The leader was Lu Huaijin, the head of the government office.

Shen Jintang had met him once before, when he released Xinghui and Liuhuo from the government office under the pretense of "faking their deaths".

The second person was a slave trader in the slave market, whom Shen Jintang also vaguely remembered.

As for the third person, she had no recollection of him at all.

The three knelt on the other side of Shen Jintang and shouted in unison, "Your humble servants and commoners pay their respects to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

His voice carried a hint of deliberate fear, as if afraid of angering the emperor.

The emperor frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the three men, and said to the crown prince in an unpleasant tone, "These are the witnesses you spoke of?"

"yes."

Gu Junze bowed slightly, his tone unhurried: "The first one is Lu Huaijin, the head of the slaves in charge. Five months ago, it was Shen Jintang who led Tuizhi to the government office and rescued the Xie family servants by faking their deaths. If there was no connection, why would she spend so much money to rescue the Xie family's slaves?"

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sharp as a knife, staring directly at Shen Jintang.

Lu Huaijin immediately replied, his tone tinged with fear and obsequiousness: "Your Majesty, it is indeed true. I was forced by power to do this, but fortunately His Highness the Crown Prince was discerning and offered some guidance, which prevented a major disaster from occurring."

As he spoke, he kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the cold palace bricks with a dull thud, yet he dared not pause for a moment.

Gu Junze glanced sideways, his gaze sweeping lightly over the human slave trader, seemingly as a casual gesture.

The slave trader immediately understood, his body trembled violently as if he had been pulled by an invisible rope, and he instantly fell to the ground, his forehead almost touching the cold palace bricks. His kowtowing was hurried and frantic, as if he was afraid that if he was even a moment too slow, he would bring about his annihilation.

His voice trembled as he stammered, "She...it was her, she sold herself. I was wondering at the time, how could anyone sell themselves? Now it seems, she clearly planned this all along!"

The Crown Prince stood to the side, nodded slightly, and glanced at everyone. A faint, cold smile appeared on his lips, but his tone was as calm as if he were stating a perfectly ordinary fact: "Shen Jintang sold herself out in order to take the opportunity to get close to Tuizhi and enter the court to plot treason."

His voice was not loud, but it echoed in the court, as if carrying an unquestionable authority.

However, Shen Jintang slowly raised her head at this moment, shifting her gaze from the ground to look directly at Gu Junze.

Her eyes were deep and calm, like the still surface of a deep pool, yet they revealed a hint of cold sharpness.

She straightened up, placed her hands on the cold ground, tilted her head slightly, and said in a clear and firm voice: "Your Highness's words are so convincing that if I weren't the person involved, I might even believe them."

She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping over the crowd, her tone tinged with sarcasm, "Then may I ask Your Highness, who exactly am I? Why go through such a long and complicated process, even at the cost of selling myself, to avenge the Xie family?"

"Zhang Si!"

The Crown Prince shouted in a cold voice, which echoed in the hall, carrying an unquestionable air of authority.

Zhang Si, the steward of the Xie family, once defected to the Crown Prince, uncovered the hiding place of the Xie family's remnants, and helped him to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

He stood on the far right, of medium build, with a gaunt face and eyes full of fear and unease.

Upon hearing the Crown Prince's shout, he trembled violently, slowly knelt up, and his gaze swept over Shen Jintang. Instantly, his eyes widened, his mouth gaped open, as if struck by lightning, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

He instinctively took a half step back, but immediately realized his lapse in composure. He hurriedly knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly, his voice filled with terror: "I know my sins, I know my sins..."

"Zhang Si, tell me, who exactly is she?" The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife, staring intently at Zhang Si, his voice low and cold.

In the imperial court, all the officials held their breath, the atmosphere so heavy it was suffocating.

Zhang Si pressed his forehead against the cold floor tiles, not daring to lift his head or look at Shen Jintang a second time. His voice trembled as he said, "Miss Xie, she... she is Miss Xie."

Upon hearing this, the court fell silent instantly, as if the air itself had frozen.

Xie Zhaoran, the youngest daughter of the Xie family.

The mere mention of his name was enough to stir up a storm in the hearts of the court officials.

Xie Zhaoran is quick-witted and a prodigy.

At three years old, he could write eloquently and speak fluently; at five years old, he could fight, proficient in all kinds of weapons.

She followed her father to guard Youzhou from a young age. At the age of twelve, she donned armor and went into battle, repelling countless enemies. Her reputation even surpassed that of her elder brother, and she was known as the "Young Master of the Xie Family".

If Shen Jintang is Xie Zhaoran...

"If you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext."

Shen Jintang let out a cold laugh, her voice clear and firm, instantly pulling everyone back from their memories.

She straightened up, her spine ramrod straight, like a green bamboo that would rather break than bend, exuding an unassailable pride.

"Are you implicating the Crown Prince?"

The emperor's tone was somewhat scrutinizing, and his face darkened like the clouds before a storm the moment the Xie family was mentioned.

“Of course they are innocent.” Shen Jintang raised her head slightly, her gaze sweeping over the crowd like cold stars, her tone calm and powerful. “As for how they were innocent, they have already said it themselves.”

She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping over Lu Huaijin, the slave trader, and Zhang Si in turn, a hint of sarcasm in her voice: "Manager Lu is forced by power, the slave trader is only after profit, and as for this treacherous servant, if he can betray once, he can betray twice. How can his words be trusted?"

Since Lu Huaijin could release people privately under pressure from Gu Zhixing's power, he could naturally also use the Crown Prince's power to frame her.

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