The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Ou Jianzhong was immediately enraged and said, "Do you enjoy making fun of other people's suffering?!"

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not like you. I'm mocking your lies, not your suffering!" Chang'an laughed.

"Hmph, everything I said is true... how dare you, a mere brat, question it so casually?" Ou Jianzhong said angrily.

Chang'an couldn't help but burst into laughter again, clutching his stomach. "If even I'm considered a greenhorn when it comes to the people and things involved in this case, then what are you?"

"you!?"

"How dare you! No noise is allowed in the courtroom! Guards, take him away!" the adjutant roared.

A group of burly men made their way through the crowd and quickly arrived in front of Chang'an.

In this critical moment, Hua Chang said, "Now that you know the inside story, why don't you come up and explain it clearly?" She put down the case file in her hand and looked at Chang'an with her bright eyes.

His words were undoubtedly a public slap in the face to the adjutant, causing the adjutant to blush and his eyes to glaze over Chang'an with panic and anger.

At the same time, the crowd cleared a path for Chang'an.

Chang'an walked confidently into the main hall and said to the crowd, "Can you tell who I am?"

The crowd stared at him for a long time, exchanging bewildered glances, before finally shaking their heads...

Chang'an laughed awkwardly, "You guys...didn't you watch the finals?"

“He is Chang’an of Shangyang Gate. Regarding this case, he should have more authority to speak than most people here,” He Lai said slowly with his eyes closed.

With He Lai's personal confirmation, Chang'an finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Hearing that he was a promising young champion, many people in the arena were already waiting to hear his words. Only the adjutant and Chen Fugui looked extremely uneasy, as if they had a fishbone stuck in their throats.

Chang'an first questioned Ou Jianzhong: "You just said that your younger brother, Ou Zhuangyuan, has been expelled from Chunhu Academy and is still wandering the streets, is that right?"

"Hmph, what? Your Excellency...are you planning to...help me...find my younger brother?" Ou Jianzhong said through gritted teeth.

Chang'an smiled and said, "I already know where your brother is."

"Where?" Ou Jianzhong pretended his eyes lit up, but in reality he was already a little panicked.

Chang'an crossed his arms and said with a wicked smile, "Don't get excited yet. Your brother has indeed been expelled from Chunhu Academy, but it's not because you offended Raymond. It's because he offended someone else."

Ou Jianzhong was starting to panic: "What...what nonsense are you spouting?"

Chang'an smiled slightly, not wanting to waste any more words on him, and instead turned to Xiaolin, who was kneeling on the ground with an expectant look on her face.

"Young lady, do you still remember the child who tried to rape you yesterday?" Chang'an said softly.

Upon hearing this, the people in the hall erupted in another uproar. They found it hard to believe that a child of such a young age could do such a thing.

Xiaolin paused for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Of course I remember. That kid was all talk and no action, but when it came to real combat, he was a complete novice. In the end, he couldn't stand it and actually asked me to report him to the authorities."

"In that case, could you please recall the child's appearance and clothing? The more detailed the better."

Xiaolin described Ou Zhuangyuan's physical characteristics in great detail.

Chang'an smiled with satisfaction. "Well? Is the person she's talking about your younger brother, Scholar Ou?"

Ou Jianzhong's face turned green, but his eyes were still darting around as he angrily said, "How could you two have seen my brother? He's just a ten-year-old child, why did you force him to do such a thing?!"

Seeing that Ou Jianzhong was the one who orchestrated everything, Chang'an wasn't as anxious as Xiaolin. He just stared at Ou Jianzhong with a wicked smile and said, "Why would he do such a thing? Don't you fanatical disciples know?"

"Hmph, you two have been singing and talking so much here, but in the end you can't produce a single piece of evidence! If you continue to spout nonsense here, don't blame me for being ruthless!" the adjutant roared, speaking in a very high-sounding manner.

Chang'an snorted coldly, "Whether what I said is true or false, go and invite Scholar Ou out of the prison cell and ask him."

"Men, bring out Scholar Ou from the prison cell for a confrontation." Before Hua Chang could give the order, the adjutant, sweating profusely, rushed to speak first.

"Yes." The soldier who appeared out of nowhere outside the door answered and ran off quickly. He must have been the man the adjutant had arranged beforehand.

"Oh no! These people are going to kill me to cover their tracks! I'm in big trouble now!"

Thinking this, Chang'an hurriedly turned to Hua Chang, only to find her leaning back comfortably in her chair...

But behind him, two soldiers with livid faces suddenly stepped out.

"These...these are the two soldiers who escorted the top scholar!" Chang'an was both surprised and delighted.

The two officers bowed slightly to Hua Chang, then walked steadily to the door and flew towards the prison.

Chang'an finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Phew, so they were Lord Hua's confidants. It turns out Lord Hua knew everything all along."

At this moment, Hua Chang smiled and quietly watched the anxious adjutant.

This smile, enough to capture the hearts of countless young girls, somehow made the adjutant break out in a cold sweat and tremble all over.

He also knew how rebellious his desperate gamble had been.

Hua Chang slowly looked at Ou Jianzhong and said slowly, "So far, you have only proven that your injury was caused by Wei Shanshan. As for the other things you mentioned, we will have to wait until Scholar Ou arrives here to find out the truth."

Ou Jianzhong hurriedly said, "Sir, I... I absolutely wouldn't dare... deceive you!"

Hua Chang nodded. "You're right about one thing. I should indeed ask the students and teachers at the academy to see what really happened that day and whether the situation is as you say."

Ou Jianzhong swallowed hard and said, "I will obey your orders, sir."

Hua Chang smiled slightly, "Very well, I also want to ask your brother about the matter of your parents being killed by Raymond."

Ou Jianzhong and his adjutants were all shocked upon hearing this, because they had never been able to get in touch with Ou Zhuangyuan, who was being protected by Raymond. So this time, they had only intended to casually mention Ou Zhuangyuan and brush it off.

But they never imagined that Scholar Ou would follow He Lai's example and be imprisoned at this time, and that Chang'an would find out about it. This made Scholar Ou the key to the case.

So Ou Jianzhong's face showed a hint of despair, but Chen Fugui still had a smile on his face.

So Hua Chang asked again, "Chen Fugui, you just said that the letter was written to Xiaolin by that monk named Lu Xiaosan?"

Chen Fugui hurriedly replied, "That's right, sir. Besides me, many other people noticed that the evil monk was loitering suspiciously outside Xiaolin's room that day. If you don't believe me, sir, you can call these witnesses up here. They're right here."

Xiaolin, standing to the side, stared at Chen Fugui's ugly face, her anger barely contained.

Hua Chang stared at her slender hands, shook her head and laughed, "What's the point of all the prepared statements they gave after being called up?"

Chen Fugui hurriedly kowtowed and said in a trembling voice, "Sir, I would never dare to do such a thing."

Before Hua Chang could speak, Chang An interrupted, "I don't know if you dare to do this, but I do know that the letter in your hand was definitely not written by Lu Xiaosan."

Chen Fugui sneered, "What makes you say that, young man?"

"Because he can't read at all, how could he possibly write a letter?" Chang'an shrugged.

Chen Fugui remained unfazed and continued with a smile, "How could a monk who chants sutras all day be illiterate? What makes you so sure?"

“Chanting sutras and chanting Buddhist prayers? Hahaha, he and I are... we are both from Shangyang Sect, how could I not know?” Chang’an still dared not publicly declare how good his relationship was with him.

Chen Fugui sneered, "You're so sure just because you're teammates? Besides, the Kaiyuan Martial Arts Tournament is about martial arts, not calligraphy. Moreover, you've never fought side by side on the field, so how do you know these things?"

"He and I..." Chang'an was speechless. It was really difficult for him to admit that he and he had a good relationship.

Hua Chang smiled slightly, "Where is Lu Xiaosan now?"

Chen Fugui then looked at Chang'an and sneered, "Yes, if we invite that mistress over to write a few words, we can find out the truth of the matter."

"Young man, aren't you on good terms with him? You even know about his shameful deeds, so you must know where he is now, right?"

“This…this…” Chang’an was speechless.

"Hmph, why don't you dare let him come out and reveal the truth, little brother? Or... has he already fled to avoid punishment?!" Chen Fugui pressed his advantage.

At this moment, everyone on the field was eagerly waiting for Chang'an to reveal Lu Xiaosan's whereabouts, especially Chen Fugui and his adjutants, who were all smiling smugly and sinisterly.

Judging from their confident demeanor, they must have already searched for the mistress's whereabouts, which is why they dared to unscrupulously pin the blame on him. They were also certain that if they couldn't find her despite their best efforts, Chang'an certainly wouldn't be able to either.

Chang'an inwardly groaned, "Why is it that everyone in the world is looking for my older brother, but they all seem to be specifically asking about me?"