Chapter 281 The Cunning Old Dog Lives Up to His Name
Upon hearing this, Song Zhen pursed her lips and remained silent.
He was even prepared to die, yet Li Jin asked him a question he didn't know how to answer.
“Song Zhen, you’ve stirred up chaos in the court and the country. Your connections in the Three Departments and Six Ministries are everywhere.” Li Jin raised an eyebrow. “Now that you’ve brought down the Crown Prince and are about to exonerate the Cen family and the former Crown Prince, are you just going to pack your bags and die?”
He looked at Song Zhen's solemn expression: "You schemed and plotted, using the net in your hands to lure me here and overturn your case." Li Jin couldn't help but laugh at himself, "Did I really think that the Crown Prince, who doesn't even leave the capital, has such power that he can control any corner of the Great Wei Empire!"
For more than half a year, Li Jin firmly believed that the network that communicated with each other using only stamped letters, without using personal names, was the Crown Prince's henchman.
It wasn't until that night, when Su Siyuan, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, told Li Jin the origins of the entire scheme, that he suddenly realized that it wasn't some scheme orchestrated by the Crown Prince.
Rather, it was a special network that Song Zhen had built over the years by utilizing caravans and goods to manage the Song family.
Song Zhen was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "At that time, it was my mistake that not all the letters in Fang Qing's secret room were destroyed." He looked at Li Jin, "For a long time afterward, I was worried that I might have misled the prince."
He chuckled and glanced at the chessboard in front of him.
Li Jin snorted coldly, and without any hesitation, he used one black piece and one white piece, making several moves right in front of Song Zhen, completely turning the tide of the game.
He brushed the dust off his palms, met Song Zhen's surprised gaze, and said coldly, "After doing so much, wanting to simply end it all with death is too easy on you."
"I'll give you two choices," Li Jin said, holding up a finger. "First, you and He Lin can die together. Considering your contributions today, I'll give you both a quick death. One stroke on the guillotine won't hurt too much."
Song Zhen frowned slightly as she heard He Lin's name mentioned in the conversation.
“Second…” Li Jin raised another finger, his eyes slightly narrowed, revealing a hint of evil in the moonlight.
He said, "You have inherited the position of prime minister. You should use your own methods and means to bring those places and those people you have wronged back to the path of struggle."
Li Jin paused for a moment: "Use the rest of your life to benefit the people of Great Wei."
“But…” He didn’t stop there, and then picked up another black bean, twirling it between his fingers a few times, “After you die, you will still have to pay back what you owe.”
He stared at Song Zhen's stunned face.
"He Lin can live freely until she grows old."
"But you, Song Zhen..."
Li Jin took a deep breath and solemnly declared:
"A hundred years later, his bones will be crushed and his ashes scattered, leaving no trace of his remains."
The moonlight was cold and clear, and the lively atmosphere of New Year's Eve seemed to be shut out by the towering walls of the Six Doors.
The two paths Li Jin presented were clearly unexpected by Song Zhen.
Only then did he truly understand that the Prince Jing of Wei's serious talk about "common moves in chess" was actually a reflection of this situation.
After six years of scheming, Song Zhen kept He Lin by his side out of pity. This seemingly insignificant step has now become a fatal mistake that has cost him dearly.
Li Jin did it on purpose.
Knowing that Song Zhen couldn't abandon He Lin, he held her life in his hands and gave her what seemed like two paths, but in reality, she had no choice at all.
Song Zhen lowered her eyes, and after a long while, she laughed.
His shoulders trembled slightly, he raised his hand and waved it twice, then asked, "Am I alone?"
Li Jin glanced at him and nodded: "If you do your best, your descendants will be granted a pardon."
"Is Your Highness's word true?" Song Zhen asked, a smile in his eyes as he looked at Li Jin.
In his gaze, the man nodded solemnly, responding with a resounding tone: "It's true."
Seeing that Song Zhen still hesitated, Li Jin raised his hand and said in a cold voice, "If Young Master Song needs an imperial edict as a contract, that is also acceptable."
As night deepened, Song Zhen remained silent for a long time.
His revenge has been achieved, and the future of the world will be in the hands of Prince Jing, who loves his people like his own children.
With the vast territory of the Great Wei Dynasty, there was no longer any need for the person "Song Zhen".
If Li Jin were to formally ask him to become a prime minister, Song Zhen would truly refuse.
Even though Li Jin didn't notice the sweet, metallic scent emanating from him, he could only see the bloodstains on his hands whenever he looked at them.
The world is so vast, yet in Song Zhen's heart, there is no place that can accommodate such a tainted soul as his.
Li Jin had already thought of this.
Therefore, he gave Song Zhen a reason that she had to accept.
There was a long silence between the two.
Finally, as the New Year's bells rang, and he heard the deep, resonant sound of the bells in the distance, Song Zhen finally made up his mind, stood up, clasped his hands, and performed a grand salute in front of Li Jin.
He said, "The day the imperial edict is delivered will be the day Song Zhen agrees."
Li Jin smiled, but did not answer. He placed the black piece on the chessboard, and Song Zhen's figure was reflected in his smiling eyes.
Under the moon, the frost and snow had not yet melted, and the courtyard was covered in silver.
The sound of the prayer bells echoed in my ears, carrying far and wide.
The game is over, and the one who should have won has lost.
Like now, damn it, still alive.
Li Jin stood up and said gently, "Happy New Year."
Then, under Song Zhen's surprised gaze, he walked away with his hands behind his back.
The New Year's Eve bell tolls 108 times.
Praying for peace, prosperity, and good fortune in the coming year.
This overwhelming favor swept through Chang'an and echoed in the deep, melodious night.
In Prince Jing's mansion, Jin Shu, having removed all the jewels from her head and regained her former elegant appearance, stood with her arms crossed, her brows furrowed, leaning against a pillar in the main hall of Li Jin's house, and listened to the entire 108 shots.
Suddenly, I felt as if I had been illuminated by the Buddha's light, my six senses were purified, my mind was as still as water, and I was free from desires and wants.
If it weren't for those rewards, she would have turned back long ago.
But now, she let out a cold snort, feeling that she had been tricked by Li Jin for no reason. Feeling annoyed, she simply went back to sleep.
As he walked, he muttered to himself: "What a bastard!"
When Li Jin rushed back, Jin Shu was nowhere to be seen.
His heart skipped a beat, and he turned and ran towards her room.
Li Jin was genuinely flustered.
What alarmed him was that he feared Jin Shu hadn't even come to see him, hadn't said goodbye, and had simply packed her things and left.
The mess is, he really doesn't have a decent reason to keep this woman by his side from this day forward.
Until he carefully pushed open the door of the room and saw Jin Shu wrapped in a brocade quilt, sleeping soundly with her back to him in the pitch-black inner room.
My heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally relaxed a little.
He quietly sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the woman who was sleeping soundly as always, and picked up a stray hair from her pillow.
"Please don't go." The voice was cold and filled with sorrow, but there was no response.
"Give me some time." The voice was barely audible. "Didn't you say before that royalty and commoners are all mortal beings, with only one life, and there's no difference? Why do you become so concerned about your status and background when it comes to yourself?"
He took a deep breath, leaned against the bed, and murmured as he gazed at the cold moonlight: "But now, I'm glad I'm royalty. That way... if you leave, I'll have the right to turn this world upside down."
At this point, Li Jin stopped talking. He closed his eyes slightly, afraid that if he left, he would never see her again.
Jin Shu, lying in bed, slowly opened her eyes.
She bit her lip and tightened her arms around the bundle that was already mostly packed.
Li Jin said that, but the next day at noon, when Jin Shu saw three unfamiliar people in black robes in the coroner's room of the Six Doors, she was stunned for a long time and couldn't figure out what was going on.
The person who was begging her not to leave last night is now holding two booklets, leaning close to her and smiling, "I know you want to leave, I've packed my bags."
Jin Shu was taken aback.
"But what will happen to the Six Doors if you leave? Who will perform autopsies? What will happen to those who died unjustly?" Li Jin raised an eyebrow, meeting her surprised gaze. "Chief Coroner Jin, I won't stop you from leaving, but you should at least train a reliable apprentice first, right?"
Seeing Li Jin's beaming smile, Jin Shu's lips twitched.
"Who?" she asked irritably. "Who gave the prince this idea?"
Li Jin raised an eyebrow, admiring her intelligence, and smiled even more brightly: "Of course I won't tell you who came up with such a wicked trick."
Jin Shu understood, and glared at him through gritted teeth.
That cunning old dog lives up to his name! He only softened his heart for one day, and he fell into her trap!
That's so mean! Absolutely so!
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