Chapter 139 Live Marrow
Wei Lin led several old men from the Honglu Temple back to the Honglu Temple.
Seeing the worried expressions on the faces of the officials, he smiled and said, "My lords, rest assured, I will not really let Chu hand over fifteen cities. The ninth prince of Chu is still in our hands. With such an important bargaining chip, I naturally want to offer Jin some benefits. It will be much easier to talk about the impossible first and then the possible."
Lou Zhao was relieved to hear his words. "Wei Shaoqing, your words just now really startled me."
"We are the same. We never expected that Vice Minister Wei would be so mature at such a young age. It is a blessing for our Court of State Ceremonies."
The adults negotiating were all wiping the sweat from their foreheads with their sleeves.
Lou Zhao patted him on the shoulder, "Wei Shaoqing, next time something like this happens, give us old guys a heads-up beforehand so we can help you."
Wei Lin said respectfully, "It was my oversight. I will definitely inform you in advance next time."
Lou Zhao breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at Wei Lin, whose manners were impeccable. Thankfully, Wei Lin wasn't as foul-mouthed as his father, otherwise he really wouldn't know how to handle the situation.
However, the old men had their own plans. Although Wei Lin's request seemed absurd, the delegation that had left would eventually have to rejoin the negotiations.
Normally, the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial have few opportunities to make contributions.
If they really help the State of Jin get the city, the Court of State Ceremonies will have done a great service!
Looking at the backs of everyone, Wei Lin knew that tomorrow's negotiations would be even more exciting.
At the same time, the fact that Zheng Jijiu, known as a great Confucian scholar of the time, had turned his children into male prostitutes to curry favor with powerful figures became known throughout the country overnight.
The second prince's study was in a complete mess.
"Who exactly spread this rumor?!"
It was a face that looked very much like the emperor's.
If it weren't for the sinister look on his face, he would actually resemble a young emperor.
"Your Highness, I heard that Zheng Hongwen's seventh daughter was a friend of Princess Jinzhi. She came to visit her, but unfortunately, she was killed that day."
Xiao Yin's advisors also looked worried.
Xiao Yin frowned and asked, "Qin Jinzhi?"
When did that crazy little girl actually have friends?
Xiao Yin had a headache. If it really was that little madman who spread the rumor, then this matter would be difficult to handle.
Qin Jinzhi is extremely protective of her own people. If her people are harmed, she will not rest until she has turned the place upside down.
Why does the Emperor dote on this little madwoman so much? If it weren't for the Emperor and Empress backing her up, how could Qin Jinzhi dare to be so audacious?
Xiao Yin said to his advisors, "Clean up the mess for me. This matter must not be related to me!"
Zheng Wenbo is currently under investigation in prison, but Wei Cha has blocked all avenues for escape. If he were to silence Zheng Wenbo, it would be detrimental to himself.
The aide asked, "What about Zheng Hongwen and his wife?"
The second prince's expression darkened. "There can be no survivors in this matter."
"Understood."
When the staff member left the study, he did not see the hem of his skirt that had not been hidden in the corner of the study.
When Qin Jinzhi received the letter from the Second Prince's wife, the assassins sent by the Second Prince had already arrived as scheduled.
She sneered as she looked at the assassins who had been subdued and committed suicide by biting poison on the ground.
That's when they lose their composure.
Qin Jinzhi said to the Thousand Bird Guards who were counting the number of assassins, "Later, bring out all the corpses of the Zheng family and place them next to the assassins."
"yes!"
Qin Jinzhi summoned Yun Jin and said, "Go and invite the officials from the Censorate and Elder Wei here."
When Wei Cha's carriage stopped at the entrance of Qianniaosi, the officials of the Censorate had been waiting for a long time.
Their biggest interaction with this princess was impeaching her for being arrogant, domineering, and abusing her power.
Why did I suddenly summon them all today, Chidori Tsukasa?
Hearing that the princess had also invited Lord Wei, they waited together at the door.
Imperial Censor Zhang Tianqing stepped forward. "Lord Wei, may I ask why the Princess summoned us here?"
Wei Cha stroked his mustache. "How should I know?"
He frowned and looked around. "You're not afraid to go in, are you? What kind of censorate do you have with such little courage?"
After saying that, he turned and left.
The officials of the Censorate were suddenly interrupted, and with displeasure on their faces, they followed Wei Cha into the Thousand Birds Bureau.
Before they came in, they all thought that Qianniaosi was a place where Qin Jinzhi would play around on a whim.
But as soon as you enter, a chilling atmosphere hits you.
Everyone in Chidori Tsukasa was doing their work in an orderly manner.
Qin Jinzhi's men led all the adults to the open space where the corpses were placed.
The overwhelming stench of human blood made the ministers cover their noses.
Wei Cha frowned deeply. "What's going on?"
Qin Jinzhi sat on a chair in the middle of the corpses, propping her face up with one hand.
She said lazily, "On the left are Zheng Hongwen's family members, and on the right are the assassins."
"What!"
Who in the State of Jin doesn't know about Zheng Hongwen's deeds now!
All scholars in the world were indignant.
The teacher respected by all students was actually such a heartless and insane beast.
Wei Cha's expression turned grave. "Someone actually tried to silence them! Do you know who these assassins are?"
"These people were all suicide soldiers. Once subdued, they committed suicide by biting poison. Their origins and identities are unknown."
Wei Cha was furious. "They actually killed someone to cover it up right under the emperor's nose! Tomorrow, I will definitely report this to His Majesty and have this matter thoroughly investigated."
The officials from the Censorate echoed, "We will certainly submit a memorial tomorrow to thoroughly investigate this madman!"
Qin Jinzhi's expression remained unchanged after hearing this, and she got up and stepped over the corpses one by one.
"Don't rush, everyone. I'll take you to meet someone."
The crowd was puzzled, but they still followed Qin Jinzhi to the prison of the Thousand Birds Division.
The Zheng Hongwen couple were disheveled, their hair messy, and they looked at Qin Jinzhi with terrified expressions.
Zheng Hongwen stared at Qin Jinzhi with venomous eyes, "Qin Jinzhi, you will die a horrible death!"
Qin Jinzhi chuckled lightly, "What beasts say usually doesn't count."
No one showed any pity for Zheng Hongwen's miserable state.
"How could the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy do such a thing that disregards human ethics? He's worse than a pig or a dog!"
"They got what they deserved; it's practically retribution!"
Just as everyone was cursing and swearing, Qin Jinzhi pointed to another cell.
"These are Zheng Hongwen's surviving family members. What do you gentlemen think of leaving them here?"
There were still survivors. Zheng Hongwen's keeping of child prostitutes involved a wide range of people. This murder must have been carried out by someone implicated in the case. If necessary, survivors can be used to identify witnesses.
Zhang Tianqing put aside his prejudice against Qin Jinzhi, "Your Highness is very righteous. Please make sure to protect the Zheng family. We will report this to His Majesty tomorrow, and he will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly."
Qin Jinzhi said calmly, "What I did was only for my friend who died tragically."
Wei Cha glanced at her.
After everyone left, Wei Cha walked up to her.
"Do you want to target the Zheng family, or the Second Prince?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com