Chapter 1542: Counterattack

The imperial court was in an uproar, clearly divided into two factions arguing over the Sang Hong case.

Prince Qi, standing in front of the assembled officials, secretly glanced at Zhao Hao, who was seated at the head, finding it difficult to discern any emotion on his face.

Prince Qi secretly sighed. His elder brother was truly unfathomable; there was no way to tell what his true attitude was.

He then scanned the civil and military officials in the court, noticing that many familiar figures were missing during this period.

Qin Zheng, the Central Commander, and his brother Qin Se, the Central Protector, had led their armies to war against the demon race after the previous massacre in the border city. The demon side was led by the Flying Leopard King, one of their four renowned generals. The two sides were evenly matched, making it impossible for the brothers to return anytime soon.

Yu Nan, the Imperial Secretariat Attendant, had previously resigned due to a scandal involving him and Zu An vying for attention in a brothel, compounded by his marriage to a princess, which had caused royal embarrassment.

His father, Yu Xuanchong, the Left Prime Minister, was also implicated in the matter. Although his offer to resign was not accepted by the emperor, his prestige suffered a significant blow.

Soon after, the massive scandal involving the Yu family in Cloud Ridge Commandery erupted. Yu Xuanchong lost all face and could no longer continue as Left Prime Minister; this time, the emperor approved his resignation.

These were the backbone of his faction. Now, among the high-ranking officials, only Duke Linhai, Court Attendant Pei Zheng, and Prince Fufeng, General Zhao Zang of the West, remained on his side. Compared to the great influence they wielded in previous years, they had truly fallen into decline.

However, his years of cultivation were not for nothing; many mid-level officials still supported him.

This time, he was using the Sang Hong incident to launch a fierce counterattack and reverse the decline his faction had experienced over the past few months.

The recent declaration, "Sang Hong colluded with the demon race and deserves to have his entire family executed!" was uttered by one of his subordinate censors.

Hmph, the emperor has repeatedly dealt fatal blows to my side. How can I possibly quell the hatred in my heart if I don't retaliate?

At this moment, Bi Zi'ang on the other side gave a subtle signal. An official from his faction stepped forward and countered, "That statement is incorrect. As an imperial envoy, Master Sang was attacked en route and is a victim. How could he possibly be colluding with the demon race?"

Sang Hong was part of the emperor's faction, so whether he was involved or not seemed irrelevant. However, Zu An was also implicated this time. As a key general of the Crown Prince's Household and his sister's trusted retainer, if Zu An were to be convicted, it could easily implicate the brother and sister.

"By our calculations, the imperial envoy's delegation should have returned to the capital long ago. Instead, they repeatedly found excuses to delay their journey, only speeding up after the emperor himself issued an edict to urge them back. And yet, trouble arose as soon as they reached Silkworm City. What a coincidence!" someone from Prince Qi's faction remarked sarcastically.

"That doesn't prove anything. The delegation reported various unexpected incidents throughout their journey, and every item is verifiable," said General Liu Guang, the Chariot General, whose statement was echoed by a protégé of his and his brother, General Liu Yao. As the Empress's brothers and imperial relatives by marriage, they naturally sided with the emperor; otherwise, they would be replaced by another set of imperial relatives if Prince Qi ascended the throne.

"During the fire that night, why did everyone else in the delegation die, yet only Sang Hong went missing?" another official scoffed.

"You yourself said he was 'missing.' Why must you insist that Master Sang colluded with the demon race to harm the delegation?" an official from under Meng Yi, the Imperial Secretariat Director, retorted. The Meng family was also a pillar of the emperor's faction.

"Because evidence was found at the scene: Sang Hong's personal token, and a letter communicating with the demon race," an official reported after receiving a look from Court Attendant Pei Zheng.

"There's something like that?!" Upon hearing this, the entire court erupted in commotion. Many had not received any information about this before.

At this moment, Crown Princess Bi Linglong, in the side hall, furrowed her delicate brows. Due to the Crown Prince's profound dullness, it was inappropriate for him to appear at such a grand occasion. Any foolish mistake would simply hand a weapon to Prince Qi's faction.

Thus, as a compromise, Bi Linglong was allowed to observe from the side hall, separated by a pearl curtain.

She instinctively looked towards the emperor. According to her intelligence, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had immediately reached Silkworm City, sealed all human and material evidence, and brought it back to the capital. How could Prince Qi's faction know about these details?

A flicker of anger crossed the emperor's eyes, clearly indicating his displeasure with Prince Qi's pervasive influence.

Facing the questioning gazes of the officials, the emperor spoke calmly, "I have already dispatched the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate. The matter is still under review."

He neither admitted nor denied it, but everyone in the court was astute enough to immediately realize that such evidence indeed existed.

With this, the officials of Prince Qi's faction gained significant momentum. At this point, Yi Chun, the Prefect of Jingzhao, spoke up, "Your servant has already dispatched men to investigate the Sang family. I believe results will be available soon."

Upon hearing his words, officials from all factions—whether the Liu family, the Bi family, the Meng family, and others—felt their hearts sink. They were all seasoned veterans and knew that if he dispatched men to search, they would very likely 'find' the so-called evidence.

At this point, another official from Prince Qi's faction pressed their advantage: "Your servant has received intelligence that Sang Hong's delay on this journey was actually to wait for Zu An to rejoin the delegation. These past days, Zu An was not actually with the delegation but was rather consorting with the Medusa Queen in the demon realm."

This was another bombshell, causing an immediate uproar among the officials.

It seemed Prince Qi's side was not content with merely handling Sang Hong; they also intended to target a key general of the Crown Prince's Household.

Prince Qi's expression remained impassive, but his heart was cold. That Zu An was truly cunning. He claimed to be allied with Prince Qi against the emperor, yet every time he ruined Prince Qi's important plans.

Ordinary matters were one thing, considering them the price he paid to gain the emperor's trust.

But he absolutely could not tolerate the incident in Cloud Ridge Commandery this time. He had meticulously laid out plans there for decades, only for them to be ruined because of Zu An.

In any case, Jiang Luofu had already obtained the 'Phoenix Nirvana Sutra' from him. Now, that kid had no more value; this was a good opportunity to eliminate him.

And incidentally, take down the Crown Prince's foremost general!

Bi Linglong's face was also frosty at this moment. From what she knew of Zu An, what the official had just said was most likely true.

The thought that she had been anxious and worried for him all these days, yet he hadn't even written her a single letter, instead consorting with other women outside, filled her with fury.

But anger aside, she still had to save him.

Receiving her instruction, officials from the Crown Prince's faction immediately began to retort: "This is slander! Master Zu has always been loyal and devoted; how could he possibly do such a thing?"

An official from Prince Qi's faction stated, "Our spies in the demon realm did indeed report Zu An's presence there. The Embroidered Uniform Guard can verify this point."

After speaking, he produced some evidence and had a eunuch present it.

The momentum of the Crown Prince's faction faltered. At this moment, Jiang Boyang, the Grand Minister of Justice, spoke up: "I believe there might be some misunderstanding here. It still requires thorough investigation."

Because of his daughter, Jiang Luofu, he had some goodwill towards Zu An.

Officials who had previously remained neutral and had connections with Zu An also began to chime in, such as those from the Grand Master of Ceremonies' office, who were more or less linked to people at the National Academy.

And Zu An himself had a deep friendship with the teachers on the back mountain of the National Academy.

Seeing the situation start to turn, Yi Chun, the Prefect of Jingzhao, interjected: "If, as you all claim, Zu An was always with the delegation, then even if an accident occurred that night, with his cultivation level and Sang Hong's combined efforts, they surely wouldn't have allowed the perpetrators to succeed. Yet, everyone in the delegation who stayed in Silkworm City died, and there's no trace of either of them."

"Once is a coincidence, twice is a coincidence, but how many times can it still be a coincidence?"

"The documents just presented to His Majesty record Zu An's appearances in various parts of the demon realm. The evidence is irrefutable."

"Your servant requests His Majesty to charge Zu An with treason!"

He was always skilled at resolving cases, and his forceful arguments left the other side speechless.

After all, all the current evidence was overwhelmingly unfavorable to Zu An.

At this moment, Bi Linglong could no longer sit still. Her red lips parted slightly: "The crime of treason is no small matter. With Master Zu currently missing, we cannot rely solely on one-sided testimony. It would not be too late to question him thoroughly once he returns."

Now, she could only employ a delaying tactic, dragging out the case to buy time.

No one had anticipated Prince Qi's faction being so thoroughly prepared. They had clearly obtained intelligence about Zu An's presence in the demon realm earlier but had kept it hidden, only now using the delegation's fire incident to completely destroy him.

"Crown Princess, that statement is incorrect," Yi Chun sneered. "Since Zu An has already colluded with the enemy and committed treason, why would he ever return to walk into a trap?"

Bi Linglong's heart was filled with intense anxiety. She looked at her father and brother with pleading eyes, but given the current unfavorable situation, both father and son silently chose to remain quiet.

Just as she was on the verge of despair, a clear voice suddenly came from outside: "I hear someone's looking for me?"

Upon hearing this familiar voice, a brilliant light instantly erupted in Bi Linglong's beautiful eyes. However, fearing that the emperor nearby might notice her unusual reaction, she immediately lowered her gaze, striving to maintain her composure.

He took a deep breath of fresh air, his chest heaving.

Confusion, bewilderment, and various other emotions flooded his mind.

Where is this?

Then, Shi Yu instinctively surveyed his surroundings, growing even more bewildered.

A single dormitory room?

Even if he had been successfully rescued, he should be in a hospital room by now.

And his body... why was there no injury at all?

With questions in his mind, Shi Yu's gaze quickly swept across the room, finally resting on a mirror at the head of the bed.

The mirror showed his current appearance: around seventeen or eighteen years old, and very handsome.

But the problem was, this wasn't him!

His previous self was a handsome young man in his twenties with an extraordinary demeanor, who had been working for some time.

But now, this appearance looked like that of a high school student...

This change left Shi Yu in a daze for a long time.

Don't tell him the surgery was successful...

His body and appearance had both changed; this was no longer a question of surgery, but rather something akin to immortal magic.

He had completely transformed into another person!

Could it be... that he had transmigrated?

Besides the mirror at the head of the bed, whose placement clearly indicated bad feng shui, Shi Yu also discovered three books nearby.

Shi Yu picked them up and saw the titles, which instantly rendered him speechless.

"Beginner Breeder's Essential Beast-Rearing Handbook"

"Postpartum Care for Pet Beasts"

"Guide to Appraising Beast-Eared Girls of Different Races"

Shi Yu: ???

The first two book titles seemed normal, but what was up with the last one?

Cough.

Shi Yu's gaze sharpened, and he reached out, but his arm quickly stiffened.

Just as he was about to open the third book to see what it was, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his brain, and a flood of memories surged forth.

Icefield City.

Pet Beast Breeding Base.

Intern Pet Beast Breeder.

Beast Tamer?