The Crown Prince rose and paced over to Teng Zijing. "Guo Baokun testified that his attacker last night repeatedly demanded to know the whereabouts of Teng Zijing's family.
"Teng Zijing was a member of the Overwatch Council. After the assassination attempt in Danzhou, Fan Xian reported that he had killed him with his own hands.
"I found that rather strange. Who would care so much about the family of a 'dead man'? So I investigated, and what do you know? It became even more interesting! Look who I found-this supposedly stone-dead Teng Zijing!"
Below the bench, Teng Zijing kept his eyes closed and said nothing.
After Fan Xian had been taken away, he had quietly followed, only to be watched the moment he left Count Sinan's Residence. He had not expected to be their target, and a moment's carelessness had allowed them to ambush him.
The Second Prince rose as well. "Then the truth is clear. This man was the attacker last night."
The Crown Prince shook his head. "That isn't the point. Fan Xian submitted a report saying this man had been executed. Do you know where I captured him? Outside Count Sinan's Residence! As far as I know, he has been constantly at Fan Xian's side ever since Fan Xian entered the Capital, parading openly through the streets. Hongcheng, have you seen him before?"
Li Hongcheng glanced at Teng Zijing and nodded. "I have."
The Second Prince's brows drew tighter, and he fell silent.
The Crown Prince chuckled and slowly paced through the courtroom. "Now that makes things even more interesting. The Overwatch Council serves as His Majesty's eyes and ears, a powerful instrument of the state.
"Yet our Young Master Fan dared to falsely report this man's death and appropriate a member of the Overwatch Council for his own use... What would you call that?" He returned to his seat and settled leisurely into it, his gaze shooting toward Fan Xian like lightning. "Setting everything else aside, Fan Xian, this is... deceiving the emperor!"
The words "deceiving the emperor" struck like a boulder hurled into a lake, sending waves through the silent courtroom. Everyone instinctively held their breath. Fan Xian's heart sank.
Teng Zijing abruptly opened his eyes and said gravely, "I forced Fan Xian to comply at knifepoint. This has nothing to do with him!"
"Oh? Nothing to do with him?" The Crown Prince sneered. "Then who does it concern? While investigating your family, I discovered another curious matter. They were taken into Prince Cheng's Residence! If deceiving the emperor has nothing to do with Fan Xian, could it possibly... have something to do with Prince Cheng?"
At those words, the Second Prince's eyelids lifted slightly. He had not expected Teng Zijing to be connected to his third brother as well.
Teng Zijing was also taken aback. He had not expected the Crown Prince to turn his attack toward Zhou Cheng.
For Fan Xian, he could risk everything and take the blame. But for Prince Cheng...
"Not willing to confess?" The Crown Prince glanced at Teng Zijing, then turned to Mei Zhili.
Mei Zhili took the hint and immediately barked, "Guards! Begin the punishment!"
Two bailiffs stepped forward with heavy punishment rods. Just as they were about to act-
"Stop!"
Another sharp shout came from the courtroom entrance.
Chen Quan appeared in the doorway, carrying a small wine jar in one hand. After shouting, he stepped aside.
Dressed in ordinary indigo robes, Zhou Cheng strolled into the courtroom with his hands tucked into his sleeves and a lazy gait.
Mei Zhili and the others felt their scalps prickle. At this rate, the princes would wear out the threshold of the Capital Prefecture courtroom today. They could only bow once more.
Zhou Cheng casually swept his gaze over everyone. Si Lili hastily turned her face aside, hiding it behind her loose hair.
"Well, well! What wind has blown all of us brothers into the Capital Prefecture today? What a rare gathering." The Crown Prince rose, all smiles. "What brings you here, Third Brother?"
Zhou Cheng smiled sheepishly and rubbed his nose. "It's rather embarrassing. I heard that Si Lili from the Drunken Immortal Residence had committed an offense and been brought here. Last night, that woman... Well, she made me lose face. I'm a petty man, so I thought I'd come watch her being punished, vent my anger, and enjoy the spectacle while I was at it. Then, just outside the door, I vaguely heard someone mention my name. So I decided to come straight in and take a look."
"Si Lili? The Top Courtesan who turned you away, Third Brother?" Feigning surprise, the Crown Prince strode over to Si Lili and looked down at her pale but still exquisite profile. "I was wondering why her name sounded familiar. So it really is you!"
He turned toward Zhou Cheng, his tone peculiar. "You have excellent taste, Third Brother! She truly is lovely enough to stir anyone's pity, and her beauty is exceptional. It's just a shame..."
He ended with a pointed click of his tongue.
Si Lili lowered her head and bit hard into her lower lip. The pain in all ten fingers and the humiliation of that moment made her tremble slightly.
Zhou Cheng smiled unconcernedly. "Si Lili is indeed beautiful, but she still falls a little short of the Crown Prince's 'woman in the painting.' A shame in that case, too..."
He clicked his tongue as well.
[Negative emotions from Li Chengqian +233!]
The Crown Prince's face instantly darkened.
He had believed his portraits of Li Yunrui were a secret known only to himself and Li Yunrui.
Zhou Cheng had used them to needle him once before. Afterward, he had questioned Li Yunrui, but she had flatly denied telling him.
Since then, he had been forced to suspect that the two shared a special relationship.
He could not bear Li Yunrui being close to Zhou Cheng. Still less could he bear the possibility that the woman he adored was treating his wholehearted devotion as a game behind his back.
The Crown Prince was visibly unsettled, and the atmosphere in the courtroom grew delicate. Everyone was curious about the identity of the "woman in the painting" Zhou Cheng had mentioned, but no one dared ask a single question.
Just then, the Second Prince, Li Chengze, approached, his gaze resting on the wine jar in Chen Quan's hand. "Third Brother, if you've come to enjoy the spectacle, why have your man bring a jar of wine? That is... wine, isn't it?"
Zhou Cheng nodded. "On the way here, I saw someone selling medicinal wine for bruises by the roadside. I thought someone in this courtroom might suffer a little bodily harm, so I reluctantly spent three taels of silver on a jar."
Li Chengze looked at Zhou Cheng and blinked. "I never knew you were such a devoted lover, Third Brother-sharp-tongued but softhearted. This woman clearly doesn't know what's good for her and has sullied your reputation, yet you still can't bear to see her punished."
Si Lili, who had kept her face turned away to avoid Zhou Cheng's gaze, could not help looking at him when she heard that, her eyes filled with unreadable emotions.
But Zhou Cheng waved a hand. "You've misunderstood, Second Brother. This medicinal wine isn't for Si Lili. She's not my woman, so there's no reason for me to feel sorry for her. I'm Prince Cheng. I haven't sunk so low that I'd fawn over a woman. This wine is for someone else."
Li Chengze asked curiously, "Then is it for Teng Zijing? What is your relationship with him, Third Brother? He's suspected of deceiving the emperor. For such a grave offense... I doubt medicinal wine will be of much use." He deliberately stressed the words "deceiving the emperor."
Teng Zijing also raised his head to look at Zhou Cheng.
Zhou Cheng shook his head again. "It's not for him either."
Now everyone in the courtroom, not just Li Chengze, looked puzzled.
As they struggled to make sense of it, another figure hurried into the courtroom.
"Eunuch Hou?" The Crown Prince was astonished when he recognized the newcomer.
It was none other than Eunuch Hou, Emperor Qing's trusted attendant.
The moment he entered the courtroom, he assumed a solemn expression, swept his whisk, and cleared his throat. His high, thin voice carried clearly into every corner.
"His Majesty's verbal decree-"
Everyone's heart tightened, and they hurriedly knelt to receive the decree.
"Teng Zijing's survival was part of a separate arrangement by the Overwatch Council. I have long been aware of it. This does not constitute deceiving the emperor. Hearing legal cases is the duty of the Capital Prefecture. You members of the imperial family are to return to your respective residences and stop meddling!"
The decree was brief and direct. After hearing it, everyone wore a different expression, but they answered in unison, "We respectfully obey Your Majesty's decree."
Having delivered the message, Eunuch Hou turned to leave. Zhou Cheng moved first, extending a hand to stop him without touching him.
"Your Third Highness, what is the meaning of this?" Eunuch Hou stopped.
Zhou Cheng gave him a slight cupped-hand salute. "Please wait a moment, Eunuch Hou. There will be a little 'extra entertainment' here shortly. You might as well watch it and report directly to my father when you return to the palace. It'll save you another trip."
Surprise appeared on Eunuch Hou's face.
Zhou Cheng said no more and turned to instruct Chen Quan. "Close the courtroom doors. Have all the guards and bailiffs outside withdraw ten zhang. No one is to approach."
Chen Quan set down the jar of medicinal wine and went to carry out the order.
Before long, the heavy courtroom doors slammed shut, cutting off most of the light and sound from outside. The room immediately darkened, with only a few shafts of daylight slipping through the high windows.
"Third Brother, what are you doing?" The Crown Prince's brows knitted tightly. The suddenly enclosed space and dim light filled him with an inexplicable sense of panic.
Zhou Cheng acted as though he had not heard and walked straight toward the Second Prince, Li Chengze.
Everyone's eyes followed his steps until their attention settled on the two men.
Li Chengze's heart gave an inexplicable jolt. Forcing a smile, he asked, "Chengcheng, what's the reason for all this fuss?"
Zhou Cheng stopped in front of him, his face expressionless. "Second Brother, you had Hongcheng take Fan Xian to the Drunken Immortal Residence and deliver a poem to Si Lili... You did that specifically to spite me, didn't you?"
Li Chengze wanted to laugh, but the look in Zhou Cheng's eyes made it impossible.
His brows furrowed, and his expression slowly darkened. "You made all this fuss just to ask me that?"
"All you need to answer is yes or no." Zhou Cheng's tone was calm, but it carried an undeniable pressure.
Li Chengze's gaze turned extremely dangerous. "Li Chengcheng! I am your second brother, the reigning emperor's Second Prince, not your prisoner! What right do you have to interrogate me like this? Has one woman driven you out of your mind?"
Under Li Chengze's icy stare, Zhou Cheng considered for a moment, then nodded. "Second Brother, I was wrong. I shouldn't have bothered asking."
Hearing Zhou Cheng "back down," Li Chengze's tense expression eased slightly, and the corners of his mouth were just beginning to rise into a magnanimous smile,
when Zhou Cheng lowered his head and murmured softly, as though talking to himself,
"I'm so stupid. Truly. As long as I think he did it, that's enough. Why bother asking?"
As his muttering ended, Zhou Cheng slowly raised his hand before the horrified eyes of everyone in the courtroom. It seemed slow, yet moved with startling speed, leaving a distinct afterimage!
Smack!!!
An exceptionally sharp, ringing slap landed squarely across Li Chengze's face!
Caught completely off guard, Li Chengze was spun halfway around by the tremendous force before crashing heavily to the floor. A clear red handprint swiftly appeared on his face, which was frozen in disbelief.
It had happened too suddenly! It was too horrifying!
A deathly silence filled the courtroom.
Everyone, Fan Xian included, was stunned senseless by that unexpected slap. They did not even dare breathe audibly.
Yet Zhou Cheng acted as though he had merely swatted a fly. He wiped his hand twice on his robe, then bent down and picked up the jar of medicinal wine by his feet.
He walked over to Li Chengze, who was still dazed and had yet to react, crouched down, and pushed the jar into his arms.
"Here, Second Brother." Zhou Cheng's voice brimmed with concern. "Apply it now for the best relief from swelling and pain. Luckily, your little brother had the foresight to know you needed a beating and prepared it for you in advance... Those three taels were money well spent!"
Chapter 21: Too Overwhelmed to Help Anyone Else
Half of Li Chengze's face burned fiercely, and his ears rang. It felt as though the world were tearing apart and drifting away.
He was a prince of the imperial blood. Since his birth, no one had dared lay a finger on him, let alone slap him so mercilessly.
The looks coming from all around pierced him like countless needles, bringing an unbearable humiliation a hundred times worse than the pain in his face.
He glared at Zhou Cheng, his eyes instantly flooding with bloodshot veins.
"You-!"
All thought of princely dignity had long since flown from his mind.
At that moment, he was no different from a street thug driven into a frenzy by a beating. He staggered to his feet and grabbed the nearest thing to throw.
The jar of medicinal wine in his arms was the first thing at hand.
Putting all his strength into it, he hurled the jar viciously at Zhou Cheng!
Zhou Cheng did not even move his feet. He merely turned slightly sideways, and the jar whistled past him for several zhang before smashing against the floor. Shards of porcelain and medicinal wine sprayed everywhere, and the smell of herbs mixed with alcohol soon filled the courtroom.
Before you continue