The death of Zither Master Wu was the talk of the town. Most rumors circulated that he suffered a sudden stroke and died in a brothel, while others said that Yu Jiaonu slit his throat, his blood splattering everywhere...
Because he was a court musician, the Chang'an County only conducted a brief trial before transferring the case to the Capital Prefecture. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices attached great importance to the case and demanded that the Capital Prefecture severely punish the murderer.
Jin Shanyao learned about this from Lu Chi, and at the moment she was holding his son, staring at each other wide-eyed.
Jin Shanyao at her and said unkindly, "If you know what's good for you, obediently remove your foot from my face."
The baby grinned at her, its chubby body leaping upwards and then tilting back, its Xiao Pang foot kicking straight towards her mouth along the swaying chin of the Jin Shanyao. If she hadn't reacted quickly, that kick would probably have gone straight into her mouth.
"Shameless brat... you forced me to do this," Jin Shanyao's eyes flashed with evil light, and she swiftly pulled down his pants.
The little tree in my heart, hands on hips, burst into wild laughter, "Wow... hahaha... the thing humans fear most is having their pants pulled down! I'm going to fill your life with stains and malice..."
A series of baby laughs rang out, and Jin Shanyao lowered her head in disbelief.
In a flash, a Xiao Pang hand reached out towards Xiao Xiao right in front of her... Jin Shanyao's eyes widened in disbelief. "Pervert... Ahhhhh, Lu Chi actually gave birth to a little pervert!"
Jin Shanyao shoved the cub into Fu Congxi's arms with a backhand, saying awkwardly, "... Your son, you should hold him yourself."
Fu Congxi chuckled as he pulled up his son's pants. "I already said it was a boy... but you still insisted on verifying it yourself."
A sense of powerlessness Jin Shanyao. Was I trying to determine his gender? It was a tactic to threaten him, but it failed.
As expected... human babies are the most invincible.
As soon as Fu Congxi put his son on the kang (a heated brick bed), the little guy immediately got up and reached out to the Jin Shanyao.
Jin Shanyao instinctively wanted to dodge, but then stopped abruptly. She was afraid the child might lose his balance and fall off the bed. The little thing was so chubby and soft, it was like it had no bones. If it fell or bumped into something, it would be terrible.
The thought of how heartbroken Fu Congxi and Lu Chi would be if something were to happen to him made her afraid to move an inch.
Jin Shanyao thought to herself, "We're all perverts, who's afraid of who?" So she picked up the cub and warned, "Behave yourself, or if you dare kick me again, I'll..."
Forget it, pulling down my pants won't work anymore...
Fu Congxi and said, "Boss... you can just carry me horizontally."
Jin Shanyao a light snort, then picked him up horizontally. "If he dares to act like a scoundrel again, I'll make him lie face down and show him what true danger is..."
Footsteps sounded outside. "Wife, wife, I'm back. Did our son bother you?" As the voice faded, Lu Chi strode in.
Upon seeing Jin Shanyao, he paused slightly. "Boss, when did you get here? Why didn't you tell me?"
Jin Shanyao saw the little cub fidgeting with his clothes, so she held his little hands down to prevent him from getting a cold and diarrhea from exposing his belly. "The new walnuts are here this year, I'll bring you two baskets."
Lu Chi was immediately moved to tears, "Boss, you're so good to me..."
Jin Shanyao glanced at him leisurely, sighing silently in her heart... For some reason, the Lu Chi she saw was not the same person as the Lu Chi others saw.
Lu Chi reached out to hug his son, only to see the little guy tilt his head and bury it directly in Jin Shanyao's neck, while secretly glancing at him with his eyes.
Lu Chi winked at him, and the little guy giggled, drool smearing all over Jin Shanyao's neck.
Jin Shanyao frozen in place, wanting to pull him away but not daring to use force, she could only endure the wetness and softness all over her neck and keep taking deep breaths.
Fu Congxi smiled and took his son from him. "Why are you back so early today? Is the trial of Zither Master Wu finished?"
"No... Yu Jiaonu insists that she killed the person, but the fatal wound she described doesn't match, and the method of murder doesn't fit either. She's clearly lying, and the case has reached a stalemate."
Lu Chi walked to the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it all in one gulp. " Pure Joy Pavilion is now sealed off, and the case is still under investigation, but the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is pressing us very hard..."
Fu Congxi doubtfully, "There must be a motive for murder, right? Yu Jiaonu should also have a motive for taking the blame, shouldn't she? Did Zither Master Wu offend someone?"
Lu Chi moved a chair and sat down on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed). "As for motives, Yu Jiaonu's motives are the biggest. After she came of age, she followed Zither Master Wu Zither Master Wu, who was a pervert. He would beat Yu Jiaonu half to death every time..."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Jin Shanyao, and his eyes lit up instantly. "Boss?? I can't take the pressure anymore, can you help me?"
Jin Shanyao her eyes. "I'll raise your wife for you, fine."
Fu Congxi's eyes lit up slightly upon hearing this. "Boss... I can do it. If you agree, I'll take the child to the Anzhi Hall tonight."
Looking at the two women, Lu Chi's heart sank into an icy abyss, feeling utterly cold...
Seeing his pale face, Jin Shanyao comforted him, "Once something happens, it will leave traces. Since Zither Master Wu died in Yu Jiaonu's room, we should investigate her room. We should be able to find some clues."
Lu Chi stared at her speechlessly; wasn't that obvious?
Jin Shanyao noticed something was off about his eyes and was about to slap him when her legs suddenly went weak. Looking down, she saw the little guy clutching her clothes, huffing and puffing as he climbed up.
The Jin Shanyao supported his little bottom, and the cub nestled into her arms, then giggled at Lu Chi.
It was already dark when Jin Shanyao returned to the Anzhi Hall.
She walked around the yard with her hands behind her back, then asked in confusion, "An Zhi... hasn't An Ci come back yet?"
"No... This is already the third day. How can you work non-stop like this..." Meng Anzhi felt sorry for her younger brother. Before, he read and copied books for himself, but now, all the books he copied were from the Hanlin Academy.
Jin Shanyao her tongue twice, then patted Meng Anzhi's shoulder, "You're lucky, at least the shop is ours."
Meng Anzhi burst out laughing.
Nothing was said that night...
The next day, a series of urgent knocks sounded at the door. Zhou Xiaosi, wearing a coat, called out, "Coming, coming... Stop knocking..." He quickly walked to the gate.
Upon opening the door, a servant-like man, covered in sweat, said, "I am Fu Congheng's servant, looking for Shopkeeper Jin..."
Although Zhou Xiaosi didn't recognize him, he knew who Fu Congheng was, so he quickly welcomed him into the courtyard and turned to knock on the Jin Shanyao door, "Master, Fu Congheng has arrived."
Jin Shanyao dressing, her mind filled with doubt. She and Fu Congheng had almost never interacted; what could he possibly want with her now?
Could it be... that Old General Fu has passed away? She didn't have time to think about it and pushed open the door to walk into the courtyard.
" Shopkeeper Jin..." the servant stepped forward and said, "Young Anci has been taken away by the Court of Judicial Review."
"What?" Jin Shanyao in astonishment.
" The Capital Prefecture found rubbings of ancient books in Yu Jiaonu's room, and the handwriting is exactly as Young Master Anci's... My master specifically sent me to inform you, so you can be mentally prepared. Stealing and reselling a palace book is punishable by immediate execution for the ringleader, hanging for accomplices, and exile for the guards."
Jin Shanyao her head and let out a buzzing sound. "Damn it... she was just one step away from repaying her debt of gratitude, and you're telling me she's going to kill Meng Anci?"