Lin Ruo had just returned home.
Yin Hongfei sent Keer's indenture to the Lin Mansion.
Lin Ruo did not let him in. Instead, he ordered someone to take the indenture and send it to Keer. Yin Hongfei, who was almost out of breath from running, gnashed his teeth in anger.
However, he did not dare to say a word.
Lin Ruo had just finished his lunch.
Lin Chuan returned with a guilty look on his face. "Young Master.
"Young Master, I messed up."
Lin Ruo was squatting on the ground picking out copper coins.
He picked out the copper coins that were suitable for him and threw them into the bamboo basket. He did not even lift his head.
He asked, "What's wrong?"
In the morning, Yin Hongfei's mouth was too smelly. Lin Ruo took out the copper coins in his sleeve and threw them out.
He didn't expect that the two copper coins would fall into the water after completing the task twice. Li Shimin only gave him a total of a dozen copper coins.
He did not cherish them. After playing with them for a while, he was left with the last one.
Now, he could not even gather a full set.
Lin Ruo was too lazy to ask for more. He found that the copper coins were more exquisite.
However, there was no improvement in divination. The Demon Book had just refreshed a few days ago. It mentioned that the copper coins used for divination should be the Hundred Family Coins.
To put it bluntly, it was to have more smoke and fire.
It was better to have more hands.
Lin Ruo could not tell how many hands these copper coins had passed through.
He was too lazy to look for them.
Thus, he decided to believe in fate and pick the most pleasing to the eye. He could pick more. Not only could they be used for divination, but they could also be used to beat people. He had been practicing the Eternal Spring Formula for some time. He did not see any health benefits, but his strength increased rapidly. If it was before, he would never be able to use copper coins to make weapons.
"I told him what you told me." Lin Chuan lowered his head and replied, "Lord Wei asked 'What painting'. I said, 'If Lord Wei accidentally loses the painting, I will go to the residence to get another one.' Lord Wei replied with an 'oh' and didn't say anything else. This lowly one could only say, 'If Lord Wei insists on not telling the Crown Prince about the painting, this lowly one can only do it for you.' In the end, Lord Wei didn't even reply with an 'oh' this time and directly asked someone to see him out. "
Lin Ruo Lin nodded and asked.
Lin Chuan did not react, "What?"
Lin Ruo said, "Go eat if you haven't eaten yet. It's already past mealtime, aren't you hungry?"
Lin, Lin Chuan Lin Chuan's, "Master, I am, I am, I, Master's, I am, I.
Lin Ruo's feet were numb from squatting. He reached for the cushion on the chair behind him and sat down to continue working. He said, "Who said you messed up?"
"Ah?" Lin Chuan was stunned. Wei Zheng did not take his words to heart at all. How was this not considered messing up?
Lin Ruo said, "You did well. You helped me find out that the painting was indeed in Lord Wei's hands. You also told him everything … What else do you want?"
When he ordered people to burn the boat, he had made a backup plan to make them think that there was a very important painting … As the most important person in the Crown Prince's residence, how could he ask such a question as' What painting '? Wei Zheng, with his astuteness, asked this question without any intention of hiding anything. He was just testing him.
Lin Ruo rarely praised someone, but he did not get a response. He looked up and saw Lin Chuan looking at him in disbelief. "Master, you didn't know that the painting was in Lord Wei's hands?"
Lin Ruo blinked and asked, "Did you know?"
Lin Chuan said, "Of course I didn't know, but you …"
Lin Ruo sighed. "I've been staying at home for the past few days. You're practically my only source of information. How would I know something that even you don't know?"
Lin Chuan thought of his unfathomable and confident appearance in front of Wei Zheng. He almost collapsed. "Master, you didn't know, but … but …"
Lin Ruo looked at him and said seriously, "Lin Chuan, do you know that you have a great strength?"
Lin Chuan was stunned. He did not say anything, but he was secretly happy. What strength? Strong martial arts? Strong strength? Reliable and reliable?
However, Lin Ruo continued, "Your strength is that you're very trustworthy. No matter what I say, you'll believe me. When I say that the painting is in Lord Wei's hands, you believe it without a doubt. Then, your confidence will influence Lord Wei … So, when Lord Wei saw you, he did not realize that I was just guessing. Otherwise, he would not have admitted that the painting was in his hands so easily. "
Lin Chuan was going crazy. So, my greatest strength is that I am easy to fool?
Also, when did Lord Wei admit that the painting was in his hands?
Wait, the main point seems to be … guessing?
Guessing?!
Lin Ruo looked at Lin Chuan's confused face and felt a little guilty. Lin Chuan, who was always calm and reliable in front of Lin Boyuan, was a little … how should he put it? Lin Chuan could not keep his cool after only a few days.
"Actually, it is not a wild guess." Lin Ruo put down his work and comforted him. "In terms of power in Chang 'an, the Crown Prince, King Qin, and King Qi are the most powerful. If we only count the hidden forces, the most capable one is the King of Qin. But if the painting was in his hands, he would have informed me. After all, it is mine … In fact, I always thought that the painting was in the hands of the King of Qi. But today, I saw the King of Qi's guards outside the cabin of the ship. That is not the case. Because if the King of Qi saw the painting, he would know that the fire is about to burn him.
Lin Chuan asked humbly, "What about the Crown Prince?"
"The Crown Prince's behavior is too normal. He is still working together with the King of Qi to fight against the King of Qin. If he really saw the painting, no matter how magnanimous he is, he would have kept it a secret." Lin Ruo said, "So, I guess there is a 70% chance that the painting was in the hands of the Crown Prince's men, but it was kept by Lord Wei. Only he would do this and could do it … But I think the Lord Wei still has time to treat uncle to a meal. And he has been eating for half a day. So, the 70% chance is 90%."
There were two more days until the ten-day deadline for Pei Ji's case. Of course, he would not treat Lin Ruo to a meal at such a difficult time. It was even more impossible that he was treating the Crown Prince to a meal as Lin Chuan said. The Crown Prince seemed to be friendly, but he had always been arrogant. How could he lower his status and show weakness to Lin Ruo?
However, Lin Ruo wasn't worried that Wei Zheng would find out anything about Lin Boyuan. In terms of offense, even two Lin Boyuan together couldn't compare to Wei Zheng. However, in terms of defense, Wei Zheng was far inferior to Lin Boyuan.
"What if you guessed wrong?"
Lin Ruo said carelessly, "Then draw another one and let them snatch it again!"
He had never cared about the whereabouts of the painting. If they could find it, they would look for it. If they could not find it, they would throw out another one … It was impossible that the Crown Prince's men were so incompetent that they could not snatch even one painting, right?
Lin Chuan nodded. When he was about to leave, he still felt uneasy. He frowned and said, "But I saw Lord Wei's expression. It doesn't seem like he agreed to our conditions."
Lin Ruo smiled and said, "He can't make the decision. Why would he agree?"
Lin Chuan immediately understood and said, "Will the Crown Prince agree?"
Lin Ruo smiled with a hint of sarcasm, "Of course he will. Our Crown Prince has always been good at giving up and sacrificing. "
Therefore, those who were on his side should always be prepared to be abandoned by him.
After thinking for a while, he said, "After lunch, send two jars of wine that we brought back from the boat this morning to Uncle Wei … Uh, also buy a few pounds of donkey meat with soy sauce. He loves it the most."
Lin Chuan thought that Lin Ruo wanted to apologize, so he agreed readily.
However, he heard Lin Ruo say again, "Remember to send him something every few days."
Lin Chuan immediately understood and smiled bitterly, "Young Master, Lord Wei and Master are friends after all. It's not very good to do this, right?"
Lin Ruo said, "If he wasn't a friend of Uncle Wei, I wouldn't have bothered to do this! Don't worry, I won't cause him to be unjust … "
He smiled again and said, "At most, when the Crown Prince decides to use him in exchange for some benefits, he won't hesitate for a moment."
*****
In the Eastern Palace, Li Jiancheng looked at the scorched painting in front of him. It looked as if someone had snatched it from the fire. He didn't speak for a long time. His expression changed from shock and anger to calmness. He looked up at Wei Zheng and said, "So this painting has always been in your hands?"
Wei Zheng said, "Four days ago, Lord Wei handed it to me."
Li Jiancheng's voice was cold, "Why didn't you present it?"
Wei Zheng sighed and said, "I was worried that this was Lin Ruo's scheme. I was afraid that Your Highness would be impulsive and fall into his trap."
"What about now?"
Wei Zheng continued to sigh, "Now, I can confirm that this is indeed Lin Ruo's scheme."
Li Jiancheng felt a headache whenever he heard the name Lin Ruo. He looked at Wei Zheng and waited for him to continue.
Wei Zheng said, "Lin Ruo sent a message this afternoon. He said that if Your Highness gave this painting to Dou Chengji and Lord Dou, he would be honest and would never cause trouble again."
He paused and said, "He also gave me two jars of good wine from Tianranju and five catties of spiced donkey meat from Chen's."
Honest and would never cause trouble … Li Jiancheng thought about this sentence a few times and said, "Can his words be trusted?"
Wei Zheng hesitated and said, "If this sentence is said to Your Highness … it can't be trusted. If this sentence is said to me, it can be trusted."
Lin Ruo's words were, of course, directed at Wei Zheng. "Behave yourself and don't cause any trouble." He would only use such a soft, almost coquettish tone to speak to his elders. This was also the reason why Wei Zheng couldn't really get angry at the young man until now.
Li Jiancheng muttered, "Giving the painting to Dou Chengji … What does he want to do?"
"He wants to end Pei Ji's case." Wei Zheng had thought about this question for a long time, so he didn't hesitate to answer.
"Pei Ji's case is already like this. How does he want to end it?" Li Jiancheng sneered and said, "Father is obviously protecting him. Not to mention that there is no progress in the case, even if the murderer is caught, as long as he says it has nothing to do with him, would father be willing to kill him?"
Wei Zheng said, "As for Pei Ji's case, the current evidence is not enough to convict Lin Ruo …"
Li Jiancheng interrupted, "The evidence is still not enough to prove it? Then what does it take to prove it? Do you really believe his nonsense of a dead person in a dream? "
Wei Zheng sighed and said, "Your Highness, don't forget that this so-called evidence was purposely made up by Lin Ruo for us to see. Just as Lin Boyuan said, none of this was done to kill … I also think he did it. Everyone thinks he did it, but there is no evidence."
Li Jiancheng took a deep breath and said, "I understand. Please continue."
Wei Zheng nodded and returned to the previous topic. "According to the current situation, the final result of Lord Pei's case will be that Lin Ruo will escape unscathed, and the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Lord Dou, will be demoted to appease public anger. However, this result … Lin Ruo is not satisfied."
Li Jiancheng's view on this matter was the same as Wei Zheng's. He nodded slightly to show his agreement, but when he heard the last sentence, he was stunned. He was so angry that he laughed as if he had heard the funniest thing in the world. "He's not satisfied? Ha! He's not satisfied? "
He killed the Prime Minister and escaped unscathed. This result … he's not satisfied?
Wei Zheng smiled bitterly. He didn't dare to believe this conclusion, but he had to. He said, "Your Highness, do you think Lin Ruo has the ability to kill Pei Ji without anyone suspecting him?"
Li Jiancheng would have scoffed at these words if it had been anyone else. However, he could only remain silent with a sullen face.
Wei Zheng said, "If that's the case, why did he make such a big fuss and let everyone know that he was the one who killed Pei Ji? Is it to show off? To vent his anger? Or to court death? "
Of course not.
"It's to establish his authority." Wei Zheng said, "He wants to establish his authority."
"Establish his authority …" Li Jiancheng wanted to laugh. That young man in white wants to establish his authority? What authority does he have? Who does he want to establish his authority against?
Wei Zheng looked at Li Jiancheng's twisted smile and said calmly, "To you, to me, to everyone … to establish his authority."
"Ha! Ha ha! Ha ha! "Li Jiancheng finally laughed out loud.
A young man in white who doesn't even have the strength to truss a chicken, an ant-like existence, wants to establish his authority against the Crown Prince, the King Of Qi, and the nobles and ministers of the Great Tang?
It's like an ant baring its fangs and brandishing its claws at a herd of elephants. What a pity! He's overestimating himself!
Wei Zheng listened to Li Jiancheng's laughter with an indescribable expression. He didn't remind Li Jiancheng that he was moved by Lin Ruo's words of "not causing trouble". He also didn't tell him that Yin Pengfei, who was always so carefree in front of the Crown Prince, had almost wet his pants when he heard the name "Lin Ruo".
He knew very well that behind Li Jiancheng's mocking laughter hid regret and fear.
Li Jiancheng stopped laughing and said coldly, "Didn't you say you wanted to give the painting to Dou Chengji? You should give it to him personally. "
Wei Zheng frowned. He had already said that this was Lin Ruo's scheme, but Li Jiancheng didn't even listen to his analysis. He just went along with Lin Ruo's wishes. He tried to persuade him, "Your Highness, His Majesty is holding back his anger. If this painting is handed over, it might become a nuisance. There are many people involved …"
Li Jiancheng interrupted, "It's just a painting. Father won't use it to convict anyone. What's the big deal?"
Wei Zheng wanted to persuade him again, but Li Jiancheng impatiently tapped the painting on the table with his finger and said, "Wei Zheng, you said that this is Lin Ruo's scheme. Can you guarantee that everything in Lin Ruo's painting is fake?"
Wei Zheng was silent for a moment and said, "I can't guarantee it. But I … "
Li Jiancheng sneered and interrupted him again, "Don't forget that this painting was thrown away by Lin Ruo and was hidden by Pei Ji! If Lin Ruo painted it deliberately to stir up trouble, why would he throw it away? Why would Pei Ji hide it? Moreover, the people who started the fire and looting that day also confessed that the person who contacted them had a knife scar on his wrist. That person didn't want anything. He only wanted them to help him find an unframed and unsigned painting. After that, he would reward them handsomely.
"He also repeatedly warned them to be careful and to secretly hide small and exquisite things. That would be enough for them to live a wealthy life. They must not be greedy and make a big deal out of it … If these people really did follow his plan, why would there be a robbery? Why would those things be out of control? After the incident, who would know that such an inconspicuous painting had been lost inside? Are you going to say that all of this was also Lin Ruo's conspiracy? That he did so many things just to secretly retrieve this painting that he threw away?
Li Jiancheng became more and more agitated as he spoke. He gradually lost control of himself and gritted his teeth, "All these years, he has been standing behind me. Among those things, only this painting is directly related to him. Other than him, who else would want it? Coincidentally, he had a trusted subordinate with a knife scar on his wrist. Coincidentally, that trusted subordinate didn't even wait for me to ask and died cleanly. Do you really think that this is a coincidence? Or are you going to say that this is also Lin Ruo's conspiracy? "
When Li Jiancheng said "he", it was obvious that he was no longer referring to Lin Ruo. Wei Zheng secretly sighed and could only smile bitterly. He wanted to say "yes". He wanted to say that perhaps Lin Ruo did so many things to make him believe that the painting was real. It was to make them panic. However, at this moment, the Crown Prince had no patience to listen to him.
Was it Li Yuanji who knew that there was such a painting on Pei Ji's ship and planned to retrieve it? But in the end, he was careless and caused the situation to go out of control? Or was it Lin Ruo's plan from the beginning to the end?
Was this painting deliberately drawn by Lin Ruo to instigate the Crown Prince and the King Of Qi, or was it real and Lin Ruo conveniently used it in the current situation?
He was a little confused now and was too lazy to think about it. At this moment, the truth was not that important anymore.
Li Jiancheng's voice continued, "Entering the palace to celebrate the birthday, Lin Ruo's case, Xiao Shu's death … all of these things, which one of them was not his idea? Which one of them was not caused by him? In the end, my reputation was ruined and I suffered heavy losses. What about him? He is still the generous and righteous King Of Qi! "
"Look, look at this painting. Look at their faces." Li Jiancheng became more and more agitated. The veins on his forehead bulged and his finger almost poked a hole in the painting. He shouted, "Do you think that these people are really loyal to me and not to Li Yuanji?!"
Hearing Li Jiancheng finally say the two words "Li Yuanji", Wei Zheng was a little numb. He knew that this would be the case, so he kept the painting. However, this painting was given to him by Wei Ting. He could not keep it forever. He thought that at this moment, he understood that this painting was deliberately drawn by Lin Ruo and could explain it to Li Jiancheng in detail. However, the result was almost the same.
Suspicion and jealousy were not things that could be controlled by reason. From the moment the Crown Prince saw that painting, the trust and intimacy that had been established between him and the Prince of Qi over the past ten-some years had already ceased to exist … after losing the two great pillars of support, the Chancellor of the Supreme Court and Pei Ji, the Crown Prince had lost his greatest ally.
The huge power that the Crown Prince had worked so hard to build over the years collapsed in just a short period of more than ten days.
From the day Xiao Shu died and Lin Ruo was released from prison until now, there were a total of fifteen days. Xiao Shu's death had not even passed yet.
After almost roaring those three words, Li Jiancheng finally calmed down gradually. After a moment of silence, he said calmly, "This painting is useless in anyone's hands. However, Dou Chengji may be able to escape with it. We have to control the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice. Now that we can't count on the Supreme Court, Dou Chengji has always been impartial between me and my second brother. If we can help him keep his position as the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, how can he not be grateful?"
Although he did not like Lin Ruo now, he had to admit that the choice he gave was unexpectedly in line with his wishes. It was better than all of his previous ideas.
"As for those people …" Li Jiancheng paused and said, "Father will just scold them. He won't do anything to them. Even if they can't be used for the time being, won't I compensate them in the future?"
A few officials who might be disloyal and the loyalty of a Minister of the Ministry of Justice, wasn't it obvious which one was more important? Moreover, Dou Chengji was not one of his people. Who would know that the painting he gave was related to him? No matter how he looked at it, he did not lose anything.
Moreover, Li Yuanji should also be taught a lesson. It's time for Imperial Father to see his true colors!
Wei Zheng lowered his head to hide the disappointment in his eyes and said, "Your Highness is right. I will do it now."
Just as he was about to take the painting, Li Jiancheng interrupted him and said, "Wait."
Wei Zheng paused. Li Jiancheng said, "Lord Wei, you have worked hard today. Go back and rest. I will let Wei Ting do this."
"Yes."
Wei Zheng bowed and retreated. But he heard Li Jiancheng say, "Wait."
Wei Zheng stopped and looked up. Li Jiancheng paused and said, "I don't want anyone to know that this painting has appeared in my hands … Do you understand?"
Wei Zheng's body stiffened and he agreed again. After Li Jiancheng waved his hand, he quickly retreated.
When he was out of the courtyard, he looked back with a complicated expression. In the end, he laughed at himself and turned to leave.
This was not giving up, not sacrificing … This was betrayal.
Just like what he did to Lin Ruo time and time again.
He once advised Lin Boyuan, but Lin Boyuan said that he was "bitterly disappointed". Now, the same thing had not happened to him, but he was already bitterly disappointed.
If there was no pressure from the King Qin, perhaps the Crown Prince would be a very good Crown Prince, or even a very good Emperor …
*****
In the next two days, Lin Ruo lived very leisurely. He practiced martial arts, studied calligraphy, painted, and played with copper coins. In the blink of an eye, it was the third day. This day was the tenth day of Pei Ji's death. It was the last day of the ten-day deadline that Li Yuan set for the Ministry of Justice.
Lin Ruo sighed at the pile of oddly shaped copper coins. Lin Chuan, who had been bored for the past few days, suddenly had the idea of sharpening his' weapon '. Therefore, he carefully selected a basket of copper coins. More than half of them were sharpened to an extremely sharp edge, and some were even sharpened into a sawtooth shape … So the question was, how was he going to carry these sharp copper coins around in his sleeves?
Seeing Lin Ruo's disdainful face, Lin Chuan was not willing to leave the things he worked so hard to make at home to rust. So, he specially ordered some leather bags, belts, and other tools for carrying concealed weapons for Lin Ruo. In the end, Lin Ruo strongly resisted. In fact, Lin Ruo hated anything heavy, hard, and airtight in his clothing list. When he was not out, he did not even have a hairpin, let alone a leather bag or a leather bag.
After competing with Lin Chuan for a long time, Lin Ruo finally had a moment of leisure when he was busy gathering information. He used this time to think about whether he should secretly get rid of the strangely shaped "copper coins" when Lin Chuan was not around.
"Young Master!" Before Lin Ruo could figure out this complicated problem, Lin Chuan had already returned. With a serious expression, he said, "Young Master, news came from the palace. Lord Dou apologized in front of His Majesty, saying that he could not find the real murderer who killed Pei Ji … His Majesty did not say how to deal with it, but many officials knelt down and begged for His Majesty to order you to be arrested. Their attitude was unprecedentedly firm, and they almost said that if His Majesty insisted on protecting you, he would be a fatuous ruler. They also said that if His Majesty did not give the order, they would kneel and die in Taiji Palace. "
He frowned and said, "What is going on? Master clearly dealt with it last time, and His Majesty was also angry. Why are they … and they are remonstrating to death? Young Master, I think His Majesty may not be able to protect you this time. Why don't we go out and lie low for a while? "
Lin Ruo shook his head and said, "Linchuan, you are wrong. One person remonstrating to death is called remonstrating to death. A group of people remonstrating to death … is called forcing the emperor to abdicate.
"When forcing the emperor to abdicate, the firmer the attitude, the better. If it was not to make them firmer, why would I go swimming in the lake on such a hot day? Was it just to extort a few taels of silver from them?
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