The emperor also did not expect Mu Jingrui to suddenly come back and accuse Zheng father and son of being the culprits for the annihilation of the 100,000-strong army.
He immediately ordered the three courts to jointly try the case and summoned Zheng's father and son to the court.
The two sides held their own opinions, which put the officials of the Ministry of Justice and the three courts in a dilemma. Both sides had their own power and could not favor either side.
Seeing that the interrogation had reached a stalemate, Long Jiu asked both parties to submit favorable evidence in an attempt to find a new way out.
"I also have personal evidence that can prove that it was indeed Yiyong Hou who changed the deployment of troops."
Most of the day had passed since the interrogation, but Shangguan Wanning still hadn't shown up. Mu Jingrui already had a bad feeling in his heart.
But he always believed that she would not let him down.
"Who is it?" Long Jiu's eyes lit up and he asked impatiently.
"My fiancée, Shangguan Wanning."
After these words were spoken, silence fell on the scene.
Everyone knows that Princess An Ning is the granddaughter of Marquis Yiyong, and Zheng Guoxun loves this granddaughter very much and regards her as the apple of his eye.
Is it possible to let her come out and testify against Zheng Guoxun?
"Mu Jingrui, my Ning'er is a lady from a noble family, how can she show her face in the court? You are clearly quibbling and trying to embarrass us." Zheng Bingrong pointed at Mu Jingrui and cursed.
Mu Jingrui didn't buy it at all.
"Before I went to war, I made an engagement with Ning'er, and it was the Marquis who made the decision. She is my wife-to-be, and I don't care. Why do you care?"
Zheng Bingrong was not a pushover either, and he snorted heavily. "You are a man, you can change your wife at any time, marry three wives and four concubines. If you don't want Ning'er anymore, wouldn't that ruin her life?"
Mu Jingrui didn't want to get entangled with Zheng Bingrong any more, so he looked at Long Jiu and said, "Lord Long, nothing is more important than the justice of those 100,000 soldiers. As long as Ning'er is willing to testify in court, she can do it immediately."
Long Jiu lowered his eyes in thought and exchanged glances with the other judges.
Shangguan Wanning is the daughter of the prime minister, and those present cannot afford to offend just one Shangguan Yue.
In addition, Shangguan Wanning is deeply loved by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, so any mistake would be a disaster.
"Lord Long, for the sake of fairness and justice, please summon Ning'er to the court." Zheng Guoxun remained silent and indifferent from beginning to end, and only said one sentence at this time, "If there are any other problems, I will be responsible."
Zheng Guoxun's words gave Long Jiu and others peace of mind, but made Mu Jingrui feel vaguely uneasy.
Long Jiu sent the chief constable of the Ministry of Justice to the Prime Minister's residence to summon Shangguan Wan Ning, but after about half an incense stick of time, he returned empty-handed.
"Your Excellency Long, I met Princess An Ning at the Prime Minister's Residence. She said... as a woman, she didn't know much about the border war, so... she was unwilling to come to the Ministry of Justice."
As soon as he finished speaking, a meaningful smile appeared on the faces of Zheng's father and son.
Mu Jingrui's face changed drastically. He quickly walked up to the chief constable and asked, "Did she say these words herself?"
"Princess An Ning said it herself." The chief constable answered firmly.
Mu Jingrui involuntarily took a few steps back, his clenched fists creaking.
"Shangguan Wanning, I wrongly trusted you again."
"Well, Master Mu, do you have anything else to say?" Zheng Bingrong sneered, "The witnesses you mentioned yourself are unwilling to testify for you. If you can't produce any other evidence, then we will sue you for slandering the Yiyong Marquis Mansion."
Mu Jingrui's eyes moved and he looked at Zheng Bingrong.
Zheng Bingrong only felt countless cold rays of light reflecting on his body, and he shivered involuntarily.
Since Mu Jingrui had no solid evidence to prove that the destruction of the 100,000-strong army was caused by the Zheng father and son's unauthorized modification of the troop deployment diagram, the Zheng father and son were released on the spot.
As the commander-in-chief of an army of 100,000, Mu Jingrui failed in command, which resulted in heavy casualties in the court. He cannot escape the blame and is temporarily imprisoned, awaiting the emperor's punishment.
"elder brother……"
Mu Jingyan knocked on the bars of the cell, grabbed the wooden bars with both hands, and tried hard to squeeze his little face in.
"How are you?"
Mu Jingrui lowered his head, stared at the ground and said nothing.
His depression and silence made Mu Jingyan feel distressed, and he swallowed back the words of complaint and blame.
"Brother, the temperature has dropped in the past few days. I brought you a quilt. The jailer will prepare it for you later. Also, I prepared some fruits and cakes. You can eat them when you are hungry at night."
Mu Jingrui still didn't speak.
"The Crown Prince and I have already arranged everything in the Ministry of Justice. They will not make things difficult for you. The Crown Prince asked me to tell you not to worry too much. He will find a way to get you out."
Mu Jingyan couldn't help feeling annoyed when he saw that his brother didn't even give him an expression.
"Hey, Mu Jingrui, why are you giving me such a bad look when you are sorry to your loved one Shangguan Wanning? I have long advised you not to trust this woman, but you kept insisting on..."
Before Mu Jingyan could finish her words, Mu Jingrui looked at her.
The coldness in his eyes made Mu Jingyan shut his mouth involuntarily.
"You can go back."
"elder brother……"
Mu Jingrui turned away and ignored him, so Mu Jingyan had no choice but to stand up. "Okay then. But let's make it clear in advance that you can't do anything stupid. You are the only male in our family, and we are counting on you to have children..."
Mu Jingyan saw his brother's shoulders trembling slightly and realized that he was not feeling well at the moment, so he could only sigh and leave.
As dusk falls, everything becomes silent.
Mu Jingrui sat under the exhaust vent of the cell, letting the bright moonlight shine on his body.
He heard light footsteps approaching, pausing at the door of his cell.
With a "bang", the chain of the cell was cut off, and several masked men in black rushed in.
"Master Mu, we are here to rescue you on the orders of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Please come with us."
Mu Jingrui slowly opened his eyes and looked at it indifferently.
"Your Highness, I appreciate your kindness. You can go on your own."
Mu Jingrui actually refused to leave, which made the men in black look at each other in bewilderment.
"Master Mu, His Highness has returned from the palace and learned the news. The Emperor will soon order you to be killed. If you don't leave now, you won't be able to leave when the imperial edict arrives tomorrow morning."
"Get out!" Mu Jingrui didn't want to say anything more and shouted coldly.
Seeing this, the man in black rushed over and tried to help Mu Jingrui up.
Mu Jingrui flipped in the air and used the momentum to sweep across, knocking down several men in black.
"Master Mu, we have good intentions, why are you...ah!"
"Tell me, who sent you here?" Mu Jingrui stepped on the chest of a man in black.
The man in black felt a sharp pain and curled up into a ball in pain.
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