Zheng Youde recounted everything from discovering the corpse to finding the dead pigs, narrating through sobs and tears until he reached the part about burning the pig carcasses. Jing Yi furrowed his brow and interrupted, "That tea seller... he told you to burn both the pigs and the pen together to keep me from finding out?"
"Yes, yes, yes... That man is truly sinister and utterly wicked!"
Before Zheng Youde’s words had fully faded, a breathless and furious voice echoed from the doorway.
"That’s not true at all!"
Chu Chu rushed in, clutching a large black cloth bundle, glaring angrily at Zheng Youde. "It’s not like that at all! He said that because he was afraid you wouldn’t listen—he tricked you! Those two pigs were poisoned after eating a toxic corpse. He knew you wouldn’t believe him, and he was worried the poison was too close to the kitchen. If it wasn’t thoroughly burned, it could harm people. That’s why he lied to make you dispose of the toxic material quickly!"
Jing Yi was slightly taken aback. "Chu Chu... can signs of poisoning not be detected from the bones?"
Zheng Youde hurriedly added, "Not just from the bones... This humble official has seen that corpse with flesh and skin intact—it was pale and showed no signs of poisoning at all..."
Chu Chu stamped her foot in frustration. "I’m the coroner! What I say goes!"
A corpse that showed no signs of poisoning yet was toxic enough to make Xiao Jin Yu resort to tricking Zheng Youde into burning it immediately for safety—a name flashed through Jing Yi’s mind, sending a chill down his spine.
He finally understood exactly what role Xiao Jin Yu was playing.
He also realized that Xiao Jin Yu hadn’t called him back to save the situation, but to act as a supporting player.
At this point, he had no choice but to play along.
Jing Yi took a silent, deep breath. "Zheng Youde... that tea seller has disappeared. Gather as many men as you can and search the entire Zizhu County. You must find him for me."
Zheng Youde immediately perked up. "Yes! This humble official will issue an official notice immediately and put out a county-wide warrant. We will apprehend him as soon as possible!"
Jing Yi nearly dropped to his knees. "Who said anything about apprehending him? Find him, and when you do, invite him back respectfully. If you can’t find him, don’t bother returning. Understood?"
"Yes, yes, yes..."
Chu Chu quickly interjected, "I’ll go too!"
"Stay at the county office and wait, in case he returns suddenly and there’s no hot water for him to drink... While you’re at it, sort through all the corpse manifests for the hundred-plus bodies. He’ll need them to close the case when he returns."
Chu Chu had to admit Jing Yi’s reasoning was sound. She lowered her head and fell silent, then suddenly remembered the black bundle in her arms. "Brother Jing, I brought the piece of corpse he examined before he left. Take a look!"
Zheng Youde’s legs went weak, nearly collapsing onto the stretcher, while Jing Yi almost leaped to the rafters. "No, no, no... You examine it carefully, you examine it... I, I need to go out for a while, to look for clues, look for clues..."
"If you find him, make sure he comes back quickly!"
"Absolutely, absolutely..."
Jing Yi left the county office and headed straight for the Prince of Wu’s Estate. The estate’s main gate still lay flat on the ground. Jing Yi slipped silently over the wall, ghost-like, darted into the small building, and found Xiao Jue’s room.In a shallow slumber, Xiao Jue suddenly felt his body lifted into the air. The remaining half of his body that still had sensation clearly registered being cradled in someone's arms. The cold wind whistled past his ears, stinging his long-unexposed skin with sharp gusts. Startled, Xiao Jue opened his eyes, but the surroundings blurred from their rapid movement, leaving only the figure carrying him—along with his quilt—in clear focus.
"Jing Yi..."
"As long as you remember me."
The abrupt, jostling movements left Xiao Jue dizzy. Though tightly wrapped in the quilt, the cold wind choked him, triggering fits of coughing. "You... cough... cough... What are you... cough... doing..."
"Finding a place to talk. There's something I need to discuss."
Jing Yi quickened his pace, surging upward in a swift ascent. By the time he halted, Xiao Jue was pale as a ghost, coughing uncontrollably against his chest.
Gazing at the frail man in his arms—as vulnerable as a newborn—Jing Yi recalled the young general from years ago who could disarm Wu Jiang in three moves with one hand. A complex, indescribable emotion stirred within him. He sat down, carefully laying Xiao Jue across his lap, tightening the quilt around him, and gently stroking his chest through the layers to ease his breathing.
Once Xiao Jue caught his breath slightly, he glared coldly at Jing Yi. "Take your hand away..."
Jing Yi removed his right hand from Xiao Jue's chest but retaliated by ruffling his neatly combed hair into disarray with his left. A faint smirk played on his lips as he watched Xiao Jue roll his eyes in fury. "Angry already? Weren't you the one provoking Prince An earlier?"
Xiao Jue's face stiffened. His pale lips pressed into a thin line as he turned his head away, only then noticing the entirely unfamiliar surroundings. "This is... Where is this?"
"The peak of Phoenix Mountain. You've never been up here, even though it's so close to your home?"
Xiao Jue turned back, glaring at Jing Yi again. "Why bring me here...?"
"Needed to discuss something. Your place isn't convenient."
Xiao Jue laughed coldly, his eyes filled with disgust as he glanced at his own tightly wrapped, rigidly laid-out body. "Is this how you discuss things...?"
"It's urgent. Bear with it for now. Next time, you can carry me out if you want..." Jing Yi ignored Xiao Jue's fierce eye-roll. "First, tell me: did you know Prince An has people watching you?"
"As if there aren't enough people watching me already..."
"So you knew..." Jing Yi frowned slightly. "Then that scene you made with the embroiderer on New Year's Eve—was it to lure him into seeing you?"
Xiao Jue closed his eyes and remained silent.
"You lured him in, then drove him away—just to keep him out of your affairs?"
Hearing the hint of reproach in Jing Yi's voice, Xiao Jue opened his eyes with a frown. "Are you truly foolish or just pretending...? Why do you think what happened to him three years ago occurred...? If I hadn't been so close to him, how would those scum have used him as bait...? It had nothing to do with him, yet I nearly got him..." Mid-sentence, Xiao Jue snapped to realization, his gaze sharpening. "Has something happened to him...?"
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