Chapter 14: Royal Trial.

A young eunuch came running over and handed a note to Eunuch Cao.
After reading it, Eunuch Cao turned to the crowd and announced:

“Alright~ Everyone, get ready. The court session is about to begin.”

With that, he lifted the hem of his robe, walked to the side of the dragon throne, and loudly proclaimed:

“His Majesty is feeling unwell today and cannot attend in person. He has instructed the Cabinet ministers to uphold justice impartially and render a clear verdict—!”

The officials showed no great surprise; it seemed they had all known the Emperor would not appear.
They moved to the edges of the hall.
Qian Junyou and Prince Rui stood on one side, while the Bai family and the Censorate stood on the other.

The Grand Academician of the Eastern Pavilion from the Inner Cabinet stepped forward to the platform, bowed with cupped hands toward the dragon throne, then turned around to preside over the proceedings.
The Grand Academician of Wenhua Hall who had escorted Qian Junyou to the palace stood to the side.

“The daughter of Vice Minister Bai Zhongting of the Ministry of Works—Bai Shuxi—accuses Prince Rui’s heir, Qian Junyou, of bribing officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, secretly swapping relief supplies, colluding with demonic cultivators, and orchestrating the arson in the disaster relief camp for a long time.
Sigh… Young Prince, do you admit to these charges?”

The Grand Academician could not even be bothered to read the entire petition aloud and simply gave a brief summary.

Before Qian Junyou could even speak, the crowd below burst into murmurs of shock and outrage, denouncing the Bai family for making baseless accusations.

On the surface, Qian Junyou remained calm and composed, but inside he was starting to panic.
At this point, he could only take things one step at a time.
He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and replied:

“I report to Your Excellency, all of this… is nothing but rumor and slander.”

Qian Junyou glanced at Bai Shuxi, sighed, and said coldly:

“Miss Bai, you had better question whether you have made some mistake somewhere.
Don’t blame me for not giving you a chance to regret this.”

Bai Shuxi kept her head lowered, biting her lower lip tightly, fists clenched, and remained silent.

Even now she was still hesitating.
Was it really the Young Prince who did it?
The consequences of submitting an imperial petition were unimaginable.
Although the evidence seemed mostly complete, if it wasn’t him and the Censorate found no physical proof, the entire Bai family would be finished.
The pressure on her was enormous.

The other officials began speaking to Bai Shuxi from the side:

“I advise the Bai family to stop causing trouble.
Prince Rui is magnanimous.
It’s not too late to withdraw the complaint and apologize to the Young Prince!”

“It was clearly the Ministry of Works that made the mistake, yet you refuse to take responsibility and try to pin it on the Young Prince.
You really don’t know how to live!”

“The Bai family is laying a mat in the toilet—death is not far away!”

Bai Shuxi continued to clench her fists, ignoring the people around her, but it was obvious her breathing was becoming more and more disordered.

Qian Junyou, feeling irritated and anxious, now just wanted to drive all these people out.
Where did they hire these melodramatic actors from?
You’re all acting arrogant here, but if something goes wrong and you get slapped in the face, it’s me who will suffer!

The Eastern Pavilion Grand Academician coughed twice to signal everyone to quiet down, then looked at Bai Shuxi and asked:

“Mm, does Miss Bai have any evidence?”

“In reply to Your Excellency, the disaster relief camp…”

Bai Shuxi’s gaze remained fixed on the ground.
Her brows were tightly furrowed, her breathing chaotic.
Her trembling jaw opened and closed three times, yet no words came out.

Her uncle patted her back and urged her with some dissatisfaction:

“Shuxi… Bai Shuxi!”

At that moment, the Vice Chief Censor from the Censorate stepped forward and said:

“Grand Chancellor, Miss Bai may be a little nervous in court.
Regarding this case, this humble official has some questions for Prince Rui and the Young Prince.”

“Please speak, Lord Censor.”

“Does everyone still remember? The original proposal to build the disaster relief camp was submitted by Prince Rui himself.
Moreover, I recall that Prince Rui mentioned at the time that the idea came from the Young Prince, and the location was also recommended by him!”

Upon hearing this, the surrounding officials began to discuss among themselves.
Many still remembered the matter.

It was well known that Qian Junyou had always been an idle, ignorant second-generation official.
At the time, many people had thought Prince Rui was simply trying to give his son some credit.

“Lord Censor has an excellent memory. It is indeed true.”

Prince Rui nodded calmly and directly admitted it.

Qian Junyou was stunned again.
There was such a thing?
He had not inherited the original owner’s memories, so of course he didn’t know!

The moment the question pointed straight at him, it was very possible that the original body had really done it…
But he couldn’t jump out and say he wasn’t Qian Junyou.
Since his father had already admitted it, he could only nod and acknowledge it as well.

“In reply to Your Excellency, it was… my idea…”

The officials beside him immediately began to sing praises again:

“The Young Prince truly loves his country and its people!
Like father, like son!”

“Yes! If only my son could be as sensible as the Young Prince, I would laugh even in my dreams!”

The Vice Chief Censor looked at Qian Junyou and asked again:

“Young Prince, let me confirm once more—the location was chosen by you, correct?”

“…Yes, it was me.”

Qian Junyou, face full of tension, felt that something was off, but at this point he had no other excuse to push it away and could only agree.

After receiving Qian Junyou’s confirmation, the Vice Chief Censor continued:

“The reason this fire was classified as deliberate arson is because the flames spread with abnormal ferocity and occurred right beside the river.
After preliminary investigation by our office together with the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, it appears that an array had been set up in advance!”

The Grand Academician glanced at the Chief of the Court of Judicial Review and the Vice Minister of Justice standing nearby.
The Chief of the Court of Judicial Review stepped forward and responded:

“In reply to Your Excellency, that is correct, but this is only a preliminary judgment.
No traces of an array were found at the scene.”

The Vice Chief Censor, face grave, continued:

“Setting up an array requires the right time and place.
The disaster relief camp was chosen in the exact south, which corresponds to the ‘Li’ trigram.
And the Li trigram represents fire.
Is this… merely a coincidence?”

The officials in the hall began whispering among themselves again.
They wanted to speak up for Qian Junyou but could find no good reason…

Indeed, according to the Eight Trigrams and their directional correspondences, south was Li-Fire and north was Kan-Water.
The “Guanghua Lake” where Prince Rui’s mansion was located lay to the north.

“Outside the capital there are empty lands in all four directions.
This humble official only wishes to ask the Young Prince: why did you specifically choose the exact south?
As this is my duty, I must raise this suspicion.
I hope the Young Prince will forgive me.”

Qian Junyou was rendered speechless.
How would he know about any of this?
And now they were even bringing in the Eight Trigrams?
This level of expertise was way too high!

He glanced at his father.
Prince Rui stood to the side with hands behind his back, looking completely unconcerned.
Was this really his own son?

Bai Shuxi slightly raised her head and secretly observed Qian Junyou’s expression.
Suddenly, with a tone mixed with doubt and anger, she asked:

“Young Prince, please tell me—is this also a coincidence?”

Qian Junyou was now on the defensive.
How was he supposed to explain himself this time?

“So what if it’s a coincidence?
Miss Bai, are you trying to convict me just based on this?”

Uncle Bai Zhongxiang sneered contemptuously:

“Young Prince, is this the kind of excuse you use to soothe your own guilty conscience?
Or do you simply feel no guilt at all?”

This man is up to no good!
Qian Junyou tightened his fists, suddenly wanting to punch him in the face.

Suddenly, a loud and confident voice rang out from outside the door:

“Of course it’s a coincidence—!”

A figure in a green robe embroidered with dragon patterns walked into the hall—

The Second Prince!

“The south is closer to the affected villages!
There is also a water source right beside it.
Prince Rui’s heir is clever and quick-witted; choosing the south is perfectly reasonable!
What is wrong with that?”

Second Demon Prince?
Qian Junyou looked at him like a savior, but soon felt something was wrong…
Villains always stick together, right?
He didn’t want to be a villain!

With even the Second Prince present, the officials began flattering again:

“What the Second Prince says is absolutely right!
The Young Prince must have chosen the location after careful consideration.”

“Exactly! That makes sense!
Where do all these conspiracy theories come from?
The Young Prince simply wanted to provide relief to the people.
What bad intentions could he possibly have?”

The Second Prince strode into the hall with his head held high and chest puffed out, standing beside Qian Junyou and declaring righteously:

“I heard that a member of the imperial family was being slandered and could not hold back, so I came to take a look.
I hope none of the lords mind!”

Qian Junyou secretly glanced at Bai Shuxi.
She seemed less nervous than before, but what he feared most right now was still the Censorate currently searching the mansion.

The Vice Chief Censor remained unhurried.
He changed the direction of his words and continued:

“Indeed, no traces of an array were found yesterday, but we only began suspecting an array yesterday afternoon during the inspection.
To preserve the scene, whenever any area was examined, at least two of the Three Departments had to be present, and one party had to supervise the entrants.
However, according to Miss Bai, yesterday morning she saw the Young Prince—who has no direct connection to the case—appear at the scene alone without any escort, accompanied only by his own servants, and even tampering with the physical evidence!”

Everyone turned to look at Bai Shuxi, who stood with her head lowered and a complicated expression.
Her uncle kept urging her from behind.

Bai Shuxi took a deep breath and finally stepped forward to speak:

“In reply to Your Excellency, yesterday this humble girl was summoned to the scene together with my father.
I indeed saw the Young Prince appear at the site!
Moreover, he exhibited suspicious behavior that could be considered tampering with the scene.”

Qian Junyou ground his teeth so hard they creaked.
Tampering with the scene?
Why did he even go there?
Wasn’t it because he wanted to help solve the case!

Bai Zhongxiang, with his long, bitter-gourd face, stood with hands behind his back and mouth pursed as he echoed:

“We suspect that the Young Prince went there precisely to clean up the remnants of the array!
Furthermore, the disaster relief camp was also chosen by the Young Prince.
All of this serves as evidence that he colluded with demonic cultivators, set up the array, and harmed the disaster victims!”

The Ministry of Justice personnel who had accompanied Bai Shuxi at the time also stepped forward to confirm they had witnessed the scene.

Qian Junyou felt like his head was about to explode.
It was all that girl from the Court of Judicial Review’s fault for running off on her own.
How was he supposed to clear his name now?

“Miss Bai, you know very well that I am usually ignorant and incompetent.
How would I know how to destroy an array?
How would I know how to erase traces?
Do you really think that makes any sense?!”

Bai Shuxi was momentarily stunned and rendered speechless.
Her uncle also frowned beside her.

The Grand Academician sighed awkwardly with a troubled expression and turned his complicated gaze toward Qian Junyou.

“Young Prince, what exactly did you go there for yesterday?”

“In reply to Your Excellency, I heard that a fire had broken out there.
Since I was the one who chose the location, it’s not too much for me to go take a look and show some concern, right?”

“You… who allowed you to enter?”

The Eastern Pavilion Grand Academician was actually trying to protect Qian Junyou, but with all the arrows now pointed at him, it was quite difficult.

“In reply to Your Excellency, it was Miss Su…”

“Miss Su… which Miss Su?”

“Su… that is… the one… with the yin-yang eyes…”

Qian Junyou’s voice grew smaller and smaller, ending up like the buzz of a mosquito.
He had only heard the name “Miss Su” once, shouted from far away.
He only remembered that she had yin-yang eyes…

“Ugh, what is all this… Chief of the Court of Judicial Review, isn’t that your daughter Su Qingyan!”

What was supposed to be a solemn imperial petition court session had, with the Emperor absent, turned into something resembling elementary school kids fighting while the teacher called the parents.

The Chief of the Court of Judicial Review flushed red and nodded in acknowledgment:

“In reply to Your Excellency, it is actually because this humble official’s daughter was not strictly disciplined.
Please forgive me!”

Uncle Bai Zhongxiang glared at Qian Junyou from the side and said:

“With the Young Prince’s ability, slipping in and fooling the others away would not have been difficult.
It’s just unfortunate that yesterday, by pure coincidence, my niece happened to pass by and saw it…”

“Even so, that doesn’t prove I went there to clean up the scene, does it?”

The officials once again began accusing the Bai family of baseless slander and unreasonable troublemaking.

“They’re all just children who don’t know any better!
That girl from the Su family is only fourteen.
How could someone so young understand so much?”

“Exactly! Even the Three Departments couldn’t find any traces of an array at the scene.
How could children that young possibly clean up every array eye and array foot perfectly without leaving a single trace?”

“Using children as an excuse—what does that prove?
What kind of logic is that? Shameless!”

Although the arguments were completely one-sided, Qian Junyou understood that continuing like this would yield no results.
Moreover, everything mentioned so far was only “supporting evidence.”
The Bai family definitely had more than this.
If he wanted to turn things around, he would have to push forward and look for an opportunity!

Qian Junyou gritted his teeth and said:

“Miss Bai, Lord Bai, destroying an array and erasing traces is really too far-fetched.
I know nothing about arrays, and the location choice is still debatable.
Besides, since I was the one who proposed building the disaster relief camp, isn’t it normal to go take a look and show concern after a fire broke out?
Therefore, I ask the Bai family to present real evidence!”

Bai Shuxi secretly glanced sideways at him.
Was he still refusing to admit it, or was it truly unrelated to him?

However, destroying an array and clearing traces was something that could be arranged in advance.
None of the excuses Qian Junyou had given now could eliminate his suspicion.

As long as the Censorate’s ironclad evidence arrived, his collusion with demonic cultivators would be impossible to wash away!

Bai Zhongxiang did not seem flustered at all.
Instead, a smile appeared on his face as he gently pushed Bai Shuxi forward.

“Shuxi, you know what to do.”

Bai Shuxi adjusted her breathing, made up her mind, and raised her head.
With a complicated look in her eyes, she questioned Qian Junyou:

“May I ask the Young Prince—are you certain you did not participate in planning the fire?”

“Of course not! Why would I want to harm those disaster victims?”

“Then, did the Young Prince only learn about the fire afterward and go to the scene the next day to visit?”

“…Yes!”

“So the Young Prince did not participate in planning the fire and also did not know that a fire would occur on the Hero Soul Festival?”

Qian Junyou was stunned for a moment.
After thinking it over, he still gritted his teeth and replied:

“Of course I didn’t know!”

Bai Shuxi raised her eyebrows, held her breath, and swallowed hard with difficulty.
She felt both relieved that he could say those words and hoped desperately that they were a lie…

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhongxiang revealed a victorious smile beside her.
He let out a soft sigh, and his eyes turned sharp.

The officials in the hall continued to chatter noisily on the side, like market aunties bargaining over vegetables.
These were all court officials from the fourth to second rank, yet with the Emperor absent they acted as if they were in their own homes, completely without restraint.

“How is this Bai Shuxi even speaking? Has she eaten leopard gall?”

“A talented lady? Just this? I really misjudged her before! Courting death—I can’t watch anymore!”

“Ugh, it’s so embarrassing that my toes are about to dig through the floor of Taiqing Palace!”

Bai Shuxi paid no attention to the idle gossip around her.
She turned to the Grand Academician and said:

“In reply to Your Excellency, Shuxi wishes to summon a witness to the hall!”

“Summon!”

There’s still a witness?
Qian Junyou sucked in a sharp breath.
What kind of transmigration was this!
He was clearly just here to take the blame!

Following a loud call to summon the witness, people from the Censorate escorted the so-called witness in.

The moment Qian Junyou saw the person, his mentality instantly exploded…

“Old He?!”

On the night of the Hero Soul Festival, he had been too late to go to the scene himself, so he had sent the higher-cultivation Old He to take a look.
In the end, Old He had returned with a face blackened by smoke…

Bai Shuxi turned to Old He with a solemn expression and questioned gravely:

“Mr. He, in this court, I wish to ask you—did the Young Prince send you to the disaster relief camp on the night of the Hero Soul Festival specifically to commit arson?”

“Miss Bai, do not slander anyone!
The Young Master sent me there to put out the fire!”

As soon as Old He spoke, the entire hall fell silent…