My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

This was just an ordinary morning.

The vast capital city awakens in the morning light, and people from all walks of life begin their day's work.

Many residents of the capital gathered outside the Jingzhao Prefecture, discussing the matter animatedly.

"What a beautiful girl, what a strong man! Are they going to accuse those kneeling men in black? They look shifty and don't look like good people."

"Ha, I heard this woman is going to sue the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion!"

"What? Who is she? How dare she offend the Four Kings and Eight Dukes? Has she gone mad?"

"It's said that she's the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the adopted daughter who has never shown her face!"

"Isn't this just a case of a niece suing her uncle?"

……

Although the court session had already begun, the Prefect of the Capital was slow to arrive.

Chu Lengyu stood in the center of the hall, with Yun Lishou and Fei Chihu kneeling obediently behind him, as well as Tong Shu and a dozen or so bandits who were brought in by the Night Guard team.

Huang Yi and Huang Er stayed by her side, mainly to serve as a deterrent.

Huang San and Huang Si stayed at Songlin Xiaozhu to look after the house with Lü Yun.

Chu Lengyu was prepared to show no mercy to the Chu family today. If the Prefect of the Capital was unjust in enforcing the law, she would have no choice but to take her Lone Sword and seek justice herself.

Amidst the murmurs of the people, finally, the court attendant struck the drum three times, and the three shifts of yamen runners stood on both sides, shouting in unison, "Court is in session!"

The Prefect of the Capital reluctantly stepped forward, ascended the Mingtang Hall, and sat in the main seat.

He reached for the gavel and slammed it down on the table, silencing the crowd instantly. The people outside stopped talking and craned their necks to look inside. They were curious to see how this case concerning the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would end.

The Prefect of the Capital asked sternly, "Who is this person below, and what is the matter you are complaining about?"

Although he already knew the general situation and recognized that the Flying Tiger and the others who were now kneeling there obediently were indeed wanted bandits, he still had to go through the proper procedures.

Chu Lengyu answered loudly: "I, Chu Lengyu, accuse the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion of knowing about the crime but failing to report it, colluding with thieves, hiring people to commit violence, and trespassing on private property."

"Is there any evidence?"

"These three are Cloud Hand, Flying Tiger, and Copper Rat, who are thieves and bandit leaders wanted by the government."

Chu Lengyu pointed to each item and introduced them one by one, her voice clear and strong.

"In the dead of night yesterday, they broke into the house with the intention of committing murder. After being discovered by the guards, they confessed that the mastermind was none other than the current Duke of Zhenguo, Chu Wenchen. The complaint is here, and the specific details have been described. They have confessed without reservation, and we request that the government handle the matter impartially."

Huang Yi took out a newly written complaint and handed it in.

The Prefect of the Capital reviewed it and found that it contained not only the confessions of the three thieves, but also their fingerprints.

His gaze swept past the complaint and discreetly surveyed the people below. He noticed that none of them had any obvious external injuries, and he wondered what methods Chu Lengyu had used to force them to reveal the mastermind behind it all.

These guys who've made a name for themselves aren't spineless. If they really have the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion backing them up, why would they confess without hesitation under these circumstances? He found it rather strange.

The Prefect of the Capital put down the petition and said, "I will verify the identities of these three thieves later, but do you have any other evidence?"

"Does the master think this is not enough?"

The Prefect of the Capital said slowly and deliberately, "Miss Chu, it is difficult to convict someone based solely on the words of a thief. What if you were tortured into confessing and trying to frame someone? The Duke of Zhenguo has a great reputation in the court. How can we easily implicate him?"

Chu Lengyu frowned slightly. She could sense the bias in the words of the Prefect of the Capital, but she was not discouraged.

She looked directly at him and asked, "Sir, is the thief's confession really so unreliable? Everyone in my household witnessed what happened last night. Isn't that enough evidence?"

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips as he lightly tapped the table, his voice tinged with impatience: "Miss Chu, the people in your household are all your close relatives. How can they testify for you? It's not that I don't trust you, but without solid evidence, I cannot convict you."

Flying Tiger, Cloud Hand, and the others exchanged glances, seeing the fear and hesitation in each other's eyes.

Although they were terrified after being caught, fearing that if they confessed to the mastermind behind it, they would suffer retaliation from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

But when they thought of the awe-inspiring power of the door gods that had appeared last night, they dared not lie or conceal anything.

Now that we've come this far, regardless of whether Chu Lengyu succeeds in her lawsuit, the Prefect of the Capital will not let them off the hook and will definitely be thrown into prison. So why bother hiding anything for others?

The Winged Tiger swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he said, "I...I have evidence."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes were on him.

But once the Winged Tiger has made up its mind, it will not waver.

He pulled out several silver notes from his inner lining and looked up at the Prefect of the Capital, saying, "Last night, someone from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion secretly approached me and asked me to do a deal. These are the deposits he gave me."

The bailiffs collected the silver notes and placed them on the table.

The Prefect of the Capital casually flipped through the notes and said nonchalantly, "There's no name written on these banknotes, so how can you prove they were given to you by someone from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion? Besides, how could a bandit leader who spends most of his time outside the city possibly know anyone from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion? Could it be that you've been paid to lie here on purpose?"

The onlookers burst into laughter.

They didn't believe the bandits would tell the truth, nor did they believe that the Duke of Zhenguo would hire someone to deal with his own god-niece.

At this moment, Lou Qingcai arrived and stood in the crowd with a serious expression.

After the incident at night, without Qiao Jie and the others needing to inform them, Lou Qing and the others were already awakened by the commotion caused by the door gods appearing.

When the group met up, Lou Qing, Lao Wu, and Xiao Zhang finally learned what had happened.

Chu Lengyu's importance in their minds rose rapidly, and she became shrouded in mystery.

They then went to capture the copper rat and the other bandits, but fortunately, they were all terrified and cooperated obediently.

Then they sent these people to Songlin Xiaozhu, which could be considered a way of making amends and currying favor.

Previously, Sister Qiao and Cheng Zi had clearly discovered everything, but they chose to stand by and watch, even though they knew that thieves were going to harm Chu Lengyu. This will definitely leave a bad impression on Chu Lengyu.

They were both filled with remorse.

Lou Qing could only try to find a way to salvage the situation.

He didn't want to lose this valuable mission by angering Chu Lengyu. Whether this mission would lead to promotion and wealth was no longer that important to him.

Because it was those mysterious and extraordinary things that excited him more than the official position of Night Guard.

Lou Qing had been delayed by writing a letter to report, so he had only just arrived in the city. He hadn't even had time to meet the emperor before rushing to the capital to watch the spectacle.

The Prefect of the Capital's gaze, which had been casually sweeping across the crowd, suddenly fixed on Lou Qing's waist.

He suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

That's... the Night Guard's Night-Slaying Blade?!

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(This case does not conform to the proper interrogation procedures of ancient times, but this is not a concern.)