The abandoned concubine who transmigrated woke up shouting "Long live the widow!"

Prince Rui Yemus couldn't wait until tomorrow's morning court session; he needed to confirm at the very least that these valuables belonged to Hu Yucheng and Li Wenqing's family.

So he sent someone to find Hu and Li to confirm.

As it turned out, the two men brought lists of their respective household storerooms, and these were exactly the items listed.

Li Wenqing was in a state of turmoil. He was both hoping that there might be his buried treasures inside, and also afraid that there might be other things, since those things didn't match his income, and even if he argued, they wouldn't stand up to investigation.

Fortunately, it only contained items from the ground floor warehouse.

He felt both relieved and disappointed; it seemed those things were gone forever.

The study in the Prime Minister's residence was already guarded by soldiers, so Prime Minister Zou was unable to speak with Hu Yucheng after he arrived.

Hu Yucheng was also puzzled. How could his family's valuables be found in the Prime Minister's residence? This was too unbelievable, no, too bizarre!

He really wanted to find Prime Minister Zou and get to the bottom of things, but when would he have the chance?

Ye Musi ordered his men to transport the valuables back to the Dali Temple. Because the case was still pending, the valuables could not be returned to their rightful owners. People from the Prime Minister's residence were still not allowed to enter or leave, and the patrol troops had not yet withdrawn.

Back at the Dali Temple, Ye Musi learned that the Zhanwang Mansion had also arrested a suspicious person that night. He immediately interrogated the person, but the person refused to say anything.

Left with no other choice, they had to lock him up in jail for now and deal with it tomorrow.

The next morning at court, Prince Rui first presented a report on what had happened the previous night.

These past few days, the Emperor has been favoring Consort Fang. For some reason, he hadn't found Consort Fang particularly pleasing to the eye before, but these past few days, whenever he's in her palace, he feels an intense surge of desire, as if he's returned to the age of first love.

When the morning court session began, the emperor was still a little drowsy!

However, upon hearing that the case had been solved, and solved in such an unexpected way, he became much more alert.

The ministers below have been discussing it all morning. After all, not all ministers live in the north city, and many people are unaware of what happened last night!

The emperor quickly realized that this case was somewhat similar to Jing Zhiyuan's case! Both had a locked room, but one involved a dragon robe, while the other involved someone else's property, and there was also the difference between one witness and a group of witnesses.

Could it be that someone is deliberately framing court officials?

He simply couldn't believe that Prime Minister Zou would steal his brother-in-law's belongings.

"Your Highness, how does your Court of Judicial Review intend to handle this case?" the Emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Zou said at the time that he knew nothing about this matter. However, there are witnesses and physical evidence. It is not enough for him to say that he did not do it! Our Dali Temple must persuade people with reason and conduct a public trial," Ye Musi replied, bowing.

At this moment, Hu Yucheng stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that someone has framed me. Prime Minister Zou could not possibly have done such a thing!"

Hu Yucheng thought about it carefully last night. This matter was too strange, and someone must have done it on purpose.

Besides, given his long-standing relationship with Prime Minister Zou and the plan they devised, it couldn't have been Prime Minister Zou who did it.

Prince Duan, Ye Musen, also cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, this matter is too unbelievable. We should investigate it thoroughly before drawing conclusions!"

"Ha!" Ye Muchen sneered from the side. He continued, "Prince Duan, you are mistaken! I remember the case of Jing Zhiyuan a few days ago, there were witnesses and physical evidence, yet he was still imprisoned. How come it's so unbelievable in Prime Minister Zou's case? I think the case is already clear as day, and Prime Minister Zou has no choice but to admit it! Besides, they are all citizens of Bei Ye. If they break the law, they should be treated equally!"

Many ministers also spoke up and expressed their opinions, but Li Wenqing dared not speak. The gold and silver treasures in his house were obtained by him through bribery many years ago.

Anyway, no valuables were stolen. Now he just wanted to close the case as soon as possible and get his belongings back. Even if the thief was caught, he wouldn't be able to explain himself no matter how hard he tried.

The emperor listened to the murmurs of his courtiers and felt a headache coming on. But the case had come to this point, and there had to be a resolution.

The Emperor then spoke, "Alright, a country has its laws, and a family has its rules. No matter how high-ranking an official, they cannot break the law. Prince Rui, urge the Court of Judicial Review to close the case as soon as possible. Is there anything else? If so, speak; otherwise, court is adjourned!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey!" Yemus replied, bowing.

Seeing that the Emperor looked a little tired, Ye Muchen couldn't help but wonder if the Emperor was unwell, as he seemed different from usual.

Since the Emperor had issued an imperial edict, Ye Musi went to the Dali Temple after the morning court session.

The trial was still presided over by Minister Xiao of the Court of Judicial Review.

When Prime Minister Zou saw the guard he had sent out, he disregarded the rules of the court and preemptively pointed at the man, saying, "You damned dog of a servant! Have I ever lacked your food or clothing? Your whole family lives in my residence, yet you have committed this crime against the law. It is truly an outrage against heaven and earth! Lord Xiao, do not consider my feelings. Sentence him according to the proper order!"

Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review: You've absolved yourself of all responsibility so easily, what's the point of the trial?

Lord Xiao slammed his gavel. "Silence!"

"I haven't even started the trial yet. Speak your mind one step at a time!"

Prime Minister Zou had already devised a plan last night. He had the indenture of the guard's family of four, and making them take the blame was the best way. In any case, theft in Beiye was generally not a capital offense, unless you stole from the national treasury.

Although he hadn't discussed it with the guard beforehand, he figured that if he reminded him that his family was in his hands, the man would know what to do.

Sure enough, the guard quickly confessed to the crime, and the Minister of Justice could not simply accept whatever he said, so he interrogated him about the details of the crime.

That person confessed to everything, including stealing from the Ministry of Personnel's residence, running back to the Prime Minister's residence, and being caught near the Prince of Zhan's residence.

Most of the officials in the court had come to the Dali Temple. Ye Muchen didn't actually believe what the guard said because the timing didn't add up. When Jingxue left the mansion, the man in black was already near the War Prince's mansion.

The person who appeared at the Minister's residence and the Prime Minister's residence was not him.

But he didn't expose them, because if he did, there would be another thief on the run.

He knew that person must be Jingxue.

Then the case cannot be closed, but Prime Minister Zou has already absolved himself of responsibility, leaving only this lowly soldier to take the blame, so there's no point in pursuing it further.

Ye Musi and his third brother shared the same idea: this case had become known throughout the court, and now that someone had confessed and the property had been recovered, it was time to close the case!

So he didn't say anything more and let the Minister of Justice pronounce the verdict as normal.

Finally, the property belonging to Hu Yucheng and Li Wenqing was returned in court, and the guard was sentenced to exile in the Northwest.

This case is now closed.

Ye Muchen knew that Jingxue wouldn't do all this without a reason; there must be a cause.

He instructed Gao Chi to tell An Jia and the others that although today's trial was open to the public, only some officials of the court were allowed to attend, and ordinary people were not allowed to enter. He then instructed Gao Chi to let the people of the capital know about today's case.

In addition, the fact that Prime Minister Zou's family had a secret room was also spread.