◇ Chapter 54 Trial

When Lann suddenly woke up from his long and sweet sleep, he didn't know how much time had passed.

He felt like he had slept for a century. His body was warm and lazy, and he didn't want to move at all. When he opened his eyes in a trance and looked out the window, he couldn't help but be in a trance for a moment.

It was still winter when I came back from District 23, and the trees outside the window had only bare branches, but now, the trees are full of green.

He sat up, took the clothes from the bedside, changed neatly, then walked through the corridor and came to the high-ceilinged atrium of the prince's mansion.

I didn't meet anyone along the way.

The prince's mansion was extremely quiet today. None of the waiters, housekeepers, or gardeners were there. The mansion was like an empty city. Lan En was slightly stunned for a moment, but the garden was well maintained, and all the dead branches and fallen leaves had been swept away one by one. It didn't look like it was unattended.

He sat quietly for a while, and his chaotic thoughts finally became clearer. So he picked up the laptop, but Lin You was not online and no one replied. Lan had to contact Devon. A few seconds later, Devon sent an exaggerated expression: "Oh my God, sir, you are finally awake! Did you see what day it is today?"

Lann slid the light screen. It had been more than four months since he regained consciousness.

Devin: "Did you just wake up? Then come to the court quickly. I'll wait for you at the door of the court."

...The Tribunal?

The prince's residence was not far from the central court. Lann walked along the street. There were few pedestrians in the bustling streets in the past, but when he approached the court, there were suddenly more people. They all looked into the court, as if they were waiting for something.

When he reached the door, Devin happened to come out of the courtroom. With a happy look on his face, he walked quickly down the stairs, then grabbed Lane's wrist and took him directly to the hearing seat without waiting for him to say anything.

Lann raised his eyebrows slightly. Devin had never dared to arrest him directly before. His superior had been lying in bed for five months, and his subordinates had already rebelled.

However, before he could finish his teasing, Dewen had already pushed him down to sit down. The usually calm colonel of the Third Army could not hide his excitement and said, "Hey, don't talk about that nonsense. Take a look below first."

Lan En looked as he was told, then paused.

In front of him was the defendant's seat, which was surrounded by metal fences into small grids. Sitting in the courtroom and looking down, the people in the grids were like mice on a running wheel, being stared at by everyone.

After being framed by the eldest prince, Lan En was also chained and stood in this small grid.

But now, the people in the grid have changed. They are all Zerg politicians. Lann glanced sideways and recognized several of them, including senior executives of the Imperial Research Institute, directors of the Galactic Group, officers of the Second Army, and even his ex-fiance, White from the Liam family... and in the middle of this group of government officials is actually Admiral Lawrence of the Three Armies.

This time, even someone as calm as Lan En couldn't help but reveal a look of surprise.

He looked at Devin. "What's this about?"

Devin: "What about the judgment seat?"

Lann then raised his eyes and looked at the judgement platform from a distance across the crowd awaiting trial. Immediately, he was completely stunned.

...His Royal Highness?

Sitting next to the Lord Judge was Lin You.

He changed out of his casual clothes for an elaborate formal dress. He was leisurely holding up a teacup, his half-closed eyes slightly lowered as he glanced at the people awaiting trial. His expression was frighteningly cold.

At this moment, he looked nothing like the delicate and smiling Third Prince.

The judge struck the gavel and the courtroom fell silent. At this moment, Lann finally saw the push message on the computer.

——Yuyan乄 "The case of counterfeiting and selling addictive pheromones in the black market at the border of District 23 will be heard in the trial court today."

“…”

For a moment, Lane thought he was still unconscious.

The eldest prince's power was complex and influential, and Admiral Lawrence was also a senior who had been famous in the military for a long time. These people had woven a dense giant network, and their shadows were shrouding the imperial capital. With Lan's qualifications, it was like an ant trying to shake a tree to shake them. Even if he risked his life, he could only kill the culprit, but he was still powerless to redress those innocent people who died in vain, or even just to wash away his own guilt.

But now, these people are just being held captive with their arms tied and detained for trial?

Devin explained to him in a low voice: "A lot has happened in the past five months. The eldest prince died, the old insect emperor also passed away, and the second prince's mother's family is weak. Admiral Lawrence wanted to join the second prince, but Admiral Hoyle acted faster. He surrounded the palace that night, took the decree from the old insect emperor, and contacted the Senate. As you know, Admiral Hoyle's First Army was stationed in the imperial capital, and the Second Army was unable to rescue him. Everything that happened later fell into place."

Lan En: "Then the Third Prince..."

"You can't call him the Third Prince." Devin interrupted, "Although he hasn't been crowned yet, next time you see him, you have to call him His Majesty the Insect Emperor."

Lan En lowered his eyes, feeling melancholy for a moment.

In just five months, the little prince who used to sleep next to him was about to ascend the throne.

Devin went on to introduce: "As soon as the situation stabilized, His Majesty began to thoroughly investigate the border of Area 23. The 'Factory' got the news and wanted to escape to a more distant galaxy, but where could it go with such a large size? Admiral Hoyle personally led people to search, and they almost plowed the border inch by inch. Then they caught the people red-handed. All the researchers in the 'Factory' were taken to the main planet for trial, and our captives were also released. Among them, several of the officers are old acquaintances. Let's have a drink later."

Lan En was silent: "I have let them down over the years."

Devin: "Hey, you can't be blamed for this."

He patted Lann's shoulder and said, "Oh, the 'factory' has also been towed to the main planet and is docked at the First Army's landing port. If you want to go up and take a look, you can ask His Majesty to take you there."

Lann raised his eyebrows: "Your Majesty?"

There was a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.

Devin said, "Okay... only you can call me Your Majesty, okay? I'll call you Your Majesty."

He then added: "We found a lot of valuable clues in the 'factory', such as the production records of inferior pheromones, including the amount and whereabouts. We also found a huge amount of wealth that the eldest prince used to build his power. All of these are recorded and cannot be denied."

"And the number of people involved is even more terrifying. Those you see on the stand are just the culprits. There are many more in prison. Anyway..."

Devin fell back and smiled a rare relaxed smile. He hadn't felt so happy in a long time since the tragic victory in District 23. "Anyway, the things we have been worrying about have finally come to an end."

“…”

Lan's gaze fell on the judgement stand, passing over the faces that were either gray or miserable. At that moment, his future was ruined, and he bowed his head here awaiting trial. But at this moment, these people stood in the same position as him, miserable and trembling.

How ironic.

The result of this trial is self-evident. The eldest prince and his party have incurred public anger by making money through pheromones. Forums are in an uproar, all kinds of accusations are emerging, and calls for the death penalty are clamorous. However, according to imperial law, there is only one way before them.

As the judge struck the gavel, the case came to a conclusion, and the accomplices involved in the incident were sentenced to death or life imprisonment according to the severity of the circumstances.

The matter came to an end, but Lan En was not very happy. He thought of the faces that were permanently frozen in the star ring, exhaled a foul breath, and glanced at the people below the stage. He couldn't tell whether he was feeling emotional or disappointed. He just lowered his eyes and said, "This is also a conclusion."

*

In the courtroom lounge, Lin You tugged at his complicated coat and sighed deeply.

He tried to unbutton his shirt, but the patterned buttons got tangled with his hair.

To this day, Lin You still hasn't gotten used to the life of the future emperor, such as the complicated etiquette of clothing. Just when he was about to stop a waiter for help, a pair of hands gently took it from behind.

The knuckles were long and beautiful, and they deftly loosened Lin You's clothes and hung them on the hanger at the side. Lin You subconsciously wanted to thank him, but he heard someone sighing, "Five months have passed, and your Majesty is still the same as before."

When Lin You was still the third prince, he couldn't handle complicated dresses, and he needed Lan En's help every time before a banquet.

Hearing this voice, Lin You paused.

Five months was neither long nor short, and the prince and the emperor died one after another. The imperial capital was in turmoil and undercurrents. Although Admiral Hoyle could protect Lin You, only he knew the difficulties.

Lin You is the soul of a foreign land. The only two people he can confide in in the Zerg are Lann and the system. However, Lann was in a deep sleep for five months, and the system could not help him in the power struggle. Later, Admiral Hoyle went to District 23 to take charge. For a while, Lin You was isolated and helpless. He was really forced to do something he was not prepared for. He put in all the energy he had put into preparing for the college entrance examination and was able to barely control the situation.

Five months later, when Lin You heard the voice again, he actually had the illusion that he was in another world.

“…”

After a long silence, Lann leaned over and asked, "Your Majesty?"

Still no one spoke.

Lann changed his tone and used a more familiar address: "Your Highness?"

“…”

"Okay." Lan En seemed to understand. He took Lin You's hand, put it on his face, rubbed it slightly, and then half-knelt down and performed a knight's etiquette, just like when he first asked for mercy from the Third Prince. "Sorry, maybe I shouldn't sleep so long. Did I make you worry?"

Lan En's face was as handsome as ever, his blue eyes were like a deep lake, he looked at Lin You without blinking: "Tell me, Your Majesty, what should I do so that you can forgive me?"

The next second, he was pulled straight up from the ground.

Lin You had a gentle personality and was rarely rude, but at this moment he grabbed Lan En with surprisingly great force. He controlled Lan En's chin and forced him to raise his head for a kiss. Their teeth knocked against each other, their lips and tongues touched, and in the end, the smell of rust seeped out from somewhere.

At this time, he looked like the tyrannical and cruel Third Prince as rumored.

Lan En was surprised at first, then he smiled, his eyes slightly curved. He allowed Lin You to invade and explore, and carefully covered his teeth. After the kiss was over, Lan En supported his unfriendly Majesty and asked softly, "Have you calmed down?"

Lin You gritted his teeth: "No."

He pressed Lan's shoulders and turned him over forcefully: "Show me your wings."

He remembered how much fire the beautiful wings on the aircraft had taken, and he also remembered Devin saying there was a possibility of them being cut off.

The silver wings spread out in the air, with smooth and beautiful lines. At this moment, they were trembling slightly. Most of the parts had grown well, but the color of the new soft flesh was completely different from the surrounding area. When Lin You touched it, Lan En actually trembled.

The major general was also surprised at the sensitivity of the wings. He wanted to fold them, but Lin You pressed him down and he had to open them. The male insect's fingertips caressed the soft flesh, covering the traces of bullet holes, and his nerves were stimulated and felt numb and itchy.

“…”

Lan En gritted his teeth slightly: "Your Majesty, is this a punishment?"

"Major General, of course not." Lin You's fingertips moved down along the waist, as if measuring something: "This is just a measurement."

Measurement?

Before Lan En could ask, Lin You gritted his teeth and said, "Wedding dress! Lan En, if you had woken up two days later, I would have been the only one to ascend the throne!"

The male Zergs get married early. The eldest and second princes both had female queens early on. As soon as Lin You came of age, Admiral Hoyle started to make arrangements for him. If Lann hadn't taken the initiative, he would never have been able to get this cabbage.

——Damn it.

Lin You thought rather depressedly: If the Insect Emperor ascends the throne without the company of the Female Sovereign, he will definitely become the laughing stock of the Imperial Capital for many years to come!

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