LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS 118 Attending the Imperial Cour

Despite Xing's protests, Rijun convinced her to wear the uniform, completed with the hat Xing found downright funny. All her hair was pulled to a top bun and the black hat with flaps in the side was placed above it.

Xing for the first time found the stags and the deers in the forests pitiful. They look adorable to look at with those beautiful big antlers but their head must feel heavy, right?

"Mingxia, You are Pretty in whatever you wear", Rijun smiled fixing her hat.

How can I be pretty wearing this dorky uniform? Some ugly Emperor must have set this uniform so that everyone else looks as ugly as him!

Xing frowned and looked at Shengli who was chuckling uncontrollably, "You are adorable, Xing! Just smile a little!", he teased.

In fact he thought she looked adorable with all her hair up and that hat. But those clothes.... She doesn't deserve to wear that low quality silk. Period.

"You are not coming?", she asked Shengli controlling her urge to bash his head.

"I am. But I'm not wearing this! No.. No... I won't even be caught dead in these clothes. Too much for me.. ", he laughed.

"Stop teasing my sister!", Rijun chided Shengli.

"Ha Ha ha. See... my brother will kill you if you tease me, rascal Prince! ", Xing laughed mockingly at Shengli and he raised his hands as if he was surrendering and left first.

Rijun gave her a white nameplate another piece of the uniform to her and Xing saw it had 'Táng Xing, Honorary Official' written on it.

"Is there a title like this?", Xing asked Rijun.

" Who knows? And who cares? No one reads it anyway!", he said shrugging.

Wow! Xing thought, They have many useless rules but they don't care about important things like this? Anyone with uniform can attend the court?

When they reached the court, the court session had already started and Lord Zhong's voice was heard from the outside. He was shouting about the injustices he had faced from the justice department last night and how it had greatly affected his health and how they had insulted a loyal subject who happens to be a High Noble.

Xing saw through that big door that the Emperor was seated in his dragon throne and everyone else were standing in rows bowing their head in respect.

Okay! How are we going to get in?

Rijun just walked in through the center, bowed to the Emperor and went to stand in the right corner of the first row and he signalled Xing to follow him and she did as her brother did.

AoTian nodded at them and Lord Zhong who was angrily shouting paused his speech until both of them were settled and resumed his shouting once again.

Wow! Xing wanted to clap. This is the place where the best dramas are enacted. That Oldman clearly is not angry but relieved, yet he is enacting such a drama. What a heart touching monologue!

They were standing in two parts and Xing was standing in the right with her father and the other side seemed empty..? Is that Lord Ran's side?

Xing looked around the big Audience Hall and only the Emperor had a chair to sit. Others must stand or kneel at all time, it seemed.

How intimidating! No wonder everyone wants that place, that throne!

Xing looked at the guard beside her coughing and she noticed it was Shengli and rolled her eyes.

How original! You look more funnier in this outfit! Xing stuck out her tongue and teased him.

You should be standing in the front row in silk robes with a coronet holding your hair... As a Prince! Not in a soldier uniform! She felt a bit sad. But still he is still the most handsome soldier there ever soldiered! Even in that ridiculous outfit he still looks Princely!

Xing noted the Emperor in his back robes with golden embroidered dragon and that crown with beads listening sternly to Lord Zhong's complaining. Xing knew this was the ploy by that Oldman, the more he makes it a big issue, the higher the punishments the other party receives. The Emperor is listening patiently for the same reason too.

After Lord Zhong filed his hour-long complaint, the Minister of the Justice department was called and he gave the report.

According to him, a particular amount of officers from their department were sent to the Zhong properties to search after they received the Emperor's orders.

Just as they were searching, Captain Xiang of the Patrol Unit, sent an urgent letter to the Justice department that they have a person in custody who killed his peers and he was talking about some plot against the Zhongs.

So the crimial was brought to the justice department, where he revealed the location of the chest of treasury coins kept hidden in the brothel owned by Lord Qui, to be transfered to the Zhong Guest Manor. But a fight ensued between those guards as they wanted to share the coins among themselves and this one was the only one survived. He tried to escape but was caught by Captain Xiang who was there to quell a public disturbance case.

They found he was hiding more and upon further investigation that it was the Qui, Bai, Liang and Xui families are the ones who had been running illegal businesses and stealing from the officials in the past year using common robbers and they had set this elaborate trap for making the Zhong family to fall.

Also he had said that they were going to involve the Huang family somehow and so they linked the case against Huang Rijun with this case and found out the Eunuch who had actually stole the solution was paid by Lord Qui and the Eunuch confessed too.

The Minister gave this report and stood to the side when they brought Lord Qui and the other Lords who colluded with him. The spy was also brought to the court. Xing looked at him and he looked like he was tortured.

Guess he really put up a good act and endured a lot to make them believe! He cannot seem like he willingly gave away information. That would rouse suspicion. The Qui family must have hurt him deeply for him to have such resolve!

Xing leaned the left, "Brother, is the Justice Department usually this effective? They solved this case in one night", she asked surprised.

"The Emperor got locked up with me last night and father created a scene too. Also the Justice Department didn't have much work, did they? Didn't you hand them the results in a silver platter?", he smirked.

"Hmm! That's true", she nodded.

AoTian cleared his throat, noticing his children casually chatting inside the court. Xing and Rijun stood straight immediately and watched the drama unfolding.

Lord Qui was pleading to make his point that they were framed by the Zhong family. So the spy, Tan Hai was allowed to speak and he swore on his dead wife and his two unborn son's grave that everything he said was true and the Zhong family is not involved with him in any ways.

Xing was surprised to see him carelessly swearing on their grave when he is lying. But she could see him smirking for a moment and Lord Qui's face blackened. Tan Hai excluded the aura of someone who had finally achieved his wish.

Lord Qui knew what brought his downfall, he had previously beaten a fat woman who annoyed him by selling fruits near his business place to death. Later he learned that she was not just just fat but pregnant and the husband was creating some problems. So he called the husband and gave him some gold as compensation but he refused to accept. He even said weird things like 'He only had a wife, he dearly loved and they waited for seven years for her to conceive a child but now she was killed unfairly'. He cried saying she had two boys in her womb. Huh! Isn't that why he was giving money? What if one woman died? With money he can get another! And he can have more children too!

But how could he not recognise that husband till now? Is that the brief smirk that made me remember? Lord Qui was shuddering.

He knew Tan Hai informed the Zhongs and they transfered the coins to his brothel. But how? He had received confirmation that the coins were placed in the Zhong Guest Manor and only then he went to meet the Emperor to give the memorial. So how did everything turn against them? While they were happy that the Zhongs would be caught, this Tan Hai was snitching about them! Everything was planned perfectly by Lord Ran for months... That's right! Lord Ran... Why am I the only one getting blamed? Where is Lord Ran? Also wasn't there information that Lord Táng and Zhong Seiren visited my brothel? They should have something to do with it, right?"

Lord Qui kowtowed, " Your Majesty! I committed wrong by owning illegal business, but it was not me who stole the coins. Lord Táng and Zhong Seiren must have framed me. Please investigate"

The Emperor smirked seeing the one who tried to hold him hostage last night with arrogance kneeling in front of him with reverence and fear. Scums! Too bad I can't send them to the gallows right away!

The Emperor looked at the Minister of Justice Department for answers and before he talked it was AoTian who shouted, "You accused my son wrongfully and he was in the prison in the palace and my godson was sent to the 'Iron Gates Prison ' just for having a drunken brawl...Iron Gates Prison.. Like a mass murderer... Now how is he involved in this? Both my sons went through intolerable cruelties last night! Have I not serviced the Kingdom enough? Am I not loyal? I've served two Emperors..", he went on rambling.

Lord Zhong joined him too for wrongfully accusing his hedonistic son he is not so proud of for being smart enough to work for the sake of his family. Even when he was talking for his second son he was insulting him so that others cannot find out how cunning he actually is.

Hearing all this, the ones who had suffered 'intolerable cruelties' by having good dinner and good rest in silk sheets in prison last night were biting their lips to control their laughter.

Xing realised only then why Shengli sent them to prison. They had the perfect alibi.

So Rijun and a couple of other officials consoled the two bereaved fathers who had suffered by the unfair treatment of their children and they calmed down a bit.

Then Captain Xiang explained about how those two have no way of involving in this plot and that those two hated each other too much to work together. He even gave proof from years back of their fights in the Heavenly Flowers Palace.

"Wow! What a reputation my dear sister has!", Rijun whispered and sneered at her.

"That's what helped you!", she retorted back.

Lord Qui having no other way shouted about how it was Lord Ran who arranged for everything and he just followed his advise for the past year.

Wow! Now it gets interesting!

Chapter end

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