Chapter 275 Everything Li Jing did was only for himself.
Li Jin stood in the hall, silent for a long time.
All the cards, all the fragments, all the people—Li Yi had already pushed them onto the Taiji Hall.
He built the stage for his success and fame, and he became the cornerstone for him to take another step forward.
Li Yi glanced at him, his gentle gaze filled with anticipation for Li Jin.
That expression, which Li Jin didn't understand before, she suddenly understood now.
One step forward leads to the path to the dragon throne behind Li Yi.
Taking a step forward will become the cornerstone of peace and prosperity.
Seeing through Li Jin's inner struggle, Li Yi's eyes softened considerably.
He waved his hand and urged, "Hurry up, let's settle these old scores today before the New Year."
Li Jin took a deep breath, his heart filled with sorrow. He cupped his hands in greeting and bowed deeply.
When he stood up again, there was no longer any hesitation in his eyes.
He stood before Zhao Wencheng, but turned his face toward Lian Shui: "Now that things have come to this, you are prepared to die and have not hesitated to openly assassinate him in the main hall. Such loyalty and courage are admirable."
Li Jin paused for a moment: "Based on my understanding of you, the moment the burlap in your mouth is removed will be the moment you bite through the poison hidden in your mouth and die."
He sighed: "If you want to die, I won't stop you, but before you die, you'd better make things clear before you go to the underworld to see your loved ones."
Upon hearing this, Lian Shui frowned, her eyes fixed on Li Jin, looking him up at him.
Then Li Jin knelt down in front of him and whispered, "You are his first bodyguard... Do you really think that it was because your entire sect was wiped out that winter, and you were the only one who managed to escape and met a benefactor?"
He shook his head: "Everything Li Jing does is only for himself."
The water level dropped.
The crown prince, who was standing to the side, could no longer sit still and stood up abruptly: "Li Jin! Don't talk nonsense! This is going too far!"
He stood there, his face, which had never shown any emotion in years, now terribly gloomy.
The rise and fall of his chest, along with his uncharacteristic demeanor, revealed his inner terror to everyone in the Taiji Hall.
Song Zhen was right. For the ruthless Li Jing, his biggest weakness was not his right-hand men, but his personal bodyguard Lian Shui, who obeyed his orders directly and knew every dirty trick he had played.
Seeing his strong reaction, Li Jin stood up, smiled faintly and shook his head: "I never speak recklessly." He lowered his eyes slightly, and spoke clearly, "I can say this only because the evidence is irrefutable and leaves no room for argument."
The Crown Prince's eyes flashed with a sinister gaze as he stared at Li Jin.
He clenched his fist tightly, wanting to argue but also hesitant and cautious, fearing that Li Jin might actually have solid evidence.
“The Second Prince was only a teenager back then, and his mind wasn’t as meticulous as it is now…” Li Jin chuckled, “nor as ruthless. At least he knew the basic principle of paying for a service and then having no further dealings with the other party. He wouldn’t be like he is now, crossing the river and then burning the bridge, cutting off the source of the problem.”
Upon hearing this, the crown prince's face turned even paler.
After saying these words, Li Jin glanced at Lian Shui lying on the ground. Seeing his horrified expression, as if he had been greatly shocked, he sighed softly and moved on to the main topic.
"My lords, six years ago, the Xiongnu suddenly invaded the border of the Great Wei. Li Jin was ordered to lead troops and protect the three border cities and hundreds of thousands of people in the midst of bloodshed."
"And it was around that time that a major event occurred in the capital of the Great Wei," he chuckled. "I'm sure you all remember it vividly."
The calmness and indifference in his voice, tinged with a hint of sadness, permeated the Taiji Hall.
“At that time, Crown Prince Li Mu was accused of treason based on a secret letter and two carts of armor.” He glanced at the crowd. “Regardless of whether the treason was true or false, according to the law of the Great Wei, he should have been imprisoned first and put on trial until his father, who was in the imperial palace at the time, returned before a final verdict was reached.”
The main hall was completely silent.
Granny Xi helped the emaciated Consort Xiao stand quietly at the side door, watching Li Jin's back as she entered the hall.
Her withered hands tightly gripped the priceless jade discs that Li Mu and Cen Shishi each possessed on their wedding day.
It was as if a little more force could bring the two who died unjustly back from the underworld to stand here together and witness the fairness and justice that came six years late.
She sat shakily in the chair, watching the eunuch bring her the charcoal fire to warm her up, and smiled faintly, thanking him repeatedly.
This woman, who had not yet reached the age of fifty, this woman who had once fought on the battlefield and was no less capable than any man, never hesitated or worried when facing the enemy's swords, and never retreated an inch when facing the sordid schemes of the inner palace.
Even when faced with inescapable death, they do not back down in the slightest.
But at this moment, she looked at the back of the figure in the hall, at Li Jin who had already taken charge and was showing the demeanor of an emperor, and at her only remaining son.
She was nervous and worried, her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Six years ago, the officials only knew that Li Mu was plotting a rebellion, but they did not know that the nature of the rebellion had not yet been determined. At that time, the Crown Princess's maternal family, the Cen family, consisting of fifty or sixty people, were all sent to the executioner's block overnight."
Li Jin sighed: "Everyone knows that confiscating property and beheading only punishes those with criminal bloodlines, and does not implicate innocent people such as wet nurses, maids, and servants."
He turned his head and looked at Zhao Wencheng's lowered head: "I would like to ask, what criteria did Prime Minister Zhao use when he confiscated the Cen family's property to convict and behead the entire Cen family, including the market servant who happened to be delivering vegetables?"
"And what considerations led to choosing the execution site, a former execution ground thirty miles outside the capital, which had long been abandoned?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion broke out in the hall.
The Crown Princess's father was a powerful and influential official in the Secretariat, and was Zhao Wencheng's biggest rival for the position of Prime Minister.
Six years ago, when the Cen family had their accident, the Ministry of Justice investigated and determined that they had been robbed by bandits and none of them survived.
Apart from the Crown Prince's faction, even Li Yi himself didn't know what exactly happened that night.
Until Song Zhen, under the guise of tribute, presented two plates of priceless Shu brocade to Li Yi in person.
He stared at the face that resembled Cen Shi for a long time before realizing that there was something fishy going on.
"The entire Cen family was wiped out. After the Ministry of Justice's investigation, the case was finally closed in the Dali Temple's records with the conclusion that the Cen family was unlucky, was robbed by bandits, and all members disappeared."
Li Jin took a deep breath: "But Prime Minister Zhao, you probably never dreamed of this..."
He paused, glancing at the top of Zhao Wencheng's head: "I never dreamed that back then in the Cen family, someone hid the Cen family's eldest son to repay a debt of gratitude, dressed him in his clothes, and put on his waist ornament, exchanging his own life for the sake of saving someone from your oversight."
Upon hearing this, both Zhao Wencheng and the Crown Prince were taken aback.
Goosebumps rose all over his body as he slowly raised his head, his lips trembling slightly.
Li Jin looked at them and sneered, "The survivors happen to be people you two know."
"He has always been by your side, enduring hardship and biding his time for your defeat today. For the irrefutable evidence that could send you to hell, he did not hesitate to hide his identity, stain his hands with blood, and gamble everything."
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