Although Leng Junfeng wasn't conferred any rewards, his contributions to the war effort couldn't be denied. If the Li Dynasty had won the war, he would have no doubt become a war hero revered by the citizens of the Li Dynasty. So, it was a huge shock when the news of him being arrested for leaking critical information to the Gu Dynasty was revealed.
Leng Junfeng was directly brought to the imperial court, where the officials and the emperor were waiting. On the Dragon Throne, the emperor was expressionless, and no one could tell what he was thinking at all.
"Kneel!"
The two soldiers roughly pushed Leng Junfeng into a kneeling position. There was a loud bang from his knees hitting the cold tiles, but with Leng Junfeng's physique, the tile probably suffered more damage than him.
After being forced into a kneeling position, there were no more orders. Leng Junfeng scanned the hall and saw the gathering officials. It seemed that his capture was a sudden act since not all the officials were still gathering. When his eyes saw Prime Minister Teng Shifang, his pupil narrowed into pinpoints, but the sea of hatred contained within gushed forth without end.
Leng Junfeng could already speculate the sudden cause of his chapter with ninety percent accuracy. He had thought he would have been targeted by assassins, but he never thought that his archenemy would directly capture him by slapping false charges onto him.
Teng Shifang was a man who appeared to be in his early fifties with thick black hair and graying sideburns. Despite his aged appearance, the prime minister was undoubtedly handsome. Wearing the dark blue official robe, he appeared to be every bit the loyal official serving the emperor and not like the power-hungry man the rumors made him out to be.
There was a slight smile on his face that made anyone who looked at him have a favorable impression of him. Under Leng Junfeng's gaze of hatred, Teng Shifang appeared not to notice and even had the time to smile encouragingly at the officials in his faction.
After about ten minutes, Leng Junfeng turned his head after hearing rushed footsteps. This was the first time he heard hurried steps since entering the hall.
Duke Gong's stepped into the hall and glanced at Leng Junfeng. His face was expressionless, but there was worry in his eyes. Beside him were Wang Meiling, Gong Qiu'ai, and his teacher, Juedai Fenghua. In contrast to Duke Gong's hidden worry, Fenghua lightly waved at Leng Junfeng as if all was right in the world.
Leng Junfeng gave a helpless smile. Wouldn't normal teachers worry about why their disciple suddenly got arrested? But Fenghua's action caused Leng Junfeng's tumultuous heart to calm down somewhat. If the prime minister's schemes succeeded, Leng Junfeng knew the chances of him escaping were practically zero.
Duke Gong kneeled in front of the emperor a few steps ahead of Leng Junfeng. "Your Majesty, Leng Junfeng is a guest of my Gong Ducal Establishment and a major contributor to the war against the Gu Dynasty. Which scoundrel dares to frame such a hero!?"
Expressionless, the emperor turned towards Teng Shifang. "Beloved Official Teng, enlighten us of the matter."
Teng Shifang held his hands together and bowed deferentially towards the emperor. No one could discern any sort of conflict between the two based on outer appearances. "Replying to Your Majesty. This official is just as clueless. Once all the officials arrive, everyone can hear the prosecutor's reasons. I'm sure that he would not frame an innocent man."
While the two were exchanging words, Fenghua felt her lips quirked upward. She felt that the emperor was quite funny. When Duke Gong asked which scoundrel framed Leng Junfeng, the emperor directly asked the prime minister. Wasn't this indirectly scolding him as a scoundrel?
"How can matters that related to the peace and prosperity of the nation be delayed. We see that enough officials have already gathered. Let the case start." The emperor majestically said.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't." Teng Shifang disagreed. "The matter relates to the national security, and thus, the matter cannot be rushed. I say we should wait for all the officials to gather before starting the case."
The emperor and prime minister traded silent blows, and everyone below looked down and pretended not to see the invisible exchange—everyone except Fenghua, who wanted some popcorn at the moment.
She scanned the officials and guessed why the emperor wanted to start the case immediately. The officials were split into two rows, and the row with the prime minister had fewer officials than the other one. So, the prime minister's faction hadn't all gathered yet, which made Fenghua puzzled.
Logically speaking, if Teng Shifang was the instigator in all of this, why was his faction so late to arrive, while the emperor's faction already had?
Unless this thing was actually all set up by the emperor in order to catch the prime minister off guard. While catching the prime minister off guard, can he eliminate some of the prime minister's officials while gathering some goodwill from Junfeng by protecting him? Or maybe, this is something the prime minister deliberately did to distance himself away from being accused of framing Leng Junfeng? But that doesn't make sense either. The Teng Family's and Leng Clan's enmity is... Fenghua paused in her thoughts. How many people know about the enmity Leng Junfeng has towards the Teng Family?
Fenghua thought a point deeper. That's right. Most people shouldn't know what the Teng Family did to the Leng Clan. Although Leng Junfeng's identity is a bit special, most people wouldn't think that the prime minister would specifically deal with him. After all, the power and status between the two are like day and night.
Or... I could just be overthinking this and be totally wrong. The most difficult thing to know was the heart of man. Fenghua was making circles in her head with all her guesses and giving herself a migraine, so she decided to stop. No matter what happens, as long as you have the strength, you can turn wrong into right and right into wrong. Hurray for cultivation, go despotism!
In the end, the emperor and prime minister compromised, and the case would start in thirty minutes. Although it seemed like the two faction heads were equal, the prime minister had the advantage, as evident with the number of officials that walked in the thirty minutes.
Without delay, the trial started.
"Leng Junfeng, do you admit your wrongs?" The Minister of Justice questioned. The minister's words already implied Leng Junfeng's guilt.
Fenghua felt her lips twitch again. Why is it that every person in charge of disciplinary action from Immortal Redseal to this Minister of Justice feel so corrupt? Kinda makes me want to give him a reality check.
The Minister of Justice felt a chill creep up his back for no reason. Before he discovered the source, Leng Junfeng answered and pulled his attention back.
"Wrongs? I have done nothing wrong. What should I admit to?" Leng Junfeng proclaimed. His voice was steady and his gaze honest, giving the others the impression of innocence.
"Hmpf," The Minister of Justice sneered. He motioned for evidence to be brought up. A servant brought up a tray filled with opened envelopes, and under everyone's gazes, the Minister of Justice unfolded one of them and read the contents aloud.
Long story short, it was a letter that detailed the fifth prince, Gu Dulong, praise towards Leng Junfeng and how well he was doing infiltrating the Li Dynasty's core.
"That's just a letter. What can it prove? If I brought out a letter with the Gu Emperor praising you, would that mean you are a spy?" Duke Gong interrupted, his eyes mocking the Minister of Justice.
The Minister of Justice calmly accepted Duke Gong's gaze. He was a member of the neutral faction, so no matter what happened between the emperor and prime minister, he would fulfill his duties. At least, on the surface. "Of course not. Normally, I would send my subordinate to investigate the matter, but these letters are special. It took me quite a bit of effort to dig them out."
Everyone became curious as to why the Minister of Justice was so confident. And he didn't whet the present official's appetite too much and distributed five of the letters. "As you can see for yourself, these letters contain the seal of the fifth prince of the Gu Dynasty!"
At this revelation, some officials who originally did not believe in Leng Junfeng's crimes began to look questioningly at him. The Minister of Justice wanted to strike while the hammer was hot, but the emperor spoke before he could.
"Leng Junfeng, what do you have to say for yourself?" The emperor said as he threw the letter in his hand onto the ground. These words seemed to be finalizing the verdict, but it actually gave Leng Junfeng a chance to speak.
"I'm only a guest at the Gong Ducal Establishment. What worth is there in me to be personally mentioned by a prince of the Gu Dynasty?" Leng Junfeng questioned.
"You don't have any now, but you would in the future. With your contributions on the battlefield, your rise is only a question of time. If the evidence had not appeared, who knows how much important intelligence you would leak." The Minister of Justice interjected, his voice full of righteous indignity.
"Silence," The emperor's voice was not loud, but the authority within left no question. The Minister of Justice spoke no more, but it was obvious on his face that he wanted to convict Leng Junfeng.
"Leng Junfeng's words are not without reason. This is not the first time that the Gu Dynasty played such tricks. In fact, we believe that the former Minister of Justice loss his position because he blindly believed the false evidence provided by the enemy." At the emperor's words, the Minister of Justice said no more words at the implied threat.
"Beloved officials, do you have any more words?" The emperor asked as he scanned the throne hall. It was imperceptible, but his gazes lingered on the prime minister's faction a fraction longer.
"Your Majesty, this lowly official has evidence to present." An official of the fourth rank from the prime minister's faction said as he stepped out of line and kneeled. He was an official of the Ministry of War.
"Oh?" The emperor said. "Then reveal it."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The fourth-ranked official pulled out a letter covered in blood. "As everyone knows, we would have won had it not been for traitors in our midst causing major casualties. I have evidence that Leng Junfeng purposely leaked the battle plans to the enemy!"
"Preposterous!" The Minister of War said. "Although Leng Junfeng is a war hero, he is not a part of the military. How can a mere martial artist have such intimate knowledge of the plans? Unless someone leaked the information and wanted to frame him."
The fourth-ranked official felt sweat leak down his temple by the scathing glare from the minister of war. Luckily for him, one of the generals walked out and said, "It was my fault. After that scoundrel killed a few of the generals, I trusted him too much. So after drinking too much, I leaked crucial information to him."
"What gall!" The Minister of War roared. "Not speaking of whether Leng Junfeng passed the information or not, just that act of leaking military secret and your lack of discipline is enough for you to be beheaded!"
The general's knees made an audible bang when they hit the tiles. Unlike Leng Junfeng, the general wasn't a talented martial artist, so the pain caused his expression to twist slightly. "Please punish me! But, even if I have to be punished, I don't want a traitor to drag our great nation to destruction! Your Majesty, please be wise!"
Leng Junfeng calmly looked at the two cooperating officials. Aside from them, only a few lower-ranked officials kneeled and asked for his punishment. The officials of the third rank and higher did nothing but coldly watch.
It would be a lie to say that Leng Junfeng wasn't angry from the false accusation, but this little disturbance was nothing compared to the pain of losing his family members. What's more, Leng Junfeng discovered the general who 'leaked' the information to be a bit abnormal.
The general's gaze was full of despair, but within that despair, there was a hint of mad joy as he looked at Leng Junfeng. It was as if he was saying, "I'm unlucky, but you are unlucky too!"
After the officials debated for a bit, the emperor made his judgment. "General Lai has committed a capital offense. Drag him down and behead him."
General Lai's head hung down as if he had already accepted his fate, but the emperor's next words caused him to snap his head up in shock. "Capture all nine generations of General Lai's family and sentence them to death."
"Your Majesty, you can't!" General Lai cried out. "It's all my fault. They are innocent!"
The emperor's cold eyes glanced at the frazzled man. He was someone with potential. Unfortunately, he sided with the wrong person. The emperor didn't bother explaining and directly ordered the general to be dragged down.
"Your Majesty!" General Lai continued to holler in despair. It was unlike the calmness he showed before. It can be seen that he was truly at wit's end. Then his eyes caught sight of Teng Shifang's back. "Lord Prime Minister, save my family! You have to save them. They are innocent!"
The general pleaded, but unfortunately, Teng Shifang treated his words like he treated Leng Junfeng's towering hatred, like air. Seeing this, madness shone in General Lai's eyes as he began to curse at the prime minister. "Teng Shifang, you piece of shit liar! You promised me that my family would be unharmed! You promised!"
Before the general could say anymore, one of the guards dragging him out stuffed a piece of cloth in his mouth, silencing him. After that, the court entered a strange silence.
The fourth-ranked official who stepped out was frightened to the point of near tears. His body couldn't stop shivering. When the emperor gazed at him, his robes were almost stained with his urine.
In the end, the emperor didn't say anything to the fourth-ranked official. "Minister of Justice, I'll leave it to you to discover the truth. Guards, lock Leng Junfeng into the Heavenly Jail."
This was another method of protection for Leng Junfeng. The Heavenly Jail was the emperor's personal jail. Those that were locked within were all great criminals or those that the emperor wanted to protect. No one can touch Leng Junfeng there.
The Minister of Justice accepted his orders calmly, but inside, he was anything but calm. The death of nine generations was the greatest capital punishment able to be sentenced, and only the emperor could sentence such a punishment. In the battle between the emperor and the prime minister, a general and his family were used as an example.
The Minister of Justice did not doubt that if he didn't please the emperor, his life and family would be on the line. But he didn't want to offend the prime minister either, putting him between a rock and a hard place.
In fact, this wasn't the first time the emperor and prime minister had culled the opposition's faction. It was just that, after the loss of so many soldiers and generals, the emperor had to use some harsher means in order to establish his prestige once more.
After this farce of a trial was over, every official left, including Fenghua, who followed Duke Gong. Before entering the carriage, Gong Qiu'ai grasped the duke's sleeve and asked in a quiet voice. "Junfeng will be alright, right?"
The duke turned around and smiled kindly. "Don't worry. His Majesty won't let anything happen to him."
Fenghua noticed that the duke's gaze was a bit strange but didn't say anything as the group returned to the Gong Ducal Establishment. As Duke Gong has promised, Leng Junfeng was released after a week of investigation that proclaimed him innocent.
But even if the court proclaimed his innocence, rumors started on the street on how Leng Junfeng was anything but innocent. It even dragged in the emperor and said he was starting to become muddled with age and believed the lies of a false war hero.
However, none of this concerned Leng Junfeng because of the words he said when he returned. "Teacher, I want to start my Foundation Establishment Heavenly Tribulation."
