Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Great Savior
He still wore the same look of indifference, as though none of this concerned him, which was enough to irritate anyone who saw it. Li Zhi rebuked him, “An official must speak for the people, otherwise he is complicit with wrongdoing!”
“General, do you not understand this principle?”
…
That single question left Cheng Yaojin red-faced.
Indeed!
In the eyes of the people, they were the hope for salvation, their great benefactors. If those in office did nothing, then all would be lost; the people would be forever trampled beneath others’ feet, never to rise again, while villains in power would inflict irreparable harm upon the nation.
At this thought, Cheng Yaojin mustered his courage and snorted, “Fine! I’ll make an exception this once and join the young prince in meddling with East Market’s affairs!”
Li Zhi corrected him, “General Cheng, this is no idle matter—it is our duty!”
“Yes, yes!” Luo Tong nodded, his admiration for Li Zhi beyond words.
The three of them left the acrobatics hall.
An entire day passed! One after another, they visited five locations: the acrobatics hall, a brothel, a pawnshop…
The so-called Five Tigers of East Market were nothing more than local bullies amassing illegal profits through illicit means. At best, they were mere local tyrants; when faced with Duke Cheng Yaojin of the Tang, they were like mice before a cat.
Not one dared resist.
All were sent to the county yamen for trial.
That night, the three returned to the county office.
Sun Jiali complained bitterly, “Your Highness, the prison in Chang’an County is nearly full. Now you send me hundreds more prisoners—are you trying to work me to death?”
“Hahaha…”
“Well, you are the magistrate of Chang’an County, after all! But if you handle this well, it’ll be a great merit. My father will surely reward you handsomely!” Li Zhi said.
“Really?”
“When have I ever lied to you?”
…
Sun Jiali, ever the cautious thinker, mulled over the situation. The East Market was under his jurisdiction; he should have sent troops to arrest these criminals long ago, yet he’d let them run rampant until now.
If this reached Emperor Taizong’s ears, at best he could hope to redeem himself with merit. If it went poorly, he might lose his official cap altogether.
Heaven help me!
How did I end up entangled with this little devil Li Zhi? I’ll surely suffer for it in the future!
Once he’d figured things out, Sun Jiali feebly cupped his hands and said, “Rest assured, Your Highness. I will uphold justice and return fairness to the people!”
“That’s good. How is the interrogation of those from Wuhoupu progressing?” Li Zhi asked.
“So far, there’s been no breakthrough…”
“Continue interrogating!”
“Yes!”
That night, Li Zhi stayed at the county office.
Sun Jiali spent the night interrogating over a dozen Wuhoupu members, exhausting every method but still failing to extract the name of the mastermind behind the scenes. It wasn’t until noon the next day that a man claiming to be the commander of Wuhoupu came forward to surrender.
He claimed he was responsible for everything, his motive being the desire to kill members of the royal family. His father, a general during the Sui dynasty, had been killed by Li Shimin during the wars; thus, he sought revenge.
He would kill any member of the royal family!
Though this explanation sounded plausible, Li Zhi did not believe it.
“First, there are several suspicious points! It’s been two days since we captured the Wuhoupu group—why didn’t he come forward sooner? Why turn himself in now? How credible is that?”
“Is someone behind him, eager to close the case quickly, sending him as a scapegoat?”
“Was his father really a Sui general, or is that a fabrication? We have no way of knowing! How can we believe such a lie?”
“We must investigate thoroughly!”
…
Li Zhi was certain he was lying.
Earlier, at noon, Sun Jiali had already closed the case and come to report to Li Zhi. However, the Bratty Prince System had not indicated the task was complete.
This alone proved that the man who turned himself in was just a scapegoat.
Sitting to the side, Cheng Yaojin stroked his beard, “I also think it’s not that simple!”
Luo Tong said, “Your Highness’ suspicions are not unfounded! If someone is pulling the strings and sends a scapegoat to take the blame, then the real culprit escapes justice!”
“Magistrate Sun… this case cannot end here! You must continue the investigation!” Li Zhi ordered.
“Yes!” Sun Jiali was troubled.
In his view, if a former dynasty remnant sought to assassinate the royal family, it would be a sufficient reason to report to the court and the emperor. He could redeem himself and enjoy a respite.
But Li Zhi was relentless, insisting on uncovering the truth!
What now?
He could only keep investigating!
“Sigh!” Sun Jiali sighed. “Those from Wuhoupu may not even know the mastermind. If we can’t get anything from them, when will this case ever be closed?”
“I might have an idea!” Li Zhi suddenly beckoned him over and whispered, “You can send people to keep watch on Zhangsun Wuji. At the same time, spread word that the case has been solved and will be reported to His Majesty at tomorrow’s morning audience. Before then, quietly release the commander who surrendered himself…”
“Your Highness suspects Lord Zhangsun is the mastermind?” Sun Jiali was startled.
“Most likely him! No one else would oppose me, but that old fox is too cunning. Without some tricks, we’ll never catch him!” Li Zhi replied.
Everyone fell silent…
Just imagine!
If Zhangsun Wuji truly was the mastermind, upon learning that the man who confessed had been released, and Sun Jiali claimed to have found the real culprit and would report to Emperor Taizong at court, what would that mean?
He would surely feel a chill down his spine, scrambling to devise a countermeasure lest Sun Jiali catch him off guard! At that point, he would surely slip up and be caught red-handed!
A collective gasp went around.
Li Zhi’s move was indeed ruthless!
Sun Jiali hesitated. “With no evidence, if I have people tail a duke… If Lord Zhangsun finds out, I’ll be in serious trouble!”
“With me here, what are you worried about?”
Li Zhi signaled to Luo Tong.
Luo Tong summoned the Golden Blade Guards.
“From now on, the eighteen Golden Blade Guards are at your disposal! Let them shadow Zhangsun Wuji—if anything happens, it has nothing to do with you; after all, they belong to Lizheng Hall!”
“Thank you, Young Lord!” Sun Jiali was overjoyed and left with the guards.
The next morning, Sun Jiali staged a performance at the county office.
He pretended the case had been solved.
Zhangsun Wuji’s informants at the office quickly relayed the news, but he had no idea it was all a ruse to lure him into a trap.
Initially, Zhangsun Wuji was pleased, thinking Sun Jiali had fallen for it, as he had sent out a scapegoat before. Now that the county office claimed to have solved the case, it must refer to that scapegoat.
That night, the so-called scapegoat sneaked into Zhangsun Wuji’s residence.
Zhangsun Wuji broke out in a cold sweat.
He suddenly realized the truth.
The culprit Sun Jiali had discovered was not the person he sent; there must be someone else! Who could it be? Why not announce it publicly, but instead choose to report privately to Emperor Taizong at the morning audience?
There were only a few hours left before court.
Zhangsun Wuji hurried to devise a countermeasure!