Ji Xingxuan brought Jing Chen to the Ji family and settled him in the living room of the front courtyard. She said, "Wait here for a moment. I will go ask Grandfather to see if there is any news of Yu Shu."
Jing Chen nodded but did not sit down. Instead, he held his sword and stood at the door of the living room.
Ji Xingxuan knew that he was a Daoist and did not stand on ceremony. She left with her maidservant and hurriedly went to the back. She called for a servant to go to the rear courtyard and invite Ji Huaishan over.
Not long after, Ji Huaishan rushed to the front courtyard and met up with Ji Xingxuan in the corridor. As soon as he saw her, he anxiously asked, "I heard the servants say that you brought someone back?"
Ji Xingxuan replied, "It is the Daoist that His Majesty is looking for."
Ji Huaishan was pleasantly surprised and waved his hand to dismiss the people around him. He asked in a low voice, "You went out this afternoon to look for someone. Why didn't you discuss this with me? Didn't you say that you would wait for Junior Supervisor Ren to send someone to look for him? Why did you bring him back?"
Ji Xingxuan first told Ji Huaishan how she brought Jing Chen back. Then, she told him what she was thinking, "Grandson only wanted to go and investigate. After seeing the Daoist, I reported my family name. From his attitude, it seems that he is dissatisfied with the Ji family. It must be because of Yu Shu. Grandson thinks that since there is no way to resolve this peacefully, rather than letting Junior Supervisor Ren find out the Daoist's whereabouts from Yu Shu, why don't Grandfather personally bring him to Senior Supervisor Ren? It will be beneficial."
Ji Huaishan stroked his beard and his eyes flashed. He said, "This is good. However, you are tricking him to come back. From his appearance, he doesn't seem to know anything. How should we bring him to Celestial Commissioner? You can't force him."
"Just tell him the truth. That's it." Ji Xingxuan's expression did not change. She covered her mouth with one hand and muttered.
Ji Huaishan nodded repeatedly as he listened. Finally, he smiled and said, "My granddaughter is still the most sensitive. Let's go and meet this Daoist with grandfather."
The grandfather and grandson turned to the front hall. Jing Chen was standing at the door, looking up at the stars in the night sky. Hearing footsteps, he saw an old man and a young man coming from the left corridor. They stopped in front of him. The old man was about to speak, but when he saw Jing Chen, his face suddenly changed and he stared at him.
Ji Xingxuan stepped forward and supported the old man.
"Grandfather, what's wrong? This young master said that he saw Miss Yu today. Didn't you have something to ask him?"
However, Ji Huaishan ignored him. He stared at Jing Chen and said excitedly, "May I ask if you are the descendant of Yunhua Yi Zi!?"
Jing Chen was shocked to be exposed by the old man in front of him. However, he remembered Yu Shu's reminder and did not respond. Instead, he frowned and said, "You've got the wrong person. I'm here to look for someone. Do you know where Yu Shu is now? "
"That's impossible. You're clearly the same as the one in the portrait." Ji Huaishan had a look of disbelief. He turned his head and ordered the steward, "Go and bring me the announcement on the table in my study."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Ji Xingxuan had a puzzled expression and said doubtfully, "Grandfather, what's wrong with you? This young master is Yu Shu's friend. How did he become the descendant of Yunhua Yi Zi?"
Ji Huaishan shook his head and ignored her. He cupped his hands at Jing Chen and said, "Young Master, please don't be impatient. Let this old man verify something and then tell me where Yu Shu is."
Jing Chen looked at the grandfather and grandson in front of him. He was puzzled and nodded.
A moment later, the steward ran back with a scroll and gave it to Ji Huaishan. He handed it to Jing Chen, "Young Master, look. This is the announcement that the emperor ordered to be posted in the city this morning."
Jing Chen took it in his hands and looked at it. He saw the portrait and the document and suddenly realized that the imperial family had ordered to find him. No wonder he had never seen the old man in front of him, but the other party recognized him.
Then, a servant was brought in front of them. Ji Huaishan pointed at Jing Chen and asked, "Lai San, you said that you saw Miss Yu and the person in the portrait together. Are you talking about this young master?"
The servant with small eyes looked at Jing Chen and nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, it's him. Last year in the twelfth month, when I went to the south of the city to visit the bride, I saw this young master together with Miss Yu who is currently living in our estate."
When Jing Chen heard this, he seemed to understand something and raised his head to look at Ji Huaishan. However, before he could ask, Ji Huaishan sighed and then cupped his hands at Jing Chen and said, "This old man is the Celestial Commissioner, Right Magistrate Ji Huaishan. May I ask if Young Master is a cultivator from Mount Longhu? If you are, then you are undoubtedly the descendant of Master Yi that the emperor has ordered to find. To tell you the truth, His Majesty is in a hurry to summon you back to the imperial court. Everyone in the Imperial Astronomer's Office has received the order. Because this old servant was certain that he had seen you and Yu Shu together, I was unable to find her. In a moment of desperation, I went to the Imperial Astronomer's Office during the day and reported to my superior. Presumably, that child Yu Shu has already been brought to the Imperial Astronomer's Office for interrogation.
Jing Chen was shocked, but then he heard Ji Xingxuan say in surprise, "Grandfather, why is it like this? Didn't you say that you sent someone to find Miss Yu, but there was no news?"
Ji Huaishan sighed, "How can this old man tell a child about such an important matter?" Then he said to Jing Chen with a complicated expression, "If Daozi is worried about Miss Yu, then come with this old man to the Celestial Commissioner's residence. There's no time to lose. I'm afraid that if we're late, Miss Yu will suffer."
Since Jing Chen knew where Yu Shu had gone, he didn't have the heart to think about other things. He was only worried about her safety. He was afraid that she would refuse to tell if someone asked about his whereabouts. He made a prompt decision and decided to go with Ji Huaishan to the Celestial Commissioner's residence. He didn't care about exposing his whereabouts at this time and what danger it would bring.
"I came from Mount Longhu. Quickly lead the way and take me to the Celestial Commissioner's residence."
Hearing this, the grandfather and grandson duo's hearts sank. This was exactly what they had discussed in the back garden. Since they couldn't win Daozi's favor, they also couldn't let him blame their family later. At the very least, they had to get rid of one person, and that person was Ji Xingxuan.
The inner room of the Celestial Commissioner's residence was lit by candles. Yu Shu was lying on the ground, gasping for air. Her forehead was pressed against the cold floor, and cold sweat had soaked the back of her clothes. All of her senses were focused on the broken little finger on her left hand. Her mind was blank and her ears were ringing. Then, she heard an ice-cold voice, "I'll ask you again. Do you recognize the person in this portrait?"
"I do …" She almost subconsciously wanted to answer, but then she came back to her senses and abruptly changed her words. She gritted her teeth and replied in a trembling voice, "No, I don't."
Recognize your uncle!
Ren Qiming's eyes narrowed. He didn't have the heart to praise this woman's backbone. He was about to let the attendant break another bone in her hand to see how stubborn she was, when he heard a report from outside the door. "Daren, the Ninth Prince, Young Master Rui, and the young master of the Xue family ask for an audience. They say they have the whereabouts of Daozi."
Hearing this, Ren Qiming turned his head to look outside the door. He had a surprised expression on his face. He then glanced at Yu Shu who was kneeling on the ground and said, "Invite them in."
Yu Shu was suffering from the pain of her broken fingers. Her ears were ringing and she didn't hear the announcement. She didn't know that the people who came at this time were just in time, so she was lucky enough not to have another broken finger.
Xue Rui, Liu Tan, and Rui Lin were invited in. At first glance, the first thing Xue Rui saw was a figure kneeling on the ground. Her clothes were messy and her upper body was drenched. His body stiffened and he tried to resist the urge to go forward to check on her condition. He secretly clenched his fist and shifted his gaze to the man behind the Evil Warding Case. Rui Lin raised his hand to salute and said in a low voice, "This lowly official greets the Junior Supervisor."
This was the Celestial Commissioner's Ren Qiming. Even his grandfather had to give him some face in front of him. As a junior, he couldn't be disrespectful.
When Ren Qiming saw Liu Tan, he stood up and raised his hand to salute, "Greetings, Your Highness."
"Sir Ren, you may rise."
Liu Tan and Rui Lin were both temporarily pulled here by Xue Rui as reinforcements. On the way, they had heard Xue Rui's explanation. When they saw the scene in front of them, they knew who the person kneeling on the ground was. They weren't confused.
Rui Lin immediately smiled and said, "Brother-in-law, why has your place become a yamen? Do you still need to interrogate criminals?"
From the way he addressed him, it was obvious that Young Lord Rui was Ren Qiming's brother-in-law. If there were people in Anling City who weren't afraid of Junior Supervisor Ren's cold face, he was one of them.
Ren Qiming ignored him, but his expression softened a little. He turned to Liu Tan and Xue Rui and said, "Your Highness and Mr. Xue have the whereabouts of Daozi?"
Liu Tan said, "It was my cousin who came to find me. He said that he had news of Master Uncle. Coincidentally, I was with Rui Lin, so we came together. Let him tell Sir … Brother Rui?"
When the tinnitus in Yu Shu's ears subsided a little, she heard a few more voices in the building. They were vaguely familiar. She slowly turned her head and saw a few more pairs of boots on the ground. When she looked up, her vision gradually became clear. She was the first to recognize Xue Rui and was stunned on the spot.
Why is he here?
Before she could wrap her mind around it, she heard Xue Rui's voice, "Sir Ren, I have seen Daozi in person a month ago."
Ren Qiming looked serious and said, "Where did you see Daozi? Tell me in detail."
Xue Rui's eyes moved. He turned to look at Yu Shu on the ground and said, "Sir, please untie her first."
Ren Qiming frowned. He looked at Xue Rui and then looked at Yu Shu. Since he knew that they knew each other, he thought that there must be some inside story. After hesitating for a moment, he waved his hand and said, "Release her."
The attendant was about to untie Yu Shu, but Xue Rui was one step ahead of him. He went forward to help Yu Shu up from the ground and untied her wrists behind her back. As soon as he touched her wrists, he heard her gasp and tremble. He thought that she was injured and hurriedly checked. Soon, he found that one of her little fingers was broken and blood was squeezed together. It was mercilessly twisted.
It was a shocking sight. Xue Rui turned pale with fright. He couldn't care less about the anger in his heart. He hurriedly tore off a piece of his sleeve, put her against his chest, and held her finger. He felt her body tremble slightly and whispered in her ear, "Bear with it."
Yu Shu seemed to know what he was going to do. She leaned against him numbly. When she heard his voice, she felt a little relieved. The next moment, she felt a stinging pain in her brain. She clenched her teeth, trembled violently, and collapsed in his arms. Her eyes were wet with sweat.
Xue Rui pulled a long face as he straightened Yu Shu's broken little finger. He removed the hairpin from his head and stuck it on her wrist bone before he quickly wrapped it with a piece of cloth. He lowered his head to look at her ghastly pale complexion, her purple lips, and her sweaty face. He felt as if his chest had been hammered, and he also felt a little bitter.
Seeing the girl that he had been longing for suffer for another man again and again, this feeling was really not good.
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