When the news of Pei Ji, the Duke of Wei, who had just stepped down from his post, was reported to the Emperor in Chang 'an by horse,
And spread to all the families in Chang 'an at the fastest speed,
Lin Ruo had just stepped into his house.
Although he was not in the rain, Lin Ruo was still wet. The first thing he did when he returned home was to take a bath and change his clothes.
He dried his hair until it was half dry,
And had some light and refreshing food for lunch. Then he opened the window and took a nap under the thin quilt with the cool breeze.
Due to Lin Boyuan's indulgence,
Ever since he stopped going to the Academy,
Lin Ruo, who had no pressure of studying and exams, always woke up naturally. This time, it was an accident.
Lin Ruo, who was rudely awakened, took a while to recognize the person sitting at the head of his bed.
He still looked confused and sluggish when he just woke up, "King Of Qin?"
Li Shimin's anger and anxiety had mostly dissipated when he woke Lin Ruo up. At this moment, he could only smile bitterly, "Do you know how much trouble you have caused?"
He was sleepy.
His black hair was messy, and there was a red mark on his cheek from the pillow.
He looked at the delicate young man who was spoiled and did not know the hardships of the world with a quiet and peaceful appearance.
Who could have imagined what kind of shocking thing he had just done, and what kind of perilous waves he had stirred up outside?!
The young man's confused eyes gradually became clear.
The childishness on his face disappeared in a flash, and he showed some helplessness, "Your Highness, can you go to the Flower Hall and have a cup of hot tea first? Let me tidy up my appearance and then come to chat with Your Highness."
Looking at Lin Ruo's nonchalant and careless appearance,
Li Shimin wanted to grab him by the collar and teach him a lesson.
In the end, he just stared at him for a while.
Then he left in a huff.
Lin Ruo rubbed his forehead.
He looked out of the door. When he just returned home, the rain stopped for a while, but now it was raining heavily again. It was like the Milky Way was pouring down to the ground, making his head hurt. It was only half the afternoon, but it was as dark as dusk outside. To go out in such weather required courage and motivation, and to come to see him at this time, these two things were even more needed.
Lin Ruo looked at the rain for a while before he started to tidy up. He put on a robe, tied his hair, and wiped his face, and went to the Flower Hall. When he opened the curtain, he saw Li Shimin 'Dainty Jin Yue, Li Shimin's face, Li, he was drinking the ginger soup.
Li Shimin's face was unsightly. His long eyebrows were tightly knitted, and the corners of his lips were pursed down. A pair of eyes that were deeper than others were even more gloomy, like a dark pool.
Lin Ruo came in and sat beside Li Shimin on the tea table. He said casually, "Have you found Pei Ji's body?" If not, they would not have found him.
Li Shimin put down the bowl, pressed his throbbing temples, and said word by word, "Lin Ruo, do you know who he is?"
When Lin Ruo came in, he sent all the servants away. He could only pour tea for himself. He did not even raise his eyes. "Hmm?"
Li Shimin's voice was fierce and patient. "He is the hero of the founding of the Tang Empire, a first-rank Duke, and a country's Prime Minister! Yes, he is father's best friend, father's most trusted and favored official! Yes, he has countless friends in the court, and his students are everywhere. Even my eldest brother and I have to give him some respect! You actually used him as a living sacrifice for your servant boy in front of 300 palace guards and so many people! "
The veins on Li Shimin's forehead stood out. He gritted his teeth and said, "Lin Ruo, how dare you!"
Lin Ruo pushed the tea in front of Li Shimin and said, "Your Highness, don't you think it's too late to discuss with me whether I dare or not?"
Li Shimin said angrily, "Do you know how many memorials are on father's desk asking for you to be executed? Do you know how many officials are kneeling in the rain in front of Taiji Palace, asking father to arrest you? Do you know … "
Lin Ruo interrupted, "Since Your Highness knows so clearly, why are you still here? I heard that it was Pei Ji who spoke to the Emperor that made Your Highness lose the position of Crown Prince. Liu Wenjing's death is the biggest pain in Your Highness's heart. No matter how you look at it, Your Highness has more reason to kill him than I do … Your Highness, aren't you afraid of getting burned and being seen as Lin Ruo's accomplice by coming here? "
Li Shimin said coldly, "It's rare for you to have the mood to care about other people's business. I thought you were crazy for your servant boy!"
Lin Ruo said, "So Your Highness came here to scold me?"
Lin Ruo's cold and impatient tone finally calmed Li Shimin down a little. He took a deep breath and said, "Why?"
Lin Ruo picked up the teacup and said lightly, "Since he wants to kill me, I have to kill him in return. Do I need a reason to do this?"
Li Shimin said angrily, "You know what I'm asking!"
Lin Ruo leaned lazily on the back of the chair and said lightly, "I really don't know."
The anger that Li Shimin had suppressed surged up again. "Lin Ruo!"
Lin Ruo held the hot tea and sipped it, ignoring him.
Looking at Lin Ruo's appearance, Li Shimin felt as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over his head. His anger turned into bitterness, and he could only laugh at himself. Why did he have to go through all this trouble? Burning with anxiety, he came knocking on the door, yet he became an evil guest who came looking for trouble.
He knew in his heart that no matter what this young man did, he was in no position to criticize him. But he couldn't control his worry and anger. [Doesn't this young man know that his actions are enough to make me exterminate his family and smash his body into pieces?] How good was that servant boy? In order to avenge him, he didn't even care about his own family's life!
Looking at the young man who acted as if nothing had happened, Li Shimin felt a strong sense of powerlessness. He said bitterly, "Ah Ruo, don't you know that killing an official is tantamount to rebellion? What's more, you killed an important official of the country, a first-rank duke, and the prime minister! And you killed him in front of the three hundred imperial guards sent by His Majesty … If you do this, even if Father wants to protect you, he can't save you. What you did this time is too much. I'm afraid that even Father may not stand on your side … "
Lin Ruo said indifferently, "Your Highness, you keep mentioning Pei Ji's identity. Do you think that our lives are cheap? If we die, then we die. Is it not worth it for Lord Pei to pay with his life?"
Lin Ruo still looked down at the undulating buds in the cup. Li Shimin couldn't see his expression clearly. Only his long eyelashes that didn't even tremble showed that the young man was as cold as ever. Li Shimin smiled bitterly. "You know that's not what I mean. A hundred Pei Ji's are not worth one of you …"
Li Shimin paused and then continued, "If you want to kill Pei Ji, just do it quietly. Why do you have to make it known to everyone? It's as if you're afraid that people won't know it was you who did it … Forget it. What's the use of saying this now? You don't know how many pairs of eyes are watching you right now. I'll go into the palace first and delay the court officials, so that they won't put you in prison today. You pack up your things first. When night falls, I'll send people to clear out the hidden sentries in the surroundings so that you and Lord Lin can leave. You guys stay out of the limelight first. After … "
Lin Ruo finally raised his head and looked at Li Shimin with a slightly surprised gaze. Li Shimin's actions were no different from openly going against Li Yuan and more than half of the court. If this was really the case, the dragon throne he yearned for would be even further away from him … So this person was actually willing to go to this extent?
Lin Ruo suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and interrupted, "Is His Highness the King Of Qin really prepared to be labeled as an accomplice?"
Meeting the young man's clear and tranquil eyes, Li Shimin stared blankly for a moment. He then laughed self-deprecatingly and said, "If he wants to be labeled as an accomplice, then so be it. Father Emperor can't kill me for a Pei Ji."
Lin Ruo smiled slightly and shook his head. He said, "Your Highness's kindness, this commoner can't thank you enough. However, there's no need for Your Highness to take action for such a small matter."
Li Shimin looked at him and frowned. "A small matter?"
Lin Ruo grunted. "A small matter."
However, he refused to say another word.
Li Shimin stared at him without blinking. His eyes were gloomy and oppressive, like the gloomy gray sky. Finally, he nodded silently. "I was meddlesome."
He took one last look at Lin Ruo. Suppressing the rolling emotions in his heart, he stood up and strode out.
From Lin Ruo's point of view, he couldn't think of a way to get away with it no matter what. His advisors weren't good at these things. Otherwise, Liu Wenjing wouldn't have died in vain … Lin Ruo's current attitude clearly showed that he didn't want him to intervene. Perhaps it couldn't be said that he was on guard against him, but it was clear that he was rejecting and distancing himself.
At this point, there was no point in persuading him to stay any longer. Moreover, he didn't dare to stay any longer. He was afraid that if he continued to persuade him, it would make him seem more pitiful … That wasn't him, Li Shimin.
As soon as Li Shimin stood up, Lin Ruo saw his muddy boots and soaked clothes … Lin Ruo frowned slightly, but didn't say anything in the end. He let Li Shimin's back disappear into the storm outside.
When Li Shimin's back completely disappeared, Lin Ruo withdrew his gaze from outside the window. There were some things that couldn't be dealt with properly … Moreover, he had more worthy things to do.
Lin Ruo closed his eyes and focused all his thoughts on the space between his eyebrows.
In the Supreme Court's prison, when he fainted for the first time due to lack of water and extreme heat, he vaguely felt a weak flame between his eyebrows. It transmitted a kind and joyful feeling to him, and emitted a cool feeling that made him feel comfortable … Unfortunately, he couldn't feel that feeling anymore after he woke up. If he didn't find out later that he didn't fear heat or cold, he would have thought that it was just an illusion. But now, he clearly knew that the flame was real.
It was real. He was used to it and was happy with its existence.
Following Lin Ruo's concentration, the sound of rain outside the window gradually faded. The surrounding light faded little by little. In the silent darkness, an existence that was even darker than the darkness of nothingness appeared in his perception. Lin Ruo suppressed the joy in his heart, and extended his thoughts to the flame …
"Pa!"
Lin Ruo swayed back and lost his mind. The sound of wind and rain rang in his ears again, and the flame suddenly disappeared without a trace.
Lin Ruo opened his eyes, and looked unkindly at the Demon Book that was floating in the air. It had just slapped his forehead once, but it didn't seem like it was enough and was about to give him a second slap.
The Demon Book trembled under his gaze, and then landed on the tea table beside his hand in an extremely obedient posture as if it was weightless.
Lin Ruo opened his mouth to speak, but let out a light cough. After pausing for a moment, he couldn't help but cough a second time, then a third time …
Lin Ruo used a handkerchief to wipe the corner of his mouth. Looking at the dazzling dark red on the plain cotton handkerchief, he suddenly couldn't help but laugh. That's why when a scholar coughs, he either doesn't vomit, or he vomits blood. Only then would he be worthy of his status as a scholar.
Lin Ruo reached out his hand to rinse his mouth with tea, but he saw the Demon Book jump up with a swoosh and begin to tremble. The movement was so big that Lin Ruo was dumbfounded. It was hard for him to imagine that a book could actually express such a frightening emotion so realistically.
"It has nothing to do with me!"
A few large black words appeared on the ancient book cover, and then even more words came out one after another, "If it's not my fault, I won't take it!" "Seek truth from facts, it's shameful to take out your anger on others!" "Employees who work hard need encouragement!" …
Lin Ruo was dazzled by the words. He held his forehead and said, "Shut up!"
The Demon Book's movements stiffened. He didn't dare to distinguish the fact that he didn't have a mouth and couldn't make a sound. Instead, he obediently quieted down. On the cover, there were three words that looked like a child's scribbles — "Please let me go."
"You …" Lin Ruo just said one word and then closed his mouth. His gaze fell on the door. The Demon Book also instantly lay down. The words on the cover faded away, and it still looked like an old and simple book.
In the next moment, Li Shimin opened the curtain and walked in with his body full of water vapor. He strode in front of Lin Ruo and opened his hand.
A small jade pendant lay in the palm of Li Shimin's hand. He said in a low voice, "I don't know what arrangements you have. Since you don't want to say, I won't ask. But if … you send someone to take this jade pendant to Huang's Clothing Store and find a tailor surnamed Fang. Whether you want to see me or arrange for me to leave the city, or other things, you can ask him to do it … It doesn't matter if you go with a tail, they will take care of it. "
"No …"
"I know you don't need it," Li Shimin interrupted. "But I need it. Just take it as …"
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Take it!"
Lin Ruo hesitated slightly. He reached out and took the jade pendant from Li Shimin's palm. "Thank you."
*****
In the Tang Empire's Imperial Palace, people stood on the floor of the Taiji Palace. The only one who spoke was the Minister of Ministry of Justice, Dou Chengji. Li Yuan sat high on the dragon throne. His face didn't show any expression, but his heart was full of mixed feelings.
Pei Ji died … Li Yuan's hand trembled somewhat uncontrollably. Pei Ji died. When he was completely unprepared, he died.
To him, Pei Ji was both a monarch and a minister, and also a close friend. Pei Ji wasn't a capable person. He didn't know how to fight wars, and he was only mediocre at governing a country. Furthermore, he had a lot of selfish motives. He understood all of this, but he was still willing to use him. Pei Ji fled when encountering the enemy, losing thousands of elite soldiers, and losing the Tang Empire's prosperous land. If it were someone else, their family would have been exterminated long ago. But he still couldn't bear to punish him. He would rather play tricks with his son to protect him … In his heart, Pei Ji was different from those ministers who knelt on the ground.
Pei Ji's appearance was handsome, elegant, and the way he spoke was also elegant and interesting. Moreover, he was the most considerate, knowledgeable, and tactful … If it weren't for Pei Ji's apparent agreement on Lin Ruo's matter, and his suspicions about the matter of that year, he would never be willing to demote him.
But although he tacitly agreed to Pei Ji's resignation, he never thought of letting him die. He didn't even see him for the last time. His last impression of Pei Ji was his long-winded words outside the palace hall, as if he was giving his last words, and his desolate back that was covered in mud after he fell down and got up again … Every time Li Yuan thought of it, his heart ached like it was being twisted.
If it were someone else who did such a thing, even if there was only the slightest suspicion, he would still tear him into pieces, grind his bones, and scatter his ashes. But it just had to be Lin Ruo, it just had to be Lin Ruo … the one and only Lin Ruo in the world.
How could it be him? This kind of thing, even if he heard it, he would find it dirty … There must be a mistake, there must be!
"… It happened too suddenly. When the plank fell apart, only the head butler standing behind Official Pei had the chance to grab him," Dou Chengji was still chattering, "But it was raining at the time, and the head butler was holding an umbrella in his hand. Moreover, he was also falling, so he didn't dare to rashly reach out to grab him. By the time he reacted, Official Pei's feet had already been wrapped around by a metal chain, and he was dragged underwater.
"That person used something like a bamboo pipe to breathe, and hid underwater in advance. The moment Official Pei entered the water, he attacked. The metal chain around Official Pei's feet was tied with a hemp rope. The hemp rope passed through a stone lock at the bottom of the water, and was connected to a small boat on the surface of the river. Once they succeeded, the people on the boat began to tighten the hemp rope … By the time someone discovered that Official Pei had disappeared, he had already been dragged from the bottom of the water to the location of the stone lock.
"At this moment, the people on the boat threw away the rope and left, but the metal chain around Official Pei's feet was at least 20 catties … Official Pei's swimming ability was not good, and after being dragged underwater for so long, he was already exhausted. He didn't even have the strength to rush to the surface to ask for help, and just like that underwater … he died with hatred."
"Bang!" A jade cup smashed in front of Dou Chengji's knee. Li Yuan's expression was extremely ugly, "We don't want to hear you say how they did it, we only want to know who did it!"
Dou Chengji lowered his head, and his dissatisfaction towards a certain person increased by another level — if he hadn't overturned the entire Supreme Court by himself, at least there would be someone to accompany him in being scolded, and he wouldn't have to shoulder this troublesome task alone.
"This subject has already asked the people at the docks. Because it was raining, everyone lowered their heads and hurried back and forth, so no one noticed whether or not anyone had entered the water before. After the incident, everyone at the docks who knew how to swim went down, and the person who hid underwater mixed in with the search and rescue people wouldn't be noticed. In addition, he had a bamboo pipe, so he could also dive to shore from the bottom of the water … "Dou Chengji braced himself and continued," That small boat also disappeared without a trace after the incident, it might have sunk in a place where no one was. Because the boatman on the boat was wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, and because he was far away, no one could clearly see his appearance. However, there are some clues about the origins of that small boat. On a rainy night three days ago, a fishing boat was stolen from a fishing village near the docks. At that time, the owner of the boat reported it to the authorities, and that family's wife was extremely fierce, cursing in the village for several days … This subject has sent people to continue the investigation.
"This subject has detained all the people at the docks, and is preparing to interrogate them strictly to see if the murderer is hiding among them. At the same time, people have also been sent to search everywhere, looking for suspicious people who appeared on the riverbank … "
Li Yuan impatiently interrupted, "In other words, you've been investigating for half a day, but you haven't found anything?"
Dou Chengji choked and said, "There is still one clue, and that is the plank. According to the people on the boat, when they were preparing this morning, they discovered that the plank was emitting a thick smell of dead rats and rotten eggs, causing people to feel nauseous. That smell couldn't be washed away in a short period of time, and because they were afraid of offending noble people, they found a spare plank at the docks. Who knew that the plank had been tampered with by someone. It was fine to use for a short period of time, but as long as the right place was found and stabbed from below, the entire plank would fall apart. "
"Because the boats all have their own planks, there aren't many spare planks at the docks. That plank was originally the largest and sturdiest, and it was left at the docks for a year and a half without being used even once, so no one noticed anything strange … However, Lord Pei's departure from the capital was only decided a few days ago, and the plank being tampered with should also be something that happened in the past few days. This subject has already sent people to investigate, and there should be results soon."
Although Dou Chengji spoke with certainty, he did not have the slightest bit of certainty in his heart. Up until now, they only knew that there were at least two murderers, but of these two people, one had been hiding under the water from beginning to end, not even showing his shadow once, and the other only had a distant back view wearing a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat. Even their height, short, fat, and thin could not be distinguished, let alone describe their appearance. Although the Ministry of Justice had many experts in investigating cases and arresting criminals, even the cleverest housewife could not cook without rice. They did not even have a clue of footprints, so where would they start looking?
Besides, that person was able to drag Pei Ji out and slowly kill him under the eyes of hundreds of people under heavy protection. Could anyone really find the two people he was hiding, whose figures and appearances no one even knew? The biggest possibility was that those two people did not even need to hide. At this moment, they should be farming, working, and working … If they did not say it themselves, who would know what they had done?
Although the plank and the small boat were also clues, this was something that happened a few days ago, and one happened on a rainy night when there was no one around, and the other happened on a crowded docks. In addition, with the heavy rain these past few days, everything was washed away. If they wanted to start from this to solve the case, it was undoubtedly like looking for a needle in a haystack.
However, this case … Dou Chengji glanced at his colleagues behind him and suddenly raised his head, saying, "Although this case is complicated and confusing, it is easy to solve it …"
Seeing Li Yuan's gaze suddenly sharpen, Dou Chengji paused, but still continued, "Although there is still no trace of the murderers, the mastermind is very clear. This subject requests that the suspect Lin …"
"Bang!"
Another teacup was fiercely smashed to the ground, but Dou Chengji still continued, his tone firm, "This subject requests that the suspect Lin Ruo be arrested!"
"Suspect? What basis do you have to say that he is a suspect? "Li Yuan was furious," Did he go into the water or onto the boat? Or are you unable to solve the case yourself, so you want to randomly grab someone to take the blame? "
Dou Chengji said, "Your Majesty, when Lin Ruo's attendant Xiao Shu died, he was wearing twenty jin of iron chain, and the iron chain wrapped around Pei Daren's leg was also exactly twenty jin. Lin Ruo gave Pei Daren a piece of hemp rope, and the rope that dragged Pei Daren underwater was precisely this hemp rope. When Lin Ruo gave Pei Daren the hemp rope, he said that when an ordinary man gets angry, he will bleed for five steps, and then Pei Daren died under the hemp rope and iron chain …"
"Also, does Your Majesty know how this subject found Pei Daren's body? This subject heard from them that Lin Ruo was standing on the shore when the incident happened, so I personally went to investigate. I saw three incense sticks and wine bottles on the ground. This subject discovered that these things were placed with their backs facing the river, and was immediately shocked. I ordered people to go into the water from there, and sure enough, Pei Daren's body was fished out … Your Majesty, do you really think that all of these are coincidences? "
Li Yuan coldly said, "Where is the evidence?"
Dou Chengji said, "The evidence will naturally be there once we ask!"
Li Yuan was furious, "Impudent!"
Dou Chengji did not dare to say anything more. Duke Zheng Guogong, Li Shentong, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, even now, do you still want to protect him? Lin Ruo, under the watchful eyes of the public, openly committed murder and killed an important subject of the country, he is simply deranged! Such a vicious and evil person, if he is not properly punished, where is the country's law? Where is the dignity of the imperial court? This subject requests Your Majesty to immediately issue an imperial decree to arrest Lin Ruo! "
As soon as these words were spoken, more than ten people in the Palace Hall said together, "We request Your Majesty to immediately issue an imperial decree to arrest Lin Ruo!"
Li Yuan sat on the dragon throne, his face was calm, and he did not utter a word. His chest rose and fell violently, and the Palace Hall was silent.
Until the voice of the chamberlain sounded, "Your Majesty, Secretary Junior Supervisor Lin Boyuan requests an audience."
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