Read Novel Full Chapter 730 - 359: Those Who Believe Will Believe
Chapter 730: Chapter 359: Those Who Believe Will Believe
Jinling City, Song Family.
Prince Jing and Song Qingyun were drinking wine and playing chess.
At this time, it was raining heavily outside the window, and the raindrops fell on the banana leaves in the courtyard, making a ticking sound. In this quiet rainy night, it was not noisy; on the contrary, it had a unique artistic charm.
After Song Qingyun placed a piece, he lifted his gaze towards Prince Jing sitting opposite him.
"Your Highness, the body of Prince Chu has not been found yet. I’m afraid this will not convince the people in the capital."
Prince Jing toyed with the chess piece in his hand and did not rush to place it. He curled his lips into an intriguing smile, "Do you think finding the body of Prince Chu is really that important?"
Song Qingyun was slightly taken aback, showing a hint of surprise on his face.
"Your Highness, do you mean it’s not important to find Prince Chu’s body?"
"The news of Prince Chu’s death has already reached the capital—those who believe it will naturally believe it, and those who won’t, won’t."
Prince Jing’s words left Song Qingyun somewhat confused. He asked with a bewildered look, "Your Highness, is this really a matter of belief? The living must be seen in person, and the dead must be seen as a corpse. Leaving others aside, will the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen believe that Prince Chu was assassinated without seeing his body?"
"The Crown Prince, that fool, will certainly believe it. As for my good uncle, he definitely won’t." When speaking of the Crown Prince, Prince Jing’s eyes undisguisedly showed disdain. "That fool of a Crown Prince would be more than happy for Prince Chu to die; hearing the news of Prince Chu’s assassination would simply delight him." It’s undeniable that Prince Jing understood the Crown Prince’s nature very well.
"The Crown Prince believing that Prince Chu was assassinated is of no consequence; it only matters if Duke Zhen believes it," Song Qingyun said, also dismissing the Crown Prince but wary of Duke Zhen. "Your Highness, what I mean is we need to find Prince Chu’s body and send it back to the capital to convince everyone that Prince Chu is indeed deceased."
Upon hearing this, Prince Jing slightly raised his eyebrows, "Are you thinking of using a fake corpse to impersonate Prince Chu’s body?"
Song Qingyun nodded slightly, "Exactly, the capital must see Prince Chu’s body; that way, Duke Zhen and the others will be completely convinced that Prince Chu is truly dead."
"Do you think I haven’t considered this?"
Seeing Prince Jing’s nonchalant demeanor, Song Qingyun asked confusedly, "Your Highness, do you think this plan won’t work?"
"Of course, it won’t work. If we really use a fake body to impersonate Prince Chu, not only will it fail, but it would backfire." Prince Jing placed his chess piece down and then said to Song Qingyun with a meaningful expression, "Not finding Prince Chu’s whereabouts is the best outcome; that will keep my good uncle restless."
Song Qingyun didn’t quite understand what Prince Jing meant, "Your Highness, wasn’t Prince Chu’s death beneficial to many people?"
"That depends on when he dies. Prince Chu cannot die now, understand?"
Song Qingyun didn’t understand Prince Jing’s reasoning, "Please, Your Highness, enlighten me."
Prince Jing did not directly explain the reason to Song Qingyun; instead, he asked rhetorically, "I could clearly report to the capital that Prince Chu is dead, but instead, I said he was severely injured, sank into the river, and his whereabouts are unknown. Why do you think that is?"
Song Qingyun thought for a moment and said, "Because we haven’t found Prince Chu’s body, we can’t be sure if he’s truly dead."
Prince Jing looked at Song Qingyun helplessly, "Your thinking is really too simple."
"Please instruct me, Your Highness." Song Qingyun personally poured a cup of wine for Prince Jing.
Prince Jing lifted the wine cup, gracefully drank a few sips, and then said unhurriedly, "Why did Prince Chu go to Peng City?"
Song Qingyun answered without hesitation, "To investigate the copper theft case."
"Who is the mastermind behind the copper theft?"
"The Crown Prince and Duke Zhen." The ministers in the court all knew that the mastermind behind the copper theft was the Crown Prince and his team. Although there was no concrete evidence, everyone believed it to be true.
"Prince Chu left Peng City, indicating that he had discovered the truth about the copper theft. Do you think it would be a good thing if he died at this moment?"
Upon hearing this, Song Qingyun finally understood but still had some confusion.
"To the Crown Prince and his supporters, Prince Chu’s death would be advantageous."
"Prince Chu’s death means the truth behind the copper theft is about to be buried, which is not beneficial to Prince Dai and Marquis Xuanping." Prince Jing did not directly respond to Song Qingyun’s previous statement. Instead, he continued, "The copper theft incident is a perfect opportunity to bring down the Crown Prince, and Prince Dai and his supporters will not miss it."
"What you mean is that whether Prince Chu is truly dead or falsely declared dead, Prince Dai and his supporters will use Prince Chu’s alleged death to attack the Crown Prince." Song Qingyun realized with a sudden understanding, "If Prince Chu is truly dead, Prince Dai and his supporters will claim that the Crown Prince and his team sent someone to kill Prince Chu. If Prince Chu is alive, he will return to the capital with evidence of the copper theft, and by then, the Crown Prince and his team will have no way to defend themselves."