SWDnovel Chapter 85 Sacrificing the Pawn to Save the King
Chapter 85 Sacrificing the Pawn to Save the King
This is what he's been waiting for.
Why did he bring up Batu at this time?
Because he realized that the eldest prince had just put the crown prince and Emperor Kangxi in an awkward position.
The eldest prince publicly revealed that Xiao Guoxing's money had flowed to Juxianju, which was tantamount to putting the crown prince in a very difficult position.
Although Emperor Kangxi was very angry about the eldest prince's act of kicking someone when they were down, he couldn't retaliate because the eldest prince's words were reasonable and well-founded.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, unable to back down.
It was because Yin'e discovered this that he revealed Batu's matter.
He wanted to give Kangxi a way out, shifting the focus of the court from "whether the Crown Prince was the mastermind" to "whether Batu committed arson".
The matter of the crown prince was the foundation of the nation and Kangxi's biggest headache.
But Batu's case is just a case; it can be tried, investigated, or delayed.
As long as Kangxi follows his lead, he can pull himself out of the quagmire of the Crown Prince.
More importantly, Gao Mengyuan could not possibly say that Batu was discussing matters concerning the Crown Prince at Juxianju that night.
Gao Mengyuan may be bad, but he's not stupid.
He knew that revealing the crown prince would mean death, and not revealing him would also mean death, but revealing the crown prince would mean an even faster death.
His testimony would only say that Batu came to discuss the debt and to negotiate repayment, and he would never mention the word "Crown Prince".
In this way, Batu's only remaining suspicion is "murder and arson".
When Kangxi was being held back by the eldest prince in the court, Yin'e offered him a ladder.
If Kangxi had simply followed the ladder down, he could have ended this embarrassing standoff with dignity.
As for whether Batu really killed someone or set fire, that can be investigated and examined slowly.
Sure enough, Kangxi's expression softened slightly.
He leaned back on the dragon throne, shifting his gaze from Yinzhi (the eldest prince) to Yin'e.
"What did Batu say?" His tone returned to calm.
Yinzhi (the eldest prince)'s face turned bright red, and his lips trembled for a while before he managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth: "He...he refuses to admit it to the death."
He said he hadn't done anything at all; he only hid for a few days out of fear.
Yin'e seized the opportunity and quickly responded.
"Your Majesty, my brother-in-law is eccentric, lazy, and has a bad reputation in the capital."
But to say that he would dare to commit murder and arson right under the emperor's nose for a few hundred thousand taels of silver, I believe that is absolutely impossible.
He paused, his voice becoming more composed: "Moreover, Batu is the eldest son of Prince Urjingalap, and he will inherit the title in the future."
My father-in-law is a prince, a powerful ruler on the grasslands. How could he not even be able to repay more than 200,000 taels of silver?
He wasn't without a way out; he was tricked into walking into it step by step.
How could someone like that have the audacity to kill and commit arson?
Kangxi raised an eyebrow slightly. He didn't speak, but simply turned his head to look at Yinzhi (the eldest prince).
"Is there any evidence?"
Yinzhi (the eldest prince) had beads of sweat on his forehead.
His Adam's apple bobbed several times: "No...no. The fire destroyed everything, and the murder weapon is nowhere to be found...so..."
"So what?" Kangxi's voice was not loud, but extremely authoritative.
Yinzhi (the eldest prince) lowered his head and dared not say anything more.
Emperor Kangxi waved his hand, his gaze shifting from Yinzhi (the eldest prince) to everyone present, finally settling on Grand Secretary Ma Qi.
"Alright, Juxianju has been found guilty of operating a casino, which is an act of arson and a heinous crime. It is now handed over to the three judicial departments for joint trial. They must give me a thorough and clear understanding of the matter."
He paused, then his voice deepened: "Ma Qi."
An elderly official, nearing sixty, stepped forward from the front of the civil officials' procession.
He was dressed in the court robes of a first-rank civil official, and most of his hair was already gray.
His face was square and dignified, with a broad forehead, thick black eyebrows, and small but very bright eyes.
Ma Qi, a Manchu of the Bordered Yellow Banner, was about the same age as Emperor Kangxi and served him for most of his life. He was involved in every major event, from suppressing the Three Feudatories to recovering Taiwan, from conquering Galdan to managing the Yellow River.
He was one of the most trusted ministers of Emperor Kangxi, and one of the few people in the court who dared to say "no" to Emperor Kangxi.
"Your subject is here," Ma Qi replied in a loud and steady voice.
"I'll leave this matter to you. You'll lead the joint trial by the three judicial departments. Don't keep me waiting too long; give me an answer as soon as possible."
"Your subject obeys the decree." Ma Qi knelt down, kowtowed, stood up, and returned to the ranks.
Kangxi leaned back on his dragon throne, his gaze shifting from Ma Qi to everyone present.
"Alright, court is adjourned."
"Dismiss the court." Liang Jiugong's voice was sharp and bright, echoing in the empty hall.
All the civil and military officials knelt down in unison, shouting, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Emperor Kangxi stood up, the hem of his court robe brushing against the armrest of the dragon throne. He turned around and walked behind the screen.
As he reached the edge of the screen, he suddenly paused.
He didn't turn around, but his gaze shifted slightly and landed on Yin'e kneeling in the crowd.
That glance was very short, as short as the blink of an eye, but Yin'e felt a unique warmth in that gaze.
Then, Kangxi nodded slightly and turned to walk behind the screen.
Yin'e knelt on the ground, his heart pounding, but his face remained expressionless.
He knew he had made the right bet.
Kangxi accepted the ladder offered to him and pulled his foot out of the quagmire of the crown prince.
Batu became the new focus, the Crown Prince temporarily escaped a disaster, the First Prince was reprimanded, and the Tenth Prince made a contribution in front of Emperor Kangxi.
He reached out and summoned the book "Overheard," turning to the page about Emperor Kangxi.
The star that had previously developed a crack has now completely shattered and disappeared.
Now, only four remain.
Great, we're one step closer to unlocking the Emperor's eavesdropping abilities.
The eighth prince, Yinzhi, and the ninth prince, Yintang, went to Yin'e's side and helped him up.
The Eighth Prince looked at Yin'e. If he didn't know what Yin'e was up to before, he did now.
He didn't say anything, but just smiled and patted Yin'e on the shoulder before turning and walking out of the Qianqing Palace.
As Yin'e watched the two figures disappear into the distance, he felt a mix of emotions.
As the saying goes, there are always gains and losses. It is not easy to strike a balance among all parties, satisfy everyone, and steadily improve favorability.
Yinzhi helped Yin'e use the power of the Eight Banners with the intention of overthrowing the Crown Prince, but now Yin'e has ruined the plan.
The Eighth Prince was dissatisfied, and Yin'e understood, but he did not regret what he did at all.
Yin'e followed the crowd out of the Qianqing Palace.
He needs to hurry back to the mansion and have a good talk with Ulan about what happened today, since it was a spur-of-the-moment decision to "betray" Batu.
But he could assure Batu that he would be in no danger.