Because of Cheng Xiong's deliberate targeting, the Embroidered Robe Envoy was already seething with anger, so they weren't about to let the opportunity slip by.

Soon the Embroidered-Robe Envoy arrested Cheng Gang. At first, Cheng Gang pretended not to know anything about it, but as everyone knows, he had been in close contact with that Frost Moon Courtesan these days and stayed there almost every night. Who would believe him if he said it was nothing?

Then the Embroidered Robe Envoy brought out a series of his signature tortures, quickly teaching newcomers how to be human.

Then Cheng Gang was "forced to confess" under torture, admitting that he was the one who leaked the information to the assassin, which allowed the assassin to seize such a convenient opportunity to enter the palace.

Zhu Xie was still not satisfied and continued to investigate. Before long, he "discovered" that Cheng Xiong was behind it all and had been bribed by the assassins.

Upon hearing this news, Zu'an was astonished. This guy was indeed ruthless. Cheng Xiong had targeted the Embroidered-Robed Envoy before, and he had retaliated tenfold.

I don't know why, but having a teammate like this gives me a strange sense of security.

Of course, such a guy would be quite a headache as an enemy.

Cheng Xiong was both shocked and furious, but he couldn't interfere with the Embroidered Robe Envoy's investigation, so he actively ran around outside.

He was, after all, an important figure in the Qi King's faction. Although the Qin brothers were very dissatisfied with what happened at the brothel that night, they could not allow Zhu Xiechi to pin the blame on the Qi King.

As a result, the Qi King's faction also exerted its influence. Soon, someone in the court brought up the grudge between Cheng Xiong and the Embroidered-Robe Envoy, saying that having them investigate would easily affect impartiality.

In the imperial court, the figures from both the Prince of Qi's faction and the Crown Prince's faction quoted classical texts one after another. Although they were almost cursing, none of them uttered a single vulgar word, which truly earned them respect and admiration.

Finally, the emperor was also overwhelmed by the commotion, so he ordered the Court of Justice, the Commandant of the Capital Region, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to jointly investigate the case.

The Court of Justice (廷尉) was one of the Nine Ministers, in charge of criminal cases and the highest judicial body in the central government. The later Dali Temple (大理寺) in Chinese history was derived from the Court of Justice and was equivalent to the Supreme Court in later times.

The Commandant of the Capital Region also supervised all officials in the capital region and maintained public order in the area, essentially a combination of the Ministry of Public Security, the Procuratorate, and the Discipline Inspection Commission in later times.

The Embroidered Uniform Envoys were a secret service of the imperial court, similar to the infamous Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern and Western Depots in history.

The joint review of the case by these three departments is of an unprecedentedly high level.

The Court of Justice quickly brought Cheng Gang over. In stark contrast to the severe torture inflicted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they were all very friendly and kind. They not only sent people to treat Cheng Gang's injuries but also treated him with good food and drink.

There was no other reason than that Jiang Boyang, the Minister of Justice, was a member of the Qi King's faction.

Soon the Court of Justice overturned the verdict handed down to the Embroidered-Robe Envoy and accused them of using torture to extract confessions in order to settle personal scores.

Zhu Xiechixin naturally declared this a slander, and at the same time accused the other party of forming cliques for personal gain, claiming that he had abused his power for personal gain because of his personal relationship with Cheng Xiong.

The two factions in the imperial court were once again arguing heatedly, and then the Commandant of the Capital Region came to investigate the case.

After being transferred from the Court of Justice to the prison of the Commandant of the Capital Region, Cheng Gang felt as if he had fallen from heaven to hell.

During his stay with the Court of Justice, he received various miraculous medicines and meticulous care, and the injuries he had sustained from being tortured by the Embroidered-Robe Envoy were almost healed. However, when he arrived at the Commandant of the Capital Region, he was subjected to another round of torture upon their first meeting.

The wound that had just scabbed over split open again, and he cried and begged for mercy.

Having experienced the hellish days with the Embroidered-Robed Envoy, he realized that clenching his teeth was pointless and he had to speak up eventually.

The difference is that if you are beaten to the point of no return before you speak up, you are spared physical pain.

The Commandant of the Capital Region quickly obtained his confession: he had indeed conspired with the assassin and had been instructed by his father.

The Qi King's faction was both shocked and furious. They knew that the Commandant of the Capital Region was originally one of their men, but unfortunately, he was transferred to the position of Grand Master of Ceremonies because the wanted criminal Zu An was assassinated on the eve of his entry into the palace.

The newly appointed Commandant of the Capital Region, Cao Xing, is the father of Cao Hou, the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, making him a direct descendant of the Crown Prince. Naturally, he seized this opportunity to eliminate Cao Xing.

However, many of the officials under the Commandant of the Capital Region were former subordinates of Murong Tong. Soon, someone reported that Cao Xing had been tortured into confessing during the investigation, which caused a stir in the court.

After listening to Zu'an's explanation of what had happened recently, Yun Jianyue, whose hair reached her hips, came to the window and looked towards the direction of the Golden Palace. Her face was full of sneers: "The officials in the court are all full of benevolence and morality, but in reality they are all for their own selfish interests. The factional struggle is so fierce that it will surely cause a great disaster one day."

Zuan said, "With an invincible emperor suppressing them, what kind of disaster can these people cause by fighting among themselves?"

Yun Jianyue said meaningfully, "But the emperor will eventually die."

Zu An's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Why are you so sure?"

Yun Jianyue replied, "There have always been rumors that the emperor was seriously injured in a battle with the demon emperor in his early years, which shook his foundation and caused the five signs of decay to arrive prematurely. But no one knows if it is true or not. However, after fighting with him this time, I can confirm that he was indeed injured."

"But you were almost instantly killed in one move," Zuan couldn't help but complain.

Anger from Yun Jianyue: +444 +444 +444...

Yun Jianyue glared at him, annoyed. Why was this guy sometimes so irritating?

After a while, he said irritably, "With the emperor's cultivation level, if I hadn't been injured, I wouldn't have been able to escape at all."

Zuan was somewhat surprised: "You're supposed to be a Grandmaster, yet you can't even run away. Is the difference in skill really that big?"

"Why are they called Earth Immortals? In some ways, they're already half an immortal. We cultivators are just mortals at best, so there's a world of difference between us." Yun Jianyue's tone was somewhat helpless, but her eyes were also filled with longing for that realm.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!