Jiuxi

Chapter 607 Chapter 605 [Confession without Fighting]

"What does Li Qing think of this major assassination case?"

Li Zongben changed the address very naturally, which was a very obvious gesture of gratitude.

Li Shizhi understood what he meant, and with a little more eagerness in his eyes, he replied: "Your Majesty, I dare to say that this case should be tried by the three judicial departments."

This was the advice his father Li Daoyan gave in front of all the officials. He was obviously not repeating what others had said when he repeated it in private, but was sincerely thinking so.

Li Zongben asked with a hint of curiosity: "Do you think Lu Chen's ability is not enough to find out the truth?"

"The Duke of Shanyang County has such ability."

Li Shizhi did not deny it, and said calmly: "It's just that I think he is a military noble and has a lot of troops under his command, so it's really inappropriate for him to interfere in the specific affairs of the court. Your Majesty, the loyalty of the Duke of Shanyang to the Great Qi is evident to all, but most of the rules of the court are based on the blood and tears of the predecessors. Civil officials are not allowed to interfere in military affairs to prevent instability in the army and to prevent the military generals from having too low a status, thereby weakening the strength of the army. Military officials are not allowed to interfere in government affairs to prevent collusion between the inside and the outside, and the emergence of powerful officials who cannot be suppressed, so as to avoid an imbalance of power that endangers the imperial power."

Li Zongben nodded slightly.

Li Shizhi continued, "Your Majesty has spoken with all his heart. Since you have publicly granted the Duke of Shanyang the power to investigate the case, this matter cannot be changed. For the sake of the overall stability of the court, Your Majesty may wish to adopt my father's advice in the future."

Li Zongben was very satisfied with his attitude.

Although he had just introduced himself to Li Shizhi with the position of Minister of Rites, Li Shizhi was not blinded by power and was still able to express his attitude with reason and evidence, which was very important to Li Zongben.

Through the conversation with Li Zongjian, he has confirmed that the middle-aged official in front of him is unwilling to be mediocre.

He did not think this was a bad thing. People without ambition were doomed to mediocrity. However, if Li Shizhi was too flattering and lacked the character and vision that a capable minister must possess, such a person would also be of little use.

Li Zongben doesn't need a yes-man with only a family background; what he wants is a knife that is really sharp enough.

This knife must be able to help him break through obstacles and adjust the power structure of the court.

Today was just a relatively simple consideration, but fortunately the result was pretty good.

With this in mind, Li Zongben said gently, "I am young and inexperienced, and I need a loyal minister like you to advise me from time to time. In the future, you can come to the palace often to help me with state affairs."

"I thank your majesty for your respect. I will do my best and will not slack off in the slightest."

Li Shizhi understood the emperor's hidden meaning and immediately bowed and took his leave.

After leaving the palace and returning to the Li family mansion, the sky was gloomy and it was almost dusk.

The drizzle stopped and the air after the rain was particularly fresh.

Li Shizhi first went to Jinlin Hall to pay his respects to his father, and only said that the emperor summoned him to the palace to ask some questions about the national mourning, and then returned to the study in Dongyuan.

Sitting by the window, the Left Vice Minister of Rites looked at the lush green outside the window, slowly picked up the teacup, and savored the timeless fragrance of the tea.

His performance in the palace was almost impeccable, but only now did a hint of doubt appear on his face.

In fact, he did not want to get involved in the court struggles too early. As long as Li Daoyan did not retire, he could watch the ups and downs leisurely with his dual identities as the eldest son of the left prime minister and the future head of the Jinlin Li family.

According to his plan, it would be the time for him to really get involved in all kinds of troubles after his old father passed away.

From the day he entered officialdom, Li Shizhi had become accustomed to this policy of inaction. Over the years, he had only done a few things in private, such as instigating the third prince to compete for the throne by very covert means, or pushing the four powerful families onto the path of rebellion, and cleverly influencing Hou Yu to make him climb up desperately.

Generally speaking, no one in this world, including Li Daoyan himself, can figure out Li Shizhi's true inner thoughts, because he has rarely taken action in the long years, hiding under the surface from beginning to end, and even if he does take action, he will be cautious and take many detours.

More importantly, Li Daoyan's brilliance is too dazzling. Even if others can realize that Li Shizhi is capable and skilled, they will not bypass Li Daoyan and keep an eye on his son.

However, with today's solemn occasion, Li Shizhi already knew that he would gradually step to the front.

"Why?"

He murmured to himself and began to explore the source of the emperor's favor.

The scene of the assassination in front of the imperial mausoleum emerged in his mind. Li Shizhi narrowed his eyes slightly and gradually sorted out the context.

"Li Zongjian, Qin Zheng, Lu Chen, it turns out that His Majesty wants to kill three birds with one stone."

"But that's not enough, you need a knife, a very sharp knife."

"You have met Li Zongjian, so you should be able to get something out of him. Could it be that you are associating Yun Yi with me?"

"That makes sense."

Li Shizhi put down the teacup, raised the corners of his lips slightly, and smiled leisurely.

"Your Majesty, you must hold this knife tightly."

……

After several days of continuous drizzle, the sky finally cleared up in the capital.

As the blazing sun shone on the earth, a strange wind soon swept across the city. The assassination case that happened before the imperial mausoleum could not be concealed at all. After all, there were too many people who witnessed the whole process, and the court had no intention of forcibly covering it up.

The emperor was assassinated while presiding over the funeral of the previous emperor!

No matter they were high-ranking officials or common people, they all seemed extremely angry about this matter. This was because the people of Da Qi had reached a very high level of loyalty to the imperial court due to the continuous good news from Jiangbei. In addition, the late emperor was extremely popular among the people, and no one could tolerate such an act of blatant provocation to the entire Da Qi.

Although the new emperor has not yet demonstrated abilities that are truly admirable, he is, after all, the heir appointed by the late emperor. Even if it is only out of consideration for the late emperor's kindness, the vast majority of people in the capital will hate the assassin to the core and are even more eager to find out the mastermind behind the scenes.

When they learned that the emperor had ordered the Duke of Shanyang to investigate the case, that duke's mansion instantly became the focus of countless eyes.

Under Lu Chen's order, his personal soldiers have imposed martial law on the entire street where the Duke's Mansion is located, and no one is allowed to enter or leave at will.

There is a guard post every three steps and a sentry every five steps in the palace, and the security level is raised to the highest level.

In a room in the East Garden that was temporarily used as a prison, two assassins dressed as craftsmen were imprisoned, and there were six experts watching over them at all times.

The door was ajar, and light refracted in, shining on the face of the young man sitting in the room.

Half bright, half dark.

The two assassins knelt on the ground. The one on the left looked pale. Although he survived by chance, Lu Chen's punch had shattered his meridians, and all his martial arts skills were wasted.

The other man's injuries were not serious. Although he was forced to kneel, he still stared fiercely at the young man sitting not far away, like a wounded beast.

Lu Chen seemed to be unaware of the two men's sinister gazes. He calmly flipped through the files in his hand and said indifferently, "Wan Yingqian, now 31 years old, is originally from Li County, Xiuning Prefecture, Xinzhou. He fled to Beijing at the age of 12 and was later adopted by the royal craftsman Wan Wenxian. From then on, he learned the stone carving method from him. Seven years ago, he was selected to join the team building the imperial mausoleum, and has been working in the southern suburbs ever since."

The assassin on the left smiled grimly and said, "It's me!"

Lu Chen looked at this person and asked, "Are you in a hurry?"

Wan Yingqian sneered and said nothing.

Lu Chen didn't care and continued reading: "Yang Shunzhi, 33 years old, from Beijing, your ancestors have been craftsmen for generations. You and Wan Yingqian have different resumes. Although he is Wan Wenxian's adopted son, except for Wan Wenxian who has passed away, the Wan family is still alive. You only have your mother in your family, without a wife or children, and your mother died of illness last year. The only thing in common is that you are both craftsmen who built the imperial mausoleum."

The assassin on the right who was not seriously injured refused to say a word.

Lu Chen closed the file and handed it to Tan Zheng who was standing solemnly beside him. He leaned forward slightly and asked, "Who ordered you to assassinate the Emperor of Great Qi?"

Yang Shunzhi remained silent, while Wan Yingqian said contemptuously: "If I tell you, I'm afraid you'll pee your pants!"

Lu Chen frowned slightly and said, "Let him wake up."

Qin Zilong on the other side stepped forward, pulled out a sharp dagger from his waist, and without saying a word, inserted it directly into Wan Yingqian's thigh, and then gently turned it.

A scream suddenly rang out.

Wan Yingqian struggled desperately, but his martial arts skills were gone, and four masters controlled his body, making him unable to move at all.

His face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye, beads of sweat the size of beans instantly covered his face, and he wailed in extreme pain.

"enough!"

Yang Shunzhi, who had kept silent all this time, could no longer endure it.

Qin Zilong slowly pulled out the dagger, and then someone helped Wan Yingqian apply medicine and bandage the wound.

Looking at these people's skilled movements and indifferent expressions, the two assassins felt a chill in their hearts.

The enemy clearly had the murderous aura of a soldier. These battle-hardened soldiers would not even frown in the face of death, and would not hesitate at all to deal with them.

Yang Shunzhi glared at Lu Chen and gritted his teeth, "You want to know the answer, right? Then I'll tell you, it was the Third Prince Li Zongjian who asked us to assassinate the dog emperor! Are you satisfied?!"

The expressions of everyone in the room, including Qin Zilong and Tan Zheng, changed, and they subconsciously looked at Lu Chen.

In their expectation, these assassins who dared to kill Wang Cijia must be extremely stubborn and it would be difficult to pry open their mouths. However, Qin Zilong had just made a move when the other party could not resist and confessed.

What's even more troublesome is that the assassin actually involved Li Zongjian.

They knew there was something fishy going on, but the problem was, if they insisted that the third prince was the mastermind behind this, how would this matter end?

The third prince himself is naturally insignificant, but behind him stands the supreme and noble Queen Dowager Xu!
Tan Zheng whispered, "Sir, these two are lying..."

Lu Chen suddenly sneered, interrupting him, then stood up and said, "Imprison them separately."

Tan Zheng didn't understand what he meant, but he immediately responded, "Yes, sir."

Under the puzzled gazes of the two assassins, Lu Chen walked away very decisively.

When he got outside, he looked up at the blazing sun in the sky and murmured, "Li Zongjian, it looks like you are doomed this time."

(End of this chapter)