Chapter 255 Using one's body as a shield, exchanging one's life for another

Snowflakes were falling heavily, creating a white expanse.

As the year draws to a close, the entrance to the Song residence is adorned with large red lanterns.

But at the entrance to the study in the inner courtyard, there was no festive atmosphere whatsoever; it was chillingly cold.

Song Zhen stared at He Lin, who had no expression beside her, her eyes darting around. After a moment of hesitation, she looked at Li Jin with some doubt.

"Young Master's scheme is so ingenious that even I couldn't see through it at one point," Li Jin's voice softened considerably. "It started in Dingzhou..."

He paused: "No, long before Dingzhou, you had already used the world as a chessboard and the world as pieces."

Li Jin stepped forward and looked at Song Zhen's face: "Your status as a tycoon in the capital gives you the opportunity to step on the Crown Prince's head and meet the current emperor under the guise of presenting tribute treasures."

His deep voice echoed in the quiet falling snow: "You took advantage of his guilt towards Li Mu, risking your life to set up a trap that stretched for miles."

At this point, Li Jin chuckled softly: "You're the one who got your hands dirty, and he's the one who redeemed himself. For him, nothing could be better."

Upon hearing this, Song Zhen narrowed her eyes slightly, a faint smile appearing on her face.

“It was you who devised the plan to send me into the Six Doors,” he said. “It was also you who placed the name of ‘Mr. Jin’ from Dingzhou on my desk.”

As the wind rose, Song Zhen's expression became inscrutable amidst the swirling snow.

He knew that Li Jin had seen through the whole situation.

Looking at Prince Jing, Li Jin, in his court robes adorned with black crane patterns, exuding an even more imposing air, it was as if they were separated by countless mountains and rivers, by endless years, by heaven and earth, as if they were two different worlds.

Back then, the young master of the Cen family, who only loved playing chess and never left the house, was a "foolish young master" who only wanted to live a peaceful life and study chess skills.

That year, he was wholeheartedly devoted to protecting the frontier, skillfully employing military tactics, and detached from political intrigue.

Their destinies should have followed two parallel lines.

"Six years ago, Prince Jing wasn't the only one who was desperate." Song Zhen smiled slightly. "When the prince personally returned the tiger tally, he saved Cen Zhen, who was heartbroken and like a walking corpse at the time."

"Your Highness has lost your elder brother and sister-in-law, and the power of your maternal clan. However, His Majesty still loves his son and will never allow the Crown Prince to harm you again."

He spoke these words calmly, yet they were filled with piercing pain and profound desolation: "But Cen Zhen, who was already dead at that time, did not receive this favor."

He pursed his lips: "I originally thought that it was the Emperor's doing on purpose, to frame the Cen family for forming cliques and secretly assisting in treason, and then to exterminate their entire clan."

"As a result, before the case was even classified, the entire Cen family was already dead."

Song Zhen shook her head: "If it weren't for that foolish young master of the Song family..."

His voice choked slightly: "If he hadn't left behind a wife, children, and parents with no one to take care of them, I would have thought of ending my own life too."

Unlike Li Jin, Song Zhen was in a miserable and awkward situation six years ago.

In the eyes of the Song family, he was the plague god who killed their only son.

Although the Song family remained silent, their eyes were filled with resentment.

Having lost the once-illustrious Cen family behind him, and with his name and identity now relegated to the list of the dead, Cen Zhen considered killing Li Jing with his own hands, or going alone to the meeting to kill the supreme ruler on the dragon throne.

He shook his head and said with a wry smile, "I've studied for more than ten years, but I don't even know the different types of knives or how long a sword is. I complain that nine out of ten people look down on me, and that a scholar is useless in every way."

Until the renowned Prince Jing, dismounted outside Chang'an, dressed in only a single garment, and braved the wind and snow to enter the palace step by step.

The "foolish young master" who usually only knew how to play chess and was now completely despondent saw a glimmer of hope in Prince Jing Li Jin's strategy of retreating to advance.

“From that moment on, I knew that things were not over yet, and there was still room for maneuver.”

He took the last remaining half of the waist pendant from the Cen family, and with revenge as his ultimate goal, he knelt before Song's father and became Song's adopted son.

Heaven betrayed him, so he used the world as a chessboard and people's hearts as pieces, all for the sake of having a clear conscience on the road to the underworld and before the Bridge of Helplessness!

As if by fate, Li Jin and Song Zhen, two parallel lines that would never have intersected, resonated with each other like the sun and moon in the Great Wei Dynasty.

The seemingly foolish young master was neither foolish nor stupid; he led Li Jin into the game step by step.

The纨绔王爷 (a spoiled, dissolute prince) is neither idle nor idle; he conceals his brilliance and deceives the world while secretly plotting.

Because of the same catastrophe, two teenagers who had never met before suddenly found themselves with the responsibility and awareness to shoulder the burden of the world.

For the same goal, one endured hardship in the light, while the other forged ahead in the darkness.

"Do what you can't do, find people you can't find." Song Zhen laughed, her gaze falling on Jin Shu beside her. "I am deeply sorry for scheming against 'Mr. Jin'."

Jin Shu was taken aback.

"Lord Liu of Dingzhou actually protected you very well." He smiled faintly. "If the Song family merchant group hadn't deliberately spread your story all over the country, you would have had a more stable and peaceful life."

Song Zhen cupped her hands in a gesture of respect: "I truly did not know that you were a woman before. If I had known in advance, I would have been more careful and would not have put you in any danger."

Glancing at Song Zhen's respectful demeanor, Jin Shu lowered her eyes amidst the swirling snow, unsure of how to speak.

“You should apologize to more than just her,” Li Jin said, reaching out to help Song Zhen up. “You planned so many cases and dragged so many people into them; there are too many apologies you should make.”

Unexpectedly, Song Zhen smiled slightly and pushed away the hand that Li Jin had used to help her up.

“Prince Jing is different from me,” he said. “You seem to have lost everything, yet you still retain your true self. You have endured for many years, yet you have never lost your way. You truly should become the light of the righteous path.”

Song Zhen took a deep breath and took half a step back: "But when it comes to playing against someone as unscrupulous and ruthless as the Crown Prince..." He shook his head, "It's useless to rely on one's conscience."

“You also need shrewdness, cunning, and…” he slowly raised his hands, “and hands covered in blood.”

Glancing at Li Jin's face, Song Zhen said frankly, "Day and night are distinct, and things have two sides. Although Cen Zhen is dead, Song Zhen is still here."

“But if Song Zhen’s life is lost, it can bring about a world where Cen Zhen’s fate is never again…” He smiled faintly, and said slowly and deliberately, “It’s worth it.”

In that instant, Song Zhen's words seemed to echo with many familiar voices.

Sanskrit chants, stern edicts...

Standing atop the pristine white snow, amidst the vast expanse of heaven and earth, they looked at Li Jin and said with a faint smile, "It's worth it."

At that moment, Li Jin understood.

Why did this man give everything to help him? Why did this man, in the end, hand over the control of the whole game to him?

"Didn't you ever think about surviving?"

After a short while, Song Zhen nodded with a smile: "Just like in all the storybooks, justice will surely triumph over evil, and darkness will surely be dispelled by light."

"I will ultimately use my own flesh and blood to send you alone to the altar forged by the hearts of the people."

His smile was genuine, so pure it was heartbreaking.

The snow fell silently, covering his shoulders with a thin layer.

After a long pause, Li Jin understood and took a deep breath. Standing in the gradually lightening snow, he chuckled.

"Song Zhen, Song Zhen," he said, narrowing his eyes slightly, "you are destined to lose."

Song Zhen paused, her face full of surprise.

Li Jin raised his chin slightly, a half-smile on his face: "There is someone who will use his body as a shield, who will exchange his life for yours, who will withstand everything for you, who will be the darkness that is dispelled by the light for you."

He raised his eyebrows: "You have eyes for the whole world, five or six cases in a row, but you didn't notice her subtle little actions."

"Now, we have all the witnesses and evidence, all we lack is a confession from someone turning themselves in." Li Jin smiled, his eyes slightly narrowed. "In the end, this heinous crime will not be yours to bear."