"Who is screaming?" Ma Ya looked around. "Has someone fall ill?"
But actually, she did not need to ask. All members of Bai Lian Jiao now looked out of the prison. Because the scream came from there.
Even now, it was accompanied by the sound of somebody being hit and somebody falling onto the ground.
"It seems that someone is attacking the jailers," Wei Han guessed.
"There, De Ta!" A woman's shout. A few seconds later, a head appeared behind the iron curtain.
"I can't see anything! It's very dark inside!" The Head shouted.
Then, the sound of the door creaked. Someone had opened the prison door. Now, the door was wide open.
All of them could escape.
"Hey! Why are there so many people going out?!" The woman shouted in surprise. The Bai Lian Jiao indeed took the opportunity instantly. They did not care with who had released them, they just had to get out of here as quick as they could. And, despite enduring the piercing pain throughout the body, the injured Bai Lian Jiao still forced themselves to escape.
"Thank you very much, Sir and Miss!" Wang Yue shook the hands of the two strangers. "Even though we don't know each other, but you are willing to let us go. We will never forget your kindness forever."
"Hey, Yu Mu Li La! We're about to save Master Yun, how come it turns out this way?!" De Ta was bewildered.
Yu Mu Li La was thinking hard. There was no way she would misidentify the dungeon area of Kaifeng Palace since she had spied on Kaifeng Palace too often. Or maybe it was dark, so she could misidentify the cell?
She did not have time to heed Wang Yue's pleasantries. Huh, let's say I do good karma to you! She immediately switched to another cell. "Maybe Master Yun is here. De Ta, come on!"
"Come on, run away! Before they send more troops!" And the Bai Lian Jiao immediately galloped up the underground stairs.
***
Although Hu Nayin gave birth to a baby boy, the entire Zhou Fan Wang Guo did not soon forgive her. The incident indeed had a big impact, it even involved the forbidden organization Bai Lian Jiao, as the result, the entire Zhou Fan Wang Guo was in an uproar because of it. Moreover, Wu Qi had taken Hu Nayin away, and cooperated with Bai Lian Jiao, so everyone urged Zhu Su to hold a trial as soon as possible.
Thereby, the trial was held on a sunny day. There were quite a lot of people who became the defendants. Wu Qi, Hu Nayin, Zhu Su's two daughters, and Mrs. Deng and Deng Linping.
"Your Highness! Haven't you promise to protect Linping's life?! Why is he being dragged into court instead?!" Mrs. Deng demanded.
"Ma'am, this problem doesn't happen because he fails to carry out his duties. You are being prosecuted because you are members of Bai Lian Jiao. You know it very well that Bai Lian Jiao is a forbidden sect, right? But you still follow it, then you must know the consequences. This is not my demand, this is a nationwide demand. Although I don't meet with you, if you are caught one day, you still have to undergo the same trial."
Mrs. Deng bit her lip. Since Zhu Su was reasonable, she did not argue anymore and just looked down silently.
Zhu Su also caught the worry on Hu Nayin's face. Still weak because of giving birth not long ago, the Wang Fei was getting weaker due to the stress of facing the court. He immediately approached her, and embraced her. He could feel Hu Nayin's body trembling in his embrace. "I'll try to hold them back so they won't be rude towards you."
"Yes... Your Highness... please... I'm so scared..."
Zhu Su gritted his teeth. That was why he insisted on interfering in this court. According to the law, actually the court had to be free from interference by the rulers and be run by a competent judge, but Zhu Su could not stand for it anymore. He snapped, "I just want to watch. I'm just watching! Do you mind it?!"
Zhu Su glared at them so fiercely, the officials were more or less scared and finally forced to let him watch.
Hence. On the court podium stage, the judge sat in the main seat, with legal officials to his left and right. And from afar but still clearly visible, Zhu Su was sitting, watching everything intently.
Anxiously, Zhu Su kept looking at Hu Nayin, who was seated in the defendant's chair with Wu Qi and the others.
A eunuch hit the gong, marked the start of the trial. The judge stood up, reading the case by case the defendants had been undergoing.
"And regarding the sentences imposed..."
The judge was about to read the lines below in expressionless face, yet he was stunned as Zhu Su glared at him sharply.
"Your Highness!" A senior official spoke out loud. "If you want this court to run fairly, then you can't interfere, otherwise the result will be messy, the country will be in turmoil and you will be perceived as a tyrannical ruler who has ruined everything."
"And how about you?! You are so arrogant by interfering with our household affairs, make the petty things exaggerate to be such this big, and now, you even dare to control me!"
"This case is not an ordinary household matter. Because Bai Lian Jiao has got involved in it. And more, so as nobody gets disadvantaged, then an official trial must be carried out, and you also have agreed with it..."
"Alright, alright! Come on, I will listen to the verdict you are going to pass. If you dare to pass a harsh sentence, then I will also punish you with a harsh sentence!"
"Your Highness! How can that be!..."
"Just announce the decision, quick! Don't talk too much here! I hate those who like to talk too much!"
The officials were clammed up. The judge took a deep breath, and began to exclaim.
"Hu Nayin Wang Fei, has spread the disease to Shuizhen and Shuanghu Districts and kills dozens of innocent people, has created a misunderstanding that leads to a huge commotion, has collaborated with the forbidden cult Bai Lian Jiao and has fought government forces, thereby... she must receive a punishment in the form of... may not hold the status of Wang Fei, and be demoted to be a concubine."
Zhu Su was agape. It was the first time for him to hear of such kind of punishment! "Hey! The one who has the right to decide who becomes Wang Fei and who becomes concubine, is me! Why do you instead decide that?!"
"This is the lightest punishment, Your Highness. The other options for punishment are much more severe than this. Wang Fei has spread the disease and kills many people. Besides, you know very clearly about the laws of Da Ming Lü and Da Gao * regarding Bai Lian Jiao. A defendant may even be sentenced to death by slow-slicing execution!"
It was Wu Qi who got afraid because of the judge's statement. He knew, they would not dare mess with Hu Nayin because Zhu Su loved her so much, moreover, Hu Nayin had given birth to a prince. In this problem, Hu Nayin finally chose to return back to Zhu Su and not trying to escape from him. Unlike him. He made a much bigger mistake. He took Hu Nayin away, it was he who cooperated with Bai Lian Jiao, even planned to flee far to Guangdong. After all, he had taken Hu Nayin away, it was qualified as severe treason. Taking the wife of Fan Wang with him, the whole country would agree if he was executed severely.
Maybe actually... His Highness also hopes the same.
"Commander Wu Qi, has taken Hu Nayin Wang Fei - who is the wife of His Highness - to leave the palace, such a terrible act of immorality! Besides, conspiring with Bai Lian Jiao to fight against San Hu Wei. A commander should be loyal to his lord, but instead, you betray your lord, it is treason. Commander Wu Qi has committed a severe offense! Therefore, the punishment for him is... a death sentence."
...
* Da Gao = literally means "Great Warning", an edict which was released by the Hongwu Emperor to warn and instruct his subjects.