The Seventh Prince was covered in blood and filth, looking utterly wretched. His venomous gaze swept back and forth across the Golden Throne Hall, trying to find the answer he wanted in the ministers' eyes.
Then his gaze met a pair of eyes that seemed to mock him.
It was him...
How could it be him?
The Seventh Prince's eyes widened. He spat out another two mouthfuls of blood, dirtying the floor of the Golden Throne Hall. Bound by their duty as subjects, many ministers did not dare move, but the expressions of those closest to him shifted repeatedly.
"Father, I truly know I was wrong. Please don't banish me from the Capital City, Father..."
"No, Father! Someone must be framing me. Would you rather believe an outsider than your own son?"
Seeing that pleading had failed, the Seventh Prince changed tactics and tried to press his case. "Father, haven't you watched me grow up all these years?"
"If I truly dared to do something so outrageous, I would be the first to condemn myself."
Some people had spent so long lording it over others that they no longer thought before speaking.
Shen Yangge stated plainly, "If Your Majesty doubts this, you may have someone verify the handwriting on the letters yourself. I believe Your Majesty will surely uncover the truth and give the people justice."
He spoke neither meekly nor arrogantly, pressing forward while leaving room to retreat. He could not have been more different from the Seventh Prince, who was kneeling on the floor and knocking his head against it with loud thuds, or from the "fool" who had openly insulted the Crown Prince a few months earlier.
The ministers were astonished. Was this still that "idiotic" little prodigy of the Capital City?
Why did he seem less