eurekapd Chapter 108 Eliminate Suspicion
Chapter 108 Eliminate Suspicion
"what?"
Sheng Nanzhi handed the sword to the emperor: "Father, look, is there a mark here?"
The emperor took the sword and took a look at it, frowning slightly: "What does this mark mean?"
Commander Lin, probably because Sheng Nanzhi suspected him and immediately spoke up for him, clearing his suspicion, heard the emperor's question and hurried forward to take a look: "Your Majesty, this should be the forging mark of the weapons in the barracks."
Sheng Nanzhi and the emperor both looked up at him, with the same confusion in their eyes.
Commander Lin quickly added, "Military weapons are usually used in battle and are purchased jointly by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War. Weapons are especially important to the soldiers in the camp. If a soldier's weapon fails on the battlefield, it can determine the outcome of the battle."
"Therefore, for every weapon purchased by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, a branding iron with the forger's name on it will be issued to the forger. Different forgers will have different marks, and they are required to stamp the mark upon the weapon when they forge it."
"In addition to the name of the forger, it is usually required to also mark the time it took to forge the weapon."
"That way, if there's a problem with any batch of weapons, we can immediately find out who made them and when. We can then find the forger and hold him accountable."
"Because this trend is so prevalent, many famous blacksmiths now also like to put the forging mark on their works."
Sheng Nanzhi blinked and looked at the mark on the sword.
The mark was not large, so it required careful identification. "So, this sword was forged on the tenth day of the fourth month of the twentieth year of the Jian'an period by an artist named Li Kui?"
"Yes."
Sheng Nanzhi laughed: "This year is the 20th year of Jian'an, and the prince had an accident and fell into a coma in March of this year."
"How could he have hidden such a batch of weapons, forged only on the tenth day of the fourth lunar month, in Prince Yi's mansion?"
Sheng Nanzhi immediately turned around and knelt down: "Please understand, Father. It is obvious that someone wants to frame the prince and the child in my belly."
Sheng Nanzhi bit her lip and said, "I don't know who the prince and I have offended. The prince is already unconscious, but there are still people who won't let him go."
"However, I think we can get some information from these things."
The emperor's gaze fell darkly on Sheng Nanzhi: "What information did you get? Tell me."
Sheng Nanzhi thought for a moment: "The purpose of that person doing this is nothing more than to slander the prince and accuse him of a crime. The prince is unconscious in bed and cannot defend himself."
"Once the charge of treason is brought against me, the child in my belly will also become the son of a traitor."
"His purpose in doing this is simply because he's afraid that the prince's coma is fake, or that I'll give birth to a son and compete with him for the throne."
The emperor's expression suddenly darkened, his eyes shone darkly: "How bold."
Sheng Nanzhi knew that the emperor was scolding her, but she pretended not to understand and nodded quickly: "Yes, that person is really too bold."
"And I suspect that for some reason, that person wasn't very clear about the rules governing the weapons requisition by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, which is why this mistake occurred."
The emperor frowned. Although Sheng Nanzhi spoke and acted boldly, what she said did make some sense.
When he first saw the mark, he really didn't know what it was.
But after Commander Lin's explanation, he remembered it.
That is indeed the case.
The military generals in the court, or anyone who has led troops, should all be very clear about this matter.
The civil officials may not understand it very well, but most of them have heard of it.
But that person could have made such a huge mistake. It could only be that he had never been an official in the court or fought in the battlefield, so he was so ignorant.
The emperor couldn't help but have some guesses in his mind. Such guesses made him grit his teeth secretly and say, "Investigate."
"Go call the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of War..."
Sheng Nanzhi then asked, "Your Majesty, are you going to call them here?"
"If we call them here, they will definitely know what happened. If the person behind this is in collusion with the Ministry of War or the Minister of Revenue, and they provide false information and find someone to replace the forger named Li Kui, wouldn't they be able to conceal the truth?"
The emperor swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"Commander Lin, please carefully examine these boxes and see if the weapons inside were all forged by the same person."
Commander Lin immediately agreed and went to check one by one.
There weren't many boxes, so the results came out quickly.
"Your Majesty, the weapons in each box are mixed. A total of three forgers and their forging times have been found."
Commander Lin handed over three weapons with different forging times.
The emperor took one look and said, "Give me these three and I will take them back to the palace."
The emperor turned and left: "Summon the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of War into the palace!"
Sheng Nanzhi quickly knelt down with his men: "Farewell, Your Majesty."
After watching the emperor hurriedly leave, Jin Xin collapsed to the ground and let out a long breath: "I was scared to death."
Sheng Nanzhi reached out and pulled her up: "What's there to be afraid of?"
"We just need to trust the prince and believe that he would never do such a thing."
"You have been with the prince for such a long time, you should know his talents better than I do."
Jin Xin glanced at Commander Lin, who was standing over there with a rather unhappy expression on his face. "Of course I understand the prince's character, but if you want to accuse me, you can always find a pretext."
"Someone who wants to frame the prince always comes up with all kinds of ways."
"But the prince is in such a situation now. If we can't clear his name, then he will really..."
Sheng Nanzhi smiled and said, "The prince would never do such a thing. Moreover, if the prince is awake, he will not allow anyone to make any moves in the palace."
"We just need to firmly believe in this."
"Since the prince wouldn't allow anyone to do something like this while he's awake, then these things must have been buried when the prince was unconscious."
"As long as we move in this direction, we can find ways to verify our guesses."
Sheng Nanzhi did not explain the matter any further, but turned to look at Commander Lin.
"That person was too careless in his actions and even implicated Commander Lin."
"If we can't prove that Commander Lin didn't do this, Commander Lin will probably be in danger."
"The crime of treason is not a small one, but framing the prince is also a serious one. Commander Lin must be careful to find the culprit behind this and prove his innocence."