It was nearly noon by the time the ministers finally dispersed from the imperial study. The moment Jun Beiyue entered, he found Emperor Tianhui’s face contorted with fury.
He stood before the Emperor’s enormous pear-wood desk, remaining silent.
“Heh, perfect timing. This Emperor was just about to send for you. Do you know anything about the Chen family murder case?” Emperor Tianhui laughed coldly, then without warning hurled a memorial directly at him, striking Jun Beiyue squarely in the face with a sharp crack. “Take a good look at it yourself! Look closely!”
This was the memorial that Jiang Jingbo, Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, had submitted overnight, detailing the Chen family murder case in full, including all witness testimony, physical evidence, and confessions—extraordinarily thorough.
The witnesses in question were Young Master Chen’s parents and his personal guard, while the physical evidence consisted of a handkerchief belonging to Ziqing left at the scene. The Chen family’s testimony and that of the guard aligned perfectly, all claiming that Ziqing, unwilling to marry into the Chen family and harboring deep resentment toward Young Master Chen, had hired an assassin to kill him.
“Fourth Son, do you have anything to say for yourself now?”
Before Jun Beiyue could even respond, Emperor Tianhui erupted with boundless fury. “Fourth Son, you are this Emperor’s pride, the pride of all Da Zhou, the very face of our empire! The Nation’s Beauty affair had already stirred up scandal throughout the capital, and yet you insisted on wading further in, adamant about marrying Han Ziqing. This Emperor didn’t fight you on it—this Emperor even indulged you, promptly issuing the edict you wanted! But now, with this new development, how exactly do you intend to explain yourself to this Emperor? How am I supposed to preserve your reputation, how am I supposed to help you salvage this situation—tell me!”
With that, he glared furiously at Jun Beiyue, father and son locked in a tense standoff. Jun Beiyue’s brow furrowed deeply. After a long moment, he finally sighed, saying flatly, “Since Father Emperor has already issued the arrest warrant, then let the Court of Judicial Review proceed according to the law. Your son will not interfere further.”
Emperor Tianhui, however, laughed coldly. “How easily you say that now—why didn’t you investigate things more thoroughly before choosing her as your consort in the first place? A dignified Princess Consort of Prince Yao, thrown into prison—with the autumn hunt approaching and the Chu envoy soon to arrive, do you really want Prince Yao’s residence embroiled in such a scandal, giving the state of Chu something to mock us over?”
“What is Father Emperor’s meaning, exactly?” Jun Beiyue asked.
Emperor Tianhui said without hesitation, coldly, “Have her stripped of her title. Han Ziqing is unworthy of the position of Princess Consort!”
“Father Emperor, though the witness testimony and physical evidence do exist, the trial hasn’t even taken place yet—how can we already conclude Ziqing is the culprit?” Jun Beiyue countered.
“Heh, with witness testimony and physical evidence already in hand, what’s left to try? The trial itself is merely a formality!” Emperor Tianhui said coldly.
“Father Emperor, if Ziqing confesses and signs a formal admission of guilt, then your son will agree to have her stripped of her title. Otherwise… your son regrets that he cannot comply,” Jun Beiyue’s voice grew even colder.
“You—!” Emperor Tianhui slammed his palm on the table and rose to his feet, thoroughly resenting Han Ziqing. Because of her, this was already the second time he’d found himself at odds with his fourth son in such a confrontational manner.
Yet, undeterred by the Emperor’s fury, Jun Beiyue’s tone remained perfectly flat. “Father Emperor, your son actually came here to report that Ouyang Jingshi showed open disrespect toward the imperial edict, defying the Emperor’s own will. Your son currently has her in custody, and awaits Father Emperor’s decision on how to proceed.”
The moment these words left his mouth, Emperor Tianhui’s brow immediately furrowed, and he demanded furiously, “What exactly happened?”
“When Eunuch Yin was about to read the edict aloud, Ouyang Jingshi openly obstructed him in front of everyone present, declaring he was not permitted to proceed,” Jun Beiyue reported.
“Is this true?” Emperor Tianhui demanded furiously.
“Father Emperor need only ask Eunuch Yin directly if he doubts it. There were also numerous imperial physicians present at the Han residence that day who witnessed it as well,” Jun Beiyue said earnestly.
“That insolent Ouyang Jingshi—who gave her such audacity? Someone, summon General Ouyang at once!” Emperor Tianhui ordered coldly.
Jun Beiyue said nothing further, taking his leave and departing.
Father Emperor’s heart wasn’t entirely set on him, nor was it entirely set on the Second Prince either.
What Father Emperor truly sought was a careful balance of power between the two factions—however fiercely they contended with one another, that balance had to be maintained above all else!
He guarded the empire’s borders on his father’s behalf, while Jun Beichen served to check the influence of other factions within the court—imperial authority itself was, after all, simply the product of a delicate balance among competing powers!
Between Prince Yao’s residence and General Ouyang’s household, whichever side overstepped that careful balance would inevitably suffer the consequences!
Right now, Father Emperor’s target was clearly General Ouyang. If he pressed the matter of Ouyang Jingshi’s insolence as leverage to demand Ziqing’s release, it would only thoroughly provoke his father’s wariness toward him.
By handling things this way instead, he was making his position clear to his father—the matter of his Princess Consort was not to be conflated with the matter of General Ouyang, and Father Emperor had better not try to mix the two together either.
Reflecting on this, he couldn’t help but laugh coldly to himself—no wonder people throughout the ages had always lamented that there was nothing more ruthless and unfeeling than an imperial family.
Deep in thought over the case, he had only just returned to his own residence when a shadow guard hurried over with urgent news. “My lord, there’s been a development in the case at the Court of Judicial Review!”
“What’s happened?” Jun Beiyue asked urgently.
“Someone discovered the bodies of several palace guards near the Chen residence!” the shadow guard reported quietly.
“Who discovered them?”
Jun Beiyue was startled. Consort Yi had investigated the Chen residence before he had, interrogating Young Master Chen directly. Back then, he hadn’t yet named Ziqing as his choice—why would Consort Yi have any reason to target a mere concubine’s daughter?
There was no doubt about it—she must have been trying to tamper with evidence involving Young Master Chen, attempting to prevent Han Xi’er from being selected!
He himself had interrogated Young Master Chen the day he killed him. Aside from failing to reveal his own identity, the man had confessed everything about the Nation’s Beauty affair. And that day, before Consort Yi’s eunuch and that group of palace guards had gotten very far, he had silenced them all himself, burying the bodies on the spot—he hadn’t expected anyone to ever discover them!
Was this mere happenstance? Or had someone deliberately gone looking? Consort Yi had certainly been investigating relentlessly all along, but she would never report such a crucial piece of evidence to the Court of Judicial Review herself. Could it possibly be…
At the thought, a flicker of amused calculation crossed Jun Beiyue’s lips. Perhaps it was time to pay his Princess Consort a little visit…