In the Crown Prince's residence the next morning.
"Jia'er, my daughter!" The Grand Herald sat on the edge of the bed, caressing Anchhi's cheeks tenderly.
"I am an unfortunate father to see his daughter in such heart wrenching state. I would not have allowed you to enter the palace if I had known you would end up like this." He continued to stammer, tears streaming down his face.
The Crown Prince lightly placed his warm hand on Fei Zhirong's shoulder as a gesture to comfort him.
"I had warned her several times not to sneak out of the palace. But, she never heeded my advice and, now she is in the verge of life and death. How shall I explain this to her mother? What shall I do?" Fei Zhirong's quavery voice reflected deep sorrowness as he hid his face in misery with his palm.
"You need not be afraid, Grand Herald. She will be fine." Hui Jing consoled, rubbing his back.
"Your Highness, you know Jia'er, right? She cannot do something as this grave. She has been wronged, Your Highness." The Grand Herald turned around to face the Crown Prince before he stood up.
"As of the accusations she has been accused with, trust me, I will help her to get rid of it. I've already lost her once, and I don't think I'll be able to put up with it again." The Crown Prince reassured him.
~~~~~
Since it's a morning time, it's compulsory for the emperor and his officials to attend the imperial clan court once a day in order to deliberate and carry out the regular affairs.
"The Grand Herald still has the audacity to face us."
"Exactly! If I were in his position, I would have resigned and fled from this empire."
"How brazen of him!"
"His daughter has unquestionably lowered his family dignity."
Gossips like these surrounded the whole court though also, Fei Zherong stood there, his hands clenched into a fist and eyes facing straight ahead at the throne.
"His Majesty has arrived." the Eunuch announced.
Emperor Gua Huang entered the court and seated regally on his throne, putting an end to the chatter and murmuring that had previously filled the court.
He cleared his throat, gesturing everyone to start the formal discussion. After awhile, Hui Jing paced his steps forward and bowed before the Emperor.
"I humbly greet Emperor Father."
"Rise."
"Thank you, Emperor Father."
"Before we begin, I want everyone to understand that whoever I defend today is not because I am lured by that person. Rather, as the crown prince of this nation, my utmost priority will be fighting to secure justice in this land." Hui Jing boldly stated, his hands raised near to his shoulders and clasped together.
"Go on." ordered the Emperor, his face as icy as ice.
"We've all been blaming Fei Jia of the crime, which she is completely oblivious of. She has been diagnosed with a rare and severe toxin, because of the poison, which has rendered her unconscious up to this point. She's now fighting alone, her life teetering on the precipice of death..." Hui Jing stated himself, his voice trembling slightly.
"It's also possible that she ingested the poison herself to carry out this act." The Prime Minister's shrill voice cut in.
"No one would ever put their life on the line to defend themselves." Hui Jing's brows flinched as he snapped his head.
With a venomous smirk, the Minister of Imperial Clan objected again, "Your Highness Crown Prince, don't you think you are justifying her by playing an emotional card?"
"Why do we need an emotional card when we already have the lone eyewitness of the crime?" From the crimson ornate doors, a threatening booming voice could be heard.
When everyone turned around to see who he was, they saw a bold black-clad figure holding a decapitated head from which red scarlet was gushing down the hard floor.
He was Shuo Jin, who kept walking towards the Emperor, and when he finally stood in front of Gua Huang, he threw that head before His Majesty's feet.
"How can you disrespect His Majesty in this manner?" One of the Ministers took a step forward and exclaimed.
"This is completely ridiculous and insulting of Great Gua's Emperor." Another minister sighed and expressed his viewpoint.
"Shush!" Shuo Jin pushed his index finger to his lips. "Why get insane over such a minor occurrence? I'm merely following Gua's great laws, one of which specifies that if necessary, the perpetrator shall be decapitated. Isn't that the case, Emperor Father?" He sighed deeply and batted his eyelashes before turning to face the Emperor.
"How do you know this is the perpetrator's head?" The General expressed his interest in learning more about the subject.
"So, Haoran and I were passing through the forest when we noticed Fourth brother being tied by the pole and that girl, lying lifelessly in the field. Then, Haoran and my men tried to rescue them while, I slaughtered everyone else in the vicinity. After all, I am the main protagonist of this empire." He curled up the corner of his lips devilishly, fingers caressing his hair.
"And then...?"
"After I'd finished killing them, I discovered a piece of fabric on which their next meeting spot was written."
The War of Minister hastily exasperated, "Observing the condition of Fourth Prince, it was heavily raining during that time, so how come that ink of the fabric is not ruined?"
"Actually, it was written with an indelible ink that made it impossible for the handwriting to cease." Shuo Jin nonchalantly stated. "Then, disguised as one of those individuals, I followed that area and had the opportunity to meet him."
"One can only guess what happened to him after that..." Shuo Jin gave a nasty smirk as he glanced at the decapitated head.
"By telling us this made-up story, what are you attempting to prove?" The Imperial Clan Minister, who stood behind Crown Prince, grimaced.
"I don't fancy on defending anyone. The cruelty one has displayed towards Fourth Brother is what really has to be addressed." Shuo Jin hummed for a bit before responding casually.
"It's not something a regular person would dare to undertake. I'm very convinced it's The Underworld's doing." As he squinted his monolid-dishy eyes, he let out a soft chuckle.
When they first heard 'The Underworld,' it was horrifying and spine-chilling for all of them, resulting in pin-drop quiet across the courtroom.
"Say exactly what you mean!" The Emperor spoke stiffly and imperturbably with imperation tone.
"Three tries!" Shuo Jin showed his three fingers by extending one hand forward. "They attempted to assassinate the Emperor three times and failed each time. Similarly, as trained soldiers, delicate Ministers, and sovereign Emperors, you have failed." He moved his eyes from the General on the right to the Ministers on the left, and lastly to the Emperor, who sat regally on his throne.
"You...." Gua Huang showed his disdain, replying to which Shuo Jin immediately bowed his head, "Forgive my insolence, Emperor Father."
"However, Emperor Father, what if this time they triumph over you?" He forewarned in a spooky way. As he flung his head back, the earnestness on his face faded, and a grin replaced it.
"To put it another way, there is an obvious consequence that everyone can see. Why is this incident being dragged out so much? Instead, we should concentrate on locating The Underworld clan's true mastermind." Shuo Jin expressed his opinion. Though his statements were nothing more than a ruse to fool the court officials.
Everyone in the room was bewildered by Shuo Jin's scary perplexed comments, including the Emperor, who paused for a while before saying, "Your proposal shall be considered."
Then, he stood from his throne, about to take his departure while the head eunuch announced, "If there are no more requests, the court is dismissed."
"I have a report." Minister of Imperial Clan proclaimed.
"Speak, Minister Li Wang." allowed the Emperor, waving his hand.
"The testimony of the first prince is insufficient to prove Fei Jia's innocence. Let's assume what he claimed is accurate, yet Fei Jia could also be a secret spy for The Underworld clan." Li Wang malevolently expressed, lowering his head.
Gua Huang laughed as he descended the stairwell. "Makes sense. Minister Li Wang has got a point." After then, he shifted his gaze to Hui Jing. "Crown Prince, what do you think?"
"Responding to Emperor Father, since Minster Li Wang is suspecting First Brother's testimony then we shall wait for the right time when Fourth Brother regains his composure as he is the only person who witnessed everything from beginning to end. This way, the truth shall prevail." Hui Jing briefly responded.
Gua Huang guffawed loudly as he patted Hui Jing's shoulder. "It's a good way to purchase time." Then, before leaving the courtroom, he went to his throne and decreed, "Obeyed."
Then, the head eunuch officially announced, "Court is dismissed."