Chapter 18 – This Prince is Not Picky!
“What does your Highness mean by that?” Ji Yunshu replied with a question of her own.
“If you didn’t discover anything, then why do you want to stay here?” Jing Rong completely saw through her. He continued, “You should believe in me. Maybe I can be your assistant.”
Although Jing Rong was not someone Ji Yunshu was fond of, she did need an assistant at the moment.
Since it was like that, she might as well be content with this one. “Since your Highness has spoken and this was exactly what I needed, I would like to request your Highness to help me with something.”
“Explain yourself.”
“There is no rush. Let’s wait until tonight to talk.” She raised her eyebrows and left him hanging. She turned her attention to the food in front of her, picking up her bowl and chopsticks. “Even though the Zhou family is in mourning, they still sent us such a lavish meal. Their treatment of guests is pretty good.”
Jing Rong, who was sitting next to her, was making a face. He lightly stated, “I’m not hungry.”
Without hurrying, Ji Yunshu put a piece of meat in her mouth before she added, “Well, the food here can’t be compared with the fine delicacies at the Rong Estate. It’s inevitable that your Highness is not used to the taste.”
When her words came out, Jing Rong ‘s expression sank.
“This prince has eaten wild herbs in the mountains. I’m afraid that I have experienced such meals more often than Teacher Ji has eaten salt.”
“Your Highness really can joke.”
He was a prince. Who would believe that he regularly ate mountain herbs?
Jing Rong’s face was grim as he glared at her, “The Great Lin dynasty encompasses Nanjiang to the south and Beiliang to the north. I’ve passed through more than a hundred and eight regions as I made my way from the south to the north. I’ve stayed in small villages deep in the mountains and remote shacks in the middle of nowhere. If everywhere I went there were delicacies, would there be a need for the people of our Great Lin dynasty to starve or freeze to death?”
Ji Yunshu’s hand froze as he recaptured her attention. She looked at him curiously. “You travelled to so many places?”
“This is not the main point.”
“Then, what’s the main point?”
Jing Rong glared at her. “All of this was mainly to inform you that I am not picky!”
How embarrassing! ‘If you don’t want to eat then don’t eat.’ Ji Yunshu was hungry, so she continued to eat her meal with relish.
Jing Rong’s mutters floated into her ears. “Thoughtless, he can actually still eat so soon after.”
Yeah! Who in the world would be in the mood to eat a good meal less than two hours after examining a corpse? Only Ji Yunshu would be in the mood.
After eating her fill, she rested until the sky gradually turned dark.
“Your Highness, didn’t you want to help me? Let’s go.”
As soon as she spoke, she got to her feet and walked outside.
Jing Rong was puzzled, but he still followed after her.
Not too long after, they reached their destination: the attic where Miss Zhou had apparently fallen from. There were still several lanterns hung on the corner, illuminating the vicinity, giving the place a gentle and charming view.
Ji Yunshu had always loved lanterns of ancient times, thus she spent some time admiring them. She recovered her mind only after Jing Rong patted her.
“Are we coming here to admire lanterns?”
“It’s to investigate the case.”
Brought back to earth, she retracted her gaze from the lanterns.
Jing Rong appeared to guess her intention, so he said, “Are you suspecting that there was someone hiding in the attic at the time of the victim’s fall?”
“It looks like your Highness is very sharp.”
“Of course.”
Ji Yunshu did not explain further and walked around the attic.
The attic was, in fact, a tall but not big pavilion. There were no partitioned rooms inside, instead filled with mahogany railings and benches. If there was someone hidden inside the attic, it would be obvious to see.
Apart from the furniture, there was nothing else.
No matter how much Yunshu looked, she could not find a place that could hide anyone.
Lost in her thoughts, she absentmindedly turned around and knocked her forehead against a sturdy chest. The collision caused her a lot of pain!
Ji Yunshu subconsciously put her hand to her forehead and frowned. She stayed silent but glared at Jing Rong who was rubbing his chest, feeling dissatisfied.
“Why did you suddenly turn around without a warning? My chest is not a pillow. If you bump into it like that it would break.”
“Then why was your Highness standing behind me without a sound?”
Jing Rong frowned. “Are you saying that I need to tell you where I want to go?”
Ji Yunshu clamped her mouth. ‘Then, you’re telling me that I should schedule with you when I’m going to turn around?’ Of course, she could not speak those words aloud, but it did not douse the flames of anger burning in her heart. He was a prince and whatever he said was reasonable. As for her, she was just an insignificant painter. How could she dare to argue with him?
She might as well just let it be…
“Everything is my fault!”
She did not feel like arguing, so she moved around him and was about to walk in another direction.
But, who knew that as soon as she passed by him, two big hands would seize her waist and pull her back. She lost her balance, directly slamming into Jing Rong’s chest. By the time her body fell, his hands were tightly holding her waist. Thus, for all intents and purposes, she’d fallen into his embrace!
Two grown “men” were holding onto each other in such a way… Under the light breeze, the lanterns gently swayed while the light flickered, projecting their tall and short shadows on the wooden floor.
Such a beautiful scene to behold!