Chapter 103 This move may be intended to frame someone
Jiang Xue frowned, thought about it carefully, shook her head and said to Jing Ye:
"Lord Chong is an upright official, and he is unyielding. He often offends people in the court because of his uprightness. With his temperament, he would never look down on these dirty tricks, and he would never be willing to abandon his way of being a minister and do such treasonous acts."
"So what? If a person really wants to rebel, pretending to be upright is just one of the means." Jing Ye said.
"No, he has been in office for many years. If he was deliberately scheming and disguising himself, he wouldn't have been criticized by so many colleagues." Jiang Xue said, "I don't have any definite evidence, but my intuition tells me that he wouldn't do such a thing."
Jiang Xue looked at Jing Ye and asked earnestly, "I wonder how the prince found out where they met, and how he found out the identity of that person?"
Jing Ye poured himself a cup of tea and said slowly, "Two of the three people in the courtyard were generals of Beixi. The other one, whose surname is Zhou and name is Di, is one of the staff members of Chonghuan, the Minister of War of Ji State."
Zhou Di?
Jiang Xue recalled the seal mark and it was indeed this name.
"I had tracked down the whereabouts of the rebels from the country of Gan who were in contact with him earlier. This time when I came to Ji, I specially arranged this person to be included in the delegation."
Jiang Xue showed a surprised expression and asked, "Since the prince already knows who it is, why doesn't he just deal with it in the country?"
Jing Ye looked at her meaningfully and said, "To cut the grass, you must root it out. Since someone in your Ji country has set his eyes on the benefits of Gan country, you will naturally not let him go easily. Even if I get rid of one, won't there be a second one?"
Jiang Xue nodded and said, "So what the prince actually wants to do is to go to Ji State and eradicate the disaster completely?"
Jing Ye nodded slightly.
Jiang Xue was secretly sarcastic in her heart. Jing Ye now holds the power of the country. If he really wants to wipe out the rebels completely, with the ability of his secret guards and minions, he can not only find out who is in contact with the people of Ji country, but also track down the rebels and root them out.
He must have other purposes in doing this.
As for what the purpose was, Jiang Xue didn't know, but she was sure of one thing - after the matter was clarified, everyone in the Ji Dynasty would owe him, the Regent Rui Chong, a huge favor.
Jiang Xue made an expression of sudden enlightenment and asked, "Then how did the prince find out about the person named Zhou Di?"
"I already knew the identity of this rebel, but he himself was unaware of it. As soon as I arrived in the suburbs of Jijing, I found an opportunity to go out and meet with the contact person."
"Yes, if I were him, I would not be able to trust the words in the letter alone," Jiang Xue nodded. "Now that I have the opportunity to enter Jijing openly, I must do everything possible to find an opportunity for us to meet so that we can gain each other's trust."
Jing Ye continued, "The Yuwei had been secretly monitoring this man, so I knew it as soon as he met Zhou Di. I had someone follow Zhou Di for two days and observe his daily life and behavior, so I naturally knew who he served."
Jiang Xue asked hurriedly, "Your Majesty, are you sure he is one of Chonghuan's men?"
"Zhou Di lives in the west of the city and has to report to the Ministry of War every day," Jing Ye said, "If I hadn't found out clearly, I wouldn't have said this to the princess."
Jiang Xue smiled on the surface, but she disagreed in her heart.
She knew one thing very well, that Jing Ye was on a different side from her, and not everything he said could be trusted.
Ever since Jiang Qibin discovered the presence of Northern Xi troops in Jijing, and that this matter was inextricably linked to Gu Lintan, Jiang Xue felt that she could believe half of Jing Ye's words.
But now, among the clues given by Jing Ye, the one involved is a second-rank minister in the court, Chonghuan, who has always been loyal to the emperor, patriotic and upright.
Firstly, it was because of her trust in Chonghuan's official reputation and her intuition about the matter, and secondly, this matter could not tolerate any mistakes - so Jiang Xue did not believe Jing Ye's accusation that Chonghuan was guilty of treason.
She said to Jing Ye tentatively, "Maybe this Zhou Di is just a cover? Based on my understanding of Chong Huan - although I have only heard about it, this person should not do such a thing."
Jing Ye sneered and said, "I don't think I ever said that Chonghuan was the mastermind behind this, right?"
Jiang Xue breathed a sigh of relief and asked hurriedly, "What does the prince think now?"
"Do you want to hear my opinion?" Jing Ye raised his eyebrows.
Jiang Xue nodded rapidly.
Jing Ye looked at her with a hint of teasing in his eyes, and said, "Since when did my opinion become so important to the princess?"
Jiang Xue was speechless. She suddenly felt that Jing Ye still maintained his previous cold attitude towards her, which made her feel more comfortable.
"It has always been like this," Jiang Xue said flatteringly, "Your Highness is so perceptive and intelligent. I am ashamed of myself, so of course I have to ask questions without any shame. So please enlighten me, Your Highness. What is the mystery behind this matter?"
After saying this, Jiang Xue felt goosebumps all over her body.
She stroked her arm unconsciously and looked at Jing Ye with anticipation.
Jing Ye frowned slightly, suddenly stood up, took the teapot on the table and walked out.
Not long after, Jing Ye came in again carrying a teapot.
He took the cup and poured two cups of tea, then pushed one of them in front of Jiang Xue.
The tea was still steaming.
"I'm thirsty," Jing Ye said, "Come and have a cup of tea with me first."
Jiang Xue had been breathing in the cool breeze for a long time tonight and was already feeling cold. Seeing the steaming hot tea, she couldn't help but smile. She picked up the cup and held it in her palm, blew slowly on the tea to cool it down, took a few sips, and then put it into her mouth.
She drank hot tea and blinked at Jing Ye. The hot steam made her eyes look even more moist.
Jing Ye tightened his grip on the cup.
Soon, he slowly opened his mouth and said:
"When the two met for the first time, Zhou Di handed a token of Chonghuan to the man to prove his identity." He took out the token from his arms and handed it to Jiang Xue.
"I got this after I captured the man."
Jiang Xue took the token and looked at it carefully.
"The prince has captured the man?" Jiang Xue asked in confusion, "Why not continue to keep it a secret so that we can continue to see what actions they take."
"The people have already arrived in Jijing," Jing Ye said calmly, "I want to fish, and I have to make sure that this bait can make it to Jijing alive. And after arriving in Jijing, what I want is for this bait to be obedient and help me catch bigger fish."
Jiang Xue understood and nodded slightly at him.
"After Zhou Di met this person, he contacted the Beixi people. The manor I took you tonight is a private property that Chonghuan entrusted to Zhou Di to manage."
Jing Ye's eyes darkened and he said, "The more this matter is related to Chonghuan, the more I feel that things are not that simple."
Jiang Xue said: "As soon as Zhou Di showed up, he revealed his master's identity without any investigation and took the Beixi people to Chonghuan's manor. If it was really Chonghuan, he would be so shrewd and calculating as to not be so stupid as to let himself be implicated in everything."
She frowned and thought deeply, muttering: "If it's not him, then what this person did was intended to--"
frame.
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