Secular Immortal of the Nine Realms - Chapter 59

Chapter 59: An Explanation

“Commander Xiao, it’s rather presumptuous of you to one-sidedly insist it isn’t a coincidence. Yes, I did meet Vice Minister Qin that day, but he left in a hurry. As for where he went, neither my eyes nor my ears are keen enough to tell,” Fang Chen calmly replied.

Xiao Shence frowned.

His instincts told him that Fang Chen was involved in Qin Dong’s disappearance, but he simply couldn’t figure out what could have prompted him to make a move on a second-grade official. Would he really make a move on Vice Minister Qin over a missing maid?

“Your Majesty, Fang Chen’s words make sense. It’d be premature to conclude that Fang Chen has kidnapped Vice Minister Qin just because Fang Chen previously investigated a related case and had met him on the same day,” the Fifth King suddenly spoke up. “As far as I know, there’s no ties between Fang Chen and Vice Minister Qin. There’s no reason for Fang Chen to blatantly disregard our laws and make a move on Vice Minister Qin. That’s a crime punishable by death!”

“The Fifth King makes sense…”

The officials whispered among themselves.

“Fifth King, that’s not necessarily the case.”

A middle-aged man with facial features resembling Tao Yu’s took a step forward. He was the Minister of Rites Tao Mingsheng, as well as Qin Dong’s direct superior.

Tao Mingsheng first cast his gaze across the imperial court before he turned to the emperor, clasped his fist, and said, “Your Majesty, Fang Chen is a fourth stage Ki Manifestation martial artist. Experts of his caliber tend to be reckless in their behavior. It was due to his arrogance in the Three Realms Mountain five years ago that we lost many of our soldiers.”

Tao Mingsheng paused for a brief second before turning to the crown prince. “Even the crown prince was once slapped by Fang Chen. With his audacity, it’s not unthinkable for him to inflict harm upon the Vice Minister of Rites.”

The officials fell silent.

They were aware of the matter, but at the same time, the crown prince wasn’t the crown prince then. Instead, it was the Third Prince who looked more likely to inherit the throne. Due to that, the crown prince dared not to reprimand Fang Chen for the slap.

It was only when Fang Chen was defeated in the Three Realms Mountain five years ago, and the Third Prince offered to become a hostage in Greenpine Country that the crown prince rose to his current position.

The crown prince didn’t look angered by Tao Mingsheng’s mention of the matter, which made him look cultured. He seemed to have forgotten about the humiliation he had suffered in Fang Chen’s hand back then.

“Minister Tao, your words suggest that you know nothing about the judicial process. You have said nothing but baseless speculations thus far. I might not be in the imperial court now, but as you have said, I am a Ki Manifestation expert, not to mention Great Xia’s only Ki Manifestation expert.” Fang Chen chuckled. “Your words have put me in a compromising position. Aren’t you worried that I might make you pay the price?”

Tao Mingsheng’s eyes turned cold. “Fang Chen, you dare make a move on me in His Majesty’s presence? Do it then. I don’t fear a mere martial artist!”

He even stepped forward to highlight his lack of fear.

The other officials were moved by Tao Mingsheng’s courage to confront a Ki Manifestation martial artist. They wouldn’t have dared to do the same if they were in his place. With Fang Chen’s strength, he could go on a rampage here and still walk out of the imperial palace alive.

“Minister Tao, don’t bother provoking War supreme-ruler Fang. He has been through a lot despite his young age; you shouldn’t take him for a fool. You can stow that little ploy of yours back in your head,” a white-haired old man spoke up.

The officials quietly watching the situation were surprised. Even Prime Minister Li Guozhu also turned to the white-haired old man.

The white-haired old man was Jiang Yushu, the Minister of Justice and a veteran who served three generations of Great Xia’s imperial court. He had served in the military in his younger years before being transferred to the Bureau of Justice. He cracked many cases during his time there and slowly climbed his way to his current position.

In recent years, Jiang Yushu began washing his hands clean of the imperial court. He would still attend morning assemblies, but he would return to his manor to rest afterward.

That was why everyone was surprised when he suddenly spoke up for Fang Chen.

Tao Mingsheng stared at Jiang Yushu with deep eyes as he tried to assess the latter’s intention.

“Minister Jiang, what’s your take on this matter?” the emperor asked.

“Your Majesty, there’s no concrete evidence supporting the accusations leveled against War supreme-ruler Fang, so I humbly suggest moving on to the next matter first,” Jiang Yushu clasped his fist and said.

“Next matter?”

Is he referring to… The officials glanced at the Longdu viscount standing beside the crown prince.

“Your Majesty, I have a few cases with me concerning the crimes committed by high-ranking officials and powerful nobles through the Compassion Halls all over the capital.” Jiang Yushu took out a heap of scrolls and handed it to Eunuch You, who then hurriedly presented it over to the emperor.

Quite a few officials revealed unnatural looks. Tao Mingsheng glanced at Jiang Yushu, followed by the smiling Fang Chen, and his heart suddenly sank.

As the emperor browsed through the scrolls, his face slowly darkened. Eventually, he slammed the scrolls on the table and asked, “Minister Jiang, are these true?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Vice Minister Qin is currently in our Bureau of Justice’s prison. He has confessed to colluding with the Compassion Hall to engage in illicit activities, and we have evidence to support that.

“Other than that, the renowned Master Xu Hui turns out to be a fiend cultivating demonic arts. Countless vulnerable people living in the Compassion Hall have died in his hands in the last few years, and their corpses are currently in our Bureau of Justice,” Jiang Yushu said grimly.

“War supreme-ruler Fang was the one who cracked this case, addressing the suspicions I have harbored for many years now.”

Xiao Shence was stunned.

Enforcement Envoy Liu’s face turned pale, but he quickly composed himself. He glanced at Fang Chen and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the latter’s attention wasn’t on him.

The Fifth King was surprised too. He alternated his gaze between Fang Chen and Jiang Yushu with contemplative eyes.

Jiang Yushu’s words shook the imperial court.

Vice Minister Qin is in the Bureau of Justice? Master Xu Hui is a fiend practicing demonic arts? There are many corpses hidden in the Compassion Hall?

These huge revelations prompted many officials to anxiously probe about them, raising a huge commotion in the Palace of Great Peace. In the end, the emperor had to slam his table to bring order to the imperial court.

“Minister Jiang, I want you to tie up all loose ends within seven days and deliver a detailed report to me,” the emperor ordered.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Jiang Yushu clasped his fist. A sharp glint flashed across his turbid eyes.

No one could have thought that Vice Minister Qin was imprisoned in the Bureau of Justice over a case. Those who had previously accused Fang Chen of harming Qin Dong hung their heads in shame.

However, there were also those who were alarmed by the turn of events. They didn’t think that Jiang Yushu would make a move today. They couldn’t help but wonder if this was Fang Chen’s scheme all along, and the goal was to send them a warning.

“Let’s conclude Qin Dong’s matter for the time being,” Zhou Xiu suddenly spoke up. “Isn’t it about time for Great Xia to offer me an explanation?”

“Fang Chen, apologize to Viscount Zhou, and I’ll let this matter slip.” The emperor casually waved his hand.

“Apologize?!” Zhou Xiu’s eyes blazed with fury. “Your Majesty, my cavalrymen were massacred, but you’re only asking an apology out of him?”

“Your Majesty, I do owe Viscount Zhou an explanation for this matter.” Fang Chen smiled.

Zhou Xiu snorted in disdain.

The officials were also intrigued. Is Fang Chen really going to apologize to Zhou Xiu?

“MInister Jiang, what’s the sentence for someone who hunts down our merchant convoy as if they are no different from livestock?” Fang Chen asked.