Chapter 222 The Unavoidable Palace Banquet
Looking at her, Li Jin's eyes twitched.
"What kind of person am I in Mr. Jin's eyes?" He chuckled and replied, "Even if I wanted to investigate this case, I wouldn't be able to do so in a short time." This was because Li Jin currently had very few pawns at his disposal.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Yan Zhao's whereabouts became unknown.
Zhang Xin and Su Shangxuan entered the palace early in the morning by imperial decree.
Shen Wen and Bai Yu, having led away most of their "henchmen," were keeping a close eye on Pei Yide, fearing that the Crown Prince would strike first.
Yunfei accepted Li Qian's invitation earlier, and he's probably too busy taking care of himself right now.
Of all the Six Doors in the capital, Li Jin's only truly trusted confidants are Jin Shu and Zhou Zheng.
"Neither you nor Zhou Zheng are good at investigation, nor do you have the same information network as Shen Wen and Bai Yu. Sending you two to investigate the strange clues in this case is less efficient than waiting for Shen Wen to come back."
Seeing Jin Shu's speechless expression, Li Jin turned her head and glanced out of the car.
Actually, he didn't finish his sentence.
After six years of planning, how could Li Jin only have one Six Doors?
But for now, the best course of action is to wait.
In the sixth case involving the corpse hidden in the wooden box, the Crown Prince had already been alerted, so Li Jin's every move must now be under the Crown Prince's watchful eye.
He looked at the towering gate wall beside Zhuquemen Street, his gaze sweeping across the line where the sky met the glazed tiles, from near to far.
The carriage moved very slowly, just as slowly as the plan in Li Jin's mind at that moment.
He knew that the more composed he remained, the more likely he was to drive the Crown Prince to desperation.
In this silent battle of life and death, whoever loses their composure first will be the first to go to the guillotine.
But things are unpredictable, and plans can't keep up with changes.
Li Jin lifted the curtain in surprise and looked at Eunuch Chen, who had abruptly stopped her on her way.
In another carriage, Eunuch Chen exclaimed with emotion, "We've finally found you!"
After saying that, he gently waved the imperial edict in his hand by the small carriage window: "Your Highness Prince Jing, shall we enter the palace?"
Her voice was tinged with laughter, yet Li Jin couldn't refute it.
He never expected that Prince Jing, who had not attended the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet for several years and had never attracted anyone's attention or inquiries, would be forcibly dragged into the palace this year by Li Yi with an imperial edict.
After changing carriages, he came face to face with Eunuch Chen from the Imperial Study.
The person before him was the emperor's most trusted confidant, who had been with Li Yi for at least thirty years.
He cupped his hands and bowed deeply to Li Jin from inside the carriage, saying, "Your Highness Prince Jing, this imperial edict in my hand is empty."
Li Jin frowned, his eyes darkening considerably.
"But it is true that Your Highness was summoned to the palace." Eunuch Chen raised his eyes slightly and saw that Li Jin was standing with his arms crossed and not saying a word, so he continued, "His Majesty said that it is inappropriate for you not to be present at the palace banquet every year."
At this point, Eunuch Chen smiled and said no more.
Entering the imperial city through the Xuanwu Gate, the area outside the Taiji Hall Square was filled with carriages belonging to officials attending the banquet.
Li Jin's carriage, on the other hand, passed through the inner city without any obstacles.
After getting off the carriage, Eunuch Chen led Li Jin towards the front of the palace, slowing his pace and lowering his voice, saying out of the blue, "His Majesty is still on the side of the Prince."
Upon hearing this, Li Jin's heart tightened.
If Li Yi suddenly sides with him, there is definitely a deadly crisis waiting ahead.
He remained silent for a moment, then asked calmly, "Could Eunuch Lin please elaborate?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Eunuch Lin turned and glanced at Li Jin, pondered for a moment, and shook his head.
Li Jin understood and asked no further questions.
In this prosperous era, the Taiji Hall, with its red walls and black tiles, has shed its former solemn and dignified image and is now adorned with festive palace lanterns.
Accompanied by music and dance, graceful and affectionate court dancers use their light and agile steps to tell of peace and tranquility for the people.
Li Jin, with a dark expression, as if everyone owed him a fortune, exuded a gloomy aura as he stepped across the threshold of the Taiji Hall.
The court officials were all taken aback.
The crown prince frowned and put down his wine cup.
Only Li Yi laughed heartily, slapping his knee: "See, I won the bet!" He glanced at Li Jin's reluctant look, pointing at his cheek, "I told you he would come this year!"
After saying that, he waved his hand, gesturing for Li Jin to sit down.
Before the singing and dancing had stopped, Li Jin simply bowed respectfully from afar, then walked around to the front row along one side of the palace gate and sat between the Fourth Prince Li Shang and the First Princess Li Qian.
Before she could even settle in, Li Qian leaned over and whispered, "Are you alone?"
Li Jin nodded.
He glanced sideways at the space beside Li Qian; it was empty.
Yunfei is not here.
Li Qian pursed her lips, and the joy on her face was gradually replaced by a hint of anger. Everything in front of her lost its color in the blink of an eye, and she couldn't muster any interest in it.
Seeing her displeasure, Li Jin narrowed his eyes slightly and teased her playfully, "What's wrong? The mountain has trees, but the trees have no branches? My heart is pleased with you, but you do not know?"
Hearing his words, Li Qian rolled her eyes at him, let out a long breath, and retorted with a crooked mouth, "Same as my royal brother."
These words struck Li Jin squarely at his sore spot. He picked up his wine cup and took a deep breath.
With the wide sleeve of her left hand concealing her, she held the cup between two fingers of her right hand, but unbeknownst to her, a handkerchief was also tucked between her little finger and her other hand.
He appeared to be drinking heartily in one gulp, but in reality, he skillfully poured all the wine from the glass onto a handkerchief.
"Aren't you afraid it's poisoned?" Unable to see through his technique, Li Qian didn't have time to worry and hurriedly reached for the white porcelain wine pot in front of her.
She wanted to switch Li Jin's pot with hers.
Anyway, no one dared to persuade the eldest princess to drink alcohol, and she could get through it without drinking a drop.
But then Li Jin smiled slightly, picked up the wine pot on his table, stood up, and walked straight toward Li Yi.
Amidst the singing and dancing, accompanied by exquisite music, Li Jin showered Li Yi with endless praise, leaving Li Yi increasingly confused and unable to figure out what he was up to.
"Hmph." Li Yi raised an eyebrow, revealing a look of disdain, and swayed the small cup in his hand back and forth. "Li Jin, what exactly are you trying to say with all this flowery talk?"
Li Jin feigned fear, pursed his lips, and timidly said, "Your subject grew up practicing martial arts, and is truly clumsy with words. I've said so much, but I didn't expect to miss the point." He frowned and turned his gaze to Crown Prince Li Jing.
Li Yi snorted, narrowed his eyes, and went along with it, his tone displeased: "You never study, just wander around aimlessly, and you still have the nerve to show off here." He took a deep breath and waved his hand dismissively, "Get out of the way! Let the Crown Prince handle this!"
Li Yi's voice grew louder, the music and dance abruptly stopped, and Li Jin, who was in the center of the hall, instantly became the focus of attention.
Crown Prince Li Jing calmly poured himself a full cup of wine, stood up, and stood side by side with Li Jin.
"This first cup is to Father Emperor, to thank you for your trust and cultivation, which has given me the honor of sharing your burdens today." Li Jing held the cup with both hands, bowed respectfully, and drank it all in one gulp.
He then turned around, showed everyone an empty cup in his hand, and then stepped towards the table to pour a second cup of wine.
Unexpectedly, Li Jin reached out and stopped him.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, he brought the white porcelain wine pot he had been holding for a long time to Li Jing's hand, ignoring Li Jing's fleeting surprise, and poured it directly into the cup in Li Jing's hand.
While leaning to one side, he laughed and said, "If you go to all that trouble, your momentum will be diminished by half, which is not good."
The main hall was completely silent.
This bold approach surprised everyone.
The courtiers sat up straight, craning their necks, wishing their eyes could bend, eager to bypass the crowd, grab the front row, and not miss a single detail.
Sitting at her own table, Li Qian looked at the wine pot in Li Jin's hand, her mouth slightly open, her face full of admiration.
As expected of him, whether it's poisoned or not is unimportant; the key is whether the prince dares to drink it.
He was besieging this ruthless man in full view of everyone, leaving him with no reason to refuse him.
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