Originally, the civil officials planned to assist Zhu Yunwen in making a big deal out of Zhu Yunwen's killing of the descendants of meritorious officials during this court session.

After all, this was murder, and the murder was of the descendant of a military officer of the imperial court.

If used properly, the effect will be surprisingly good.

Some military generals might even side with them and launch a joint attack on Zhu Yunwen.

However, no one expected that Zhu Yunwen would only exchange a few words with Zhu Yunwen, and even those few words did not directly address the matter of killing Zhou Ji.

But Zhu Yunwen had already made his decision on this matter in a way that left no room for argument.

Because no one can argue against this conclusion.

Everyone wanted to seize on the loophole that Zhu Yunwen had killed the descendants of meritorious officials, but unexpectedly, Zhu Yunwen made Zhu Yunwen himself reveal the fact that Zhou Ji deserved to die.

This left the officials somewhat helpless.

I never expected Zhu Yunwen to be so eloquent.

Zhu Yunwen's expression also turned somewhat unpleasant, because at this point in the matter, he didn't know how to reprimand Zhu Yunwen anymore.

However, Zhu Yunwen was not willing to let it go so easily, and he continued:

"Second brother, as a grandson of the emperor, you should understand what rules are and what crimes are. Tell me, what crime did Zhou Ji commit by engaging in licentious behavior in the palace?"

He did so when our father, the former crown prince, passed away, and the entire palace, and indeed the entire world, was shrouded in the shadow of grief.

Yet they still manage to commit a series of acts of pleasure-seeking, bullying men and women, even in the solemn and imposing environment of the palace. Tell me, how should this be dealt with?

Zhu Yunwen was putting a huge accusation on Zhu Yunwen; if Zhu Yunwen gave even the slightest misstep in his answer, it would mean that he didn't think the matter was important.

Therefore, after pondering for a moment, Zhu Yunwen said:

"If Zhou Ji truly did this, then he is indeed guilty of heinous crimes. However, so far, the whole matter has been based solely on your words in this court. What evidence do you have to prove that Zhou Ji actually did these things?"

He also wanted to shift the focus away from whether the case itself was guilty or not, and instead address whether the evidence was true.

His raising such a question also makes it seem like he has no problem.

At the same time, he also seized an opportunity: if Zhu Yunwen could not produce strong and compelling evidence, then he could not prove that Zhou Ji had really committed these crimes.

Zhu Yunwen was not in a hurry to deal with this, and simply said:

“There is evidence, of course. More than a dozen guards were present last night. If you want to confirm this, Second Brother, I can have them come up as witnesses.”

Zhu Yunwen panicked a little. If one or two guards testified, he could say that Zhu Yunwen had forced them.

But if there are a dozen or so, it would be impossible to forge evidence.

Because by simply separating them and questioning them briefly, one can arrive at a result that is almost identical to the truth.

Especially in ancient times, when judging witness testimonies, it was possible to have three witnesses.

In other words, when there are three or more witnesses, their testimonies can almost certainly be considered true.

Moreover, there were more than a dozen of them, and they were palace guards.

These guards undergo rigorous training to serve in the palace; even ordinary guards are far from simple.

Therefore, their words are highly credible, whether they are spoken by the Three Departments or in the imperial court.

Zhu Yunwen was still unwilling to give up, saying, "You are the grandson of the emperor, and it's not impossible that these guards would speak up for you under pressure. But if you rely solely on these guards to testify for you, I'm afraid it won't be enough to gain your trust."

Zhu Yuntong narrowed his eyes: "With witnesses present, and a large number of witnesses, you still tell me it's unbelievable? What would be considered believable? Does achieving your goal make it believable?"

If someone were to stand up and say that Zhou Ji is innocent, would you immediately believe that what he says is credible and need no further justification?

Even though I have ample evidence, you still insist on nitpicking? Second Brother, is such biased criticism, as a grandson of the Emperor, truly appropriate?

Zhu Yunwen was clearly embarrassed by being publicly reprimanded by Zhu Yuntong, but at this moment, both civil and military officials remained silent and did not say anything.

The civil official remained silent because Zhu Yunwen had almost been choked by Zhu Yunwen earlier.

At this point, they cannot speak easily; they must find a loophole on Zhu Yunwen's side before they can launch a counterattack.

The military officers, who were not good with words, could only sit back and watch the two fight, seeing how sharp their arguments were.

Under these circumstances, Zhu Yunwen had no choice but to continue speaking:

“I’m just stating the facts. You said there were more than a dozen guards who testified, but it’s hard to be sure whether you bribed them. So, their words may not be credible.”

Zhu Yunwen sneered and said:

"Then tell me, what kind of witness is absolutely credible?"

Zhu Yunwen turned his head away and said calmly:

"Naturally, there must be sufficient evidence and witnesses who can be absolutely trusted to speak on it; that is the most credible evidence."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang, his face grim, slowly walked out from one side of the hall and spoke with unparalleled domineering authority:

"Can we be trusted as witnesses?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's sudden appearance startled everyone; they seemed to have forgotten that this was the imperial court, and that it was the morning court session.

As a result, the officials began to bow to Zhu Yuanzhang and shout "Long live the Emperor!"

Zhu Yuanzhang sat in his chair and gave Zhu Yunwen a cold look.

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