C100 I Hate Rong Qi

Wei Xun was furious, accusing the servant of betrayal and bringing in a witness to testify that the servant had been bribed by Feng Qing to spread lies. The witness, a bouncer from a gambling den, revealed that the servant had suddenly paid off a debt of three thousand taels the day before, leaving little else to be said.

Feng Qing hadn't expected Wei Xun to be so well-prepared and angrily accused him of paying for false testimony. Wei Xun refused to back down, and the two erupted into a heated argument in the courtroom. Qin Chun, who had accompanied Wei Xun, was constrained by his position and couldn't speak up. Otherwise, he would have jumped up and pointed at Feng Qing, shouting, "Are we the only ones paying for false testimony? Haven't you done the same?"

The courtroom descended into chaos, and Imperial Tutor Hee nervously glanced at Ding Yuv, wondering if they should resort to harsher measures. But Ding Yuv seemed almost asleep. After nearly an hour of arguing, Ding Yuv suggested postponing the trial to the next day, citing the absence of a crucial witness for Feng Qing. Only then did both parties relent.

Once the courtroom was finally quiet, Imperial Tutor Hee approached Ding Yuv. "Why didn't you take stronger action earlier? I suspect that bouncer might be hiding something."

Ding Yuv smirked, "If the bouncer is suspicious, isn't the servant just as questionable?"

Imperial Tutor Hee was puzzled, "Then why, sir..."

"If you look at it as a case, even the Marquis of Martial Peace couldn't avoid punishment in court earlier. But if you see it as entertainment..." Ding Yuv stood up, shaking his wrist, "it's quite the spectacle."

Imperial Tutor Hee, not quite understanding, frowned as he followed Ding Yuv. "Are you treating Wei Zhanpeng's case as entertainment, sir?"

Ding Yuv didn't explain to Imperial Tutor Hee, but he thought to himself that it was indeed just a spectacle. In this whole affair, he only needed to care about the Crown Prince's stance. The Crown Prince wanted the Marquis of Martial Peace and the Marquis of South Suppressing to be at odds, so Ding Yuv let them argue their cases passionately in court. Once they had argued enough, the case would be resolved. As for how to conclude the case without giving either marquis a reason to complain to the Ministry of Punishments, Ding Yuv already had a plan.

A man from a humble background who could hold the position of Minister for many years needed not only a calm mind and ruthless methods but also a knack for navigating the political landscape, something Ding Yuv had mastered.

The next day, as Ding Yuv struck the gavel, Feng Qing immediately brought out a witness to testify that the gambling house thugs Wei Xun had brought in the day before were problematic. Wei Xun countered with his own witness. Back and forth it went, with witnesses changing like a revolving door. Ding Yuv sat silently at the bench, watching Feng Qing and Wei Xun argue until their faces were flushed. Eventually, even Qin Chun couldn't hold back from mocking Feng Qing for twisting the truth.

Ding Yuv was exhausted.

The case dragged on to the third day, with Ding Yuv and Feng Qing going head-to-head against Qin Chun until the final moment, when the gavel finally came down.

Ding Yuv argued that the case stemmed from Feng Tiange injuring Wei Zhanpeng at the Imperial Academy. If the Academy deemed Feng Tiange's actions as part of a normal competition, then any subsequent incidents involving Wei Zhanpeng were unrelated to Feng Tiange. However, if the Academy considered the injury a violation of its rules, then Feng Tiange would naturally face the consequences.

Ding Yuv's point was clear: the Academy's stance was the deciding factor. As for the 'witnesses' brought in by the two marquises over the past three days, Ding Yuv didn't mention a word about them.

The next step was straightforward. Ding Yuv sent someone to verify with the Academy, and the response was that injuries were an inevitable part of martial competitions, and Feng Tiange had not violated any rules.

With that, the case was closed. Wei Xun, in the Ministry of Punishments' courtroom, was overwhelmed with anger and grief, grabbing a nearby board to confront Feng Qing.

Seeing this, Qin Chun held Wei Xun back and turned to Feng Qing, "Impressive tactics, South Suppressing Marquis!"

Feng Qing ignored the Martial Peace Marquis and looked coolly at Wei Xun, "It's true that Tiange injured your son, but blaming her for the evil influence affecting him? Do you think my daughter is easy to bully?"

Feng Qing left, leaving Wei Xun in despair, slumped on the ground, tears streaming down his face. The pain of losing his son was like a knife to the heart. If it hadn't been for Feng Tiange injuring his son, the malevolent forces wouldn't have had a chance. How could he be wrong in seeking justice from Feng Tiange?

"Get up. I assure you, this matter won't be left unresolved," Qin Chun said, helping Wei Xun to his feet, his gaze icy as he looked in the direction Feng Qing had gone.

Feng Tiange was released from the Celestial Prison by Feng Qing, and the father and daughter needed no words between them. They traveled in silence, and after Feng Qing returned Feng Tiange to the South Suppressing Marquis Mansion, he headed to the military camp.

In the Silk Garden, Yueya had already prepared a bath with mugwort. As soon as Feng Tiange entered the room, Yueya stripped off her clothes and pushed her into the wooden tub. Fortunately, Feng Tiange wanted to relax a bit. "Put that black cloak away for me," she said. She had brought back Beiming Yuan's cloak, thinking it might come in handy later.

After Yueya left, Feng Tiange leaned lazily against the edge of the tub, her alabaster arm draped over the side, head tilted back, eyes slowly closing. She wouldn't take the blame for Wei Zhanpeng's death. No matter what, she had to find the real culprit. After all, Wei Xun, who now hated her to the core, might become the biggest variable in the future.

Lost in thought, Feng Tiange suddenly opened her eyes.

As soon as she pulled the inner garment over herself, Su Hu leaped in through the window.

Feng Tiange locked eyes with him for a few seconds before breaking the silence. "What happened to you?" she asked, noticing his clothes were torn to shreds, exposing half his chest, and his hair looked like a bird's nest. And where were his shoes?

Who was the one that just escaped from prison?

Feng Tiange was puzzled.

"Rong Qi tricked me!" Su Hu huffed as he walked over from the window, angrily yanking off his tattered clothes. He jumped into the wooden tub, not caring whether Feng Tiange was there or not, and tossed his pants aside once he was in the water.

Her face darkened. "I'm still a woman, you know!"

"You don't mind, do you?" Su Hu, still fuming, only thought to ask Feng Tiange after he had already discarded his pants.

Feng Tiange chuckled dryly. "If I said I did, would you get out?"

"I would!"

As Su Hu made a move to stand, Feng Tiange's temper flared. "If you dare get up, I'll kill you!"

Seeing Su Hu's expression of exaggerated misery, Feng Tiange's heart softened. She remembered when she first met Su Hu; he was such a bright and cheerful young man.

"What happened?" Feng Tiange asked, handing him a bar of soap, her curiosity piqued.

Su Hu, filled with indignation, recounted the whole story to Feng Tiange.

Yesterday at the Martial Academy, Gongsun Pei found yet another flimsy excuse to give Su Hu a hard time. Luckily, Rong Qi showed up just in time to rescue him from the situation.

Afterward, Rong Qi took him out for drinks, being particularly friendly and treating him like a brother.

"Get to the point," Feng Tiange interrupted Su Hu.

"The point is, Rong Qi said that if I willingly became Gongsun Pei's apprentice, given Gongsun Pei's protective nature, he'd stop giving me trouble and even look out for me." Su Hu spoke each word as if it was painfully dragged out of him.

"That sounds great," Feng Tiange replied, not seeing the issue.

"That jerk tricked me! After we drank, I went to ask Gongsun Pei to be my mentor..."

"And he didn't take you on?"

"It would have been better if he hadn't! He did take me on, but he hasn't been good to me at all!"