Chu Chu stuck out her tongue in surprise. There were actually counterfeit coins mixed in here! Thankfully, they had all been returned. If the officials had caught her with these, she really wouldn't have been able to explain herself clearly!
This Manager Xu truly wasn't a good person, actually harming her like this. And to think she had been angry with Xiao Jin Yu for deceiving Xu together!
Shi Niang's gaze shifted from a sharp blade to blazing fire, radiating an intensity that seemed capable of burning Xu Ru Gui to ashes. "Speak!"
"It was... it was when Miss Chu brought silver notes stamped with the Sixth Prince's seal, wanting to exchange five hundred taels' worth for copper coins. The money shop didn't have enough copper coins on hand, so I... I took some from the counter. They must have been brought by some customer, and the clerk didn't notice..."
Shi Niang slammed the table with a loud "bang!" "Nonsense! Have you ever seen any customer entering As Returning Pavilion carrying copper coins?"
"Pavilion Master..."
"Shut up!" Shi Niang turned to Xiao Jin Yu. "You explain. What really happened?"
Xiao Jin Yu coughed a few times and waved his hand. "Manager Xu was just panicking in the moment. He assumed I wouldn't have the leisure to carefully inspect five hundred thousand copper coins, so he resorted to this desperate measure... As for how the privately minted copper coins from Baohui Money Shop ended up here, it's merely a ledger trick of exchanging counterfeit coins for real silver. The Pavilion Master can verify this by questioning the accountant... There's another more urgent matter that needs to be clarified in your presence."
"Speak."
Xiao Jin Yu took a light breath, tightly furrowing his brows as he endured a wave of pain that was both sharper and longer-lasting. A fine layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Ye Qian Qiu's warning this time might not have been an empty threat after all...
Suddenly, he felt his sleeve being tugged. Before he could turn his head, he heard Chu Chu whispering close to his ear, "Maybe you should rest before continuing. You're sweating..."
Chu Chu suddenly remembered her elder brother's advice again.
She was leaning so close that Xiao Jin Yu could clearly feel her warm, gentle breath and even sense the faint warmth radiating from her body across the small distance. At such proximity, Xiao Jin Yu didn't even dare shake his head, only replying equally softly, "It's fine..."
Only when he felt her breath and warmth retreat did Xiao Jin Yu slowly exhale. Looking at Xu Ru Gui with a heavy expression, he said, "Although Manager Xu introduced himself using the name Xu Ru Gui, the official records will likely need to bear the name Xu Zong Cheng. I hope Manager Xu won't hold it against me in the afterlife."
Shi Niang's body stiffened. Xu Ru Gui's face instantly turned ashen, his mouth agape but unable to form words. "You... how did you..."
"How do I recognize a death row inmate who escaped from prison thirteen years ago?" Xiao Jin Yu curled his lips into a cold smile. "Thirteen years ago, I was just a nine-year-old child. I never laid eyes on Xu Zong Cheng, the former Minister of Personnel who was sentenced to decapitation for colluding with martial sects, embezzlement, and murder. That's why you felt completely at ease personally inviting me to drink, correct?"
Shi Niang stared blankly at Xiao Jin Yu. "How could you possibly know he was that... Xu Zong Cheng?"
"Although the portrait in the case files wasn't very clear, there was still some resemblance... I had Jing Yi arrange, with Miss Chu's assistance, to drug Manager Xu unconscious. Upon examination, we found his birthmarks and moles matched exactly with Xu Zong Cheng's recorded characteristics in the case files. There are scars on his arm from removed prisoner tattoos, as well as distinctive scars from Ministry of Justice prison torture tools left on his body..."
For a moment, Chu Chu couldn't tell whether she was more shocked or delighted. If this was true, then far from being a deceiver, she had actually contributed to solving a major case!This prince's memory is truly remarkable. He even remembers the appearance of a fugitive who escaped thirteen years ago. This Xu fellow had disguised himself so convincingly as a good person, yet he was seen through at a single glance.
"This man is connected to dozens of lives, having been a fugitive for thirteen years. Since I've encountered him, I must bring him back. I ask the Pavilion Master to grant me this convenience."
Shi Niang slowly rose from the table and gradually paced over to the deathly pale Xu Ru Gui. "Do you think I should grant Seventh Prince this convenience?"
"Pavilion Master..."
Just as Xu Ru Gui began to speak, Shi Niang raised her hand and delivered a fierce slap across his face. Xu Ru Gui fell to the ground with the impact and remained completely motionless.
☆、19 Jujube Ginger Soup (Nineteen)
Chu Chu's eyes widened. "He... is he dead?"
"He won't die. It's just a needle coated with bewitching drug..." Shi Niang glanced at Xiao Jin Yu. "I've granted you convenience, now you should let me have some peace and quiet." After a pause, Shi Niang softly added, "Jing Yi told me what Ye Qian Qiu said. It takes at least an hour to return to the Royal Mansion from here. If you don't leave now, it will be too late."
Chu Chu stared blankly at Xiao Jin Yu. Too late for what?
"I had Jing Yi make that up casually. Otherwise, you wouldn't have agreed to see me so quickly, would you?"
Chu Chu frowned. How could he deceive people again...
Shi Niang revealed a complex smile, faintly shook her head, and turned to leave. "I have nothing more to tell you... It seems As Returning Pavilion needs to close for some time. Don't come again."
Shi Niang's figure disappeared from the room before her voice faded. Chu Chu was certain she heard Xiao Jin Yu sigh very, very softly. "That Pavilion Master... couldn't she be an accomplice?"
Xiao Jin Yu gently shook his head, slowly leaning back into his chair. His voice was tired and faint but still very serious. "No..."
"Why not?"
Xiao Jin Yu didn't answer, instead looking calmly at Chu Chu's face full of intense curiosity. "Do you still think I resemble White Impermanence?"
Chu Chu's face instantly turned bright red, and she shook her head like a rattle-drum. "No, no! You solve cases even better than Magistrate Zheng. Magistrate Zheng needs to use corporal punishment to solve cases, but you just need to talk and everything becomes clear. You're nothing like White Impermanence!"
Xiao Jin Yu smiled wryly to himself. All those days and nights of open and covert efforts by so many people, and in her eyes it was just "only needing to talk." "Then... are you still angry that I deceived you?"
Chu Chu pursed her lips, thinking as she spoke. "Actually... what you did wasn't really deceiving me. You were asking for my help to find evidence and catch the criminal. You just didn't explain clearly, making me wrongly suspect you for nothing. So... let's consider it even between us."
"Thank you... Then would you be willing to help me once more by going outside to call Jing Yi to take away the prisoner?"
Xiao Jin Yu took a deep breath. He had never before needed to so carefully lay so much groundwork just to ask someone to relay a message...
"Okay." No sooner had Chu Chu agreed than she frowned. "But... if I go out and he wakes up, what will you do?"
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