Chapter 196 Using this coincidence to knock on the Grand Tutor's door
Jinhua Building, second floor private room.
Li Jin and Song Zhen faced each other, and the atmosphere in the room was tense and tense.
Shen Wen held his sword at his side, ready to draw it at any moment, staring intently at He Lin opposite him. He Lin held two swords behind her back, her eyes filled with murderous intent.
Li Jinxian broke this deadlock.
He raised his hand, gesturing for Shen Wen to wait for him outside.
Only after Shen Wen reluctantly stepped out of the house with He Lin did the smile on Li Jin's face fade slightly.
He raised his eyes, glanced at Song Zhen's refined appearance, and said bluntly, "Young Master Song has truly laid out a brilliant plan."
Upon hearing this, Song Zhen nodded and smiled faintly. He knew why Li Jin had come to find him.
Song Zhen shook his head, looking completely unaware, and spread his hands: "What Your Highness said is beyond my understanding." He smiled slightly, "This matter involves a wide range of issues, and it is beyond the scope of what I, Song, could have orchestrated on my own."
Although it was true, Li Jin didn't believe it, and his tone turned colder: "Is there anyone in the capital who can rival Young Master Song's strategies?"
He said, "Although the Crown Prince is powerful, he can only control the situation in the capital."
Li Jin's gaze turned cold as he stared at Song Zhen's smiling face: "His influence can be found in Shengzhou, Linyang, and even Dingzhou. How could this be possible without the support of the biggest merchant in the capital?"
Upon hearing this, Song Zhen, still smiling, nodded emphatically: "That's true." But then he added, "However, the problem Your Highness is facing this time is indeed unrelated to me."
At this point, Song Zhen raised her hand and added some tea leaves to her teacup.
The contents of that cup, which were originally clear and bright, now began to appear somewhat cloudy.
Glancing at the terrifyingly strong Longjing tea, Li Jin frowned.
Song Zhen, however, did not take it to heart. He narrowed his eyes slightly, picked up the teacup, and took a sip: "As Your Highness knows, Mr. Jin still has my flute with him. If this was done by me, it would be tantamount to digging my own grave."
As he swallowed the strong tea, which had a bitter taste, he spoke while staring intently at Li Jin's cheek.
This is something that Li Jin still hasn't figured out.
The previous cases included the "Preface" case, in which Lin Yang merchant Fang Qing was burned to death; the "Ten" case, in which Fan Yin sought revenge on the Lin family's young lady; the "Nine" case, in which the second son of Chen An, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was killed; the "Eight" case, in which a student of the Imperial Academy was poisoned to death; and the "Seven" case, which was triggered by Xiao Luo killing the sharp-tongued Niu Dai.
Behind every case, there is Song Zhen's shadow. According to conventional logic, this "sixth" case should be related to him.
But just as Song Zhen said.
They caused a disturbance in the street, carrying a document bearing the signature of Su Hang, the young master of the Grand Tutor's family, and dragging a corpse hidden in a box, and coincidentally got into Su Hang's carriage.
If Song Zhen really did it, then he was essentially pushing Jin Shu and Yan Zhao into a fire pit together.
Li Jin knew that Yan Zhao, as one of the Crown Prince's confidants, would definitely not intervene in this case.
If Jin Shu, who holds proof of Song Zhen's guarantee and is known as "the Crown Prince's man" within the Six Doors, were to intervene in this case, she would push Song Zhen to the opposite side of the Crown Prince.
That would be tantamount to digging one's own grave.
"Has Your Highness considered..." Song Zhen raised his eyebrows, looking at Li Jin's face, "I would absolutely not take the risk of pushing Mr. Jin out and arousing the Crown Prince's suspicion at this moment."
"I, Song, cleaned up the Prince's mess in Dingzhou, I created Mr. Jin's false identity, and I even created the identity for that boy named Jin Rong."
“It all revolves around Mr. Jin.” Song Zhen laughed. “If she arouses the Crown Prince’s suspicion… Your Highness, consider this: there are over a hundred people in the Song family behind me. I cannot take that risk.”
Every word is true, and every sentence is reasonable.
The smile on Li Jin's face was still there. He put down his teacup and said nothing.
Song Zhen, on the other hand, got up and took out the puzzle box that he had sent a few days ago.
"This thing is ingeniously designed. I searched for six or seven craftsmen before finally finding one who understood its principles."
That mechanism box was the one that Shengzhou Prefect Yun Jianlin personally dug out of the courtyard of Yang Qingyun's house in Shengzhou.
Song Zhen took out a wooden stick from the side and poked it in a very hidden spot on the mechanism box.
On the opposite side of the box, with a clang, a long, thin piece of wood fell out.
He carefully and cautiously removed the loose piece of wood bit by bit in front of Li Jin and placed it aside.
The small, intricately crafted box features a mortise and tenon joint mechanism, with each part linked to the next.
If it is pulled violently, the contents inside are very likely to be damaged.
Until the last few pieces were removed, a severely damp, tattered envelope covered in green mold came into view.
There is also a seal.
Li Jin picked up the seal, looked at the pattern on it, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
A fish—a completely new pattern never before seen.
"Your Highness, please handle this letter carefully." Song Zhen stopped opening the box after a while because the letter and the inside of the mechanism box were a bit sticky.
He said, "Lord Yun of the Six Doors is an expert in trace evidence. We might as well give it to him to study; perhaps we can preserve the contents."
At this point, Li Jin raised the seal in his hand, showing the fish pattern to Song Zhen: "Has Mr. Song seen this pattern before?"
The warm sunlight streamed into the room.
As the autumn wind rises, it disperses the sandalwood smoke from the bronze incense burner.
Song Zhen stared at the design on the seal, pondered for a long time, and finally shook her head: "I've never seen it before."
He said, "The prince is meticulous. He has a reference list for himself and knows clearly who each different stamp corresponds to."
"As for the rest, even Song, who was always by his side, he couldn't recognize them all."
At this point, Song Zhen sighed, "Ever since I wanted to do business with the Prince, I have wanted to find out who the people behind these printed patterns are."
"However, the Crown Prince is very vigilant, and we can't find an opportunity at all. To this day, we can only deal with a handful of people."
Li Jin couldn't find any flaws in his words.
He picked up his teacup and said casually, "We've known each other for half a year, and even now, Young Master Song still only wants to do business?"
Upon hearing this, Song Zhen laughed: "Who knows?"
If this is about doing business, Song Zhen has invested far too much capital.
Just as he said, it almost cost the lives of more than a hundred members of the Song family.
Seeing that Li Jin remained silent, Song Zhen pursed her lips slightly: "Has Your Highness considered what to do next in this case?"
Li Jin raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to finish his sentence.
Song Zhen smiled slightly: "Your Highness Prince Jing has never believed in coincidences, but such an obvious coincidence appeared at the beginning of this case." His smile deepened, "Has Your Highness ever considered using this coincidence to gain access to the Grand Tutor's residence?"
Looking at his smiling face, Li Jin let out a cold laugh after a long while.
He genuinely disliked Song Zhen.
I dislike him so much that I don't want to agree with what he said at all.
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