Chapter 229 The woman disguised as a man is finally exposed.

Yang Defa was assigned to the Prime Minister's residence as a tutor because he had an extraordinary talent: he was extremely good at imitating the mannerisms of others.

“He wanted me dead,” Yang Defa said. “Many of the bad things they did were orders conveyed through letters. In order to avoid being exposed, or to be able to escape unscathed even if exposed, the Prime Minister had me write many letters in his place, imitating the current Emperor’s mannerisms.”

If Li Jin hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have truly thought it was a fantasy.

On the paper in his hand was a limerick, written in black ink on white paper, much like Li Yi's quirky calligraphy.

Even he, as the son, couldn't tell the truth from the falsehood for a moment.

"But the Prime Minister doesn't know that I had a trick up my sleeve to save my life." Yang Defa, who had changed into clean clothes and washed away the dust, with his hair in a high bun, put his hands in front of him and said with a faint smile, "I also have the ability to remember everything I see."

Li Jin was quite surprised. He put down the paper in his hand, looked him up and down, and said, "I am quite lucky. I have met all sorts of extraordinary people in the world."

As he spoke, he glanced back at Jin Shu behind him.

Yang Defa chuckled: "Originally, I memorized it deliberately just in case, but later, it became something I dared not forget. I know too much; I'll die sooner or later anyway." He lowered his eyes: "However, only that one letter is related to the incident six years ago. The rest are all routine correspondence, accepting bribes, and buying and selling official positions."

“Little by little, it can still cost him his life.” Li Jin held his fan, looking at his palm one stroke at a time. “Young Master Yang, write down as much as you can remember. You don’t need to worry about the child. I will arrange for someone to settle your father-in-law’s family properly.”

At this point, the case remains unsolved and is still hanging in the air.

Li Jin gave a few instructions and then sent Feng Chao to secretly deliver Yang Defa to the Prince Jing's residence: "If anyone asks, just say that he was released because there was no evidence."

"Your Highness, I understand." Feng Chao turned around, took a few steps, then turned back and rushed back. "Your Highness, last night, the Pei Yide you brought back..."

Feng Chao looked troubled and stammered for a long time, "This... settle them here with me..."

Li Jin glanced at him, then swiftly flicked open her fan and said with a smile, "These past few days have been tough, Lord Feng."

"Huh?!" Feng Chao saw him about to leave and quickly stepped forward to stop him. "Your Highness, Your Highness... My Jingzhao Prefecture is too small to contain the great Buddha of the Ministry of Revenue!"

He was genuinely afraid that if Pei Yide were to escape, be kidnapped, or be discovered, he would be guilty of unauthorized imprisonment of a high-ranking official of the imperial court, a second-rank official at that. Just thinking about it was enough to cost him his head several times over.

Li Jin's smile deepened, and he teased him playfully, "What are you saying, Lord Feng? How could I allow Lord Feng to take such a risk?"

He held a fan in one hand and gently tapped Feng Chao's shoulder: "What I mean is, I would like to trouble Lord Feng to make a couple more trips and take Lord Pei to the Six Doors tonight."

Upon hearing this, Feng Chao was overjoyed, his face beaming with a smile: "This humble official understands!"

On the way back in the carriage, Li Jin repeated Yang Defa's words from beginning to end.

As before, Song Zhen's shadow still looms behind this case.

Why was he, a capable lieutenant of the Crown Prince, secretly guiding Li Jin step by step to investigate the treason case from six years ago, and why did he provide him with those fragmented pieces of evidence step by step?

These fragments, pieced together, would be enough to sever the prince's left and right arms, and enough to drive him to his doom.

In this power struggle, Li Jin couldn't quite figure out whether Song Zhen was friend or foe.

He stepped over the threshold of the six doors, walked around the screen wall in the courtyard, and kept thinking about how to deal with the Ministry of Revenue's case that was about to come knocking on his door.

But then an anxious voice rang out from behind, calling out "Your Highness Prince Jing," and came running up, stumbling and falling.

Judging from their attire, they are palace eunuchs, but their faces are unfamiliar; I've never seen them before.

The young eunuch stood in front of Li Jin, panting heavily, and said, "Your Highness Prince Jing, something terrible has happened."

He said, "Lord Yan Zhao, this morning at the court session, all the officials impeached you for disregarding the laws of the Great Wei Dynasty by allowing a woman to serve as an official in the Six Doors. Now the imperial decree has been issued, and His Highness the Crown Prince will be here to arrest her soon!"

Li Jin was stunned: "What?!"

He instinctively pulled Jin Shu behind him: "Yan Zhao?!"

“That’s right.” The young eunuch adjusted his hat, bent over and panting. “Lord Yan said he went to Dingzhou himself and has evidence to prove it.”

Seeing Li Jin's pale face, the eunuch urged, "Eunuch Chen sent me to inform the Prince immediately so that he can prepare a response."

How to respond?

Li Jin stood in the courtyard, her mind blank.

He turned his head blankly and looked at Jin Shu's face.

She gave a weak smile and said in a pretentious manner, "It was Jin Shu who lied to the prince."

Li Jin glanced at her still laughing face, took a deep breath: "Jin Shu, you overestimate yourself. Do you think you can fool me?"

Jin Shu paused, staring at Li Jin's bloodless lips, and suddenly understood.

He already knew.

But Jin Shu's voice became more forceful: "It was me, it was me who lied to the prince, I kept the prince in the dark all along, it was my fault."

Li Jin frowned.

She laughed easily and shook her head apologetically: "Unfortunately, I probably can't help the prince to the end."

In the Great Wei Dynasty, a woman entering officialdom was considered a crime of deceiving the emperor, which would inevitably lead to the extermination of her entire family.

Seeing her so righteous and determined, ready to shoulder everything alone, Li Jin gritted her teeth.

He snatched the longsword from Zhou Zheng, who was stunned and speechless, and grabbed Jin Shu, saying, "Come with me. I want to see who dares to lay a finger on you!"

But Jin Shu turned around and grabbed his wrist, while his feet remained motionless.

Li Jin turned around in surprise and met her smile.

"Your Highness has not yet finished what you should have done."

Her calm and composed demeanor threw Li Jin's mind into turmoil.

"Come with me!" he shouted, his voice rising several decibels. "Jin Shu! I command you to come with me!"

Jin Shu smiled and shook her head.

With all her might, she pried Li Jin's fingers off her arm one by one: "Jin Shu deliberately concealed this; this matter has nothing to do with Your Highness." Her voice was as calm as still water, "Has Your Highness forgotten your brother's injustice? Has Your Highness forgotten Consort Xiao, who is in the Cold Palace? Has Your Highness forgotten Princess Li Qian, who placed all her hopes on you?"

Every word was like a knife, stabbing into Li Jin's heart.

"Have you forgotten the peaceful and prosperous world you desire? Have you forgotten our promise to be the foundation of this world together?"

She smiled, her smile as radiant as the autumn sun: "Your Highness, Jin Shu is not the only one behind you."

The wind rises, the imperial edict arrives, and the maple leaves rustle.

Li Jin stood blankly in the courtyard, listening to Eunuch Chen's decree in a daze. His eyes burned with anger as he stood there, looking down at his Crown Prince.

He looked at the contemptuous smile on the prince's face, at the prince's victorious posture, and at him looking at him with the eyes of someone looking at an ant, declaring his defeat.

Li Jin had never felt such a strong urge to kill him with a single sword strike.

As Jin Shu was being taken away, and they brushed past each other, Li Jin grabbed her arm.

He gazed into those surprised eyes and said, slowly and deliberately, "Trust me, wait for me."

Then, she slowly released that hand.