"As for you, guards!" Qian Wei's expression was icy as she said coldly, "Strip off his official robes!"
"Lord Qian, this subordinate has spent twenty years freezing over books..." Liu Shiquan trembled, looking up with a plea. It had not been easy for him to pass the Imperial Examinations and become a Presented Scholar after twenty years of study. How could they strip him of his official robes before he was even tried?
If his official robes were not stripped, he was still an "official who had committed a crime." Once stripped, he would be nothing more than a commoner. The difference, even within a prison, was vast.
Yet the moment he spoke those words, Liu Shiquan stopped himself, for the thought of Wang Jinzhong's recent words rushed in, and cold sweat broke out all over him.
Matters touching upon the inner palace could no longer be spoken of, nor could they be defended. Any further retort or explanation from him would likely not only be useless, but bring down a great disaster.
It was all because that lowly eunuch Wang Jinzhong had actually bitten at Ma Shunde right in the courtroom, and even intended to bite higher than Ma Shunde. And who was above him? If they followed the vine and dug further up, it would be an earth-shattering affair!
Let it be, thought Liu Shiquan with a pale face. Dying was the end of it; it was a settled matter and could no longer be changed. If he implicated his family besides and brought guilt upon his kin, he would be a sinner to his lineage!
Having figured this out, Liu Shiquan struggled no more.
Seeing that Liu Shiquan stopped struggling, Qian Wei stared at the prisoner and instead revealed a trace of warmth. She waved her hand