There is a god in the sky

Chapter 298 2 Princes

A horse-drawn carriage arrived at night.

The carriage carried a handsome young nobleman, whose two accompanying guards both wore half-masks to cover their faces, making it impossible to see their features.

"Your Highness, please come in." Xiao Ji invited the person into the study.

The second prince kept looking around the manor, even glancing at the passing dogs.

"Xiao Ji, you invited me here in the middle of the night, surely you don't intend to treat me to some country-style food?"

Xiao Ji gave Sui Ying a wink, and the latter went to bring in the man in black.

"Today, I went to Yishan Academy to visit my cousin and found this person near the academy. I am quite certain that he is one of the assassins who tried to kill me outside the city last time."

The second prince looked at the man in black again and again, somewhat puzzled. "Since he is the assassin who tried to kill you, why didn't you hand him over to the Imperial City Guard, but instead let me come and see him?"

"Oh, I see. Is there something wrong with this assassin's identity?"

The second prince looked at him with surprise and said in a nonchalant manner, "Xiao Ji, we've known each other for many years, and I consider you a friend. You wouldn't dare to push such a hot potato onto me."

Xiao Ji waved for the men in black to be taken away. Only when he and the Second Prince were left in the study did he reveal his true purpose.

The second prince had little presence in the court; although the emperor loved him, he did not value him.

He never participated in politics; he spent his days traveling with friends, playing football, or hunting.

His birth mother was just a palace maid who died without any official status, while he was raised by Consort De.

Consort De was the oldest concubine in the harem. She neither competed for favor nor sought personal gain, and the emperor only held her in high regard.

"Your Highness, please hear me out..."

Xiao Ji recounted in detail the cases he had investigated after arriving in the capital.

These cases are all secretly connected and related to the Crown Prince's faction.

“Someone is raising assassins in Jiufeng Mountain. The number and purpose are unknown, but Jiufeng Mountain is located in the suburbs of Beijing, and there is also Yishan Academy on the mountain. Those assassins have been hiding for who knows how many years. If they are not eliminated, they will cause endless trouble!”

The second prince leaned closer to him, staring at him as he said, "Xiao Ji, I understand what you mean. You mean to say that the group of assassins were raised by the Tong family for the Crown Prince."

But so what? The Emperor values ​​the Crown Prince highly, the Empress's position is secure, and the Tong family goes without saying.

With perfect timing, favorable location, and popular support, the Crown Prince has everything best. You wouldn't expect me to fight against him, would you?

Before Xiao Ji could persuade him, he laughed self-deprecatingly, "Don't joke around. I know my own capabilities. Even if you offer me all the evidence, I won't expose the Crown Prince."

"Does Your Highness still remember how you excelled in your studies as a child, and how your teachers praised you highly?"

"how?"

"Just because the teacher praised you a few times, the Crown Prince became jealous. He not only transferred away those diligent teachers, but also placed several people around you to deliberately lead you astray from your duties."

All these years, you've pretended to be idle, as if you have no interest in that position whatsoever. But do you really think the Crown Prince will let you off the hook?

"Xiao Ji! How dare you!" The Second Prince lowered his expression.

Few people know these things, so how could he know them so clearly?

"Don't forget, I've loved solving cases since I was a child, and I'm quite talented at it."

"Yes, you helped the Minister of Justice solve a murder case when you were ten years old. You have talent, but talented people shouldn't get involved in these things. Wouldn't it be better to just be a good chief criminal investigator?"

Xiao Ji bowed to him.

"Your Highness, I didn't know who to talk to about these things, so I took the liberty of asking you to come."

Your concerns are fully understood by me, and I have no intention of forcing you to do anything against your will.

"I inform you of this only so that you may know that the Crown Prince is not a benevolent ruler, and the Tong family is even more ambitious and insatiable."

The second prince walked around the room a few times with his hands behind his back.

The lights flickered, reflecting his ever-changing expression.

He looked down at the tiny insects crawling at his feet and said softly, "Xiao Ji, what makes you think I can stand up to them?"

The Crown Prince is not a benevolent ruler, do you think I am?

It's normal for the Tong family to be ambitious; they deserve such power. Look at all the officials in the court—are there any who are dissatisfied with the Tong family?

The headmaster, Tong, stood tall in Yishan Academy, like a gleaming golden statue, worthy of the worship of scholars.

Even with such a powerful family, the Tong family only held the position of Minister of Revenue; the emperor would not suspect them.

"I do not know whether you are a benevolent ruler or not, but the Crown Prince is not the kind of wise ruler I wish to serve."

Xiao Ji's words made his stance clear.

He wants to seek refuge with the second prince.

This was a very unexpected thing for the Second Prince.

He had secretly tried to win over court officials, but he never expected the Xiao family to be willing to stand on his side.

"Xiao Ji, Xiao Ji, just tell me straight, how much do you know about me?"

The second prince squinted at him.

Xiao Ji held back, only revealing a few details.

For example, "You are close to the Eldest Princess, and the Eldest Princess has a grudge against the Empress. She will definitely hate the Crown Prince as well."

For example, "Several young masters from prominent families who are on good terms with you are very favored, even though they have little power at home."

"You've only been back in Beijing for a few months, yet you know so much. Was it your father's idea?"

"No, my father has no interest in factional strife."

"If you openly support me, will the Xiao family agree?"

Xiao Ji sighed, "The rise and fall of a family cannot be taken lightly, but throughout history, how many families can truly remain bystanders?"

The second prince laughed heartily, "Don't worry, I'm all alone. If I lose, the worst that can happen is I die. I'll try my best not to implicate the Xiao family, otherwise we might not have gone that far."

Xiao Ji saw the Second Prince off.

He did not intend for the Second Prince to uphold justice for him during this meeting, but merely wanted to take this opportunity to state his position.

Next, it's time to seek justice from the Zhao family!

Zhao Xuan was bitten by a poisonous snake, and the Zhao family invited Imperial Physician Lan to come and treat her.

She was mildly poisoned and woke up after being unconscious for a night. She was physically fine, but suffered some mental anguish.

She had a persistent feeling that the house was full of snakes, so she changed rooms three times in a row. Finally, she moved into an empty room with nothing in it and pulled up all the flowers, plants and trees in the yard before she felt at ease.

"Young lady, something terrible has happened!" The maid rushed in in a panic.

Zhao Xuan was dejected and did not respond.

The maid quickly whispered something in her ear, causing Zhao Xuan's pupils to shrink and her to grab the maid's arm tightly.

"He found out? And he came back alive?"

The maid nodded and asked anxiously, "Miss, Madam requests your presence outside for a confrontation. We..."

"Tell her to kick him out! I won't go out to see him. Does she think my health isn't bad enough already?"

As they were talking, Imperial Physician Lan came to deliver the medicine, coughing once as he stood outside the door.

The maid quickly stopped talking and ran to invite Imperial Physician Lan in.