9:00 AM (巳时).
Mu Chenshuang was taken to Chengtianjian.
A towering, impregnable walled building standing outside the palace.
Stepping through the gate, one is immediately struck by an overwhelming sense of oppression. Once inside, one is either severely injured or crippled, or leaves lying on one's side. Even royalty and nobility have no choice but to kneel and beg for mercy.
We arrived at the main hall.
Madam Cai and Cai Youjin were already kneeling on the ground.
Madam Cai was sobbing continuously. Hearing the noise behind her, she turned around and looked at her with eyes full of hatred.
Mu Chenshuang stopped in her tracks, still holding her head high and looking straight ahead with a firm gaze. Her expression was resolute and showed no sign of weakness, and the aura she exuded was still eye-catching.
Cai Youjin stared at her. "Mu Chenshuang, now that we're here, if you don't kneel down, who do you think will kneel before you?"
Mu Chenshuang glanced sideways at Cai Youjin, her gaze filled with a sense of oppression.
This glance made Cai Youjin's pupils dilate, and his whole body stiffened involuntarily.
Even here, this woman is still so arrogant.
Mu Chenshuang lowered her eyes and looked away, not wanting to pay any attention to him.
With a loud shout, "The Chief Astrologer has arrived!"
Immediately, a middle-aged man dressed in a long robe and wearing an official hat walked from the side to the judge's table. He was over fifty years old, but he exuded a terrifying aura. He sat down, and his old and deep eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, as if they could pierce through a person.
He was Zhu Qin, the chief astrologer of the Chengtianjian (Imperial Observatory).
Madam Cai and Cai Youjin, who were kneeling on the ground, quickly lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at each other.
The deputy envoy, standing beside the presiding judge's platform, looked at Mu Chenshuang and shouted, "Who in the hall is not kneeling and bowing?"
Mu Chenshuang looked directly at the person in front of her, speaking calmly and forcefully, "I am the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Jingbian, and I was personally bestowed the title of Princess Weiyang by His Majesty. His Majesty once promised that I would not have to kneel before him, let alone the Chief Clerk."
Unfazed by the terrifying gaze on the stage, despite the overwhelming pressure emanating from him that made it hard to breathe, he stared straight at Mu Chenshuang.
The deputy commander was astonished. Apart from the King of Libei four years ago, no one else had ever been so forceful. However, the King of Libei was ultimately executed. He never expected that he could feel that familiar aura from a woman four years later. This was truly remarkable.
Upon hearing Mu Chenshuang's words, Zhu Qin's lips curled into a smile, but his eyes were cold and terrifying. "It has been a long time since anyone has dared to speak with such confidence here. As expected of the heroine of my Tianzhao Kingdom, your aura is truly extraordinary."
Mu Chenshuang raised her eyes and looked directly at Zhu Qin, calmly saying, "You flatter me, Chief. I am not some kind of heroine standing here."
"Since Princess Weiyang knows, do you know what crime you have committed?"
"I implore Your Excellency to investigate this matter thoroughly."
Upon hearing this, Madam Cai raised her head excitedly and said, "Lord Chief Justice, you must do justice for my husband!"
"Yes, Chief Inspector, this Mu Chenshuang is the murderer who killed my father. The evidence is conclusive. You cannot listen to her sophistry. You must punish her severely."
"Quiet!"
Zhu Qin slammed his fist on the table and exclaimed.
The two quickly lowered their heads.
Zhu Qin stared at Mu Chenshuang with a serious expression, and he asked about all the past grievances between Mu Chenshuang, Cai Youjin, and Cai Mingquan.
Mu Chenshuang did not deny it, and answered affirmatively to all of them.
Such a question is simply to confirm the motive for the crime.
"So you're saying that you held a grudge and deliberately prevented Cai Mingquan from taking her medicine while she was sick?"
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