Bone Painting Coroner

The men were obviously afraid to move forward. When they saw the jade pendant, their jaws dropped.

Ji Yunshu did not show even a hint of fear or shock even with so many sharp swords pointing at her. She had arrived with the determination to succeed or die. Of course, she was making a gamble. She bet her life that they would not kill her when she displayed the jade pendant. Evidently, she actually won the gamble.

She held the jade pendant firmly in her hand. With a steadfast gaze, she held her head high and stuck her chest out as she strutted through the main gate of the Si Residence. At the same time, the men automatically moved to the side and made way for her.

The sounds of metal boots thumping against the floor, armor clanking as they brushed against each other, and swords swishing through the air accompanied Ji Yunshu as she entered the spacious courtyard of the Si Residence.

Three men were standing at the center of the yard, namely Wen Panshi, Lin Feng, and unexpectedly... Zhao Huai!

Standing at the center of the courtyard, she studied the three men, before she gaze finally locked eyes with Wen Panshi.

Wen Panshi wore a stony expression, nothing like the amiable old man she previously met at the Wen Residence. He glanced at the jade pendant in Ji Yunshu's hand and a hint of terror flashed across his eyes. Then, he glared at the soldiers who were pointing their swords at Ji Yunshu, and commanded, “Put down your swords!”

At the order, the soldiers immediately kept their swords back into their scabbards and took a few steps backward.

Wen Panshi walked toward Ji Yunshu and stopped before her. In an instant, the fierceness in his eyes disappeared. He cupped his hands and bowed deeply. “This humble one greets the Little Heir.”

Immediately, Zhao Huai and Lin Feng followed suit, bowing, “This humble one greets the Little Heir.”

Everyone present dropped to a knee and echoed, “This humble one greets Your Highness.” Their voices resonated across the hall, ringing as loud as a great bell.

Ji Yunshu stared at these men. She did not feel a single shred of joy whatsoever to be honored as their ruler and master. Instead, her heart twisted tightly in pain. She wrapped the jade pendant in her palm and tossed it at Wen Panshi. “Is it worth it to sacrifice so many men just for this?” Her voice was quivering.

With an unwavering gaze, Wen Panshi answered, “Yes!” His answer was succinct, and his stance was firm.

Ji Yunshu let out a condescending sneer before she asked bitterly, “Is that why you want to kill him?”

“He has to die.”

He has to? That's absurd!

Teeth clenched, she took a deep breath. “Release him!” she ordered, not allowing any bargaining.

“No way!” Wen Panshi refused.

“Fine!” Eyes narrowed, Ji Yunshu took out a dagger and placed it against her own neck.

“Little Heir!” Wen Panshi paled, shocked by what he just witnessed. All the other men around them were similarly aghast.

Ji Yunshu lifted her chin, “I’ll say it again. Release him.”

Lin Feng stepped forward, “Your Highness, that despotic emperor caused many men to die at the residence of the Imperial Duke. That's why his son must die, and you shouldn't feel sorry for him.”

“Whatever your plan is, if he dies, I'll die too.”

“Little Heir…”

“So, are you going to release him or not?”

Wen Panshi remained silent.

Ji Yunshu exerted a little force, and pressed the dagger harder onto her skin. Immediately, a cut opened on her neck and blood started dripping out. Wen Panshi was horrified and was obviously beginning to relent.

At that moment, Ji Yunshu took a step backward and put her dagger away. Then, she ran toward the backyard. The other men quickly followed behind her.

Jing Rong was sitting tranquilly in the backyard. An unfathomable smile was painted across his face, as if he had long expected the commotion in the hall to happen.

Wen Xian, who sat across from Jing Rong, rose to his feet and flung his sleeves forcefully.“Your Highness, you can't blame us for not showing you any mercy. We had been waiting for this day to come for the past fourteen years.”

Jing Rong asked, “The residence of the Imperial Duke was burned down fourteen years ago and no one knew what actually happened that night. How are you so certain that the emperor ordered the arson. Do you have evidence?”

“Firstly, there was the late emperor who brutally killed Marquis Chao, his biological brother, in order to secure his throne. Then, Qi Zhen Emperor followed suit and killed his brother as well. These are facts that you can't deny.”

“That's ridiculous.” Violently, Jing Rong thumped the table with the teacup in his hand. He stood up, and scanned the besieged courtyard and sneered. “No one knows what actually happened back then. Since you worked for the late Imperial Duke, you should investigate clearly to discover the truth instead of relying on a hasty generalization. Moreover, Lord Qin Shiyu’s appeal to the Imperial Court to reopen the case has been approved by the Emperor. Don't you know that someone has already been assigned investigate the case?”

“Of course we know that!” We also know that Teacher Ji, the man who is in charge of this case, is the Little Heir of the Imperial Duke!

Jing Rong continued, “Since you have already learned about it, you should understand that we are not far away from the truth. You have spent fourteen years waiting for revenge, it shouldn't be an issue for you to wait for a couple more days, right?”

“There's no need for investigation. It's obvious that Qi Zhen Emperor, your Imperial Father, ordered the extermination of all men who worked for the Imperial Duke. He is a fatuous ruler!”

Jing Rong sighed lightly, knowing that there was no point talking logically with people like this.

Wen Xian continued, “The damned emperor thought that he could secure his throne after he killed the Imperial Duke. Dream on! He never knew that, twenty years ago, the army of a hundred thousand men who pledged loyalty to the Imperial Duke had already been secretly hidden at locations all over Great Lin, hiding their identity. Neither could he imagine that the newborn Little Heir of the Imperial Duke was secretly smuggled out of the residence. That was a contingency plan, so that if anything happened to the Imperial Duke, we would still be able to find his heir and obtain the tiger military seal. With that, we can summon the troops, storm the capital, and kill the damned emperor to avenge the Imperial Duke's death.” His words are harsh and filled with killing intent. .

Jing Rong was taken aback. “The heir of the Imperial Duke?” Why did I not know that the Imperial Duke has a son?

Ah! “Third Madam?” Then, the realization hit Jing Rong and his brows smoothed out. “So that means that you have found the heir of the Imperial Duke?”

“That's right.”

“Who is he?”

Wen Xian chuckled.

Before he could respond to Jing Rong's question, an unexpected flurry of footsteps resonated across the corridor. A large group of men squeezed themselves into the courtyard. Standing in the front them was none other than Ji Yunshu.

Yes, she had entered without suffering any injuries at all. The men behind her didn’t even dare to stand too close to her. When Jing Rong exchanged looks with Ji Yunshu, he immediately grasped the situation. He left the room, and walked toward her. He knew that she was definitely not the heir of the Imperial Duke. But… she surely knew something about this!

Was it something to do with Old General Li? That jade pendant?

How many more secrets are she hiding from me?

“Release him,” Ji Yunshu told Wen Panshi.

Wen Panshi responded, “I must to kill him.”

Subsequently, she brought out the same dagger and brought it towards her neck, threatening, “I repeat, if you don't let him go, my dead body will be lying next to his.”

Much to her surprise, someone reached from behind and slapped her arm forward before the dagger could touch her neck again. A sharp pain seized her elbow and loosened her grasp on the dagger, dropping it to the ground. Someone also grabbed her from behind and pulled her backward. She was completely handicapped.

At that moment, Wen Panshi lifted his hand and waved it forward. He ordered, “Kill them!”

The archers on the roof pulled their bowstrings, aiming it at Jing Rong, Shi Ziran and the rest of their group.

Ji Yunshu widened her eyes and stared at Jing Rong, who was looking back at her without any intention of fighting. Just when the archers were about to release their bowstrings, Ji Yunshu cried in desperation, “No!”