Chu Chu bit her petal-like lips again, hesitating for a moment before saying, "Wang Ye, I untied one of the cloth strips and pieced it together. It's a piece of clothing."
"Complete?"
"Yes, it was torn quite neatly, so it was easy to piece together."
Xiao Jin Yu gazed quietly at Chu Chu. Her delicate, rosy face had turned pale with worry, and he knew it couldn't just be about this matter. "What else is troubling you..."
Chu Chu cautiously looked at Xiao Jin Yu's sickly face and whispered, "Wang Ye, someone else has died..."
Xiao Jin Yu's hand visibly stiffened. Chu Chu panicked and gripped his hand tightly. "Wang Ye, don't worry! Big Brother has already gone to check, and Grand Tutor Xue is there too!"
Grand Tutor Xue...
If it weren't for this near-misjudgment, he wouldn't have realized how deeply his reliance on Xue Rucheng had taken root in his very bones. When handling cases independently, he trusted no one's judgment but his own. Yet with Xue Rucheng by his side, he instinctively trusted only Xue Rucheng—not even himself.
If only he had questioned things one more time last night, been a bit more cautious...
A faint, bitter smile tugged at the corner of Xiao Jin Yu's lips, sending a chill through Chu Chu's heart. "Wang Ye..."
"Chu Chu... have you examined the body yet?"
Chu Chu shook her head.
"Go then... tell Wu Jiang to inspect carefully..."
Chu Chu stared blankly at Xiao Jin Yu lying peacefully in bed.
"I want to sleep a little longer..."
"Alright."
By the time Chu Chu returned, it was very late. Xiao Jin Yu was sleeping quietly, while Chu Chu was so exhausted her eyelids felt like they were weighed down with lead. She intended to nap briefly on the small couch by the window before bathing and going to bed, but as soon as she lay down in her clothes, she fell asleep and didn't wake until daybreak.
When she awoke, she felt enveloped in a warm blanket. After snuggling comfortably in the cozy bedding for a moment, she suddenly remembered she had fallen asleep on the small couch without covering herself the night before. Startled, she scrambled up, relieved to find she was still on the couch. But when she glanced toward the bed, she was shocked again.
Xiao Jin Yu wasn't lying in bed but was sitting on the floor leaning against the bedside. His frail frame was loosely draped with a quilt, and most of his legs—appearing especially thin in white trousers—were exposed. His face, as pale as pear blossoms, looked so serene it seemed he felt no cold at all, and a gentle, faint smile lingered on his lips.
Chu Chu quickly jumped off the couch, not daring to touch him directly. Instead, she nudged his shoulder through the quilt. "Wang Ye, wake up!"
Xiao Jin Yu's delicate eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes. Seeing Chu Chu, his smile deepened slightly. "You're awake..."
"Wang Ye, why are you sleeping on the floor?"
Xiao Jin Yu glanced at the quilt on the couch by the window and smiled contentedly.
At the break of dawn, when he woke up, he saw Chu Chu curled up tightly on the couch in her clothes, already shrunken into a small ball from the cold, yet sleeping so soundly. The sight filled him with both heartache and guilt. Unable to muster the strength to move himself into his wheelchair, he simply grabbed a quilt, crawled over to cover her, and then crawled back. By then, he no longer had the energy to climb back into bed, so he pulled down another quilt and sat on the floor, waiting for her to wake up.
Being able to personally cover his wife with a blanket while she slept deeply, without disturbing her, made Xiao Jin Yu as happy as the first time he had shakily stood up on crutches."Go take a bath... Call Wu Jiang to assist me."
"Alright... I'll go right away!"
Chu Chu stood aside watching Wu Jiang carry him to bed wrapped in the quilt, tuck him in properly, and only after seeing his thoroughly pleased expression did she hurriedly run out.
"Wang Ye," Wu Jiang carefully observed Xiao Jin Yu's bloodless face, "Should we invite Grand Tutor Xue to examine you?"
Xiao Jin Yu slightly shook his head, a faint smile still lingering at the corners of his mouth, "You worked hard last night."
"All part of my duties..." Knowing what Xiao Jin Yu was waiting to hear, Wu Jiang continued, "Yesterday afternoon, another cheating candidate was caught at the examination hall. He was detained in the backyard. Wang Xiaohua stripped all the candidate's clothes and took them away, posting two guards outside. However, during the midnight shift change inspection, they discovered the man had already died from hitting his head against the wall."
"Against the wall?"
"Yes... his head was smashed and bleeding profusely. According to the Imperial Concubine, the man died instantly."
Xiao Jin Yu's brow slightly furrowed, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, "What about the scene?"
"The man died from hitting the east wall in the inner room. There were no signs of forced entry through doors or windows. The food and water delivered to him remained untouched. There was a puddle of urine in the northwest corner... No suspicious footprints were found inside, but when I examined the windowsill, I noticed the inner room's windowsill was dilapidated with many wood splinters, and there was a very fine fresh bloodstain on it."
Xiao Jin Yu's eyebrows lifted slightly, "Were similar wounds found on the corpse?"
"The Imperial Concubine didn't mention..."
"Do the candidates in the examination hall know about this case?"
"Not yet."
Xiao Jin Yu nodded thoughtfully, remaining silent for a long while before speaking, "Help me get some underwear..."
Wu Jiang was taken aback.
"It's still in the wardrobe at the foot of the bed."
"Yes... yes."
Wu Jiang took out a set of snow-white underwear and handed it to Xiao Jin Yu. Just as he was wondering whether to boldly ask if he needed help, he heard Xiao Jin Yu say calmly, "Turn around."
"Yes."
Wu Jiang stood with his back to Xiao Jin Yu for quite some time before hearing Xiao Jin Yu say, "Alright..."
When Wu Jiang turned around, Xiao Jin Yu had already changed his clothes and covered himself with the quilt.
Wu Jiang looked slightly astonished at the fine sweat covering Xiao Jin Yu's forehead. He didn't even have the strength to turn over by himself - Wu Jiang couldn't imagine how he had managed to change his clothes alone.
The changed underwear was thrown loosely on the floor beside the bed, clearly showing dust stains on the pristine white fabric.
"Take it to be washed. Don't let the Imperial Concubine see it..."
"Yes."
When Chu Chu returned, her body still enveloped in a misty post-bath glow, Xiao Jin Yu was lying in bed waiting for her. Watching the dewy, pink-cheeked Chu Chu fresh from her bath, Xiao Jin Yu couldn't help but curve the corners of his mouth upward.
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