"She must have been bewitched by Eunuch Zhang to run herself over in front of the carriage!"
"Because there is no other motive besides that..."
"That's why Xiong said it was useless, there was nothing to investigate."
Sun Jian felt a chill in his heart.
One has to admire Wei Xian's flawless handling of the aftermath; what use is knowing the truth in one's heart?
There is absolutely no evidence pointing to them!
He erased every single detail and clue.
The situation was turning from a stalemate into a deadlock.
Even Li Gancheng in the front row became anxious. Wasn't framing Sun Jian a direct attack on him, the crown prince?
He was anxious, but there was nothing he could do, and he couldn't show his emotions, since his father was watching.
Fortunately, at this moment, Yao Tianzheng, the governor of Yongzhou, stepped forward, holding a protective board in his hand.
"Your Majesty, this old minister has a report to make."
"Please speak frankly, Yao Aiqing."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
When Sun Jian saw Yao Tianzheng step forward, he felt a sense of relief for some reason.
Yao Tianzheng sighed softly and said, "Fortunately, His Majesty values me highly and has appointed me as the Governor-General of Yongzhou and concurrently the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. Speaking of which, this Attendant Reader Sun was also recommended by this old minister..."
Everyone originally thought Yao Tianzheng would talk about clues related to the case, but the old man started by chatting about everyday things.
It's true that you recommended Sun Jian! Everyone knows that.
As the Crown Prince's concurrent tutor, you are his protector, so it's normal that the person you recommended became his tutor.
But what does this have to do with the case?
Yao Tianzheng's words left some of the less bright people momentarily confused.
Ignoring all that, Yao Tianzheng continued in front of the assembled officials, "I am old and cannot remember many things, but I dare not forget Your Majesty's edicts and instructions."
"This old minister still remembers that the year he served as the Crown Prince's tutor was the second year of the Qianwu era. At that time, Lord Wei Xian was concurrently serving in the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Rites, and he was also the official in charge of announcing the results of the first imperial examination!"
Upon hearing this, the court officials were stunned, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince were stunned, and even Sun Jian was completely bewildered.
What... what exactly is Lord Yao saying?
Although Wei Xian was brought up, this whole thing doesn't make sense!
Wei Xian, with a cold face, stepped forward, holding a protective board, and confronted Yao Tianzheng: "Lord Yao, what do you mean by that? At this moment, a case is being tried and a criminal is being investigated in the court."
"If Lord Yao's words are not related to the case, we can reminisce another day."
Yao Tianzheng laughed heartily, "Haha, this old minister naturally knows that. Who said what this old minister said is irrelevant to the case?"
At this point, Yao Tianzheng's expression darkened, and he continued, "If this old minister's memory is correct, you, Lord Wei Xian, were not only the mentor of Liu San, the Vice Minister of Works, but also his superior. Although you have not had close contact in recent years, you have been exchanging letters. Should this old minister help me investigate?"
These words struck everyone like a thunderbolt, and all eyes turned to Wei Xian, the Minister of War.
Everyone then realized the meaning behind Yao Tianzheng's earlier remarks.
It turns out that they never reminisced about the past from the beginning. They mentioned that Sun Shidu was recommended by him, and that he was the Crown Prince's tutor. What does that mean?
This shows that all the framing, false accusations, and murders targeting Sun Jian were actually aimed at the Crown Prince!
Even if a mere tutor is highly talented, it's not worth risking the life of a high-ranking official for a false accusation.
All of this was orchestrated with the aim of eliminating the Crown Prince's right-hand men and weakening the power of the Eastern Palace.
This is the motivation.
As for who the suspect is, it depends on who Liu San is closest to. This Minister of War, Wei Xian, is not only Liu San's mentor but also his former superior. They have been exchanging letters for the past few years. What else could he be but a prime suspect?
At this moment, even Li Gancheng and Lin Xuanfu looked at Wei Xian with questioning eyes.
Feeling such immense pressure, Minister of War Wei Xian steadied himself, suppressing his fear, and deliberately raised his voice slightly, "Lord Yao, please don't make false accusations. I only have normal correspondence with Vice Minister Liu, nothing more!"
"Falsely accusing me is a serious crime!"
Yao Tianzheng laughed heartily, "Hahahaha."
"Lord Wei, why are you panicking? I was merely reminding Lord Xiong Juzheng that there is such a clue to investigate. How can you accuse me of falsely accusing him?"
"you!"
Yao Tianzheng had tricked Wei Xian, leaving him speechless with anger, but he dared not continue the argument in court.
The saying "too much talk leads to mistakes" perfectly illustrates this point.
After speaking, Yao Tianzheng turned his head toward the emperor, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, “Your Majesty, I have finished speaking. I was merely offering a reminder, not making a false accusation. I hope Your Majesty will forgive my disrespect in court.”
"It's alright, Yao Aiqing, please rise."
Emperor Ganwu waved his hand, his expression remaining unchanged.
Upon seeing this, Wei Xian immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, this old minister is innocent. This old minister and that Vice Minister Liu only had official correspondence, nothing more..."
Everyone held their breath, waiting for Emperor Ganwu to discern right from wrong, but to their surprise, Emperor Ganwu did not pursue the matter.
He turned to Wei Xian beside him, and after a moment of silence, said to the crowd, "Minister Wei, your contributions are immense, and I trust you. Rise!"
Everyone was stunned by these words.
Even Sun Jian was stunned.
Why doesn't this old emperor investigate further?
Yao Tianzheng didn't make his point very clear. What is he up to now?
"Minister Xiong, there are still many suspicious points in this case that we can investigate. I will give you another 10 days. I hope you can give me an explanation in 10 days." Emperor Ganwu pointed his index finger and said to Xiong Juzheng with a strong voice.
"Your humble servant obeys the decree!"
Xiong Juzheng, his face dark, knelt down to receive the imperial decree.
Emperor Ganwu then turned his gaze to Sun Jian, "Sun Jian, I have heard that you possess great strategic acumen and exceptional martial skills. Starting tomorrow, you will concurrently serve as the Deputy Commandant of the Tiger Guard Battalion."
"Well……"
Sun Jian was completely baffled by Emperor Ganwu's peculiar thought process.
How come he was promoted before he even finished talking about the assassination plot?
What is all this nonsense?!
So, should I go to the Eastern Palace to serve as a tutor, or should I go to the Tiger Guard Camp outside the capital to train soldiers?
"Congratulations, Reader Sun!"
"Reader Sun, quickly accept the imperial decree and express your gratitude!"
Just as Sun Jian was in a daze, Fu Hui and Li Hengzhi whispered a reminder to him.
Sun Jian then realized what was happening and immediately knelt down to kowtow and express his gratitude.
"Your humble servant obeys the decree and thanks Your Majesty for your great favor."
Emperor Ganwu nodded in satisfaction and said nothing more, but glanced sideways at Wang De beside him.
Wang De immediately understood and quickly said, "If you have something to report, please do so; otherwise, the court may adjourn."
The ministers, now lying down, had just witnessed an extremely mind-bending and complex drama, and were already terrified, daring not to utter another word.
Because no one knew what His Majesty was really thinking, no one dared to interfere anymore...
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