RPAGF Chapter 84 Plan
Chapter 84 Plan
As soon as Yin'e finished speaking, the eighth and ninth princes simultaneously turned their gazes to him.
The two stood in the queue, one in front of the other, exchanging a look that only they could understand.
There was surprise, confusion, and a hint of inexplicable wariness in his eyes.
Lao Jiu's eye twitched slightly, and his lips moved silently, as if to say, "How did he manage to get Batu out?"
The Eighth Prince's brows furrowed even more. He shifted his gaze from Yin'e's profile to the Ninth Prince's face, and shook his head slightly, meaning, "Don't move, take a look first."
They certainly knew Batu.
What they didn't know was that Batu was Yin'e's mole planted in Juxianju.
They always assumed that Yin'e's information came from elsewhere, that the informant was some inconspicuous servant or some unsuccessful gambler.
They never dreamed that the man who committed murder and arson at Juxianju was the Tenth Prince's own brother.
But now, Yin'e has brought up Batu's name in court and in front of Kangxi. What is he going to do?
Old Nine's mind raced with thoughts.
The eldest prince had already eagerly taken the lead and rushed to fight the crown prince, which was a good opportunity for the Eighth Prince's faction to sit on the sidelines and reap the benefits.
Why did Lao Shi (the tenth brother) jump out at this time? Was he going to betray his brother-in-law?
Lao Ba's mind was also racing.
He recalled that night, Yin'e's composed demeanor in the small building, and his silhouette as he stood by the window, staring at Juxianju.
I recall how organized he was when arranging the night patrol team and deploying firefighters.
Lao Ba suddenly realized that he had never truly understood his tenth brother.
He thought Lao Shi was just lucky and daring, but now it seems that Lao Shi has taken every step very steadily and calculated every step very carefully.
His mention of Batu in court today was certainly not for betrayal, but for some other purpose.
But what was the purpose? Lao Ba couldn't figure it out.
The two looked at each other for a moment, then simultaneously looked away.
They knew that now was not the time to press for answers.
In the imperial court, with Emperor Kangxi above him, any whispers or exchanges of glances could be caught by his shrewd eyes.
They could only wait and see what Yin'e would say next.
"Batu?"
Kangxi's voice came from the dragon throne, tinged with a hint of doubt.
His brow furrowed slightly, and he looked away from Yin'e's face, as if searching for the name in his memory.
After a moment, he still seemed unfamiliar with the name.
"Batu is my brother-in-law, the elder brother of my tenth wife, Ulan."
Kangxi nodded, leaning back on the dragon throne: "What happened? Tell me. What was he doing at Juxianju?"
Yin'e did not rush to answer.
He took a deep breath, as if organizing his thoughts, or perhaps giving himself a final moment to think.
"Father, although Batu is the Tenth Prince's older brother, born on the grasslands and raised in the Prince's Mansion, he has indeed been disappointing in the capital all these years."
He paused, his voice deepening, as if he felt sorry and ashamed for Batu.
"He lost over 100,000 taels of silver at Juxianju, and was also lured into taking opium, incurring a debt of over 200,000 taels of high-interest loans. He was being manipulated to the point of wishing he were dead."
On the night of the fire, he was summoned by Gao Mengyuan to demand repayment of a debt. Gao Mengyuan was holding his IOU, and he dared not refuse.
After escaping in the chaos, he hid outside the city for three days, afraid to show his face.
As he said this, his tone became more earnest: "Yesterday he finally came to his senses and went to the Ministry of Justice to confess everything he knew."
Your son dares not claim any great merit, but at least his willingness to step forward shows that he still has a sense of justice.
After these words were spoken, the hall fell silent for a moment.
Some people nodded, some frowned as if thinking about something, and some secretly watched Kangxi's expression.
Kangxi did not speak immediately.
His gaze lingered on Yin'e for several moments before slowly shifting to the eldest prince, Yin Zhi, who stood to the side.
"Oh?" Kangxi's tone suddenly changed, carrying a hint of displeasure and accusation. "Yinzhi (the First Prince), such an important person ran away, and you didn't even notice? What's wrong with the people in your Ministry of Justice?"
Yinzhi (the eldest prince)'s expression changed instantly.
It was as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over her head; her face turned white all the way down to the roots of her neck.
His original intention was to target the Crown Prince.
He investigated for so many days and interrogated so many people, finally managing to find Xiao Guoxing as a lead, all so that he could expose the Crown Prince's shameful deeds in public at court.
He deliberately avoided mentioning Batu's matter, not because he forgot, but because he wanted to save face for the Eighth Prince's faction.
Batu is the Tenth Prince's brother-in-law and a member of the Eighth Prince's faction. If he drags Batu into this, it would be equivalent to offending both the Eighth Prince's faction and the Crown Prince's faction at the same time.
He may be reckless, but he's not stupid.
But he never expected that his "good intentions" would become the target of his attacks.
Instead of being grateful, Yin'e brought up Batu's affair in front of the entire court, accusing him of incompetence in handling the case.
Emperor Kangxi reprimanded him in front of the entire court; where could he put his face?
Yinzhi (the eldest prince) gritted his teeth, his expression changing from embarrassment to anger, and from anger to determination.
He simply stopped pretending. Since you're not going to give me face, then I don't need to give you any either.
"Your Majesty," he stepped forward and knelt down, "it is your son's fault for failing in his duties, your son confesses his guilt."
But Batu went to the Ministry of Justice early yesterday morning, gave his statement, signed and affixed his seal; I have not concealed anything.”
He paused, raised his head, looked directly at Kangxi, and raised his voice a few decibels: "According to Gao Mengyuan's testimony, the last person to see Sun Yongfu that night was Batu."
Sun Yongfu accompanied Batu to the outhouse, and then Sun Yongfu died there, stabbed in the throat, dying instantly.
A low murmur arose in the court.
"Furthermore, according to the testimonies of other guests at Juxianju, Batu was the first person to discover the fire and the first to shout 'Fire!' in the corridor."
Yinzhi (the eldest prince) spoke with increasing certainty, "Therefore, I have reason to suspect that Batu was the one who committed murder and arson!"
After saying this, he kowtowed, then straightened up, his gaze sharp as a knife, shooting towards Yin'e kneeling beside him.
The air in the main hall seemed to be suddenly gripped by something.
All eyes were shifting back and forth between Yinzhi (the eldest prince) and Yin'e, as if watching a spectacular palace drama.
Some were waiting to see how Yin'e would respond, some were waiting to see how Kangxi would react, some lowered their heads and dared not look, and some were secretly worried for the Tenth Prince.
Yin'e knelt on the ground, his face expressionless.
His heart was pounding, but he was secretly smiling inside.
It became.