The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 47 Guidance on the Maze
After Longkodo finished his miserable act, he stood up and begged bitterly: "The emperor gave me seven days to catch the assassin who assassinated the Fourth Prince. I know that you are a leisurely person and I didn't want to trouble you. But the time is coming soon, and I haven't found the assassin yet. How can I explain to the emperor when the time comes?"

"I really have no choice but to ask you for advice. I think you are smart and wise, much better than me, so maybe you can come up with a solution. But I know this matter is difficult for the prince, so no matter whether you can help me or not, I will never complain."

Li Yan couldn't help but sigh. This young man from a wealthy family, an old Beijinger who had been in officialdom for a long time, could beg for help in such a subtle way that people didn't feel disgusted at all.

He just spends all his time on scheming and scheming. He does all those things of welcoming and seeing off guests and flattering people very smoothly, but he is useless in doing real work. He is a complete waste.

Li Yan thought so in his heart, without showing any pride on his face, and said sternly: "Have you asked Lord Tong about this matter? Lord Tong is an old official in the upper study room, he is knowledgeable and has a say in everything with the emperor. Why don't you ask him for advice?"

"Oh my, my Tenth Master!"

"How could I not look for him? He was the first one I looked for. I thought that after all, I was his nephew, so I should give him some favors for the sake of my dead father."

"But who would have thought that when he heard that this matter involved the Fourth Master and the Eighth Master, he directly advised me that being the governor of Shuntian Prefecture was not an easy job. He would be responsible for all matters, big and small, in the capital. There were so many princes, nobles and wealthy families in the capital that he might be implicated if something happened one day. He could help me today, but not tomorrow, so it was better not to do this job!"

"Let me resign voluntarily, and find me a good job when you have the chance."

"My heart sank when I heard that. After all, I got this job as the governor of Shuntian Prefecture by following your Tenth Master to Jiangnan to raise funds for disaster relief. I put in a lot of hard work, and later it was your Tenth Master who helped me to show my merits in front of the emperor. I have only been in office for less than half a year, and I was driven out of office in disgrace. Isn't this embarrassing for your Tenth Master?"

"Even if I don't do it for myself, I will fight for you, Master Shi. Don't you agree?"

After Longkodo finished speaking, he looked at Li Yan with a fawning face and spoke flattering words in a flattering manner.

Li Yan smiled and shook his head. Knowing Tong Guowei's attitude, he stopped talking and asked about the case: "I have also heard about the assassin entering the Fourth Brother's house, but I don't know the details. Have you investigated it? Tell me in detail about the case and the clues you found. Let's think about it together and see if we can come up with a solution!"

When Longkodo heard this, he felt relieved. As long as the Tenth Master was willing to take care of the matter, there would be a way. At least he could help him plead with the Emperor.

After taking a breath, he said, "Once this case broke out, the Fourth Master was seriously injured. How could I dare to delay? The next morning, I took the capable bailiffs to the Fourth Master's mansion and investigated the case in detail. I questioned the servants and maids who participated in the incident that night. Even the Fourth Master and his wife gave a detailed description, and only then did I know that it was just after midnight that night..."

Longkodo recounted the incident in detail, and then looked at Li Yan expectantly.

After listening to this, Li Yan looked at Wu Sidao. Old Wu was holding a scroll, reading seriously, and looked like he had nothing to do with the matter. Li Yan knew that Old Wu would not speak, so he looked at Longkodo and said, "According to your account, so many guards did not let the assassin get hurt at all. The assassin is very skilled in martial arts. It has been more than a month since the incident. It can be basically asserted that this person is impossible to catch."

As soon as Li Yan said this, Longkodo's heart sank, his face full of confusion and disappointment. It seemed that the Tenth Master was helpless.

Yes, what can the Tenth Master, who stays in the palace all day and doesn't care about worldly affairs, do? It seems that his position as the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture cannot be kept. With a sad face, just as he was thinking about leaving, he heard Li Yan say: "Although the assassin cannot be caught, there is a way to solve your predicament."

As things took a turn for the better, Longkodo was overjoyed when he heard that Li Yan had a solution. He didn't care whether the assassin was caught or not. As long as he could keep his official position and give an explanation to the emperor, he hurriedly asked for advice.

"After the incident, rumors spread in Beijing that it was done by Bage. Have you ever gone to Bage's mansion to investigate?"

"Without any evidence, how could I dare to go to the Eighth Master's mansion? Isn't this obviously telling others that the Eighth Master is a suspect? The Fourth Master hasn't confessed this time, and I would offend the Eighth Master again. It's not worth it, so I didn't go to the Eighth Master's mansion." Longkodo explained with embarrassment.

Li Yan smiled and said, "I didn't go before, but now I can go!"

Seeing Longkodo's puzzled look, Li Yan continued, "In the past, Brother Bah was busy trying the unjust cases in the Ministry of Justice. If you came to him, Brother Bah would definitely not treat you well. But it's different now?"

"Is there any difference now?" Longkodo asked hurriedly.

"The case was investigated by the Ministry of Justice, and Brother Eight was awarded the title of a prince, enjoying great glory. But Brother Four looked dejected and humiliated. All the ministers in the court thought that the assassin was sent by Brother Eight, and even the emperor could not help but be suspicious. Being in such a suspicious situation, Brother Eight was naturally in an awkward position, but he could not tell everyone that the assassin was not sent by him, because that would make him look guilty, and no one would believe him."

"It would be best if someone else could clear Bage of suspicion. Who would be the most suitable person?"

"Of course it's Shuntian Prefecture, which is responsible for investigating the case."

"So, Xiao Duozi, I dare to assert that Bage is waiting for you to come to the mansion now! You come to his house in the name of investigating a case, ask some random questions, and then you declare that this matter has nothing to do with Bage and clear his name. Then Bage will only be grateful to you, how could he blame you?"

"Because of an assassin, the princes are suspicious of each other and there is a gap between them. Even the ministers are gossiping about each other. This is not what the emperor wants to see. So the emperor gave you a deadline, which is to force you to find the assassin and resolve the conflict between the fourth brother and the eighth brother."

After Li Yan analyzed the relationship between the two, Longkodo suddenly realized that this was the case. He was too stupid and did not grasp the key to the matter, so he naturally could not untie this mess.

Thinking of this, he asked anxiously, "What should we do with this assassin? We still can't catch him. Will we still be unable to complete the mission when the deadline comes?"

Li Yan looked at Longkodo with a look of disappointment, which made Longkodo feel guilty and pleading.

"You can just drag a death row prisoner out from the death row, kill him, and say he was an assassin. Then report to the emperor, and that's all." Li Yan said calmly.

(End of this chapter)