It was nearing dusk and the sunset was hanging in the horizon, akin to a burning sea of fire; very beautiful.
But the servant who was walking in the imperial city while carrying files was not in the mood to look and walked quickly to the Imperial Study. It was just that this time, before he arrived in front of the Imperial Study, he saw that a man in an emperor robe had already walked out.
The Great Liang emperor felt that today's evening was pretty good, so he wanted to take a look too.
"Your Majesty, this servant came late, please punish me."
The servant hurriedly knelt down and raised both hands at the same time, holding that file up. Then, he talked about what was currently happening in the Ministry of Penalty in a soft voice.
The Great Liang emperor did not seem to care about this. Instead, he looked at the distant sunset and said with a slight smile, "This is probably the most beautiful scenery in the world."
After saying this, he reached out to take that file. After browsing through it, he casually threw it out.
"Can't even ascertain the identity of a child. It's really not easy for my Great Liang Dynasty to raise these people."
The Great Liang emperor narrowed his eyes and glanced into the distance. Although there was no anger when he was talking, having been in the palace for so many years, the servant naturally understood things too. But, he did not dare to explain anything.
The Great Liang emperor shook his head before saying, "That boy has quite the means. I heard you say that he's devoted to my Great Liang Dynasty?"
The servant said softly, "I don't know what's the truth. But, judging from what that boy said, it looks like it."
The Great Liang emperor started laughing. Who knew whether he really thought that things were like that, or whether he felt that it was too ridiculous?
"Even if that boy knows about the dragon vein and also had the reason to kill those qi refiners with righteousness, where's the proof?"
Big shots could ignore evidence because they were powerful in the first place and could ignore the rules of the world. Just like how the academy dean said to Su Yi; how many days have you studied? You actually dare to talk reason with me.
Although the dean was the dean of the academy, he might not necessarily have really read that many books. He might not be right in everything too. Therefore, that sentence made no sense at all to begin with. But, in the eyes of big shots, it made a lot of sense.
"Even if he could spin flowers out of thin air, could it be that Han Pu really dares to release him without proof?" "Could those few fools be willing to drop the matter?"
The Great Liang Dynasty's relationship with the foreign lands merely seemed harmonious, but how was it so harmonious? It could be seen in the fullest expression of its beauty and form by how that daoist nun previously said wretched plebeians when she saw the Divine Capital's common people, and how the emperor called them fools now.
The Great Liang emperor suddenly asked, "Where's that girl?"
The servant said softly, "Your Majesty, the academy sent a letter. I heard that the dean has already left the city for a spring stroll in the dusk."
Left the city for a spring stroll in the dusk, this was a little outrageous.
The servant thought about it before saying, "That Xie Family's girl is still in the Divine Capital."
The Great Liang emperor smiled and stopped talking.
……
……
Different from the shock from before, after Chen Chao said the two words dragon vein, the common people in the courtyard started discussing noisily. Because they seriously did not know what in the world... a dragon vein was.
But fortunately, it was not that everyone did not know. Hence, after a moment, the discussions became condemnation.
After learning what a dragon vein was, the people naturally became furious. There was pure disgust and anger in their eyes when looking at those three cultivators. If not for that they were stopped by many reasons, they would probably want to directly beat those three people to death now, then eat them.
That was not an ordinary thing, it was a dragon vein!
It was the Great Liang Dynasty's national foundation.
Han Pu's expression became a little ugly. Even as early as when Chen Chao said this, he made people enter the palace to inform the emperor.
But at this moment, the Ministry of Penalty's Vice Minister Li appeared a little panicky. He was originally pulled over to make up for numbers in the Three Judicial Chief Ministries trial. Now, he actually got involved in such a major matter. If he was not careful, he might get implicated. Thinking about how the Minister of Penalty was previously exposed by someone because of that matter, His Majesty must not be pleased. Even if he did not immediately depose that Lord Minister, it may be presumed that the Lord Minister would tender his resignation on his own in this one to two years. As the Left Minister, he was very likely to become the next Minister of Penalty. Just as he was feeling somewhat complacent, how could he have known that such a thing would happen?
As for that Minister of Censors, he seemed to be dead asleep before. Currently, he also perked up after hearing this. If it was killing a few cultivators, it was not a big deal. But now that it actually involved the Great Liang Dynasty's foundation, how could the matter be small?
It was just that without waiting for any one of the three of them to speak up, Xu Yu smacked the table and stood up to say angrily, "Nonsense!"
Stealing the Great Liang Dynasty's dragon vein would never be a trivial matter. Once confirmed, their three sects might not be able to get away unscathed.
"You miscreant, to actually be so audacious to the extreme in order to live, talking nonsense to this point!"
Xu Yu looked at Han Pu and said with a frown, "Lord Han, he's already talking such nonsense now, is it not outrageous? Aren't you going to implement punishment?"
Han Pu ignored Xu Yu and just looked at Chen Chao.
After Chen Chao said that, he was silent for a moment. His silence was not because he was scared that what he said was too shocking, but to give everyone some time, to give that person in the imperial palace some time, and also to give that person at the South Lake some time. But most importantly, it was to give the common people of the Divine Capital a little time.
At present, it was unknown how many people were paying attention to this Three Judicial Chief Ministries trial. Hence, when the civilians in the courtyard learn about this, the civilians outside of the courtyard would know about it, then the entire Divine Capital's populace would also know about it.
This was what he was waiting for.
Now, it was almost there.
Hence, he opened his mouth and said, "Guo Xi and Yan Ruoshui four people came to Tianqing County. They went to that Xuanming Mine under the pretext of going to select some special ores and then, covering it up with the profound vein. But, in reality, there was a dragon vein under that mine. Although it's not the main vein, once it's stolen by the few of them, that would shake our Great Liang Dynasty's foundation!"
Han Pu asked, "Do you have any proof?"
He knew that Chen Chao did not have hard evidence. Hence, when he spoke at this moment, he was asking what evidence he had.
Chen Chao looked at Xu Yu and said solemnly, "Have the Imperial Astronomers' officials go and ascertain whether or not there's a dragon vein in the mines. There will naturally be results."
Han Pu was silent for a moment and did not rush to speak. Why didn't this boy in front of him say this before? Now that he had arrived in the Divine Capital, it would take at least several days for the Wei Prefecture's office to check and return. Furthermore, even if they proved that there was indeed a dragon vein under that mine, it could only prove that the dragon vein was real. But, it could not prove that Chen Chao killed the cultivators without permission because of this.
"Well, well, well, what flowery words! Indeed a glib kid."
Xu Yu's voice sounded out again and he said with a cold smile, "At this moment, even if you talk until you poke a hole in the sky, what's the use? Even if there's a dragon vein in that mine, how can it prove that the disciples from our sects went for the dragon vein instead of accidentally discovering it?"
Although Xu Yu was smiling coldly at this moment, what he said was indeed not without reason.
Chen Chao retorted, "Then if I also say that I accidentally killed them, do you believe it?"
Hearing this, Yu Ke flew into a great rage before Xu Yu could speak, "There's already proof that you murdered people, an evildoer like you isn't allowed to talk rubbish here!"
From a certain point of view, several of their disciples were killed by Chen Chao. If Chen Chao's words were all fabricated nonsense to avoid punishment, then no matter how angry they were, it all seemed to be natural. So even if it was the civilians in the courtyard, they did not speak for a time too.
Even the anger they had before also became a little weaker under the circumstances where Chen Chao had no evidence.
Yeah.
After all was said and done, no matter how much Chen Chao talked, he would forever be lacking a word: evidence.
Even if everything was the truth, it could also be fake without evidence.
Big shots did not need evidence because they were able to make the other party lower their heads based on their ability and say the conclusion that they wanted. But, small fries could not.
Therefore, proof was very important.
Chen Chao said, "What I said is all true. I said that they deserve to be killed because they were stealing our Great Liang Dynasty's dragon vein. Therefore, I had to kill them, because I'm the area's warden, and this is my responsibility. Even if I'm not a warden and I'm just an ordinary civilian, this is also something that I should do."
As a Liang civilian, this was a responsibility to undertake.
The moment these words came out, the common people in the courtyard nodded their heads repeatedly. But, their emotions were no longer as intense as before.
Even if they felt that Chen Chao was right, it was still that sentence: everything needed proof.
Han Pu was silent.
Vice Minister Li was still worrying about his own future.
"Where's the proof?"
This time, the one asking as the Court of Censors' minister. This was his first time talking, his voice was very warm and not like he was interrogating, but like he was inquiring instead. He was like the gentlest teacher in a private school asking his own student: do you know how to recite this by heart?
Hearing this, the three cultivators all smiled coldly.
They could virtually already determine that Chen Chao did not have any evidence. Hence, that was why he kept talking rubbish here. But in reality, he could not show anything nor could he prove anything.
"Scoundrel, you've already struggled long enough. Are you still unwilling to resign yourself to fate now?"
"Why should I resign myself to fate?"
Chen Chao said calmly, "I'm not in the wrong to begin with."
Yu Ku felt a lot more relaxed and his voice also became rather carefree. Because he practically understood at this moment that the youth in front of him no longer had the means to save the situation. He could not struggle anymore.
"No matter how you spin your story, everything is meaningless without proof!"
Xu Yu sneered coldly. At this moment, they already had victory within grasp.
But very soon, he lifted his head again, and then said with a slight smile, "Proof? Of course I have it."
The moment this sentence came out, everyone fell silent again.
They all quietened down.
Everyone was looking at Chen Chao. No one imagined that he would say something like this. No one would have thought that the situation would actually turn around after reaching this point.
Xu Yu three people exchanged glances, their expressions changing slightly. But in the end, they still kept their composure.
The Minister of Censors was the first to react. Then, he looked at Chen Chao and said with a smile, "Take it out then."
This time, he was like a teacher in a private school encouraging his own student.
Chen Chao said, "We might have to wait awhile."
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