"As for you, guards!" Qian Wei's expression grew icy cold as she said coldly, "Strip off his official robes!"
"Lord Qian, this subordinate has spent twenty years studying by the cold window..." Liu Shiquan trembled, his lips moving as he pleaded with his eyes. It was not easy for him to pass the imperial examinations and become a presented scholar after twenty years of study; how could they strip away his official robes directly before even trying the case?
If he did not have his official robes stripped, he was still an "offending official"; once stripped, he would be reduced to a commoner. The difference was vast, even inside a prison.
Yet as soon as he spoke those words, Liu Shiquan stopped himself, because the memory of what Wang Jinzhong had said earlier rushed over him and cold sweat broke out.
Matters involving the Inner Palace could no longer be spoken of, nor could they be defended against. Any further retort or justification from him would likely not only be useless, but bring catastrophic disaster upon his head.
It was simply because that base eunuch Wang Jinzhong had actually dared to bite at Ma Shunde right there in the courtroom, and even intended to bite at whoever stood above Ma Shunde. And who else was above him? If they followed the vine to track down the roots, it would be an unimaginable calamity!
Let it end here, Liu Shiquan thought with a pale face. If I die, so be it; it is already settled and cannot be changed. But if I implicate my family and bring disgrace upon my kin, I will become a sinner against my lineage!
Having figured this out, Liu Shiquan stopped struggling.
Seeing that Liu Shiquan had stopped struggling, Qian Wei stared at the prisoner and