Bone Painting Coroner

Ji Yunshu was not surprised; Jing Rong, on the other hand, was astonished that Old General Li would make the first move when he himself had yet to meet that old man! He asked the servant, “Did Lord Qin pay a visit the Old General’s mansion?”

“Yes, he did.”

“What else did he mention?”

The servant shook his head, “Nothing else; Lord Qin only ordered this servant to inform Teacher Ji that Old General Li will be waiting at Li Mansion this evening.”

Meeting so late at night, was he insane? Jing Rong wrinkled his brows, gesturing, “I understand, take your leave.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Jing Rong pulled Ji Yunshu over as the servant left, “Old General Li is slightly eccentric. When you meet him, you must take extra care and pay extra attention. Of course, you must be extremely patient.”

“Is he that odd?”

Jing Rong nodded. Ji Yunshu was perplexed – given that he had been so successful on the battlefield, surely the Old General Li wasn’t brainless?

“If he offers you tea, you’d better finish that cup before saying anything.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s a weirdo!”

Ji Yunshu was speechless, but her curiosity was now piqued by Jing Rong’s words. She must meet that Old General Li no matter what now! She turned towards him, raising her eyebrows, “If this is the case, do you wish for me to meet him?”

“Didn’t you wish to leave for Qingzhou before? This Prince stopped you back then, but now that the Old General Li is here in the capital and has asked to see you, if I forbade it any further, won’t you hate me?”

“When have I ever hated you?” She side-eyed him as she protested weakly.

Jing Rong approached her, a wicked grin on his face. Ji Yunshu had no choice but to retreat backwards until she was backed up against the hard, cold coffin. At that moment, Jing Rong’s frame began to tower over her like a huge shadow. She bit her lips and put out her hands defensively against his chest while surveying her surroundings vigilantly at the same time.

Lang Po, who was standing beside them, sensibly turned around to face the other way, his back almost reflecting these words: ‘Take your own sweet time, this servant has seen nothing!’

“Why are you so nervous?” Jing Rong’s tone was extremely gentle.

“N-nothing,” Ji Yunshu’s heart skipped a beat as she raised her eyes at this voracious wolf, meeting his gentle, loving gaze.

Jing Rong’s smile grew wider as he stooped down, the tip of his nose pressed up against Ji Yunshu’s full forehead. He took a deep breath, “How fragrant!”

Are you a pro comedian, bro? Ji Yunshu could not help but frown as she tilted backwards, questioning, “Fragrant? There are tens of corpses surrounding you, each emanating the foul stench of rotten wood and flesh, can’t you smell them?”

“I’ve smelt them.” Jing Rong nodded, “But, this Prince is only concerned about your fragrance; my nose can hold no other odour.”

“Stop fooling around,” Ji Yunshu intended to move around him, but was caught by his arms, held steadfast in his embrace. Her face reddened, her grip on that name list tightening.

Jing Rong’s red lips broke out into a smirk, “What are you afraid of, you little thing? All I wanted was to-” He reached for Ji Yunshu’s hairpiece, pinching off a green blade of leaf from the top of her crown, fiddling with it in his fingers. He blew on it, continuing with a troubled look on his face, “I saw that you had a leaf stuck to your head and wanted to remove it, that’s all. What did you think this Prince wanted to do?”

How embarra.s.sing! Ji Yunshu swore that he was not just a despicable man, but the most despicable of them all! She shoved the name list into Jing Rong’s chest, the force used also sent her back a few steps. Her blush faded as quickly as it began, as she discussed seriously, “The names that I have crossed out on this list are the skeletons which are present. I have also marked out the corresponding coffins in red. These coffins can be reburied, and should be done as soon as possible to prevent the skeletons from being unnecessarily exposed to the air, causing further damage. The dead are already long gone – we should let them rest in peace.”

Jing Rong held that list against his chest with one hand, his loving gaze fixed on Ji Yunshu, “Alright, this Prince understands. Someone will be here soon.” He was uncharacteristically obedient!

Jing Rong was very efficient; the 54 coffins scattered across the yard were removed by the end of that afternoon. The remaining 13 coffins were closed and covered with hay to prevent the corpses from being damaged by the humidity.

Seeing as it was approaching evening, Jing Rong escorted Ji Yunshu to the Li Mansion.

At the gates, Jing Rong grabbed onto Ji Yunshu’s hands before she could disembark from the carriage, reminding her, “If you can’t get anything out of him, don’t bother prodding further. Although not a conniving man, Old General Li is quite peculiar in how he deals with such matters, especially with his years of experience. Don’t forget as well that this ‘Lin Capital Case’ was taken over by this Prince – I don’t want you to get too involved, understand?” His grip tightened in fear that she would forget.

Ji Yunshu nodded slightly, “I understand.” Only then was Jing Rong happy to let her enter the mansion.

A servant had long been awaiting her arrival outside Li Estate. He bowed slightly, “Teacher Ji, Old General Li has been antic.i.p.ating your arrival for some time. Please follow this old servant.”

“Many thanks!”

Ji Yunshu followed that old servant into the Li Mansion’s backyard, but unexpectedly met that old fellow Li Zhao on her way in. His sleeves were pushed up, with a long fis.h.i.+ng rod in one hand and a woven fish basket in the other. He happily skipped his way towards the front yard. Upon seeing Ji Yunshu, his elation at heading out disappeared. He glared angrily at Ji Yunshu as usual, asking the old servant beside him, “Uncle Ge, what is she here for? My Big Sister isn’t around these few days.”

“Young Master, actually…”

Before Uncle Ge could finish, Li Zhao snorted at Ji Yunshu demandingly, “Teacher Ji, weren’t you investigating that ‘Lin Capital Case’ recently? Why the late visit to our residence, huh? Don’t tell me there are also coffins in here that you want to unearth?”

Ji Yunshu smiled, “Master Li is over-worrying. Why would there be coffins buried beneath your estate grounds? If there really are, then this place wouldn’t be quite as peaceful at night, lest the one buried was wrongly maligned.” As she spoke, a chilly breeze blew through the yard-

Li Zhao was frightened by her words. He gulped, scanning his surroundings frantically, “W-what nonsense are you talking about?”

“All I did was followed up on what Young Master Li mentioned – whether it truly is nonsense or not, who knows? There may really be a wrongfully accused soul lying beneath the ground, crying night and day, just as Young Master Li suggested.”

Li Zhao’s cowardice wasn’t exaggerated! He trembled at the sight of the eerily lit backyard corridor, the red lanterns beaming into the dark end of the corridor and striking fear into his heart.