Also present were the Left and Right Ministers and the Ministers of the Six Ministries.
The gathering of such high officials made it essentially a public trial.
Cui Xun lowered his gaze. Jin Ni was kneeling in the hall, heavily shackled. Cui Xun glanced at him, then performed a formal bow to the Longxing Emperor and the Empress Dowager. After the Empress Dowager beckoned him to rise, he straightened up and stood beside the kneeling Jin Ni, his back as straight as bamboo in his deep crimson official robes.
The Longxing Emperor’s face showed displeasure. Pei Guanyue, adept at reading expressions, rebuked, “How dare a prisoner not kneel in court?”
Cui Xun replied with dignity, “I have not been convicted yet. Why should I kneel?”
Pei Guanyue was at a loss for words. Then Lu Huai, who was presiding, said, “Cui Xun holds an official position. According to the Great Zhou law, one not yet convicted has no reason to kneel.”
After he said this, Pei Guanyue was furious while Lu Yumin remained solemn. Pei Guanyue secretly cursed—since Lu Yumin himself wasn’t restraining his nephew, he wouldn’t say anything more.
Lu Huai cupped his hands toward the Empress Dowager and the Longxing Emperor and began the interrogation.
He first asked Jin Ni, “Jin Ni, you accuse Cui Xun of killing Guo Qinwei. Is this true?”
Jin Ni replied confidently, “It is true. In the fourteenth year of Longxing, when Turkic Khagan Nidu besieged the Tianwei Army at Luyan Ridge, Cui Xun was Guo Qinwei’s bodyguard. Fearing for his life, he took advantage when Guo Qinwei was off guard and used a bowstring to sever his head. Afterward, he took the head and surrendered to Khagan Nidu.”
“This is a serious matter. What evidence do you have?”
“Guo Qinwei’s skull is the evidence,” Jin Ni said. “The skull has arrived in Chang’an. By comparing the neck incision with the bowstring of Cui Xun’s steel-core bow, the truth will be revealed.”
Lu Huai nodded and was about to instruct a clerk to bring the skull when Cui Xun, who had been silent until now, suddenly said, “Wait, I have something to ask Jin Ni.”
Everyone looked surprised, except the Empress Dowager, who watched Cui Xun with interest.
After a moment’s consideration, Lu Huai said, “You may ask.”
Cui Xun said, “Jin Ni, what grudge do you have against me?”
Jin Ni was momentarily stunned, speechless. Cui Xun had never offended him. Cui Xun had been barely surviving in Turkic territory—how could he have had the means to make an enemy of him?
On the contrary, it was Jin Ni who had instigated Ashina Wuduo to ruin Cui Xun’s reputation and repeatedly sent out Night Owls to help Ashina Wuduo capture Cui Xun. He was the one with a deep grudge against Cui Xun.
Jin Ni was speechless for a moment. Cui Xun pressed aggressively, “During my two years in Turkic territory, did I harm you or offend you in any way?”
Jin Ni still couldn’t answer. He could fabricate lies, but one lie requires ten thousand more to cover it up. Moreover, the Ministers of the Six Ministries, the Empress Dowager, and His Majesty—dozens of shrewd eyes—were all staring at him. These were the most astute of the astute; even the slightest mistake would reveal a flaw. So no matter how quick-witted he was, he couldn’t utter a word.
Seeing this, Cui Xun smiled coldly, “Since I’ve never offended you, what motive do you have for accusing me?”
On the dais, Lu Huai also frowned. Jin Ni panicked momentarily but quickly recovered and said, “You are the main culprit in the destruction of the Tianwei Army. Anyone has the right to denounce you. Why can’t I accuse you?”
Cui Xun curved his lips, “I didn’t realize that the ‘Turkic Left Xianwang,’ who surrendered to the Turks for twenty-six years and led four attacks against Great Zhou, suddenly had such a sense of justice and now wishes to eliminate traitors for Great Zhou.”
Cui Xun emphasized the words “Turkic Left Xianwang” heavily. Jin Ni’s face turned pale. The high officials present also showed mocking expressions. Jin Ni changed his reasoning, “I’m going to die anyway. What’s wrong with dragging someone down with me before I die?”
Cui Xun scoffed, “If the Left Xianwang were truly so resigned to death, why hide around in Chang’an? Given the Left Xianwang’s desperate desire to live, using leverage against me to force me to save him would be more than dragging me down with him.”
Every word Cui Xun spoke left Jin Ni unable to refute. Cold sweat seeped from Jin Ni’s forehead as he tremblingly looked up at Cui Xun. The Junior Minister of the Investigation Office stood in his crimson official robe, blazing like fire, but his gaze was as cold as ice. His figure gradually overlapped with that of the scarred youth from six years ago who had endured countless tortures and humiliations. Jin Ni suddenly realized that he had underestimated his opponent from the very beginning.
And this mistake would cost him dearly.
As Jin Ni trembled, Pei Guanyue hastily interjected, “Stop this rambling! Present the evidence quickly!”
Lu Huai frowned slightly but didn’t object. He said, “Bring forth the evidence.”
When the wooden box was opened, everyone present drew in a sharp breath.
It was a skull that had been reduced to white bone, horrific in shape, with a piece of cervical vertebra still attached. Everyone thought of how Guo Qinwei, a battle-hardened warrior who had once shot dead a Turkic Yabgu with a single arrow and was renowned throughout the Western Regions, had ended up with his head separated from his body, not returned from Turkic territory for six years—truly a lamentable fate.
Only Pei Guanyue stared at the white bones with a calm expression.
Only he knew that this wasn’t Guo Qinwei’s skull at all. He had found a prisoner of similar build to Guo Qinwei, severed his head with a steel-core bow, and had a coroner prepare it to look like a weathered skull before placing it in the convoy’s chest. This scheme of deception was designed to bring about Cui Xun’s downfall.
So he felt no grief, merely squinting as he watched the Dali Temple’s most experienced coroner examine the evidence. He had already bribed the coroner and was just waiting for him to say what had been arranged in advance, after which Cui Xun would be doomed.
But as the coroner was examining the skull, his expression suddenly changed. He looked toward Pei Guanyue, his lips trembling. Pei Guanyue sensed something was wrong—could the coroner have discovered that the skull’s owner hadn’t died six years ago? Seeing the Empress Dowager and His Majesty present, was he so frightened that he wanted to change his testimony at the last moment?
But how could he change his story at this critical juncture?
Pei Guanyue looked up, his gaze cold and menacing as he glared at the coroner. The coroner shuddered, understanding Pei Guanyue’s meaning. Trembling, he said, “Your Highness, Your Majesty, this skull is indeed from six years ago, and the cervical vertebra cut matches Cui Xun’s steel-core bowstring.”
Upon hearing this, Cui Songqing on the dais became furious, his eyes now showing disgust when he looked at Cui Xun. Lu Huai’s expression also became contemptuous. “Cui Xun, Guo Qinwei’s skull was in Turkic territory, while the steel-core bow was in Chang’an. If you didn’t kill Guo Qinwei with the bowstring six years ago, how could the cut on the skull match your bowstring? Will you now confess to your crime?”
Cui Xun simply replied with two words: “Not guilty.”
“The evidence is conclusive, and still you won’t confess?”
Cui Xun merely glanced at the white bones on the table and said, “This skull is not General Guo’s.”
Lu Huai was surprised. “How can you tell this is not Guo Qinwei’s skull?”
“This is a woman’s skull,” Cui Xun said with a smile. “Coroner, you didn’t notice?”
He continued, “A man’s skull has thick bone plates, a woman’s has thin ones. A man’s frontal bone is sloped, a woman’s is steep. Such basic knowledge—coroner, couldn’t you see it?”
Everyone looked toward the Dali Temple coroner. Lu Huai asked angrily, “Lin San! Is what he says true or false?”
The coroner was so frightened that his legs shook. He fell to his knees with a thud, pleading, “Spare me, Junior Minister, spare me…”
Lu Huai gritted his teeth. “Call Zhang Erlang here to examine it!”
The examination confirmed that it was indeed a woman’s skull.
So, regardless of the cut, the white bone could not possibly be Guo Qinwei’s skull.
Pei Guanyue’s face was ashen. He couldn’t understand how the male skull he had placed in the chest, severed by a bowstring, had turned into a female skull.
But the situation no longer allowed him to dwell on this question.
He immediately said, “How could Guo Qinwei’s skull turn into a woman’s skull? Cui Xun, you must have had someone switch it.”
Cui Xun looked at him, the mockery in his eyes making Pei Guanyue’s heart pound. He slowly said, “Minister Pei, have you forgotten? I’ve been imprisoned in my residence for a month, guarded by the Dali Temple. How could I have ordered someone to make the switch? Isn’t it more likely that someone trying to frame me switched the skulls during transport, but overlooked one detail and replaced it with a woman’s skull?”
Pei Guanyue gritted his teeth. “You, Cui Xun, have extraordinary abilities and thousands of spies under your command. Switching a skull would be effortless for you!”
Cui Xun smiled lightly. “My spies were indeed concerned for my safety. Fearing someone might harm me, they followed the escort convoy from the moment it left Turkic territory. When it reached Feiyun Relay Station, they did discover a plot.”
Looking at Pei Guanyue’s pale face, he said deliberately, “On the night of April 20th, at the Hour of the Tiger, Ouyang Yan, the station chief of Feiyun Relay Station, entered the storeroom where the skull was kept, carrying a wooden box. The guards Feng Hu and Han Lin did nothing to stop him. I ask, what was in Ouyang Yan’s box? Why did Feng Hu and Han Lin turn a blind eye? And after Feiyun Relay Station, how did the skull that arrived in Chang’an turn into a woman’s skull?”
He bowed respectfully to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty, saying, “I humbly request Your Highness and Your Majesty to apprehend Ouyang Yan, Feng Hu, and Han Lin to get to the bottom of this matter.”
Pei Guanyue was now dumbfounded. He finally realized that he had fallen into a trap—a trap that Cui Xun had long prepared.
He thought he was the mantis catching the cicada, but there had been a yellow bird behind him all along.
A great chill swept over him. Pei Guanyue knew that if Ouyang Yan and the others were arrested, he would certainly be implicated. In a last desperate struggle, he shouted, “Cui Xun, if your spies could monitor the convoy, they could also switch the skull. You were the one who switched it!”
Lu Huai was now angry. “Minister Pei, you are not presiding over this trial. Please refrain from speaking.”
Cui Xun merely curved his lips. “I had no motive to switch the skull.”
Pei Guanyue had already blurted out, “Why not?” Cui Xun replied, “Because I knew from the beginning that the Turks were sending a fake skull.”
This statement shocked everyone again. Cui Xun placed his hand in his sleeve, gripping the five-colored brocade sachet. He slowly said, “General Guo’s skull is currently hidden in the residence of the Turkic Yabgu Luoge. Even Khagan Sutai doesn’t know this. So what Sutai sent must be a fake skull. Since it was fake, it wouldn’t match my bowstring anyway, so why would I need to switch it?”
The Empress Dowager laughed softly. She looked at the Longxing Emperor and said, “Your Majesty, this is quite interesting.”
The Longxing Emperor’s expression didn’t change. He nodded and said somewhat reluctantly, “It seems that Minister Cui is indeed innocent.”
Cui Xun knelt and kowtowed. “This matter, from Jin Ni’s accusation onward, was someone’s attempt to frame me. This person had malicious intentions, deliberately switching the skull for one severed by a bowstring at Feiyun Relay Station. If not for the fact that they switched it for a woman’s skull, I might have died unjustly at the Dali Temple today. Such an evil deed, if not investigated, would dishearten all officials. I beg Your Highness and Your Majesty to uphold justice for me.”
The Empress Dowager nodded. “Minister Cui’s words are reasonable.”
She asked the Longxing Emperor, “What does Your Majesty think?”
The Longxing Emperor said reluctantly, “I defer to Your Highness’s judgment.”
The Empress Dowager then asked Cui Songqing, Lu Yumin, and the others, “What do you all think?”
Cui Songqing looked at Cui Xun with a complex expression. He cupped his hands and said, “Falsely accusing a high court official indeed warrants a thorough investigation.”
Lu Yumin’s face had turned extremely ugly, but given the situation, he could no longer protect Pei Guanyue and Jin Ni. He could only follow the others and say, “We defer to Your Highness and Your Majesty’s judgment.”