Chapter 244: The Calm Before the Trial

Yet inwardly he shuddered, the two bodies had clearly been killed with a single strike, and the weapon used had been nothing more than small stones.

Soon, the prison was cleaned up.

Yue Mingxuan probed, “Is that all? Doesn’t it need to be reported?”

The jailer gave an awkward laugh. “Well… the people who handled the cleanup will report it.”

Yue Mingxuan knew he was lying, but did not expose him.

Life was not easy, wasn’t it all just acting?

Seeing Yue Mingxuan’s meaningful smile, the jailer felt a bit uneasy and said with a fawning grin, “It looks like Your Highness will be leaving soon. When you do, please don’t forget to put in a good word for someone like me.”

Hearing this, Yue Mingxuan raised an eyebrow.

Even he himself had no idea when he might be released, so how did this jailer know?

Seeing the puzzled look on Yue Mingxuan’s face, the jailer explained, “To be honest, this prison is called a prison, but it’s more accurate to say it’s a private dungeon of the inner palace. Being thrown in here isn’t actually the frightening part. What’s truly frightening is being locked up and then completely ignored… Having assassins come for you, though it’s certainly a bad thing, is also a kind of good sign. It means that in this harem, no one has forgotten you. As long as you haven’t been forgotten, you’ll naturally be getting out soon.”

As for whether one walked out whole or missing an arm or a leg, that truly depended on one’s own abilities.

It was the first time Yue Mingxuan had heard such reasoning.

His eyes could not help but fill with curiosity, yet he held himself back and said nothing further.

After everything had been tidied up, the jailer tactfully withdrew.

In the imperial study, the Emperor slammed the freshly delivered intelligence report against the body of the shadow guard.

“Useless lot! What do I keep you for?” To think that Yue Mingxuan had nearly lost his life inside the palace prison.

If he had truly died, not only would the Emperor’s entire plan have been thrown into chaos, he would also have had no way to answer to Silver Needle Sect.

The shadow guard knelt on the ground, not daring to speak.

This matter clearly involved interference from the inner palace, an attack from within was naturally impossible to guard against.

Of course, faced with the Emperor’s fury, they did not dare voice such thoughts.

Thinking of the contents of the report, the Emperor’s expression grew increasingly grim.

On one side was Beirong’s suicide being ignored; on the other was a notorious assassin organization from the martial world.

Just how many troubles had Yue Mingxuan stirred up? Was this test of his, was it right or wrong?

After pondering for a moment, the Emperor asked, “Are the materials for the interrogation ready?”

The shadow guard replied respectfully, “Everything has been prepared.”

According to the Emperor’s instructions, all the materials had already removed Yue Mingxuan entirely.

The so-called public hearing would merely be a formality.

Back in the cell, Yue Mingxuan hugged his knees and crouched in a corner.

Although the jailer had already cleaned the place, he had instinctively moved elsewhere.

He could not shake the feeling that the spot still held the blood of the two men who had died there moments before.

Moonless Cicada sat on the beam above, chatting with him in a casual, intermittent manner. “That jailer said there’ll be a public hearing for you later. Have you figured out how you’re going to defend yourself?”

Yue Mingxuan answered honestly, “No.”

He had been locked in this prison every day with no access to any useful information.

When faced with a public hearing, he would surely be at a loss for words.

Moonless Cicada chuckled. “Do you need my help? My fees are absolutely fair, no cheating the young or the old.”

Prince Yue looked like someone with plenty of money; if nothing else, the jade bracelet on his wrist alone was worth a small fortune.

Yue Mingxuan rolled his eyes.

Wasn’t this kind of taking advantage of a crisis supposed to be his specialty? How had the roles reversed?

Truly, karma came swiftly.

Seeing him remain silent, Moonless Cicada deliberately continued teasing, “Well? Considering the days we’ve spent together, I can even give you a friendship discount.”

Yue Mingxuan ignored Moonless Cicada’s incessant chatter and instead began to think calmly.

Logically, Gongsun Xing would not abandon him, but he had not come again, nor had he even brought him a comforting message.

For this to happen, there were only two possibilities: either Gongsun Xing had encountered something himself and had no time for him, or he believed he could handle this matter entirely on his own without his help.

Given Gongsun Xing’s abilities and the reputation of the Silver Needle Sect, it was unlikely that anything could occupy his time to the point of neglecting him.

That left only the other possibility: Gongsun Xing thought he could resolve the situation himself.

However, no matter how he thought about it, this situation seemed like a death trap.

If they bribed more palace attendants to testify against him, he would have no way to defend himself.

But that didn’t add up either.

If that were the case, the two assassins today would have been superfluous and completely unnecessary…

Yue Mingxuan rubbed his temples and suddenly the word “test” flashed through his mind.

How could he have forgotten about this?

If everything were viewed as a test, then it would all make perfect sense.

Someone had set up this situation using Princess Xie’s death to test him and Gongsun Xing must have found the key to unraveling the scheme.

Likewise, he would use this opportunity to test him.

From this perspective, his life was probably not in any real danger.

A faint smile appeared on Yue Mingxuan’s face as he relaxed and leaned against the wall.

Now, all he needed to do was rest with his eyes closed and prepare himself to face the upcoming public trial.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep