General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

The second and third princes each took two rations and went back to work on the box of letters.

Shen Luo decisively abandoned them and came to have dinner with Jiang Qiqi.

After being away from home for so long, the food at home is still the best.

Huh? Why is there a roast goose too?

During the meal, Shen Luo noticed that there was always a gaze fixed on him.

He looked up and found Jiang Qiqi staring at him in a daze.

He felt a little uncomfortable under the stare and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Huh? It's nothing." Jiang Qiqi quickly lowered her head and ate.

Actually, she greatly envied Shen Luo.

During their time together in Longcheng, Jiang Qiqi discovered a different side of Shen Luo than usual, and also saw the true abilities of the Nineteen and the others beyond their daily family matters.

In her previous life, she was a spy, always alone, facing life and death alone.

Shen Luo was different. His subordinates, Twelve, Thirteen, Sixteen, and Nineteen, each had their own strengths and complemented each other's abilities, bringing him a lot of help.

As the saying goes, a hero has three gangs.

Jiang Qiqi is not the kind of person who advocates individual heroism and fighting alone. On the contrary, she likes teamwork very much, but she just wasn't allowed to do so before.

Now, through a series of unexpected events, she has also formed a small team. She should really find an opportunity to learn from Shen Luo.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After the meal, the two chatted over tea, and Jiang Qiqi learned about the Emperor's arrangements from Shen Luo.

"It seems that this large-scale embezzlement has greatly angered the Emperor. Even though he cannot personally handle the case, he has dispatched a very strong supervisory team," Shen Luo said.

"It is clear that His Majesty's determination to investigate this matter thoroughly is indeed very firm."

“However,” Jiang Qiqi pointed to the brightly lit study, through which two figures could be vaguely seen working hard.

"How much of the evidence in those letters is actually related to the case?"

"Not many, eight seals," Shen Luo said truthfully.

In fact, Shen Luo did not fail to read all the letters as he claimed.

On the very day they raided his house, he and sixteen and nineteen had already read all the letters.

"There are seven letters inside, which are Wang Liang's replies to Cui Zhi, involving last year's embezzlement case. There is also a letter that Cui Zhi wrote this year and was going to send to Wang Liang, but it was probably not sent for various reasons and was also left inside."

"Is that evidence enough to sentence Wang Liang to death?" Jiang Qiqi asked.

She had promised Lin'er that none of her enemies would escape.

Shen Luo pondered for a moment: "It's hard to say. The Third Prince will definitely protect him, and the Ministry of Justice is also under the Third Prince's control."

"Where is the Second Prince?" She knew that the Second Prince and the Third Prince did not get along.

Shen Luo shook his head: "The Second Prince has no maternal clan influence, so ultimately he is still weak in the court..."

They couldn't defeat the Third Prince.

“That’s alright.” Jiang Qiqi thought for a moment. “If the Ministry of Justice doesn’t sentence him to death, then we’ll let him change it to death himself.”

Shen Luo: "Huh? You changed it to a death sentence yourself? How is that possible?"

Jiang Qiqi blinked and smiled mysteriously: "I have a brilliant plan."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The second and third princes spent the entire night studying by lamplight in the study of the general's mansion.

Shen Luo also stayed with them all night.

During this time, the two of them not only agreed to go to the toilet together, but also kept their eyes fixed on each other while eating and drinking.

During this time, Jiang Qiqi, as a virtuous wife, delivered pastries to them several times and took the opportunity to check on the bear (cat).

Chen Chengwu expressed his gratitude for this.

Chen Chengfeng expressed his gratitude: After so many years, Qiqi still cares about him.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The trial officially began the following day.

Shen Luo was alright; she was able to take a short nap while keeping them company.

The other two people actually watched all night long.

The next day, both of them arrived for the interrogation with huge dark circles under their eyes, bloodshot eyes, and a look of resentment.

Where had the Minister of Justice ever seen such a grand spectacle during a trial?

A general who guards the country and two princes sat down to the side; those were the three ancestors.

He was so frightened that he couldn't even strike the gavel.

*Smack!*

“Bring criminals Wang Liang and Cui Zhi to the court.”

Wang Liang and Cui Zhi were brought up by the guards.

What should we do next?

The Minister of Justice looked to both sides.

The two people on the right had their eyes half-closed and were yawning, while Shen Luo on the left just watched quietly without saying a word.

……

Let's go through the procedures first.

"Cui Zhi," the Minister of Justice said, "is it true that you secretly colluded with the enemy and handed over three of my counties in Nanyue to the rebels?"

Cui Zhi had both arms cut off, and he was now kneeling on the ground, swaying unsteadily.

In just a few days, he had become a completely different person from the arrogant and domineering governor of Longcheng who once held absolute power.

He was completely devoid of energy, looking utterly lifeless: "Yes, that's true."

"Is it true that you embezzled nearly 80 taels of silver from the imperial court's disaster relief funds?"

“That’s true,” Cui Zhi replied.

"Good, the case is now clear." The Minister of Justice glanced furtively at the three people beside him, seeing that they were still the same as before.

He took out a token and drew a circle on it with a vermilion pen.

"Then I hereby sentence Cui Zhi to be executed immediately!"

"and many more!"

Before the Minister of Justice could even throw the plaque, someone intervened to stop him.

Chen Chengwu tried to open his eyes wide, clearly still very sleepy.

He was just resting with his eyes half-closed. Did the Minister of Justice think he was dead?

He sneered, "So this is how the Minister of Justice usually judges cases. It's truly an eye-opener."

One sentence was enough to make the Minister of Justice break out in a cold sweat.

"This... I am foolish and ignorant, please enlighten me, Your Highness." He quickly stood up.

"Alright, I'll teach you." Chen Chengwu's eyelids were drooping, but his mind was clear.

"Why did Cui Zhi collude with the rebels? Why did he embezzle disaster relief funds? Have you asked him about that?"

"Who conspired with him? Who instructed him? Have you found out?"

Cui Zhi is now the only witness. No matter how much physical evidence there is, it's only supplementary. Chen Chengwu will definitely not allow the Minister of Justice to execute Cui Zhi directly.

“This humble servant…” The Minister of Justice glanced at the Third Prince beside him, who nodded, indicating that he should do so first.

"Your Highness is right." The Minister of Justice put the token back and slapped it with a wooden stick.

"Cui Zhi, why did you collude with the rebels!"

Cui Zhi replied listlessly, "For promotion, for wealth."

"Cui Zhi! Answer my questions properly and do not disrespect the court!"

"My lord." Cui Zhi swayed as he fell to the ground, then raised his head.

“All of this was done by Cui Zhi alone; it was all due to my insatiable greed. Cui Zhi knows he has committed a grave error and does not ask for Your Majesty's forgiveness, but only begs to atone with his death!”

He spoke with decisiveness and resolve.

……

Yesterday, in the Ministry of Justice prison, a man in black came in to deliver a message to him.

“Cui Zhi, as long as you take full responsibility for your crimes in court tomorrow, I guarantee that your family will not be implicated.”

"Really?" Cui Zhi asked.

He knew his home had been ransacked and all thirty-odd family members were in jail; beheading was just a matter of a word.

"I mean what I say," the man in black said.