The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 167 - 147. The Three Agencies will conduct a joint trial in a public court.

"I thought the person coming would be Zhou Cheng."

Zhao Douan sat on the ground, his gaze piercing through the prison bars, looking towards the green-robed government officer outside.

The calm flames of the brazier on the wall cast oblique light upon the face of the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, adding a sinister depth to his features.

He Zheng, accompanied by two clerks from the Ministry of Justice and followed by two prison guards.

"Ha, you think you are worthy of having Lord Tingwei come to interrogate you personally?"

He Zheng sneered, his mustache curling upwards, his eyes unabashedly gleeful.

Being repeatedly beaten by Zhao Douan had been an unprecedented humiliation in his life.

Now, as fortunes reversed, how could he not feel joyful and triumphant?

Standing hands behind his back in the hallway, looking down at the prisoner beneath the steps, He Zheng felt light and immensely pleased.

However, the next sentence that came out from the cell wiped his good mood away.

"Hey, why is your face swollen? I don’t recall ever hitting your face before." Zhao Douan suddenly spoke.

Then he shook his head, with undisguised contempt:

"You clown, jumping around before the case is even tried, thinking you can decide my fate? Or do you believe, with just your mouth, you can make me confess?"

He Zheng took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to explode, and chuckled coldly:

"Being oblivious even at death’s doorstep.

Ha, I didn’t expect you to submit today, I just came to help you face reality.

You should know, the order to arrest you was given by the Saint, and now countless outside await your death, the public’s will is against you!

Do you still think you are the favorite of Your Majesty?

Visit freewёbnoνel.com for the best novel reading experience.

Mr. Zhou asked me to relay a message to you, he will wait for you at the public trial of the Three Agencies, personally seeing you, the traitor, to the execution ground."

"Are you done?"

Zhao Douan closed his eyes:

"If you’re done, then hurry up and leave. Zhou Cheng is foolish, and you are even more foolish than him."

"You... Good! Very good! Let’s see if you can still be so defiant when you stand on the court!" He Zheng left with a flick of his sleeves.

He was here today, officially to interrogate Zhao Douan under the orders of Zhou Cheng, but was refused by Yuann Li.

Their meeting merely served as a formality; as for the interrogation, it was never the priority.

"Hmph. Just let him live a few more days."

He Zheng’s mood lifted again, eagerly anticipating the public trial in two days.

...

Over the next two days, public opinion continued to ferment.

As the Ministry of Justice began their investigation, one after another "evidence" was found.

And the case of "the Wang family’s concubine" became talk of the town for many.

Zhao Douan’s situation grew increasingly dire, and alongside the unfolding of these pieces of evidence, many uninformed citizens joined in on condemning "the Zhao thief."

Everyone believed that Zhao Douan was truly finished.

And the only one who could potentially save him, the Empress, had remained silent throughout.

Thus, on the evening of the third day.

In the Imperial Study, the Emperor of Great Yu received the latest developments in the case presented by the Three Legal Departments.

"Your Majesty, these are documents sent by the Ministry of Justice."

The "female chancellor," dressed in female official robes and hatless, entered the room bowing, holding the documents on the Empress’s desk.

Xu Zhenguan sat behind the large gold table, ever the enchanting fairy-like face, cold and aloof.

In the Golden Throne Hall, she was a dignified ruler, but in private, she always gave off an ethereal sense, as if ready to ascend to the heavens.

"Oh?"

Xu Zhenguan closed one of the memorials, her slender fingers set a fine brush with a jade dragon handle on the pen rack, and casually flipped open the file.

After a moment, she turned to the last page, where the sentence about the trial starting the next day was written.

"Understood."

Xu Zhenguan said coldly, intending to return to her duties.

A moment later, she slightly puzzledly looked up:

"Anything else?"

The female officer, Mo Chou’s face fluctuated, and she finally spoke:

"Your Majesty, there have been many discussions about Master Zhao in the city recently."

Xu Zhenguan’s eyes showed puzzlement: "So?"

Mo Chou hesitated and then spoke determinedly:

"This servant believes that the direction of public opinion has been manipulated. Zhou Cheng, having a grudge against Zhao Douan, may compromise the fairness of the trial if he presides over it."

Xu Zhenguan’s porcelain-like face showed a surprised expression; she slowly sat up straight, interestedly saying:

"You are speaking up for him?"

Mo Chou opposed Zhao Douan.

That was no secret in the palace; she spoke often of Zhao Douan’s faults.

With the current uproar, Mo Chou, who should have been rejoicing, remained silent.

"Begging Your Majesty," Mo Chou said straight-faced and earnestly:

"I indeed dislike him. But Mo Chou is first a female officer worried about Your Majesty’s concerns, and only then a person with personal likes and dislikes.

Public duties are public, and personal feelings are personal. The bad things I said about him in the past were also out of my duty to correct what Your Majesty hears.

If Zhou Cheng says that Zhao Douan is ill-behaved, corrupt, bribed, bullying the weak, unscrupulous… etc., I would believe it.

But claiming that he violates and murders women, this, I do not believe."

Xu Zhenguan curiously asked:

"Why not? Haven’t you investigated him and always said he is a fawner, wouldn’t such actions be normal for him?"

Mo Chou shook her head:

"Exactly because I have investigated him, I believe that at least in his loyalty to Your Majesty, he is admirable."

Xu Zhenguan’s already intense strange smile grew thicker, and she lightly nodded:

"I understand, you can leave now."

"Your Majesty..." Mo Chou wanted to say something else, but she swallowed it back. "Yes."

Taking a few steps, she heard the Empress’s voice from behind:

"By the way, Grandmaster Dong will come to the palace tomorrow. Remember not to forget."

...

Prison cell.

Light beams penetrated through the high "品"-shaped ventilation hole at the top of the wall, forming a straight beam.

In the beam, dust floated aimlessly.

Zhao Douan sat cross-legged on the ground, letting the light beam shine on his face.

Next to him, the ground was laid with dozens of books, all requested from the prison guards—with Yuan Li’s care, he still had this convenience.

If he remembered correctly, it was his fourth day since he formally entered here.

During these four days, except for some initial disturbances, no one else came, and he was able to read quietly and efficiently.

However, this morning, he closed his book and stared intently toward the city gates.

"It’s already the seventh day. If everything goes well, Haitang and Zhang Han should already be on their way back to the Capital, perhaps even close by."

Zhao Douan contemplated.

The trial by the Three Agencies would be enough to make Zhou Cheng focus all his energy on him and not pay attention to the investigation of Xue Lin.

But being trapped in a cell, he lost control over the outside world.

Even though everything was within his plan, several days in jail still made him unavoidably generate some restless emotions within.

"However, Zhou Cheng must be getting impatient by now,"

Zhao Douan thought.

Amidst these thoughts, footsteps echoed in the corridor, followed by the sound of the cell door opening.

Several prison guards entered, gazing at the figure of him sitting cross-legged, holding the shackles designed for martial artists:

"Master Zhao, today is the trial by the Three Agencies. Please come with us."

...

Today’s trial was held in the Ministry of Justice’s government office.

When Zhao Douan, dressed in prison clothes and fettered, was escorted by the officers of the Imperial Court of Supervision and government officers upon arrival, he found many people had already gathered outside the Ministry of Justice.

They were not ordinary citizens—as in those television dramas, this major case did not allow the public to listen in from outside. Anyone gathering would be driven away by the clerks.

Therefore, those gathered here were primarily from the personnel of the Three Legal Departments and some other officials whose specific offices were not known.

Amongst them, the most conspicuous group was led by the Jinyi officers from Lihua Hall.

"Sir!"

The new secretary Qian Kerou’s round face was full of exhaustion.

The rest, although somewhat better, were clearly not well-spirited.

Seeing Zhao Douan from afar, they all shouted loudly, attracting the attention of many.

Zhao Douan smiled and nodded, then stepped up into the high threshold of the familiar Ministry of Justice, being escorted all the way to the largest courtroom.

As he entered, he found the courtroom still empty.

The seats prepared for the deputies of the Three Legal Departments were vacant.

In the entire courtroom, only two rows of Ministry of Justice officials stood holding water-fire staffs on either side.

At this moment, they watched him with complex gazes.

"Am I the only one?"

Zhao Douan suddenly chuckled, looking around, he spoke to one of the officials:

"The charges have not yet been confirmed against me, don’t I even have a chair?"

A chair, you say?

The officials glared in cold disagreement.

It was the young Imperial Censor who pushed through, responsible for the escort and who had also been the one to arrest Zhao that same day, who slightly frowned.

He stepped over from the corner and brought over a chair, positioning it behind Zhao Douan.

"Many thanks."

Zhao Douan nonchalantly sat down, nodding to the young Imperial Censor, assuring himself that this person must be Yuan Li’s trusted confidant.

A group of officials wanted to intervene, but with their clerks’ status, they did not dare to offend an Imperial Censor.

At this point, with Zhao Douan’s arrival, the clerk at the doorway loudly announced:

"Open court!"

"Boom, boom, boom..."

On both sides of the courtroom, the officials uniformly struck the ground with their water-fire staffs, and the doorway also transmitted a dense and urgent drum sound.

Zhao Douan looked up and saw figures emerging from the back left of the courtroom.

Dressed in a crimson robe, his old nemesis, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Zhou Cheng, and Yuan Li stood in dark robes and black silk hats, representing the Imperial Court of Supervision to oversee the trial.

And a man, also in a crimson official robe, whom he didn’t recognize, judging from the embroidered pattern on his chest, should be the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Justice.

The heads of the Three Agencies took their seats in order, and on the "jury" seats on both sides, there were also several more figures present:

Hee Zheng, the young Imperial Censor...

And, Governor of the Imperial Decree Department, Ma Yan, and the Supervisor of White Horse Hall, Sun Lianying.

Zhao Douan was momentarily stunned, not expecting them to be present.

But thinking about it carefully, he was not surprised, given he held the positions of "White Horse Governor" and "Master of the Imperial Decree Department."

Thus, it was reasonable for the heads of the two offices to attend the trial to accompany him.

Hmm, pity that Eunuch Hai could not come, otherwise three men who shared an unbreakable bond with him attending his trial would indeed be a strange sight.

With these quirky thoughts swirling, Zhao Douan’s gaze intersected with theirs.

Ma Yan’s brows were tightly furrowed, filled with worry, seemingly quite concerned about the trial.

However, Sun Lianying’s face showed no joy or anger, inscrutable.

In an imposing atmosphere, the drumming ceased.

"Open court!"

Zhou Cheng slammed the sounding block sharply, bellowing.

...

Asking for monthly tickets at the end of the month.