Chapter 7 Joint Trial by Three Judicial Offices
Inside the Golden Palace, all was silent.
All eyes were fixed on General Weiyuan's square face, which was dark red.
General Weiyuan had subconsciously covered half of his beard and even stuck out his buttocks, quietly moving closer to the pillar.
Oh no, oh no, oh no! I've completely lost face!
Crawling through a dog hole! And getting stuck! If word gets out, how am I supposed to lead troops into battle?!
No, I need to find a crack in the ground, no, I need to find a coffin to lie in!
The military general standing next to him, the Marquis of Zhenbei, was so trying not to laugh that his face turned purple.
Unable to resist, he secretly reached out and poked the general's arm with his finger.
"Old Zhang, is it true?"
General Weiyuan stiffened, slowly turned his head, and glared at him with the eyes of someone looking at their father's killer.
The Marquis of Zhenbei's gaze shifted downwards, landing on the General's half-bald chin, which bore several obvious scratches.
That tragic scene was even more convincing than His Majesty's own words!
Marquis Zhenbei instantly understood.
He gasped, abruptly withdrew his hand, and respectfully gave a thumbs-up.
Wow, that's some serious talent, Lao Zhang!
The price to pay is a bit too high! Hahahaha!
General Weiyuan felt his undisguised mocking gaze, and his vision went black; he almost died on the spot.
He felt that he had never been so humiliated in his life!
Heavens above, earth below, are you trying to kill him?
In the imperial court, all the civil and military officials bowed their heads, their shoulders heaving violently, but they dared not laugh out loud.
The scene was incredibly quiet.
"Cough cough!"
The Grand Tutor suddenly started coughing violently.
He gradually came to his senses.
Hmph! What a fine empress! What a fine Yuan Hua!
Do you think you can distract us with such absurd rumors? Do you think you can make us forget the Crown Prince's injustice?
That's utterly delusional! I will never be fooled by such a petty trick!
The old Grand Tutor snorted coldly in his heart, then knelt down again with a thud, kowtowing heavily to the dragon throne and phoenix seat.
"Your Majesty! Empress Dowager! Please give the Crown Prince justice! Give us, his old ministers, an explanation!"
He spoke with a hoarse voice, appearing utterly loyal and devoted to the country and its people.
On the phoenix throne, Yuan Hua glanced at him, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
You're really thick-skinned. You're in such a hurry to plead for your good student, but haven't you thought about your own family's mess?
Zhao Ning said he would gossip about the entire court, and no one would escape.
Your family's affairs are far more exciting than General Weiyuan crawling through a dog hole, and much more interesting than an eighty-episode modern drama about the ethics of wealthy families!
Yuen Wah was enjoying the show, but at the same time, he was also somewhat worried.
Is it too early for a four-year-old girl to gossip about these things every day?
However, upon further reflection, this "Eternal Melon-Eating System" was the key to Zhao Ning's survival.
In the future, it may be able to develop more powerful functions to help Zhao Ning fight against the male and female protagonists.
Compared to life, what's a little melon?
Not only can it save lives, but it can also earn points to exchange for good things, and it can also help the grandmother and grandson relieve boredom. It's a win-win-win situation!
With that thought, Yuan Hua's worries vanished instantly.
She picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and leisurely watched the group of drama queens below.
…
As the Grand Tutor knelt, Prime Minister Lin stepped forward and bowed.
"Empress Dowager, the case of the Crown Prince's plot to assassinate His Majesty is of great importance. Now that the culprit is in custody, we request that the Imperial Clan Court and the Three Judicial Offices conduct a joint trial to uphold the law!"
Yuan Hua nodded.
"Approved."
Soon, several chief officials from the Imperial Clan Court, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice stepped forward tremblingly.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review cleared his throat and, steeling himself, looked at Yu Jingchuan, who was kneeling in the hall.
"Your Highness, did you push His Majesty into the water yesterday by the pond in the Imperial Garden?"
Yu Jingchuan held his head high, his face filled with humiliation and resentment.
"No! This prince had absolutely no such intention!"
He turned to look at Yu Zhaoning on the dragon throne, his eyes instantly softening.
"Your Highness and my younger sister grew up together since childhood and have a deep bond. I cherish her dearly, so how could I bear to harm her?"
"There must be a huge misunderstanding here!"
His performance was so sincere and moving, and combined with his pale and handsome face, it was quite convincing.
The group of old ministers below immediately began to stir again, nodding in agreement.
"Yes, yes, what the Crown Prince said makes sense!"
"Between siblings, there's no such thing as a grudge that lasts overnight!"
They were trying to exonerate the eldest prince.
The small figure on the dragon throne suddenly stood up.
Yu Zhaoning put one hand on her hip and pointed at Yu Jingchuan below with her other little finger, shouting in a childish voice.
"Who said we're on good terms?"
The little guy puffed out his cheeks, looking very angry.
"You curse me as a bastard every day in your heart, and you can't wait for me to die so you can sit on this throne!"
"We're competitors! It's either you die or I die!"
"Am I crazy to have such a good relationship with you?"
"..."
His words were both blunt and ruthless, leaving the entire court in silence.
Is this something a four-year-old child would say?
That's incredibly rude!
The ministers at the joint trial exchanged glances, and the Minister of Justice mustered his courage to speak up.
"Your Majesty, you are the supreme ruler, how can you use such rude language?"
"snort!"
Yu Zhaoning wrinkled her little nose in anger, snorted heavily, and turned her head away.
"Go ahead and interrogate him! What's the point of asking him the same questions over and over again?"
"Of course he said he was innocent!"
The little guy became more and more aggrieved as he spoke, and his big eyes instantly welled up with tears.
"In this palace, apart from my grandmother, no one will side with me!"
"I saw it with my own eyes! It was my eldest prince who pushed me into the water! Why don't you ask me about it?"
The child's innocent voice, tinged with tears, tugged at the heartstrings.
The ministers who were presiding over the case were immediately embarrassed, and each of them looked troubled.
Asking you?
How could we dare!
Upon seeing this, the Grand Tutor quickly stepped forward and explained in an extremely gentle tone.
"Your Majesty, please don't be sad. You must have been frightened when you fell into the water and are now hallucinating."
"The Crown Prince is kind and benevolent; how could he possibly harm you?"
The others quickly echoed in agreement.
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty, you must have seen wrong!"
"That's right! Maybe that little palace maid next to you is a bit clumsy and accidentally bumped into you!"
As one of the officials spoke, he subconsciously pointed to Cui Yue, who was huddled behind Yu Jingchuan.
Cui Yue trembled with fright and instinctively burrowed into Yu Jingchuan's arms.
When Yu Jingchuan saw that his beloved had been wronged, how could he bear it?
He immediately shielded Cui Yue behind him and glared angrily at the official in charge of criticism.
"Nonsense! It could never have been Yueyue who did it! I, Your Highness, can vouch for her!"
"..."
The official who had just spoken froze on his face.
He awkwardly withdrew his hand, utterly speechless.
Your Highness! Please be more careful!
What time is it now? You can barely protect yourself, yet you're protecting a mere palace maid?
We've gone to great lengths to give you a way out, to shift the blame onto that palace maid, and you just shut it all down with a single sentence!
Everyone saw it; the only people beside His Majesty at that time were you and that palace maid! If it wasn't her, then it must have been you.
Do you even want to turn things around?! What a terrible teammate!
He was burning with anxiety, but he dared not utter a single word of it, and could only worry in silence.
Just then, that familiar childlike voice rang in everyone's minds again.
Yu Zhaoning snorted inwardly, her sweet little voice full of disdain.
[A bunch of idiots!]
[You're all here risking your lives to give false testimony for the eldest prince, racking your brains to protect him.]
[But he didn't appreciate your kindness at all!]
[He's only thinking about his little Yueyue!]
[They don't care whether you old men live or die!]
These words sent a chill down the spines of the Grand Tutor and his group.
The ministers who had just spoken up for Yu Jingchuan suddenly paused, thinking carefully...
It seems that's indeed the case.
The eldest prince never expressed the slightest gratitude for their protection from beginning to end. Instead, he kicked away the ladder they offered him for the sake of a palace maid!
this...
No, no, no!
They quickly shook their heads vigorously, banishing the terrible thought from their minds.
It must be the Empress's conspiracy!
She's trying to drive a wedge between us and the Crown Prince! We absolutely cannot fall for it!
As they pondered, some of them fell into deep thought.