When the Prefect of Xiyuan sat down behind the Court Desk, traces of sleepiness still lingered at the corners of his eyes.
He glanced at the sky outside the court, which had only just begun to brighten, then turned his gaze back to the people standing below. For a moment, he had no idea how to begin.
Holding court at this hour was rare enough, never mind under such... indescribable circumstances.
Several broad-shouldered, thick-waisted men who looked decidedly dangerous occupied one corner of the courtroom with miserable expressions. Every one of them sported bruises, making it painfully obvious that they had just been beaten.
The case seemed easy enough to handle, but...
The Prefect of Xiyuan shifted his gaze to the other side.
Three little ones stood on the opposite side of the courtroom, all wearing the smug satisfaction of having just won a battle. The youngest-looking girl even glared fiercely back the instant one of the men opposite looked her way-
Yet the way she strained to widen her eyes was not fierce in the slightest. If anything, it had a certain childish charm.
For a moment, the Prefect of Xiyuan seriously suspected that he was still asleep, and that his memories of the County Adviser hauling him out of bed in a whirlwind and his hurried washing and dressing were merely scenes from a dream.
The courtroom remained eerily silent for quite some time before Chu Zian, the Prefect of Xiyuan, finally spoke in a strained voice.
"Who reported the case?"
Wu Leyong stepped respectfully out from behind the little girl, offered a formal greeting under Wang Qizhi's glare, and presented his account-
"Your Honor," he said, pointing at Wang Qizhi across from him, "this man had a minor verbal dispute with us during the day, then brought