Chapter 240 The principle that good will prevail over evil is etched into one's very bones.
The winter solstice is the first day of the nine-day period of winter.
The sun hung low in the sky, and Yan Zhao, accompanied by Jin Shu, walked slowly south from Qixian Pavilion.
To the south lies the gate to the East Palace, the only exit from within the palace walls that had kept Jin Shu locked up for over a month.
Yan Zhao was dressed in a black robe, with a small crown standing up high, the collar of which gently touched his gray hair.
In Jin Shu's eyes, that body was slightly hunched.
Along the way, the guards who encountered Yan Zhao saw the token in his hand. Although they had doubts, they still put away their spears and respectfully let him pass.
He remained silent, not uttering a word, which Jin Shu instinctively sensed was unusual.
With only one door remaining, Jin Shu stopped behind him.
She watched him walk forward on his own, and called out with mixed feelings, "Master."
Upon hearing this, Yan Zhao stopped and turned to look at her face with a solemn expression.
She didn't know how to start the conversation, how to ask the question she wanted to ask in this place where she was surrounded by enemies.
Jin Shu pursed her lips, clutching the hem of her clothes, and after a long while said, "You know, my intuition is always very accurate."
They were accurate and clearly realized that it wasn't the Crown Prince who wanted to let Jin Shu go.
Yan Zhao lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, "It is Your Majesty."
After saying that, he waved his token at the guards at the gate.
"I don't have the guts to do such a thing."
He stepped over the threshold, stood outside the door, and turned to look at Jin Shu's figure.
Ten meters away, a figure in the doorway, standing with hands behind his back, waiting in the cold glow of the setting sun.
Jin Shu, dressed in a plain-colored dress, glanced at his stern face as always, and finally stepped over the threshold, standing on the stone steps outside the East Palace.
She didn't believe the phrase "because of His Majesty," but she still believed in the imperial edict.
As the drums of the grand court assembly resounded, the assembled officials, beneath the heavens and earth, sang praises of their profound awe for this magnificent empire and their heartfelt honor in being part of the chosen Great Wei.
The respectful words, accompanied by the stirring and high-pitched drumbeats and the deep and majestic horns, surged like a tidal wave over the towering red palace walls, engulfing the master and disciple on the other side of the palace walls.
“Every year on the winter solstice and the first day of the new year, we hold such a grand court assembly.” Yan Zhao did not turn around. “Discussions are held on the winter solstice, and decrees are issued on the first day of the new year.”
He slowed his pace and glanced back slightly: "Prince Jing is here too."
Outside the East Palace, golden ginkgo leaves carpeted the entire path, rustling softly as you walked on them.
"He carries with him a heart that is willing to live and die with you, and he will personally crash into the wall called 'imperial power' with his own flesh and blood." Yan Zhao said slowly, "Logically speaking, it would not be surprising if Prince Jing died in court today."
His words were calm and without any ripples.
Jin Shu glanced at his back, her lips pressed into a straight line, unsure how to speak for a long while.
“But that’s just the way it is.” Yan Zhao chuckled. “From the moment he sent Zhou Zheng to the General’s Mansion in Fengzhou, but didn’t send the General to lead troops to attack the city, Prince Jing had already won.”
He stopped, turned around, and glanced at Jin Shu's face.
"In this capital city, what you can see is the struggle for the throne between the Crown Prince and Prince Jing. What you can't see is the supreme imperial power that provides this chessboard, and the person who plays the game, who has already meticulously planned every move."
He said, "Back then, after the death of the former crown prince, His Majesty ordered a scheme to be set up."
“The three factions are fighting each other in the game, checking and balancing each other.” Yan Zhao paused. “If Prince Jing, who had nothing at the time, could win in this balance of power, Your Majesty would grant the person who orchestrated the game a request.”
"At first, I really didn't understand how Prince Jing, who was in a desperate situation, could turn the tide. Until the person playing the chess game simply said 'the will of the people'."
Yan Zhao smiled and sighed, gesturing with his chin towards the direction outside the palace gate: "In just a few short years, just when we all thought he would die from the Crown Prince's dirty tricks, he won, and won honorably."
Seeing Jin Shu's seemingly confused expression, Yan Zhao raised his hand, clenched his fist, and pounded his chest hard: "Good will prevail over evil."
His clear and resonant voice was etched into Jin Shu's heart.
She cupped her hands and bowed deeply, saying, "Your disciple will remember this."
“Not enough,” Yan Zhao said. “You are a member of the Six Doors. This word should be engraved in your bones, just like it is in the others.”
He turned around, put his hands behind his back, and walked forward: "What people do is seen by Heaven. At least a hundred years from now, when I stand in the King of Hell's palace, I must be able to face myself with a clear conscience."
Jin Shu hesitated for a moment, then looked up and stood still, watching Yan Zhao's back.
She said, "Master, are you truly without guilt?"
Yan Zhao paused for a moment, without turning around. He took a deep breath and raised his voice a few decibels: "I have a clear conscience!"
Watching his retreating figure and listening to his words, Jin Shu pursed her lips and then smiled.
She quickly caught up with him, and together with Yan Zhao, they stepped into the Taihe Hall Square, heading towards the pinnacle of power in the Great Wei Dynasty.
"Are you afraid?" Yan Zhao asked.
“I’m not afraid,” Jin Shu said. Seeing Yan Zhao glancing at her profile, he grinned, “I have a clear conscience.”
Inside the majestic Taiji Hall, Li Jin stood in the center, casually flipping through a few pages of the account book in his hand: "The counties under the jurisdiction of Youzhou Prefecture have more than a hundred murder cases a year, but less than ten cases have been solved."
"Yangzhou is even more fascinating, with zero cases solved."
Li Jin sneered: "Where do you get the audacity to prosecute a coroner who has solved almost every case for deceiving the emperor? And to say that merits and demerits cancel each other out?"
"Your Highness Prince Jing is being sophistical. Jin Shu is guilty of deceiving the emperor. Even if she were a deity descended to earth, her disguise as a man would still be considered deceiving the emperor." The Prefect of Youzhou, seeing that he was getting himself into trouble, quickly stepped forward, bowing. "Deceiving the emperor is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. Yet His Highness the Crown Prince is so kind-hearted that he has managed to plead for a balance of merit and demerit for her. He is truly a model of benevolence!"
On the throne, Li Yi glanced at the scene before him, then looked at Li Jin's profile and narrowed his eyes slightly.
This is exactly what it means to know yourself and your enemy.
Li Jin knew that the Crown Prince would suggest a solution like boiling a frog in lukewarm water.
The Crown Prince knew that Li Jin would use his indelible public achievements to exonerate Jin Shu.
Sitting on the throne, Li Yi, dressed in a royal robe, gently twirled the pure gold dragon head with his fingertips.
He remained silent, simply watching the unfolding scene before him.
His silence was as if he were telling everyone in the hall to "speak freely".
The Crown Prince noticed Li Yi's expression and felt a little puzzled.
Under normal circumstances, if a prince and a minister were to confront each other and argue like this during a grand court assembly, Li Jin would definitely be expelled on the grounds of disgracing the royal family.
But he didn't have time to think it through. In an instant, Li Jin aimed his sharpest spear directly at the Crown Prince's brow.
"A model of benevolence for the Crown Prince?" Li Jin sneered. "Lord Yang has come all the way from Youzhou, enduring more than ten days of arduous travel. Is he hallucinating from the journey?!"
The crown prince paused, not expecting Li Jin to be so direct.
"How many senior officials have retired after achieving their goals?" He glanced up and down. "If Lord Yang can retire peacefully, then Lord Yang will be the first."
"Insolence!" Li Yi, who had been silent for a long time, slammed his fist on the table.
Just when the officials thought Li Jin was about to be charged with disrespect, Li Yi said in a deep voice, "You can just stick to the facts. Why bring up other things from the past?"
He snorted coldly and glanced at the crowd: "What does the fact that the few people beside the Crown Prince have left have to do with this matter?"
Li Yi originally wanted to remind Li Jin not to cause any unnecessary trouble.
To everyone's surprise, Li Jin straightened his back and said righteously, "Yes, and it's very relevant!"
Both the Crown Prince and Li Yi were taken aback.
Li Jin then pointed his finger without any politeness: "Since the Six Doors' investigation, there are two cases that remain unresolved."
"First, the case of Chen Wen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, who was murdered in a mountain stream." He paused. "Second, the case of Liu Quan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, who was poisoned and his entire family wiped out."
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