However furious Emperor Tianhui remained, his shrewd, calculating mind never lost its edge—even though he couldn’t manage to convict Han Ziqing, he certainly wasn’t about to let such a golden opportunity slip through his fingers.
Da Zhou maintained two separate judicial bodies: the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review. By law, criminal cases throughout the realm properly fell under the Ministry of Justice’s jurisdiction, with the Court of Judicial Review holding only the authority to conduct appeals and reviews. Yet General Ouyang’s influence had come to dominate the Court of Judicial Review so thoroughly that it had continuously encroached upon the Ministry of Justice’s authority, effectively stripping the Ministry of its power over criminal proceedings entirely.
A case like Han Ziqing’s should, by proper precedent, have fallen under the Ministry of Justice’s jurisdiction from the very start!
If Emperor Tianhui didn’t seize this opportunity to remove Jiang Jingbo and his associates from power now, wouldn’t today’s entire proceeding have been for nothing?
At the Emperor’s furious rebuke, Jiang Jingbo’s heart sank with dread. He hurriedly reported, “Your Majesty, this humble official has already investigated—these were sixth-rank palace guards, and their squad leader was among the dead as well.”
“Sixth-rank palace guards? Heh, are my own palace guards now free to leave the palace grounds however they please? Who exactly gave the order for their deployment?” Emperor Tianhui roared furiously, slamming his palm down hard on the table. “Someone, summon Xu Xiancai to this court at once!”
Xu Xiancai!
Consort Yi nearly cried out in shock, only barely restrained by Jun Beichen’s quick intervention. Xu Xiancai wasn’t merely a first-rank imperial bodyguard—he was the very commander of all the palace guards!
It had taken General Ouyang a full two years of careful maneuvering to secure that very position for him!
And now, he too had become entangled in this affair!
“Mother, let me go inform Uncle!” Jun Beichen whispered urgently.
“Your uncle has only just been punished over the matter with Jingshi, and the Emperor’s temper is still running hot. Besides, at this point in the case… there’s nothing he could do even if he came!” Consort Yi said bitterly, glaring toward Ziqing, her eyes flashing with venomous resentment. “It’s all because of this woman! All because of her!”
Commander Xu soon arrived in a hurry, dropping to his knees the moment he entered. “Your Majesty, this subordinate is guilty. This subordinate has been negligent in his duties—this subordinate deserves death ten thousand times over!”
“Spare me the theatrics. Were these men released from the palace under your authority or not?” Emperor Tianhui demanded sternly. Deploying palace guards outside the palace grounds required explicit approval—at the very least, Xu Xiancai’s personal sign-off—otherwise, who would dare leave the palace without authorization?
Commander Xu glanced briefly at Consort Yi from the corner of his eye, but had no choice but to admit it. “Your Majesty, this subordinate acknowledges his guilt—they were indeed released under this subordinate’s authorization. They claimed, at the time, they wished to go drinking after their shift ended, and this subordinate… this subordinate approved it. This was negligence on this subordinate’s part, a disregard for palace protocol. This subordinate begs Your Majesty’s judgment.”
“Drinking? So you’re claiming you have no idea why they ended up at the Chen residence either?” Emperor Tianhui scoffed coldly.
Commander Xu nodded timidly, not daring to say anything further.
Ziqing, standing off to the side, listened without saying a word. She had already cleared her own name and pointed toward the existence of a true culprit elsewhere—simply the fact that palace guards had somehow ended up at the Chen residence, and that the same person had killed both Young Master Chen and these guards, was more than enough to keep this case stirring up controversy throughout the capital. And now, on top of everything else, there was also the matter of falsely framing a princess consort to contend with!
“You don’t know? You don’t know?! What kind of commander are you, exactly? Hm?” Emperor Tianhui’s fury reached new heights, roaring furiously again and again, terrifying Commander Xu into pressing his forehead to the floor, not daring to look up.
“Someone, strip Xu Xiancai of his first-rank commander title, demote him to sixth rank! If he claims to know nothing, then let him guard the palace gates for me instead!” Emperor Tianhui declared coldly.
The moment these words left his mouth, Consort Yi nearly toppled from her seat, gripping Jun Beichen’s hand tightly, her face utterly drained of color!
At this point, Emperor Tianhui’s cold, furious gaze turned toward Jiang Jingbo, who immediately stumbled to his knees. “Your Majesty, please show mercy, please show mercy! Grant this official a little more time, and this official will absolutely uncover the true culprit, give Your Majesty a proper accounting, and restore Her Highness’s good name!”
He begged repeatedly, and Ziqing, too, bowed her head continuously. “This official deserves death ten thousand times over for allowing Her Highness to suffer such an unjust accusation through this official’s own carelessness. This official acknowledges his guilt and begs Her Highness’s mercy, for a chance to correct this mistake. This official guarantees the true culprit will be found!”
Ziqing’s brow furrowed, and she couldn’t help but cough lightly again, her pale, small face conveying both distress and helplessness, looking up at Emperor Tianhui with an air of pure, innocent vulnerability.
Emperor Tianhui slammed his palm down and rose to his feet with a resounding crack, glaring down at him with cold, imperious contempt. “You already acknowledge your crime deserves death—why bother begging for mercy at all? Jiang Jingbo, Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, was ordered to investigate the Chen family murder case, yet the evidence he presented proved utterly false and misleading, deliberately deceiving this Emperor and framing Prince Yao’s Consort, nearly subjecting her to grave and unjust harm! Someone! Strip him of his position immediately, and hand him over to the Ministry of Justice for proper judgment!”
The moment these words were spoken, not only Consort Yi but even Jun Beichen nearly bit through his own tongue in shock. What a formidable pair Jun Beiyue and Han Ziqing made! He absolutely refused to let this matter rest so easily!
Meanwhile, the officials aligned with General Ouyang’s faction throughout the hall grew increasingly anxious, each fearing that even the slightest misstep might bring sudden disaster crashing down upon them.
Soon, officers from the Ministry of Justice arrived to take Jiang Jingbo into custody. Despite his desperate wailing and pleading, not a single soul dared speak up on his behalf, and before long the hall fell into complete silence once more.
Only then did Ziqing step forward, deliberately performing a full formal kowtow. “Many thanks to Your Majesty for clearing Ziqing’s name of this injustice. Your Majesty’s wisdom is truly without equal. Long live the Emperor, long live, long live!”
“Rise, rise at once—this Emperor wronged you unjustly,” Emperor Tianhui said with feigned remorse, his expression thoroughly insincere.
“It is entirely thanks to Your Majesty’s wise and decisive judgment that Ziqing has been able to clear her name!” Ziqing replied, her face full of genuine-seeming gratitude, tears welling in her eyes, utterly pitiable and endearing.
Emperor Tianhui hurried forward to help her up personally, saying earnestly, “Rest assured, this Emperor will personally see this case transferred to the Ministry of Justice, and will ensure the full truth is uncovered, the true culprit found!”
Wasn’t this precisely the outcome Ziqing had been hoping to hear? She quickly bowed again. “This Emperor’s boundless grace, Ziqing thanks you!”
“Heh, I understand Fourth Son left the city on some errand a few days ago—I suppose he simply couldn’t make it back in time for today’s proceedings. Once he returns, remember to come to the palace together to pay your respects—this Emperor is still waiting to hear you call him Father Emperor!”
Emperor Tianhui said with a hearty laugh. Though he hadn’t managed to harm Han Ziqing directly, he had nonetheless succeeded in eliminating two major pillars of General Ouyang’s faction in one stroke—how could his mood not have improved considerably?
Just moments ago he’d been thoroughly furious, yet now, looking at Ziqing, he found himself no longer holding any particular grudge against her at all.
These words unmistakably signaled his acceptance of Ziqing at last! The hall immediately filled with hushed whispers. Prime Minister Han’s expression turned thoroughly complicated—both regretful and relieved all at once—but regardless of how things had unfolded, the position of Prince Yao’s Consort remained firmly in the Han household’s hands after all!
“Yes, Ziqing obeys Your Majesty’s command.” Ziqing immediately broke into a smile, her illness-pale face unable to fully conceal a hint of shy blush, while in the corner, the injured guard had already slipped away entirely, nowhere to be found…