Sun Miao's case was soon transferred to the Ministry of Justice.

When Minister of Justice Cheng Baichuan heard that the case was supervised by the prince himself, he naturally did not dare to be careless and invited Gao Yuan and Xue Shu to the court.

As the victim, Old Lady Sun appeared in the court carrying Sun Miao's coffin. The relatives and friends of the Sun family and the scholars who had received favors from the Sun family were not allowed to go to the court, so they all waited outside for news.

The old man's injuries had already been treated, because Xue Shu had instructed that the executioner control the force, so although he suffered some physical pain, he was not seriously injured. Perhaps knowing that there was hope for him to get justice, he felt better.

Cheng Baichuan allowed Grandma Sun not to kneel, considering his age, and asked the officers to bring him a small stool for him to sit on. But Grandma Sun refused and insisted on kneeling, handing over the written petition, accusing Gao Yuan, the supervisor of Dongchang, of carrying out a literary inquisition, disregarding the law, and taking human life lightly.

Cheng Baichuan took the complaint, read it, and took a breath of cool air.

The Sun family's petition clearly described the entire incident, even the torture Sun Miao suffered in the imperial prison and how he was tortured into confessing.

You have to know that these things are not available to ordinary people. Thinking of the mutilated body of Sun Miao that was sent back, Cheng Baichuan looked at Xue Shu obscurely.

This case seems to be a feud between the Sun family and Gao Yuan, but behind it, I'm afraid Xichang's handiwork is inevitable.

The dispute between the East and West factories has never ceased since the establishment of the West Factory. Either the East Wind overwhelms the West Wind, or the West Wind overwhelms the East Wind.

When the two factories are fighting for power, it is always these ordinary officials who suffer.

Later, when the present emperor ascended the throne, the West Factory was abandoned, and peace finally lasted for a few years. Now that the West Factory has been reopened, and with Xue Shu as the backbone, I am afraid that the struggles of the early years will be repeated.

Cheng Baichuan is not a stupid person since he can sit in the position of Minister of Justice.

He really didn't want to get involved in the fight between the two factories, so he acted impartially and honestly, not taking sides and being polite to both sides.

"Master Gao, is everything Sun Xing said in his petition true?"

"Of course it's all slander!" Gao Yuan sat aside and laughed coldly: "My Dongchang has always been doing things according to the emperor's orders, and we have never arrested anyone by mistake. A few days ago, we received a secret report that several students in Dongchuan Academy might have been involved with the remnants of Emperor Xiaozong's reign, so we arrested some people for interrogation. As for why the people are gone..."

Gao Yuan squinted at Xue Shu with his sinister triangular eyes and said in a sinister tone, "Minister Cheng, please ask Supervisor Xue. Every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt has its creditor. God has mercy on us. We didn't kill this man!"

Cheng Baichuan had no choice but to look at Xue Shu: "Supervisor Xue, is what Governor Gao said true?"

Xue Shu was sitting opposite Gao Yuan. He did not show any emotion when listening to his words. He nodded slowly and said, "It is true that I killed him. But I am kind-hearted. I couldn't bear to see Sun Miao suffer inhuman torture again, so I kindly gave him a quick death."

Gao Yuan was about to speak when he heard this, but Xue Shu did not give him a chance and continued, "The other day, Governor Gao ran into me and said that he had caught a few thieves, but could not find out anything from them. He insisted on inviting me to the Imperial Prison to help, saying that he wanted to share your worries. I have always been soft-hearted, so I agreed. But when we got there, we found that the so-called remnants of thieves were just a group of powerless scholars. Those scholars had been tortured beyond recognition after being captured for a few days, especially Sun Miao, who was the worst, covered in blood and unrecognizable, and one of his eyes was gouged out. Even so, Governor Gao still had someone put on the 'Pipa'..."

"Minister Cheng didn't see what happened at the time. Anyone with a conscience would have nightmares after seeing that scene." Xue Shu shook his head and sighed, "Sun Miao also had a backbone. He was tortured to the point of only having one breath left, but he still cried out for injustice. When Governor Gao saw that he refused to confess, he asked us to interrogate him. But we are different from Governor Gao. We have never done anything to force a confession by torture. And seeing that Sun Miao was being tortured so hard that he was breathing out more than breathing in, if he couldn't stand the torture and confessed vaguely, and his family would be implicated, we simply let him go. Speaking of which, we still have to apologize to the Sun family for this matter."

In a few words, he described the situation in the prison. He did not blame anyone on his face, but every word he said was about how Gao Yuan had been tortured into confessing and how he had taken human lives lightly.

Gao Yuan was so angry that he fell backwards. He stood up suddenly, pointed at him and cursed: "Nonsense!"

Xue Shu said nothing, his eyes were full of provocation.

Seeing this, Cheng Baichuan slapped the wooden stick hard and said, "Be quiet!"

Gao Yuan had no choice but to sit down and grit his teeth and said, "This is all his one-sided statement. Minister Cheng must handle this impartially."

He emphasized the words "handle the matter impartially" with great emphasis, sounding threatening.

If it were usual, Cheng Baichuan would naturally give him face and make a big deal out of a small matter. But now the Sun family case not only involves the West Factory, but also because it aroused the anger of the literati, it also registered in front of the prince.

If he dared to be unfair in the slightest, not to mention the Western Factory, even those historians would accuse him to death.

Therefore, Cheng Baichuan was tough for once, and said with a fake smile: "Don't worry, my lord, I will handle it impartially."

After that, he called the coroner to perform an autopsy on the body.

The autopsy process took quite a long time. Everyone waited for an hour before the coroner put away his tools and covered the body with white cloth again.

"How?" Cheng Baichuan asked.

"The deceased had been tortured before his death. He had severe external injuries to his limbs and trunk, and internal injuries to his internal organs."

"Can it be cured?" Cheng Baichuan asked anxiously.

The coroner shook his head and said, "Although the fatal injury was decapitation, the deceased had many broken bones and the dirty objects were also broken. Even if the head had not been decapitated, I'm afraid he wouldn't have survived more than three days."

In other words, even if Xue Shu didn't take action, Sun Miao would not have survived.

Cheng Baichuan looked at Gao Yuan and said, "What the coroner said confirms what Supervisor Xue said. Supervisor Gao, do you have anything else to say?"

Gao Yuan's face had not been good since the coroner came up. He said gloomily: "The Sun family's theater was related to the remnants of the Xiaozong period, and Sun Miao wrote a poem in public to satirize Your Majesty. He died because he could not stand the interrogation. He deserved to die!"

The implication is that you admit it.

Cheng Baichuan nodded, without commenting. He looked at Old Lady Sun and said, "Sun Xing, how do you defend the matter of the theater?"

When Gao Yuan and Xue Shu were fighting, Old Lady Sun had remained silent. Now that Cheng Baichuan had asked him about it, he burst into tears and cried out, "Your Excellency, it is true that the theater had problems in the early years, but now it has been several decades, and it has changed four or five owners! My Sun family only took over two years ago, how can you put the blame on us for something that happened decades ago?! Besides, the poem written by my grandson was an imitation of the ancients. He is not well educated and does not understand the meaning. Even if there are mistakes, it does not deserve the death penalty!"

Xue Shu added fuel to the fire and agreed, "We have also read the poems written by Sun Miao and a group of scholars. They just changed the lines of the previous poems for fun. The poems of the previous generations are still widely praised. How can their change be regarded as a satire? Don't tell me that Governor Gao has too much free time these days and has become suspicious, thinking that everyone is a remnant of thieves."

At this point in the debate, it is clear who is right and who is wrong.

Cheng Baichuan had dealt with Dongchang many times, and this was not the first time that they had used the trick of arresting people, forcing them to confess and then claiming credit for it.

It's just that Gao Yuan was unlucky this time.

Cheng Baichuan had an idea in mind and was in no hurry to make a decision. He used the excuse that he needed to check the origins of the theater and verify what Sun Xing said, and adjourned the court to another day - he still needed to present the matter to his superiors to find out what they meant before making a decision.

Gao Yuan is a close confidant of the emperor and cannot be detained before the case is decided. Old Grandpa Sun will still be imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice.

As Xue Shu passed by him, he whispered, "Old lady, take care of yourself. The case will soon be resolved."

Old Lady Sun looked at him for a long while and finally sighed.

He knew that he had become a pawn in the struggle between the two sides, but the Sun family was a small family and could not compete with the powerful Dongchang, so he could only trust Xue Shu.

As Xue Shu came out of the Ministry of Justice court and reached the palace gate, he was stopped by an unfamiliar young eunuch.

The other party had obviously been waiting for him. Seeing him come back, he hurried over to greet him and whispered, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has sent me here to pass on a message. Please ask Supervisor Xue to go to Hongren Hall at 12:00 p.m."

Today is July 16th, the end of the You hour.

The frost in Xue Shu's eyes melted away, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly: "Got it."

Xue Shu went to Ciqing Palace at the beginning of the You period.

After he returned to his residence in Xichang and changed his clothes, he had nothing to do. Thinking that His Highness might be waiting for him in Hongren Hall, he could not wait and went there early.

But when he arrived, he found Yin Chengyu was still handling official business.

He did not go in rashly, but found a secluded place outside and waited, and waited until the hour of You before going in.

Perhaps he had given special instructions, for today there were no guards around the Hongren Hall, no palace servants serving inside the hall, and even Zheng Duobao was not there.

Xue Shu entered the inner room and saw Yin Chengyu had just put down his pen. Hearing the noise, he turned around and looked at him: "Are you here?"

Xue Shu hummed, and walked forward quickly, with only that one person in his heart and eyes: "Your Highness..."

There was undisguised anticipation in his eyes.

Yin Chengyu curled his lips and pointed to the brocade box on the small table beside him: "The things are placed there, take them and go back."

Xue Shu walked over, picked up the box, and was about to open it when he heard Yin Chengyu say, "Go back and look at it."

He stopped obediently, but did not retreat. Instead, he looked at Yin Chengyu with burning eyes and asked, "Is this all you have?"

I really have the guts to do this.

Yin Chengyu smiled and said, "What else do you want?"

Xue Shu looked at him intently, his Adam's apple moving several times, and after a long while he whispered, "Your Highness."

I want His Highness.

He has been craving for too long, like a hungry beast.

The smile on Yin Chengyu's face faded, and he stared at him for a long time.

He was very clear about Xue Shu's little thoughts. Because he was very clear about it, he didn't want to satisfy him.

He liked to see Xue Shu being clearly aroused but having to restrain himself, controlling his emotions and desires, and watching him fall into the vortex he had created himself. This was far more pleasurable to him than what happened on the couch.

Although Xue Shu was obviously more interested in that thing on the bed.

But who can blame him for having the upper hand now?

Yin Chengyu changed his posture and leaned forward slightly. His red lips curled up and he smiled wickedly: "Come forward."

Xue Shu walked closer obediently and smelled the fragrance of snow ridge plum.

The fragrance today seemed a little strong, lingering around Xue Shu's nose and making him feel dizzy.

His dark eyes met Yin Chengyu's directly, and Xue Shu called out "Your Highness" again in a low, hoarse voice. He saw Yin Chengyu stretching out his hand towards him. That hand was white and delicate like the finest porcelain, but there was a little light powder on the fingertips, which brought out a bit of desire.

Xue Shu couldn't help but grab his hand, squeezing it tightly but was afraid of hurting him if he used too much force.

Yin Chengyu felt the force coming from the back of his hand, glanced at him, and said coldly: "Let go."

Xue Shu looked at him, his eyes dark. He tightened his clenched hands for a moment, then restrained himself and slowly loosened them.

Just a pair of eyes, staring at him without scruples and greedily.

"Don't move." Yin Chengyu observed his expression and narrowed his eyes with pleasure.

At this time, there was only half a step between the two of them. He pulled Xue Shu's collar on his chest and forced him to bend down. Like peeling pine nuts, his slender and beautiful fingers easily lifted the collar on his neck.

But that’s not all.

Looking at his exposed neck, Yin Chengyu showed an interested expression like a hunter.

He tapped Xue Shu's lips and said again: "Don't move, understand?"

After saying this, he bit down without waiting for Xue Shu to react.

Xue Shu's brows furrowed for a moment, then slowly relaxed. His blood rushed, his ears buzzed, and he couldn't help shivering.

He used up all his strength to suppress the violent impulse.

He felt almost weak, and his breathing was heavy.

Yin Chengyu smelled the blood and slowly stepped back.

He squinted at the wound on Xue Shu's neck, and lightly touched the wound with his fingertips, which stained a little bright red blood: "Does it hurt?"

Xue Shu gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words from between his teeth after a long while, his voice trembling slightly: "It doesn't hurt."

The wound didn't hurt, but his heart felt like it was about to explode.

Yin Chengyu laughed when he heard this. He closed his fingertips and twisted them lightly, and the blood stain disappeared.

He said something that Xue Shu couldn't quite understand: "But I'm lonely and in pain."

Xue Shu was puzzled as he was the one who was bitten.

He pondered with his not-so-clear mind for a while before tentatively saying, "Your Highness loves me."

Yin Chengyu's smile grew wider, he looked at him intently, waved his hand and said, "I have been tolerant enough towards you, don't be greedy, get out of here quickly."

Xue Shu pursed his lips and looked at him. After realizing that there was no room for bargaining this time, he took his birthday gift and walked out.

Yin Chengyu's voice came from behind, dragging out the tone and sounding lazy: "Remember to pull up your collar."

The author has something to say:

#Dog hook with a target#

Gou Gou: Your Highness has also marked me, I am in love.

Your Highness:?