Chapter 28: Judgement Before the Hall

"Long'er! Kneel down quickly!" Zhou Ruoxue, who soon realized something was amiss, turned pale with fright. She hurriedly reached out, pulling Du Long to kneel beside her.

"You, come forward!" From atop the lofty dragon throne, Emperor Qin Ying extended his hand, pointing at Du Long, his voice commanding and filled with authority.

Seeing the emperor gesture toward him, Du Long knew he was in grave trouble. He dared not disobey and could only brace himself, stand, and walk toward the throne. Du Zhentian glared at him, both astonished and furious, while Zhou Ruoxue whispered anxiously, "Long'er, do not argue with His Majesty. Humbly admit your fault!"

Within the grand hall, countless officials and their families watched Du Long with sidelong glances as he approached the throne. Some did not know Du Long, but recognized Du Zhentian, a high-ranking official, and could guess Du Long's identity.

"This boy truly is the Du family's calamity!" In that moment, many shared this thought.

Princess Fire Phoenix, Du Cai Ni, and Yue Xiaoshan, among others, all looked at Du Long with worried expressions. Meanwhile, those dissatisfied with Du Long—such as Du Wei, Li Xiaojun, and Fan Wei—were clearly gleeful, hoping to witness his misfortune.

Zhao Lin'er, Du Long's ill-fated connection, watched him with a mix of schadenfreude, satisfaction, and a hint of anticipation. She earnestly hoped he would offend the emperor today and be imprisoned. On such a festive day, execution was unlikely!

Step by step, each pace felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. Du Long did not realize his back was already drenched in sweat.

The emperor's power was deeply ingrained in the hearts of the empire's people, officials, and their families, as if it were etched into their very bones. Coupled with memories from his previous life, Du Long's fear was only natural.

"Ah, this is the servility of feudal society!" A faint sigh sounded, though none in Chengde Hall heard it—not even Du Long. The voice belonged to the beautiful spirit of the ring.

Thud!

Reaching the steps before the throne, Du Long dropped to his knees with a heavy thud. Before the emperor, he could only bow in submission. Even if he feared not for his own life, he had to consider his entire family. If heaven had granted him another chance, he could not again become the Du family's sinner.

A true man must know when to bend and when to stand tall.

"I, Du Long, pay my respects to Your Majesty and Her Majesty! In this new year, I wish the emperor and empress eternal longevity and everlasting youth! May the Haotian Empire endure forever, and may its countless citizens prosper under Your Majesty's wise and mighty rule!"

On the throne, the emperor—who had originally worn a stern expression, contemplating how to reprimand Du Long—was caught off guard by the boy's shameless flattery. He could not help but smile, his severity softening considerably.

In the crowd, Du Long's mother, Zhou Ruoxue, also felt a glimmer of joy. Judging by the emperor's expression, her son's honeyed words had indeed worked.

Beside the emperor, the empress observed carefully, her lips curling into a faint smile as she gazed at the kneeling youth. Recently, her precious daughter had often mentioned this troublesome boy. Though his reputation outside was questionable, today she found herself increasingly fond of him, as if the more she looked, the more agreeable he became.

'His looks and bearing are both quite impressive!' The empress finally affixed this label to Du Long in her heart.

"Du Long! Are you aware of your crimes?" From the throne, Emperor Qin Ying clearly had no intention of letting Du Long off easily. He deliberately spoke in a stern tone.

"I am aware of my crimes..." Du Long replied submissively, head bowed.

"Oh?" The emperor showed a hint of interest and continued, "If you know your crimes, tell me—what are they?"

"I was lost in thought just now, and failed to immediately perform the kneeling ceremony, thereby offending Your Majesty's presence. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness for my youth and unintentional mistake. Moreover, today is New Year's Eve, a day of national celebration. Please be magnanimous and pardon my offense!" Du Long answered nervously, his voice trembling.

"This offense will be taken as an unintentional mistake and set aside for now. I ask you again—besides this, are there any other crimes you have not confessed? Remember, confession brings leniency, resistance brings severity!" The emperor emphasized his last words, making the threat unmistakable.

'Confession brings leniency, but you might rot in prison; resistance brings severity, but you might go home for the New Year! Du Long, do not confess! I have no desire to accompany you into that dark, filthy cell!' The warning from the beautiful spirit of the ring echoed in Du Long's mind—crude words, but sound advice.

"I... I do not know of any other crimes, Your Majesty. Please enlighten me!" Prompted by the ring spirit's warning, Du Long hesitated but decided not to admit any further guilt. Some crimes could be confessed, but others would bring serious consequences.

"Hmph! You truly do not know your crimes? I shall give you one last chance—do not be ignorant of what is good for you!" The emperor snorted angrily, his eyes narrowed and dangerous, fixing Du Long with a piercing stare.

"I truly do not know what other crimes I may have committed. Your Majesty, please do not believe the words of others—may you see the truth clearly!" Having reached a point of no return, Du Long could only persist with his trembling voice.

"Du Long! Since you refuse to confess, I won't hold back! First, did you take the princess to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion for revelry? Second, did you, last night, cause a commotion at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion and forcibly abduct the courtesan Xia Qinglian? I hear you fought your way from the second floor to the first, leaving a trail of blood to snatch Xia Qinglian!"

Buzz!

Inside Chengde Hall, upon hearing the emperor enumerate these two crimes, the kneeling officials and their families began to whisper among themselves, shocked by Du Long's actions.

The incident of Du Long taking the princess to such a disreputable place happened earlier, and thanks to Li Xiaojun and others spreading it, many knew and didn't care much. But his daring rescue of Xia Qinglian last night, fighting his way out, was known by far fewer.

Fan Wei and Li Xiaojun, aware of the event, had spent the whole night at home using Haotian True Qi to erase their bruises, leaving no time to gossip about it. In this martial world, the process was swift, allowing them to attend the annual New Year celebration with their dignity intact.

Of course, after this, their hatred for Du Long had only deepened.

"Your Majesty!" Du Long spoke again, and the murmurs in the hall ceased instantly. All ears strained to hear his defense—some hoping for his downfall, others worrying for him.

At this moment, Du Zhentian and Zhou Ruoxue, his parents, were so anxious their hearts were in their throats. Zhou Ruoxue's beautiful eyes brimmed with tears, her face pale as paper, terrified.

"Firstly, regarding taking the princess to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion: that afternoon, I and a few friends planned to have a simple meal and listen to music there. By chance, we met Princess Fire Phoenix, who was also hungry and insisted on joining us. I reminded her that such a place was unsuitable for a princess of noble birth, but she was determined and I could not stop her! It was not my intention to lead the princess there."

"Secondly, concerning the second crime: I acted under Your Majesty's edict, going to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion to carry out your orders, not to forcibly abduct Xia Qinglian!"

"Impudent! When did I order you to go to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion? Du Long, do you realize that falsely claiming an imperial decree is a crime punishable by extermination of your clan?!" The emperor was clearly enraged.

The word "extermination" nearly caused Du Long's mother, Madam Zhou, to faint from fright. The previously gleeful Du Wei's smug smile froze, replaced by terror.

Li Xiaojun, Fan Wei, Zhao Lin'er and others were excited, eagerly awaiting more offenses from Du Long so that the furious emperor might wipe out the Du family.

"Your Majesty, please see!" Du Long hurriedly reached into his robe—actually retrieving two items from his spatial ring—and presented them with both hands. "One is the pardon granted by Princess Fire Phoenix from Your Majesty, the other is the princess's golden token."

"The pardon is indeed granted by me in recognition of Xia Qinglian's filial piety, but I did not order you to go to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion! Du Long, if you cannot provide a convincing explanation today, your family will face grave consequences!" The emperor nodded, confirming the pardon was genuine.

"Your Majesty! Princess Fire Phoenix received your pardon, then gave it to me along with her golden token, instructing me to go to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion to pardon Xia Qinglian from her lifelong punishment as a courtesan, and to escort her away now that she had regained her status. There was your pardon, the princess's token—I was acting on her behalf, which is indirectly acting on your behalf, is it not?"

"This..." The emperor was struck dumb, realizing Du Long had cleverly twisted the situation so it seemed he had indeed given the order.

At that moment, Princess Fire Phoenix, who had been kneeling among the royal relatives, suddenly stood and strode to Du Long's side, kneeling and speaking in a clear voice, "Father Emperor! Du Long speaks the truth. The golden token was given by me to him, fearing the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion would refuse to release Xia Qinglian. As expected, they ignored even the princess's token, and worse, disregarded your pardon! This proves just how arrogant the powers behind the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion truly are!"

Buzz!

Princess Fire Phoenix's unflinching words exploded like a bomb in the hall, instantly causing an uproar among the crowd.