The First Lackey Under The Empress

Within the confines of the Great Prison, even as the three judicial divisions were jointly trying Zhao Du'an, elsewhere...

The Great Yu capital city.

Upon the West City Gate, the city guard relieved their watch as usual. As the new guards took their positions on the city wall, gripping their weapons and gazing out from atop this majestic city towards the west,

the common people lined up to enter the city looked like a string of ink dots scattered across the earth.

"Hachoo."

One of the soldiers couldn't help but yawn, rubbing his eyes. His gaze unconsciously drifted into the distance, hoping to clear his head with a long look.

Then, he blinked, spotting a black dot rapidly approaching on the horizon at the edge of his vision.

At first, it was difficult to make out, but as the figure entered the range of the city's crossbows, he finally saw clearly that it was a lone horseman galloping at full speed.

Hooves pounding, the speed was such that the horse seemed to float across the ground, raising a cloud of dust behind it.

The rider was unmistakably a dusty and weary "female general"!

She spurred her horse forward, her bearing valiant and spirited, her hair tied back in a ponytail, a beauty mark adorning the corner of her eye.

Seven days prior, the owner of the Water Lily Hall, who had left the capital city, was on horseback as she shouted to the people lining up at the city gate:

"Imperial Prison Guard returning to the city, clear the way!"

...

At the North City Gate.

Dusty and travel-worn, Zhang Han reined in her horse at the city gate, looking down as she asked:

"What disturbances have occurred in the capital these past few days?"

The guard officer recognized Zhang Han, and his expression was strange as he replied:

"You've returned at just the right time. Hurry to the Great Prison, or you might miss the excitement. Today, the three divisions are jointly trying Zhao Du'an. Your Pear Blossom Hall Master is likely not far from death."

Zhang Han's expression changed abruptly.

...

"The evidence I've been waiting for has arrived."

In the courtroom, the air hung still for a moment as Zhao Du'an's voice rang out.

Then, those who had believed the matter settled couldn't help but be stunned.

Their gazes involuntarily turned towards the young female cleric who had abruptly barged into the courtroom.

Some were unfamiliar with her, but many recognized this disciple of the Heavenly Master, whose style of conduct differed greatly from that of ordinary people.

Zhao Du'an's words echoed in their minds, leaving them even more bewildered.

"Evidence?"

Ma Yan's eyes lit up, and for no reason at all, the anxiety that had been weighing on his heart suddenly lifted.

At that moment, looking at the smile on Zhao Du'an's lips, he was reminded of the day he had caught the internal spy, when the young man had worn the same expression.

It was a smile that conveyed a grasp of the overall situation, a sense of complete confidence.

"The Lord has finally spoken!"

Qian Kerou stood among the crowd, excitedly exclaiming as she stood on tiptoe:

"So, the Lord wasn't confessing, nor was he speechless; he was waiting for the evidence to arrive!"

Shen Juan, Hou Renmeng, and Old Zheng also perked up, their eyes shining, realizing that a turning point might have arrived.

"Evidence?"

On the high platform, Yuan Li's eyes revealed a flicker of interest as he glanced at Zhou Cheng beside him.

He saw that the gavel in Zhou Cheng's hand was still raised, the pronouncement he had been about to make abruptly cut short, his deeply lined face showing a fleeting moment of unease.

"Cleric Jin Jian?"

The Minister of Justice, who had maintained a low profile, spoke the young woman's identity in surprise, then looked at Zhao Du'an:

"You say you have evidence?"

Zhao Du'an waited for the commotion among the crowd to subside slightly, then nodded with a smile, saying:

"Indeed. Just now, Lord Zhou repeatedly summoned witnesses and presented material evidence, accusing me of raping and murdering Su Hongyu, and then asked if I had anything to say."

His tone was light, his composure unhurried.

Although he was dressed in prison garb, wearing shackles, and standing in this imposing and solemn courtroom, he showed no sign of nervousness.

He strolled slowly with a calm demeanor, his gaze sweeping across the faces around him, his voice suddenly rising:

"Of course, I have something to say!"

His gaze fell upon Wang Shan, the physician, the coroner, Su Hongyu's uncle and aunt, and other witnesses, as he said with emotion:

"So many witnesses, testimonies, and the detailed, meticulous, and interconnected evidence behind them. It must have taken a great deal of effort on Lord Zhou's part to arrange everything so perfectly."

The gavel in Zhou Cheng's hand finally fell with a "bang." His expression was blank as he sternly rebuked:

"You defendant, how dare you defy and falsely accuse this official? What are your intentions?"

"Falsely accuse?" Zhao Du'an smiled, his words carrying a profound meaning:

"Lord Zhou, don't you feel a twinge of conscience when you say that?"

Then, without waiting for Zhou Cheng to react, he continued:

"Fortunately, when I learned that Qin Qiu had disappeared and was suspected of being kidnapped by you, I realized that you might take action against me. Therefore, in order to protect myself, I had no choice but to make some preparations and arrangements as well."

That day, when he had glimpsed Qin Qiu in prison through the mirror, he had already guessed that Zhou Cheng would target him.

He had decisively summoned Jin Jian and asked for her help, secretly following Zhou Cheng, and indeed, he had gained something.

That was why he had gone to arrest people later, so coincidentally waiting until the two had finished plotting before breaking down the door and entering the building.

He had been waiting for the evidence to be collected!

Preparations? Arrangements?

At that moment, the expressions of the people in the Great Prison changed noticeably.

Even among the crowd outside the courtroom, many people were listening intently.

"A deliberate attempt to mystify!"

He Zheng, who was on the judging panel, sneered, but the slight nervousness between his brows betrayed his inner unease.

Jin Jian's arrival already signified something.

Would a mere attempt to mystify alarm a disciple of the Heavenly Master to arrive?

"Cleric Jin Jian, my hands and feet are not free. Please trouble you to take out the evidence I entrusted to you and show it to everyone in the courtroom today."

Zhao Du'an took in everyone's expressions, and a hint of coldness appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"Alright." Jin Jian looked half-asleep, extremely tired.

She really disliked such occasions, but she still gave him face and reached into the cloth bag at her waist, taking out a palm-sized scroll.

The moment the scroll was taken out, many people's expressions changed slightly, recognizing what it was.

A recording scroll!

When Zhao Douan first transmigrated and met the Ning'an County Viscount, his 'rival in love,' Zhang Changshuo, suffered a major setback, wasting a recording scroll to document their meeting.

In the Great Yu Dynasty court, officials who reached a certain rank were no strangers to this item.

For example, Feng Ju repeatedly spoke in riddles when he met Zhao Douan on the boat, precisely to avoid being recorded and leaving a handle for others to exploit.

What was in this scroll?

What did it record?

No one knew, but it aroused endless speculation.

In the high hall, Prime Minister Zhou narrowed his eyes, still composed, because at his position, he naturally wouldn't be completely defenseless against such magical artifacts.

The fiery red, pigeon-egg-sized jade ring on his hand was a treasure that could sense fluctuations in magical power.

Once probed by magic, it would instinctively alert him.

He subconsciously believed that there was a problem with the procedures of his subordinates.

Or that Wang Shan had been tricked into revealing something during his days in the imperial prison.

However, the next second, when Jin Jian unfurled the scroll, infused it with magical power, and projected the recorded images and sounds in the scroll into the air as a 'light curtain,'

Prime Minister Zhou's expression instantly changed, losing all composure.

The light curtain revealed the scene of him inviting Wang Shan to meet at the Hele Tower that day.

It was the scene before Zhao Douan arrived.

In the picture.

Wang Shan's face was full of smiles: "My lord summoned me today, surely not to reminisce about the past and seek me out for old times' sake, right?"

Zhou Cheng said: "...This official seeks you, not for anything else, but for a person."

"Who?"

"Zhao Douan!"

As soon as this scene began and the sound was transmitted, the expressions of the people present became subtly different.

And the following dialogue was the real killer move.

"How were the women I sent?"

"Speaking of this, I remember it vividly... As a result, that Zhao Douan actually tied up the concubine and threw her aside, sleeping soundly all night!... He claimed that he only had the Sage in his heart, and Heaven and Earth could bear witness."

"How are you sure? Think carefully and tell me!"

"My lord is right to remind me..."

"Where is that woman? This official wants to see her."

"My lord is wise, that Zhao Douan silenced her by murder, with no regard for the law!"

In the picture, Zhou Cheng laughed heartily, raising his wine glass to clink with Wang Shan's:

"Today, this official finally knows how you gained Eunuch Wang's favor..."

At this point, the picture came to an abrupt end, the light curtain dissipated, and Jin Jian, acting as the projectionist, silently rolled up the scroll, looking innocent.

Silence.

Inside and outside the court, there was a deathly silence.

The next second, something fell from someone's hand, making a sound.

The crowd buzzed, a clamor erupted!

Like boiling water in a pot, many officials from the Court of Judicial Review who were assisting in the trial were so shocked that they stood up, and the documents in He Zheng's hands were scattered all over the ground, their faces as pale as paper.

They subconsciously looked at Zhou Cheng on the stand, only to see that this one of the Nine Ministers, a minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor, was also stunned.

In his mind, there were only three words: "Impossible."

He was clearly wearing the ring that day, so why...

When he caught sight of Jin Jian's expression of "it has nothing to do with me," he suddenly realized.

That's right, magical artifacts can defend against ordinary spying, but what if the one who was secretly recording was the personal disciple of the Old Celestial Master?

Then it would be understandable that he didn't notice it.

His vision darkened, almost losing his composure.

And Yuan Li and the Minister of Justice beside him suddenly looked at him with pity.

On the jury seats.

A smile appeared on Ma Yan's stern face.

Sun Lianying, who looked like he was asleep, was not moved at all, as he already knew the inside story, and even wanted to laugh a little.

The witnesses were also pale, especially Wang Shan, whose legs went weak and he fell to the ground, his face bloodless, all his smugness gone!

Outside the court, the people of Pear Blossom Hall could not hide their joy.

"I knew it, the Commissioner is definitely innocent!"

Qian Kerou's round face was red, from excitement.

"The Commissioner... no wonder, when he took us to arrest people that day, he wasn't in a hurry at all, and even let us eat first," Hou Renmeng realized belatedly.

"It should be so, I said that the Commissioner was unusually calm on the day he was arrested."

Shen Juan marveled, "So he had already made arrangements."

Old Zheng smiled, feeling relaxed.

And the surrounding onlookers were even more in an uproar.

No one expected that the 'evidence' Zhao Douan produced would be this.

He did not explain the death of Su Hongyu.

He did not respond to the carefully woven charges.

His response was simple, like a knife, cutting through the fog, pointing directly to the core.

With this recording, Wang Shan's words alone were enough to overturn the indictment in this case.

And Zhou Cheng's implied 'hints' in his words put him, the presiding judge, in the eye of the storm.

"So that's how it is... Director Zhao's loyalty to His Majesty is evident... admirable!"

"This Wang Shan, and these so-called witnesses, are really cunning people, slandering Envoy Zhao with their red mouths and white teeth!"

"Lord Zhou had already met Wang Shan... This..."

The discussions were varied, and the wind direction immediately reversed.

With this one piece of evidence, Zhao Douan would not fall today, on the contrary, he might even gain more favor from the Emperor.

Who could resist a sentence like "Only the Sage is in my heart, and Heaven and Earth can bear witness"?

However, speaking of which, to be so devoted, not even touching a beauty sent to him, is a bit... everyone admired and despised him.

They felt that Zhao Douan was really a bit sick...

"Lord Zhou, how do you explain this?" On the stand, Yuan Li looked at him with a smile that was not a smile.

Thank you to book friend 20221007133925535 for the 100-point coin reward.