Chapter Seventy-Eight: Left Without Resolution

"Chong’er, why are you still awake?" Footsteps sounded outside the room, and Changsun Wuji took notice.

"Father... I can’t sleep."

"Come in, then."

Changsun Chong entered, closing the door and windows behind him. "Father, that matter... is it still not resolved? Sun Jiali, that scoundrel, is really refusing to let go?"

"Sigh..."

"The Emperor has ordered him to uncover the truth behind it. How could Sun Jiali dare disobey?" Changsun Wuji’s face was grim as he scolded, "This is all trouble you brought upon us! In the future, stay away from the Ninth Prince!"

"I know I was wrong!" Changsun Chong was deeply regretful. He had only wanted to teach Li Zhi a lesson—who could have anticipated things would escalate so dramatically?

"Father, what should we do now?"

Changsun Wuji pondered for a moment, then handed him a command token. "Here is my token. You can mobilize the Imperial Guards with it. Take it and find Hou Junji. Lie in wait with him inside the palace walls and capture Sun Jiali in one swoop!"

"What?" Changsun Chong’s mouth hung open in shock. Had matters truly come to this, to the point of employing the Imperial Guards? If they were discovered, it would be tantamount to treason!

Changsun Chong took a few steps back, shaking his head. "No, Father! We could ambush him outside the city—why inside the palace? And if we use the Imperial Guards, even if we kill Sun Jiali, how could we escape unscathed?"

"Naive! Do you think Sun Jiali would go to court alone?"

In previous cases of great importance, those involved were always heavily guarded on their way to the palace, to prevent evidence from being seized. This time, it was the case of an assassination attempt against a prince—no small matter. How could Sun Jiali possibly go to the palace alone to report?

"Do as I say!"

"Yes!"

Changsun Wuji added after a moment’s thought, "Remember, should anything go wrong, do not implicate me. Say you stole the token yourself! Remember—if I’m unharmed, I can still save you. If I’m caught up in this, our entire family is finished!"

"I understand!" A determined look gradually appeared on Changsun Chong’s face. He took the token and departed.

To stop Sun Jiali from entering the palace, he gathered a hundred Imperial Guards stationed at the Xuanwu Gate, and lay in ambush within the palace walls. Few people ever passed this way; there were hardly any patrolling soldiers, except when officials were going to court.

Changsun Chong lay in wait, hidden, for more than two hours until daylight broke and the sun rose. Finally, a carriage passed below.

Changsun Chong muttered to himself, "Carriages are forbidden on this stretch of road. Has Sun Jiali lost his mind, openly breaking the law? Or did he receive imperial permission?"

If anything, this only made it clearer that Sun Jiali must be killed.

"Release the arrows!"

With his command, a volley of arrows tore through the carriage below.

"Humph! Sun Jiali, you brought this upon yourself!" Changsun Chong led his men down to confirm Sun Jiali’s death, but when he opened the carriage curtain, it was empty.

"Not good!" Instinctively, Changsun Chong realized he’d been tricked.

The clattering of armor and hurried footsteps resounded from afar. Two squads of Elite Cavalry approached.

"Retreat, quickly!" Changsun Chong shouted.

But it was too late.

Zhao Wu’s Elite Cavalry had already blocked the exit. "Young Master Changsun, where are you off to? We’ve been waiting a long time. Come with me." With a wave of his hand, Zhao Wu subdued the Imperial Guards and escorted Changsun Chong back the way he’d come.

At the county office, after threats and interrogation, Changsun Chong confessed everything: he admitted that he had instigated the Wuhou Bureau to attempt the assassination of Li Zhi, in retaliation for losing the Tianyi Tavern; that he’d stolen his father’s command token and mobilized troops to the palace walls to assassinate Sun Jiali.

The truth was brought to light.

The Mischievous Child System issued a reward.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host! Side mission completed. You have gained 10 intelligence points!"

Li Zhi was startled and quickly checked the system interface.

Host: Li Zhi
Gender: Male
Age: 3 years
Martial Prowess: 15
Intelligence: 129 (Sage State)
Speed: 41
Politics: 66
Charisma: 72
System Function: Unlimited Healing
Title: King of Cuisine (Food perfection increased by 10%)
...

Previously, his intelligence had been 119, already extraordinary; with the task reward, it was now 129, a sage among men. Li Zhi clearly felt his mind become sharper, memories from his past life flickering through his thoughts like a film reel.

Anything he’d known in his previous life, he could now recall perfectly. Even the entire "Three Hundred Tang Poems"—he could recite them backwards if asked!

"So this is the Sage State? Remarkable indeed!" Li Zhi was overjoyed. From now on, if Emperor Taizong tested him on literature, it would be no challenge at all.

"Your Highness, I won’t dare do it again... Just treat me like a fart and let me go, will you?" Changsun Chong was still lying in the middle of the hall, begging Li Zhi for mercy.

"Hmph!"

Cheng Yaojin snorted coldly. "With a crime this grave, how could you be released so easily?"

"Exactly! Assassinating a prince is tantamount to treason—do you think you can just walk away? Changsun Chong, are you out of your mind?" Luo Tong sneered.

This time, with all his misdeeds, Changsun Chong would finally face the full force of the law.

In the past, his father would always bail him out at such moments.

But now...

Assassinating a prince—what a crime! Would Changsun Wuji dare come to his rescue? He’d be lucky just to avoid implication himself.

"Magistrate Sun, I want no further part in this case. Handle it according to the law," Li Zhi said, having completed his system mission and losing all interest. "Luo Tong, let’s go!"

"Uh..." Luo Tong was dumbfounded. After all their efforts to bring down Changsun Chong, now they were just leaving?

"Aren’t we waiting for the verdict?"

"No need... For an assassination attempt on a prince, the penalty is death. Magistrate Sun knows what to do." Li Zhi had more important matters to attend to and had no desire to waste time in the county office.

...

Watching Li Zhi, Luo Tong, and Cheng Yaojin depart, Sun Jiali’s expression became resolute. "This case is far-reaching, with the Emperor’s eyes upon us. There can be no favoritism!"

"No matter how noble Changsun Chong’s status, the law must be upheld!"

Having thought it through, he wrote up the confession, had Changsun Chong sign and fingerprint it, making the evidence irrefutable.

In court, he pronounced the sentence: execution, pending imperial review.

"Uncle Cheng, do you think Changsun Chong will actually be executed?" Leaving the county office, Luo Tong was still pondering Changsun Chong’s fate, curious about what would become of him.

"No," Cheng Yaojin replied.

"Why not? He tried to assassinate a prince—shouldn’t he be executed on the spot?" Luo Tong was shocked. Could Changsun Chong really escape punishment for such a heinous crime?

Li Zhi also looked over. "Uncle Cheng, do you mean Magistrate Sun will show favoritism?"

Cheng Yaojin answered, "The problem isn’t with Magistrate Sun, but with the Empress. Remember, Changsun Wuji is her elder brother. Would she really watch her own nephew be executed?"

"As long as the Empress pleads with the Emperor, it’s very likely his sentence will be commuted to life. After that, the whole affair will quietly fade away..."