Between the two?
Concubine Xiao, who was sitting on the chaise longue, smiled, revealing a mysterious and profound meaning.
Ji Yunshu was about to salute when Concubine Xiao raised her hand.
"There is no need. I have summoned Teacher Ji into the palace. You are my honored guest."
"This commoner's life is cheap and cannot bear the word 'honored'."
Concubine Xiao didn't say anything. She gently raised her jade-like hands and glanced at the chair next to her.
"Teacher, please sit."
"Many thanks, Your Ladyship."
Ji Yunshu slowly walked to the side and sat down. Her expression was respectful, but her heart was cold.
Concubine Xiao's lips curled into a smile. She looked at Ji Yunshu and asked, "Teacher Ji is a smart person. That day, you were able to use the missing girls case to make the Emperor agree to open the coffins of the Imperial Duke. This made me admire you very much. Since you are so smart, I presume you know the reason why I summoned you into the palace today?"
She was a straightforward person!
She didn't beat around the bush.
Ji Yunshu replied indifferently, "Your Ladyship has summoned me.
Even if you have other intentions, this commoner doesn't dare to make wild guesses. "
"No matter. Why don't you make a guess?"
"This commoner doesn't dare to make wild guesses about Your Ladyship's intentions. I hope Your Ladyship can clarify."
Since Concubine Xiao was playing dumb with her, she would return the favor with an eye for an eye.
She knew very well that if she guessed correctly, she would have to follow Concubine Xiao's lead and help her. If she guessed incorrectly, it would seem that she was deliberately doing it. It would clearly show that she wouldn't stand on Concubine Xiao's side. Then, it would be equivalent to becoming a target for her to hunt!
Choosing one of the two was a dead end!
It was better not to guess!
Concubine Xiao was a smart person. She knew that Ji Yunshu had seen through her little scheme and simply smiled.
"Forget it. Since Teacher doesn't want to guess, I won't make things difficult for you. In fact, I summoned you to the palace to ask about the missing girls case."
Lies!
Ji Yunshu didn't expose her and honestly replied, "To be honest, Your Ladyship, there is currently no progress on the missing girls case."
"No?" Concubine Xiao was secretly delighted, but she didn't forget to raise her eyebrows and ask, "However, I heard that in the past two days, a corpse related to the missing persons case was found on Mount Liang. Moreover, both her hands were chopped off and the skin on her face was pulled off. Teacher also went to take a look. I heard that Teacher drew a portrait and learned that the deceased was Old General Li's granddaughter?"
"Yes."
"Then … apart from knowing the identity of the deceased, is there nothing else?"
"The trail has been cut off. There's no way to investigate."
Ji Yunshu answered honestly. She didn't need to hide any of this.
After all, to Concubine Xiao, not being able to find any clues in the missing girls case was exactly what she wanted.
Concubine Xiao purposely revealed a disappointed expression with a hint of sadness. She let out a light sigh.
He said, "This case has been dragged on for so long. Innocent women have disappeared one after another. Perhaps they have all been killed like Old General Li's granddaughter."
He let out a deep sigh!
This woman's pretense really made Ji Yunshu feel disgusted.
However, she still swallowed the nausea.
"Your Ladyship's concern for this case is a blessing for the common people. This commoner will naturally do his best."
"It's good that Teacher Ji is confident."
After she finished speaking, Concubine Xiao signaled a palace maid to the side with her eyes.
The palace maid came forward with a very exquisite brocade box and placed it on the small table beside Ji Yunshu. She then carefully opened it.
What entered her eyes was a very exquisite Hainan pearl.
"This Hainan pearl was bestowed to me by the Emperor a few years ago. Although I like it very much, I thought that Teacher's belt just happened to be lacking one. It would be better to give it to Teacher."
'How generous!'
Ji Yunshu didn't show any signs of liking, nor did she have any intention to refuse. She just reached out and gently pressed the lid of the brocade box with her fingertips.
She closed the box.
Concubine Xiao was puzzled. "Could it be that Teacher Ji doesn't like it?"
"Your Ladyship's gift is indeed exquisite and precious, but this commoner is used to wearing plain robes. If I wear such an expensive item on my belt, I'm really not used to it."
"Oh? Since Teacher Ji doesn't like the Hainan pearl, I have something else. "
The palace maid understood and handed over another scroll.
She spread it out in front of her.
Colorful plum blossoms appeared on the scroll. It was more than a meter long, and there was a large patch of plum blossoms painted on it. The faint red hue made people feel very comfortable. Moreover, the plum blossoms were arranged in a picturesque manner. They could be tight or loose at will. When one looked at them, they didn't feel like there were too many of them.
Ji Yunshu had to admit that her heart was moved.
Concubine Xiao extended her slender index finger and pointed at a seal on the painting from afar.
She explained, "Does Teacher Ji recognize this seal?"
She took a look and saw that it was a painting by the number one painter of the Great Lin, Bai Que.
"I recognize it. It's Teacher Bai's." She nodded.
"Teacher Bai's painting skills can be said to be number one in the entire Great Lin. No one can surpass him. This' Plum Blossom Garden 'is the painting he is most proud of in his life. It was inadvertently obtained by this Imperial Concubine. This Imperial Concubine naturally needs someone who knows how to appreciate it. This Imperial Concubine knows that Teacher Ji also likes to paint and is also very talented. How about this Imperial Concubine give this painting to Teacher Ji?" “
Ji Yunshu had to admit that she really wanted to accept this generous gift.
However, she knew that once she accepted it, she would be standing in Concubine Xiao's camp and would be giving up on helping Jing Rong investigate the 'Lin Capital Case'.
A trace of coldness appeared in the depths of her eyes, but she quickly concealed her own feelings.
She smiled.
… …
Jing Xuan lifted the hem of her new dress and combed her hair into a beautiful bun. She hurriedly rushed towards the direction of the main hall.
There were several palace maids following behind her, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't catch up to her.
When she reached the entrance of the main hall, she was filled with joy and prepared to rush in. However, she was stopped by a eunuch.
"Your Highness, Her Ladyship is meeting with Teacher Ji inside. She has ordered that no one is to disturb her."
"Impudent! Do you want to stop this Princess?"
"This servant doesn't dare."
"Then get lost."
The eunuch didn't dare to stop her. He could only shudder and move to the side.
Jing Xuan snorted and went inside while holding the hem of her dress.
She happened to see Ji Yunshu sitting on a chair, her gaze fixed on that alluring painting.
Her mother, on the other hand, was looking at Ji Yunshu with a probing gaze.
On the other side, inside Fuyang Hall.
Qi Zhen's emperor sat in front of a table. His expression was solemn and worried, as if he was worried about the country and its people. On the table in front of him was a stack of memorials.
In the center of the hall, in the front row, from left to right, stood Jing Yi, Jing Hua, and Jing Rong.
Behind the three of them stood several ministers.
Behind the ministers stood several younger civil officials. One of them was Shen Zhangqin, the son of the Minister of Rites. Half a year ago, his father recommended him to be the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites.
Shen Zhangqin was Ji Wanxin's future husband.
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