Chapter 252 should not end like this.
"you!"
Xu Weiyou, who had been rebuked by Su Siyuan, was seething with hatred.
He pointed his finger in the air several times before twisting his mouth and flicking his sleeve, saying, "I won't waste my breath on a boor like you!"
After speaking, he cupped his hands and looked at Li Yi: "Your Majesty, this case was closed six years ago. It has been a long time, and even if new evidence comes to light, it will be difficult to confirm its authenticity."
He shook his head: "Moreover, this case involves the royal bloodline and has far-reaching implications. At a time when His Majesty has just set a precedent for women to enter officialdom and is being praised by the people, to reopen it rashly would inevitably give rise to suspicion and doubt!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Su Siyuan waved his hands repeatedly, "Lord Xu, what you're saying is getting stranger and stranger!"
He wore a bitter expression: "Reviewing cases and finding out the truth is the duty of the Court of Judicial Review! I've reviewed so many officials' cases before, and I've never seen anyone question His Majesty's wisdom!"
Seeing that this was going on and on, Li Yi raised his hand to rub his temples and roared in a deep voice, "That's enough!"
He looked up at Su Siyuan and asked, "Minister Su, what kind of evidence are you referring to?"
Su Siyuan cupped his hands in greeting: "A letter." He paused, "A letter that imitates the style of the traitor Li Muqu."
As soon as he finished speaking, the prime minister's tablet fell to the ground with a clang.
At this sound, everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zhao Wencheng with fine beads of sweat on his forehead, leaning down to pick up the fallen tablet.
"If the Prime Minister is not feeling well, he should go back and rest as soon as possible." Li Yi's gaze was sharp as a torch, piercing Zhao Wencheng's cheek.
He silently glanced at the memorial before him, then at the silent Crown Prince and Li Jin, and pondered for a moment with his hands in his pockets: "This case has been closed for six years. Even if we were to reopen it, now is not the time."
Li Yi took a deep breath: "The most urgent tasks are to solve the flood problem mentioned at the Grand Court Assembly, and to control the epidemic."
"Your Majesty!" Su Siyuan exclaimed in surprise.
But Li Yi rubbed his hands together, met his surprised expression, and said in an unquestionable tone, "This matter is settled."
As she spoke, she glanced at the prince's face.
"I've heard that things haven't been peaceful in Chang'an lately." He said meaningfully, "If this continues, I won't be able to sit idly by."
Li Jin, who had been standing to the side for a long time, slowly raised his eyes and glanced in Li Yi's direction.
He tapped the memorial on the table with his fingertips: "The original intention of establishing the neighborhood system and the curfew was to facilitate the stability of the capital and protect the safety of the people."
"Oh dear..." he chuckled, peering in the direction of the Crown Prince. "I just didn't expect that none of them would walk on the ground anymore. They're flying over rooftops and walls, going wherever they want and doing whatever they want."
At this point, Li Yi's face turned cold: "The path on the roof is narrow and difficult to walk on."
At the morning court session, it seemed that Li Yi had put in a good show of support for the Crown Prince.
In front of all the officials, he rejected Su Siyuan's memorial to reopen the old case, but in reality, he gave the Crown Prince a stern warning.
After the court session ended, in the Imperial Study, Li Jin frowned as he looked at Li Yi's face, feeling displeased.
As if sensing his displeasure, Li Yi took a deep breath and looked him up and down: "Father asks you, is your sword faster, or is that arrow that flies through the water faster?"
Li Jin cupped his hands in greeting: "Lian Shui is fast."
"So, have you caught Lian Shui doing anything wrong?"
The study was quiet for a moment. Li Yi looked at his face, picked up the medicine soup beside him, frowned and blew on it: "I know what you're thinking. You're afraid that things will get complicated if we wait too long, afraid that he'll kill everyone in one go."
He looked at the silent Li Jin, and after a long while, put down the medicine in his hand: "I ask you, is the justice that was not served six years ago more important, or is the truth of what happened six years ago more important?"
Li Jin paused, looked up in confusion, and stared at Li Yi's face.
He got up, came out from behind his desk, and walked to Li Jin's side.
"Father knows you are determined to exonerate Li Mu and clear his name." His voice softened considerably. "But Father bets you that you won't be able to catch the Crown Prince in any way."
Li Yi laughed: "The so-called cunning and treacherous is contrary to justice and openness. He must be very careful with every step he takes and has already made arrangements for his escape route."
“During the morning court session, he remained silent and showed no sign of panic. At that moment, you should have realized that he was not afraid at all of reopening the case.” Li Yi raised his hand, patted Li Jin’s shoulder, and led him out of the hall.
Snow began to fall heavily from the sky above the imperial city.
Snowflakes fell like cotton wool, and in the blink of an eye, the vast sky was shrouded in mist.
Wearing a cloak, Li Yi walked side by side with Li Jin, slowly making their way up to the high platform of the right gate amidst the swirling snow.
"Having investigated this far, you should understand that the Crown Prince never personally intervened," Li Yi said. "Even if you brought down Xu Weiyou, removed Pei Yide, and cornered Zhao Wencheng..."
He paused. "And then what? What can you do?" He laughed. "He's still the crown prince. He can clear himself of all responsibility. He can even say that he's a victim, a puppet who was kept in the dark and inexplicably pushed up by a few hands."
As the snow fell heavily, Li Jin looked at Li Yi, who was walking with his hands behind his back, and for a moment, he was somewhat dazed.
In an instant, it was as if I saw Yan Zhao's appearance.
He pursed his lips, followed behind, and stepped onto the steps leading to the high platform, pondering Li Yi's words.
Seeing that Li Jin hadn't spoken for a long time, Li Yi laughed and turned to look at him: "What? You don't know what to do now?"
Before Li Jin could answer, he burst into laughter, then tentatively asked, "What do you think of Song Zhen?"
Li Jin paused, stopping in his tracks.
He understood the meaning behind Li Yi's words.
On the steps, the Emperor of Great Wei turned around and looked down at Li Jin's face: "You are a prince, the future ruler of this world." He said, "There are some things, whether good or evil, that you cannot do."
Li Yi raised his hand, pointed to the man's forehead, and said decisively, "This is your fate!"
He took a deep breath, rubbed his hands together, and exhaled a puff of warm air.
That cloud of mist dissipated in the wind amidst the heavy snow.
“Go find Song Zhen,” Li Yi said. “He is a knife I gave you; use it well.”
After he finished speaking, he turned around and continued walking towards the platform, saying as he went, "Stop talking about justice or injustice. Justice that is six years late is not justice; it is just the truth."
"But if the truth is in our hands, how can the criminals continue to go unpunished..." Li Yi stopped in his tracks, not turning back, as if questioning the heavens, and solemnly admonished, "Can they all face themselves and the people with a clear conscience?"
As snow fell heavily, Li Jin stood at the foot of the steps of the high platform, watching Li Yi's retreating figure, and took a deep breath: "Your subject does not need him to make a knife."
Li Yi turned around and stared at him expressionlessly.
"Your subject does not believe in fate either."
After speaking, Li Jin cupped his hands and bowed.
"Your subject is first and foremost an upright person, and only then a son of the Emperor and a subject of the Great Wei."
He straightened up and looked at Li Yi: "Song Zhen is exceptionally talented, with the potential to become a general or minister. He shouldn't have become a blood-stained executioner." Li Jin shook his head, "He shouldn't have ended up like this."
After saying this, Li Jin turned around and strode away under Li Yi's gaze.
Only after he had walked far away and disappeared from sight did Li Yi burst into laughter, raising his voice slightly towards the high platform: "Did you hear that? He doesn't need your knife."
On the high platform, Song Zhen held a white chess piece in her hand, a slight smile playing on her lips, and placed it on the chessboard, which was already a dead end.
Li Yi walked to his side, looked at the changes in the game, and frowned: "Truly amazing talent, turning a dead end into a living one with a single move."
He took out the black piece, stood on the opposite side, and stared at it for a long time...
"Tsk... I'm not playing anymore! What's the point of playing chess in the dead of winter!"
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