She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

No sooner had Guo Zhen finished speaking than a high-pitched, drawn-out voice from outside the hall announced, "His Highness the Crown Prince is here to see you!"

The announcement was like a thunderclap, instantly exploding in the imperial court and making the already turbulent atmosphere even more unpredictable.

All eyes in the court turned to the palace gate.

For a moment, the hall was completely silent, with only the sound of everyone breathing.

Many people secretly marveled, "Truly, don't talk about people during the day, and don't talk about ghosts at night. The ancients were right!"

Just moments ago, everyone was enthusiastically discussing Chu Zhiyi, and no sooner had they finished speaking than he appeared.

After hesitating for a moment, the Emperor shouted to the messenger eunuch, "Summon them!"

He did not invite Chu Zhiyi to the court assembly today, and he did not know why Chu Zhiyi had suddenly appeared.

A moment later, Chu Zhiyi stepped into the hall with steady and powerful steps.

Upon entering the hall, he knelt upright and bowed, his voice clear and resonant: "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

When the Emperor saw Chu Zhiyi, the memory of Lin Peng's earlier words about the people of Rongzhou giving him the "Ten Thousand People's Clothing" immediately came to mind.

At this moment, Chu Zhiyi knelt below, his plain white robes appearing particularly glaring in the Emperor's eyes, and the Emperor's dissatisfaction with him grew even stronger.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his tone displeased: "Get up! Today is my first day back in court to preside over state affairs. Why are you dressed in plain clothes in the Golden Palace? Do you have some dissatisfaction with me?"

Chu Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm as he replied, "Father, I dare not. The reason I am dressed in plain clothes is because I have just come from Prime Minister Xiao's residence."

Prime Minister Xiao was loyal to the emperor and loved his country throughout his life, yet he died unjustly at the hands of the Duke of Xingguo. Your subject is deeply grieved, and therefore wears white clothes to express my mourning.

Seeing that Chu Zhiyi's words were reasonable, the Emperor did not press the matter further and asked quietly, "What brings you here today?"

"Your Majesty, I have come to seek justice for Prime Minister Xiao on behalf of Lady Xiao. I wonder how Your Majesty intends to deal with the Duke of Xingguo and his family?"

"I have already discussed this matter with my ministers. Effective immediately, the title of Duke of Xingguo of the Cui family will be revoked. Three days later, Cui Chengdao will be executed. All the remaining male members of the Cui family will be exiled to Fengzhou; the female members will be reduced to slaves and sold off in the capital."

Upon hearing this, Chu Zhiyi was not satisfied with the severity of the punishment. He knew that the Cui family was deeply entrenched in the court, and such a punishment would likely not be able to eradicate them completely.

If these people are not completely eliminated, they are very likely to become Cui Jintang and his mother's right-hand men in the future, causing endless trouble.

But at this moment, he could not reveal anything, because he had more important things to do today.

"Father Emperor is wise. If Prime Minister Xiao knew this in the afterlife, he would be somewhat comforted..."

Before Chu Zhiyi could finish speaking, Lin Peng, who was standing to the side, impatiently interrupted him: "Your Highness, the matter of Prime Minister Xiao has been settled. Your sudden intrusion into the palace today is probably not just for Prime Minister Xiao, is it?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the court was startled. Lin Peng's words were undoubtedly a public questioning of Chu Zhiyi's motives.

Chu Zhiyi slowly raised her eyes, her gaze as sharp as a blade, staring directly at Lin Peng. The faint smile on her face concealed a chilling coldness that sent shivers down one's spine.

His voice was neither hurried nor slow, yet it resonated clearly in the court like a booming bell: "Lord Lin, what you say is not wrong. I, the prince, have entered this court today not merely to seek justice for Prime Minister Xiao."

For many years, treacherous officials have held power in the imperial court, and many loyal and virtuous people have been unjustly framed and died with grievances.

Now, I, the prince, intend to use this matter concerning Prime Minister Xiao to uncover all the deeply buried injustices before Cui Chengdao is executed, to thoroughly exonerate all the loyal officials who have been falsely accused, and to restore order to my court!

As Chu Zhiyi's resounding words fell, the court fell into a deathly silence, everyone awestruck by his imposing aura.

Lin Peng's face turned pale and then red. He had intended to make things difficult for Chu Zhiyi with his words, but he did not expect to be outmaneuvered instead.

The thought of the death of Zhou Yu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, made his heart skip a beat.

Fearing that his son might get into trouble again, he decided to strike first and prevent Chu Zhiyi's plan from being implemented.

He bowed slightly and respectfully said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, what the Crown Prince said makes sense, but there are many things to deal with in the court, and we cannot rush things. If we conduct a thorough investigation rashly, it may cause turmoil in the court."

Upon hearing this, many ministers nodded in agreement, clearly worried that their own interests would be affected.

Chu Zhiyi glanced at the ministers who echoed his sentiments, a cold smile playing on his lips, but his face remained calm as he spoke in a resounding voice: "Lord Lin, if we turn a blind eye to injustices for fear of turmoil in the court, allowing treacherous officials to roam free, then the very foundation of this court will be in grave danger. Father, do you agree with what I have said?"

The Emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Chu Zhiyi, Lin Peng, and the others, his expression unreadable.

After a moment, he looked at Chu Zhiyi again and slowly said, "Yi'er, you keep saying that you want to clear the names of the loyal and virtuous, so tell me, who are you going to seek justice for?"

Chu Zhiyi was already prepared and answered loudly, "Father, the first one to be targeted is Prime Minister Xiao. He was honest and upright throughout his life and devoted himself to our dynasty, but he was tragically killed by Duke Cui Chengdao of Xingguo."

However, Prime Minister Xiao was not an isolated case. The Duke of Ningguo was framed by him for secretly possessing a dragon robe because of their differing political views in court, which led to the exile of his entire family.

Even further back, there was the Meng family, whose army was wiped out because Cui Chengdao colluded with a deputy general in the army to frame them.

If the grievances of these loyal and virtuous men are not redressed, how can we comfort their spirits, and how can we win the hearts of the people?

Lin Peng felt a little relieved when he saw that Chu Zhiyi did not mention Zhou Yu.

Upon hearing Chu Zhiyi's words, the Emperor's expression immediately turned serious. He placed his hands on the armrests of his dragon throne and asked sternly, "Yi'er, do you have any evidence for what you've said?"

The Emperor was actually aware that the Duke of Ningguo had been wronged.

He had met Li Nuo, the guard commander of the Ningguo Duke's mansion who colluded with the Xingguo Duke, before. Li Nuo still had the letters that the Xingguo Duke had written to him.

This was the first time he had heard about the deaths of the Meng family army. He hadn't expected that the Duke of Xingguo had harbored ambitions to usurp the throne so long ago.

Chu Zhiyi looked resolute, bowed slightly, and confidently replied, "Father, since I dared to mention this in court, the evidence must be conclusive."

Regarding the case of Prime Minister Xiao, all the ministers who accompanied him to the palace gate that day witnessed him being murdered by the Duke of Xingguo, and their testimonies have been compiled into a book.

As he spoke, he gestured to the ink-bearer outside the hall, who immediately presented a sealed box. Upon opening the box, he found a stack of testimonies bearing his fingerprints.