The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Xiaolin was taken aback, but still forced a smile and said, "Sir... what... do you mean?"

"Actually, you and Chen Fugui had already discussed how to squeeze money out of Helai, right?" Hua Chang quietly scrutinized her.

Xiaolin said incredulously, "Sir, why would you think that..."

Hua Chang smiled slightly, "Your expression when Chen Fugui betrayed you said it all."

"Does Your Excellency really believe Chen Fugui's words?" Xiaolin asked bitterly.

Hua Chang smiled bitterly and said, "What I believe is not Chen Fugui, but what I have seen with my own eyes."

"What?!" Xiaolin exclaimed in surprise again.

"When Ou Jianzhong took off his pants, you let out a woman's startled scream," Hua Chang said.

"No...that's right, but isn't this the kind of reaction a normal woman should have?" Xiaolin asked doubtfully.

“A normal woman should instinctively scream the moment a man takes off his pants, not wait a long time before letting out that obvious, barely concealed shock and embarrassment,” Hua Chang said coldly.

Xiaolin's face darkened. "Really? But what does that prove?"

"This shows you're a woman who's extremely familiar with men's bodies. While I wouldn't dare say you're a prostitute, I can be certain you're no longer an innocent woman." Hua Chang's words were devoid of any pity.

Xiaolin was not afraid at all, and just sneered: "So you also think that I seduced Helai, rather than being raped by him?"

"You admitted it?"

"Sir, you said that you need substantial evidence to convict someone." Xiaolin said with a sinister smile, already convinced that Huashang couldn't produce any evidence.

Hua Chang sighed softly, "Words are meaningless; these are merely my speculations. Only you, the parties involved, know the truth..."

Xiaolin gave a soft hum, and the corners of her mouth began to turn up.

Hua Chang paused, then continued, "Although I cannot convict you now, if I follow this line of reasoning, I can convict many others as well."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fugui and the others couldn't help but shudder and tremble.

As expected, Hua Chang turned to Chen Fugui and said, "Chen Fugui, what is your reason for sending Helai to prison? Moreover, you were originally in cahoots with Xiaolin, so why did you frame her in court?"

At this point, Xiaolin couldn't help but glare at Chen Fugui.

"I...I was also used by someone..." Chen Fugui said in a trembling voice.

Hua Chang stroked his mustache and slowly said, "Being used? That means you didn't originally intend to frame Xiao Lin, but after He Lai went to jail, someone approached you and asked you to change your story in court, right?"

"This...this..." Chen Fugui stammered, neither daring to admit nor wanting to deny it, clearly afraid of offending that guy.

Hua Chang smiled and surrounded him, saying, "You don't need to be so afraid. You'll be in prison for the rest of your life. It's very safe. No one will ever try to harm you."

"Ah?!" Chen Fugui was shocked and immediately kowtowed, begging for mercy in the most humble way.

"If you are willing to confess the truth, I may consider treating you leniently."

Chen Fugui hurriedly kowtowed and thanked him, then said, "Sir, everything is as you predicted. I only wanted to use Xiaolin to make some money off Helai. A big shot like him must be rolling in money. But after the incident, I never expected Helai to be penniless. I was so angry that I impulsively reported him to the authorities and had him arrested!"

Hua Chang frowned. "Sending rapists to jail is a matter of course. What do you have to regret? Even if a saint committed a crime here, he would still have to go to jail!"

These words startled everyone present. The adjutants were both shocked and furious, yet dared not respond.

Chen Fugui stared wide-eyed for a long time before continuing, "Sir, you're right, but... after I sent Helai to prison, a man in black came to my room at night and threatened me, saying that if I didn't do as they demanded in court, they would... destroy everything I own..."

"Among any of your men's plans, am I destined to be the sacrifice?" Xiaolin shouted angrily at Chen Fugui.

"My lord, my lord, please save my whole family!" Chen Fugui ignored her and kept pleading with Hua Chang.

Hua Chang turned her head to look at the adjutants again, and found that they were indeed avoiding her gaze, so she smiled awkwardly…

After giving a wink to his two trusted confidants, he turned to Ou Jianzhong, whose face was ashen, and said, "Were you forced into this, just like him?"

"No!" Ou Jianzhong suddenly exclaimed with resentment, "They didn't force me; I said it willingly! I won't let go of any opportunity to harm Raymond!!"

Hua Chang glanced at his wound and chuckled to herself, "You didn't even realize you were being used. No wonder you've ended up in this state."

Ou Jianzhong gritted his teeth in hatred, "Isn't this all thanks to that Raymond?!"

"Even now, do you still think Raymond did all this?" Hua Chang was both amused and exasperated.

"He did it! He controlled it all! He would never do such a thing!" Ou Jianzhong said angrily.

"Hahahaha, I think you've really gone mad." Hua Chang and some others in the hall couldn't help but laugh.

"You corrupt official! Don't think I don't know that you and that bastard Raymond have been fellow disciples since childhood, so you've been deliberately protecting him from the very beginning!" Ou Jianzhong was furious and cursed at Hua Chang.

The people in the hall were greatly surprised.

"How dare you! Guards! Take this audacious eunuch away and slap him hard in the face!" the adjutant hurriedly shouted.

"Wait a minute." Hua Chang looked at the adjutant with disdain and said, "He's cursing me, not you. What's the rush?"

The adjutant's face turned red with anxiety: "This...this...this brat dares to insult a high-ranking official in court, we..."

"So what if he's an official of the imperial court? Isn't this what officials of the imperial court do?" Hua Chang stepped forward and shouted at him.

"This..." The adjutants retreated repeatedly.

"When the people have complaints about the work of officials, instead of helping them solve the problems first, the officials want to go up and beat them up? What kind of logic is that?"

Hua Chang's stern question drew a hush from the room...

The adjutants dared not speak out in anger, and all lowered their heads and swallowed their anger.

He then turned to Ou Jianzhong, who was looking shocked, and said, "Since you have objections to my judgment, then I will show you the truth in more detail."

Hua Chang strode back to her seat with steady steps, looking down at the adjutants in front of her like an emperor, causing them to break out in a cold sweat again.

"What I find strange is that since you all know the truth, why don't you speak frankly and openly? Instead, you try to throw this mud at Raymond and Lu Xiaosan, making the whole case full of loopholes," Hua Chang said to the adjutants as if interrogating criminals.

The adjutants still forced smiles and stubbornly asked, "Sir... what... what do you mean by this?"

Hua Chang chuckled and said, "Isn't your act, with Chen Fugui and Ou Jianzhong, already entertaining enough?"

"It's just that... everything happens to match..."

Hua Chang leaned back lazily in her chair, shaking her head as if watching a clown, and said, "You still won't admit it? Sigh, it seems that the person behind you is not only in a high position of power, but also a fanatical follower of He Lai. Moreover, his hatred for Raymond far exceeds his affection for He Lai. That's why he's willing to take such a big risk to forcefully pin this crime on Raymond."

"In order to achieve his goal, he bribed almost all of you, and even sent someone to threaten Chen Fugui. He also found a little eunuch from somewhere to help you coordinate your statements."

"Unfortunately, despite his meticulous planning, he didn't expect that I would grow wings and rush back from Los Angeles early this morning to attend this trial."

The adjutants lowered their heads and remained silent.

Hua Chang smiled again and said, "If I'm not mistaken, you originally intended to say that the letter framing you was written by Raymond, but since I happened to have seen Raymond's handwriting, you had to temporarily change your story and say that it was written by that little monk Lu..."

"Tsk tsk tsk, it's just a pity that fate plays tricks on people. Who would have thought that a monk who chants sutras and prays all day would be illiterate? And there are even people here who can testify to this. These almost impossible coincidences all happened here at the same time, which is why your conspiracy did not succeed. Am I right?"

Several officials had already knelt down silently, but still refused to reveal the identity of the person behind them.

Hua Chang nodded knowingly. "It seems that the guy behind you is indeed very powerful. Rather than being charged with embezzlement and bribery, you'll only be stripped of your current official positions and suffer some physical pain. But if you offend that guy, your whole family might suffer as well."

Several adjutants hurriedly kowtowed, "Thank you for your understanding, Lord Hua."

At this point, Hua Chang looked at He Lai, whose eyes were still closed: "What we can confirm now is that Xiao Lin did indeed follow Chen Fugui's orders to seduce He Lai. But whether He Lai forced himself on her in the room where they were alone afterwards is unknown."

He Lai seemed to sigh softly, as if he wanted to say something but stopped, appearing extremely helpless.

Hua Chang looked down at He Lai, who was kneeling on the ground, and said, "Since you have no words to defend yourself and no evidence to prove your innocence, then I have no choice but to continue to convict you."

At this moment, the two stern-faced officers returned and said, "Sir, news has come from the imperial court that He Lai has just won the crown and, according to the law, can pay silver to avoid imprisonment, but this criminal record can never be erased for life."

"It seems that person did indeed have a backup plan. This guy really likes Helai. If I'm not mistaken, this sum of money should also have been paid by that guy," Hua Chang said with a smile.

The officer shook his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. "No, the person who paid is someone else... and they're right at the door..."

"who is it?"

Even the most impartial and incorruptible officer hesitated for a long time before finally speaking into Hua Chang's ear.

As a top-tier expert, He Lai could naturally hear the soldiers' words clearly.

Upon hearing this, Tsurugi, who had kept his eyes tightly closed, suddenly opened them, staring in disbelief.