The cris in question might have been committed by those under the Pri Minister’s command; at most, the Pri Minister is guilty of poor judgnt and a failure to oversee his subordinates.
In Jinluan Palace, the officials pleaded one after another on behalf of Pri Minister Xun.
"After investigating for so long without conclusive evidence, shouldn’t the Ministry of Justice release him already?"
Minister Huo questioned coldly.
Zong Zhengxi sat on the dragon throne, as if on pins and needles.
The court argued daily over the Pri Minister, but Lu Yuan had instructed him to feign deafness.
Truthfully, he himself wanted to know—had the Pri Minister truly committed any cri?
The Pri Minister was, after all, a trusted minister who had served through three reigns, reclaid the Western Regions after seven years of campaigns, and subdued the ten great feudal lords. How could soone like that betray the court?
But the prior case of wrongly mistrusting Lu Yuan had left him less confident in his own judgnt.
The Minister of Revenue spoke: "Minister Xing, detentions typically last one or five days at most. I’ve never heard of anyone being imprisoned for a month. Is the Ministry of Justice planning to pervert the course of justice?"
Minister Xing replied: "It hasn’t even been a month yet, has it? According to the laws of this dynasty, in cases involving multiple cris, detention can last up to one month."
The Minister of Industry added sternly: "There are only three days left. If the Ministry of Justice doesn’t produce solid evidence within three days, we will personally head there to escort the Pri Minister out!"
The Minister of Rites stroked his small beard. This fence-sitter debated which side to lean toward...
After the morning court session.
Minister Xing stopped Lu Yuan: "If you fail to present further evidence in three days, the Ministry of Justice will have no choice but to release the Pri Minister. As for the matter of him having Chen Long abduct you, without Chen Long testifying, it’s hard to establish guilt."
The evidence Lu Yuan and ng Qianqian gathered from the secret passage had already been admitted to by Xun Liu. If anyone were to be convicted, it would be Xun Liu—not Pri Minister Xun.
Lu Yuan exited the Imperial Palace.
The Miao King, co rain or shine, blazing sun or flying snow, as always, stood at the palace gates with a skewer of candied hawthorn to greet him after court.
"Why the sour face? Soone else pleading on behalf of that old thief Xun again? All those court officials must have pig grease in their heads. Don’t get angry, don’t get angry—how about I go gouge out all their eyeballs for you?"
Lu Yuan said nothing and directly got into the carriage.
The Miao King scratched his head. "Seems like you’re really in a bad mood today, huh? You didn’t even banter with ."
Three days passed in a flash.
By tomorrow morning, the Pri Minister would be released without charges.
Lu Yuan gazed at the vast snowstorm, his expression growing colder with each passing mont.
"Husband!"
ng Qianqian burst into the room, covered in snow and panting for breath. Her cheeks and nose were flushed red from the cold, while beads of sweat dotted her forehead from her hurried run. "Look who’s back!"
She threw open her cloak, revealing a Hunting Eagle cradled in her arms.
The Hunting Eagle had traveled through the storm, day and night without rest, and collapsed onto the snowy ground of the small courtyard, utterly exhausted.
A small bundle was tied to the Hunting Eagle’s body.
"Husband, quickly, open it!"
Lu Yuan untied the bundle.
ng Qianqian held the weakened Hunting Eagle in her arms, snugly wrapping it in her cloak and warming it with her body heat.
Inside the bundle were pieces of evidence proving the Pri Minister’s collusion with the ten feudal lords: using wars to sustain wars, raising private armies, and falsifying military achievents.
The bundle was accompanied by a bloodstained letter written by Chen Long.
"The person has been saved. The blood is not mine."
"They’ve been saved... The Second Aunt’s child has been saved..." ng Qianqian’s tears of relief fell uncontrollably. But when she saw the last four words, she suddenly broke into a smile.
Lu Yuan’s chest rose and fell violently.
The dragon and phoenix twins had been rescued, and the final incriminating evidence was in hand.
The trial of the Pri Minister was finally at hand.
"Husband..."
ng Qianqian blinked and stared steadily at him. "What are you waiting for? Go now."
Lu Yuan steadied his breath, cald his emotions, carefully stashed away the evidence, and bolted out the door.
Then, as if recalling sothing, he abruptly stopped and turned back.
ng Qianqian stamred, "Did you forget sothing?"
Lu Yuan walked up to her, gazing at her fixedly. Suddenly, he raised his hand to hold the back of her head and bent down to kiss her.
ng Qianqian stood there, completely dazed.
His thumb brushed across her soft, crimson lips. "Wait for to return."
ng Qianqian dumbly nodded. "Mm."
Lu Yuan’s breath ca a little heavier. "It’s cold outside. Don’t go out. I’ll arrange for soone to fetch the children."
ng Qianqian’s mind was a foggy ss. She wanted to ask, "How did you know I was planning to help escort them?"...
Lu Yuan turned and left the room.
ng Qianqian hugged the Hunting Eagle and stood there in a daze.
That kiss... what did it an...
Lu Yuan went to the Miao King’s courtyard.
The Miao King was sound asleep.
Lu Yuan tugged at him. "Hey, old man. Old man."
The Miao King snored away.
Lu Yuan: "Your grandmother’s here."
The Miao King jerked upright. "Xian’er is here? Where is she?"
Lu Yuan: "At Witch Mountain."
The Miao King’s face darkened. "You little punk!"
Lu Yuan recounted what the dragon and phoenix twins had gone through on their journey. "You’ll need to send soone to et them."
The Miao King grumbled irritably: "No one’s available!"
"Really no one?"
Lu Yuan eyed him skeptically.
The Miao King bristled. "You could kill and still there’d be no one!"
Lu Yuan sighed faintly. "I was even planning to let you stay at Grandmother’s for a while."
The Miao King: "...Staying or not is trivial. The descendants of loyal martyrs—that’s what matters. I can’t let them fall into the hands of base scoundrels."
Lu Yuan said, "Didn’t you just claim to have no one left?"
The Miao King put his hands on his hips. "Am I not soone? If there’s really no one, can’t I go myself? Just you wait—if a single hair goes missing from those dragon and phoenix twins, I’m not fit to be Xian’er’s true husband!"
The Miao King followed the route indicated in the bloody letter to et up with Chen Long, Yu Zichuan, and the dragon and phoenix twins.
Lu Yuan, anwhile, took the Pri Minister’s incriminating evidence and headed to the Imperial Palace.
The Supre Emperor fixed his gaze on Lu Yuan. "Are you certain the ti is right?"
Lu Yuan’s eyes glead with an unprecedented resolve. "The blood of the Shang family’s lineage has been saved. The secret letters sent to the border have been intercepted. Right now is the perfect mont."
The Supre Emperor opened the evidence.
Collusion with the Western Regions, using wars to sustain wars, raising private armies, falsifying military achievents... It turned out the Western Regions had never been reclaid. It was all an enormous lie orchestrated by Xun Xiuyuan in collaboration with the ten great feudal lords.
Xun Xiuyuan had even ceded territory to Loulan.
"What a so-called ’brilliant advisor and loyal general.’ What a ’devoted servant of the people.’ I and the people of this realm have been completely deceived by you... Xun Xiuyuan, you deserve to die!"
The Supre Emperor was so enraged he felt faint.
Though he had suspected so foul play in the Western Regions campaign, he had not imagined the situation to be this catastrophic.
Here he was, in the Capital City as Emperor, while soone was stealing his empire!
"Fu Dequan!"
"At your service, Your Highness."
"Draft an edict—seize the Pri Minister’s Mansion! The Pri Minister will be executed!"
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