The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

As soon as Chi Wenyuan entered, he heard the crowd arguing. It was understandable that the students were exchanging a few words. However, these students were all members of the royal family and nobility. If it were any other teacher, they would probably have turned a blind eye. But Chi Wenyuan simply asked a cold question, and everyone fell silent.

“Master, we were just exchanging a few words, we didn’t argue,” Xia Tingfu stepped forward and explained with a smile, as if trying to smooth things over.

Chi Wenyuan scanned the crowd below expressionlessly, his gaze lingering on Qi Zhi for a fleeting moment before shifting away without a trace. After a brief pause, he coldly said, "Class begins."

……

Taiyu Hall, in the imperial court.

The weather suddenly turned cool, and the gatekeeper's room inside the main hall had added padded curtains, which made a "pattering" sound when the wind blew.

"If you have something to report, speak now; otherwise, the court is adjourned," said the head eunuch, Eunuch Wei, as usual.

Emperor Jing sat on the dragon throne with indifferent eyes and a high nose bridge that made his face even more majestic. He turned his eyes slightly, and every glance was full of scheming.

"Your subject Li Cong has something to report."

Li Cong, dressed in a purplish-red official robe, respectfully stepped out of the ranks.

Why is it Li Cong again? Last time, the matter of Fang Ling's son, Fang Xianda, completely offended Fang Ling, and naturally also offended Prince Qing.

His voice was firm and powerful. For some reason, Prince Qing's eyelids twitched, and he couldn't help but wonder what this old man was up to now.

"Oh? What brings you here, Li Qing?"

All eyes quietly turned to Li Cong, but Li Cong ignored them and continued, "I want to impeach Luo Xun, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, for hoarding salt fields, refusing to report them, and even selling smuggled salt to neighboring small countries for personal gain."

Li Cong's words were resounding and struck a heavy blow to the hearts of Prince Qing, Luo Xun, and Fang Ling. Even the old fox Prince Qing couldn't help but gasp.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent!" As soon as Li Cong finished speaking, Luo Xun quickly stepped out of the queue and anxiously defended himself. His words were earnest, and although he was bowing, his eyes couldn't help but glance at Prince Qing, who was standing in the first row.

The court officials were also taken aback and began to discuss the matter. Privately controlling salt fields was a serious crime. However, the court was silent in a short while, and no one dared to cause trouble under the emperor's watchful eye.

Emperor Jing witnessed this scene, and his face darkened further. He roared, "Insolence!"

The emperor's anger created a tense atmosphere, and even Eunuch Wei, standing beside Emperor Jing, unconsciously bowed slightly.

"Your Majesty, calm down."

The court officials shouted in unison.

After a long pause, Emperor Jing finally spoke, "Li Cong, since you say Luo Xun is secretly hoarding salt fields, what evidence do you have?"

“I dare not speak presumptuously. There are villagers from Yanzhou to testify, as well as letters circulating with neighboring small countries to testify. These letters record in detail Luo Xun’s records of selling smuggled salt, with the year and month clearly shown.”

"Luo Xun, do you have something to say?"

Luo Xun unconsciously swallowed, then knelt on the ground with a thud, saying, "Your Majesty, I am truly innocent." He then turned to Li Cong and said, "Lord Li, what have I done to offend you that you would go to such lengths to slander me?"

"If Lord Luo is innocent, why is he in such a hurry to refute me?"

"Even if I am completely innocent, it cannot prevent some people from deliberately framing me."

Just as the two were about to start arguing, a dignified voice interrupted them.

"Enough! This isn't the place for you to argue!"

When the emperor is angry, ordinary people can hardly withstand it.

“Your Majesty, I am loyal to Your Majesty and the court. Moreover, salt affairs are related to the people’s livelihood, and I would not dare to fabricate anything. I beg Your Majesty to investigate.” Li Cong’s words were heartfelt, and his voice echoed in the empty hall, reaching the ears of everyone in the hall.

Li Cong was an upright man, and although he held a high position, he had few friends in the court.

"His Majesty."

An official dressed in dark scarlet also stepped forward; it was Yang Rushan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

"Speak," Emperor Jing said impatiently, waving his hand.

“Lord Li is right. Since things have come to this point, and Lord Li and Lord Luo each have their own version of events, and the salt matter concerns the foundation of the nation, why not let Lord Li produce the evidence and reveal the truth, so as to clear your names?”

Logically, someone should have spoken up for him, so he should have shown some appreciation. However, Li Cong stood as straight as a pine tree, his gaze unwavering.

"Alright, since you say you have evidence, then present it."

"Yes." Li Cong said, then took out a stack of letters from his sleeve. "The evidence is here. Please investigate, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Luo Xun swallowed even harder, his fingers gripping his official robes tightly, his body trembling slightly, but he still tried his best to control himself, watching as Eunuch Wei presented the evidence to Emperor Jing.

Standing in the first row, Prince Qing stared intently at the physical evidence with a sinister look in his eyes. He knew very well that Emperor Jing had already begun to suspect him.

"Your Majesty, the physical evidence is here."

Looking at the evidence before him, Emperor Jing took it down, one letter, two letters. After reading them, his expression changed from calm to shock, and then to thunderous rage.

"Luo Xun, how dare you!"

After Emperor Jing finished speaking, he threw the stack of letters in front of Luo Xun, who was kneeling. The letters fluttered down, and one of them landed right in front of Prince Qing. The contents of the transaction were written in black and white on the paper, and Luo Xun's private seal was stamped in bright red on it.

Prince Qing remained calm, only his eyes were slightly lowered, as if he were plotting something.

Luo Xun's body trembled completely. Even though he was over forty years old, how could anyone not be afraid when faced with a life-or-death situation?

"Your Majesty, this...this is a frame-up! We beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

Even with physical evidence right in front of him, Luo Xun stubbornly refused to admit it. He was Prince Qing's man, and he naturally assumed that Prince Qing would protect him.

"It seems Lord Luo won't shed a tear until he sees the coffin. Your Majesty, I have witnesses."

"pass!"

Emperor Jing's gaze, sharp as a cold arrow, shot straight at Luo Xun.

Before long, two men dressed in plain clothes entered the hall. Judging from their attire, they were clearly country folk who had never seen such a scene before. Both of them lowered their heads, looking timid and frightened.

“Your Majesty, these two witnesses are villagers from Hetou Village in Yanzhou. They were the first to discover the salt field. They wanted to report it to the government, but Lord Luo threatened their families with their lives, so they dared not speak out.”

Li Cong's words are clear and his statements are assertive.

"Oh?" Emperor Jing narrowed his eyes, scanning the two kneeling figures beneath him. His voice was authoritative. "You two, tell the truth. If there is even the slightest fabrication..."

Before Emperor Jing could finish his sentence, the two men were already so frightened that they kept kowtowing, "This humble subject dares not...this humble subject dares not..."