Chapter 119
"Impossible! There's no way we'd do that," Ping'an retorted immediately without hesitation. "We just returned from Zhuzhou, how could we possibly have time to harm the Second Young Master?"
"Enough. If you want to speak for the Heir, go talk to the Old Madam," the person snapped, ignoring Ping'an. He turned to Li Jin, his tone menacing, "Your Highness, please don’t put us in a difficult position, otherwise… we’ll have to find another way to ‘invite’ you over."
Li Jin smiled. "That’s not necessary. It won’t hurt for me to go with you."
"Your Highness…"
"Don’t worry." Li Jin gave Ping'an a reassuring look. "I, Li Jin, have a clear conscience."
The person scoffed disdainfully.
With witnesses already in place, it's utterly laughable that he still dares to speak of having a clear conscience.
As Li Jin had just approached, the men sent to "invite" him immediately seized his left and right arms as if restraining a prisoner, causing Li Jin’s expression to turn icy. "Release me."
The man sneered in reply, "Your Highness, we are only doing this out of fear that you might attempt to flee. We ask for your cooperation."
"Since you address me as Your Highness, you should understand that I am the next Prince of Dingbei," Li Jin said, fixing his gaze on the one who had given the order, each word deliberate. "Do you intend to defy your superior?"
Li Jin was not wrong.
Before any conclusion had been reached, he remained the Heir to the Prince of Dingbei. Yet this man treated him with the methods used for a criminal, a clear violation of Da Xia’s laws.
"Release him."
The one who had given the order seemed to realize he had overstepped. With a darkened expression, he ordered Li Jin to be released.
Seeing the men restraining him loosen their grip, Li Jin had no intention of further provoking the situation and proceeded to follow them.
In truth, given Li Jin’s martial skills, avoiding them would not have been difficult. However, he himself had no wish to expose his proficiency in martial arts over such a trivial matter.
…
Not long after, Li Jin was brought to Li Yanshen’s courtyard.
At the sight of Li Jin’s arrival, Wei Shiwan immediately launched an accusation. "Your Highness, this consort believes she has done nothing to wrong you. Why must you be so heartless as to harm this consort's son?"
Wei Rong also sharply rebuked, "You vile creature! If you possess even a shred of conscience, you will kneel and confess your crime."
Li Jin shook his head, his tone laden with implication. "Grandmother, Secondary Consort Wei, I have been in Zhuzhou all along until now. May I ask by what means I managed to harm Second Brother?"
Wei Rong fumed, "What else could it be? You must have secretly sent someone to murder Shen’er!"
Li Jin raised an eyebrow and countered, "Does Grandmother have evidence?"
"You—speak."
Wei Rong gestured to the servant who had previously reported seeing deadly nightshade in Li Jin’s courtyard, signaling him to come forward and face Li Jin directly.
"Yes." The servant stepped out and repeated, "Old Madam, this servant truly saw deadly nightshade in His Highness’s courtyard. If you do not believe me, I swear upon my life."
"Vile creature, did you hear that?"
After listening to the servant’s testimony against Li Jin, Wei Rong shot a glance at him.
Li Jin unexpectedly asked, "What is deadly nightshade?"
"How dare you, Li Jin! To still refuse admission at this point. Someone, bring the deadly nightshade here and let him have a good look."
"Yes, Dowager Lady."
A maid hastily brought the deadly nightshade and handed it to Li Jin.
Li Jin calmly accepted it, examined it carefully for a moment, and suddenly exclaimed as if enlightened, "So this is what you were referring to. Indeed, there is such a thing in my courtyard."
Wei Rong gnashed her teeth. "Good, you vile creature, so you finally admit it."
Something was wrong.
In contrast to Wei Rong, Wei Shiwan, seeing Li Jin admit so readily, felt an indescribable unease rise within her.
At the same time…
Wei Shiwan felt a pang of deep regret.
She regretted having acted so rashly—speaking those words to Li Jin without having carefully thought them through.
Wei Rong hurriedly shouted, "Someone, seize this vile creature! I will not only subject him to family punishment but also take him to the imperial palace to be judged by His Majesty. This time, even if it costs my life, I will ensure His Majesty convicts him."
As Wei Rong spoke these words, she poured years of pent-up hatred toward Li Jin into them, even harboring a desire to drag Li Jin down to the underworld with her.
Li Jin shook his head and said, "Grandmother, you are sentencing me without even hearing me out. Isn’t that overly presumptuous?"
"You admitted it with your own mouth just now—it cannot be false."
Wei Rong glared at Li Jin, her eyes filled with a venomous gleam.
The two had not been deadlocked for long when those sent to search Li Jin’s courtyard returned to report to Wei Rong. "Dowager Lady, we found this in His Highness’s room."
Wei Rong demanded sharply, "Quick, open it and show me."
"Yes."
The servant slowly unwrapped the cloth bundle, revealing what appeared to be deadly nightshade inside.
Zhou Xiaoru, who had arrived at some unknown time, felt a surge of triumphant satisfaction at the sight of the bundle, as if a great vengeance had been served.
Li Jin, you brought this upon yourself, don't blame me. Now go repent for your sins in the underworld.
Wei Rong pointed at the contents of the bundle and said coldly, "What more do you have to say?"
However, faced with this seemingly irrefutable evidence, Wei Shiwan—one of the victims—did not share Wei Rong’s conviction that Li Jin was guilty. Instead, she grew increasingly suspicious, sensing something amiss in the matter.
Did he really kill my son? But why does his expression show not the slightest hint of unease?
Wei Shiwan quickly recovered from the shock of her son’s death, one untimely question after another arising in her mind.
The departed could not return.
Though Wei Shiwan burned with fury at the thought that Li Jin had caused her son’s death—and though she wished she could strike him down then and there—she held back. Deep down, she still felt that Li Jin had no reason to kill her son.
After all, Li Yanshen was already a dying man. Li Jin was already the Heir and had recently achieved great merit in Zhuzhou—there was simply no logic in harming Li Yanshen at such a critical juncture.
Could someone be framing him to set me against him, reaping the benefit like the fisherman who profits from the clam and snipe’s struggle?
[鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利 (yù bàng xiāng zhēng, yú wēng dé lì): lit. The snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits; fig. When two parties fight, a third benefits.]
"I truly have nothing more to say," Li Jin shrugged. "It’s just that I find it rather strange. I have been consuming this very thing myself, so how could it be deadly nightshade?"
This seemingly casual remark from Li Jin instantly caused an uproar.
Wei Rong said incredulously, "Wait, you… you said you’ve been eating it?"
"Of course." Having said that, Li Jin walked over, took a piece of what appeared to be dried deadly nightshade from the cloth bundle, placed it directly into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. "Speaking of which, this was something Imperial Physician Shi specially prepared for me to nourish my body when he accompanied me on my journey. I found it quite tasty, so I asked Imperial Physician Shi for a bit more."
At this moment, everyone present, including Wei Rong, was stunned, seemingly never expecting the situation to take such a turn.
By consuming it just now, Li Jin had directly proven his innocence.
Li Jin stared straight at Wei Rong. "Grandmother, do you still believe I am responsible for Second Brother’s death?"
Wei Rong stammered incoherently, "If not you… if not you, then it must be someone else. Shen’er’s medicine was indeed poisoned."
Following Wei Rong’s words, Li Jin suddenly suggested, "Grandmother, now that you mention it, I also suspect there is a schemer working behind the scenes. I request your permission to have the guards conduct a thorough search of the entire mansion."
Wei Rong was taken aback. "Wh… What…?"
"Grandmother, this is the only way," Li Jin pressed step by step, leaving Wei Rong no room to retreat. "After all, everyone is now gathered in Second Brother’s courtyard. Conducting a search of the mansion at this time might indeed uncover something. I beg you, Grandmother, do not let Second Brother die with injustice unresolved."
Wei Rong, momentarily at a loss, found herself swayed by his words. "Very well... proceed as you suggest..."
Oh no, they must not search. I still have the leftover deadly nightshade in my room.
Zhou Xiaoru was instantly terrified by Wei Rong’s words, her face turning pale.
However, she quickly composed herself, planning to slip away unnoticed and destroy the deadly nightshade in her room.
"Ah, so Concubine Zhou is here too," Li Jin suddenly called out to Zhou Xiaoru. "But after all these years without seeing you, Concubine Zhou remains just as before—truly ‘nostalgic.’"
With Li Jin’s call, Zhou Xiaoru instantly became the center of attention, making it impossible for her to leave without arousing suspicion.
Zhou Xiaoru forced herself to say, "Your Highness, did we not just meet earlier today?"
Li Jin replied, "Precisely because we met earlier today, I find it nostalgic."
"Oh… I see…" Zhou Xiaoru’s back went rigid, as if she could feel the gaze of a fierce beast fixed upon her.
Does he know?
Impossible. I acted so covertly; he couldn’t possibly know the deadly nightshade was my doing. Right, this must merely be a coincidence.
Beside them, Wei Shiwan narrowed her eyes slightly, contemplatively observing Zhou Xiaoru.
Why is Zhou Xiaoru here? Could she be involved in Shen’er’s death?
Others might not suspect, but Wei Shiwan, who had contended with Zhou Xiaoru for nearly half a lifetime, was different. Or rather, from the moment Li Jin suddenly called out to Zhou Xiaoru, Wei Shiwan had already begun to suspect her.
Seeing Zhou Xiaoru, Wei Rong’s expression immediately darkened. "Why are you here? Did I not order you to reflect behind closed doors?"
Hearing Wei Rong’s question, Zhou Xiaoru awkwardly replied, "Dowager Lady, this humble concubine heard about Second Young Master’s incident and rushed over in haste, forgetting that I was supposed to be reflecting."
Upon hearing this, Wei Rong’s expression grew even more unpleasant. "Hmph, how peculiar. Since Shen’er fell ill, you haven’t visited even once, have you?"
"This humble concubine knows her status is lowly—how could I dare to sully Second Young Master’s eyes?"
Having said this, Zhou Xiaoru’s eyes instantly reddened.
"Enough," Wei Rong said with disgust. "Since you are here, stay put and behave. If any further mishap occurs, it will not be as simple as reflection behind closed doors."
Zhou Xiaoru lowered her head and curtsied to Wei Rong. "Yes… this humble concubine thanks the Dowager Lady for allowing me to stay."
Little did she know, Zhou Xiaoru now felt like lashing out.
What on earth is this old hag up to? Doesn’t she usually despise my presence, always driving me away? Why is she letting me stay this time?
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