24: Conspiracy, Overt Strategy

“The third day of the ninth month, Fengyue Workshop, Xianle Tower, over 1,300 people were secretly imprisoned in the Minister of Justice prison, subjected to severe torture... Minister of Justice Lord, please give an explanation for this matter?” The Grand Censor inspector was aggressive.

“What a joke!”

The Minister of Justice glanced at the general, full of confidence, and sneered, “Someone in Xianle Tower conspired to poison King Chu, was I wrong to arrest them?”

“Poison King Chu? Is there any evidence? As far as this official knows, no one has confessed, right?”

The Grand Censor inspector’s words were sharp, “Can the Minister of Justice Lord just make up reasons and arrest people at will?”

“Evidence? The criminals are cunning, how could they easily leave evidence? If this official had truly found evidence, I would have already demolished Xianle Tower.”

The Minister of Justice was not flustered in the slightest, “You can ask His Highness King Chu if what this official said is true.”

A sly smile appeared at the corner of the Grand Censor inspector's mouth as he asked Xia Xuan, “This humble official dares to ask His Highness King Chu, was there an assassin on that day?”

“What assassin? Why haven't I seen one?”

Xia Xuan looked bewildered, “That day, this King and His Highness the Crown Prince drank to our heart's content and fell asleep.”

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's eyes widened as he stared at Xia Xuan, as if asking, 'I poured my heart out to you, why would you turn around and frame me?'

He already understood that this was a trap set by King Qi and King Chu to weaken his Minister of Justice and his own power.

The Minister of Justice was even more dumbfounded. One moment he had the upper hand, but now it had instantly turned around. He pointed a trembling finger at Xia Xuan, “His Highness King Chu, you... you can't talk nonsense.”

“What do you mean? Are you questioning this King? This King never told you to arrest anyone!” Xia Xuan was aggressive and very impolite.

“No, no... there are also those old imperial physicians from the Eastern Palace who know that King Chu was indeed poisoned that night, His Highness the Crown Prince, say something!”

The entire court of civil and military officials watched the princes' performance, enjoying the drama.

The Crown Prince rubbed his forehead. This matter couldn't be overturned.

Even if he brought those old imperial physicians, what good would it do if King Chu didn't admit it?

Moreover, those old imperial physicians had already been scared into retiring and returning to their hometowns after being threatened by him.

The Crown Prince's silence made the Minister of Justice's heart turn to ashes, and he knelt down as if his soul had left him.

He felt that this world was full of malice.

“Censor Mo is meritorious in his impeachment, promoted one rank. The Minister of Justice is derelict in his duty, imprisoned, never to be employed again.” Emperor Wanwu announced indifferently.

The Tianwu Imperial Guards ascended the hall and dragged away the dispirited Minister of Justice.

“Censor Mo, you did very well.” The Crown Prince's maternal grandfather, the Grand Censor, smiled thinly.

The Grand Censor inspector who had impeached earlier looked calm. He knew that from the moment he stood out, his official career had already reached its end.

But he had long been prepared for sacrifice.

['Harming the Minister of Justice, tyrant points + 30']

Xia Xuan unexpectedly received a System reward.

After this incident, the officials were silent for a moment. Emperor Wanwu suddenly coughed violently and at the same time asked, “Is there anything else to report?”

Xia Xuan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said with a gritting tone:

“Imperial Father, your son wants to accuse the Fourth Prince of sending people to assassinate your son!”

The Crown Prince secretly thought, 'It's finally here.'

Savage Tiger turned pale with fright.

Emperor Wanwu said in a deep voice, “Is there any evidence?”

“Both human and material evidence are present!”

“Come, bring Hou Zun to the hall!”

Xia Xuan took out the prepared confession document and presented it.

At the same time, two Tianwu Imperial Guards escorted the lifeless, not-quite-human Hou Zun into the main hall.

In order to expose this Hundred Soul Ghost Marshal openly, all its inhuman features were forcibly removed.

Others only found him strange, but could not ascertain his true origin.

Eunuch Cao, in front of the screen, reviewed the evidence and then handed it to Emperor Wanwu.

A moment later, Emperor Wanwu's imposing voice, without anger, pierced through the screen and struck their hearts:

“Hou Zun, do you have any grievances?”

Hou Zun prostrated himself and kowtowed, “This old man pleads guilty. I beg Your Majesty to grant me death.”

“Master, I don't understand, why would you conspire with King Chu to frame me?”

“Is it just because I had improper thoughts about Mistress?”

“Your son begs Imperial Father to be clear-sighted. Everything is merely Hou Zun's one-sided statement. Your son has been wronged. Your son never thought of assassinating King Chu.”

Savage Tiger, guided by the Crown Prince, began to calmly clear himself of suspicion.

The Crown Prince stepped forward to support him, “Imperial Father, although Fourth Brother is reckless, he would not commit such a heinous act. There must be something else suspicious about this matter. I beg Imperial Father to be clear-sighted!”

“Yes, Imperial Father, although your son dislikes King Chu's absurd behavior, he has never harbored any murderous intent.”

Savage Tiger was like a drowning man grasping a lifeline, struggling to climb up.

“Really? Fourth Imperial Brother?”

Xia Xuan walked step by step to Savage Tiger's front, smiling as he took out the 瓔珞 that Mu Wan'er wore close to her body, shook it, then leaned in slightly and whispered into his ear:

“Miss Wan'er truly lives up to being a Disciple of Myriad Desires Palace and the courtesan queen of Xianle Tower. These past few days, she has served this King to the point of ecstasy.”

“I still remember the first time, she made this King feel pity, and this King truly galloped for a while. Tsk, I have to say, Miss Wan'er is truly moist.”

“Oh, right, and very tender, so tender that water could be squeezed out~”

Savage Tiger's mind boomed, blood rushed to his head, his eyeballs were bloodshot, as if they were about to explode.

The Qi on his body was extremely unstable; his rage could no longer be described with words.

Crack.

With a strange sound, the Protective Aura flowing around Savage Tiger's body transformed and improved. He unexpectedly achieved a Breakthrough, advancing to True Martial Eighth Level.

“You beast, I've dreamed of killing you!”

Savage Tiger looked up directly at Xia Xuan, his bloodshot eyes full of ferocity and venom, as if wanting to devour him.

“Xia Xuan, you shouldn't have come here to provoke me, giving me this opportunity to kill you!”

At this moment, Savage Tiger and Xia Xuan were less than half a step apart.

He could raise his hand and grab Xia Xuan's neck, then twist it off.

“Die!”

Savage Tiger no longer cared about the occasion. Anyway, he would likely not escape death, so dragging Xia Xuan to Hell before he died would be even better.

“Miss Wan'er, I can finally avenge you...”

He seemed to see a scene of a claw crushing Xia Xuan's throat, muttering to himself.

Boom!

Above the Imperial Throne, a powerful pressure erupted. Everyone in the hall was shocked and knelt down, shouting, “Your Majesty, calm your anger!”

The one emitting the pressure was not Emperor Wanwu, but the plain-looking, effeminate-voiced Eunuch Cao.

The power of heaven and earth instantly filled the hall, locking onto Savage Tiger, freezing him in place, his hand, bent into an eagle's claw, only millimeters away from Xia Xuan's throat.

“Savage Tiger, harming your kin, your crime is unforgivable... On an appointed day, you shall be granted death!”

Emperor Wanwu's cold voice echoed in the Nine Dragon Hall.

Savage Tiger desperately wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

The Tianwu Imperial Guards mercilessly dragged him out of the hall.

The atmosphere in the hall dropped to freezing point.

The Crown Prince's gaze was gloomy as he scanned King Qi and Xia Xuan back and forth.