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

"If you hadn't led Cao Yuan and Fan Qingli there, the one favored by His Majesty would be the daughter of the Marquis of Ping Le, not some woman of unknown origin! You ruined all my plans!"

Xue Xinian could no longer tolerate Cao Shang's disgusting temper and vented loudly.

Although Xue Xinian and Cao Shangxian met first, Xue Xinian only wanted to use her to get to know Cao Yuan. Who knew that he couldn't get rid of her!

"What did you say, Xue Lang? Is this your plan?" Cao Shang looked at him in alarm.

Having known him for so long, I have never seen Xue Xinian like this before.

"You'd better stay here and reflect on your actions! If you ruin my plans again, you're not allowed to leave this room again!"

After delivering a scathing speech, Xue Xinian resolutely left.

"Xue Lang, Xue Lang!"

Cao Shang was intimidated by Xue Xinian's imposing manner; this was the first time Xue Xinian had spoken to him like this.

She quickly stepped forward, wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, and said in a pitiful voice, "Xue Lang, don't go!"

At this moment, Cao Shang realized she had made a mistake, and she frantically hugged Xue Xinian, hoping to keep him.

Xue Xinian frowned, his eyes filled with impatience. He tried to pry her hands off, but Cao Shang held on tightly, as if afraid that if she let go, he would never come back.

"Xue Lang, I know I was wrong, it was all my fault! Please don't be angry with me, okay?" Her voice trembled, filled with regret and pleading.

"If I had known it was related to you, I would never have interfered! I just love you so much, please don't go..."

Xue Xinian smiled and turned around, holding her hand.

"Shang'er, I'm not angry with you, it's just that you should tell me before you do things!"

Xue Xinian gently stroked her cheek, gazing at her with deep affection and love.

Cao Shang snuggled into Xue Xinian's arms, "Brother Xue, I promise I'll be obedient from now on!"

"Shang'er is such a good boy!"

If he were to ruin things for him again, then as the Second Prince said, there would be no need to keep Cao Shang alive.

-

On the throne room.

"If you have nothing else to report, my esteemed ministers, you may leave the court!"

At this moment, Cao Yuan stepped to the center, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, “Father! It has been several days since I returned from Anzhou, and I think it is time to give the people of Anzhou an explanation. If this matter is not dealt with promptly, it may damage the prestige of our dynasty and hurt the hearts of the people.”

"This matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Censorate. Where is the Censorate?" The Emperor frowned slightly, turned to look at his ministers, and said in a deep voice.

Liu, the chief censor of the Censorate, walked out nervously. “Your Majesty! We are well aware of the gravity of this matter and dare not slacken in the slightest. The case has encountered some difficulties and will require some more time. However, Your Majesty, please rest assured that we will do our utmost to give Your Majesty and the people of Anzhou a satisfactory explanation as soon as possible.”

The emperor frowned; he was already tired of hearing such high-sounding words.

"Lord Liu, the prisoner's confession has already been recorded in Anzhou, and the evidence is available. What else do you need to investigate?"

Lord Liu respectfully explained, “Your Highness Prince Shuo! This… you gave a statement in Anzhou before, and one of them died! The two who are still alive are saying that you tortured them into confessing and then killed them to cover it up! Now they are denying their previous statements.”

"Furthermore, the Marquis of Pingle also forbade us from abusing our power. Now these two convicted officials in prison are not saying anything, and I'm in a difficult position!"

Cao Yuan frowned. It would be better to just kill them all in Anzhou to save trouble.

"The Marquis of Ping Le? Since when did the Censorate have to listen to the Marquis of Ping Le?"

Cao Yuan frowned slightly, her eyes revealing a hint of doubt.

"Of course not, it's just that forcing confessions is not the style of our Censorate!" Lord Liu quickly explained.

"Father, in my opinion, the Censorate is trying to stall for time! Could it be that your Censorate is afraid of offending the Marquis of Ping Le?"

"No, no, no, this humble subject dares not!" Lord Liu bowed and said.

"Furthermore, Qin Sima was silenced in Anzhou because of his many crimes, which brought about his downfall! Although the culprit has not been caught, it has nothing to do with the results of my and the Censorate's investigation!"

"Your Highness, I heard that the last person Qin Sima saw before his death was you, Your Highness! And it was at night. Is there some inside story about him handling a case alone late at night?"

"Does Lord Liu think I deliberately killed someone to cover it up? I witnessed someone shooting at a distance inside the Anzhou prison! What does that have to do with me?"

"I heard that Your Highness Prince Shuo has arrested a suspect? It seems there hasn't been any investigation yet!"

“That is…” Cao Yuan was speechless for a moment.

"Silence!" said Eunuch Wang.

"Alright! Stop arguing, I know you both have your difficulties!" The emperor waved his hand impatiently, interrupting their quarrel.

"Father! The people of Anzhou have only just begun to live a peaceful life. If the bad apples are not removed, it will surely chill the hearts of the people of Anzhou!"

"Father, do you know how much treasure I found in the Governor's Mansion's treasury? It's comparable to the national treasury!"

The emperor's face darkened.

"How could only three people embezzle so much? Are there other people behind this...?" Cao Yuan did not continue speaking.

The court officials were discussing this matter.

"So much money!"

"How could Anzhou have managed to plunder so much of the people's wealth!"

"That's going too far!"

"Father! Since Fourth Princess finds it too slow, why not let her handle the case instead!"

Cao Ji came out and interrupted Cao Yuan.

Cao Yuan glanced at him. Would he really be so kind?

The case has been delayed for so long, which must have been at the behest of my father. By handing it over to me in public, he was testing my father's thoughts.

The emperor looked hurried, seemingly dissatisfied with the progress of the matter. "Censorate! I order you to complete the trial of this case within three days! Otherwise, you will bring me your head!"

“Father…” Cao Ji said anxiously.

"Thank you, Father!" Cao Yuan bowed respectfully.

Eunuch Wang shouted, "Court is adjourned!"

Cao Yuan and Cao Ji walked out of the main hall together.

"Fourth Princess! Don't worry, Lord Liu of the Censorate is just a little slow in handling cases. He is certainly not afraid of the Marquis of Ping Le's power."

Cao Ji stepped forward and placed one hand on Cao Yuan's shoulder.

"Second brother is right! I was too impatient. I just wanted to end this matter quickly to avoid any unforeseen complications."

"I don't know what Father Emperor is thinking this time. I thought you would be the one to handle the case!" Cao Ji's words were loaded with meaning.

"Father naturally cares about me and doesn't want me to work too hard! Second brother is the same, how can he make me do everything!"

Cao Yuan wasn't fooled; she pouted and spoke in a coquettish tone.

Cao Ji smiled.

At this moment, several officials walked towards us. They were wearing brand-new official robes and seemed to be from the Ministry of Justice. They looked somewhat unfamiliar. Could they be newly appointed officials from the Ministry of Justice?

They passed Cao Yuan and walked to the side of the Chu Prime Minister.

"Xiang Chu!"

One of them caught Cao Yuan's eye.