Strange!
A perfectly fine assassin entered the Supreme Court's prison without leaving a corpse behind?
Qizhen Emperor did not understand what he meant.
Dead is dead!
What do you mean by without leaving a corpse behind?
He then looked at the document in front of him. It was densely packed and written in great detail. Even the fact that the murderer was carried into the Supreme Court unconscious was written on it. Even the day the assassin was locked up, who entered and left the prison was listed one by one.
After all, this remonstrance was written by Yu Shaoqing with 'good intentions'!
He said straightforwardly, "Replying to Your Majesty, this official has already questioned the prison guard who was watching over the assassin. According to what he saw, the assassin seemed to have been burned by a huge fire. His skin, flesh, and bones melted away bit by bit, leaving nothing behind. However, according to this official's understanding, the assassin wasn't poisoned. Instead, his body was sprayed with an unorthodox substance called Corpse Disintegration Powder. Once a mortal touches even a little of that substance, their entire body will burn as if it was on fire, leaving nothing behind. However, before that assassin was locked up in the prison, he didn't have that substance on him at all. Thus, it shouldn't have been a suicide, but a deliberate act."
Ah!
Qizhen Emperor narrowed his eyes. "Yu Shaoqing means that someone silenced him to cover up the truth of the assassination?"
"This is also this subject's conjecture. However, this matter concerns Prince Rong's safety and must involve many people. Moreover, the assassin died less than a day after he was imprisoned. There are indeed clues to this matter. If it really was a silencing act, then there are not many people who could enter the Supreme Court's prison to kill someone. In other words, there are very few people who could kill an assassin in the Supreme Court's prison without anyone knowing. However, this subject does not dare to make any more assumptions in order to avoid being overly suspicious and provoking trouble. Thus, this subject hurriedly compiled this remonstrance and immediately entered the palace to report to Your Majesty."
Yu Shaoqing was very clever. He did not directly tell Qizhen Emperor the truth, nor did he directly mention the person he suspected. Instead, he threw a smokescreen for Qizhen Emperor to slowly unravel the cocoon.
After listening to this, Qizhen Emperor began to ponder over it.
Someone tried to assassinate Jing Rong!
And after the assassin was imprisoned in the Supreme Court, he was sprinkled with Corpse Disintegration Powder, leaving no corpse behind!
Coincidentally, recently, the Ministry of Appointments had been reporting on Jing Rong, and the Office of Transmission didn't even bother screening them. Instead, they directly submitted the reports.
All these events were disadvantageous to Jing Rong!
From the Crown Prince to the current Jing Rong, it was as if someone was pushing them from behind the scenes. Those knives kept cutting the weeds and removing the roots.
The Qizhen Emperor naturally had a plan in mind. How could he not see the clues within?
A cold glint flashed across his shrewd eyes. He suddenly changed the topic and asked Vice Chancellor Yu, "Vice Chancellor Yu, Zhen wants to ask you, are you familiar with Yan Weiyi?"
Hmm?
Weren't we talking about the assassins? Why did he suddenly ask about Yan Weiyi who had died long ago?
However, Vice Chancellor Yu was not surprised because Jing Rong had already prepared him. He knew that when he entered the palace to meet the Emperor, the Emperor would most likely ask him about Yan Weiyi or the former Crown Prince. He had told him to think of his lines and follow the script he had prepared beforehand. Thus, this was within his expectations.
He truthfully said, "This person was previously a civil official in the Ministry of Works. However, he was stripped of his position due to embezzlement during his tenure. Since then, he has lived in seclusion and there is very little news about him. However, his son, Yan Xu, was a member of the Ministry of Justice. However, he was later arrested for illegally possessing weapons. I remember that it was Prince Rong who investigated this matter."
When Qizhen Emperor heard this, he suddenly remembered and nodded his head lightly. "Oh, Zhen remembers. At that time, it was Zhen who ordered Jing Hua to be the supervising officer to escort him to the Meridian Gate to be beheaded in public."
Thank goodness you still remember!
He paused for a moment before asking, "Did Yan Weiyi and Jing Hua have any dealings?"
"This subject does not know. However, Your Majesty just said that it was the First Prince who was the supervising officer to behead Yan Xu. Yan Weiyi and the First Prince shouldn't have any dealings. After all, the pain of losing a son is deeply felt."
Calling Jing Hua the First Prince and not the Crown Prince was not strange at all. Before Jing Hua died, his title as Crown Prince had already been abolished by the Emperor.
These words exposed the confusion in Qizhen Emperor's heart, but it could not dispel the tangled thoughts in his mind. He frowned for a long time before ordering Vice Chancellor Yu, "Vice Chancellor Yu, this matter is not to be investigated anymore. Put it aside for the time being. Do not divulge a single word to the outside world. The entire Supreme Court must strictly seal this matter. If even half a word is leaked, Zhen will behead him."
"This subject obeys." He bowed his head.
"Alright, you may leave first. If there is anything else, Zhen will summon you to the palace."
"Yes, then this subject will take his leave."
Vice Chancellor Yu bowed in salute and stole a glance at Qi Zhen Emperor. He was very calm. Everything was going according to the plan Jing Rong had given him.
After he left, Qizhen Emperor's expression darkened. He rested his elbows on the table and rested his hands on his temples. He remained silent for a long time, not saying a word.
Suddenly …
He said to Zhang Quan, who was beside him, "Do you still remember that night when Jing Hua besieged the palace and Jing Yi came to the rescue? He said that Yan Weiyi had been ordered by Jing Hua to assassinate Jing Rong. Even the bowl of medicine that Jing Hua wanted me to drink at that time was laced with Shiban poison grown by Yan Weiyi. Therefore, I concluded that the two of them were in cahoots."
Zhang Quan replied, "This servant remembers. Prince Yi's words were reasonable and well-founded, saying that the First Prince and Yan Weiyi were in cahoots."
"But something … is not right." Qizhen Emperor shook his head in deep thought, his expression solemn. "Yan Weiyi's son, Yan Xu, was executed under Zhen's orders. Jing Hua was the supervisor. How could the two of them be in cahoots? Moreover, We know Jing Hua's temperament better than anyone. How could he dare to besiege the palace to kill Us? He must have been instigated by someone. After the incident, Teacher Pan, who was by his side, escaped unscathed. Unfortunately, he fell off a cliff and died while leaving the capital. Almost everyone related to Jing Hua's attack is dead. This time, the assassin was killed in the Supreme Court's prison. Furthermore, the Ministry of Personnel sent a memorial to accuse Jing Rong at this time. How could there not be something fishy about this?! "
Zhang Quan understood. He bowed and stepped forward. "That is why His Majesty asked Vice Chancellor Yu to stop investigating this matter. He was worried that …"
He didn't dare to continue.
Qizhen Emperor stared at the memorial in front of him, his fingers tapping on the table. He instructed, "This matter should not be made public. It may not only be related to Jing Hua's attack on the palace, but also the Six Ministries … and the appointment of Crown Prince. Therefore, investigate the Ministry of Personnel and the Office of Transmission first."
"Yes, this servant understands."
"You may leave first. We wish to rest."
"Then this servant will have the imperial kitchen prepare some ginseng soup. Your Majesty must take care of your health."
"Hm?"
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