"Imprison him for one or two years!" The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, who frequently presided over cases, was very familiar with Qingyan's punishments and answered Nangong Xiao's question without hesitation.
Shen Yingxue felt a sudden jolt, her mind went completely blank, and one sentence kept echoing in her mind: "Locked in jail for one year, two years!"
She didn't want to go to jail, she didn't want to go to jail! Shen Yingxue rushed to Mu Zhengnan like a madwoman, shaking his arm violently, and shouted angrily, "Mu Zhengnan, say something! I didn't give you the marriage certificate, I really didn't give it to you..."
Mu Zhengnan knelt on the ground like a wooden statue, neither speaking nor moving. Sunlight streamed through the doorway and shone on him, casting a hazy glow that conveyed both a sense of vicissitude and heroic spirit.
Shen Lixue raised her lips. He was indeed clever. If he testified against Shen Yingxue, he would offend Shen Minghui, and his days in prison would not be easy. But if he did not testify against her, he could not explain the origin of the marriage certificate, which would not only add to his crimes but also subject him to torture. Silence was the best way to protect himself...
Shen Minghui's face was so black it looked like ink was about to drip from it. What happened? What exactly happened?
"Lord Yang, what crime is it to slander the Prime Minister's daughter?" Shen Lixue's icy gaze swept over Mu Zhengnan. Trying to escape punishment? Dream on.
"You now have a dual identity: the daughter of the Prime Minister's family and the future Princess Consort of Anjun!" Nangong Xiao's eyes were wicked; he loved to kick someone when they were down.
The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture twitched. The woman standing below the hall was in the prime of her youth, with a beautiful face and a fresh temperament. Every move she made exuded elegance and nobility. She was smiling, but her eyes reflected a chilling coldness, as if she could see through everything: "Mu Zhengnan has committed multiple crimes of murdering and framing the Prime Minister's daughter. According to the law, he should be beheaded. He will be executed in three months!"
Mu Zhengnan collapsed to the ground, his eyes ashen, muttering to himself, "How could this happen, how could this happen..." Sentenced to beheading, he didn't have many days left to live!
"Thank you for upholding justice, Your Excellency!" Shen Lixue smiled, her gaze as cold as ice. Originally, Mu Zhengnan's attempted murder would have resulted in a maximum of life imprisonment, but he had overestimated himself and plotted against her. Not only was his crime not reduced, but it had also been reduced to beheading. This was a classic case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead, losing both his wife and his army.
Mu Zhengnan was sentenced to death. The three-month reprieve was not to give him a chance to make a contribution, but to allow me to "treat" him well and vent my anger. Shuntian Prefecture was very good at dealing with people.
"As for Miss Shen Yingxue..." Shuntianfu looked at Shen Minghui's gloomy face and then at Shen Lixue's bright face, and sighed inwardly. Bringing family matters to the court was just making things difficult for him.
Shuntian Prefecture did not want to offend Shen Minghui, nor did it dare to offend Shen Lixue. In the end, it had no choice but to bite the bullet and sentence: "The evidence of forged marriage certificate is conclusive. He shall be imprisoned for three months!"
"Father, I am innocent, I am really innocent!" Shen Yingxue cried and sobbed. The prison was dark and damp, never seeing sunlight, and was a place to imprison lowly people. She was the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family, and her body was precious. How could she go to such a place?
Shen Minghui was the Prime Minister of Qingyan, whose power was greater than that of Shuntian Prefecture, and who doted on her the most. Shen Yingxue then placed her hopes on him, clinging to his arm and pleading bitterly.
“Yingxue!” Shen Minghui sighed inwardly, glancing at the Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, the Prince of Nangong, and others. The royal family members were merely bystanders, and he, a mere subject, had no right to exercise his power.
Lei's face was grim, her teeth almost grinding to powder. She had invited the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince here to ruin Shen Lixue's reputation, but now, because of their presence, Shen Minghui could not use his power to save her. The witnesses she had invited had indirectly harmed her own daughter...
"Mother, you know I didn't forge the marriage certificate!" Shen Minghui kept sighing and didn't give any orders, so Shen Yingxue pleaded with Lei Shi. The marriage certificate was forged by Lei Shi's people, not by her.
Lei's worried face instantly darkened. Did Yingxue want her to turn herself in? It was indeed her order to do it, but Yingxue was simple-minded and no match for Shen Lixue. If she was imprisoned, the power in the Prime Minister's mansion would definitely fall into Shen Lixue's hands. Even if she got out of prison, she might not be able to defeat Shen Lixue.
Shen Minghui shook his head and sighed. Lei Shi and Shen Yingxue hugged each other and cried. It was supposed to be a touching scene, but Shen Lixue found it very ironic. Nangong Xiao shook his folding fan and said impatiently, "It's getting late. Those who should go home should go home, and those who should go to jail should go to jail. Everyone is perfectly fine, so why are you crying and wailing? Who are you mourning for?"
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips: Nangong Xiao really has a sharp tongue, ruining the atmosphere of their reunion!
"Just because it has a pine needle pattern doesn't necessarily mean it's Yingxue paper..." Shen Minghui calmed down and realized the key point.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. This Prime Minister Qingyan had actually calmed down so quickly and found the flaw. She thought he would be too concerned to think straight and would be depressed for a long time before he thought of this: "The ink is newly developed, so there must not be many people ordering it. Why don't we send someone to check who has ordered it?" By finding all the people who ordered it and looking at their preferences, we can find the mastermind behind it.
Shen Yingxue's face turned deathly pale instantly. As a noble lady, she had always loved new things. She had ordered the ink the day after it was made. If an investigation were conducted, it would definitely be traced back to her. As for the pine needle pattern on the clothes, it was because Prince An liked it, so she had many sets made...
Shen Minghui glanced coldly at Shen Yingxue. He had originally intended to use the investigation of the ink matter to postpone the verdict for a few days and make some arrangements to clear her name. He hadn't expected that so many of her weaknesses would be exposed. How foolish of him!
“In the Prime Minister’s residence, besides Yingxue, Caiyun also likes pine needle patterns!” Yingxue is his eldest daughter, his most prized daughter, on whom he places great hopes. She must not be ruined by going to jail.
Shen Yingxue's eyes lit up, and she quickly turned around and pushed Shen Caiyun, who was standing in the corner, out: "Caiyun and I have almost the same tastes, new ink, clothes with pine needle patterns, she has everything I have!" Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was instantly relieved. Her father was smart enough to push the matter onto Shen Caiyun.
Shen Caiyun wore a plain white dress with leaves subtly printed on it, which accentuated her delicate and frail figure, making her look pitiful.
Looking at Shen Caiyun, who stood in the center of the courtroom, flustered and bewildered, yet whose eyes flashed with a chilling light, Shen Lixue sneered. The life of a concubine's daughter from a noble family was extremely difficult. Shen Caiyun endured all kinds of hardships, just to keep a low profile and look for an opportunity to soar to the top.
Now, before she could even find her chance to rise to the top, Shen Minghui pushed her out to take the blame for Shen Yingxue. If she is convicted and goes to jail, her life will be ruined.
"Caiyun, do you know your crime?" Shen Minghui asked coldly, a hint of guilt in his eyes. His daughter was timid, silent, and didn't like to talk, let alone offend people. But now he had to sacrifice her to protect Yingxue.
Beneath her white sleeves, Shen Caiyun's small hands clenched into fists, her eyes darkening with surging anger. Her body trembled slightly, and at first glance, she appeared to be afraid. But Shen Lixue knew she was furious: for so many years, she had been oppressed. Shen Yingxue had made a mistake, and she was made to take the blame? Why? Why? She had had enough, truly had enough!
"Sister, you know what Father is thinking. They are both daughters, but he only has eyes for Shen Yingxue!" Seeing that Shen Caiyun was furious and about to explode, Shen Lixue lowered her voice and hurriedly advised her.
While Shen Caiyun's outburst would embarrass Shen Minghui and Shen Yingxue, it would also make people think she was guilty, indirectly tarnishing her own reputation and allowing Shen Yingxue to clear her name. This was not a good outcome. Therefore, she advised Shen Caiyun to handle the matter calmly and expose Shen Minghui and Shen Yingxue's conspiracy.
Shen Caiyun suddenly realized, yes, now she had to rely on herself. She opened her fist, the anger in her eyes vanished instantly, and she covered her face with a silk handkerchief, looking as delicate as a willow in the wind, pitiful to behold: "Daughter... knows her sins!"
Caiyun agrees to take the blame!
Shen Minghui secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling increasingly guilty and aggrieved for Caiyun. He vowed to find her a good family to marry into once she was released from prison!
Shen Minghui was focused on his own schemes, but he didn't consider that any young master would be willing to marry a concubine's daughter who had been imprisoned.
"Tell me what crime you have committed?" Shen Minghui asked in a stern tone, appearing impartial and incorruptible.
"This... whatever Father says is the crime, is the crime." Shen Caiyun's voice was weak, as if she had no opinion of her own.
"Pfft!" Nangong Xiao spat out the tea he had just drunk, coughing repeatedly as he choked. Wasn't this just blatantly trying to find someone to take the blame? The worst part was that he had chosen such a stupid person.
Shen Minghui's face turned ashen: "Don't you even know what crime you've committed?" Why isn't Caiyun cooperating with him? Is it an accident, or is it intentional...?
"This... I don't know what happened. Father, just tell me the crime, I'll admit to it!" Shen Caiyun's beautiful eyes were filled with tears, and her slender body trembled slightly, clearly due to fear.
Shen Lixue smiled faintly. Shen Caiyun was indeed clever and understood immediately. With her timidity and weakness, everyone would immediately understand the whole story when facing Shen Minghui's forceful coercion. Even if she was imprisoned, Shen Minghui and Shen Yingxue's reputations would be ruined.
Why should I take the blame for someone else's mistake? Even if I can't escape the fate of taking the blame, I'll drag the culprit down with me to hell!
"Lord Yang, pronounce the verdict!" Nangong Xiao slowly sipped his tea, deciding that it was best not to continue the matter any longer, as it would only make him look foolish.
"Your Highness, who is this guilty person?" Everyone could see that Shen Caiyun was taking the blame. With the princes present to hear the verdict, Lord Yang dared not make a rash judgment!
Dongfang Zhan smiled faintly: "Ask Prime Minister Shen!" It's just a small case, and those involved are all daughters of the Prime Minister's family. Let Shen Minghui arrange it however he wants. As a prince, he doesn't want to meddle in the family affairs of his ministers.
"Prime Minister Shen, what do you think of this?" The Shuntian Prefecture was in a great dilemma.