After being reborn, I went on a killing spree in the imperial court.

As autumn draws to a close, it gets dark earlier and earlier.

Cao Yuan was riding in a sedan chair, preparing to leave the palace. On the way, she felt that something was wrong with the road. The familiar walls surrounded her, and the abandoned East Palace was just a stone's throw away. She had never traveled this road before. Why was it like this today...?

"Stop the sedan chair!"

"What's wrong with you all? Why did you take this road! I think you all deserve to be punished!" Jinzhu scolded sternly.

Since the death of the former crown prince, Cao Yuan has been avoiding the fact that the crown prince is dead.

Today's case involves the former Crown Prince's tutor, who forces her to accept the fact that the former Crown Prince is no longer alive.

The Crown Prince and Cao Yuan were born of the same mother. Empress Xuan died early, and the Emperor separated the brother and sister, sending one to the border and the other to the palace to handle state affairs for the Crown Prince.

Even so, the brother and sister could only meet a few times a year during festivals in the palace, but their relationship was not as distant as the rumors outside suggested.

Three years ago, the Eastern Palace suddenly caught fire, causing her to lose her elder brother, the Emperor. That same year, Cao Yuan won a battle against the Chen Kingdom, and the Emperor bestowed upon her a tiger tally.

"This servant deserves to die! This servant deserves to die! A palace on that road was sealed off, which is why... Please, Princess, spare my life!"

"It's alright, I'd like to go in and take a look!" Cao Yuan got out of the sedan chair.

Jinzhu pushed open the long-sealed palace gate, and a gust of demonic wind blew in, causing the hair ornaments on Cao Yuan's head to sway in the wind.

"Your Highness, are you really going in?"

For the past three years, if it weren't for the investigation into the Grand Tutor's corruption, she still wouldn't dare to mention anything about her imperial brother!

"Wow! What a strong wind!" Jinzhu kept waving her hands.

The Crown Prince died in a fire at the Eastern Palace. The Eastern Palace has been renovated and restored to its original appearance, but people have left and things have changed. The fallen leaves on the ground are thick enough to bury one's boots.

In the quiet East Palace, only a rustling sound from the backyard could be heard.

Cao Yuan and the others followed the sound.

A man in white stood there, sweeping fallen leaves with a broom in his hand.

"Your Highness, who is this person! Judging from his attire, he doesn't look like a eunuch or a guard!"

The man turned around as if he heard a sound behind him, looked him over, and asked, "You... are you also here to pay respects to the Crown Prince?"

"Who are you?" Jinzhu asked first.

"I am Xiao Hanjing." The man held a broom to his chest. His eyes were upturned, and his peach blossom eyes were more beautiful than a woman's. His skin was as white as jade, and his waist was slender. If he were a woman, he would definitely be a bewitching concubine who brought ruin to the country.

Xiao Hanjing?

Such a familiar name!

Xiao...

"You are a hostage from the Shu Kingdom!" Cao Yuan's eyes lit up!

"It's been so long since anyone called me that! I almost forgot I'm from the Shu Kingdom!" Xiao Hanjing continued sweeping, seemingly unconcerned about his identity.

Cao Yuan remembered that it had been six years since the Shu Kingdom's hostage came to Wei.

Who would believe it if word got out that a prince of Shu was sweeping the floor for the crown prince of Wei!

"Why haven't you returned to your country yet! Is no one from your Shu Kingdom coming to pick you up?" Cao Yuan began to suspect Xiao Hanjing's purpose in being here.

The Shu Kingdom has always been warlike, and it is said that the Crown Prince is now missing. Who knows if he is here exchanging messages with his own people?

"Who would care about a discarded pawn like me! The Crown Prince treated me quite well when he was alive, so I'll just help him clean this place and live out my remaining days." Xiao Hanjing spoke casually, but those who heard him felt extremely desolate. As if he had thought of something, he suddenly stopped, "Princess Huayang, since you're here, why don't you go in and offer incense to the Crown Prince?"

"You know me!"

"Judging from your attire, you don't look like a concubine. You can only be a princess. Among princesses, the only one who doesn't like to dress up is Princess Huayang, who grew up in the military camp."

Do other people come here on weekdays?

"Besides His Majesty's crocodile tears, who else would remember our Crown Prince?"

Jinzhu shouted at him, "How dare you, a hostage, speak such words to His Majesty! Do you have a death wish!"

"Even His Majesty isn't angry, why should a mere palace maid like you be angry! The emperor isn't worried, but the palace maid is!" Xiao Hanjing raised an eyebrow at Jinzhu.

"Your Highness, look at him! Why is he like this!"

Cao Yuan went into the inner hall and lit incense.

"You've worked so hard all these years, Prince Xiao! I will go back and help you contact the Shu Kingdom to send someone to pick you up." Cao Yuan had Jinzhu give him a jade token, "You can use this to contact me if you need anything!"

After Cao Yuan and the others left, Xiao Hanjing stared blankly at her retreating figure, "Princess Huayang looks just like the Crown Prince!"

He held the jade token in his hand, glanced at it with disdain, and tossed it behind him, muttering to himself, "Why would I need something like this in a mere Great Wei Imperial Palace?"

A carrier pigeon suddenly landed on his shoulder. He pulled the note from its leg, a smirk playing on his lips. "You found it after all! It's time to meet, brother!"

-

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The bribery case of the disgraced official Li Chun'an shall be tried by the Court of Judicial Review. During the trial, he shall serve as an examiner for this year's imperial examination, thus redeeming himself through meritorious service. So be it!"

Li Chun'an knelt on the ground, listening to the eunuch Wang read out the imperial decree, his eyes glazed over, as if he were dreaming!

Li Chun'an slowly raised his head, looking at Eunuch Wang, who was backlit and appeared both majestic and indistinct.

Seeing that he hesitated to accept the imperial decree, Eunuch Wang repeated, "Grand Tutor Li, why are you not accepting the decree...?"

"Forgive my rudeness, but I cannot accept the imperial decree with both hands!" Li Chun'an tremblingly extended his left hand.

"This is……"

"Eunuch Wang, the Dali Temple has investigated and confirmed that the Censorate abused its power. His right hand has been broken!" Cao Yuan alighted from the carriage, looking at the elderly man kneeling on the ground. His hair was completely white, a far cry from his appearance when he was teaching a few years ago. That spirited little old man had been tortured into this state.

It seems Chu Yan was right this time!

In her previous life, she had no recollection of this matter whatsoever. Could it be that Grand Tutor Li died unjustly in the Censorate?

"Grand Tutor! It's me, it's Huayang! Do you still remember me?!"

Cao Yuan knelt down in front of him, her eyes moist, her lips trembling slightly. There were many people around; Cao Yuan had to restrain herself and not be impolite!

"Your Highness, Your Highness! This sinful subject never imagined that he would see Your Highness again in his lifetime!" Li Chun'an grasped Cao Yuan's hand with his trembling left hand, tears welling up in his eyes, as if he had a great injustice to vent.

"This guilty minister is wronged! This guilty minister is wronged..."

"Don't worry, Grand Tutor, this case has been reinvestigated by the Court of Judicial Review. They will definitely give you justice!" Cao Yuan held Grand Tutor Li's hand tightly.

"Thank you, Princess, for believing in this sinner!"

Cao Yuan escorted Li Chun'an to the Dali Temple and, after settling him in, spoke with Chu Yan in the main hall.

"Lord Chu, things don't seem to be going as smoothly as we thought. Lord Li is so agitated, and his right hand is also crippled!"

"He only needs to work with the other two examiners to set the questions, and I'll find someone to prepare the papers for him!"

"In that case, Lord Chu, please take good care of it! Investigating cases is your specialty."

Jinzhu rushed in and whispered in Cao Yuan's ear, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! News just came from the palace that the hostage has gone missing!"

"Send people to find him. We absolutely cannot let him stay in the palace. Once the imperial examinations are over, we must send him back to Shu!"

"Yes!"

I kindly offered to send him back to Shu, but he refused to go back no matter what! He even disappeared.

The scientific expedition was held as scheduled.

Apart from Grand Tutor Li, the other two were teachers with the most authority selected from private schools.

Although the entire process, from setting the exam papers to the actual exam, was arranged within the Ministry of Rites, Cao Yuan specially dispatched a troop of soldiers to guard the exam to ensure its confidentiality. This led to another impeachment by the Imperial Uncle.

The top scorer of the exam was announced before the palace.

"First place, Bai Lu! Announced!"