Chapter 189 A Pawn Used as a Shield
How could he possibly refuse a case that has a high probability of uncovering something wrong with the Crown Prince?
Li Jin had no intention of handing over a case that might be a crucial link in a series of crimes to the Ministry of Justice.
But now Li Jin is clearly at a disadvantage, so he can only retreat to advance and take a gamble.
The gambling prince suffers from severe paranoia.
He was betting that Li Jin's words had planted a seed of doubt in Li Yi's heart.
They bet he would put himself in others' shoes and think that Li Yi, like them, was a Wei emperor consumed by paranoia.
In fact, that's what he's always done.
Then, Crown Prince Li Jing, who was kneeling on the other side, hesitated for a long time, pondered deeply, and then parted his cool lips slightly, with a smile on his face, and said lightly, "This case involves my friend, so the Ministry of Justice should recuse itself from the case."
His image was reflected in Li Jin's dark eyes.
That's not enough.
Li Jin cupped his hands and bowed even deeper: "No, the Six Doors will not take on this case."
As he said this, Li Yi's eyes widened considerably.
What a clever Prince Jing, Li Jin! He learned from the previous confrontation and actually used the same tactics he used on the battlefield.
The interplay of truth and falsehood, reality and illusion, forced the already suspicious Crown Prince to choose the option with the lowest risk between restraint and counter-restraint.
In the entire Imperial Study, only the Crown Prince and Xu Weiyou had never been to the battlefield or led troops in battle.
Therefore, Li Yi understood Li Jin's intention.
He pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping back and forth between their faces, before letting out a cold laugh: "You have no choice but to answer."
He glanced at the pale-faced crown prince.
He bowed and uttered the words "Father Emperor, may you see the truth"
Li Jin was about to say something when Li Yi's eyes turned cold: "I'm giving you a chance, don't be ungrateful."
One sentence completely silenced what he was about to say.
After Li Jin left, Li Yi muttered a few words with hidden meaning: "A few days ago, Prince Jing was assassinated in Shengzhou. Are you aware of this?" He picked up a teacup and cleared his throat: "And there's Yun Jianlin, who submits a memorial every day, complaining endlessly."
Setting down his teacup, Li Yi picked up a memorial to the throne: "Is the Ministry of Revenue short of staff? Why is a prefect of a prefecture running to the capital all day long just to stamp the land deeds of the common people?"
The crown prince was taken aback.
"I am unaware of this matter."
Li Yi stared at his face for a long time before chuckling softly, "It's rare that the Crown Prince doesn't know."
Once the seed of doubt is planted, it only needs a little rain and dew to nourish it, and then all you have to do is wait for it to slowly take root and sprout.
Then, he would completely shatter the delicate balance built up by the Crown Prince's power from within.
After the others left, Yan Zhao, who had been standing behind the screen, slowly came out.
He sat to the side, meeting Li Yi's warm gaze, took the tea offered by Eunuch Lin, and blew away the foam: "Your Majesty was far too reckless this time."
He actually orchestrated the whole thing, packing the mess the Crown Prince hadn't cleaned up into a box and sending it, along with the Grand Tutor's family, to Li Jin.
Li Yi laughed and said, "He walks too slowly and too cautiously. I'll give him a push."
Yan Zhao frowned, and after a long while, he sighed.
That's not a push, that's a kick.
He never dreamed that Li Yi, who had never made a move before, would resort to such a simple and brutal method at this moment.
"What will happen to Song Zhen with His Majesty's sudden intervention?" Yan Zhao said. "The Crown Prince will inevitably become suspicious."
Unexpectedly, Li Yi took a deep breath and leaned back on the dragon throne with a smile: "Those few words just now have made him suspicious of everyone." He paused, "Let him handle Song Zhen himself. A person with the talent of a general or minister will surely be able to perfectly reassemble these matters."
At this point, Li Yi's eyes darkened slightly as he looked at Yan Zhao: "Do you think Li Jin can hold on?"
Yan Zhao's face was ashen. He took a deep breath and said, "If we can't even break this game, then there's no point in talking about the future."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yi laughed heartily: "I believe he can break through."
Yan Zhao pursed his lips, about to say something more, when Li Yi said again, "I believe you."
The word "trust" is of paramount importance and subtlety in the royal family. Li Yi understood this, and so did Yan Zhao.
If the Crown Prince loses this round, it will be because of his previous ruthless and unscrupulous actions that have left him no way out, and he will suffer the consequences.
Only the Crown Prince doesn't understand this principle.
Two quarters of an hour on the return journey, the carriage stopped in front of the Six Doors. Li Jin jumped off the carriage, lifted the hem of his clothes, and headed straight for the coroner's office along the bluestone path.
Turning the corner of the corridor, you can see Su Hang standing at the door of the coroner's room with a furrowed brow, hesitant to go in.
He hesitated, pacing back and forth. When he saw Li Jin return, he rushed to greet him as if he had seen a savior: "Your Highness Prince Jing is back."
His overly familiar manner might lead someone unaware of his background to mistake him for a constable from the Six Doors.
Li Jin glanced at him, then looked towards the coroner's office: "Why doesn't Lord Su go in and sit down?"
Su Hang looked troubled and gave an awkward laugh: "Well... Mr. Jin is inside performing an autopsy, so I shouldn't disturb him."
Judging from his appearance, Li Jin probably imagined the scene inside.
"Your Highness just entered the palace, is it because of this box?" Su Hang lowered his voice and asked tentatively.
Li Jin was aware of the relationship between Grand Tutor Su Yu and the Crown Prince.
He nodded: "Just now on the street, I failed to take Lord Su's position into consideration before inviting you to the Six Doors. It was indeed a lack of foresight on my part. I hope Lord Su will not take it to heart."
Su Hang paused.
A bright smile appeared on his face as he waved his hand and said, "Your Highness, you're too kind. Your Highness is just anxious about the case..." But when he said the second half of his sentence, the smile on Su Hang's face faded.
As someone from a prominent family who held official positions, Su Hang almost immediately grasped the meaning behind Li Jin's words.
position.
A chill ran down his spine, and he hurriedly asked, "Has His Highness the Crown Prince contested this case?"
Li Jin nodded without saying a word.
"Still under the Six Doors?" Su Hang frowned.
"By His Majesty's own designation."
After saying that, Li Jin flicked his fan to cover half of his face, leaned close to Su Hang's ear, and whispered, "Lord Su, think about Chen Wen from the Ministry of Justice, think about Yang An from Linyang..."
As he finished speaking, he patted Su Hang heavily on the shoulder.
As the sun set, it cast a thin layer of golden light on the six doors.
After autumn arrives, night falls earlier in the capital.
The wind grew colder, and the wind chimes hanging from the eaves jingled.
Zhang Xin's tabby cat strolled leisurely along the roof ridge, while white-feathered pigeons flapped their wings and returned home one by one.
At this moment, beneath the gray walls and black tiles, Su Hang's face turned pale, and his heart was in his throat.
"It's getting late. I'll send someone to escort Lord Su back to his residence," Li Jin said in a cold tone. "I believe in Lord Su's innocence."
Li Jin closed his fan, put his hands behind his back, and stepped across the threshold of the coroner's office.
Su Hang was left alone behind, standing blankly at the door, staring at the reddening sky, his mind buzzing.
Does the fact that the Crown Prince is so eager to take control of this case suggest that he himself was the one who committed it?
The name Su Hang on that official document was just a pretext to shift all the blame onto the Su family if they were ever investigated.
In Li Jing's eyes, was the Su family, who paved the way for Li Jing to become the Crown Prince, merely a pawn to shield him from harm?
He dared not think about it.
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