The following morning, the entrance to the Court of Judicial Review was already packed with people. The Chen family murder case had already drawn the attention of the entire capital, and with the Emperor himself set to personally attend today’s initial hearing, the whole city seemed to have turned out in force—Ziqing’s name had once again become the talk of the entire capital.
Two rows of armed guards stood stationed from the entrance of the Court of Judicial Review all the way to the doors of the trial hall, the scene grand and imposing!
Ziqing was escorted to the entrance by two guards. The moment she stepped across the towering threshold, the already-silent hall fell into an even deeper hush.
Emperor Tianhui sat solemnly in the seat of honor, his expression thunderous, striking fear into everyone present, none daring to breathe too loudly.
Jiang Jingbo, Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, sat to the right, flanked by the Deputy Minister, the Chief Judge, and various other officials, all standing respectfully in attendance.
Yet the seat to the left remained conspicuously empty. Behind it sat Prime Minister Han and Madam Han—that empty seat had clearly been reserved for Jun Beiyue. Had that man really not come?
Why hadn’t he come?
A complicated flicker crossed Ziqing’s eyes, yet she showed no fear at all before Emperor Tianhui’s thunderous expression, continuing forward with perfect composure.
To the lower left of the main seat sat the section reserved for observers—Consort Yi, the Second Prince, numerous other imperial princes, and officials of the third rank and above, all having gathered to watch the spectacle unfold.
Ziqing laughed coldly to herself—with such an enormous display of force, did Emperor Tianhui truly believe he could crush her so thoroughly and beyond recovery?
She came to a stop, finally raising her head to meet Emperor Tianhui’s terrifying, solemn gaze head-on. Unafraid, she bowed respectfully. “Han Ziqing greets Your Majesty.”
This was the first time she had formally paid respects to this Emperor. By rights, she should have entered the palace to formally thank him for the conferment, yet he hadn’t even granted her that opportunity—clearly refusing to acknowledge her as his daughter-in-law at all.
First the Flower Jade poison, now these trumped-up charges—if she continued to endure all this passively, how could she possibly live up to the name “Han Ziqing”?
Emperor Tianhui glared at her furiously, remaining utterly motionless for a long, long while—long enough that everyone around them grew increasingly uneasy, terrified that even the slightest misstep might trigger his fury and drag them all down with her.
Prime Minister Han was practically drenched in sweat. Ever since the consort selection, he had repeatedly sought an audience with the Emperor, only to be refused each time—he still had no idea what the Emperor was truly scheming, forced to walk a careful line, fearful of offending either side.
As the silence stretched on, the tension in the hall grew thicker and thicker, everyone’s heartbeat quickening in unison.
Yet only Ziqing, the very subject of all this scrutiny, remained perfectly composed in her respectful bow, her expression calm and demure, steady as a mountain.
Emperor Tianhui felt a flicker of inner shock—even his own beloved Ouyang Jingshi would surely have dropped to her knees begging for mercy by now under such pressure! Yet this girl showed not the slightest change in expression at all!
Finally, he said flatly, “Rise.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
The moment Ziqing rose, Jiang Jingbo immediately stepped forward, declaring sternly, “Han Ziqing, regarding the Chen family murder case, His Majesty has entrusted this official with presiding over the trial. With witness testimony and physical evidence now fully in hand, if you confess honestly, His Majesty’s mercy shall ensure lenient treatment. Should you resist, however, know that even nobility is subject to the same law as commoners when it comes to imperial justice—even as Princess Consort of Prince Yao, this official shall show no leniency whatsoever!”
Having said this, he glanced back at Emperor Tianhui, whose expression remained dark and silent.
Ziqing coughed lightly a few times, saying weakly, “Ziqing neither confesses guilt nor resists these charges. Ziqing simply asks for a fair and just resolution she can genuinely accept.”
Though she still appeared thoroughly weakened by illness, the moment she spoke, her words carried an unmistakable, unyielding resolve!
“A fair and just resolution? Very well. Someone, bring forward the witnesses and evidence!” Minister Jiang declared loudly.
Soon, the guards brought forward Young Master Chen’s parents, along with a handkerchief that had once belonged to Ziqing!
The moment the Chens entered, they immediately dropped to their knees before Emperor Tianhui, bowing repeatedly!
“Your Majesty, our son died so unjustly!”
“Your Majesty, you absolutely must deliver justice for us common folk! It was this very woman—she held a grudge against our Ru’er in her heart, and hired someone to murder him! That handkerchief was left behind at the scene by her own hand!”
…
“This is an imperial court, in the presence of His Majesty himself—how dare you carry on with such wailing! Silence!”
Jiang Jingbo immediately scolded them, then turned back to seek Emperor Tianhui’s guidance, but the Emperor’s expression remained utterly cold and unreadable, offering no response at all, leaving no one daring to guess at his true intentions, nor daring to look at him for too long!
Ziqing laughed coldly to herself—she did retain some fragmented memory of this particular handkerchief, though the memory itself was far too convoluted for her to fully piece together.
“Madam Chen, where exactly did you find this handkerchief?”
At Jiang Jingbo’s question, the guard immediately presented the handkerchief before Emperor Tianhui. The Emperor glanced at it briefly but said nothing.
“That night, when I noticed Ru’er hadn’t returned home so late, I sent someone out searching for him. But the moment they reached the forest, they discovered Ru’er’s body. This handkerchief was found by our household guard right near the body!” Madam Chen said, choking back sobs.
Jiang Jingbo nodded, personally carrying the item over to present before Prime Minister Han and his wife. “Prime Minister Han, Madam Han, do you recognize this handkerchief?”
“This…” Prime Minister Han stepped forward nervously. “Your Majesty, as for my daughter’s personal belongings, this official and his wife have hardly seen most of them, let alone would we recognize them by sight. This official truly has no idea, Your Majesty!”
Yet Emperor Tianhui paid him no attention whatsoever, his furious gaze fixed squarely on Ziqing.
Consort Yi, seated nearby, quickly spoke up. “Prime Minister Han, is there perhaps someone else who might recognize it?”
What nonsense! Ziqing scoffed inwardly. Shouldn’t she be the very first one asked to identify her own belongings? This whole performance was clearly designed to manufacture some excuse she couldn’t possibly deny!
Prime Minister Han pondered for a long moment before finally saying, “Perhaps we should summon the elderly nanny who attends her chambers.”
Soon, an elderly nanny was brought before the court. Ziqing had spent very little time actually living at the Han residence, and her memories of this particular nanny belonged entirely to the real Han Ziqing.
According to those memories, this nanny had been the sole servant assigned to attend to her—and had certainly stolen no shortage of her belongings over the years!
The moment the old nanny laid eyes on the handkerchief, she immediately insisted with absolute certainty, “Yes! This is the young lady’s handkerchief. This humble servant washed it not long ago—I can personally guarantee it belongs to the young lady!”
The moment these words left her mouth, the entire hall erupted into astonished murmurs!
“Your Majesty, the evidence is conclusive—she must certainly have been present when Ru’er died!”
“Your Majesty, please deliver justice for this common family! Justice for the people of this realm!”
…
The Chens once again broke into loud wailing, and Jiang Jingbo scolded them irritably, “The Chen family, speak calmly and in proper order! This is His Majesty’s presence—if you continue this uproar, don’t blame this official for showing no mercy!”
The couple finally settled down. Madam Chen stepped forward again, choking back tears. “Your Majesty, Minister Jiang, the handkerchief is physical evidence, but this humble commoner herself is a living witness!”
At this, even Jun Beichen, seated nearby, couldn’t help but interject, asking seriously, “Did you personally witness Han Ziqing commit the murder with your own eyes?”
“Your Highness, this humble commoner did not personally witness the murder itself, but this humble commoner did see Miss Han come looking for Ru’er. This old servant was initially quite pleased by the visit—but before long, the two of them began arguing. This old servant hid nearby and listened in secretly, only to hear… only to hear… only to hear Miss Han…”
Madam Chen’s voice broke into sobs, unable to continue. Young Master Chen’s father hurried to comfort her, picking up where she’d left off. “Miss Han looked down upon our humble Chen family, considering us unworthy of a match with the Prime Minister’s household. She demanded that Ru’er break off the engagement his father had promised to Prime Minister Han, and further demanded that our entire family leave the capital that very night, never to return! When Ru’er refused, she threatened him…”
As he spoke, Young Master Chen’s father shot a bitter glare at Ziqing, tears streaming down his weathered face, choking out, “She threatened to kill Ru’er, and to think she actually… waaah… I toiled my whole life away, and he was my only son!”
The moment these words settled, Emperor Tianhui, who had remained silent throughout, finally slammed his palm on the table and rose to his feet, roaring furiously, “Han Ziqing, with witness testimony and physical evidence both fully in hand, what further resolution could you possibly seek?”