Chapter 68

Qin Jiyi's subordinate had been squatting at the Donglin Academy for three days, and the harvest was considerable...

In addition to finding the weapon mentioned by Gu Qiancheng, they also found a blood-stained garment. The garment was buried under a tree and was discovered by this meticulous official, who dug it up.

"Your Highness, I have preliminarily identified the suspect and am ready to make the arrest at any time," the man said with a hint of excitement, clearly thrilled by his first such experience and the immediate success, which gave him a sense of achievement that words could not express.

"There's no need," Qin Jiyi waved his hand. "Hand over the weapon and the blood-stained garment to the Gu family."

Some matters, even if he was the one who initiated them, did not require him to take the lead. If the Gu family did not want to step forward, it was just a dream.

"Yes." Although the man felt a bit regretful, he did not dare to disobey Qin Jiyi's orders and left with the items. Halfway out, he heard Qin Jiyi say, "Introduce a lawyer to the Gu family."

The items Gu Qiancheng found on the body were very useful for the case. If the lawyer presented these inferences in court and guided the大理Temple and the Ministry of Punishments to apprehend the real culprit, it would thoroughly embarrass the大理Temple and the Ministry of Punishments.

After arranging the case for Gu Chengyi, Qin Jiyi no longer paid attention to it. Compared to Gu Chengyi's case, the locked-room murder case he was now handling was more complex, involved a wider range, and had a greater impact.

This case was very difficult to handle. If it were easy, so many people wouldn't have died, and the culprit wouldn't still be at large.

Eleven cases, all with the same method of committing the crime, led the Six Ministries to conclude that it was the work of one person. But how could one person carry out such attacks on eleven prominent families?

Qin Jiyi couldn't figure it out, so he decided not to think about it. Feng Yuqian was about to go to the military for training, and Jiao Xiangdi had been preparing for the imperial examinations recently. The three of them hadn't met in a long time, so Qin Jiyi used the pretext of seeing Feng Yuqian off to gather them for a small gathering.

After a few rounds of drinks, the three of them chatted idly in the pavilion. The pavilion was on a lake, surrounded by no one, and the people on the shore couldn't hear their conversation, so they spoke freely.

"Your Highness, what does the Emperor really mean? Didn't he previously ask you to study at the Six Ministries? How did it turn into taking charge of the Six Ministries?" Feng Yuqian had been worried about Qin Jiyi since he received the news.

Studying at the Six Ministries and overseeing one of them were worlds apart. If Qin Jiyi were to oversee the Six Ministries, wouldn't he be no different from Prince Zhao and the others?

The Emperor favored Qin Jiyi greatly but had not yet established a crown prince or given him real power. Qin Jiyi's influence in the court was even less than that of the underage Fifth Prince.

The two study companions the Emperor assigned to Qin Jiyi were from families loyal to the Emperor. Qin Jiyi had the Emperor's favor but no real power, so no one knew what the Emperor was thinking, including Qin Jiyi, who was most favored by the Emperor.

"The three princes are reacting too strongly, and Grandfather doesn't want any trouble," Qin Jiyi could only deduce this reason.

The older Grandfather got, the more he liked to maintain a peaceful facade. To calm the three princes' dissatisfaction, he had to sacrifice him.

This had happened more than once, and Qin Jiyi was already used to it. The Emperor's favor could be given to him, but it could also be taken away. Once it involved real interests, the Emperor's favor could not be the decisive factor; he must have his own strength.

"Is the Emperor changing his mind?" Jiao Xiangdi was always straightforward, and with no outsiders present, he spoke his mind freely.

Qin Jiyi shook his head indifferently. "I don't know. You know I don't care about these things."

"Your Highness, the current situation doesn't allow you to be indifferent. Before, you delayed involvement in government affairs, and those few could still tolerate you, let alone now," Feng Yuqian looked worried and felt very guilty. "It's all my fault. If I could persuade my father..."

This way, when the court officials ganged up on Qin Jiyi, there would be someone to speak up for him in court. Unlike now, when the three princes attacked Qin Jiyi, and apart from a few who spoke up for fairness, no one spoke up for Qin Jiyi in court.

"My father... also refused," Jiao Xiangdi looked guilty.

Qin Jiyi smiled. "It's not your fault. General Feng holds great power, and Minister Jiao is favored by the Emperor. It's best for them to remain neutral."

Qin Jiyi stood up, walked to Feng Yuqian's side, and patted his shoulder. "You don't need to worry about court affairs. I have my own plans. Just be careful in the military."

"Your Highness, rest assured. I won't return to court until I have the military power," Feng Yuqian stood up and bowed to Qin Jiyi.

It didn't matter if the Feng family didn't stand with Prince Qin; it was enough that he stood with Prince Qin.

"I'm waiting." Qin Jiyi nodded and then said to Jiao Xiangdi, "Xiangdi, focus on your exams. I've met Feng Sijin and Jing Yan. These two are indeed extraordinary. It's both fortunate and unfortunate for you to take the exams with them."

It's fortunate to meet a worthy opponent, and it's fortunate to have two talented contemporaries. However, these two are so outstanding that others can't even see Jiao Xiangdi.

With Jiao Xiangdi's talent, if he didn't take the exams in the same year as these two, winning the top rank wouldn't be difficult, but...

Xiangdi had to take the exams in the same year as these two.

Jiao Xiangdi smiled bitterly. "I've been competing with Feng Sijin for so many years, and I'm used to it. Losing to him isn't embarrassing. If I don't have the courage to compete, that would be truly embarrassing."

"That's the right attitude. I'm afraid you might not be able to let go of your pride and insist on winning, which could harm your health," Qin Jiyi knew Jiao Xiangdi was under a lot of pressure, but sometimes people just can't compare.

Jiao Xiangdi worked hard and had talent, but Feng Sijin wasn't just talented; he was exceptionally gifted. No matter how hard Jiao Xiangdi worked, he couldn't match Feng Sijin in this aspect.

"I don't mind, but my father insists that I must win Feng Sijin. I've been driven crazy by this. Now, only Your Highness can get me out of this." Jiao Xiangdi leaned on the table, looking miserable. "In the future, I'll have to serve in the same court as Feng Sijin. To say there's no pressure is a lie."

"Actually, I have a way for you to win Feng Sijin," Feng Yuqian's lips curled into a smile, his eyes twinkling with mischief, clearly up to no good. But Jiao Xiangdi, focused on winning Feng Sijin, quickly pulled Feng Yuqian and asked, "What is it? Tell me, tell me..."

Feng Yuqian laughed slyly and said, "It's simple. Just get married now, and have a child before Feng Sijin. Wouldn't that mean you've won him? If you're afraid your child won't be as smart as Feng Sijin's, just have more children. Winning Feng Sijin in numbers is also a win."

Feng Yuqian looked smug, but Jiao Xiangdi was furious. "What kind of ridiculous idea is that? If I have to get married, it's not my turn. Your Highness isn't young either. The Emperor was urging Your Highness to get married soon. When do you plan to get married?" Jiao Xiangdi punched Feng Yuqian and looked at Qin Jiyi...

"My marriage is not urgent," Qin Jiyi said coldly and turned to look at the lake, gazing into the distance...

He always remembered his father's words: his wife could be of low birth, not beautiful, and not talented, but she must be someone he liked...

His marriage could not be used as a bargaining chip, even for the throne!