Chapter 245: The Public Trial Begins

Moonless Cicada noticed Yue Mingxuan’s relieved smile and realized he had figured it out.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Well, this protection target was actually quite interesting now.

Few people were as sharp witted as him.

It was a pity that such a nice face was marred by a palm-sized birthmark; otherwise, with this cleverness alone, he might have been a good match for hos leader.

The moon rose and set, the sun rose and set… Soon, the day of the public trial arrived.

Early in the morning, the jailer brought Yue Mingxuan his breakfast in the cell, along with some grooming supplies.

Although he hadn’t tidied himself up in a long time and felt uncomfortable all over, Yue Mingxuan resisted the urge to wash up and fix his appearance.

The more disheveled he looked now, the lower his opponent’s guard would be, and the greater his chances of turning the tables.

So when the Emperor saw Yue Mingxuan, he was taken aback.

Rong Qinglei who is standing nearby also felt an unbearable ache in his heart.

Yue Mingxuan once exquisite prince robes were now covered in dust and their original colors unrecognizable.

His beautiful long hair was tangled messily atop his head and it was knotted in clumps with strands of straw sticking out.

His face was streaked with dirt and if not for his eyes that was still as clear and bright as before, no one would believe that the person before them was a prince.

The Emperor studied Yue Mingxuan for a long while and somewhat at a loss for how to begin.

It seemed he had suffered greatly in the prison.

At the same time, he inwardly blamed the officials in charge of the prison.

Knowing full well that Yue Mingxuan was to face a public trial today, they hadn’t even allowed him to freshen up and dress properly before sending him to the imperial study like this.

If news of this got out, countless people would surely speak ill of Beirong behind its back, saying they mistreated the prince and princess held as hostages.

Imperial Consort Zhou looked smugly at Yue Mingxuan’s current state; the resentment she had harbored over the past few days seemed to vanish in an instant.

After all, her brother had been furious about the two assassins who had died.

Seeing Imperial Consort Zhou’s smug expression while the Emperor’s face grew increasingly dark, Imperial Consort Hua chuckled inwardly.

While pretending to be surprise, she quickly said, “This… Prince Yue, how did you end up like this?”

Noticing the Emperor’s expression soften slightly at her words, she added a note of sympathy.

“How could the prison officials have handled things this way? A dignified prince of a nation ends up like this in their care? Someone, bring a seat for Prince Yue. Have the official in charge of the prison severely beaten with fifty strokes and then expelled from the palace.”

Yue Mingxuan watched Imperial Consort Hua’s flawless performance, almost wanting to applaud her.

Imperial Consort Hua now was no longer the same woman who only knew how to play the delicate and vulnerable role in front of men.

In just a few months since rising to power, she had not only developed the demeanor of a person of authority but also learned to gauge the Emperor’s thoughts.

The Emperor seemed quite pleased with Imperial Consort Hua’s actions and nodded slightly as a tacit approval.

Imperial Consort Zhou shot Imperial Consort Hua a hateful glare, but Imperial Consort Hua pretended not to notice.

Since a seat had been offered, it was only polite to express gratitude.

So, instead of sitting down immediately, Yue Mingxuan gracefully bowed to the Emperor and Imperial Consort Hua: “Mingxuan thanks the Emperor and Imperial Consort Hua for your kindness.”

Imperial Consort Zhou beside him let out a displeased “Hmph,” but it drew an unsatisfied glare from the Emperor.

Flustered, she quickly turned aside, not daring to show her discontent any further.

After Yue Mingxuan sat down, she glanced around the room.

Today was truly a public trial in every sense, consorts from all three palaces and six courts had gathered in full force, even Shang Qinghua, someone of hostage status like himself, was present.

Suddenly, he felt a gaze filled with hostility.

When he turned his head, he saw it was the envoy from Nanxie Kingdom.

So, this was why Beirong had kept him imprisoned for so long, they were waiting for this envoy.

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, the Emperor cleared his throat and said, “I believe you all know why I have summoned you here today. Princess Xie met a tragic end in my Beirong palace, and I will certainly provide an explanation to Nanxie Kingdom.” He glanced at the Nanxie Kingdom envoy, paused for a moment, and continued, “At the same time, to express Beirong’s apologies, I have decided to exempt this year’s taxes from the five towns bordering Nanxie Kingdom and Beirong, and posthumously honor Princess Xie as Princess Rongshou of Beirong.”

As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar broke out below.

It wasn’t that the title of Princess Rongshou was particularly valuable, after all, it was being given to a deceased person, and granting her posthumous honors wasn’t a big deal.

However, exempting the taxes of five towns was truly a generous gesture.

If the ruler of Nanxie Kingdom knew that the death of one of his daughters in Beirong could bring such immense benefits, he would surely force all of his princesses to flock to Beirong and hang themselves.

Among the crowd, the most excited was the Nanxie Kingdom envoy.

In the eyes of others, this mission to Beirong was merely to handle funeral arrangements for an unpopular princess, it was a thankless and exhausting task with no perks.

That was why no one else wanted to come, leaving the envoy, who had no backing, to take the assignment.

Who would have thought that the Beirong Emperor would open his mouth and immediately waive the taxes of five towns?

This would become a significant achievement in his official career.

Regardless of anything else, this alone was enough for him to hold his head high above the rest of Nanxie Kingdom.

After all, Beirong had never voluntarily relinquished taxes from the towns under its control.

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