That little fly

Chapter 131 The Assassination of King Qin

In the assassination of King Qin, Ji Zhao stayed out of it perfectly, and the other princes and brothers were sadly urged.Regardless of who instigated the assassination, they were happy to see it succeed, but no one wanted to take the blame for the failure.If you don't want to take the blame, you have to wash away your suspicions. While washing away the suspicions, it would be even better if you can get rid of others. Every prince has various small thoughts in his heart. If he finds out who is behind the scenes, Let yourself be in an invincible position, and by the way, have a sense of presence in front of the monarch and ministers.

It's not their fault that the princes are fighting each other. The wives and mother clans behind each prince, the people who are attached to them from all walks of life... Even if it's just a small action in private, it's enough to make the whole court full of smoke.Emperor Jiayou was originally angry and determined to punish this unhealthy trend, but seeing this posture, his heart is cold, and at the same time, he recognizes the importance of cutting the mess quickly. Keep a high degree of consistency in this matter. As a real working team, they don't want these shit-stirring sticks to throw shit everywhere.

Therefore, before the sage publicly stated his position, and later the cabinet urged him with all his strength, the big and small officials who were in charge of it worked conscientiously. If you really want to make up your mind to investigate, more than [-] barbarian assassins ate and drank all the way across several state capitals Spoiler, how can you perfectly hide from people's eyes and ears, without anyone noticing?When the survival team was fled across the mountain like rabbits by the overturned Habayashi Wei, the thunderstorm that had been hanging over the head of the imperial capital for a long time fell, and the second prince, Ji Ming, exposed his younger brother Ji Xuan's shortcomings at that time, and provided cover for the assassins. It's Lao Qi!

The veteran investigators of the Yamen reversed the whereabouts of the assassins. From Nanjiang all the way to Youzhou Prefecture, this group of people can be traced. After passing Youzhou, these more than 30 people disappeared. After that, a large group of assassins Unknowingly, he committed a serious crime in the hunting ground.Ji Xuan has practiced in Youzhou for more than two years, and Youzhou is his land. Who would believe that he has nothing to do with it?

If this is not definite evidence, the second prince Ji Ming has one more thing to prove it.

There is a house in Russula Alley in Youzhou City, in which a strong man with unknown history lives, the kind with a murderous look on his face.Although there was a fire in Russula hutong a few days ago, no physical evidence can be found, but many neighbors can come forward to prove that there is indeed such a group of seemingly gangsters haunting it.The fart people didn't know whether it was a group of ordinary Jiangyang thieves or southern border assassins, they didn't know, so the owner of the house became a key witness and the suspicion was serious.According to the archives of the Yamen’s house transfer, the owner’s name is Cai Zhongtang, and he is a small landlord from a certain county in Youzhou.

A small landlord would buy a house in this kind of place, and would live with such murderous people, maybe they just raised thugs or something, the evidence is not enough, but if this small landlord has a direct sister who enters Wei Wang's backyard as a concubine In fact, the little landlord himself also mixed in with a more proud deputy steward in Wei Wang's backyard, this matter is too worth pondering.The deputy steward is currently missing, and it is said that his hometown in the countryside has been robbed, and the house was emptied overnight, and his family's wealth was gone.

It's mysterious.

Up to this point, the matter had not been related to the assassination of King Qin. Ji Ming performed eloquently at the court meeting all morning, but the Chief Attorney did not express his opinion at all.Say so much, there is no solid evidence, and no matter how true the performance is, it will not be accepted. This is the law.Shi Ke can keep oil and salt out. For other cabinet ministers and courtiers, it doesn't matter whether there is any evidence. Eight or nine of them are determined.It's just that the official's complexion is not very good, as if they don't agree.Alas, the official's heart softened again.Everyone thinks so.That's right, if His Royal Highness King Qin hadn't been in front of him, with His Royal Highness King Wei's reputation, ability, and supporters, he wouldn't have had that opportunity.

"It's not Lao Qi." After leaving court, Emperor Jiayou turned around and called Ji Zhao over, and the father and son had a private conversation.

Ji Zhao nodded, "I see." There was no questioning, doubt, or refutation.

"Isn't it because of my father to excuse Lao Qi... eh? What do you know?" Emperor Jiayou wanted to explain to Ji Zhao earnestly, but Ji Zhao just accepted it?Or, the son is angry?

"No, the youngest, isn't dad trying to protect someone..."

"Father, it's a lie to say that I'm not angry when something like this happens. I don't think I've ever done anything wrong to my brothers. Competing, we each rely on our own abilities. How can we fight each other with swords and lives? Just like my son on the battlefield There is no one who can't fight back with the temper that has been cultivated. But they are the sons of the father. I don't think of brotherhood, but I think of my father. No matter what, I won't let you repeat this matter again and again. Sad. So, for you, I don't ask."

Ji Zhao's words were not pleasant at all, but it is this kind of unpleasant truth that can move people's hearts. After hearing this, Emperor Jiayou felt sore and ironed, and also a little helpless and regretful.

"It's Zhen Mie's mouth." Emperor Jiayou suddenly said.

Seeing the look in his son's eyes, the saint sighed, "I asked Xiao Zuo and the others to deal with that dirty thing named Cai. It's not close to the assassin. It was dealt with a long time ago, but it's about a shallow reputation. They go out and say..."

"Father, don't be in a hurry, let the ministers smooth it out first." Since it is about innocence, and the officials will not hesitate to silence it, Ji Zhao doesn't want the secret to be spread all over the city.The sage may not want to confess, but Ji Xuan is about to take the blame. The emperor is probably worried about this, and Ji Zhao understands it. Therefore, if he can find a way to get rid of the relationship between the small landlord with the surname Cai, no one will care whether he is missing or not. , the matter of Ji Xuan and Qingqian is bypassed, that's probably what his father meant.

Emperor Jiayou was very embarrassed, Zhao'er was the victim, not only did he not give him justice as a father, but now he actually asked him to clear the suspect. He was ashamed to say it.

Emperor Jiayou was relieved that Ji Zhao took over the matter. This son's ability to handle affairs is obvious to all and very reliable.Alas, it's not a good thing to be too capable.It was said that he wanted to make Ji Zhao the crown prince, but no one offered him one, and Zhao'er was coerced into going to Duhe.He really couldn't figure it out at the time, it's just that his son and the forces behind him had a reason to disagree, why didn't anyone in the cabinet say anything?It doesn't matter if the empire doesn't have a crown prince?

It was only after Shi Ke explained it to him that he realized that there was never a good word, the kind of sentence that hurt one's heart.

When it comes to imperial power, it is a contest between the emperor and the cabinet. If the imperial power is stronger, the cabinet will be weaker. On the contrary, if the emperor is weaker, the ministerial power will be stronger.Emperor Jiayou's current affairs are going well because he doesn't have a strong desire for power, and most of the political affairs are dealt with by the cabinet. He is happy to be a humanoid seal, and everything is at ease.To some extent, the emperor delegated power and the cabinet was comfortable.

But if it is replaced by a stronger emperor, it is conceivable that the imperial power and the prime minister will inevitably have a run-in and fight.Unfortunately, Ji Zhao is a powerful person with a greater desire for power than his father.If he is not strong, he will not take down such a large area in southern Xinjiang. If he is not strong in power, he will not be recalled repeatedly for several years, and he will not dare to fight hard with the cabinet.He's just in his early twenties and he's so difficult to deal with. What do you make those old foxes in the cabinet think?

None of the old vixens denied that Ji Zhao was outstanding, and he didn't behave like a young man in his early twenties.But a powerful person must form some kind of coercion on the power of the cabinet. Who wants to ask such a great god to suppress him.Therefore, if the prince is established, if the saint himself takes the initiative to mention it, the cabinet ministers will also acquiesce; if the saint himself does not mention it, then everyone will be happy to pretend to be deaf and dumb for a while.

Then again, what if the official family didn't establish a crown prince and then there would be a sudden bang one day...in the end, it would only be King Qin Ji Zhao who will take the position.Think about His Royal Highness King Qin's grandfather, his uncle, his own foundation in southern Xinjiang, rich people have soldiers, and when His Highness King Qin takes power, the handover of the government will be smooth; It's going to explode.Whoever gets involved in the throne will surely be bloody and bloody.From the perspective of the cabinet ministers, if something unexpected happens that day, they will definitely make great efforts to let Ji Zhao take power with a view to the overall situation, in order to hope for a smooth transition of the court. Therefore, there is no suspense about the position of crown prince. When the Southern Border Foundation holds the Southern Border Army in hand, it is already a foregone conclusion.

When Emperor Jiayou was worrying about worrying and worrying, Ji Zhao really lived up to his father's evaluation of him. In just two days, he dug up a lot of secrets and came back with a dark face.When he heard his father say that Cai Zhongtang was secretly executed a few months ago, Ji Zhao subconsciously felt that the timing of the fire was not right.

The fire has always been treated as an accident.

There are many and mixed people in the slums, and it is the end of summer and early autumn when the sky is dry and the weather is dry. There is an accidental flood, which sounds like an accident.The fire burned half a block, causing many deaths and injuries. It should have been a major event, but the local officials actively dealt with it and did a good job of rehabilitating the aftermath.Tracing back to the source, Ji Xuan was able to handle it so well, thanks to Ji Xuan, he was in Youzhou, Wei Wang was deeply concerned, and he took the lead in donating money from rich households, a wave of prestige was very beautiful.It is also understandable that as a prince of the same rank, Qin Wang Ji Zhao has worn so many layers of halos, and has never stimulated others to do anything famous.Therefore, this was an accident that was handled properly and gained Ji Xuan's reputation. It's a bit strange how Qi Wang Ji Ming thought of digging three feet into this matter, regardless of that.

Ji Zhao investigated the fire and didn't alarm anyone. After listening to his father's secret that day, he went to the archives of the household department to look through the files the next day. That kind of place is not considered a place with high confidentiality. Files, cabinet ministers, the Ministry of Households, and any other small documents can be registered to check information.In the case of the fire, the Ministry of Household Affairs has awarded awards, so it is easy to check the investigation content of the fire, including the exact location of the house that was hit by the fire, the number of casualties, and the name of the owner and compensation.

Sure enough, the fire started from the house under Cai Zhongtang's name. Not only Cai Zhongtang's house was burned down, but also all his neighbors, including the residents inside.The fire burned beyond recognition, half of the houses in the block were gone, and many people died, but after a careful investigation, it was found that only the people around the accident site survived, and there were neighbors in the next street farther away. Many people narrowly escaped death.

Assuming that the fire was not an accident, the robbery of the small rural landlord's hometown would be even more abrupt and unreasonable. In the countryside near Youzhou City, the country gentry and landlords who have been in business for several generations are full of local snakes. Where did the traffickers come from? Will the bandits take over the local snake's lair overnight?Besides, bandits?You should be a bandit running around in the period of Emperor Li, and the people are in dire straits.At the feet of the emperor, how can there be such a blind 'bandit' who dare to burn, kill and plunder.Of course, if everyone is misled into thinking that this is a cover-up by a small landowner surnamed Cai, it can also be explained.But both Ji Zhao and the officials knew that the little landlord surnamed Cai had been secretly executed before the fire.Another thing, probably unknown to others, was that Cai Zhongtang's younger sister, who was Ji Xuan's concubine, died of a sudden illness.This is Ji Xuan's secret in the backyard. If Shui Qingqian hadn't mentioned it earlier, Ji Zhao would not have paid attention to such trivial gossip in his brother's inner house.But now that everything is connected together, the logic makes sense.

The timeline of the whole incident is very smooth: the person surnamed Cai was secretly executed by his late father. Afterwards, his sister and his family in the countryside were completely purged. They died and escaped, and the things he once bought were of unknown use. A certain house encountered a rare fire.

"There are so many neighbors who say that there are murderers living in the house. I believe this." Ji Zhao explained to his father frantically, "The person surnamed Cai has nothing to do with the assassination, so he is a small landlord in the house." It doesn’t make sense to place a murderer in the house. If there is a fire, the house will be burned down, and the evidence will be burned down. What about people? Pensions are allocated on the basis of head count. There are no rumors at all, so, has the gang of murderers been safely transferred? The surname Cai was dead at that time, who took over? No matter who it is, even if it has nothing to do with the assassination of me, there are ulterior secrets. The little landlord disappeared for no reason, and the traces of his life, some of the things he had meddled in, were cleaned up..."

Speaking of this, Emperor Jiayou didn't understand anything, and he felt that he knew more about the inside story than Ji Zhao.

Cai Zhongtang was silenced by Qingli and Liu Zuo, who were the only ones present at the time, and it was absolutely impossible for outsiders to know about it.So Lao Qi couldn't find out the inside story at all, so he... panicked?He was reprimanded, panicked, and then in order to cover up some shady little secrets, he took action to clean up: killing people, setting fire to the house, and unfortunately hurting a block of people, no, no, thinking about it from another angle, maybe it’s not too much trouble, It is aimed at silence, killing all the neighbors, so that the news will not leak out.Otherwise, why did so many people let a fire stretch for half a block under the noses of so many people?

Emperor Jiayou slowed down a bit and pondered more and more aftertaste: so many people lost their lives, lost their homes, and were displaced. It was not an accident at all, but the imperial court actually rewarded them?Thinking of this, his whole head was buzzing, he was dazed, and his hands and feet were cold... This is a man-made disaster, naked, dozens of innocent people died!He, he, he accepts support from the people, and he teaches them to love the people like their sons. How could he be so contemptuous of human life?If, if it was really Ji Xuan... What he committed was a hundred times worse than the assassination of his younger brother.If he assassinated Ji Zhao, the sage would be most angry with him as a brother who disregards brotherhood, and thinks he is greedy for profit.But now he kills people and sets fire, kills people for a secret that is not too serious, and kills dozens of people. How dare he, he, he, the people under his own rule? !This is not greedy for profit, he is simply insane and inhumane!

"Father, father, father..." Ji Zhao helped his father who looked dazed to sit down slowly, and followed his back, "Don't be angry, don't worry, just tell your son if you have anything, he is here."

Emperor Jiayou looked at his youngest son's concerned and worried face, his nose sore, tears came down patter.Leaning on his son, the sage burst into tears. He, his son, the children he taught, did not lose him since he was a child. He taught him etiquette, integrity, filial piety and loyalty. How could he change? Is it like this?

The child does not teach, the father too.woo woo woo woo...

Emperor Jiayou cried for a long while holding his youngest son, and then slowly suppressed the sadness in his heart.Seeing Ji Zhao's worried expression, Emperor Jiayou wiped away his tears, trying to calm down.Lao Qi, Lao Qi's mind is very bad, but look at his youngest son, isn't he a good boy? Qingqian also grew up beside him. He is a gentleman and talented. He is a good boy. Where is he? Can't teach children anymore?They were all taken away by that villain outside....

"Law and politics, over there at the law and politics yamen..." Emperor Jiayou had just said something, but Ji Zhao shook his head slightly and denied it, "There is no evidence for this."

With a fire, everything that should be burned and what should not be burned are all burned up.And the conclusion in black and white is that the charity pension led by the prince ended with great joy, and the court reward was also given. Now it is not an accident to want to overthrow it. Was it the prince who sent someone to set it on fire?Not to mention digging three feet into the ground to dig out the person responsible for the accident, if the truth of this incident leaks out, the reputation of the royal family will be stigmatized, and the center of the imperial court will also be ruined.so,

"Son, my son destroyed the relevant files on the household department." Ji Zhao admitted that he had covered it up.His lips are pursed into a straight line, which shows the anger in his heart.

Ji Zhao had no choice but to do so.The matter has already been settled, so this matter cannot be easily reversed.The documents and materials of the household department are not considered evidence, but those records are the only strong connection that can make the doubts and conjectures solid. Ji Zhao looked through them, guessed the truth, and then silently pulled out the investigations and destroyed them on the spot .Destruction is destruction, but Ji Zhao cannot guarantee that he is the only one who guessed the truth.When he was looking through the information, he was thinking, besides him, would there be other people who would also look it up?At the Great Court Meeting, his so-called stupid second brother's so-called investigation was done here and there, and he didn't step on the point of a key point. The vixen really didn't think about it a little bit?

Emperor Jiayou saw that Ji Zhao's mood was a bit wrong, "Zhaoer,"

"Father, my son is very angry. He only fights for a few rivers and lakes, why is he like this?" Ji Zhao waved his hand, forget it, let's not talk.He took a deep breath to cool down his burning heart, which was impossible.He destroyed those documents not to protect Ji Xuan, but to prevent someone from using them to disturb the wind and rain for no reason and ruin the reputation of the royal family and the court. One word: look down upon.

Ji Zhao didn't say anything, but Emperor Jiayou knew that he didn't say everything.After crying for a while, he doesn't have the strength to be angry now, he feels tired, tired from the bottom of his heart.

"Don't go to the legal office, okay... this matter, go to the imperial order." The saint set the tone, "The royal family, the reputation of the royal family cannot be tarnished by that unfilial son. Zhaoer, go and investigate, find out that the unfilial son has covered up the matter." What, what are the origins of those bandits... No matter what is covered, reveal it to me."

The fire cannot be investigated, but raising the dead is another matter.Since those people are still alive, they must leave traces.There are many people in the slums, unlike the residential areas of high-ranking officials and dignitaries, once the gate is closed, no one knows who's home.In the courtyard over there, not to mention the neighbors, maybe people in the next street can casually gossip about the relatives of other people's family, what are the characteristics and traces of those murderers, and they can always find out one, two, three.Ji Xuan wanted to kill her with fire?Then he is really stupid, why not the kind of stupid who eats minced meat, stupid and ruthless.

The arson in the slums cannot be made public for various reasons, but this son is crooked, and the father can't ignore it.The murderer pays with his life.Emperor Jiayou also admitted that if he didn't go ruthless, even if his son made a heinous mistake, he wouldn't be ruthless to watch him die. This is the truth.However, if he finds a reason to imprison him, and prevents him from going out to harm others, he will not even think about complaining.

Ji Zhao obtained Emperor Jiayou's secret warrant. To put it bluntly, this investigation was a bit like finding fault by order. Once Ji Xuan could be caught, Zong Ling would be able to punish Ji Xuan logically.His father would be able to make it public, justifiably, and abolish his son with a bad conscience.For Ji Zhao, the process of pinching Ji Xuan's braid won't be too complicated because of Shui Qingqian's suggestion.Also, Ji Zhao didn't expect that the "deputy manager who was secretly executed by the officials" that Qingqian said back then was still tiresome for him.

A matter of reputation and innocence?

As soon as these words came out of the official's mouth, His Royal Highness King Qin almost burst into blood vessels.

The dragon's inverse scale, touch and die.

The matter of the fire, the trivial matter, one after another, when Ji Zhao led the order and turned to leave, the air pressure on his body was a little scary.