Li Fuqing was already advanced in years. After having his tendons severed, he didn’t even let out a single scream before immediately fainting from the pain.
Jiang Suihuan was momentarily stunned. This was the first time she had seen Gu Jin injure someone. Not only were his movements swift and precise, but he didn’t even blink, his expression so calm it seemed as if he had just chopped a radish rather than a person.
Gu Jin glanced sideways at her, noticing her dazed expression as if lost in thought. Assuming she was frightened by the bloody scene, his tone unconsciously softened. “Scared?”
Jiang Suihuan shook her head. As a doctor, she had witnessed scenes far more gruesome than this—fear was out of the question.
If it wasn’t the bloody scene that scared her, then was it him? Gu Jin’s gaze gradually turned cold.
Since meeting her, some of her actions had struck him as novel and amusing, which was why he had repeatedly helped her. He never expected her to be like those people in Jingcheng, so easily intimidated by him.
Unaware of Gu Jin’s thoughts, Jiang Suihuan was inwardly marveling at how decisively Gu Jin dealt with villains. No wonder Jingcheng was rife with rumors of his ruthless efficiency.
Just then, a student rushed forward and spat on Li Fuqing lying on the ground. “Disgusting! I thought you were a decent teacher, but I never imagined your character was so vile!”
Other students followed suit, all crowding around to curse Li Fuqing vehemently. One particularly impassioned student even picked up a bench, intending to smash it down on Li Fuqing, but was stopped by the guards.
“Fuqing Academy will suspend classes for now, pending the investigation of Li Fuqing.”
With that, Gu Jin ordered the guards to escort the students out.
When the guards moved to take both Li Fuqing and Li Xueming away, Jiang Suihuan hurriedly intervened. “Why are you taking Li Xueming? He’s the victim!”
“He’s also a witness,” Gu Jin stated sternly.
“My apologies, I misunderstood,” Jiang Suihuan said with an embarrassed smile.
Ignoring her, Gu Jin turned and walked away.
Still unaware of the change in his demeanor, Jiang Suihuan chased after him. “Prince, thank you for your help today. It’s already dusk—allow me to treat you to dinner at Yuefang Lou.”
“Miss Jiang, I have fulfilled my promise to you. Our transaction ends here,” Gu Jin replied distantly, his tone as cold as winter ice.
Jiang Suihuan opened her mouth slightly, confused by his sudden change in attitude, and murmured, “I thought we had become friends.”
Gu Jin paused briefly, his voice indifferent. “This prince has no need for friends.”
Without looking back, he departed.
Standing alone, Jiang Suihuan sighed softly. The connections between people were always unpredictable—if they couldn’t be friends, so be it.
Since Li Fuqing had been apprehended personally by Gu Jin, news of the incident quickly spread throughout Jingcheng. Upon learning of it, the Emperor was furious and ordered the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to conclude the case within three days.
Three days later, the truth came to light. Li Fuqing, envious of Li Xueming’s grandfather’s family, had spent a fortune to hire a rogue poisoner to craft a toxic wooden bench. He then gifted it to Li Xueming’s grandfather, causing three generations of the family to succumb to poisoning, leaving Li Xueming as the sole survivor.
Li Fuqing was sentenced to execution in five days, and the Fuqing Academy he founded was transferred to Li Xueming—a outcome that brought public satisfaction.
As for the poisoner who crafted the toxic bench, he fled upon learning of Li Fuqing’s arrest.
After the case was closed, Li Xueming specially visited the Houfu to thank Jiang Suihuan. He appeared much healthier and was no longer coughing.
Upon seeing Jiang Suihuan, he dropped to his knees and said, “Thank you, Miss Jiang, for uncovering the truth and saving my life.”
“What are you doing? Get up quickly.” Jiang Suihuan hurriedly helped him to his feet. “This was our agreement—I help you find the truth, and you sell me the house at a lower price. There’s no need for special thanks.”
“If not for Miss Jiang’s help, I might have lost my life and never known that Li Fuqing was the one who murdered my entire family.”
Li Xueming pulled a stack of papers from his robe and pressed them into Jiang Suihuan’s hands. “I’m giving you the house. These are the land and property deeds.”
Jiang Suihuan flusteredly refused, “No, no, I can’t accept this. I wouldn’t feel right taking it without paying a single coin.”
After much back-and-forth, Li Xueming finally sold the house to Jiang Suihuan for two hundred thousand taels—forty thousand less than their original agreement.
Jiang Suihuan carefully stored the deeds and asked, “Now that you’ve sold me the house, where will you live?”
“Thank you for your concern, Miss Jiang. Fuqing Academy now belongs to me, so I can reside there.”
“That’s good.” Jiang Suihuan handed Li Xueming some medicine. “Finish this course, and you won’t need any more medication. Focus on eating well to rebuild your health.”
Before leaving, Li Xueming bowed deeply. “I will never forget your life-saving grace, Miss Jiang. Should you ever need assistance, you can always come to me.”
“Alright.”
The day after purchasing the house, Jiang Suihuan moved in with Ying Tao. She had few belongings from the Houfu, filling only three trunks.
The Houye and Hou Furen did not stop or obstruct but offered a few words of caution, advising Jiang Suihuan not to cause trouble.
Jiang Suihuan let their words go in one ear and out the other, promptly forgetting them.
On the day Li Fuqing was beheaded, Jiang Suihuan was weeding the backyard. Li Xueming’s illness had left him too weak to tend to the overgrown weeds, which had become quite troublesome.
Wearing a straw hat and coarse clothing, she and Ying Tao worked busily in the backyard.
Ying Tao couldn’t bear to see her labor and pointed outside, saying, “Miss, aren’t you going to watch the execution? It’s so lively.”
She shook her head. “I don’t like watching such things.”
Just as Ying Tao was racking her brains for another excuse to coax Jiang Suihuan away, a child’s cries suddenly came from beyond the wall: “Mother, what’s wrong? Wake up, please!”
Jiang Suihuan and Ying Tao exchanged glances, set down their weeding tools, and said, “Let’s go see what’s happening.”
Outside the wall, they found a woman lying on the ground, with a young boy weeping bitterly over her—apparently mother and son.
As Jiang Suihuan approached, the boy clung to her legs like a lifeline. “Sister, please save my mother.”
“What happened to her?” she asked, crouching down with concern.
“I don’t know. We were walking here when she suddenly collapsed and won’t wake up.” The boy sobbed, tightening his grip on Jiang Suihuan’s legs.
Just as Jiang Suihuan reached to check the woman’s pulse, the woman’s eyes snapped open, and she flung a handful of white powder into Jiang Suihuan’s face. Caught off guard, Jiang Suihuan inhaled some of the powder.
The next moment, the world spun around her.
Jiang Suihuan’s body went limp as she collapsed to the ground, her consciousness gradually fading. She watched helplessly as the pitiful-looking little boy revealed a sinister grin and knocked Ying Tao unconscious.
In the last second before she blacked out, only four words echoed in her mind: “Damn, I’ve been tricked!”