Wang Jing kept provoking him, and even Mu Zhengnan's patience was wearing thin. He roared, "If you suspect me of stealing cannons, then search my place and see if you can find any cannons."
Wang Jing glanced at Mu Zhengnan and scoffed disdainfully: "Cannons are rare and extremely valuable. The Emperor was furious and ordered people to secretly search for the cannons. No petty thief would be stupid enough to keep cannons in his own home and wait to be caught by the officials."
"You!" Mu Zhengnan pointed at Wang Jing, too angry to speak. He was a rude and unreasonable brute.
“Guard Wang, Young Master Mu have conflicting accounts, and it’s hard to tell the truth from the falsehood. I have a good method to distinguish between truth and falsehood. I wonder if it’s feasible?” Dongfang Xun looked at the bright sunlight outside and spoke calmly.
"What method?"
"Please speak, Your Highness."
Mu Zhengnan and Wang Jing asked in unison, then glared at each other before looking away.
"Roll over the bed of steel nails." Accompanied by Dongfang Xun's elegant voice, a bed of steel nails inlaid with long steel nails was carried into the hall: "It is said that the bed of steel nails has a certain spirituality. If what is said is true, you can roll over the bed of steel nails safely. If what is said is false, you will be impaled on the bed of steel nails. Would you two like to give it a try?"
The long steel nails were half a meter high, their sharp points gleaming with a cold, eerie light. Piercing into flesh, they would surely cause excruciating pain, let alone rolling around. Just looking at them from a distance was enough to send chills down one's spine.
Mu Zhengnan unconsciously tightened his clothes, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.
"Mu Zhengnan, go roll on the bed of steel nails. If you can roll across safely, I, Wang Jing, will immediately kowtow and apologize to you." Wang Jing patted his chest, full of righteous indignation.
"Why should I go? Isn't Guard Wang eager to prove he wasn't lying? Why doesn't he go roll on the bed of steel nails?" Mu Zhengnan looked at Wang Jing coldly. Roll on the bed of steel nails? What a joke! There are so many sharp points. If you lie on it, you'll be half-killed, let alone roll on it.
“Mu Zhengnan, you’re the suspect who stole the cannon, not me. You’re the most suitable person to roll on the bed of steel nails.” As he spoke, Wang Jing had already come up to Mu Zhengnan, grabbed his collar, and dragged him toward the bed of steel nails: “Enough nonsense, get rolling.”
Lord Ma's lips moved, but he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue. The Emperor entrusted the case to him, wanting the outcome of the trial, not the process. As long as no one was killed, the sooner the result came out, the better.
The case has become increasingly complicated, and he doesn't know how to proceed with it. Wang Jing is making Mu Zhengnan ram his head against steel nails in an attempt to get a result as soon as possible. Although Mu Zhengnan is thin, he can still withstand several rammings.
"Wang Jing, what are you doing?" Wang Jing's arm was strong and powerful. Mu Zhengnan struggled fiercely but still couldn't break free from his grip. Seeing the silver spikes so close, his face changed drastically, and he cried out anxiously, "Let go, let go!" His voice was filled with indescribable panic.
"What's the panic? Rolling on the bed of nails will prove your innocence." Wang Jing dragged Mu Zhengnan to the edge of the bed of nails and was about to throw him onto the nails.
Mu Zhengnan was a frail scholar, his body already weak. Even lying on it would have severely injured him; how could he possibly roll over the bed of steel nails? He struggled desperately, but couldn't break free from Wang Jing. His body fell uncontrollably, and he was about to fall onto the steel nails when a chilling aura, carrying a faint smell of blood, assaulted his senses. His scalp tingled, his chest heaved, and he screamed in terror, "I'll talk, I'll talk... I stole the cannon, I stole it..."
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow; Mu Zhengnan had indeed switched the cannon with a clever trick.
Dongfang Xun smiled faintly, just as expected.
Wang Jing tossed Mu Zhengnan to the ground and said disdainfully, "If you had just admitted it earlier, nothing would have happened."
Mu Zhengnan collapsed to the ground, his body trembling slightly, still shaken. The steel nail bed gleamed coldly; it was terrifying, truly terrifying.
Lord Ma slammed his gavel and shouted sternly, "Mu Zhengnan, who ordered you to steal the cannon? Where did you put the cannon?"
Mu Zhengnan trembled and said weakly, "Your Excellency, it was the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang who instructed me to switch the cannons. I was only responsible for drugging Wang Jing and the four guards, bringing out the real cannon and handing it over to the Crown Prince, and putting in a bunch of scrap metal to make up the difference. The cannon is in the Crown Prince's hands. I really don't know where it was put."
"Is what you said true?" Lord Ma looked coldly at Mu Zhengnan.
"It is absolutely true, I hope Your Excellency will investigate thoroughly." Mu Zhengnan's body was still trembling. If he confessed to Qin Junhao, he would offend the Southern Frontier, and Qin Junhao would never let him go. But if he did not confess to Qin Junhao, he would be stabbed to death by a bed of steel nails, and his death would be gruesome.
In comparison, offending Qin Junhao would be better, because Qin Junhao secretly stole the Qingyan Cannon with malicious intent, and the emperor would definitely expel him from Qingyan. He could find a secluded place in Qingyan to hide, and Qin Junhao might not be able to find him. He would still have a glimmer of hope for survival.
Lord Ma raised his eyes to look at the officials and coldly ordered, "Men, go to the post station and invite Qin Junhao."
Shen Lixue watched the officials disappear quickly into the sunlight, her snowy eyes narrowing slightly: Qin Junhao is the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang. Stealing the Azure Flame Cannon, he must be transporting it back to Southern Xinjiang. If the Emperor finds out, he will definitely not let him off easily. The relationship between Southern Xinjiang and Azure Flame is about to deteriorate...
Qin Junhao had no hobbies and spent his days wandering around restaurants and inns. The officials quickly found him and brought him to the main hall.
"What brings you here, Your Majesty?" Qin Junhao strode into the hall, his expression arrogant and disdainful of everyone. His white brocade robe was embroidered with golden vines, giving him an eerie and mysterious air.
"The innkeeper testified that Prince Qin stole the Azure Flame Cannon. Does the prince know his crime?" Lord Ma didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.
"Does the inn have a steward?" Qin Junhao frowned as he looked at Lord Ma, his tone arrogant and evasive.
“The post station is usually managed by dedicated staff, so there is indeed no so-called steward. However, didn’t the Crown Prince Qin appoint one?” Lord Ma pointed at Mu Zhengnan: “It’s him.”
Qin Junhao glanced at Mu Zhengnan, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Who is he? I have never appointed any innkeeper. You must be mistaken."
Lord Ma was slightly taken aback: "Crown Prince Qin doesn't recognize Mu Zhengnan?"
Qin Junhao shook his head, his gaze towards Mu Zhengnan full of doubt: "I don't know him. I've never seen this person before."
Lord Ma's sharp gaze shifted to Mu Zhengnan, and he asked seriously, "Mu Zhengnan, what exactly happened?"
He was staying at the inn, and Qin Junhao was also staying at the inn. They saw each other all the time, so how could Qin Junhao not recognize him? Was he pretending not to know him in an attempt to shift all the blame onto him?
Mu Zhengnan suddenly felt a surge of anger. He was a member of the Qingyan clan and originally did not want to help Qin Junhao steal the Qingyan Cannon. It was only because Qin Junhao promised him great benefits that he risked helping him.
Now that the truth has come out, Qin Junhao wants to distance himself from the situation and shift all the blame onto him, indulging in wishful thinking: "Crown Prince Qin, you once said that the Azure Flame Cannon is extremely rare, and whoever steals it will be a meritorious official, richly rewarded, and promoted..."
Qin Junhao looked at Mu Zhengnan indifferently and said coldly, "Did I say these words to you personally?"
Now that the truth has come out, Qin Junhao wants to distance himself from the situation and shift all the blame onto him, indulging in wishful thinking: "Crown Prince Qin, you once said that the Azure Flame Cannon is extremely rare, and whoever steals it will be a meritorious official, richly rewarded, and promoted..."
Qin Junhao looked at Mu Zhengnan indifferently and said coldly, "Did I say these words to you personally?"
Chapter 193: Mu Zha Dies, Prince Jin Yu
"This..." Mu Zhengnan was momentarily speechless, his face flushed with embarrassment. He couldn't very well tell others that while pulling the horse feed, he had overheard Qin Junhao's conversation with someone through the back window of Qin Junhao's study, which had fueled his ambition for advancement and led him to assist Qin Junhao.
His eyes flickered uncomfortably: "Crown Prince Qin certainly did not say these words to this humble subject himself..."
“Lord Ma, I have absolutely no connection with your cannon disappearance case, and I have no acquaintance with this Mu Zhengnan. I really don’t understand why he would try to frame me for the cannon disappearance.”
Mu Zhengnan admitted that he had not heard Qin Junhao's personal promise, and there was no need to listen to his words any further. Qin Junhao turned to look at Lord Ma.
Lord Ma frowned slightly: "Does Crown Prince Qin mean that Mu Zhengnan is framing you?"