Kyoto was abuzz.
This time, it was still boiling over because of Xu Qingnian.
Only this time, it was Xu Qingnian who was being sought out for trouble.
Previously, it was Xu Qingnian who was looking for trouble from others.
The city was abuzz, and everyone who knew Xu Qingnian or was close to him turned pale.
The fact that a prince of Great Wei had personally accused Xu Qingnian of practicing a different art was enough to shake the whole of Great Wei, and within half a day, the whole world would know about it.
No matter who you are, no matter for what purpose, as long as you practice the supernatural arts, you will be spurned by everyone in the world, and dynasties, immortal clans, and casual practitioners will all go after you.
There is no other reason for this: those who practise the supernatural arts will eventually become demons, and once the demon seeds have metamorphosed, the stronger you are, the stronger the demon seeds will become.
The more powerful you are, the stronger the demon will be.
Under the Ministry of Punishment.
Prince Huai Ning stood quietly outside the Ministry of Punishment.
His gaze was calm, and he still held the dossier in his hand.
No one in the Ministry dared to speak, after all, this matter was too big.
If it was three months ago, Prince Huaining had done this, they would have been the first to come and take over the case.
But three months later, Xu Qingnian had now become the number one figure in the Great Wei sky.
Now Xu Qingnian could become a crab in Great Wei, the kind that roams the streets, and no one dares to mess with Xu Qingnian.
The wealthy lord of the six ministries, the hope of the martial generals, the saviour of Great Wei, the Wangu of the literary world, the faith of the people.
In other words, even if Xu Qingnian had done something wrong now, no one would dare to trouble Xu Qingnian.
“This king, Huai Ning, is today suing Xu Qingnian, the minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs of Great Wei, for practising a foreign art.”
“Ministry of Punishment, why is it not accepted?”
Prince Huai Ning’s voice rang out, questioning why the Ministry of Justice did not step in to accept the case.
The Ministry of Justice was somewhat silent, not in any other way, they didn’t dare to take the case, the king himself came to report the case, the Minister of Justice had to take the case.
Are they worthy?
To be honest, they really didn’t deserve it.
But as Prince Huai Ning’s voice rang out, the Ministry of Punishment remained indifferent, and Zhang Jing did not appear.
Although they didn’t know what exactly Zhang Jing was thinking, everyone knew that Zhang Jing had already taken a stand.
A prince had come over to sue in person and Zhang Jing had not appeared, this was supporting Xu Qingnian, he had taken sides and believed Xu Qingnian.
On the contrary, the remaining five ministers arrived one after another.
The first to appear was Gu Yan, the Minister of Household, who was the quickest in pace and appeared in front of Prince Huaining in a flurry of fire.
“Greetings, Prince Huaining.”
Gu Yan opened his mouth and bowed towards Prince Huaining.
The latter only nodded, and did not utter a word in reply.
Seeing that the other party was silent, Gu Yan immediately walked up.
“Your Majesty, I’m afraid this is a misunderstanding, Xu Shouren is a proper Confucian, how could he possibly cultivate a different art, I suspect that this is someone deliberately trying to frame Xu Shouren.”
Gu Yan spoke up, he was the Minister of Household Affairs of the Great Wei, an official of the first rank, so he could be considered a minister of the highest rank, but he was still respectful in the face of Prince Huaining, the prince was the royal family, it had nothing to do with rank.
“Is it a misunderstanding, is there a false accusation, is it your turn to speak?”
However, Prince Huaining did not give Gu Yan any face, and a cold sentence was uttered, causing Gu Yan to fall silent.
Although he was of the first rank, he could not say anything directly in the face of this prince.
But at that moment, Chen Zhengru’s voice rang out.
“Your Majesty, I wonder if the old man’s words can be heard by Your Majesty?”
Chen Zhengru appeared.
He arrived as fast as he could, Prince Huaining’s voice resounded through half of Kyoto, and it was impossible for him to remain indifferent.
“Oh? So it is the prime minister who has arrived.”
“Lord Chen’s words, this king still needs to hear them.”
Prince Huaining spoke, his mouth looking somewhat respectful, but his face did not look half as respectful.
“Greetings, Prince Huaining.”
Chen Zhengru bowed towards the other party, then spoke directly, “Shouren is a scholar of Confucianism and is already a sixth-grade proper Confucian, furthermore, we great Confucian scholars have also seen Shouren’s Qi, if he cultivated a different art, we would have detected the difference long ago.”
“Therefore, I can a*sure you that Xu Shouren has never practiced any supernatural arts, otherwise, with the Great Wei Palace of Literature here, how would he dare to enter Kyoto?”
Chen Zhengru’s voice, enriched by Hao Rang Zheng Qi, also spread throughout Kyoto.
He was explaining for Xu Qingnian, after all, the matter of the supernatural arts was too involved, and no matter who it was, as long as it involved the supernatural arts, it was an extremely troublesome matter.
No matter who was involved, it would be an extremely troublesome matter.
Which of the six ministers is not a human being? Which of the powerful people of Wei are not smart? There is no need for a prince to come out and disgust Xu Qingnian, he must have some evidence, whether it is true or not is another story.
But if the prince dares to speak out, the truth is very great, otherwise there is no need to make such a big fuss, it can be investigated secretly.
To be direct, without any real evidence, he dared to directly find trouble with Xu Qingnian, others did not know, but Prince Huaining was certainly not this kind of person.
“Lord Chen, don’t you think it is because he has practiced Confucianism that he dares to appear in Great Wei Kyoto?”
“Lord Chen, you are a great Confucian of the Palace of Literature, so perhaps the king should not question you in this regard, but for true discernment, perhaps there is still something lacking.”
Prince Huaining said this, before his voice chilled a little.
“Lord Chen, this king still advises you, you are a great scholar of the Wen Gong, so it is best for you not to get involved in this matter, otherwise it will have a great impact on you.”
Prince Huining had spoken with some warning when he said this.
He was not threatening Chen Zhengru, but warning him that he already had evidence on hand, and evidence that could definitely make Xu Qingnian unable to explain himself.
It was also at this moment that the Minister of War also appeared, and he first bowed towards Prince Huaining, and then tried to squeeze out some smiles and said.
“Your Majesty, Xu Qingnian is a member of our Bing Family, there must be some misunderstanding here.”
The Minister of War stepped in, and his appearance also meant something different; several of the State Princes still didn’t quite believe that Xu Qingnian could cultivate foreign arts, so they had Zhou Yan step in, hoping that Prince Huai Ning would be able to rest and relax.
Only, Prince Huaining was not the least bit angry, instead he smiled.
“Hehehe …… It is really hard for this king to imagine that a mere Xu Qingnian can make the four Shang Shu be so biased.”
“Zhou Yan, this king asks you, is it possible for someone from the military family to cultivate a different art?”
Prince Huai Ning was full of cold intent, since he had come to the Ministry of Punishment, he wanted to eradicate Xu Qingnian completely.
Although he himself had become someone else’s pawn, so what? We all had the same goal and belonged to the temporary cooperation.
“Your Highness has spoken highly of you.”
Zhou Yan, the Minister of War, did not know how to reply for a moment, so he could only lower his head and say that he had spoken too highly.
Only Chen Zhengru’s voice immediately rang out.
“Your Majesty, the matter has not yet been investigated clearly, and you cannot bite the bullet and conclude that Shouren has cultivated a foreign art.”
Chen Zhengru reminded.
Prince Huaining’s bite of practicing the supernatural arts was, in the end, only a guess, and without absolute proof again, it was indeed a bit inappropriate.
“Then ask the Minister of Penalty, to step in and take over the case.”
“Minister Zhang, the king knows that you have a good relationship with Xu Qingnian, but as the Minister of Penalty, you should be even more impartial.”
“Shang Shu Zhang, are you still not going to show yourself?”
Prince Huai Ning spoke again, only this time, an extremely terrifying aura erupted from his body, a purple dragon shaped true qi hovering behind him for a hundred feet.
Prince Huaining was a martial artist of the fourth rank of great perfection.
A king in full completion.
Possessing extreme power, the purple dragon appeared and a monstrous aura flooded the entire Ministry of Punishment, everyone felt an unprecedented pressure, their legs trembled and they couldn’t help but kneel on the ground.
Prince Huaining had torn his face off.
The Minister of Justice was asked to take over the case.
Ministry of Justice.
Inside the Shang Shu Room.
When Zhang Jing felt this powerful pressure, he took a deep breath, followed by slowly getting up and pushing open the door of the room.
“This matter! It is absurd and nonsensical, this official is not subject to it.”
Zhang Jing’s voice rang out.
He did not want to take up this case, no matter if this matter was true or not, he could not do it to try this case.
Because no matter what the truth was in the end, Xu Qingnian would suffer an injustice.
A different art!
This was a taboo, a true taboo.
Whoever touches it will die.
Even if Xu Qingnian really did not practise the supernatural arts, he could not accept the case.
What’s more, he could guess that Xu Qingnian must have a secret that was not known to anyone.
Because the day before, when he left the palace with Xu Qingnian, he had not said anything and Xu Qingnian had not spoken either.
It was only logical that Xu Qingnian would have had a few words of small talk with himself, but Xu Qingnian was silent the whole time. From that moment on, he understood that Xu Qingnian had something on her mind that she had not said.
That was why he did not accept the case.
If Xu Qingnian had said a few words to himself that day, even if it was just a few idle words, he would not have had any suspicion about Xu Qingnian.
But now, it was not that he was suspicious, but that he did not dare to accept the case.
Xu Qingnian’s talent was obvious to all the officials in the court, how much good could such a talent bring to Great Wei?
The killing of the merchants and the opening of the government business, these two things alone have filled the treasury, which was incomparably empty.
How many people wanted to do this but did not dare to do it?
At first, he did hate Xu Qingnian, and even loathed him.
But Xu Qingnian used his talent to conquer himself, a truly great talent, a ray of light in the dark ages of Great Wei.
Even if this ray of light had its own darkness, he did not care; what he wanted was the prosperity of Great Wei and the well-being of the people.
Since then, he does not accept it!
Nor would he entertain it.
But the next moment, Prince Huaining’s voice rang out.
“Zhang Jing! Do you know your crime?”
“As the Minister of Justice, you refuse to accept the case, which is a great crime.
“The King will give you a chance to take this case and nothing else, otherwise, the King will impeach you, and if you can still hold on to the position of Minister, then the King is incompetent.”
Prince Huaining shouted, his aura becoming even stronger as he took a step forward, pressing all the buildings in the Ministry of Penalty to tremble again.
He had already spoken to this extent, and if Zhang Jing did not accept the case, this position of Shang Shu, too, would come to an end.
However, outside of the Ministry of Justice’s Shang Shu room, even in the face of such pressure, Zhang Jing was still expressionless.
He looked at the blue sky.
He let out a deep sigh.
“King Huai Ning.”
“This official will tell you today, you are in the Ministry of Punishment, so reckless, using the power of martial dao to oppress my Ministry of Punishment, you have also broken the law.”
“As for this case, if I say I will not take it, I will not take it.”
“Today, even if His Majesty were to come in person, I would not accept this case.”
“If King Huai Ning wants to impeach this official, then this official will tell you now.”
“I, Zhang, am voluntarily resigning from the post of Minister of Penalties of Great Wei today.”
Zhang Jing’s voice was also unusually loud.
At this moment, a powerful force coalesced up and down the Ministry of Punishment, the power of the Great Wei’s national luck, evolving into a white tiger beast that roared towards the Purple Dragon.
The aura was completely crushing.
The Ministry of Punishment!
It was one of the six ministries of Great Wei and possessed the Great Wei National Luck, Prince Huai Ning was using his power to oppress others, yet Zhang Jing mobilised the Great Wei National Luck and fought against it.
“You!”
“Good! Good! Bravo!”
“The King did not expect that this Xu Qingnian would have such a great charm that he could make you, the Minister of Penalties, resign voluntarily.”
“But do you really think that if you don’t accept this case, it will be fine?”
Prince Huai Ning took a step forward, he had no fear of this White Tiger of the Ministry of Penalty, he was a king who also possessed a portion of the national fortune added to him, both the king of Great Wei and the king of the martial dao.
He stepped forward, his steps trembling but each one seemingly murderous.
“Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty, you can speak slowly if you have something to say.”
“Your Majesty, there is still room for this matter, there is no need to go this far.”
The three Gu Yan spoke at the same moment, they did not want the situation to be so stagnant and wanted to persuade.
“Shut up!”
However, a roar from Prince Huai Ning rang out, causing the three Shang Shu in the town’s Qi and blood to tumble and their heads to spin.
Even Chen Zhengru could not help but run his Hao Ran Zheng Qi at first to stabilise the pressure. Zhou Yan was lucky that he was originally a Minister of War and naturally practised martial arts, but the worst was Gu Yan, who coughed up blood and turned red at first.
Luckily, Zhou Yan gathered his true qi and punched it into Gu Yan’s body to help him stabilise his qi and blood, otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
He took one step at a time.
There was no longer any desire to waste words.
Among the Ministry of Punishment, everyone looked at Prince Huaining, they were afraid and scared, but there was anger in their eyes.
Prince Huaining was too arrogant, ignoring the Ministry of Punishment, and even more so, he directly seriously injured the Great Wei Shang Shu, which …… It was completely lawless.
Compared to the Huai Ping County King, the Prince of Huai Ning’s arrogance was even more detestable.
Outside the Shang Shu room.
Zhang Jing was not the least bit afraid, he looked at Prince Huaining who was walking step by step, and there was only calmness in his eyes.
He was the Minister of Penalty of Great Wei, a first-ranking official of Great Wei, in charge of penalties, how could he possibly be overwhelmed by his aura?
Finally, Prince Huai Ning came in front of Zhang Jing.
He did not make a move, but his eyes calmly said.
“Minister Zhang, this king is giving you one last chance, this case, will you take it, or not?”
Prince Huaining looked at Zhang Jing and asked this.
“The case is absurd and nonsensical, I will not accept it.”
However, Zhang Jing just glanced at Prince Huaining and said his thoughts without hesitation.
“Good.”
“Good, Minister Zhang really has a backbone, but unfortunately, this time you are destined to regret it.”
Prince Huai Ping spoke out, and instead of anger, he revealed an indescribable dissimulation.
But the next moment, he directly struck out, wanting to capture Zhang Jing.
Just at that moment, a voice rang out.
“King Huai Ning.”
“If you dare to touch Shang Shu Zhang a bit.”
“Even if I, Xu, pay a great price today, even if it is my life, I will ask the Holy Will again to put an end to your thieving heart.”
A calm voice rang out.
But in this voice, there was an unmistakable determination.
It was Xu Qingnian.
He had appeared.
In fact, he had heard the Prince of Huaining’s complaint against himself long ago.
It was just that Xu Qingnian had done a few things and was a little delayed.
But fortunately, he had come in time and hadn’t made any big mistakes.
However, when Xu Qingnian came to the Ministry of Punishment, the three Shang Shu strongly pulled Xu Qingnian back, although they did not know whether Xu Qingnian had cultivated foreign arts or not.
But Xu Qingnian could not wade into this muddy water, especially since Zhang Jing was clearly harbouring Xu Qingnian, which made them understand that there must be something wrong here.
But the three Shang Shu could not stop Xu Qingnian.
And Xu Qingnian wouldn’t let the three Shang Shu stop him either.
He did not want Zhang Jing to get hurt or resign because of himself.
Xu Qingnian wanted to solve the matter himself.
In the Ministry of Justice.
Zhang Jing looked at Xu Qingnian who appeared, his eyes were extremely complicated, he did not want Xu Qingnian to appear either.
But when Xu Qingnian appeared, his heart was still filled with excitement, not because of any other reason, but because since Xu Qingnian dared to appear, it proved that Xu Qingnian did not practise foreign arts.
This was what he thought.
As for Prince Huai Ning.
When he heard Xu Qingnian’s voice like this, he did not get any angry, nor did he appear angry.
As long as Xu Qingnian appeared, he would be satisfied.
Only, before he could say anything.
A voice then rang out.
“His Majesty has an order!”
“Declare, Xu Qingnian, Prince Huaining, and all the hundred officials to enter the court to examine the case of the foreign arts.”
The eunuch’s voice rang out.
This holy decree often appeared at the most crucial moment, no more and no less.
And as this voice rang out, Prince Huaining did not say a word as he pinned his walking stick and walked towards the palace, and as he was leaving, he glanced at Xu Qingnian, without any expression, just very calm.
A calmness that was hard to describe.
Prince Huining was gone.
Several Shang Shu also came to the Ministry of Penalty at the first opportunity.
They looked at Xu Qingnian, their eyes were all a little complicated.
“Shouren, what exactly happened?”
Chen Zhengru was the first to speak up, and the first thing he did was to use his Confucian divine power to watch Xu Qingnian, but he found that Xu Qingnian did not have a single aura of foreign arts all over his body.
“Shouren, tell us whether or not you cultivate the supernatural arts.”
Gu Yan, on the other hand, was a little concerned and even took the initiative to ask Xu Qingnian if he had practised the supernatural arts.
But while others could not say this, he could, because in his eyes, Xu Qingnian was too important, so what if she practiced the supernatural arts?
He would take his life to protect Xu Qingnian.
The three Shang Shu all looked at Xu Qingnian somewhat anxiously, while Xu Qingnian shook his head and said, “Three lords, His Majesty has summoned.”
He opened his mouth, not bothering to explain, but reminding the three to go to the palace.
Once this was said, the three of them looked at me, and I looked at you.
“Shouren, you come in with me, three lords, you go to the palace first.”
At this moment, Zhang Jing spoke up.
He headed towards having a chat with Xu Qingnian alone for a while.
The three Shang Shu also calmed down at that moment, they nodded and then excused themselves first.
Zhang Jing, on the other hand, walked into the room alone.
Xu Qingnian followed him.
His face was calm as he closed the door to the room behind him.
The two of them were silent.
Xu Qingnian did not speak, and Zhang Jing did not initiate a word either. The two were quiet for a long time.
Finally, Zhang Jing moved.
He lifted his pen, stained it with ink, and then danced on the white paper.
After a while, he slowly put down his pen, not saying a word the whole time. After he had put down his pen, he turned around and patted Xu Qingnian’s shoulder.
He didn’t say anything more and left straight away.
Inside the room.
Xu Qingnian looked at the white paper on the table.
And there was also a sentence written on the white paper.
[Don’t do anything for the sake of good, don’t do anything for the sake of evil]
At this moment, Xu Qingnian understood Zhang Jing’s thoughts, he wanted to protect himself with all his might, while this sentence was full of several meanings.
Inside the room.
Xu Qingnian sat quietly.
He knew that the matter of the supernatural arts would be exposed, but what he did not expect was that it would be like this.
Inexplicably, Xu Qingnian was actually a little helpless.
Learning the supernatural arts was to save himself.
From a dead end to a broken end.
If he were given the choice again, Xu Qingnian would still choose to practise the supernatural arts.
The only thing I didn’t expect was that after everything, in just half a year’s time, I would be able to come this far.
He has become a new star in the court of Great Wei, and every move he makes attracts the attention of all of us in Great Wei.
Slightly, there is a bit of fate.
Right now, if one went to the imperial palace, one would face more than just questioning and scrutiny.
There would also be heart refinement.
There would inevitably be many who would choose to help themselves, and many who would choose to fall on their sword.
But no matter what the outcome was, in the end Xu Qingnian did not want to drag others into it.
In fact, in the end, there was still one reason: Xu Qingnian did not know whether the magic could be completely resolved or not, and if it could, everything would be fine.
But if not, then he would indeed be a disaster, and once he broke out, no one would be able to suppress it.
At the rate he was going, it was highly likely that he would step into the third rank, or even the second rank, and there was also a definite possibility that he would become a first rank martial artist.
A first-grade martial artist who becomes a demon.
What kind of calamity would be created? This was something Xu Qingnian did not dare to think about, and once he thought about it deeply, it was hard to imagine.
“If I become a saint, I will be able to solve the scourge of the supernatural arts.”
It was also at this moment that a belief came to Xu Qingnian’s mind.
The pagan arts might indeed be troublesome.
But if I could become a saint, I would be able to solve the scourge of the supernatural arts.
Moreover, it was not intentional for him to practise the supernatural arts, but to survive, which was a common human condition.
If one day, he is really unable to resist the demonic seeds of the supernatural arts, he will not drag anyone down.
Thinking of this, Xu Qingnian turned around and walked towards the capital of Great Wei.
He walked out of the Hall of the Ministry of Punishment.
The people had already gathered in the various streets to discuss the matter.
When the people saw Xu Qingnian’s figure, all sorts of solidarity rang out for a moment.
“Lord Xu, we believe you, you definitely did not cultivate a foreign art.”
“Lord Xu, you are dedicated to the people, we all see it in our eyes, we won’t listen to other people’s nonsense.”
“No matter what, what you have done, Lord Xu, is fresh in our minds, don’t worry, we will support you.”
The solidarity of the people kept ringing out.
They supported Xu Qingnian and believed in him unconditionally.
These words made Xu Qingnian a little frightened, but he still gently made a slight salute towards the crowd, and then walked quickly towards the imperial palace.
Great Wei Imperial Palace.
In the main hall.
The civil and military officials were all gathered.
Prince Huining stood at the main seat, his face expressionless.
The six ministers looked different, and the military officials all looked preoccupied.
There were obviously many more people in the courtroom today, and some of the retainers were unable to enter the hall and could only stand outside.
Four great scholars have come to the Palace of Literature.
Sun Jing’an, Chen Xin, Zhou Min, and Yan Lei.
Unlike them, Chen Xin and Zhou Min looked a little different, with things hidden in their eyes.
Sun Jing’an and Yan Lei, on the other hand, were inexplicably calm, waiting quietly for Xu Qingnian to arrive.
The courtroom seemed incomparably quiet.
The empress sat on the dragon chair.
Everyone knew that something big was about to happen today.
The Prince of Huaining had accused Xu Qingnian of practising a different art, and the fact that he could get a Prince to come forward personally was proof that he had absolute proof.
If Xu Qingnian really practiced the supernatural arts, it would not only be a disgrace to Great Wei, but more importantly, the situation would change.
Everything Xu Qingnian has done has revived Great Wei, and step by step, he has helped it to prosper.
Among the court, the six ministries and the military officials, no one except some of the great scholars in the Palace of Literature wanted Xu Qingnian to practise the foreign arts.
But for the moment, the scales are not tipped in Xu Qingnian’s favour.
Once Xu Qingnian was found to be a practitioner of the supernatural arts, it would be a shocking problem.
If they killed him, Wei would lose its chance to turn around.
If not, then Wei would be an enemy of the world.
No one would tolerate a person who practiced the supernatural arts to live, especially if that person was also the Minister of Household Affairs of the Great Wei.
At this moment, everyone was torn.
The officials of the six ministries, the military officials, and even some of the great scholars of the Palace of Literature were also torn.
It was also at this moment.
A figure slowly appeared.
“I! Xu Qingnian, pay my respects to His Majesty, may my emperor live long and prosper.”
Xu Qingnian’s voice was incomparably loud.
He stepped into the great hall and bowed towards the empress.
“Aiqing Xu, please excuse yourself.”
When Xu Qingnian appeared, the court full of civil servants could not help but look at Xu Qingnian.
Even the empress could not help but turn her gaze towards Xu Qingnian.
It was just that they did not wait for the crowd to think about anything more.
Prince Huaining spoke up.
“Your Majesty.”
“A secret report has come to report that Xu Qingnian, the minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs of Great Wei, is practicing a different art and is a member of the devil’s path, which is unforgivable.”
“At the same time, the Minister of Penalty, Zhang Jing, has refused to take up the case, which is against the laws of Great Wei, I also request Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the Minister of Penalty, Zhang Jing, to show the world.”
Prince Huaining spoke out, not giving any room for the ministers, and at the same time impeached the Minister of Penalties, Zhang Jing, with a book.
Once these words were spoken.
Zhang Jing’s voice also rang out.
“Your Majesty!”
“The Prince of Huaining planted evidence against our Great Wei official Xu Qingnian due to the pain of losing his son, and I did not accept the case because I believed Xu Qingnian.”
“If Xu Qingnian really cultivated the foreign arts, I am willing to suffer the punishment of imprisonment.”
Zhang Jing stood out directly, he had no fear of Prince Huaining, and even more so, he did not hesitate to support Xu Qingnian.
“Ridiculous!”
However Prince Huai Ning spoke coldly as he looked at Zhang Jing.
“If this king really deliberately planted evidence against Xu Qingnian, there are a thousand ways to do so.”
“Furthermore, this king has the complete dossier in his hands, which is enough to prove that Xu Qingnian had practiced the foreign arts.”
Prince Huai Ning spoke out.
“Present the dossier.”
It was also at this moment that the empress slowly spoke, as she wanted to review the scroll.
But a voice suddenly rang out.
“Your Majesty, this matter concerns the innocence of Servant Xu, and I, for my part, have already had the Heaven Casting Mirror fetched from the Palace of Literature, so I hope that Your Majesty will grant permission to open the Mirror and allow the people of Kyoto to view it.”
“Under the hearts of the people, the eyes of the people are like torch fire, they will not wrong Squire Xu, nor will they wrong a good man.”
It was Sun Jing’an’s voice.
He stepped out from the right and bowed towards the empress before offering this opinion.
However, when he finished saying this, the court full of scholars could not help but frown, even if they were also great scholars, Chen Zhengru, Zhou Min and Chen Xin could not help but frown.
The Heaven Casting Mirror was a treasure that could cast scenes to the outside world, and generally speaking, it would only be cast out for some extremely solemn events.
For example, if the Northern Expedition declared war, or if there was something extremely important, this kind of thing would be used.
Sun Jing’an’s act is actually to make Xu Qingnian lose his reputation.
If Xu Qingnian really practiced a different art and the people of the world knew about it, then no one would be able to save Xu Qingnian at all.
But if Xu Qingnian hadn’t practiced the supernatural arts, then it would have put an end to some of the gossip.
It was just that now it was obvious that there was some disadvantage to Xu Qingnian, and Sun Jing’an was taking the initiative to speak up, just to make Xu Qingnian lose his reputation ah.
“Your Majesty, I, think not.”
“Your Majesty, I, disagree.”
“Your Majesty, this matter has not yet been thoroughly investigated, so using the Heaven Casting Mirror is a bit too much.”
It was almost the same moment.
Chen Zhengru, the Minister of Officials, Gu Yan, the Minister of Household Affairs, and Zhou Yan, the Minister of War, spoke up in unison, rejecting this proposal.
But at the next moment, Yan Lei’s voice could not help but ring out.
“Why not?”
“Hasn’t he, Xu Qingnian, always claimed to be impartial? Since he has no shame in his heart, then why does he not dare to activate the casting of the Heavenly Mirror.”
“With these words, are the three Shang Shu worried again that if they really find out something, they won’t be able to explain it to the world?”
Yan Lei’s voice rang out.
He stepped out from the left side without looking at Xu Qingnian and bowed towards the empress, while speaking sharply.
“Yan Ru, this matter has not yet reached this level, and it is only not good to invite to cast the mirror of heaven.”
Chen Zhengru spoke out, as he was the Prime Minister of Great Wei and a great Confucian of the Palace of Literature, he was qualified to refute.
“To what extent has it not yet reached? Do we have to wait until after Xu Qingnian has become a demon before we invite?”
“Your Majesty, I feel that what Sun Ru said is good, and what Yan Ru said is also fine, so why should we be afraid if we have a clear conscience?”
Prince Huaining also followed suit and spoke.
The three of them were aggressive in their attack.
However, on the dragon chair, the empress gave her answer.
“In this matter, nothing has come of it yet, not even a basis to cast the Heavenly Mirror.”
The Empress spoke, and she chose to favour Xu Qingnian by not allowing the Heaven Casting Mirror.
“Please think twice, Your Majesty.”
Prince Huaining spoke out.
His tone was calm, only this calmness carried an inexplicable emotion in it.
He was not negotiating with the empress, but a kind of coercion, as the empress had broken the rules.
For a moment, the courtroom seemed unusually quiet.
However, just at that moment, Xu Qingnian’s voice rang out.
“I, for one, agree with what Sun Jing’an has said.”
Xu Qingnian spoke, he agreed to open the Heaven Casting Mirror, but no longer had any hint of respect for Sun Jing’an.
He called him by his first name.
Sun Jing’an frowned and wanted to reprimand, but when he thought of what had happened to Xu Qingnian, he did not say anything more, for there was no need to waste words on a man who was about to die.
Inside the main hall, the empress did not agree, but merely pondered again.
After a while, the empress spoke.
“Kai cast the Heavenly Mirror.”
Everyone understood that Prince Huai Ning, Sun Jing’an, including Yan Lei, they wanted to eradicate Xu Qingnian completely.
If they did not agree to this request, they were only afraid that the three of them would definitely not be willing to give up.
Therefore, they could only agree.
In the next moment, outside the Great Hall, a mirror shot out a light that shone in the middle of the Hall, and soon the light dissipated, while a picture of the inner court appeared in the sky above the capital of Great Wei.
The civil and military officials, everyone’s every move, except for the empress, could be seen clearly.
“The Heaven Casting Mirror has been opened, the scrolls are presented.”
The empress spoke, a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice.
“Please understand, Your Majesty.”
Prince Huaining presented the scroll instead.
At that moment, Zhao Wan’er took the dossier and presented it to the Empress.
The empress looked at it.
At the same time, Prince Huaining spoke up.
“Your Majesty, half a year ago, Xu Qingnian was an ordinary magistrate in Ping’an County, South Yu Province, who was injured by the fugitive Wu Yan of South Yu Province with a strange technique when he found him, and the cold energy entered his body, so he could not live beyond twelve hours.”
“However, on that day, Xu Qingnian suddenly disappeared and visited Zhao Ping, the governor of Ping’an County, and the following day at noon, Xu Qingnian suddenly appeared in the case file library of Ping’an County.”
“According to my spies, there was a special technique in the archives of Ping’an County, called the Golden Crow Body Tempering Technique, and the cold poison Xu Qingnian was suffering from urgently needed this special technique to save himself.”
“Two hours later, the fugitive Wu Yan showed up at the Ping’an County Archives and killed all the guards, but only Xu Qingnian was spared, and Xu Qingnian was able to force the cold poison out of her body.”
“And entered the grade overnight.”
“Lord Xu, can you explain to me how you forced out the cold poison and how you were able to enter the grade overnight?”
Prince Huai Ning spelled out all the details.
Just what he said was enough to make everyone present change their expressions.
To be stricken with cold poison and not be able to live for more than twelve hours, and then suddenly be cured and enter the rank overnight, this was indeed something that only a foreign art could solve, otherwise, how could it be solved?
However, in the face of what Prince Huaining said, Xu Qingnian said with a calm face.
“Your Majesty.”
“That day in the middle of the case library, Mister Xu was indeed suffering from cold poison and was indeed in danger, however, Wu Yan appeared and seized the foreign art, and he cultivated it in front of the lower official.”
“I was unable to move due to the cold poison, but I eventually gathered my last breath and struck at him, but I was a little out of my depth and was struck back by Wu Yan.”
“I just didn’t expect that Wu Yan used a different internal energy and struck into my humble servant’s body, which happened to force out the cold poison and also happened to allow my humble servant to break through the martial arts realm, so he entered the rank overnight.”
Xu Qingnian was still saying this.
Because this set of words was the most perfect.
If he explained anything else, it would be easy for people to find out.
“Hehe, good one that happens to force out the cold poison, good one that also happens to break through, Lord Xu, do you not think that this king is a fool?”
Prince Huai Ning opened his mouth and asked.
“Your Majesty doesn’t believe me, there is nothing I can do about it.”
Xu Qingnian was also very calm, just taking this argument and making him admit his guilt was this possible?
“Yes, there is nothing wrong with Lord Xu’s words.”
“In that case, Your Majesty, the King has brought witnesses, can they be declared into the main hall?”
Prince Huining opened his mouth to declare the witnesses.
“Declare.”
Without any hesitation, the empress spoke directly, as there were witnesses, they had to be proclaimed into the hall, especially now that the people could see and hear every move.
If she hesitated, she would be harming Xu Qingnian and giving people a sense of partiality.
Now one cannot go and take sides with Xu Qingnian, whoever helps Xu Qingnian is actually harming Xu Qingnian.
“His Majesty has decreed that human witnesses be declared.”
Outside the hall, the eunuch’s voice rang out.
About half a quarter of an hour later.
A human figure walked into the main hall.
“I, Cheng Lidong, bow to Your Majesty, long live my emperor.”
It was the figure of Cheng Lidong.
He knelt in front of the Empress and kowtowed heavily.
However, the Empress did not have a single look on her face, she just looked at Cheng Lidong calmly.
“Your Majesty, this man’s name is Cheng Lidong, he is the head constable of the Southern Yu Prefecture and was initially ordered by the Southern Yu Prefecture ruler to go to Ping’an County to track down the whereabouts of the fugitive Wu Yan.”
“He knows this matter best.”
Prince Huaining spoke out, while Cheng Lidong immediately followed suit.
“Your Majesty!”
“Six months ago, the gra*sroots went to Ping’an County to track down the fugitive Wu Yan, who came and went without a trace, and last appeared and disappeared from the casework library.”
“I noticed something strange about Lord Xu at that time, but did not think much of it, but it was not until the last moment that Wu Yan suddenly attacked and killed the gra*sroots.”
“He was not as strong as me, so he had a chance to escape to the mountains, and although his chances of survival were not good, it was better than attacking and killing me.”
“It was not until later that I suddenly realised that Wu Yan’s sudden attack was not because he wanted to kill me, but because he wanted to help Xu Qingnian to cover his ears.”
“Because Wu Yan was a disciple of the White Cloth Sect, he had important letters on him that he needed to deliver to the White Cloth Sect, so he could never take the risk.”
“After entering the Southern Yu Province, Lord Xu not only cultivated his martial arts extremely quickly, but also entered the Realm of Bright Ideas in just a few months, so I dare to question that Lord Xu not only cultivates foreign arts, but also colludes with the White Cloth Sect.”
Cheng Lidong told the whole story, and even told about the White Cloth Sect.
Sure enough, once this was said, the court once again turned a little pale.
Now, it was not just the foreign arts, but even the White Cloth Sect was involved.
This is really an additional crime.
If Xu Qingnian really sat on these two charges, even if the empress of Wei wanted to protect Xu Qingnian, it would be impossible.
“Xu Aiqing, is what Cheng Lidong said true?”
But the empress still asked calmly.
Her gaze fell on Xu Qingnian.
“Your Majesty, I do not agree.”
“The fugitive Wu Yan, who was seriously injured, obtained a new foreign art in the case library, and knew that he would die even if he fled again, so it is not impossible for him to fight for his life with Cheng Lidong before he dies.”
“As for this Cheng Lidong, he repeatedly came to me, thinking that I had obtained something and offering to cooperate with me, but he was repeatedly rejected by me, and even came to Shouren Academy to discuss with me.”
“This is something that not only my subordinates, but even some neighbours in the neighbourhood can also testify to.”
Xu Qingnian stood with his hands folded, he was not the least bit afraid of Cheng Lidong’s human evidence.
After all was said and done, it was still one point.
Produce real evidence!
Is it useful just to talk?
Sure enough, once this was said, the Empress’ gaze revealed a chilling intent and fell on Cheng Lidong.
And the latter’s body shivered a little, this was the emperor’s might, but instead of being afraid, he still wanted to explain something.
It was also at this moment that Cheng Lidong’s face could not help but change.
And the three great Confucians, Chen Zhengru, Zhou Min and Chen Xin, could not help but frown.
“This person has cultivated a foreign art!”
In the next moment, Chen Zhengru spoke up as he gazed at Cheng Lidong, his gaze coalescing with a vast and righteous aura.
Ever since Cheng Lidong had appeared, he had felt something odd, but could not see what was odd about it.
Just then, something was missing around Cheng Lidong, and he could see clearly what was odd about Cheng Lidong.
A wisp of black Qi spread from Cheng Lidong’s abdomen.
His pupils narrowed and his body continued to tremble, and his gaze looked at Sun Jing’an and the others at the first moment.
“How dare you!”
“How dare you cultivate a foreign art.”
Sun Jing’an’s voice sounded out abruptly, a voice of Hao Rang Qi.
In an instant, the black Qi on Cheng Lidong’s body completely filled the air, and he rolled on the ground, letting out a low hissing sound, while the look in his gaze instantly disappeared.
“Hiss hiss!”
A bizarre sound rang out.
Less than ten breaths before and after.
A living man, shrouded in black qi, unexpectedly grew a body full of fine scales, and his legs merged together and evolved into the body of a snake.
This!
It was the transformation of the supernatural arts!
Inside the main hall.
Xu Qingnian’s complexion changed instantly.
It wasn’t because of the Alteration of Magic outburst.
Rather, he finally understood the function of Cheng Lidong’s pawn.
To allow him to cultivate the supernatural arts and then make him manifest in the imperial court, thus allowing for the awakening of the demonic seed within himself.
The reason why he understood instantly.
It was because Xu Qingnian had discovered that the demon seed inside him was indeed beginning to stir.
This was a really vicious tactic.
