“Is that the reason why you kept obstructing me three, four times?”
“This is what we called, a rabbit doesn’t have one entrance to its burrow.” Jing Yi’s tone implied a deeper meaning to his words.
Since Jing Rong was not a fool, he quickly understood his brothers hidden meaning. “Jing Yi, I only want to investigate the Lin Capital case and have no other intentions. As long as you agree not to meddle into this case, I can assure you that I absolutely won’t fight over it with you and you won’t need to scheme and guard against me for every single thing.”
“Why should I believe you?” Jing Yi frowned.
“If I wanted to fight over it with you, that jade pendant on that suicide soldier would have been handed over to imperial father on the day I came back to the capital.”
‘Ah!’ Jing Yi’s heart stilled at the thought, then he spoke superfluous words, “Jing Rong, you know that I am not afraid. Using a mere jade pendant as evidence is nothing but a vain attempt.”
“Must you meddle in this case?”
“I don’t want to be enemies with you, but when a man wants to reach higher places, he must destroy the road behind him in order to avoid anyone from climbing to where he is.” Then, he patted Jing Rong’s shoulder while coldly snorting. “Next time, work hard not to let me be a step ahead of you.” As soon as he spat out those words, he passed through the south gate.
Jing Rong stood there with a gloomy expression while watching Jing Yi’s silhouette gradually getting smaller.
Lang Po walked to him and whispered, “Your Highness, if Prince Yi really reports to the Emperor…”
The last words were left unsaid as the sound of a galloping horse was heard. As soon as the sound came near them, it stopped. The man on the horse quickly dismounted and kneeled in front of Jing Rong while presenting a letter to him.
“Your Highness, this is from Teacher Ji.”
‘Ah?’
“Teacher Ji said that if Prince Rong could not stop Prince Yi, your Highness has to meet the emperor with Prince Yi after reading this letter.”
Prince Rong took the letter and opened it. After reading it, he was shaken. He immediately put it away and quickly strode through the gate. Behind him, Lang Po followed while remaining confused.
Inside Fuyang hall.
Jing Yi had already presented the confession document to Qi Zhen emperor and promptly reported his findings.
The emperor was in exultation as he stored away the confession document. “It has been two months that this case has caused unrest amongst the people in the capital. The capital governor ran left and right to investigate, but his investigation was unfruitful. I didn’t expect that this case would be resolved by you. Good! Very Good!”
Jing Yi lowered his head and slightly bowed. The corner of his mouth was stretched into a silent smile.
“We always reward fairly. Since you resolved the case, we cannot omit to bestow you something. Speak, what do you want?”
‘The emperor’s throne! But will he give it to me?’
Jing Yi clasped his hands and spoke, “This Son only wishes for our empire’s safety and the people’s prosperity and nothing more. Besides, this matter is related to the peace and well-being of the commoners. I was only doing what I must. I didn’t do so to be rewarded.”
The emperor was obviously incredibly satisfied with Jing Yi’s reply. He nodded and declared, “No matter what, you accomplished a meritorious deed. We will grant you…”
“Prince Rong has arrived!”
Jing Rong timely entered the hall. He was expressionless as he greeted his father. “Your Son has come to meet imperial father.”
Qi Zhen Emperor inquired, “What is the reason for your presence?”
“Son knows that Prince Yi has entered the palace to report the missing girls case. Since it’s related to the missing girl case, I have to enter the palace. In addition, I have…”
Qi Zhen interrupted him. “We know what you want to say. The agreement we made with Teacher Ji only stands if he resolves the case. We would have agreed to let people unseal the coffins for investigation. However, at present, this case has been resolved by Jing Yi. The agreement is now void.”
On the side, Jing Yi had a smug smile. As for Jing Rong, he maintained a calm face and stepped forward. “Son only wants to say that there’s an error in Prince Yi’s report.”
“An error?”
“The murderer is not Gan Chuliang.”
The emperor frowned, then glanced at the shocked Jing Yi. He turned to Jing Rong and asked, “Why?”
Jing Rong simply stated, “Because Gan Chuliang is a eunuch.”