Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 74: The key to breaking the situation is an old case

The maid was powerless to reject the pair of clear eyes of Kazilan, and whispered:

"The higher-ups are checking everyone's place of origin and family background, whether they or their families have received money from unknown sources, whether they have complaints about their work, etc."

"What else? What else?" Li Ming asked curiously.

The maid looked around and saw that there was no one around, so she answered quietly:

“I am only responsible for sweeping the courtyard, so I only asked these questions.

“But I heard that the eunuchs who went in and out of the palace to purchase supplies last month, the palace maids who had the honor of serving Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince last month, as well as the waiters, the imperial chefs, and the imperial doctors, have all been locked up and interrogated.

"Shisi Lang, please don't tell anyone, or I'll have my mouth torn apart!"

Hearing footsteps coming and going outside the door, she bowed and left in a hurry.

Hiss, something big is happening...

Li Ming looked at the ever-changing clouds in the sky, stroked his non-existent beard, and his thoughts flew back to a month ago.

The biggest event that happened this month was Li Shimin's cardiac arrest...

“Is it really a man-made disaster?

"Could it be that Li Dao Zong's guess is reasonable? The emperor and the crown prince fell ill on the same day because they were poisoned and induced by the toxin?"

Li Ming was shocked.

Damn, his worries came true. Is the mastermind behind this really going to take advantage of these few days to kill Li Ming?

"No, no, no, how can I let the emperor and the prince take the blame?

"Besides, the prince who has the greatest motive to kill me has also been tricked. His health is not good to begin with. If he really wants to kill me, he doesn't need to risk his life to perform a self-torture trick..."

Li Ming felt his mind was in a mess and he carefully sorted out his current situation.

He was imprisoned, his left and right arms were cut off, and he was also separated from other members of his party.

At the same time, Li Shimin, the biggest protective umbrella, is now out of town, and it will take a few days for the official status of Prince Lu to be confirmed.

In other words, this period is his most vulnerable moment.

If anyone wants to kill him, they should do it during these few days.

The problem is that he, the suspected victim, is fine, but the number one suspect and the judge are dead first.

"Perhaps they were not necessarily poisoned, and we started a large-scale investigation purely for the sake of caution.

"As for why there was no on-the-spot investigation, but rather a post-mortem investigation...

"Perhaps in order to let the possible mastermind down and lure the snake out of its hole?"

Li Ming asked and answered his own questions, first assuming that there really was such a poisoner.

Then the other party’s target was also Li Shimin, and had nothing to do with him, a marginal prince.

In other words, as long as he was obedient, he would be safe in Lizheng Hall, where there was no emperor or crown prince, the defenses were tight, and the risk-return ratio was extremely unequal.

Yes, I am safe now...

"But what about Li Shimin?"

What if someone really wanted to assassinate me, what if this thief succeeded...

Li Ming felt extremely uneasy.

His wings are being clipped, and at the same time, his father may fall into an unknown crisis.

Whether as a person protecting himself or as a son, he felt that he could not just sit in the safe house and wait for death.

On the one hand, once his wings were completely clipped, he would enter a period of slow death, and would be nothing more than a puppet even if he went to his fiefdom.

On the other hand, his father is now his biggest backer. If anything happens to him, he won't even survive to become a puppet.

He had to do something to break this dull situation.

At least, use your brain to think about it. It won't miss a piece of meat, right?
Li Ming cleared his mind and temporarily put aside his own safety and calculations of interests.

Put all your brainpower into this unsolved case of suspected poisoning.

"Suppose there really is a thief who wants to assassinate Li Shimin..."

As soon as I started to think about it, I ran into the first problem that I couldn't get around.

And it’s still an old problem -

"Since the murderer had such great ability to poison the Taiji Palace, why didn't he use a more drastic method and kill Li Er directly?
"Is it because you don't want to?"

He thought more deeply this time, and a new idea was about to emerge -

“No.

“It is foolish to talk about toxicity without considering the dosage.

"Li Shimin and Li Chengqian were not poisoned to death, perhaps because they did not ingest enough toxins.

"The thief poisoned it, but not completely."

This involves a more critical issue:

How did the murderer poison him?
Extraordinary things require extraordinary means.

Poisoning in the imperial palace, where food and expenses were strictly managed, was obviously not as simple as spitting into the emperor's bowl.

"What is the method of poisoning..."

Li Ming realized that the breakthrough in the case lay at this point.

But he thought hard and still got nothing.

In a state of complete isolation from the surrounding environment.

How to transfer the poison into the victim's mouth?

This case suddenly made Li Ming feel familiar:
“The same is true of the Li Xiaogong case.

“Except in the deceased’s throat, there was no trace of arsenic anywhere else, as if it had moved into his throat out of thin air.

"Could it be..."

Could it be that the imperial court thinks so too?

Could it be that the imperial court also linked the case of the emperor's misfortune to the case of the Prince of Hejian?
It is easy to verify this.

As long as the court is investigating the Li Xiaogong case at the same time, it means that there may indeed be a connection between the two cases.

But for Li Ming, who is now under de facto house arrest and isolated from his friends, contacting the outside world is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"No, there is an easier way."

He thought of a person and immediately had an idea. Li Ming looked around stealthily, quietly opened the window, and jumped out.

Before his legs touched the ground, a giant grabbed the back of his clothes and lifted him up in the air with ease.

"Where are you going, Your Highness?"

Li Dao Zong asked politely, but his other free hand was not very politely cracking his joints.

His Majesty was away, and there were no sacrificial ceremonies due to the busy farming season, so the Minister of Rites, who was known for his ability to convince people with reason, had nothing to do.

I can concentrate on guarding this young master.

If you observe courtesy, he will be polite.

If you are rude, he also knows a little about physics.

"What a coincidence! I was just looking for you." Li Ming said shamelessly.

"Oh?"

Li Daozon put little Li Ming down, patted his clothes and straightened his collar, to see what other tricks this kid had.

There is a guard post every five steps and a sentry every ten steps in the current imperial palace. No one is allowed to pass without a token, and it is difficult to fly away even if you have wings.

Li Ming asked seriously:

"Uncle Zong, is the case of Hejian Prince Li Xiaogong being investigated now?"

Li Dao Zong was stunned.

As a fellow clan hero, Li Xiaogong is his old partner, so he has been following this case closely.

Every day when he entered the Secretariat, he would stop by the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice to ask about their latest developments.

After Li Ming's reminder, he suddenly remembered the recent abnormality:

"After your suggestion, it does seem that Dali Temple Minister Sun Fujia is becoming increasingly weak, as if he could not even breathe and would just pass away.

"I heard from people below that the higher-ups have issued a death order that the case of Prince Hejian must be closed before Your Majesty returns to the palace.

"So they have been sleeping in the government office these days."

Li nodded in understanding.

This piece of information confirmed his guess that the Emperor and the Crown Prince's acute illness was indeed related to the Li Xiaogong case.

At least he and the court agreed that there was a connection between the two events.

"what happened?"

The young prince suddenly became quiet, which made Li Dao Zong feel nervous.

Although he usually touches Li Ming inappropriately, he knows that this naughty kid is no trivial matter.

Precisely because it was of such a serious nature, he had to take action and must not let the future pillar of society die prematurely.

However, when such a little prince gets serious...

"Nothing." Li Ming smiled calmly.

"Uncle Zong, you are right."

Li Dao Zong: “?”

What did I say?

"Perhaps it is what you first guessed -

"The case of Li Xiaogong and the suspected poisoning of my father and the crown prince may have been committed by the same person or the same group of people."

Li Daozon only felt his eyes turn red and his head get hot.

When he calmed down again, he was grabbing Li Ming's collar.

“…Please forgive me, Your Highness.” Li Daozon hurriedly let him go and knelt on one knee.

Just because you can spank Li Ming when he is naughty doesn’t mean you can also spank him for no reason when he is not doing anything wrong.

The Minister of Rites has a clear understanding of the principle and etiquette.

Li Ming smiled and straightened his collar:

"No forgiveness of sin."

Li Daozon was stunned.

"Unless you can take me out..."

Li Dao Zong immediately rejected it: "No!"

"Take me out and help investigate the Li Xiaogong case." Li Ming ignored Li Daozon's objection and finished his words slowly.

Li Daozon obviously hesitated and glanced away.

"But it's always dangerous outside...

"Besides, the detective experts from the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate have all gathered on this case, plus Wannian County is fully cooperating, so there is no need to trouble Your Highness..."

He himself didn't have the confidence to say this.

Li Ming laughed:
"Don't forget, the reason why Li Xiaogong's case became a 'case' instead of being treated as a natural death was because of who?
"Those drunkards from the Third Division?"

Li Daozon's attitude obviously softened and he did not answer for a long while.

Fang Xuanling's strategy is indeed effective... Li Ming couldn't help but sigh in his heart as he looked at the Minister of Rites who was scratching his head.

Fang Xuanling's words "Everything that needs to be taught has been taught" seem to mean that listening to a word of yours is better than listening to half a word, but it is actually a very clear hint.

Because apart from all the nonsense, Lao Fang, the old fox who hides his secrets, only taught the young master one move from beginning to end -

Hitchhiking.

Grasp the issues that the other party is most concerned about and achieve your own goals in the process of helping him solve the problem.

Moreover, this was a secret between Li Ming and Fang Xuanling. Even if it was said in front of Li Daozon, it would not seem abrupt at all.

An old fox is an old fox. He does things cleanly and efficiently without leaving any excuses.

“What Li Daozong is most concerned about right now is undoubtedly the case of Li Xiaogong.

"If we use this case to lure him, he will definitely take the bait..."

Li Ming was calculating quickly on his abacus, working out his next course of action in his mind.

He had to dodge and maneuver, and step by step, create a larger space for himself.

There are opportunities in crisis. This is not only for Li Shimin's safety, but also for himself!

　Thanks to the fat Taoist priest who lost weight and book friend 20230728024228550 for the reward! Thank you all for your voting and reading support! May everyone get rich!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)