Cases brought to the Dali Temple required a joint trial by the three courts, namely the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate.

On the third day after Jiang Shi was imprisoned in the Dali Temple, the Dali Temple Minister Du Boling, the Sixth Prince Gao Yan, who was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Duan Tianyi, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, came together to examine him.

The young man was still wearing the blue gown he had worn the day he first arrived at the Dali Temple. He looked a little thin, his long, inky black hair was slightly disheveled, and his lips were pale, but he did not look miserable or disheveled. Instead, he had a kind of sickly beauty.

Because the emperor had issued an edict allowing Jiang Shi not to kneel down and kowtow to anyone, even though he was a criminal, he still kept his back straight and acted neither humble nor arrogant.

Gao Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and he snorted in his heart.

She was born with a good appearance, but unfortunately, she is a useless girl.

He took out a few letters and walked up to Jiang Shi, saying coldly, "This is physical evidence of your correspondence and conspiracy with King Ping Zhao. Do you dare to deny that this is not your handwriting?"

Jiang Shi's eyes fell on the spread-out letter paper. The black words on the white paper were very clear, and the handwriting was smooth and flowing, almost identical to his own.

But he still shook his head slowly: "Although the handwriting is similar, it is not written by me."

Gao Yan narrowed his eyes. "These letters were intercepted from Prince Ping Zhao's men, and were submitted by the tribute scholars who exposed your crimes. How can you prove that they weren't written by you?"

Jiang Shi said, "Your Excellency also said that you obtained these letters from Prince Ping Zhao's men and those tribute scholars. It is far-fetched to convict me based solely on handwriting and witness testimony."

"Then tell me, you left the Imperial College four years ago and have stayed in the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion ever since, never leaving the house or attending poetry gatherings. Who could possibly imitate your handwriting and frame you?"

"Jiang doesn't know."

Gao Yan laughed in anger at his half-dead look. "You just said you didn't know. Do you really have a clear conscience, or are you fearless? Do you think we won't dare to convict you for the sake of your parents?"

Du Boling, who was watching quietly at the side, frowned slightly. What the Sixth Prince said was indeed a bit too much.

Duan Tianyi kept silent and dared not speak.

Since ancient times, factions have been fighting each other to the death. Duan Tianyi is a staunch loyalist and supports whoever is the emperor.

After all, no one knows who will succeed in the end until the last moment.

Gao Yan said coldly, "Do you think no letters were intercepted from your mansion? Over a month before the Spring Examination, you wrote several letters and sent them out of the Marquis's residence. Then, you suddenly left the capital, ostensibly to pick up your fiancée from the Xie family in Chenjun. But in reality, you were trying to cover up your mistake, secretly colluding with Prince Pingzhao to form a clique for personal gain."

Jiang Shi was slightly startled: "Did your Excellency intercept the correspondence between me and my fiancée?"

Gao Yan saw that his expression had finally changed, as if he had finally caught him. He sneered, "If you don't want others to know, then don't do it yourself. I've sent people to search the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion. When we find evidence of your collusion with Prince Pingzhao, we'll see how you can still argue!"

It was only today that he remembered that he had to find something from the Wu'an Marquis Mansion before he could convict Jiang Shi with confidence.

The emperor seemed to dislike Gao Rui, but since he was suspected of treason, the emperor simply placed him under house arrest in the palace and did not give him any punishment.

The heart of an emperor is truly unfathomable.

Jiang Shi seemed a little uneasy, his long eyelashes like crow feathers trembling slightly. He raised his eyes and looked at Gao Yan: "Jiang's fiancée is still in the mansion. She is frail and timid. Please don't scare her when your men go to search."

Gao Yan choked. He thought Jiang Shi would start begging for mercy in panic, but he never expected that he would open his mouth and mention his fiancée.

He sneered, "Prince Jiang does care about his fiancée, but I wonder if your betrothed, arranged for since childhood, can truly live up to your affection. She's never even stepped foot into the Dali Temple to visit you. She might have packed up her things and returned to the Xie family in Chen County the very day you went there."

Jiang Shi said calmly: "She is not that kind of person."

The boy had a pale face, and his eyebrows and eyes were as delicate as a painting, never stained by any obscure gloom.

When talking about his fiancée, his eyes flickered like rippling spring water, which was very touching.

Gao Yan felt an inexplicable blockage in his heart. He never thought that one day Jiang Shi would show such an expression.

Isn't he rude to any woman?

What is the charm of Miss Yu from the Xie family of Chen County that can make him defend her so firmly?

Soon, Gao Yan's men delivered the letter paper they had searched from the Wu'an Marquis Mansion.

Gao Yan opened a letter in front of Jiang Shi, and a look of surprise appeared on his handsome face.

He opened another letter in disbelief, read it with wide eyes, and then opened another one.

After reading all the letters, he looked at Jiang Shi in disbelief, "You actually corresponded with the same woman like this?"

Jiang Shi said gently, "Miss Yu is my fiancée. I have only corresponded with her, and the letters have always been in accordance with the rules between men and women, without overstepping the boundaries."

Hearing this, Du Boling and Duan Tianyi looked at the letter in Gao Yan's hand.

They were also a little curious about how Prince Jiang, who had always lived a secluded life and was not polite to any woman, would communicate with his fiancée.

Who wrote to whom first?

His fiancée must be an extraordinary woman, as she could make Prince Jiang leave the capital to welcome her.

Gao Yan held the letter tightly, with no intention of showing it to anyone else.

He turned around and asked the guards who had gone to search the Wu'an Marquis's mansion, "Did you find only these few letters?"

The guard bowed his head and said respectfully, "I have led people to search through Prince Jiang's study. Apart from these letters, there are only some books and paintings. We didn't find anything else suspicious."

Gao Yan asked, "Have you seen Prince Jiang's fiancée?"

The guard shook his head: "I didn't see it. I only saw the housekeeper Ying and a few servants from the Marquis' Mansion."

Gao Yan seemed to have finally caught something and looked at Jiang Shi: "It seems your fiancée has packed up and run away."

Du Boling and Duan Tianyi: ...

Sixth Prince, are you focusing on the wrong thing?

What does it have to do with his case and charges whether Prince Jiang's fiancée runs away or not?

Jiang Shi said, "She is not feeling well. She should be resting in her own courtyard."

"You really believe that she won't abandon you." Gao Yan looked at him meaningfully.

"Miss Yu is Jiang's fiancée, so Jiang naturally has to trust her, just as she trusts me."

Gao Yan suddenly felt a sour taste in his teeth.

He clearly wanted to see a different side of Jiang Shi today, but he never expected that this side would make him feel upset.

Jiang Shi is clearly imprisoned, so how can he remain so calm and composed? Is he fearless, or does he really have a clear conscience?

He stared at Jiang Shi closely.

He wanted to find a clue in his expression, but after watching for a long time, Jiang Shi still lowered his head and eyes, not moving.

The boy's back was straight, like a pine or cypress that stood firm despite weathering wind and rain.

Gao Yan's eyes widened.