Wang Xiaohua's face was as dark as charcoal as he stared at Li Rusheng, who was crying so hard he could barely catch his breath. "Damn it... Looking as delicate as a woman, yet you dare imitate killers! And even dare to deceive my soldiers!"
"No... This student did not..."
Xiao Jin Yu calmly observed the remaining clothes on Li Rusheng's body. "Then explain... how in just three days, all these garments on you have become noticeably shorter? The meals at the Imperial Examination Hall aren't that nourishing, are they..."
Only then did Chu Chu notice that the sleeves of Li Rusheng's three outer garments were uneven in length, all shorter than his underwear, revealing a section of the frayed underwear cuff.
Chu Chu suddenly recalled the three torn cloth strips used to lengthen clothing and blurted out, "These are the clothes from those three corpses!"
All eyes in the room instantly focused on the delicate young girl standing beside Prince An, as she added with bold determination, "If you don't believe me, take them off and compare - they belong to those three cheating exam candidates!"
Li Rusheng suddenly seemed possessed. Ignoring Wang Xiaohua's blade pressed against his neck, he scrambled up from the ground, tore off the three ill-fitting outer garments, threw them on the floor and stomped on them violently while crying and cursing, "Beasts! Scum... Cheating! Cheating! Cheating!"
Xiao Jin Yu unobtrusively moved Chu Chu behind him as Wu Jiang, anticipating Wang Xiaohua's reaction, swiftly stepped forward to twist Li Rusheng's arms behind his back and forced him to his knees.
Li Rusheng strained his neck to look at Xiao Jin Yu, wailing loudly, "They all deserved to die! All deserved to die..."
Xiao Jin Yu gazed calmly at him. "Why?"
"Why..." Tears glistened in Li Rusheng's delicate eyes, their desolation sending a chill through Chu Chu's heart. "They cheated, all cheaters deserve to die, all deserve to die..."
"Damn it all!" Wang Xiaohua's temples throbbed from Li Rusheng's crying, his large dark hand nearly crushing the sword hilt. "You bastard think you're justified in killing people!"
"This student didn't kill anyone... didn't kill anyone!"
"May this prince examine your hands?"
Li Rusheng nodded.
Wu Jiang brought Li Rusheng before Xiao Jin Yu, released his wrists but maintained a firm grip on his slender shoulders. Trembling, Li Rusheng extended his pale hands, palms down.
Xiao Jin Yu's brow furrowed slightly. "Turn them over."
With hands shaking slightly, Li Rusheng revealed his palms. On his snow-white right palm lay a glaring red mark.
"Chu Chu..."
In the dim light, Chu Chu grabbed Li Rusheng's cold hand and brought it close to examine carefully. "This is... a scratch, from something sharp, probably..."
Just as Chu Chu brought the hand closer for better inspection, Li Rusheng suddenly struggled free and shoved Chu Chu hard.
Wu Jiang reacted instantly, catching Chu Chu as she fell backward. In that split second, Li Rusheng had already lunged forward and clamped his hands around Xiao Jin Yu's neck, his previously desolate eyes now blazing with fire. "I didn't kill people - I killed beasts! Beasts!"
While steadying Chu Chu with one hand, Wu Jiang drew his blade with the other. The flat of his sword had barely touched the back of Li Rusheng's head when Wang Xiaohua's broadsword arrived, piercing straight through Li Rusheng's paper-thin body from behind. The blade tip emerged from Li Rusheng's abdomen, stopping abruptly just before touching Xiao Jin Yu's front garment.Thick, scalding blood splattered across Xiao Jinyu's face and body. The hands gripping his throat didn't loosen due to the agony of death; instead, they summoned their final ounce of strength, squeezing until darkness clouded Xiao Jinyu's vision. He barely heard Chu Chu's startled cry before losing consciousness, unable to catch a glimpse of her.
☆、98 Braised Pork Knuckle with Rock Sugar (XII)
The sky was gray and overcast, the time unclear. Xiao Jinyu was roused by bone-deep pain, his eyelashes fluttering as he struggled several times before barely managing to open his eyes. His vision still blurry, he anxiously searched for the person who would always be waiting by his bedside.
"Chu Chu..."
"Your Highness."
Wu Jiang's deep voice came from beside the bed.
Xiao Jinyu turned his head with difficulty and saw Wu Jiang kneeling bowed by the bedside. Remembering Chu Chu's cry before he lost consciousness, his heart sank abruptly.
"Where is Chu Chu..."
Seeing Xiao Jinyu's face suddenly pale, Wu Jiang hurriedly said, "Your Highness, don't worry! The Imperial Concubine has gone to prepare medicine!"
Relieved, Xiao Jinyu felt the pain in his entire body intensify. From his organs to his joints, it felt as if countless blunt knives were sawing back and forth, nearly causing him to faint again. He gripped the bedsheet beneath him tightly, enduring for a long while until the fabric tore, yet all Wu Jiang saw was a face with slightly furrowed brows and lightly pressed lips.
Amid the pain, Xiao Jinyu felt profound gratitude—not only toward Wu Jiang for protecting Chu Chu in time but even toward Li Rusheng, who had nearly strangled him, thankful that the one injured wasn't his beloved...
After resting for a while, Xiao Jinyu whispered softly, "You've worked hard... Rise..."
Wu Jiang pressed his lips together firmly and kowtowed deeply to Xiao Jinyu. "This humble officer wishes to admit his fault to Your Highness in person. I will now take Wang Xiaohua to receive punishment together... As generals, we deserve three hundred lashes."
Wu Jiang stood up and turned to leave.
"Come back..."
Xiao Jinyu's voice was calm and weak, yet Wu Jiang froze in place as if spellbound.
"No hurry..." Xiao Jinyu said faintly. "Save it for now... Help me with something first."
Wu Jiang turned back and bowed to Xiao Jinyu. "Yes."
"Go to the Three Thoughts Pavilion and retrieve Gongsun Jun's case files..."
"Yes."
"While you're at it, see if there are any idlers in the manor... Investigate Li Rusheng in detail."
"Yes."
"Watch for tails..."
"Your Highness, rest assured."
After Wu Jiang left, Xiao Jinyu drifted in and out of sleep amid waves of pain. In a deep slumber, he felt a familiar small hand holding his own, which was numb from agony. Fighting heavy drowsiness, he eagerly opened his eyes. "Chu Chu..."
Chu Chu hurriedly wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Your Highness, are you still in pain?"
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