Chapter 18: The Frame-up

Li Shimin burst into laughter after hearing this, exclaiming, "What a marvelous 'turning stone into gold'!"

The cheapest raw brown sugar had been transformed in an instant into premium refined sugar, worth fifty strings of cash per half-catty. The profit margin was so staggering that even Li Shimin, the Son of Heaven, could not help but lose his composure. He had never expected that ordering Zhangsun Wuji to investigate Zhao Mu would yield such an unexpected treasure.

If only this divine technique could be brought under the control of the Imperial Court...

Just as greed flickered in his mind, Li Shimin forcefully suppressed it! He suddenly realized that mere monetary gain could never compare to the boundless talent Zhao Mu possessed. Which was more important? Even a fool could weigh that balance! He must not lose a world-class talent like Zhao Mu for the sake of such petty profit.

"Your Majesty..." Zhangsun Wuji, seeing Li Shimin lost in thought, asked hesitantly, "If we could bring this sugar-refining technique under the Palace Bureau..."

"Foolish!" Li Shimin turned abruptly, his eyes fixed on Zhangsun Wuji with a menacing glare. "Do you take Zhao Mu for some lynx that can be kept in a cage? You must understand, Fuji, this young man is capable of far more than just turning sand into frost! You have seen the transformation of the Crown Prince with your own eyes!"

Zhangsun Wuji broke into a cold sweat. He had only been testing the waters, yet the Emperor was already furious. He hastily bowed, declaring, "Your Majesty, I swear that apart from myself, no one else shall ever learn of this! You know me, Your Majesty. Though I may have my greeds, I know where the priorities lie; I would never sacrifice the greater good for small gains."

"Hmm..." Li Shimin nodded slightly, a gesture that served as a warning, before changing the subject. "In that case, his background remains clean. He is not some foreign spy using the Prince to harbor ill intent. That is enough." With these golden words, Li Shimin brought the investigation into Zhao Mu's origins to a close. As for how Zhao Mu and Li Chengqian had met and become confidants, that had already been clarified the previous night.

In truth, according to his innermost thoughts, Li Shimin did not care whether Zhao Mu was a spy or not. It was not for any other reason than Zhao Mu’s genius. Even if Zhao Mu were truly a spy for an enemy state, Li Shimin could not bear to kill him. If the First Emperor of Qin could tolerate Zheng Guo a thousand years ago, could the Zhenguan era not accommodate a talent even greater than him?

With this thought, Li Shimin’s heart grew clear. Regardless of Zhao Mu’s origin or the source of his profound talents, as long as he could help the Great Tang achieve a golden age, that was enough. His spirit uplifted, Li Shimin no longer gossiped about Zhao Mu’s past with Zhangsun Wuji, instead turning to discuss the policies proposed by the Crown Prince.

Yet, deep down, one matter still weighed on Li Shimin. While he was overjoyed to see the Crown Prince demonstrating the qualities of a true sovereign, the words Zhao Mu spoke the previous night—that Hou Junji had incited the Prince to rebel—still echoed in his ears, refusing to fade. After letting Hou Junji go yesterday and parting ways with Zhangsun Wuji, Li Shimin had secretly arranged another matter.

After the morning court session, Hou Junji remained at the Ministry of War, waiting for the Crown Prince to arrive. After all, the three policies proposed by the Prince required the Ministry’s assistance. Even though he had suffered a setback in the court that day, Hou Junji still considered himself the Prince's confidant. After all, he had incited the Prince to treason, and though the Prince had not agreed, he had not reported him either. From that moment on, Hou Junji had viewed himself as the Prince’s right-hand man, basing all his schemes on the assumption that he would assist the Prince in ascending the throne.

He was certain the Prince would come to the Ministry of War to discuss the implementation of the policies. Yet, as dusk fell, the Prince had not appeared. "Strange... has the Prince been summoned to the palace? Otherwise, why would he not come before the end of the workday?" Hou Junji muttered, his face showing impatience. For some reason, his left eyelid kept twitching. "Left eye for fortune, right eye for disaster..." he muttered to himself, but a sudden sense of foreboding washed over him.

Just then, his personal guard commander, Wang Meng, arrived at the Ministry and whispered, "My Lord, something has happened at the manor!"

"What has happened?" Hou Junji’s heart raced, and cold sweat broke out on his brow as the sense of dread intensified. Wang Meng glanced around and leaned in, urging, "My Lord, this is not the place to speak. You had best return and see for yourself..."

Seeing the look on Wang Meng’s face, Hou Junji’s expression darkened. He knew the situation was dire. Without another word, he followed Wang Meng out of the Ministry, mounted his horse, and galloped toward the Duke of Chen’s manor.

Upon arriving, Wang Meng led him to a study that Hou Junji, a man of martial nature, rarely visited. As he stepped through the door, his pupils dilated in shock. "Hiss..." He gasped in horror.

"Who... who did this!?" Enraged, his face twisted as if he were about to devour someone. He roared, "Who hid this armor in my study? Who!"

Hou Junji was frantic. His first thought was that there was a traitor in his household, or perhaps an enemy attempting to destroy the Hou family. This was no joke—this was military-grade armor! As the Minister of War, he knew well that the private possession of armor was a crime equal to treason, punishable by the extermination of one's entire clan. Though he did indeed possess hidden armor, he would never dare store it in his own manor. If the news leaked, he would have no way to defend himself.

Seeing thirteen sets of black iron armor used by the Imperial Palace guards neatly arranged in his study, he knew instantly that he had not put them there. But... even if he hadn’t, what did it matter? It was thirteen sets of black iron armor! Regardless of how they had arrived, even if they had fallen from the sky, if the news leaked, it was a death sentence.

No wonder his left eye had been twitching all day! It had been a sign of impending doom.

"Silencing them!" Hou Junji, a decisive man, immediately ordered Wang Meng to execute all the servants and maids in the manor. In an instant, the backyard of the Duke of Chen’s manor was stained with blood. Even after killing everyone in the courtyard, Hou Junji could not fathom who would be so wicked as to frame him by hiding the Emperor’s own guards' armor in his home.