This made Li Shimin anxious, and he wanted to trade one for one with me.

Li Yi was startled.

Li Jing was undoubtedly implying that this was a scheme orchestrated by His Majesty, Cheng Jun, and Changsun Wuji.

Li Jing continued, "The Cui family has certainly been confirmed guilty of assassinating the censor. It's no wonder you've been implicated."

Li Yi exclaimed emotionally, "Has the Cui family gone mad! How dare they attempt to assassinate the Imperial Censor?!"

Li Jing said calmly, "A cornered dog will jump over the wall."

"Among the five surnames and seven clans, the Cui family suffered the most severe punishment."

"The Cui family is desperate, but unfortunately, they didn't expect that His Majesty, Cheng Jun, and Changsun Wuji had already dug a pit for them to jump into."

Li Jing stared at him and said, "Although you did not participate in the assassination attempt on the censor, you were involved in the salt price issue, so you cannot absolve yourself of responsibility."

“When Cheng Jun came to me, he specifically asked me to persuade the Li family of Longxi not to get into trouble. At that time, I felt that Cheng Jun was going to dig a pit to deal with the five surnames and seven clans.”

Li Jing sighed, "So, I summoned you here and repeatedly told you not to get involved in this mess, but in the end, you didn't listen to a single word I said."

"Now, you have to take responsibility for your actions."

Li Yi cried out, "I'm doing this for the Li family too!"

Li Jing raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't use the excuse of the Li family to protect yourself in front of me. I'm not blind."

"This time, you can't escape, and nobody can escape either. It's better for you to honestly turn yourself in than anything else."

Looking at the silent Li Yi, Li Jing said in a deep voice:

"If you surrender, you'll at most be exiled. If you try to run away, that's considered fleeing from your crime. If you get caught again, you'll only face death."

Li Yi was silent for a few seconds, then gave a bitter laugh and said, "I understand... I really regret not listening to you back then."

Li Jing walked up to him, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Go."

Li Yi turned and left dejectedly.

Li Jing escorted him to the gate of the mansion and watched him leave.

Just then, a voice sounded from behind:

"Father, you shouldn't have refused to help Uncle Li."

Li Jing turned around and saw a burly young man with similar features standing not far from the mansion.

It was his second son, Li Dejiang.

Li Jing asked, "What brilliant idea do you have?"

Li Dejiang walked to his side and said with a serious expression, "I think Uncle Li has already implicated you, Father."

"If the court finds out that he was here today, and His Majesty asks about it, how will you answer, Father?"

"This alone is enough to show that you and Uncle Li are now in the same boat, so you can't not help him!"

Li Jing asked, "If it were you, how would you help him?"

Without hesitation, Li Dejiang said, "When a person makes a mistake, few people will admit it, let alone when a person breaks the law. Uncle Li is probably still struggling with whether or not to turn himself in."

"If it were me, I would definitely help him stop worrying."

Seeing this, Li Jing asked with interest, "So, what's your plan to stop him from being conflicted?"

Li Dejiang said earnestly, "I will send him to turn himself in!"

"..."

Li Jing was taken aback, then looked him up and down.

Li Dejiang solemnly said, "In this way, we can not only help Uncle Li, but also sever your relationship with him, Father."

Li Jing stroked his beard, chuckled, and said, "Speaking of which, you participated in the selection of censors, so you must have had dealings with Cheng Jun, right?"

Li Dejiang was somewhat puzzled as to why his father suddenly shifted the topic to Cheng Jun, but he nodded and said, "Yes, I even helped him teach those civil officials' sons a lesson!"

Li Jing nodded and said, "That's good. Once Cheng Jun is done with his work, go to the Cheng family and spend more time with him."

Li Dejiang was completely confused. "Dad, why is that?"

Li Jing chuckled and said, "You'll understand when you get there."

After saying that, he strode into the mansion and headed towards the study.

Li Dejiang stood there thinking for a while, but couldn't come up with a solution. He couldn't help but chase after him and ask, "Father, should we help Uncle Li again?"

Li Jing glanced at him and said, "You decide for yourself."

After saying that, he went into the study, closed the door, and refused to let Li Dejiang in.

Li Dejiang scratched his head, somewhat puzzled as to what he had said that had upset his father.

He thought about it carefully, then turned and walked out of the mansion.

.............

In the Dali Temple.

As soon as Cheng Jun returned, he saw Changsun Wuji, dressed in a purple official robe, standing at the gate of the Dali Temple prison with a list in his hand, counting the prisoners who had been sent in.

At this moment, at the entrance of the Dali Temple prison, a group of prisoners were being escorted. Their clothes were made of brocade and silk, and it was clear at a glance that they were all rich and noble.

"They're even faster than me..." Cheng Jun was somewhat surprised. After handing the three salt merchants over to Bu Gandang, he walked over and greeted them:

"Minister Changsun, have all the people on the list been brought back?"

Changsun Wuji waved his hand and said:

"No, only a portion have been arrested. The Ministry of Justice is sending people to arrest them, and they should all be brought back in a little while."

"You're back just in time. You stay here and keep an eye on things. I'll go report to His Majesty and see how he deals with these people."

Cheng Jun nodded slightly and watched him leave. Then he took out a list and sent all the dozens of people he had captured to the Dali Temple prison.

Just then, Bu Gandang, with a strange expression, walked towards them with one other person and said:

“Imperial Censor Cheng, this man says he has come to turn himself in.”

"Confess?"

Cheng Jun was taken aback and looked at a middle-aged or elderly man standing behind Bu Gandang, asking, "What's your name?"

The middle-aged man looked dejected and cupped his hands, saying, "My name is Li Yi."

The surname is Li... Cheng Jun's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Is he from Longxi or Zhao County?"

Li Yi said in a muffled voice, "The Li family of Longxi."

Cheng Jun asked with interest, "I heard you came to turn yourself in?"

Seeing Li Yi nod, Cheng Jun asked again:

"Did you want to turn yourself in, or did someone else want you to turn yourself in?"

Li Yi pursed his lips and said, "Minister Li of the Ministry of War and I are both from Sanyuan in Yongzhou."

Cheng Jun suddenly realized, "I understand."

Although Li Yi did not say it directly, he also did not say that he surrendered voluntarily. Instead, he mentioned Li Jing, which clearly indicates that he surrendered because of Li Jing.

Cheng Jun asked, "Did your Li family participate in what the Cui family did?"

Li Yi replied decisively, "Absolutely not!"

Cheng Jun asked, "What about the increase in salt prices?"

Li Yi was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Yes..."

Cheng Jun then asked, "Who are those salt merchants who work for you?"

Li Yi said, "Hu Yanhe, Hu Chu, and Xu Sheng, just the three of them."

Cheng Jun nodded slightly, then called Bu Gandang over and whispered a few instructions in his ear.

Bu Gandang listened carefully, then turned and left.

Soon, he came over carrying a small table.

On the desk were also brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone.

After Bu Gandang put down the table, Cheng Jun pointed to it and said to Li Yi:

"Sit here and write down everything of value you have in Chang'an, including your house, land, and everything else."

Li Yi frowned and asked, "What do you need these for?"

Cheng Junyun said casually, "I'll raid your house."