Life imprisonment, isn't that equivalent to life imprisonment in modern times? Shen Lixue's eyes narrowed slightly. This charge was too lenient. The original Shen Lixue had truly been strangled to death by him...
It was getting late. After eating a few snacks, Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng left the room and were about to get into their carriage when Zi Mo hurried over and said respectfully, "Your Highness, the Heir Apparent has returned!"
"Hmm!" Dongfang Heng replied indifferently, walking slowly forward. His deep eyes were completely calm, as if the prince was just an ordinary person to him.
Zi Mo was used to Dongfang Heng's indifference. His gaze darkened, and he reported again, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince says he has something very important to discuss with you!"
"How important?" Dongfang Heng's voice was calm, his tone indifferent, and his gaze remained unfathomable.
"It's extremely urgent!" Zi Mo's tone was unusually solemn: "The young master is unable to leave and has specially sent someone to invite you back to the manor for discussion!"
"Where is Grandfather?" Dongfang Heng asked calmly, "Has the matter of the Crown Prince been discussed with him?"
"The old prince is at the Holy Prince's residence. He has already discussed it with the heir apparent, but they haven't reached a satisfactory conclusion..."
Dongfang Heng's gaze was deep, and he remained silent.
Shen Lixue raised her eyebrows slightly. The heir of the Holy Prince's Mansion was said to travel around most of the year and rarely return to the capital. His return this time must be for something important: "Dongfang Heng, there's something going on at the manor. You should go back first. Mu Zhengnan is guilty of murder and won't be given a light sentence!"
It won't be easy to sentence Mu Zhengnan to a heavy sentence, but with me as a witness, he won't be able to deny the crimes he's guilty of.
"Alright!" Dongfang Heng's gaze was as deep as a pool as he softly agreed. He gave Shen Lixue a deep look before floating away. His indifferent command echoed through the air: "Zimo, escort Miss Shen to the Ministry of Justice!"
The three-court joint trial is generally used for major cases, such as crimes committed by royal princes or high-ranking officials. Mu Zhengnan was just a commoner who committed murder, so he did not need a strict three-court joint trial. A single trial was enough to convict him.
Zi Mo drove extremely fast and steadily, and Shen Lixue soon arrived at the Ministry of Justice. She thought that for such a small case, apart from witnesses and criminals, there would be at most some commoners listening to the trial. However, she never expected that in addition to the Shuntian Prefecture where the case was being heard, Shen Minghui, Lei Shi, Shen Yingxue, Su Yuting, Nangong Xiao, the Third Prince, and the Fifth Prince had all arrived.
"Sister, you've arrived! We've been waiting for you!" Shen Minghui and Lei Shi didn't react much to Shen Lixue's arrival. Even the usually lively Nangong Xiao restrained himself, holding a folding fan and waving it lightly, his wicked eyes gleaming with coldness.
Shen Yingxue gracefully approached, smiling warmly, and gently took Shen Lixue's hand, softly comforting her. From afar, the sisterly affection was palpable: "Sister, don't worry, the bad people who harmed you will definitely be severely punished..."
Shen Lixue smiled slightly, her gaze sweeping over the diverse expressions on everyone's faces: "Thank you for your kind words, sister!" Shen Yingxue's smile was so eerie; she definitely had ulterior motives...
With the victim in place, the trial officially began. The Shuntian Prefect slammed his gavel and solemnly announced, "Bring in the criminal, Mu Zhengnan!"
Shen Lixue stood below the hall, and Nangong Xiao quietly approached her, whispering, "Shen Lixue, don't you feel that the atmosphere today is strange?"
"I sensed it!" Shen Lixue nodded slightly. Everyone sat solemnly, the entire hall was very quiet, yet it gave off an invisible pressure. And then there was Shen Yingxue, with her radiant smile. She could never hide her thoughts; the brighter her smile, the more it proved that she had something to hide. It seemed that today's trial was not simple...
A clanging of chains sounded outside the door. Shen Lixue stared intently at the scene. Mu Zhengnan was dressed in a white prison uniform, his hair disheveled, his eyes dull and lifeless. Overnight, a patch of blue beard had sprouted on his once smooth chin, completely dispelling his usual dashing appearance. It was clear how torturous the Ministry of Justice prison was.
"Greetings, Your Excellency!" Mu Zhengnan, wearing bracelets and shackles, knelt down blankly, his movements mechanical.
The Shuntian Prefecture official slammed down his gavel and said coldly, "Mu Zhengnan, the Prime Minister's daughter, Shen Lixue, has testified that you killed her. Do you know your crime?"
Mu Zhengnan looked up at Shen Lixue, his eyes immediately lighting up. Her light green Xiang dress outlined her slender figure, and her light green glass hairpin and teardrop earrings complemented her clothes perfectly. Her beautiful face and ethereal temperament made it impossible to look away once you saw her. Why hadn't he noticed how beautiful she was before?
Fortunately, it's not too late to discover this now. After today, she will be branded with his mark and will never escape his grasp again. He can settle the score with her separately. A strange smile appeared on his lips: "Shen Lixue, are you accusing me of murdering your husband and then marrying someone else?"
The entire hall erupted in an uproar. Everyone exchanged glances, bewildered: What was going on?
Shen Yingxue smiled brightly, her heart bursting with joy, but she exclaimed in surprise, "Mu Zhengnan, stop spouting nonsense! My sister is Prince An's fiancée, what does that have to do with you?"
058 Scumbags should be executed
"Mu Zhengnan, my sister and Prince An have been engaged since childhood, and everyone in the capital knows it. My sister is gentle, well-educated, and reasonable. She would never do anything out of line. We all trust her. You are just a commoner, so don't talk nonsense!"
Shen Yingxue spoke with conviction, every word defending Shen Lixue, but upon closer listening, one could sense that she was subtly threatening Mu Zhengnan not to reveal the truth, indirectly confirming Shen Lixue's guilt of clinging to power and abandoning her husband.
Shen Lixue's smiling gaze swept over Nangong Xiao, the Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, and others. Lei Shi had set a trap for her again, inviting powerful people to hear the verdict and then having Mu Zhengnan publicly slander her. If she accidentally confirmed the crimes they accused her of, she would be infamous forever and would never be able to recover.
"Young Master Mu claims to be my husband, but do you have any proof?" Shen Lixue's voice was calm, her gaze cold. The Lei family was cunning and scheming, always plotting against her. This time, they actually dared to tamper with things in the Ministry of Justice prison. They were truly audacious.
"Does a marriage certificate count as evidence?" Mu Zhengnan took out a small red booklet and waved it in front of everyone. Looking at Shen Lixue's beautiful face, he said with a sad tone, "Qingzhu's mother-in-law values etiquette the most. She accepted the three letters and six betrothal gifts before allowing you and me to get married. If I hadn't been forced into a corner, I wouldn't have used it to testify against you!"
"Sister, have you really married Mu Zhengnan?" Shen Yingxue exclaimed loudly, feigning ignorance, her eyes filled with schadenfreude. With witnesses and evidence, let's see how Shen Lixue can still deny it.
The marriage certificate was presented to Shuntian Prefecture. After the prefect read it, his suspicious gaze shifted from Mu Zhengnan to Shen Lixue. Everyone looked at Shen Lixue with more doubt. Did she really want to abandon her husband and marry someone else?
"Li Xue, is that marriage certificate real?" Shen Minghui asked coldly, his face ashen.
"Father, I am your daughter. You don't trust me, but you trust outsiders?" Shen Lixue's gaze was cold. It was one thing for him to favor Shen Yingxue in the Prime Minister's residence, but in the courtroom, he actually abandoned her and sided with Mu Zhengnan. Or did he know about Lei's plan and help the mother and daughter to deal with her...?
"Li Xue, don't mind him. Your father is just worried!" Lei Shi glanced at Shen Li Xue and gently comforted her. Of course, these words were just for show.
Shen Minghui, Lei Shi, and Shen Yingxue are truly a hypocritical family of three who work together seamlessly.
Shen Lixue glanced at Mu Zhengnan with a faint smile, her eyes filled with a chilling coldness that sent shivers down one's spine: "Young Master Mu, you've really had a hard time. Even after changing into prison clothes, you didn't forget to bring your marriage certificate!"
Seeing the suspicious gazes directed at him, Mu Zhengnan looked lost and sighed softly, appearing as if he had been betrayed: "After you left, I kept thinking about you, so I came to the capital to find you with our only bond, our marriage certificate. I never imagined that we would meet again in this state..."
Shen Lixue raised her lips and sneered: "The acting skills of people in ancient times are really superb. They can pretend to be anything and be so convincing that it's amazing. It's a real pity they weren't born into modern times to become stars."
"Lord Yang, may I see that marriage certificate?" Shen Lixue's gaze was cold: Mu Zhengnan had been locked up in the prison, so the marriage certificate must have been forged by Lei Shi's men. It was done in a very rushed manner in one night, so there must be flaws in the result!
Shuntianfu waved his hand, and Shen Lixue stepped forward to open the marriage certificate and browse through it. Ancient marriage certificates were like modern marriage certificates. The content was very simple, recording the year, month and day when a certain person married a certain woman, along with the names of the matchmaker and the witness.
"Is this a marriage certificate written in Qingzhou?" Shen Lixue noticed that the last part of the marriage certificate was stamped with the seal of Qingzhou Prefecture.
"Last year on the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, in the southern city of Qingzhou, we had our wedding. A hundred people came to congratulate us. I remember it clearly!" Mu Zhengnan's eyes were misty, and a faint smile appeared on his lips, as if he was lost in some beautiful memory.
The people in the hall were all nobles from the capital, and they knew nothing about the affairs of Qingzhou. He could make up any lies he wanted, as long as they were convincing and didn't leave any loopholes, no one would suspect anything.
"Mu Zhengnan, have you been to the capital before this?" Shen Lixue asked indifferently. Everything recorded in the marriage certificate matched Mu Zhengnan's words perfectly. It was impossible to find any flaws in the content.
Mu Zhengnan was slightly taken aback: "I lived in the capital before I was three years old, and then moved to Jiangzhou. This is my first time in the capital!" He didn't know why Shen Lixue would ask this question, but he answered truthfully, a very bad premonition rising in his heart.
"Are your living conditions in Jiangzhou average in terms of food, clothing, housing, and daily necessities?" Shen Lixue asked again.