The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

Ye family.

Ye Zhaoping had just returned home, dragging his injured body, when he saw Mu Ping waiting for him in the yard.

"Miss Mu?" Ye Zhaoping exclaimed in surprise, then hurriedly looked around, closed the door, and asked in a low voice, "Miss Mu, how is my sister now?"

Mu Ping could tell from Ye Zhaoping's injuries that he was a man of his word. She took out a silver bracelet from her sleeve and handed it to Ye Zhaoping, saying, "Young Master Ye, please rest assured, Miss Ye is safe and sound."

Ye Zhaoping accepted the silver bracelet with delight. He saw that it was engraved with the character "Ye," which was his secret code with his sister. They would use the bracelet to communicate if nothing was wrong. Now that he knew his sister was alright, he felt relieved and looked up to say, "Thank you, Miss Mu."

Mu Ping nodded, thinking to herself: The Ye siblings are truly affectionate.

……

Jiying Palace.

Yesterday's test question, "Rewards and Punishments," will be explained today. All students are now present.

Chi Wenyuan ordered his men to distribute yesterday's exam papers and said, "I have read all of your exam papers yesterday. There are a few points to be made. Why don't you all speak first and let's hear each other's opinions?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jing Fengyao said, "The student would like to go first."

“Okay.” Chi Wenyuan nodded, signaling Jing Fengyao to begin.

"Students believe that both rewards and punishments should ensure that the rule of law is in order, society is orderly, and the people are happy. Therefore, when rewarding, those who are suspicious should be included in the list of those who deserve rewards, in order to spread the benefits; when punishing, those who are suspicious should be removed from the list of those who deserve punishment, in order to use the criminal law cautiously."

As Chi Wenyuan listened, he nodded, “The Crown Prince’s benevolent heart is a blessing to the people of Jing Kingdom.”

At this moment, Yelü Yuanxiu held a different view and muttered from the side, "Womanly compassion!"

"Oh? What foresight does Crown Prince Yelü have?" Chi Wenyuan noticed Yelü Yuanxiu's impatience and asked.

Yelü Yuanxiu cleared his throat and said, "Our Dongyuan Kingdom believes in rewarding merit and punishing crime. It's that simple. Why go on and on?"

"What if there's an entanglement, but no conviction?" Xia Tingfu asked from the side.

Yelü Yuanxiu scoffed, "That's even simpler, it's better to kill a thousand innocent people than let a hundred guilty people go free!"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt that Yelü Yuanxiu's words were too hasty. Some shook their heads and remained silent, while others discussed it privately.

Chi Wenyuan sighed inwardly and said, "What Crown Prince Yelü said is not entirely unreasonable; it is simply a matter of adapting to the circumstances."

Upon hearing Chi Wenyuan's affirmation of his answer, Yelü Yuanxiu snorted coldly and remained silent.

……

Meanwhile, at the Taiyu Palace.

The eunuch announced loudly, "Speak if you have something to say, otherwise the court is adjourned!"

Emperor Jing sat high on his dragon throne, looking down at the vast assembly of ministers below.

"Your subject Li Cong has something to report." The voice came from outside, growing louder as it approached. Everyone turned to look, and there was Li Cong, dressed in his official court robes, walking in.

Standing in the first row, Marquis Fang Ling of Xinyang unconsciously furrowed his brows, his heart filled with suspicion.

"Didn't Minister Li ask for leave today? Why are you here again... Never mind, what is it you want to say?" Emperor Jing asked.

"Your Majesty, I requested leave today to clarify a matter. Now that the matter has been clarified, I naturally have to come."

Upon hearing this, everyone present looked doubtful.

Emperor Jing waved his hand, signaling Li Cong to continue.

"Your Majesty, I must present evidence that the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture abused corporal punishment in Tonghai, made arbitrary judgments, and protected criminals!"

Immediately, the crowd began to discuss among themselves. Fang Ling's heart skipped a beat, and a look of panic flashed across his face, which was noticed by Prince Qing.

Emperor Jing's eyes remained silent, and he spoke with icy clarity, "Whom are you protecting?"

Fang Ling strained to give Li Cong a meaningful look, but Li Cong, without glancing at him, continued, "It is indeed Fang Xianda, son of Marquis Fang Ling of Xinyang!"

Although all the civil and military officials in the court knew Li Cong's temperament, his actions today truly left them dumbfounded. Only Emperor Jing appeared furious on the surface, but was secretly delighted. Now that Prince Qing's power was so great, wouldn't it be even better if one of his henchmen could be eliminated?

Fang Ling quickly stepped forward, his voice earnest, "Your Majesty, although my son is unruly, he is truly innocent!"

"Fang Xianda forcibly abducted a woman, and all the neighbors witnessed it. Can Fang Hou simply dismiss it with a mere 'innocence'?"

"you……"

"Alright." Seeing that Li Cong and Fang Ling were about to start arguing, Emperor Jing stopped them, his voice revealing a hint of displeasure.

The two of them fell silent.

Seeing that neither of them spoke, Emperor Jing said, "Minister Li, please explain this matter clearly. I am completely confused."

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Li Cong replied.

Li explained the whole story clearly to the civil and military officials in the court, including how Ye Zhaoping was injured, the hasty judgment, and the suspect's perfunctory attitude.

Fang Ling's face turned pale. He hadn't expected that this matter would alarm His Majesty. It would have been a simple matter to resolve it privately, but now it seemed that it would be difficult to settle the matter easily.

The little eunuch standing nearby, head bowed, peeked over. Emperor Jing's expression remained unchanged after hearing this, and the vast Taiyu Palace was quiet, with only the sound of the wind rustling the curtains.

"Minister Fang." Everyone felt that Emperor Jing's voice was descending from the heavens, so cold and chilling that it was frightening.

Fang Ling bowed even lower and respectfully replied, "Your subject is here." Although Fang Ling was Prince Qing's man and wielded immense power, since the great cause had not yet been accomplished, he was still Emperor Jing's subject.

"Since you and Minister Li have disagreements on this matter, I will send someone else to handle it. Do you have any objections?"

If Fang Ling refused, it would prove that his son was indeed the murderer. To avoid criticism, Fang Ling could only bite the bullet and answer, "Your subject has no objection."

"Very well, since that's the case, Prime Minister Chu?" Emperor Jing called out.

"Your subject is here," Chu Nian replied, stepping forward.

"This case is now in your hands."

"The minister obeys the order!"

Emperor Jing and Chu Nian exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's meaning.

Fang Ling's mind raced; he had to come up with a solution quickly.

……

Jiying Palace.

Jing Fengyao and Yelü Yuanxiu both expressed their views at this moment, one being benevolent and the other decisive, neither of them being right or wrong.

"Master! I also have a humble opinion!"

The voice was melodious and gentle, easily drawing people's attention. It was Jing Rou. In class, she either had no chance to speak or was overshadowed by Jing Anle. Jing Rou was already insanely jealous. Now she was going to show her talent again and prove that she was better than Jing Anle.

Everyone was very curious about the source of the sound, wondering how the woman viewed it.

“Please speak, Princess!” Chi Wenyuan said.