Children of Loulan

Chapter 452 Give the Lady Justice

Ha Wuer stared at the young woman in front of him, and a familiar feeling surged in his heart. Suddenly, a name flashed through his mind - A Yuan.

"Ayuan, why are you here?" Hawule shouted in surprise, with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

When A Yuan heard Hawule calling her name, her body trembled violently and she cried even harder.

"Master, please do something for my young lady. My young lady died so unjustly!" A Yuan's crying voice echoed in the room, making people feel pity for her.

Hawuer's face became serious, and he asked quickly: "What? Your young lady died? How did she die?"

At this moment, the king suddenly asked, "Child, do you know her?"

Hawuer nodded quickly and replied, "Yes, Grandfather. A few days ago, after visiting the great-grandmother, I ran into them on my way back from the royal mausoleum."

Then, Hawuer described his experience of the day in detail. He said that he was just passing by, but saw two girls surrounded by a group of people, who seemed to be in trouble. Out of kindness, he went forward to ask about the situation, and found out that these people were Aikeban's men, and they wanted to forcibly abduct the young lady as a concubine.

Hawuer described the scene with indignation and finally succeeded in rescuing the two girls.

The king listened to Hawuer's narration quietly, his eyes always on him, as if examining his every word. When Hawuer finished speaking, the king was silent for a moment, and then asked again: "So, it was indeed Aikeban who ordered his men to forcibly abduct her daughter as a concubine?"

Hawuer nodded firmly and replied, "Yes, Grandfather. At that time, I was also worried that it would be unsafe for the master and servant to go back alone, and that Aikeban's people would continue to follow them, so I specially sent them to the doorstep of their home. After ensuring that they were safe, I left with peace of mind."

At this moment, King Cheng suddenly walked out of the queue and said respectfully, "Father, even if the situation is really as my nephew said, it only means that I did have some feelings for her young lady at that time, but it does not prove that the things that happened later were also caused by me!"

Before he finished speaking, another minister stepped out with an angry look on his face. He walked straight towards King Cheng and asked bluntly, "May I ask, Your Majesty, if it wasn't your son's doing, why did he leave a bag of silver after the incident? Not only that, he also threatened that if this matter was made public, he would kill my whole family! And just as Your Majesty said, your son just had a crush on my niece, so why didn't he come to propose marriage to her, but instead snatched her away on the street to be his concubine? How can you explain this?"

Facing the minister's questioning, King Cheng was obviously a little unprepared, but he did not show weakness and immediately retorted: "Doctor Zhengyi, please don't slander me! You keep saying that it was the child who did it, but do you have solid evidence? You are making random accusations without any evidence and slandering the prince of the current royal palace. What crime should you be punished for?"

This fourth-rank official was the key figure who had worked with the Crown Prince to overthrow Toheti. Back then, he was just a fifth-rank official, the Imperial Historian, with a low position and was controlled by others. However, the turning point of his fate came when the Crown Prince helped him.

At that time, he was in deep trouble and his life was hanging by a thread, but the timely appearance of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince saved his life. He has always remembered this life-saving grace in his heart, but has not yet found a suitable opportunity to repay it.

Now, King Cheng's son had actually killed his niece, which made him indignant. No matter what, he was determined to kill King Cheng at this critical moment to seek justice for his niece, and at the same time give His Royal Highness the Crown Prince enough time to investigate the relationship between King Cheng and the Seven Stars Pavilion, and the evidence that he was the Pavilion Master.

He stared at King Cheng with his eyes wide open, and said fearlessly: "That bag of silver is irrefutable evidence, not to mention that there is also a maid to testify!"

King Cheng disagreed and sneered, "Humph, your maid will naturally speak for you. How can you trust her testimony? If that's the case, the servants in my palace can also prove that my prince has never done such a thing!"

When Doctor Zhengyi heard what King Cheng said, his anger was instantly ignited. He widened his eyes and retorted without showing any weakness: "Then, what about the bag of silver? The silver ingots inside are engraved with the seal of the palace, and the cloth bag containing the silver can also prove that it is the property of the palace! This is irrefutable evidence. How can Your Majesty ignore it so easily?"

King Cheng remained unusually calm in the face of Doctor Zhengyi's questioning. The corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a disdainful smile.

Then he said slowly, "The matter of the silver is actually very simple. Although I have not personally asked my son, I guess there are only two possibilities for this matter. One is that your family, Doctor Zhengyi, is dishonest and secretly took the silver from the palace; the other is that my son accidentally met a girl who once had a crush on him, and out of pity, he gave her some silver."

Doctor Zhengyi was so angry that he trembled all over after hearing what King Cheng said. He sneered and said sarcastically, "Stealing? Your Majesty actually said that I, a dignified fourth-rank official, can't support my family with my salary and have to rely on stealing to make a living? Or is it that the guards of the palace are useless, and even a small fourth-rank official like me can come and go at will and steal property as if he were in an empty place?"

King Cheng had never expected that this Doctor Zhengyi would be so eloquent. He had underestimated him before! He was so angry that his face turned red and his hair stood on end. He pointed at Doctor Zhengyi with a trembling finger and shouted, "Stop talking nonsense here!"

The reason why King Cheng was so angry was because he knew that he had no way to respond to what Doctor Zhengyi said. If the salary of a fourth-rank official could not support his family, wouldn't it imply the incompetence of the court? This is a crime of disrespect!

Just when King Cheng and Doctor Zhengyi were at a stalemate, the king finally couldn't stand it anymore. He slammed the dragon throne and shouted loudly: "Enough! Stop arguing, both of you!"

The king's voice was like a loud bell, echoing in the court, shocking everyone. He glanced at the civil and military officials below, and then said: "Since the two of them insist on their own opinions and neither is willing to give in, then, my dear ministers, what do you think about this matter?"

Before he finished speaking, a court official stepped forward. He walked steadily to the center of the hall, performed a standard kneeling ceremony to the king, and then said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I think that this Miss A Yuan and the prince's personal servant can be sent to the Ministry of Justice together. If they still refuse to change their words after being severely punished, then their words may be somewhat credible."

Hearing this, A Yuan had no hesitation in her heart. She knelt on both knees without hesitation and kowtowed heavily to the king. Then she raised her head and looked at the king firmly, saying, "I am willing to go to the Ministry of Justice and endure the 108 punishments. I only ask the king to give justice to the young lady!"