Do You Have Anything Else to Say?
"Hey, Lu... you haven't left yet?!"
Upon seeing Lu Cheng, Xuan Ziwen broke out in a cold sweat. If it weren't for Ke Ke and the others around him, he probably would have wanted to drag Lu Cheng away. The commotion last night was so big, the hall master was detained this morning, and all of them, the researchers, were called in for questioning one by one.
Fortunately, he didn't give anything away, and those guys didn't seem to suspect anything. They just asked a routine question and then released him.
Although he was still somewhat resentful that Lu Cheng hadn't asked him to evacuate with him, he still came to the laboratory. However, he didn't expect that such a big surprise would be waiting for him as soon as he entered.
"Teacher Xuan, what's wrong with you? Where could Grandmaster have gone...? Tell us what happened first!" Ke Ke was excited, not angry, but rather eager to watch the drama unfold.
"This surprise attack was carried out by the Body Sect, and the damage to the Illustrious Virtue Hall is incalculable. In short, it's outrageous. Anyway, when we researchers were being questioned, the expressions of those royal experts weren't very pleasant," Xuan Ziwen, shaking his head.
He still had some affection for the Illustrious Virtue Hall, but he was relieved to hear that only two or three researchers were injured last night.
"However... I've heard that some people suspect that Hall Master Jing is colluding with the enemy." Xuan Ziwen hesitated for a moment before speaking, deliberately glancing at Lu Cheng.
Even his granddaughter Meng Hongchen, was imprisoned.
Mingdu, within the imperial city.
The old emperor, enraged, looked coldly at Jing Hongchen kneeling below, his hair half-white, and said, "My dear minister, what are you doing? Even if you had ordered it to be stopped last night, the losses to the Illustrious Virtue Hall wouldn't be this severe. And what about you?!"
"You stopped all the researchers who tried to stop you, allowing them to loot and destroy! This is a serious dereliction of duty on your part as the Illustrious Virtue Hall!"
"The enemy is extremely strong, and their leader is a Limit Douluo. If we resist, the hundreds of researchers will only face certain death." Jing Hongchen's lips moved as he slowly spoke.
"Bullshit! You're just scared!" Xu Jiangliu roared from the side. "You're afraid of being surrounded and killed by the combined might of the opposing forces! Jing Hongchen, you're nothing but a coward who clings to life!"
Jing Hongchen remained silent, offering no explanation.
"Your Majesty, and I strongly suspect that Jing Hongchen is colluding with the enemy!!" Xu Jiangliu said bluntly, stepping forward.
These words shocked everyone in the room.
Jing Hongchen is the Illustrious Virtue Hall, a position he has held for decades and has made great contributions to the Sun Moon Empire. Although he did make a serious mistake last night, this... is a bit too much.
However, the ministers were aware of Xu Jiangliu's past grievances with Jing Hongchen, so they all stood by and watched, waiting to see what would happen.
"Heh, last night I was about to give chase when Hall Master Jing fired a Level 9 bunker buster first, blasting the entire passage into a hole and blocking our Royal Soul Tool Legion's pursuit." Xu Jiangliu sneered.
"Secondly, even if those guys from the Body Sect are as powerful as Hall Master Jing boasts, they shouldn't know the entire Illustrious Virtue Hall so well. Judging from their movements, they clearly have a secret map of the Illustrious Virtue Hall's interior; otherwise, they couldn't have destroyed and looted such a large place as Illustrious Virtue Hall in just ten minutes..."
"..."
These words silenced the court.
Everyone wore complex expressions.
Even if one still believes in Jing Hongchen, everything Xu Jiangliu said was true.
Illustrious Virtue Hall was so large that even if the number of people on the other side increased tenfold, it would be impossible for them to loot it completely in such a short time. As a result, they felt as if this place was their own home and knew more about it than many of the people present.
"Hall Master Jing, do you have anything else to say?" The old emperor coldly scrutinized him.
"I have nothing more to say..." Jing Hongchen closed her eyes and knelt on the ground.
"Dismiss him from his post, confiscate his property, and imprison him." The old emperor uttered these eight cold words, instantly leaving many of the surrounding ministers dumbfounded. So ruthless?!
Without thoroughly investigating the truth, such a severe punishment clearly indicates that the old emperor no longer trusts Jing Hongchen. Even the slightest rift between the emperor and his minister is difficult to mend, let alone such a heavy penalty.
Clearly, this is an attempt to completely destroy Jing Hongchen, leaving him no chance to recover. Let alone the Illustrious Virtue Hall, he'd be lucky to even walk out of prison.
"Here you go!"
Xu Jiangliu remained expressionless, waved his hand, and signaled the guards to put shackles on Jing Hongchen and take her away.
Jing Hongchen kept her eyes tightly closed.
Despite the soldiers' rough handling, he couldn't understand who had betrayed him. The only people who knew the maps of all the secret rooms in the Illustrious Virtue Hall were himself and Elder Kong. As for the previous Illustrious Virtue Hall, he had long been buried, but it was impossible for him and Elder Kong to leak the secret.
Who could it be...?
As Jing Hongchen was escorted away, the atmosphere in the imperial court became increasingly solemn.
"There's one more thing," Xu Jiangliu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, according to information from our scouts, news spread from the original continent early this morning that the Body Sect is grateful to the Shrek Academy for Sharing information..."
"Shrek, it's Shrek again!!"
The old emperor, his face contorted with rage, roared, "Interrogate! Interrogate him for me!"
"Your Majesty, you mustn't! Shrek is, after all, a prestigious institution... If we were to break off relations, our elite forces at Shrek would also be affected. Geniuses like Ma Rulong are the absolute elite of the empire, the future pillars of the nation," an old minister stepped forward to dissuade him.
"..."
The old emperor's face was gloomy as he stroked the armrest shaped like Golden Dragon's head.
To him, Xiao Hongchen was a scourge, not worth mourning, but the other disciples... were very "valuable" and could not be abandoned.
"That's enough. During the interrogation, do not use any unusual methods." After a long silence, he finally spoke coldly.
"Anyone who dares to plead for Hall Master Jing again should not blame me for showing no mercy."
Upon hearing this, all the officials in the court were terrified and felt as if they were cicadas cawing in fear.
However, the ministers who were on good terms with Jing Hongchen felt a pang of pity, as if they were witnessing the death of a rabbit. Even someone like Jing Hongchen could fall so easily; a single misjudgment was enough to drive him to his doom, leaving him to be devoured by the royal family.
What about them?