Chapter 74 Forcing her out
For two consecutive days, the level of disturbance in the Imperial Study was broken.
Li Yi raised his hand to rub the bridge of his nose. In front of him was Chen Wen, who was crying his eyes out, and Crown Prince Li Jing, who stood to the side, looking cold and aloof.
The idea that his own third prince, the current Prince Jing, would sexually assault one of Chen Wen's daughters was so absurd that Li Yi didn't even know how to begin.
The Crown Prince even chimed in with such unconvincing words, joining in the nonsense. After a moment's thought, he realized that the Crown Prince wasn't there to support Chen Wen; he must have some other motive.
He must want to get involved in this case for some special reason.
Li Yi lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then looked at Li Jin beside Chen Wen: "Don't keep it to yourself."
He sneered, "Who would have thought that Prince Jing, who is usually indifferent to beautiful women, would now be interested in married women?"
Although the words were addressed to Li Jin, every single one was meant for Chen Wen and the Crown Prince.
These words were like a hand slapping Chen Wen's face, making the beads of sweat in his hair even finer.
Beside him, Li Jin calmly bowed and said something surprising: "Your subject does not usually associate with women, and I have offended Miss Chen. Your subject is willing to accept the punishment."
Li Yi was taken aback. He stared at Li Jin's calm face and tapped his fingertips on the table.
They would rather bear a false accusation than involve the crown prince.
"Hmm..." Li Yi nodded, crossing his arms. "I know you went to the Chen family to investigate a case."
At this point, he looked at Chen Wen and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, stop crying. Prince Jing has given up his reputation for your son's death. What's the point of you crying here?"
These words sounded as if they were spoken in favor of Li Jin, which made Chen Wen purse his lips in surprise, his hand hovering in mid-air, looking as if he wanted to argue his point.
But Li Jin remained bowed, his voice suddenly rising a few decibels: "The reason I offended Miss Chen is because there is a high probability that Chen Feng's death is directly related to Miss Chen Lan and her son-in-law Huang Liangping."
He straightened up, a smile playing on his lips, and looked at Chen Wen's surprised expression with a hint of sarcasm: "This only happened yesterday afternoon, yet this morning Lord Chen is in such a hurry to file a complaint with the Emperor. Could it be that Lord Chen is also involved, and has a significant connection to this matter?"
"Prince Jing! What do you mean by this?!" Chen Wen's face flushed with anger. "What? Just because my daughter was in a bad mood and her attitude was a little off, she's become a direct suspect?! I'm speaking out for my daughter's innocence, and now I'm considered a criminal for protecting her?"
Chen Wen's fingers trembled, he bit his lip, and knelt down in the study with a thud, tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty! Your Highness the Crown Prince! The Chen family has worked diligently and sincerely for so many years, pouring our hearts and souls into the Ministry of Justice. Although we have not achieved the merits of His Highness Prince Jing in solving numerous strange cases, we have still worked hard to follow your lead!"
"Your Highness Prince Jing's slander is utterly unacceptable; this humble official is even less capable than..."
“Slander?” Li Jin sneered. “Lord Chen, yesterday I didn’t even step over the threshold of your daughter’s courtyard. You were there when she threw stones and smashed stools at me.”
Li Jin laughed: "What? When Lord Chen molests a young lady, does it mean he's insulted from ten meters away while someone hits him on the head with a wooden stool?"
"How dare you!" Li Yi rubbed his temples while listening to their argument with his eyes closed.
A sudden headache.
"So there's more to the story behind throwing stones and smashing stools..." Li Yi slowly opened his eyes and looked at Chen Wen, who was kneeling there, his expression changing from tears to one of terror.
He kowtowed to the ground and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, my daughter has lost her brother and is emotionally unstable. I informed Prince Jing yesterday before we met."
"Emotionally unstable?" Li Yi sneered, "Just because you're emotionally unstable doesn't mean you can beat and insult royalty! Chen Wen, you have some nerve!"
Li Jin thought that things had come to this point and he could easily deal with Chen Wen, but to his surprise, Li Yi raised his hand, pointed at him, and said angrily, "Li Jin, you have quite the nerve!"
He was taken aback.
Damn it, it seems that even after all that, Li Yi's attention still hasn't been diverted.
“You are the third prince of the Great Wei. How can you just throw away the face and dignity of the royal family?” He chuckled, his eyes narrowed, and then changed the subject: “You will still be punished. You have three days… no, two days to solve the case. The Crown Prince’s case must not be tortured into a confession.”
Li Jin, who had always been calm and composed, took a deep breath when he heard about the "Crown Prince's Academy Case".
Sure enough, the Crown Prince's elaborate scheme aroused Li Yi's curiosity about why he would use such a flawed method to try and get involved in the case.
What was the reason that made Li Jinning willing to bear a stigma, yet still want to prevent him from getting involved?
Throughout the entire process, the Crown Prince stood there without uttering a word, simply watching, yet he achieved his true purpose.
Li Jin felt a tightness in his chest, but he couldn't vent it.
A short while later, after the Crown Prince and Chen Wen left the Imperial Study, Li Jin followed behind. Just as he was about to step over the threshold, Li Yi, while reviewing memorials, said without looking up, "I am also curious, who exactly is it that you could hide so well?"
These words confirmed Li Jin's suspicions. He turned to look at Li Yi, only to see him smile, his gaze still fixed on the memorial: "Let me teach you a lesson. If you don't want to be noticed, you should stand in the crowd, in broad daylight, or in the most conspicuous position, not behind you."
After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "Go down."
Behind Li Jin, the curtain of the study was pulled down with a whoosh, and his expression was terrifyingly somber.
How could he not understand the reasoning Li Yi was giving? Hiding Jin Shu behind his back was a last resort, but it was also a desperate measure.
If she were truly a man, Li Jin would simply be at the forefront, unafraid to face everyone's scrutinizing gaze.
But that won't work.
The Crown Prince is ruthless and decisive, with numerous followers, and has always been overwhelmingly powerful over Li Jin.
Although he was taciturn and didn't interact much with Li Jin, his spies were always everywhere. Even though he was confined to the Crown Prince's residence, he was still able to strategize and know everything.
Faced with such a powerful opponent, if Li Jinruo wasn't absolutely certain of victory, he would rather openly hide Jin Shu than let the Crown Prince notice his strength.
Stepping out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Li Jin took a deep breath as he looked at the Crown Prince standing at the entrance, waiting for him with his hands behind his back.
But the Crown Prince chuckled and said, "Prince Jing, there's no need for that. I am no idle person either. How could I have the time to follow you around solving cases?"
He turned and started walking slowly down the stone steps: "Making a scene at the Chen family's house is an insult to the royal family's dignity. Next time you go, just let me know and I will go with you."
At this point, he stopped and looked back at Li Jin: "Lord Yan has been away from the capital these past two days. My father wants to close the case. I'm sure you know what level of writing is required for this case, so I don't need to say more."
"Your Highness is right, Li Jin has learned a lot."
By the time Li Jin bowed, bent over, and then straightened up, the person in front of him had already walked five meters away and left with Chen Wen.
Li Jin stood on the steps, watching the receding figure, and took a deep breath.
With a whoosh, he flung the fan away and waved it rapidly in his hand.
The Crown Prince is forcing Jin Shu to step forward.
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