The First Lackey Under The Empress

As the presiding judge, Zhou Cheng, announced the court was in session, the surrounding "Majesty" shouts and the clatter of water and fire sticks ceased, and the drumbeats quieted.

Outside the open hall of the court, officials from various government offices who had been waiting outside, invited to witness this grand spectacle, swarmed in.

An atmosphere of solemn dignity instantly permeated the entire scene.

Even Zhao Du'an couldn't help but feel a weight on his shoulders, sensing an invisible pressure descending. Following his perception, he looked towards the "Bright Mirror Hanging High" plaque above the court.

Is this a magic artifact? A warding object?

It seems to have the effect of deterring the minds of criminals... Zhao Du'an still had time to ponder these things.

"Bang!"

Above the high court, Zhou Cheng, wearing a scarlet robe and a black gauze hat, furrowed his brow into a "river" shape and slammed the gavel:

"Zhao Du'an, today the Three Supreme Courts are holding a joint trial. How dare you show contempt for the court? Guards, remove the defendant's seat and force him to kneel!"

Zhao Du'an raised his eyebrows.

So impatient? Coming up, it's an eager show of power...

If not for the attention of so many people, he had no doubt:

Zhou Cheng would draw the most severe red-headed slip from the four divination tubes on the court, labeled "Execution," "Law," "Strict," and "Justice," and give him ten heavy blows as a show of authority.

"Hold on!"

On the bench, Ma Yan, with a stern face, raised his eyelids and said in a deep voice:

"Lord Zhou, the case is not yet conclusive. At least for now, Zhao Du'an is still under my Imperial Prison and is also an envoy of the White Horse Guard."

Zhou Cheng still remembered the last grudge, glared coldly, and said in a cold voice:

"Director Ma, this is a joint trial, and I am the presiding judge. How my Great Court of Justice conducts trials is not for the Imperial Prison to dictate."

As soon as the court session began, the atmosphere between the two government offices became tense.

Amidst the mutual refusal to yield, Yuan Li, who was also sitting upright in the high hall, said faintly:

"The trial is of utmost importance. Why don't you both take a step back? Removing the chair is enough, as for kneeling, let's forgo it."

The Minister of the Ministry of Justice next to him also echoed:

"Lord Yuan is right."

Zhou Cheng frowned. Today's trial meant he could ignore Ma Yan, but he couldn't neglect the other two members of the Three Supreme Courts.

Immediately, a bailiff stepped forward and took away the chair.

Zhao Du'an stood up, feeling a little reluctant. He hadn't even warmed the chair yet...

Outside the court.

The people observing this joint trial exchanged glances. The Embroidered Uniform Guards of Pear Blossom Hall stood at the back, unable to hide their worries—Zhou Cheng's opening was fierce.

… …

The trial continued.

Zhou Cheng said in a cold voice:

"Today, the Three Supreme Courts will jointly try the case of Zhao Du'an, a military officer, for the rape and murder of a commoner girl, Su Hongyu. Now, the details of the case will be read out."

On the left side of the bench, He Zheng, a green-robed judge from the Court of Justice, stood up and recited from the file:

"Some time ago, the uncle and aunt of the commoner girl Su Hongyu beat the drum to lodge a complaint…"

Su Hongyu? Hearing this name, Zhao Du'an vaguely recalled a woman in his mind.

At the Wang family banquet in the past, she had presented songs and dances. His impression was faint, only remembering that the girl was not very old, her dance was graceful, and she had put in a lot of hard work.

When he was drunk and pushed into the room, she had tried to seduce him, but the "him," being a simp, tied her up and threw her aside.

After leaving the Wang family, he never paid attention again, and he didn't know that this girl, who danced so well, was angered by Wang Shan because "he" didn't touch her. Not only was she violently abused, but she was also expelled from the Wang residence and died not long after.

Today, a year after her death, she was brought out again by Zhou Cheng as a tool to deal with him.

Human life is like grass…

At this moment, He Zheng finished reading, and Zhou Cheng shouted:

"Bring in the plaintiffs!"

Outside, a bailiff led a middle-aged couple into the court. The man was dressed as a merchant, and the woman had a mean look on her face.

Entering the court at this moment, they knelt down with a "plop" in fright. Zhou Cheng said with a kind expression:

"You two should explain the details of the matter in detail."

The man responded, as if he had memorized his lines, saying:

"I am Hongyu's uncle. Hongyu's parents passed away when she was young, and we raised her. Later, we sent her to learn singing and dancing, and she became a geisha… By chance, she was favored by the wealthy Wang Shan and became his concubine…"

Outside the court, many people frowned slightly upon hearing this.

In the Great Yu, geishas were not "prostitutes" but women who genuinely sold their art.

But even so, it was still a low-class profession. Looking at the clothes and attire of this couple, they were not poor people, but they sent their niece to be a geisha… It can be seen that their kinship was extremely weak.

The man continued:

"Last August, Hongyu was suddenly sent back by the Wang family's servants, saying that she had been dismissed by Lord Wang Shan.

At that time, she had many scars on her body, and it was obvious that she had been defiled. Her expression was haggard… My wife and I found someone to treat her, and she had improved, but unexpectedly, she died inexplicably later."

As he said this, Zhao Du'an noticed that, perhaps due to the pressure of the plaque, he was slightly guilty.

In fact, when Su Hongyu was sent back, she was indeed covered in injuries, but the couple, fearing that she had offended Lord Wang Shan, did not bother to treat her at all, and were too lazy to even send her food and drink.

Su Hongyu died of a combination of illness and hunger.

Zhou Cheng asked a few more questions and said:

"Summon the physician and the coroner."

The bailiff led two more people into the court, one claiming to be the physician who had diagnosed Su Hongyu at the beginning, and the other was the coroner who had exhumed Su Hongyu's remains these past two days to perform an autopsy.

The former identified that Su Hongyu's illness was not serious, and her death was suspicious. The latter claimed that her cause of death was suspected to be suffocation.

The implication was that Su Hongyu was silenced.

"Summon Qin Qiu," Zhou Cheng said again.

At this time, Qin Qiu, who was short in stature and wore wrinkled silk clothes, but still could not hide the injuries from torture on his body, was brought up.

As soon as he entered the court, his small eyes were blank with fear. When he saw Zhao Du'an, he wailed and knelt down, trying to rush over, but was held back by the bailiff, tears streaming down his face:

"Brother, save me…"

Zhao Du'an was a little moved, not expecting his former lackey to be in such a state.

"Qin Qiu! This official asks you, did you dine with Zhao Du'an at the Wang residence that day and witness him going to the bedroom with Wang Shan?" Zhou Cheng said coldly.

Qin Qiu knelt on the ground, trembling, squinting his eyes to look at the high-ranking officials, and said tremblingly:

"Yes… but I didn't see Lord Zhao…"

Zhou Cheng interrupted sternly: "You only need to answer yes or no?"

"Yes…"

"This official asks you again, did Zhao Du'an spend the night at the Wang residence?"

"Yes… but Lord Zhao didn't…"

"Take him down!" Zhou Cheng waved his hand.

Qin Qiu's eyes widened, as if he had just come to his senses. He wanted to say something, but an official secretly punched him, immediately causing him to lose his ability to speak.

At this moment, as three rounds of witnesses took the stand in succession, the crowd outside the hall stirred slightly.

Clearly, these numerous pieces of evidence intersected with each other, which was extremely unfavorable to Zhao Du'an.

Many people looked at Zhao Du'an, only to find that as the accused, his expression was extremely calm from beginning to end, showing no emotional changes.

"Bring Wang Shan!" Zhou Cheng slammed the gavel again.

This time, Wang Shan, who was slightly overweight, with reddish eyes, and looked as if he had albinism, walked into the hall.

He had originally been imprisoned in the imperial prison, but after the joint trial by the three departments, Zhou Cheng, in the name of him being a key witness, took him away. Ma Yan was unable to stop it.

At this moment, he had none of the fear he had in the imperial prison, but was composed and at ease. When he glanced at Zhao Du'an, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly:

"Lord Zhao, I didn't expect us to meet here."

Zhao Du'an looked at him strangely, thinking, 'I hope you can still smile later.'

"Wang Shan, what do you have to say about the death of Su Hongyu?" Zhou Cheng asked.

Wang Shan immediately identified him, claiming that he had held a banquet that day, and Zhao Du'an, seeing her beauty, had the idea of taking her as his own and hinted that he send his concubine to serve him.

Wang Shan was afraid and ordered his concubine to accompany him for a night, but unexpectedly, Su Hongyu was left covered in wounds and seemed mentally deranged.

"When this humble one saw this, I didn't want to keep her either. So, I sent her back to the Su family, but unexpectedly, she died," Wang Shan said.

It was a closed loop.

At this moment, everyone's testimony, coupled with the "evidence" read out by He Zheng before the trial, corroborated each other, like nails, wanting to nail Zhao Du'an to the pillar of a murderer.

The commotion in the hall grew louder. In the Pear Blossom Hall crowd, Old Zheng squinted his eyes and said in a low voice:

"They came prepared. The dead cannot testify, and the living all say the same thing. It's going to be difficult for the Lord."

Little Secretary Qian Kerou bit her lip:

"These people must be framing the Lord!"

She had some kind of beautifying filter for Zhao Du'an without realizing it.

Hou Renmeng and Shen Juan didn't say anything. Emotionally, they didn't want to believe it.

But rationally… well, considering the Lord's style of doing things, even if Zhao Du'an had really done such a thing, it wouldn't seem surprising…

Even Ma Yan frowned slightly.

He wasn't sure whether Zhou Cheng was framing him or whether Zhao Du'an had really done such a thing…

He turned to look at Sun Lianying, only to find that she was as expressionless as ever.

"Bang! Silence!" Zhou Cheng slammed the gavel, speaking sternly as he looked down at Zhao Du'an:

"Accused in the hall, do you have anything to say about the above charges?"

In an instant, countless gazes converged.

However, to everyone's surprise, facing such an unfavorable situation, Zhao Du'an remained silent, not saying a word.

"Do you have anything to say?" The Minister of Justice also shouted.

Zhao Du'an remained deaf to it.

Zhou Cheng smiled: "So, you have nothing to say?"

Zhao Du'an still kept his mouth shut.

In the courtroom, the commotion reached an unprecedented level, and people's expressions changed.

In their opinion, in this situation, although it was extremely unfavorable, he should at least argue a few words.

What did the silence mean?

The crowd began to discuss, their faces strange, and the same thought floated into everyone's mind:

Could it be that the case is real?

Not a frame-up, but he really did it?

That's why he had nothing to say and couldn't refute the accusation?

Or, even if he didn't do it, he already knew that he couldn't give any strong evidence, so… he resigned himself to fate?

"Why isn't the Lord speaking? Has he been controlled by some means? Why doesn't he open his mouth to defend himself?" Qian Kerou's little face turned red with anxiety.

"The Lord may be thinking about the evidence," Shen Juan said, but his tone was full of self-doubt.

"Speak up, at least explain a few words, at least there's a chance to pass the message to His Majesty in the palace…"

The Embroidered Uniform Guards of Pear Blossom Hall followed anxiously.

If the situation didn't allow it, they would have wanted to shout loudly, reminding Zhao Du'an to refute.

And more of the onlookers shook their heads, believing that Zhao Du'an had already given up resisting.

"Alas, he's still too inexperienced… Did he really think the Court of Judicial Review was easy to provoke?"

"Heh, he also knows very well that His Majesty no longer trusts him, otherwise there wouldn't be this trial."

"But if he fights for it, there's still a chance, but since he himself has given up, then there's no suspense."

The crowd discussed.

Ma Yan looked anxious. He wanted to remind Zhao Du'an that there was still a lot of room for argument in the case.

For example, why was the case reported so long after the person died?

Or request another autopsy…

Even Yuan Li, who was also one of the presiding judges in the court, looked suspicious, not understanding what he was planning.

But Zhao Du'an seemed to ignore everyone's gazes, and there wasn't much expression on his face. He was just staring at the plaque in the hall, lost in thought.

In the hall, the joy on Zhou Cheng's face could no longer be concealed. Although he also had doubts, he knew even more clearly that as long as the case was confirmed, it wouldn't matter what means Zhao Du'an had.

He immediately raised the gavel and announced:

"Since the accused has no defense, it is tantamount to admitting guilt. Now, this official pronounces, the case of Zhao Du'an raping and killing Su Hongyun…"

Suddenly, in a tense atmosphere, a slightly ethereal voice of a young girl echoed in the court.

"Hold on."

Inside the hall, a cluster of starlight suddenly rushed from a distance, rapidly swirling like a tornado, condensing into a petite figure:

A divine official's robe with a black base and gold lines, boots of the same color, slightly curled ends of long hair, slightly pale and delicate facial features, and eyes that were slightly unfocused when looking at people.

The personal disciple of the Old Celestial Master, the Vermilion Point Divine Official, Jin Jian!

Zhao Du'an, who had been keeping his mouth shut and staring at the plaque in a daze, finally withdrew his gaze, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

He said loudly to the three presiding judges in the court:

"Our evidence is here."