Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

The Golden Palace.

The Nine Dragon Golden Pillars stood majestically, with hundreds of civil and military officials lined up on both sides, creating a solemn atmosphere.

Jiang Yining, dressed in plain white mourning clothes, knelt in the center of the main hall.

Although she was kneeling, her back was straighter than anyone else's.

She could feel countless gazes fixed on her back.

There was sympathy, there was mockery, but mostly there was indifference, as if people were just watching the show.

"Who is kneeling?"

A cold voice came from the high dragon throne.

Jiang Yining raised her head.

On the high dragon throne, a man with a face wearing a black and red dragon robe leaned lazily against the throne. He was not wearing a crown, and his black hair was casually draped over his shoulders.

Her eyes are long and narrow with a slight upturn, the kind of eye shape that easily gives people a sense of sharpness and strength.

This is the current emperor, Ye Wuhen.

It is said that he was the illegitimate son of the late emperor, and that he killed all his brothers to take the throne. He was capricious, tyrannical, and an absolute tyrant.

Ye Wuhen's scarlet eyes were scrutinizing her with great interest.

Jiang Yining's heart skipped a beat when she was swept by that cold and fierce gaze.

Why does he give me a sense of familiarity?

It was clearly her first time meeting the current emperor.

Jiang Yining forcibly suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and glanced at the person standing at the head of all the officials.

The man was dressed in a purple robe, his hair was tied up with a jade crown, and his face was as cold and aloof as an immortal. He held a white jade tablet in his hand, and his eyes were so indifferent that he seemed to be outside the world.

The current Grand Secretary, Ji Lingxiao.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Jiang Yining gave a deep bow.

Ji Lingxiao noticed the woman's gaze and looked over.

The woman kneeling on the ground looked strangely familiar.

My heart suddenly ached for no reason.

It was as if many years ago, he had looked up at her from a superior position, and then... lost something important.

Ji Lingxiao did not believe in past lives and reincarnation, but a high monk once predicted that he had wronged a woman in his past life and was destined to face a tribulation of love in this life.

Could this calamity be related to Lady Chu?

How could that be? He would never have an affair with another man's wife.

A middle-aged man in a purple official robe stepped forward, holding a scepter, and said sternly, "Your Majesty, Chu Jinglan is colluding with foreign enemies!"

"For wealth and glory, he caused the deaths of 100,000 men of my Great Zhou!"

"These treacherous officials and their entire families should be exterminated to appease their spirits!"

Jiang Yining knows this person.

The Minister of War was also the one who strongly recommended Chu Jinglan to be the commander-in-chief.

They're quicker than anyone else to shift the blame now.

"May I ask, Your Excellency, Minister?"

Jiang Yining straightened her back and said in a clear voice, "If Chu Jinglan were greedy for wealth and glory, he is already a Grand General of the State, holding the highest position in the court. What else would he need from the Northern Barbarians?"

"In this barbarian land, cattle and sheep roam in abundance. Is it more tempting than the fine clothes and sumptuous food of my Great Liang?"

The Minister of War sneered, "Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant; who knows if he wants to declare himself king?"

"To declare oneself king?"

Jiang Yining laughed, a sarcastic laugh: "When he went to war, he took all of the Chu family's wealth with him and used it to pay the army's expenses."

"If he wanted to rebel, why didn't he take his family away instead of leaving us in the capital to await your punishment?"

"This..." The Minister of War was speechless for a moment.

"Therefore, this humble woman is not convinced!"

"If you accuse my husband of treason, what is your evidence?"

"A military report has arrived from the north: Chu Jinglan secretly opened the city gates, allowing the enemy to enter, resulting in the tragic deaths of 100,000 soldiers. Isn't this evidence?"

An official jumped out and pointed at Jiang Yining's nose, cursing her.

"Who saw it?"

Jiang Yining retorted, "All 80,000 troops are dead. The dead can't speak! Since the entire army was wiped out, who sent this news back?"

"If we truly lured the enemy into the pass, why didn't they advance straight in and break through the northern defenses? Instead, the enemy retreated after my husband's death in battle?"

Her gaze sharpened as she swept over the assembled officials: "Did the enemy just come for a visit? They killed people and left, abandoning the city altogether?"

"This..." The official was stumped by the question and stammered, unable to speak.

"This is clearly a frame-up!"

Jiang Yining suddenly kowtowed, her forehead hitting the gold brick with a crisp "bang," and instantly turning red.

"Your Majesty! My husband has sent letters home without fail for the past three years, every word filled with his patriotic aspirations!"

"His elderly mother was seriously ill, but he didn't return home; his younger brother was blind, but he didn't care for him!"

"How could someone who sacrifices their own family for the greater good possibly betray their country!"

"Young Madam Chu has excellent eloquence."

"But the law is impartial and relies on evidence."

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review took out a stack of letters from his sleeve and threw them in front of Jiang Yining.

"This is a secret letter found in Chu Jinglan's command tent. It has his personal seal on it, and the handwriting is also his."

"How do you plan to explain this?"

The letters were scattered on the ground, and Jiang Yining picked one up.

Even though she and Chu Jinglan had never spent time together, he had sent her many letters over the past three years, and she had also taken care of his study.

When Jiang Yining looked at the handwriting on the letter, it was indeed almost identical to Chu Jinglan's.

Did he really betray his country?

No, it's impossible.

Judging from his family letters, Chu Jinglan values ​​his family and writes at least one letter to his younger brother every month.

Jiang Yining examined it for a while and found the problem.

"Fake."

"Oh?" The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review raised an eyebrow. "You, Madam, can also analyze handwriting?"

"I don't understand handwriting."

Jiang Yining looked directly into the eyes of the Minister of Justice: "But I know the Chu family has a habit."

"When writing the character '国' (country), the last stroke is never closed."

"The Chu family teaches their children that if the country is not at peace, the family will not be intact. This principle cannot be sealed until the Chu family truly resolves the border troubles and writes the character for 'nation' in a complete sense."

"And the character for 'country' on these letters..."

Jiang Yining pointed to the letters: "Each one is perfectly square and round."

"If you don't believe me, you can go and look through Chu Jinglan's previous memorials."

This was certainly not something Chu Jinglan told her; Jiang Yining learned it while accompanying Chu Sikong to practice calligraphy.

An uproar erupted inside the main hall.

The officials whispered amongst themselves, and the expressions of the Minister of War and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review turned somewhat grim.

A hint of surprise flashed in Ji Lingxiao's eyes.

He bent down to pick up a letter, looked at it carefully, and then recalled Chu Jinglan's usual memorials.

This is true.

This detail was so minute that even the prime minister, with his photographic memory, overlooked it.

Even if the handwriting is questionable.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review did not back down: "Then what about the matter of the leaked military map?"

"Only the head coach knows the whole plan."

"That's not necessarily true."

Bai Ze stepped forward from the ranks of the silent military officers.

"Besides Chu Jinglan, the supervising eunuch Liu also participated in the battle."

"The generals are all dead, but he is still alive."

Bai Ze knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Majesty! I guarantee with my life that Chu Jinglan is absolutely not a traitor!"

Bai Ze knew that only by protecting Chu Jinglan's reputation could Jiang Yining escape danger.

Otherwise, it would be a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family.

"If Your Majesty does not believe me, I am willing to die to prove my innocence! I only beg Your Majesty to reinvestigate this case and restore the Chu family's innocence!"

A stillness filled the hall.

Everyone was stunned by the woman's fierce spirit.

Ji Lingxiao frowned slightly.

As he looked at the woman with blood seeping from her forehead, a strange sense of irritation grew stronger within him.

He was the Grand Secretary, but also the head of a powerful family; weighing the pros and cons was his job.

The fall of the Chu family will not harm him; in fact, it may even allow the Ji family to seize military power.

but……

"His Majesty."

Ji Lingxiao suddenly stepped forward, raising his tablet in hand: "I believe that what Lady Jiang said is not without reason."

"There are indeed doubts in the battle report. It would be difficult to convince the public to convict the General of the State of treason based on a single document."

The officials were in uproar.

The usually cold and ruthless Prime Minister, who never takes sides, has actually spoken up for the Chu family?

Jiang Yining was also stunned and looked at Ji Lingxiao in surprise.

Ye Wuhen toyed with a luminous pearl in his hand, a smile playing on his lips.

The scene was more exciting than he had imagined.

Especially the woman kneeling on the ground, dressed in mourning clothes.

She was as delicate as a little white flower, yet her words were sharp and articulate.

In that instant, he saw a breathtaking vitality in this young woman.

"check."

Ye Wuhen leaned forward slightly.

"That's interesting."

He licked his lips, his eyes looking as if he were watching a struggling little white rabbit.

"Since the Grand Secretary has pleaded for leniency, I will grant him that favor."

Ye Wuhen waved his hand lazily: "Issue my decree: the case of the Chu family's treason is to be temporarily suspended, and the Dali Temple is to conduct a thorough investigation."

"Bring that supervising eunuch back to me. I want to see him alive or dead."

The Minister of War's legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the ground.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Bai Ze was overjoyed.

"Dismiss the court."

Ye Wuhen stood up, his red robe fluttering, without pausing his steps.

He only left a sentence behind as he passed by Jiang Yining.

The voice was very soft, and only Jiang Yining could hear it.

"Come to the Imperial Study."

"I will give you another chance to explain."

The tone wasn't like that of someone summoning a court lady; it was more like... summoning prey about to be caged.