Wu Jiang's expression had just relaxed when Chu Chu presented a bowl of reddish-brown liquid before him. "This ginger soup was brewed to warm him up, but please make do with a bowl for now, big brother. The meal will be ready soon."
Wu Jiang numbly accepted the bowl. What exactly was going on between these two? Would his prince actually drink ginger soup prepared by a strange woman?
Xiao Jin Yu was also taken aback. He had noticed earlier that what she was brewing was ginger soup, but he never expected it to be specifically prepared for him. While he was still processing this, Chu Chu had already handed him his portion.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome..." As Xiao Jin Yu took the bowl, Chu Chu suddenly realized something important. Staring at his face, she said, "Hey, I still don't know your name?"
Wu Jiang's hand trembled so badly he nearly dropped his bowl. She didn't even know who this person was, yet she dared to... whatever she had done!
Xiao Jin Yu remained perfectly composed, examining the contents of his bowl with interest as he answered clearly and unhurriedly, "Little Goldfish."
He said it with such seriousness that Wu Jiang, unaware of the context, couldn't help but glance into his own bowl. Where was the goldfish?
Xiao Jin Yu was doing this deliberately, intending to startle her. It seemed he hadn't felt such a strong urge for mischievous retaliation since he was five years old.
Appreciating Chu Chu's stunned expression, Xiao Jin Yu raised the bowl and took a small sip of the freshly brewed ginger soup. Hmm, much better than what Ye Qian Qiu prepared.
Unfortunately, Xiao Jin Yu miscalculated one thing - the presence his name held in this woman's mind. He thought her expression was a reaction to being shocked by his identity, but in reality, Chu Chu was only stunned because the name sounded somewhat familiar, though she couldn't immediately recall where she'd heard it before...
When she finally remembered, it was far from a quiet moment of stunned silence. A deafening, ghost-seeing shriek cut through the stillness, "Oh my god!"
Xiao Jin Yu nearly spat out his ginger soup. Just who was scaring whom here...
"You... you... you!" Chu Chu stammered "you" repeatedly, starting with shock and alarm that gradually turned into obvious anger by the end. Taking a step back, she pointed at Xiao Jin Yu and shouted, "You lied to me!"
Xiao Jin Yu glanced at Wu Jiang, clearly expecting him to vouch for him, but Wu Jiang merely moved his lips twice without making a sound.
Heaven knew what "Little Goldfish" meant, and heaven also knew what his prince had deceived this young girl about. His head was still spinning - even if he wanted to speak, he wouldn't know where to begin...
With no one coming to his rescue, Xiao Jin Yu had to defend himself. Clearing his throat lightly, he asked, "What did I lie to you about?"
"You said the prince was an old man!"
Wu Jiang silently prayed: Guanyin Bodhisattva, bless me for keeping quiet earlier...
Xiao Jin Yu remained unperturbed. "When did I say that?"
"Just now! You said 'that makes sense'!"
Xiao Jin Yu frowned slightly. "As a coroner, you should understand that common sense is common sense, while facts are facts. These are two different matters."
Chu Chu was nearly frantic with anxiety. She had spoken ill of him right to his face, said all those things about Six Doors this and Six Doors that, called him a living corpse twice, and even hit his head with a rice ladle. According to Steward Zhao, how many spankings would this warrant!In a panic, Chu Chu immediately covered her rear with both hands and ducked behind Wu Jiang while exclaiming, "I don't care! You cheated! You can't spank me!"
Xiao Jin Yu's hands had little strength to begin with, but this statement nearly made him spill the entire bowl of ginger soup on himself.
Wu Jiang was on the verge of tears too. After serving Xiao Jin Yu for so long, this was the first time he encountered such a scene. Though he clearly saw the plea for help in Xiao Jin Yu's gaze, he had no idea how to rescue him.
What in the world were they talking about? It was utterly incomprehensible!
It wasn't until Xiao Jin Yu shot him a warning glare that Wu Jiang had a sudden epiphany. "Wang Ye, this humble officer has urgent matters to report!"
Without hesitation, Xiao Jin Yu responded, "Speak."
Wu Jiang blurted out, "Xue Yue's corpse has been found."
The moment he said it, Wu Jiang regretted it.
Because the words made Xiao Jin Yu stiffen, his hand tilting as he spilled most of the scalding ginger soup all over himself.
Before the entire bowl could empty, Wu Jiang darted over and snatched it away. "Wang Ye!"
Xiao Jin Yu's emotions were like the soup in the bowl—they spilled out abruptly but vanished just as quickly, returning to a state of complete calm in an instant. To Chu Chu, the scene appeared to be nothing more than a simple, careless accident.
While Chu Chu remained oblivious, Wu Jiang was acutely aware of his mistake. The reason for the spilled soup was the name attached to that corpse.
If it weren't for that name, Xiao Jin Yu wouldn't have personally taken on an ordinary missing person's case during such a busy period when he barely had time to eat or sleep, nor would he have had such a intense reaction upon hearing that the person he was searching for had become a corpse.
Wu Jiang had intended to break the news with more tactful and gentle words, but who could have predicted this sudden outburst? In his panic, he ended up blurting it out bluntly.
The hot soup had splashed entirely onto his legs, yet Xiao Jin Yu's expression remained as indifferent as if the liquid had landed on someone else. Even his voice maintained its usual calm and composure. "The corpse?"
Peeking out from behind Wu Jiang, Chu Chu stared at the large, steaming reddish-brown stain on Xiao Jin Yu's robes. He hadn't even flinched when the scalding soup spilled—could it be that his legs had no sensation at all?
Was he born that way, or had he suffered some severe injury?
"Yes... This humble officer has already brought it back and placed it in the coroner's room at the Hall of Ten Admonishments." Before Xiao Jin Yu could utter another word to seal the matter, Wu Jiang quickly added, "Wang Ye, there are no coroners on duty at the moment. You should go change your clothes and wait until daybreak to go."
Xiao Jin Yu frowned slightly, shifting his gaze from Wu Jiang to the small head peeking out from behind him. "No need to wait. We have a ready one right here."
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