The mind-reading coroner drove the court crazy

According to the name of the foreign merchant signed clearly and neatly on the contract, Eunuch Wu quickly walked through the corridors with red walls and golden tiles, and hurried over with a bearded man at his side.

The man was tall and burly, wearing a strange and colorful exotic costume, an exquisite felt hat inlaid with gems, and his every move revealed an air of foreignness.

Eunuch Wu came before the Emperor and bowed respectfully, his movements skillful and meticulous. Then he raised his head slightly and reported in a shrill but respectful voice, "Your Majesty, this is the foreign merchant who bought Lu Yuande's seeds."

The emperor was currently sitting on the magnificent dragon throne, emitting an innate aura of majesty.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his deep gaze like a sharp sword, and he looked the person in front of him from top to bottom without any expression.

After a long while, the emperor slowly spoke, his voice low and powerful: "Have you ever purchased seeds from Lu Yuande?"

When the businessman heard this, he was slightly stunned at first. A trace of barely perceptible surprise flashed across his originally calm face, and a hint of panic was revealed in his eyes.

However, this moment of panic was fleeting. He immediately straightened his clothes, bowed slightly respectfully, and nodded in response, "Master Lu and I have done a lot of business. He sold me many things, including seeds."

The emperor's eyelids drooped slightly, his narrow eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on the merchant. His voice was icy, and he asked word by word, "What about the seeds? Who did you sell them to?"

The merchant looked bewildered and shook his head subconsciously. With a hint of innocence in his tone, he replied, "It hasn't been sold yet."

"Not sold?" The emperor's voice rose slightly, revealing a hint of doubt.

"That's right," the merchant explained earnestly, his expression firm. "We tried to plant them, but the seeds were dead. No matter how carefully we cared for them, they had no life and nothing grew."

As he spoke, the businessman's face was full of sincerity, and his eyes revealed helplessness and loss.

However, the emperor did not believe it. He stared at the merchant coldly, his eyes as sharp as a knife, as if he wanted to see through him, and continued to ask: "What about the remaining seeds?"

The businessman answered without hesitation, "We lost them. After we found out that the seeds were useless, we disposed of them all."

When the emperor heard this, his brows were tightly knitted into the shape of a "川" character. The doubts in his heart not only did not disappear, but became even heavier.

He snorted coldly, his voice filled with unquestionable authority. "Such an important item is lost just like that? Do you think I'm a three-year-old child so easily fooled?"

Fine beads of sweat instantly appeared on the businessman's forehead, his hands trembled slightly unconsciously, and his originally calm expression began to become a little flustered.

He quickly knelt on his knees, his forehead hitting the ground with a dull thud. His voice trembled as he eagerly defended himself, "Your Majesty, I know everything I said is true. There's absolutely no falsehood. Those seeds were useless, and keeping them would only take up space, so I simply discarded them. I never imagined I would cause Your Majesty so much trouble."

The emperor ignored the merchant's pleading. He slowly stood up, his dragon robe swaying gently with his movements. Each step he took was steady and powerful, and he walked towards the merchant at a leisurely pace.

When he reached the businessman, he stopped and looked down at the businessman kneeling on the ground, with a chilling look in his eyes.

"Useless?" The emperor's voice was low and cold, as if it came from the Nine Netherworld. "My young marquis has already told me about the seed. Do you really not know how powerful it is?"

The merchant's body was trembling slightly, and beads of sweat the size of beans kept rolling down his cheeks, wetting the ground in front of him.

A hint of fear flashed across his eyes, but he quickly lowered his head to avoid the emperor's gaze, "Your Majesty, I really don't know anything."

"Haha! It seems that you won't confess the truth without torture."

The merchant immediately cried, "Mr. Lu and I have always done business on a cash-on-delivery basis. I only know that he sells a wide variety of things, but I've never asked about the origins and uses of those seeds."

The emperor snorted coldly, the anger in his eyes growing stronger.

He turned back to the courtroom and slowly sat down, gripping the armrests tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"Marquis Xuanping!"

Lu Qingchen stepped forward, his posture erect and his expression filled with confidence. Without hesitation, he began to speak, "Your Majesty, this man is shameless and full of lies. During my investigation into Lu Yuande, I have already discovered that he had secretly sent seeds to foreign countries. Since then, the foreign countries have achieved three harvests a year, and their grain reserves have reached the total of the previous three years. Such behavior is tantamount to aiding the enemy and treason, and the consequences are disastrous. I hope Your Majesty will understand!"

"What evidence do you have for saying this?"

"Your Majesty, you only need to send someone to the foreign land to investigate and you will know the answer. I dare not deceive you."

"Come here!" the emperor shouted. "Take this merchant to the prison and torture him severely. I want to know what else he is hiding!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several guards rushed in like wolves and tigers, pulled the merchant up from the ground, and escorted him out of the hall.

The merchant struggled and shouted, "Your Majesty, I said, it was Lu Yuande who said that the seeds were worth a thousand gold and showed me the benefits of the seeds, so I bought them at a high price."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor raised his hand slightly, signaling the guards to stop. He re-examined the imprisoned merchant, a trace of inquiry in his eyes. "Tell me in detail, what benefits did Lu Yuande show you about the seeds? And why did he sell you such precious seeds?"

Seeing the emperor show some signs of relenting, the merchant felt a glimmer of hope. He quickly gathered himself and spoke eagerly, "Your Majesty, Lu Yuande came to me and said he had a miraculous seed. It's not only drought-resistant and flood-resistant, but also has a very short growth cycle, allowing the land to produce three harvests a year. At first, I was skeptical, but he immediately took out a few seeds and planted them in a special pot. Within a few days, the seeds sprouted, bloomed, and bore fruit. The fruit was plump and large, yielding several times more than the common grain crops in our foreign lands. I witnessed it with my own eyes and was deeply shocked, so I immediately made a deal with him."

The emperor's face grew increasingly gloomy, and he slammed the table and stood up, "Come here, drag him away and chop him off."

"Your Majesty, spare my life!" When he realized that begging for mercy was useless, he hurriedly shouted, "You can't kill me. I am not from Longyuan Country."

The emperor stared at him intently and growled, "Execute him on the spot."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a flash of cold light, and the guard raised his long sword and chopped it down at the merchant without hesitation.

There was a dull "click" sound, and in a flash, the merchant's head was separated from his body. Fresh red blood gushed out from the broken neck like a fountain. The thick liquid splashed everywhere and quickly spread on the ground, which was a shocking sight.

The three Lu brothers were already terrified. The emperor snorted coldly at Lu Yuande, "Lu Yuande, you have been planning to export our dynasty's precious seeds to foreign countries!"

Lu Yuande knew that things had come to this point and it was useless to say anything, so he could only kneel on the ground and beg for mercy.

"Your Majesty, I am simply possessed by a demon. Please let me go!"

Even the other two knelt and begged, wondering if the emperor would implicate them.

The emperor looked at Lu Qingchen and asked meaningfully, "Marquis Xuanping, they are your father and uncle. Why don't you tell me how I should deal with them?"