His words drew laughter from the crowd, but also caused Xu Chongyan's face to turn ugly. He roared, "Insolence!"
An Xin said coldly, "Since you accuse me of being presumptuous, then you can't be sure whether my father is your enemy? Since you can't be sure, and my father says he's not your enemy, may I ask, Duke, where did you get the reason to punish my father with two hundred strokes of the cane? Justice is clear, and there's no escaping reason. Does the Duke disregard the ancestral laws or the current Emperor? My father is an official of the court; even if he is to be punished, it should be the Emperor who does. May I ask, who gave the Duke such immense power?"
An Xin's every word was as calm as water, yet each one was sharp, causing Xu Chongyan's expression to change drastically. He pointed directly at An Xin and angrily shouted, "Nonsense! Talking nonsense!"
An Xin sneered and said, "You say I'm talking nonsense? Then what nonsense did I say?"
The Duke of the State, his beard twitching, said menacingly, "When have I ever disregarded the interests of my ancestors and the state? When have I ever disregarded the Emperor?!"
An Xin's voice grew colder: "Then how did you come to the conclusion that my father offended you?"
Xu Chongyan flicked his sleeve and snorted coldly: "An You knows himself well!"
Instead of being angry, An Xin laughed and said, "So, the Duke of the County was just guessing? Well then, let me guess too. The County State has a huge scorpion pit. Anyone who commits a crime is thrown down there to feed the scorpions. The laws of Da Yi prohibit officials from setting up execution grounds in their homes, but it seems the County State is an exception. The County State also has an underground treasure vault containing eight million taels of gold and silver. It's truly a fortune beyond measure! I remember the Duke of the County's annual salary is only a thousand taels, in silver. Could this eight million taels of gold be a gift from the Emperor? The County State is truly full of wonders. There's even an underground armory with astonishingly large weapons. There are even hundreds of cannons hidden inside. If this were to explode accidentally, the capital would be finished!"
As soon as An Xin finished speaking, Xu Chongyan's face turned deathly pale. The crowd was also thrown into a strange shock.
An Xin remained calm and said, "It turns out that the Duke of the County also has a hobby of collecting imperial seals from various dynasties. Dayi has been a kingdom for a hundred years, so it is understandable that the Duke of the County has this hobby. It turns out that the County government also had correspondence with the Northern Desert. I don't know much about military affairs, but I do know that the people of the Northern Desert are vicious and have killed countless people of Dayi. They are the enemies of Dayi. It is quite remarkable that the Duke of the County is on good terms with them!"
Xu Chongyan's body trembled violently. He took a step back in shock, but shouted sharply, "Shut up! You're slandering me! You dare to defame me!"
An Xin suddenly sneered: "I slandered you? Duke of Junguo, are you joking? I was just guessing, just guessing by accident!"
Xu Chongyan suddenly drew a sword and thrust it at An Xin, his voice as sinister as a drug lord's: "You treacherous and despicable woman, how dare you slander a high-ranking official! I have devoted myself to the country, how could you possibly slander me!?"
Everyone gasped in surprise.
An Xin's face darkened, and she respectfully shouted, "This humble woman greets Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
The swiftly approaching sword stopped abruptly just an inch from An Xin's face. Xu Chongyan's face turned ashen, and he abruptly turned around.
Huang Yixuan stood at the back of the crowd, his face somber.
Everyone was shocked and hurriedly turned around to kneel down.
Xu Chongyan's sword fell to the ground with a "thud," and he slowly knelt down.
Huang Yixuan stared at Xu Chongyan with a somber expression. After a moment, his gaze fell on An Xin. His silence was like a calm lake, where a single boulder could stir up a huge uproar.
"An Xin, is the case in Fengxian Village closed?" Unexpectedly, Huang Yixuan said something completely unrelated, and smiled as he walked towards An Xin.
An Xin said calmly, "The follow-up was handled by both sides working together. I am not aware of the specific details." An Xin naturally did not forget to include Yan Zhen. Although Jing Lan contributed the most in the later stages, she would not allow Huang Yixuan to have any opinion about Yan Zhen.
"What are you kneeling for? Get up." Huang Yixuan reached out his hand. His hand was not experienced; it still resembled that of a young man. But it was the hand of a monarch!
"My father has been wronged. I beg Your Majesty to investigate." An Xin was neither humble nor arrogant. Her father had been beaten like this, and she was determined to kill this Duke of the County!
Huang Yixuan's eyes darkened, but his voice turned cold as he stared at Xu Chongyan and asked, "Uncle, what do you have to say?"
Xu Chongyan trembled, his lips quivering as he murmured, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
Huang Yixuan said coldly, "You punish Lord An based solely on your guess? Do you not take me seriously?"
Xu Chongyan trembled and hurriedly said, "Your subject dares not!"
Huang Yixuan said in a deep voice, "Why haven't you apologized to Lord An yet?!"
An Xin suddenly raised her eyelashes and said calmly, "No need! Your Majesty, since my father was beaten two hundred times for no reason, how can an apology be enough? I want to fight back!"
An Xin uttered the last five words one by one, causing Huang Yixuan's expression to change.
Xu Chongyan's face was filled with resentment and venom: "You!?"
An Xin didn't even lift her eyelashes, but looked at Huang Yixuan and said, "To accuse someone of a crime based on mere speculation, is there any justice left in this world? Your Majesty is a wise ruler, and a wise ruler naturally sees through everything and is impartial, isn't that right?"
Huang Yixuan looked at An Xin and said with a faint smile, "If I don't respond, would I be a tyrant?"
An Xin raised an eyebrow but did not answer.
Huang Yixuan looked at Xu Chongyan and said calmly, "The Duke of Junguo is a veteran official of three dynasties and has made contributions to the country. How can he be punished with a rod?"
An Xin sneered: "So the Emperor is still going to show favoritism? In that case, I have nothing to say."
Huang Yixuan gazed at An Xin's cold and stern face, his eyes slowly hardening. He then looked at Xu Chongyan and said, "Xu Chongyan, do you know your crime?!"
Xu Chongyan's face suddenly twitched, and he murmured, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
An Xin said calmly, "Since guesses can be taken as truth, then what crime should the Duke of the State be charged with for my guess just now?"
Huang Yixuan's face darkened, and Xu Chongyan's expression changed drastically.
"Granted!" Huang Yixuan said calmly.
An Xin said, "I want to hold the board myself!"
Huang Yixuan gazed at An Xin and slowly said, "Granted!"
Xu Chongyan trembled and hurriedly begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have served the country and the people with no disloyalty! You cannot listen to this witch's nonsense! The late Emperor once granted me a pardon from death, Your Majesty, for the sake of the late Emperor, please have mercy!"
Huang Yixuan said coldly, "Did Zi say he would grant you death?"
An Xin had already picked up the paddle, her lips curling into a cold smile as she said maliciously, "Duke of the County, what are you worried about? I am just a weak woman, how much strength do I have to hit you? In the end, I was only trying to save you. If it were any other man, with your physique, you wouldn't even be alive."
Xu Chongyan suddenly glared at An Xin with a sinister look, gritting his teeth and saying, "You little bitch, you will die a horrible death!"
An Xin raised the corner of her lips and said, "Then you'd better hold your breath, lest I kill you beforehand. If that happens, how will you feel about me suffering a terrible death?"
"Smack!" A heavy slam of the board slammed down, and Xu Chongyan's face turned a deep purplish-red, but he gritted his teeth and let out a muffled groan.