Chapter 150: Trial of the Crown Prince

Looking at the two of them, Zhao Gou wore a half-smile and said, "I remember during a winter hunt one year, your father, Baili Fengjiang, was once bitten by a leopard in order to save Us. Tell me, which part of his body was bitten?"

Baili Moxuan's expression flickered slightly with surprise. He reached up to touch his right ear, then began to write on the paper.

"Baili Moxuan" also started writing on the paper.

After the two finished writing, Attendant Li stepped forward again to retrieve the papers and placed them before Zhao Gou.

Zhao Gou's expression changed drastically. He looked up and glared at the two, unable to tell whether it was shock, anger, or a mixture of both.

Ji Changge and the others watched Zhao Gou nervously, wondering in their hearts what the answers on those two sheets of paper were.

"This surnamed Wen vixen is using demonic arts to delude the masses! Drag her out to the Meridian Gate and behead her to warn the public!" Zhao Gou suddenly shouted.

Ji Changge's heart leaped into his throat.

"Your Majesty, spare her life!"

"Father Emperor, spare her life!"

Four voices cried out simultaneously.

Zhao Gou stared with wide eyes, looking in shock at the four people kneeling on the ground. Ji Changge and Wen Qiran were somewhat excusable—one was her father, the other her former superior. What shocked Zhao Gou, however, was that even Prince Xuan and the Crown Prince had stepped forward to plead for this Wen Qiniang. Taking another look at the young woman, who still maintained a calm expression, Zhao Gou's face grew a fraction colder. No wonder she dared to constantly talk back to him; it turned out she was relying on so many influential backers.

Wen Jing glanced at Prince Xuan and Dongsheng, a trace of disbelief in her eyes. They truly had no reason to offend their imperial father on her account.

Looking back at Ji Changge and her father, Wen Jing's heart was even more deeply moved. She was grateful to them, but she could not live under their protection forever. This was the path she had chosen, and even if she had to crawl along it on her knees, she would walk it to the end.

"Your Majesty, all the corpses were examined by Wen Qiniang. Even without great merit, she has labored hard. Moreover, the subsequent trials will still require Wen Qiniang's testimony. We humbly beg Your Majesty to retract the decree," Ji Changge continued.

Dongsheng cast a sidelong glance at Ji Changge, thinking to himself that retracting an imperial decree was unprecedented. No one had ever dared to speak to the Emperor so directly; it seemed Qiniang's position in Moran's heart was indeed extraordinary.

To everyone's surprise, Zhao Gou actually agreed on the spot. Although he vaguely felt something was amiss, Qiniang was at least safe from execution for now.

Wen Jing could not help clicking her tongue; this Emperor seemed to treat human heads like radishes to be chopped at will.

Wen Jing walked over to Fang Tingyu, snapped her fingers, and Fang Tingyu closed her eyes again. Wen Jing lowered her to the ground and then softly said, "Fang Siniang. Wake up."

In less than a moment, Fang Tingyu indeed woke up. She scanned her surroundings and hurriedly knelt down once more.

At that moment, a middle-aged man wearing crimson official robes stepped forward. "Your Majesty, this hypnotic art is truly miraculous. Just now, this criminal woman completely transformed into an entirely different person. In this humble minister's view, this young lady likely suffers from a hidden ailment without realizing it."

"Minister Cui's words are very true. Had We not witnessed it with Our own eyes, We truly would not have believed there could be such bizarre anomalies in this world. However, if she were to run out and kill people again in the future and use this as an excuse, wouldn't that result in yet another wrongful death?" Zhao Gou said, looking at the gathered crowd.

Cui Yuan stepped back, and Prince Xuan glanced at him.

Seeing that the Emperor had relented, Fang Yuankang hurriedly knelt and crawled forward a few steps. "Your Majesty. This old subject will definitely keep a close watch on my unworthy daughter and not let her step a single pace outside."

"Reporting to Your Majesty, in this subject's daughter's view, Fang Siniang has resolved her inner knot. With the cooperation of Physician Fang's treatment, she should not suffer a relapse in the future. Furthermore, those killed by Fang Siniang were all exceptionally wicked individuals. Had it not been for her, countless more Daoist priests might have met violent deaths. Huaqing Temple has enjoyed imperial grace for many years; wouldn't harboring such evils tarnish Your Majesty's reputation? Fang Siniang exposed the vile crimes of the temple; otherwise, who knows how much longer it would have taken to eradicate that den of demons. We humbly beg Your Majesty to show extra-legal mercy."

Wen Jing spoke without servility or arrogance, seamlessly flattering the Emperor. Since the Emperor loved to boast about his fairness, she would simply give him an opportunity to be fair.

Zhao Gou looked at Wen Jing, his eyes narrowing slightly. How could he not understand this young woman's intentions? Playing psychological games with him was still a bit too naive. Yet, he was not angry in the least; he enjoyed these little tricks that he could see through at a glance. It made him feel clever and in control. The type of person he detested most was someone who always wore a foolish, blank expression on the surface while harboring a belly full of schemes, forever remaining unreadable—such as his own sons, who were all turning into cunning old foxes.

"Minister Fang, can you guarantee that Fang Siniang will never offend again in the future?" Zhao Gou asked.

"This old subject stakes his life on it. If my daughter commits offenses again, this old servant is willing to die to expiate his crimes," Fang Yuankang said, still kneeling.

"Very well. In consideration of Fang Tingyu's illness and her deeds balancing out her faults, the death penalty is spared. Henceforth, she shall quietly recuperate within the Fang residence," Zhao Gou decreed.

Zhao Gou's meaning was abundantly clear: capital punishment was averted, but penal servitude was unavoidable. From then on, she would be placed under house arrest in the Fang residence, effectively a change of venue for imprisonment, and she could forget about ever marrying.

Hearing this, Fang Yuankang was overjoyed and hurriedly pulled Fang Tingyu along. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your boundless grace!"

Fang Tingyu, however, did not appear nearly as emotional as Fang Yuankang. Regarding her escape from death, she did not seem particularly joyful.

"What crimes were committed by Ruan Qinglian and Chen Rong?" Zhao Gou asked, gazing at Ruan Qinglian.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, these two are Feng Luxiu's minions. Under Feng Luxiu's instigation, they committed many heinous acts. The specifics are recorded in the case files, but considering they were acting under duress, we pray Your Majesty will exercise discretion in sentencing," Ji Changge said.

"Exile them to Ninguta to be slaves for all eternity," Zhao Gou said coldly.

Ruan Qinglian collapsed limply onto the ground. Slaves for all eternity... that was worse than being beheaded and given a swift release.

This time, no one raised any objections.

"Will someone explain to Me what happened concerning the Crown Prince?" Zhao Gou asked, arching an eyebrow as he looked at Dongsheng.

Stared down by Zhao Gou, Dongsheng hurriedly lowered his head.

"Reporting to Your Majesty..."

Before Ji Changge could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Zhao Gou.

"That... Wen Qiniang," Zhao Gou said, looking at Wen Jing.

"Wen Qiniang," Attendant Li whispered a prompt from the side.

"Wen Qiniang, you tell Us what is going on here," Zhao Gou said.

Wen Jing was slightly startled. What game was the Emperor playing now? Was he preparing to find an excuse to execute her?

Ji Changge wanted to say something else, but a glare from the Emperor silenced him. A flash of panic crossed his eyes; had the Emperor seen through their ruse?

Dongsheng's heart was also pounding wildly. The events were no longer following the pre-arranged script. Truly, ginger grew hotter the older it got; trying to "act a play" in front of the Emperor was like bargaining with a tiger for its skin.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's sword appeared at... the murder scene. Therefore, Magistrate Ji arrested His Highness the Crown Prince in accordance with the law. However, there are numerous suspicious points regarding the appearance of that piece of evidence, and His Royal Highness can prove he had no opportunity to commit the crime. This subject's daughter believes the Crown Prince was indeed framed." After finishing, Wen Jing cast a quick glance at Ji Changge, pondering inwardly whether she had spoken wrongly.

Ji Changge remained expressionless. Zhao Gou gave him a faint, sidelong glance before saying, "So, according to you, someone framed Yunze. Has it been investigated who that person is?"

Sweat beaded on Wen Jing's forehead. Out of the corner of her eye, she secretly glanced at Prince Xuan, noting that his expression showed no abnormalities. Should she speak out or not? If she revealed the matter concerning Lian Cheng, Prince Xuan would inevitably be implicated. Prince Xuan had just pleaded for her life a moment ago; to turn around and stab him in the back like this truly did not feel right. But the thought that Qingliu might have been killed by Lian Cheng—or even if he hadn't struck the fatal blow himself, Qingliu had died from the poison administered by Lian Cheng—made it impossible for her to swallow this grievance.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the person who framed the Crown Prince is none other than Lian Cheng of Prince Xuan's household," Wen Jing declared.

Everyone was startled. All eyes turned to Prince Xuan, who wore an expression of grievance so deep he could never clear his name.

Ji Changge felt a jolt of alarm. He had not expected Wen Jing to be so blunt. His original plan was merely to "hint" to the Emperor and let the Emperor discover Prince Xuan's involvement on his own. Now, the plan was thrown into utter chaos. Looking at the Emperor's furious expression, he could not tell whether this would bring fortune or disaster...

"Please, Father Emperor, believe this son. This son would never commit such an act of harming a sibling; there must be some misunderstanding here," Prince Xuan hastily knelt, displaying extreme terror.

The Emperor detested nothing more than fratricidal scheming among brothers, let alone such filthy business. Once investigated thoroughly, this matter would likely land someone in the Imperial Clan Court.

"Is Lian Cheng a member of your household?" Zhao Gou asked, staring at Prince Xuan.

"Yes. But Lian Cheng suffered severe injuries half a month ago and was utterly incapable of traveling a thousand miles to Huaqing Temple to frame Second Elder Brother. This son can summon him here right now," Prince Xuan replied.

"Hmm," Zhao Gou grunted coldly.

Severely injured? Wen Jing was stunned inwardly. Lian Cheng had clearly been safe and sound on that day, and given his martial arts skills and intellect, who could possibly have injured him?

A moment later, several guards from Prince Xuan's residence carried a person inside.

"Father Emperor, look. Lian Cheng was gravely injured. Several imperial physicians tended to him day and night over these past days to drag him back from the gates of death. Head Physician Fang can testify to this," Prince Xuan said.

"Indeed. Some time ago, the Prince sent word that someone in his estate was heavily wounded. This humble minister dispatched Physician He and Physician Zhou to make a house call. His injuries were indeed critical; his internal organs were all shattered by shock. At the time, we thought he could not be saved, but Lian Cheng's will to survive was exceptionally strong, and he stubbornly pulled through," Fang Yuankang recalled with emotion.

Zhao Gou nodded; it seemed Prince Xuan's words were not false.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Lian Cheng's injuries must have been sustained after he went to Huaqing Temple. Not long after Abbot Feng died, he suddenly appeared in this subject's daughter's room, poisoning my maidservant to coerce me into placing the Crown Prince's treasured sword at the crime scene as evidence. At the time, this subject's daughter did not know the sword belonged to the Crown Prince, so I had no choice but to keep it temporarily. Who would have thought that my maidservant, wishing to spare me from difficulty, would secretly take the sword and leave? Later, the maidservant died, the sword went missing, and subsequently, it turned up at the murder scene. The only person capable of doing this, besides Lian Cheng, is someone this subject's daughter cannot fathom. As for how he sustained those injuries, I have no way of knowing," Wen Jing stated.

Zhao Gou looked at Prince Xuan. "Yuntuo, has Lian Cheng ever been to Huaqing Temple? How did he sustain his injuries?"

"Reporting to Father Emperor, Lian Cheng did leave the estate previously, but he told this son he was returning to his native village to visit his elderly and frail parents, and this son granted him leave. As for how he was injured, this son truly does not know. Ever since he returned, he has remained unconscious and has yet to utter a single word."

Wen Jing looked at Lian Cheng, whose body was wrapped entirely in cloth bandages. His face was deathly pale without a shred of color; he was indeed grievously injured. What on earth had happened after that day?