Chapter 233 The methods were a bit ugly, so what?
The atmosphere inside Qixian Pavilion was terribly somber.
The crown prince glanced at Jin Shu's face, and after a long while, he laughed.
"Who knows?" he said casually, glancing at Jin Shu out of the corner of his eye. "Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Shadow is good at gathering intelligence, but Quicksand's intelligence gathering is its weakest link."
“But that doesn’t mean the Ministry of Justice’s quicksand is completely useless.” The Crown Prince raised his small cup and chuckled softly. “I told you earlier today that no matter what form justice takes, the ultimate goal is the same: peace and prosperity for all people.”
"To achieve this, the methods used may be somewhat unsavory, but what's wrong with that?"
His implication was that he was telling Jin Shu that the entire Ministry of Justice's Quicksand organization was actually a well-trained assassination team.
Jin Shu gave a dry laugh.
Unexpectedly, he, who should have been maintaining stability in the region, upholding justice for the people, and faithfully executor of the laws and will of the Great Wei, became a bloodstained knife used by the Crown Prince to purge the people.
“Mr. Jin is devoted to the people, and I admire his dedication.” The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes slightly. “But there is a method to everything. There is only one path to Mount Hua, but there are many more paths to lasting peace.”
"There is far more than one way to achieve the fairness and justice in Mr. [Name]'s heart."
Jin Shu remained silent for a long time, glancing at the teacup in front of her and taking a deep breath.
The Crown Prince and Prince Jing are ultimately different.
Jin Shu glanced at his face and asked a question that even the Crown Prince hadn't expected: "What kind of justice does Your Highness speak of?"
She gazed at the Crown Prince: "Is peace justice? Is prosperity justice?"
Jin Shu shook her head: "If that's the case, then Jin Shu's view of justice is completely different from Your Highness's."
She finally couldn't hold back and revealed what was on her mind.
"In Jin Shu's eyes, justice is a safe city, where you can walk on the street without fear and return home without unease."
"It means being kind to others, cooperating fairly, trusting each other, not saying one thing to your face and another behind your back, sharing the benefits and sharing the burdens."
"It means that tomorrow will always be better than today, and that everyone has a better chance of having a better life."
Her fingertips gently traced across the small cup, instantly creating ripples in the water.
"Even in the face of danger, even in the face of catastrophic disaster, there should be fair procedures and reasonable steps to protect the basic right to live. There should also be fair laws, and judgments should be consistent regardless of status."
Justice has a thousand faces.
Everyone's perceptions and feelings will inevitably differ.
Some forms of justice, in their implementation, come at the cost of too many innocent lives.
Is this kind of justice truly justice?
“Mingming, there are better ways to do things.” After saying that, Jin Shu drank the tea in her cup in one gulp.
She disapproved of the Crown Prince's approach, believing that violence would only lead to more serious problems.
Although they were both princes, Li Jin, who was younger than him, clearly understood this principle better.
“Institutional justice, formal justice, and procedural justice.” The Crown Prince smiled slightly. “What you say is quite interesting. I am ashamed of my own shortcomings.” His voice was cold and emotionless. “A grand vision. I admire you, Li Jing.”
He stood up and personally poured tea for Jin Shu: "Although we have different paths, I still want to hear more from you, sir." He narrowed his eyes, "Tell me what the world looks like in your eyes."
That night, in Qixian Pavilion, the Crown Prince chatted casually with Jin Shu until late into the night, showing no sign of leaving.
Jin Shu frowned, unsure of his intentions, yet dared not easily provoke him.
As dawn broke, the Crown Prince's guard, Lian Shui, stood at the door and called him to the morning court. Only then did Li Jing rise and slowly stroll out of the Qixian Pavilion in the Eastern Palace.
He walked through the courtyard gate, turned the corner of the wall, and stood in the corridor, his face darkening.
No wonder Li Jin kept Jin Shu by his side and never left her side, even though he knew that Jin Shu was guarantored by Song Zhen.
"It's a pity that a woman has such talent," he said casually, rubbing the back of his hands.
Lian Shui glanced in the direction of Qixian Pavilion behind him, somewhat surprised: "Then..." He paused, "...are we still going to kill?"
Li Jing raised an eyebrow and glanced at him: "Why not kill him?"
He stood with his hands behind his back and walked forward: "If she can't be used by me, am I supposed to keep her around and let her change the world?"
Upon hearing this, Lian Shui responded with a "Yes."
“But,” Li Jing slowed his pace, pondering for a moment, “she cannot die in the Eastern Palace, understand?”
When Jin Shu was brought out of the Six Doors, the Crown Prince truly felt the killing intent in Prince Jing's eyes.
This was also the rare instance of him pleading for leniency and bringing Jin Shu out of the prison.
He could almost sense that if something really happened to this girl, Li Jin would probably turn into a crazy, eccentric person.
The Crown Prince isn't afraid of Li Jin's political maneuvering, but if he gets desperate and storms into the Eastern Palace with a knife, given Li Jin's abilities, probably no one can do anything to him.
Therefore, as long as Jin Shu is alive and living in the Eastern Palace, Li Jin will not dare to make any rash moves.
In this way, the Crown Prince would have the best leverage to control Li Jin.
He chuckled softly, gazing at the first hint of dawn on the horizon.
He truly never expected that Prince Jing, who had almost no weaknesses and whom he had repeatedly failed to find fault with, would suffer such a huge setback because of love.
After the Crown Prince left, Jin Shu hurriedly opened all the boxes and took out everything inside.
It appears to be neatly and orderly, as if one is at ease settling down here.
In reality, they were on tenterhooks, searching one by one for any trace of Jin Rong's existence.
Jin Shu finally breathed a sigh of relief after she put the last item in the last box away.
There was nothing there.
Jin Shu looked around and her gaze fell on a familiar book.
That was the "small box" where she had hidden the jade left by Jin Rong's mother, which Li Jin had stolen at night.
Her heart tightened, and she glanced around before cautiously opening the book.
Jin Shu was stunned for a moment.
Inside the box lay a hollowed-out jade pendant, adorned with golden tassels.
That was Li Jin's waist pendant.
The translucent, white jade pendant shone brightly in the morning sun, as if telling Jin Shu that everything was as he had expected.
After the morning court session, Li Jin waited for a long time outside the Imperial Study.
Eunuch Chen approached with a troubled expression, bowed to him, and then shook his head: "Your Highness Prince Jing, please return."
Li Jin stood in the cold wind, her face tense, motionless.
Seeing that he was determined not to leave, Eunuch Chen sighed, "The autumn chill is deep, and you have been standing for three hours. How can your body withstand this?" He advised, "Please go back."
Before him, Li Jin remained silent, standing there like a stone statue.
Eunuch Chen shook his head, bent over, and turned to go back.
In an instant, Yan Zhao walked out of the study. He glanced at Li Jin, and then, as they brushed past each other, Li Jin grabbed his arm tightly.
"Lord Yan, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"
Yan Zhao coldly pushed his arm away, looked at his face, and let out a cold snort.
Then he strode away without saying a word.
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