Chapter 1297: Step by Step Close In

Just then, the audio-visual mirror glowed brightly, and the people in the room became alert, knowing that the court was connecting.

Sang Hong subtly glanced outside. Not seeing any trace of Zu'an, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Zu'an had said he would definitely rush back, and yet he had harbored a trace of unrealistic hope. A little thought would have revealed that it would take at least half a year to return from the demon realm to Cloudtop Commandery.

He composed himself, not letting anyone notice anything unusual. Then, he solemnly walked to the audio-visual mirror and manipulated the runes. Soon, a ripple like water spread across the mirror's surface, followed by the image of the Golden Imperial Hall appearing in the mirror.

Inside stood two rows of ministers, dressed either in python robes or purple official attire. Although the people in this room were all influential figures from various factions in Cloudtop Commandery, their ranks were still significantly lower than those powerful officials in the capital; many had never even had the chance to witness an imperial court session in their entire lives.

Even through the audio-visual mirror, they could feel the potent vital energy and oppressive aura of those high-ranking officials in the imperial court.

However, these individuals were not the main focus; everyone's gaze was drawn to the yellow-robed man on the dragon throne at the top of the hall. He was like a blazing sun; even the brightest officials in the court were merely stars, and once the sun appeared, their light was completely overshadowed.

"Long live Your Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!" The officials in the room dared not look directly at the Emperor; each of them trembled all over and involuntarily knelt down in homage.

Sang Hong couldn't help but feel a hint of superiority. These fellows had been so arrogant lately, yet they all seemed so pathetic before the Emperor.

However, he also knew it wasn't surprising, as his own reaction when he first met the Emperor had been similar.

"Rise, my lords!" The Emperor did not speak; instead, a reedy voice called out. Seeing the eunuch's attire he wore, well-informed individuals immediately recognized his identity.

Eunuch Wen, the Emperor's confidant, wielded immense power.

Sang Hong, meanwhile, observed secretly, noticing that many of the officials on screen were from Prince Qi's faction. His heart instantly sank.

Zu'an's actions in Cloudtop Commandery this time had completely ruined Prince Qi's meticulously planned arrangements of many years. It would be a wonder if Prince Qi's faction would let him off.

Yet, all these actions were clearly done in service of the Emperor, but the Emperor surprisingly didn't help Zu'an suppress the issue. Instead, he convened such a trial. It seemed Zu'an had already been abandoned.

Based on Sang Hong's understanding of the Emperor, he knew this was the Emperor's usual tactic. The Emperor always cherished his reputation and could push anyone to be a scapegoat, which was why ministers privately criticized him for being cold-hearted.

Sang Hong hadn't expected the Emperor to abandon Zu'an so quickly this time, and couldn't help but feel much dissatisfaction and even resentment, but he dared not show it in the slightest.

He specifically looked around at the head of the court but did not see Yu Xuanhong. As the Minister of the Left, Yu Xuanhong usually ranked first among all officials.

It seemed that first, Imperial Son-in-Law Yu Nan's scandalous behavior in a brothel, which damaged the royal family's reputation, led to his impeachment and removal from office. Now, with the incident involving Yu Yanluo, his situation was also very difficult.

The only thing that comforted him was that the Crown Princess had, for the first time, appeared in the imperial court. It seemed she intended to protect Zu'an.

These days, Zu'an had grown to become a key figure in the Eastern Palace, so the Crown Princess naturally couldn't give him up so easily.

Furthermore, he had heard before that Zu'an was highly regarded by the Crown Princess, and had even saved the Crown Prince and Crown Princess in the National Academy's secret realm. In comparison, the Crown Princess was far more compassionate and loyal than the Emperor.

Although he had always been a royalist, seeing the Crown Princess's graceful and elegant demeanor, he couldn't help but sigh that pairing her with the Crown Prince was like putting a beautiful flower on a pile of dung.

At this moment, the Emperor spoke: "How is the disaster relief work at the mining vein progressing?"

The officials in the room felt a chill in their hearts. No one mentioned the Yu family's mining vein; it seemed the Emperor was determined to uproot the Yu family entirely.

Previously, some officials had hesitated, fearing that the Yu family might rise again from the ashes.

After all, the Yu family was a top-tier clan. Yu Xuanhong held the high position of Minister of the Left in the court, his son Yu Nan was a Vice Minister of the Secretariat, and his son-in-law Lian Yu was a Grand Chancellor. Moreover, the Yu family had marital ties with other prominent aristocratic families like the Pei and Jiang families.

The matter of Yu Yanluo having demon blood was, after all, personal to her. If the higher-ups didn't pursue it, another elder from the Yu family could simply be appointed as patriarch.

Furthermore, Yu Yanluo enjoyed a high reputation, and it was rumored that even the Emperor had once been captivated by her.

Therefore, during this period, theories that the Yu Yanluo matter might be handled leniently also had considerable traction.

But with the Emperor's seemingly casual remark, these astute individuals in the room all discerned the hidden meaning and began plotting in their minds how to carve up the "big cake" of the Yu family.

Xu Yu hastily replied, "These past days, we have firmly remembered Your Majesty's teachings..."

He knew the Emperor cared about his reputation, so he spoke elaborately and grandiosely to bolster the Emperor's image as a ruler who cherished his people.

Of course, he also knew that the Emperor didn't truly care about the common people, but was more concerned about whether the mining vein could recover and continue to supply vast amounts of cultivation resources to the court.

So he subtly hinted at how long it would take for production to resume, and so on, causing the Emperor to nod continuously in approval.

Sang Hong couldn't help but marvel at this fellow's verbal artistry. What was clearly a major disaster was portrayed by him as a situation where, through his tireless efforts, a completely ruined mining vein could now recover in a few years.

The Emperor asked a few more questions and received satisfactory answers to all of them. Then Eunuch Wen came out and shrilly announced, "Present your memorials if you have business; otherwise, the court is adjourned."

At this point, an official in the court stepped forward and said, "Your servant has a memorial to present. Recently, I have received numerous secret reports impeaching the Marquis of Green Hat, Zu'an, the Crown Prince's Chief of Staff, for secretly rescuing Yu Yanluo, colluding with demons, and betraying the court!"

The expressions of everyone in the room became serious. The main event of the day had finally arrived.

Sang Hong recognized the official as Imperial Censor Yi Chong. Usually, his subordinates handled impeachments of officials, but now he, the head of the office, had personally stepped forward. It seemed Xu Yu truly had some influence.

"Minister Yi, your words are mistaken!" At this moment, a young official stepped forward. "After arriving in Cloudtop Commandery, Lord Zu dedicated himself wholeheartedly, solving numerous major cases and restoring peace and order to Cloudtop Commandery, which everyone knows. This includes the demon smuggling case. How could he possibly collude with demons, conspire with the enemy, and betray the nation?"

"Who is this person?" The officials from Cloudtop Commandery whispered among themselves. They had initially been marveling at how handsome this young man was, but his words felt like a slap to the entire Cloudtop Commandery officialdom, naturally leading to a very negative impression.

Well-informed individuals had already recognized him: "This is Jiang Bo Yang's grandson, Jiang Gui, a famous handsome man in the capital and the current Crown Prince's Equerry. As a fellow official of the Eastern Palace, he naturally speaks for Zu'an."

Sang Hong knew an even deeper layer: Besides being instructed by the Crown Princess, Jiang Gui's mother was Yu Xuanhong's youngest daughter. So, whether publicly or privately, he would certainly help Zu'an.

"Merits are merits, and faults are faults," another duke, dressed in a python robe and jade belt, stepped forward and said. "Lord Zu indeed performed many meritorious deeds in Cloudtop Commandery, but it is also a fact that he later rescued the demoness Yu Yanluo. Furthermore, according to intelligence reports, Yu Yanluo has returned to the Snake Clan, and she is accompanied by another person whose description closely matches Zu'an. Considering all this, Lord Zu's previous actions against demon smuggling in Cloudtop Commandery might have just been a pretense."

Sang Hong's expression changed. This person's identity was extraordinary: he was Zhao Shu, Duke of Jiyang County and Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary.

The crucial point was that his father was Zhao Zang, Prince of Fufeng and Grand General who Guards the West, and Zhao Zang was the Emperor's uncle!

It seemed Prince Qi's faction had suffered severe losses in Cloudtop Commandery this time, and their core members could no longer sit idly by.

In this situation, Sang Hong naturally couldn't stand idly by. He declared loudly, "Minister Zhao, your words are mistaken. I am the Imperial Commissioner for this mission, fully responsible for investigating the demon smuggling case. Furthermore, officials of all ranks within the Imperial Commissioner's delegation can serve as witnesses. If Minister Zhao claims all of this was merely an act, does that mean our entire Imperial Commissioner's delegation collectively committed treason? Or are you implying that His Majesty is poor at judging character?"

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Zhao Shu's forehead. "That's certainly not what I meant. Don't frame me."

"Who exactly is framing whom, then?" Since the Crown Princess found it inconvenient to personally intervene, her elder brother Bi Zi'ang naturally had to step forward to defend her sister. "The demon realm and Cloudtop Commandery are far apart, and even the fastest round trip would take at least half a year. Yet Minister Zhao claims to have intelligence reports stating that Yu Yanluo has already returned to the demon realm, and based on some unsubstantiated descriptions, he claims that the person accompanying her is Zu'an. May I ask where this intelligence came from?"

Zhao Shu's face flushed crimson. "This matter involves military secrets, so it is naturally inconvenient to disclose it publicly," he stammered. "If Young Master Bi is interested, he can accompany me to the Imperial Study and seek His Majesty's judgment."

Sang Hong was startled to hear this. Could it be that the Empire truly had spies in the demon realm?

Bi Zi'ang frowned, but he was quick-witted and immediately concluded that even if there were spies, such accurate intelligence would not arrive in such a short time. So he loudly stated, "If there were truly concrete evidence, why would such a grand assembly be convened today?"

Zhao Shu was momentarily speechless. The intelligence was indeed rather vague, making it impossible to decisively condemn Zu'an.

At this moment, Xu Yu spoke: "Intelligence from just one spy is naturally not enough, but combined with Zu'an's mysterious disappearance after Yu Yanluo escaped, it's enough to explain many issues."

As he spoke, he turned to Sang Hong: "If I recall correctly, Minister Sang, you said Zu'an disappeared because he went to assist with a secret mission for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, didn't you? Commander Zhu Xie is here now. Why don't we ask him if such a secret mission actually existed?"