Chapter Six: Zhou Jingzhi
“What turtle?” He Xumin narrowed his eyes, scanning his mind for every type of softshell turtle he had ever encountered. None matched the so-called “Two Sheep Flower Turtle” that Li Yunjie mentioned.
“To put it plainly, it’s just gravel,” Li Yunjie said.
He Xumin was stunned for a moment, his mouth twitching slightly. “It’s nothing more than a bit of impurity mixed into cinnabar.”
“Making it sound mysterious!” For a long time, Zhao Heng had sat in silence, but now he could no longer restrain himself. He impatiently addressed Li Yunjie, “So, Prince Li, all your elaborate theatrics were just to show us this?”
“What’s the rush?” Li Yunjie rolled his eyes and continued, “Lord He is correct.”
“The materials for this talisman indeed come from Taihu Academy.”
“However, the person who refined the cinnabar is not from the academy!”
As his words fell, everyone present was taken aback.
Only Zhao Heng’s brows suddenly knit together, a trace of fear flickering in his eyes.
“Nonsense!” As if he had understood the message in Zhao Heng’s gaze, He Xumin suddenly erupted.
“Everyone knows the talisman technique is a secret of Taihu Academy, never passed on to outsiders.”
“Even the Imperial Academy, though of the same lineage, has never mastered this method.”
“Your Highness, without evidence, do not make wild claims!”
Li Yunjie’s lips curled into a slight smile.
He walked with a relaxed gait around to the front of He Xumin’s desk.
Sliding his hand into his sleeve, he searched for a moment.
“Who told you that I have no evidence?” He said, suddenly whipping out his arm and slapping it onto the desk.
A brand new Star Shift Talisman appeared before their eyes!
“This is the true Star Shift Talisman of Taihu Academy!”
“That broken talisman from earlier was nothing but a crude imitation!”
Li Yunjie’s voice rang with authority, his gaze full of confident certainty.
Before anyone could react, Li Yunjie picked up the intact talisman.
He held it at the same angle as the fragment before, letting the sunlight play across it.
“Gentlemen, do you notice anything different?”
Everyone’s heads swayed back and forth in time with Li Yunjie’s hand.
Soon, Minister Xu Changfeng of the Court of Judicial Review spoke up, “The cinnabar on this talisman is fine and even, with no reflective spots!”
“Exactly!” Li Yunjie was pleased, giving Xu Changfeng an appreciative glance.
“All cinnabar at Taihu Academy is refined by a third-rank alchemist within the academy.”
“The purity, texture, and color are all of the highest quality.”
“Look again at the cinnabar on the broken talisman—its color is dull, the texture uneven, and even the impurities haven’t been cleaned out.”
“It doesn’t affect the function, but it does mar the appearance!” Li Yunjie exclaimed indignantly.
As a top graduate of the Police Academy, he had aced the forensic class! Not even the slightest difference could escape his discerning eyes.
“Utter nonsense!” Zhao Heng finally could not sit still and stood up angrily to refute.
“Overturning the suspicion on Taihu Academy based on a few impurities—how frivolous!”
“Utterly absurd!”
He was flustered now, truly flustered! Seeing Zhao Heng losing his composure, Li Yunjie secretly delighted: Wasn’t he so arrogant just now?
While savoring Zhao Heng’s agitation, Li Yunjie’s gaze briefly crossed with Su Ming’s.
Su Ming understood, slowly rising and bowing respectfully. “Your Highness, please quell your anger.”
“If these proofs are not sufficient for Your Highness, this old official has a witness.”
He turned to He Xumin, “I wonder, Lord He, may we summon him?”
He Xumin was dumbstruck, caught between the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister.
He could not afford to offend either side.
For a moment, he did not know how to respond.
Helplessly, he looked at the Crown Prince, nervously saying, “Summon…”
“Or not summon?”
“Lord He!” Zhao Heng gritted his teeth, his eyes bulging round.
His tone deliberately kept He Xumin at a distance, as if reminding him to mind his place in the court.
“By custom, he must be summoned!” Zhao Heng said, his smile cold and forced.
He Xumin wiped the sweat from his brow and signaled the bailiffs.
Soon, a man in the blue-and-white robes of the Imperial Academy was led forward.
He stood upright, showing no trace of fear on his face.
His demeanor was refined, his expression calm and unruffled.
In his eyes was the proud spirit unique to scholars!
Seeing this, Zhao Heng’s face turned pale; his earlier aggressive manner vanished in an instant.
Furious and overwhelmed, he stumbled back into his seat, appearing quite disheveled.
“Who stands before the court?” He Xumin asked sternly.
The man shook off the bailiffs at his sides, tidied his tattered clothes, smoothed his messy hair, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his injured left arm, trying to maintain his dignity.
“I am Zhou Jingzhi.”
Zhou Jingzhi’s name was well-known in the capital.
He was the only student ever expelled from Taihu Academy since its founding.
He was exceptionally intelligent and learned.
After being expelled, he was quickly accepted by the Imperial Academy.
No one knew the reason for his expulsion.
Yet rumors had always circulated about him.
Some said he had an affair with the headmaster’s daughter and was driven out…
“What is your crime?” He Xumin pressed.
Zhou Jingzhi did not answer, instead calmly surveying the room, finally fixing his gaze on Li Yunjie.
“Everything Prince Li just stated is true.”
“The cases involving the Qiuyang Royal Mansion and the Prime Minister’s residence were both orchestrated by me.”
“Zhou Jingzhi!” He Xumin shouted sternly, “Do you understand this is a capital offense!”
“So what?” Zhou Jingzhi smiled faintly, showing no fear, “For the sake of our Great Qian’s literary tradition, what is death to me?”
“The literary lineage of Great Qian was once unified.”
“But now, the Academy and the Imperial Academy are divided, occupying east and west.”
“This has led to the decline of our literary tradition, leaving us far behind the flourishing culture of the northern steppes!”
“For decades, not a single sage has emerged!”
“Do none of you feel ashamed?”
At these words, the hall fell silent.
Zhou Jingzhi’s remarks struck at the heart of every citizen of Great Qian.
The northern steppes thrived, with the Crane Mountain Poetry Gathering held every ten years, where they repeatedly won the top honors.
In contrast, Great Qian’s literary tradition was withering.
Not only did they fail to win, but there were rarely even candidates among the top three.
“But what does this have to do with the two cases you committed?” He Xumin asked gravely.
“As for Taihu Academy,” Li Yunjie interjected, “the court officials are divided into two factions.”
“The academy’s defenders, led by Prince Qiuyang and Prime Minister Su.”
“The academy’s opponents, led by the Crown Prince and the Imperial Academy.”
Li Yunjie walked slowly down the steps, stopping before Zhou Jingzhi.
“To bring down Taihu Academy would require enormous effort.”
“So you devised a scheme to drive a wedge, hoping to turn Prince Qiuyang and Prime Minister Su against Taihu Academy.”
“Am I right?”
Zhou Jingzhi looked at Li Yunjie in disbelief.
The once aimless, dissolute prince now stood with such resolve and vigor—it was truly unexpected.
After a long pause, Zhou Jingzhi suddenly smiled radiantly. “Indeed.”
“Only, I did not expect that this intricate plan of mine would be unraveled by Prince Li in a single day.”
“There is always someone greater, always another mountain beyond the mountain!”
As he spoke, Zhou Jingzhi’s gaze never left Li Yunjie for a moment.
Facing the “enemy” who had seen through his scheme, he bore no hatred—only deep admiration.
“At this point, I have nothing more to explain.”
“Though I am defeated today, I regret nothing!”
“Only pity for the literary tradition of Great Qian.”
“It will always be inferior!”
With that, Zhou Jingzhi let out a few bitter laughs.
He looked up at Li Yunjie, eyes brimming with tears.
“Prince Li, today I cannot escape my fate.”
“Before I die, I only wish to know: What is the difference between the cinnabar I refined and that of Taihu Academy?”