that she even considered bringing up the matter of Cheng Family Tea House to test his reaction. But the words reached her lips only to be swallowed back down.

Other things could be said, but this absolutely could not. If someone were eavesdropping, it would only lead to another major upheaval.

Perhaps this series of less-than-friendly exchanges had drained Jing Yi's already limited strength. While Leng Yue sat cross-legged nearby, silently scratching the wall in frustration, Jing Yi could no longer suppress the instinctive changes in his body. His breathing grew heavier, his trembling intensified—clear signs that he was enduring immense torment.

Although this method of interrogation rarely left visible scars, if prolonged, it wasn't unheard of for someone to be tortured to death...

Death.

This rather inauspicious word flashed through Leng Yue's mind, jolting her upright.

Right, she knew one more thing—something only the two of them absolutely knew. Whether it was the Crown Prince or Prince An, even Heaven might not be aware of it.

If this didn't work either, she'd have to settle for the next best option: knocking Jing Yi out with a slap.

Gritting her teeth, Leng Yue pushed herself up from the ground with one hand, brushed the thin dust from her clothes, and said in a tone as cold as Jing Yi's earlier "Get out": "If you won't let me touch you, then stay here and suffer... After all, you've already made it clear to me: if you die someday, I don't need to find anyone to perform rites for you, no memorial tablet, no incense or paper offerings. Just toss you into the mass graves outside the city—no burial, just find a relatively clean spot and leave you there. Once you become one of the wandering souls, even if you haunt me day and night, I won't have to see or be bothered by you."

Having said this, Leng Yue turned to leave. She had only taken one step, the other foot not yet following, when she heard from behind a rare and long-unheard familiar call.

"Xiao Yue!"

Leng Yue let out a long, relieved sigh before turning back with a stern face, raising an eyebrow to look at the man on the ground who had mustered all his strength to half-rise.

The person who had just been glaring at her with murderous intensity, as if she were some ferocious beast, now resembled a homeless kitten—not only was his gaze gentle and harmless, but it was also mixed with joy, confusion, fear, worry, and other unrelated emotions. At a glance, it was truly heartbreaking.

This final gamble had actually paid off...

Leng Yue was definitely not the type to forget the pain once the wound had healed. Learning from past experience, she didn't immediately rush over but instead stayed where she was and asked one more question, "Will you let me touch you?"

Jing Yi nodded repeatedly, so much that it made Leng Yue dizzy.

She asked another question, "Will you still hit me?"

Jing Yi shook his head frantically, like a rattle-drum.Leng Yue finally relaxed her iron-stiff expression and approached. She had just bent down and reached out her hand, not yet touching his body, when he threw himself against her, holding her tightly as if she were a long-lost treasure.

She initially thought he had suddenly relaxed and was overwhelmed by the drug's effects, but he simply held her like this for a long while, showing no intention of doing anything else, only murmuring one sentence.

"I... I'm still clean..."

Leng Yue's heart twisted sharply with pain, sharper than the combined hurt from the elbow he'd struck her with and the slap he'd given her.

"I know..." She gently kissed his feverish ear, her voice exceptionally soft as if afraid to startle someone who had just relaxed after days of torment and self-torment. "The floor is cold. Let's get you to bed."

Whether her voice was too soft for Jing Yi to hear or not, he continued holding her tightly long after she finished speaking, showing no sign of letting go.

"What's wrong," Leng Yue didn't push him away, allowing him to hold her while asking half-seriously, half-playfully near his ear, "regretting divorcing me?"

Her voice remained just as gentle, but Jing Yi's body stiffened. He suddenly released his tight grip around her waist - so abruptly that he lost balance and began to fall. Leng Yue reacted quickly, catching him and lifting his feverish yet trembling body horizontally.

Whether he regretted it or not needed no verbal confirmation - the evidence was overwhelming. His admission or denial wouldn't change the established judgment in the slightest.

So she didn't repeat the question, simply carrying him to bed, pulling open the quilt and carefully tucking him in. After straightening up, she glanced at his still-flushed face and casually pointed through the quilt toward his lower body, saying lightly, "I've already untied your hands. You can take care of it yourself."

Jing Yi, lost in thought, didn't respond, only staring intently at her face. Noticing his dry lips, Leng Yue thought to fetch him water, but as she turned, Jing Yi grabbed her arm.

His recently freed hands hadn't fully regained their original dexterity, and his grip held little strength. Still, Leng Yue stopped and turned back. "What is it?"

"I..." Jing Yi still avoided meeting her eyes, his gaze fixed on her face - specifically on the reddened side where he had slapped her. His expression was complex, unclear whether it showed pity, regret, fear, or something else. Ultimately, he only muttered as if talking to himself, "I hit you..."

Leng Yue raised her free arm and ruffled his still-short hair. "It's fine. After all, it wasn't me you wanted to hit."

"I'm sorry..."

"It's fine."

After speaking, Leng Yue tried to free her arm from his grasp. With just one slight tug, Jing Yi spoke again.

"You... why did you come?"

Why did she come?

Leng Yue glanced sideways toward the window, hesitated a moment, then used some strength to free her arm from Jing Yi's grip. With both calmness and solemnity, she said, "I came because there's something I need to tell you in person."Jing Yi froze for a moment, then struggled to prop himself up from the bed. Leng Yue neither stopped nor assisted him, quietly waiting until he settled himself against the headboard and returned his gaze to her face before speaking softly, "I'm pregnant. Over three months along. I've already gotten medicine from the doctor... haven't had the chance to take it yet."

As she spoke, Leng Yue unconsciously rested her hand on her still-flat abdomen.

She didn't know what Jing Yi might feel upon hearing this news, but when she first found out herself, she had alternated between tears and laughter, acting almost like a madwoman.

Over these past days, she had grown accustomed to carrying another life within her, though occasionally when the realization struck, her mind would grow feverish and she'd do something foolish—like earlier at the tavern, when she had paid for an extra portion for the little one in her womb.

Jing Yi didn't cry or laugh. He merely parted his lips slightly, staring dazedly at Leng Yue's abdomen for a long while. His hand lifted about an inch from the bed, then suddenly, as if remembering something, his fingers curled and withdrew slightly. After another long silence, he finally couldn't resist asking in a voice trembling with suppressed emotion, "Can I... touch them?"

Leng Yue simply responded with a quiet "Mm" of consent.

Only then did Jing Yi raise his hand again, carefully placing his palm against Leng Yue's abdomen with a slight tremble. This wasn't unfamiliar territory for him, yet this time his touch was exceptionally gentle, exceptionally lingering—less like a first meeting and more like a farewell.

Leng Yue remained still, allowing him to trace gentle circles without disturbing him. It was Jing Yi who finally broke the silence.

"After taking the medicine... you should eat well and recuperate properly. Don't always think your martial arts training makes you invincible..."

Leng Yue paused, watching Jing Yi's absorbed expression as he caressed her abdomen, before finally remembering to respond, "Mm."

Jing Yi continued as if speaking to himself, "I hope... this will be the only time in your life..."

The corner of Leng Yue's mouth lifted as she casually replied, "Who can say for sure? It's all you men's doing anyway, not my decision to make."

This comment seemed to strike a nerve. Jing Yi's fingers stiffened abruptly, his head snapping up as he fixed her with an unprecedented seriousness in his gaze. "No! Only once. It's too dangerous..."

Startled by his vehement reaction, Leng Yue was taken aback for a moment before responding with mingled annoyance and amusement, "Alright, alright... You talk as if you've been through countless pregnancies yourself."

Rather than being amused, Jing Yi grew more agitated by her nonchalant attitude. He seized the hand hanging at her side, staring deeply and urgently at her calm expression, his voice carrying a pleading tone. "I know I'm worthless, but please listen to me... just this once..."

"What is it? Say it and I'll consider."

Jing Yi held her hand loosely for a long moment before suddenly releasing it and withdrawing. Then, in a voice barely maintaining composure, he said, "Find someone more accomplished than me, who treats you better... Never have an abortion again."

Abortion?

Leng Yue was so stunned she nearly dropped her jaw. After a moment of stunned silence, she finally managed, "Who said anything about an abortion?"This time it was Jing Yi's turn to freeze in shock. His thoroughly disheveled face looked rather foolish in his daze, foolish enough to carry a somewhat comical air.

Jing Yi's tongue, thoroughly soaked in strong liquor, went from trembling to completely tangled. "You... you weren't... weren't getting medicine from the doctor..."

Leng Yue stared at his foolish expression with a stiff smile, silently rolling her eyes inwardly. "I've been running around outside all these days, riding horses and fighting. Wouldn't it be necessary to take some fetus-stabilizing medicine?"

Leng Yue could tell that Jing Yi was somewhat disoriented, thoroughly disoriented from inside out.

"But... but I've already divorced you..."

"I know," Leng Yue calmly patted her chest, "I'm carrying the divorce letter right here. Those two large characters written on it make me want to bite you to death every time I look at them."

"Then you still want to keep him..."

Leng Yue smiled gracefully, raising her hand to gently pat her abdomen twice. "Anyway, the child is growing in my belly. There's no need for you to worry about whether to keep it or not."

"You..."

"This is what you gave me..." Leng Yue interrupted Jing Yi's words with a light, carefree smile, reaching into her clothes to pull out the silver bracelet she had just tucked back into her bosom, placing it beside Jing Yi's pillow. "I don't have anything else to return to you. You've had this bracelet for over ten years anyway, so keep it to play with."

"Xiao Yue..."

"I still have official business to attend to. I'm leaving now."

Having said this, Leng Yue turned around decisively and strode out the door.

When Leng Yue stepped over the threshold of the outer room, the courtyard was still just a vast expanse of accumulated snow. But when she turned to close the door properly and turned back around, there was already another person standing in the snowy ground.