Martial Cultivator

Dead silence.

Han Pu's delayed arrival brought the news that those who wanted Chen Chao dead most wished to hear.

Marquis Huainan, Song Ting, one of the two marquises conferred by imperial decree in past years and a meritorious subject, had died at the hands of Chen Chao.

At this point, it seemed that no one would be able to save this young military official.

Killing a court official without authorization was already a capital crime, and now that the victim was someone as prominent as Marquis Huainan, Song Ting, it only compounded the offense. Even if the Great Liang Emperor wished to show mercy beyond the law, it was likely that the court officials would not let it go.

“Chen Chao, do you have anything left to say?!”

The court officials, snapping back to reality, now focused on Chen Chao with renewed vigor. Before, you had relied on your cunning words and evasive tactics, thinking you could escape unscathed, but now that the truth had been revealed, what could you possibly say?

“Your Majesty, this man previously gravely injured General Pei and has since made arrogant statements. Now that the truth has surfaced, I ask Your Majesty to immediately execute him in accordance with the law, to uphold the justice of Great Liang's law and to inform the people of the empire!”

An official spoke, the very same who had earlier argued with Chen Chao. Now, his words fully demonstrated his scholar identity.

"Your Majesty, this man disregarded Your Majesty's favor, and behaved arrogantly and lawlessly, treating the laws of Great Liang with contempt. If he is not executed, it will not appease the people's anger, nor will it serve as an apology to the world!"

"Your Majesty, Marquis Huainan rendered great service to the court. For such a loyal subject to be killed by him, severe punishment is only fitting!"

"Your Majesty..."

"We implore Your Majesty to make a wise judgment!"

Many officials stepped forward from their seats, kneeling before the Great Liang Emperor. Each one wore a look of righteous indignation.

In truth, anyone paying attention would know that most of these officials were part of the group that had risen to power alongside the Great Liang Emperor. Many of them had deep, intricate ties to Marquis Huainan, Song Ting.

However, one notable absence among them was Marquis Zhongyong, Zhang Yu.

This man, who had contributed the most to the early establishment of the dynasty, remained seated, steady as a mountain.

Someone approached Zhang Yu and whispered, "Marquis, at a moment like this, you should be speaking up."

As one of the old officials from that era, Marquis Zhongyong, Zhang Yu, should be standing together with those officials. But he remained indifferent to these words, showing no intention of rising from his seat.

This surprised many officials.

Even the Second Prince glanced at Zhang Yu at that moment.

Zhang Yu sat quietly in his seat, his thoughts unreadable.

There were many prominent figures at the banquet, and numerous esteemed officials, yet most remained silent. The person closest to Chen Chao, Song Lian, was unable to move or speak at the moment and thus could not speak up for him.

The Great Liang Emperor glanced at the kneeling officials before him but had not yet spoken when the Grand Historian stood up and knelt behind the officials. "Your Majesty, if the evidence is clear, Deputy Commander Chen should be dealt with according to the laws of Great Liang."

As soon as the Grand Historian spoke, many turned their attention to him. Known as an upright official with no biases, the Grand Historian had a high reputation among scholars, and his words often carried weight in matters of right and wrong. His voice thus represented the opinion of a large group of literati.

The Premier, watching his close friend step forward, frowned slightly.

"Your Majesty, this subject Mi Ke, requests to speak. Commander Chen has rendered numerous meritorious services to Great Liang, raising the prestige of our Great Liang. How could such a meritorious subject murder without authorization? Killing him so rashly would stir discontent across the empire, and the people's anger would surge!"

Just as everyone was waiting for the Emperor to speak, an unexpected person stepped forward from the crowd.

It was Mi Ke, an unremarkable figure in the Divine Capital. Recently transferred from a local position to the Divine Capital, this scholar had remained unnoticed in the deep waters of the Divine Capital's politics. Yet now, he stepped forward to speak in defense of Chen Chao.

"This subject believes that this matter is far from so simple. Commander Chen is known for his unwavering loyalty. How could he commit such an act? I implore Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."

Kneeling on the ground, Mi Ke trembled slightly. No one knew how much courage it had taken for him to come forward and speak these words.

The court officials looked at Mi Ke with sneers.

"Your Majesty, merit is merit, and wrongdoing is wrongdoing. How can they be considered the same? If accomplishments alone allow someone to act lawlessly, how could our dynasty be governed?"

An official immediately stepped forward, saying, "Moreover, from what this subject understands, this Lord Mi here is an old friend of Chen Chao's. His words are likely driven by personal motives rather than public duty."

Many had prepared for today's events long in advance and had naturally considered all possible scenarios. They were well aware of the relationship between Mi Ke and Chen Chao.

However, none had expected Mi Ke to step forward and speak for Chen Chao.

Chen Chao also looked at the kneeling Mi Ke, thinking that this old friend had not forgotten their past friendship. The bond they formed back in Tianqing County still remained.

However, the words of one man were like trying to put out a cartload of burning logs with a cup of water.

"This subject also believes that Commander Chen has rendered great service to Great Liang, and deserves a thorough investigation into the matter of killing Marquis Huainan."

"This subject concurs."

Following Mi Ke's statement, several military officers stepped forward, kneeling one after another.

These few people had no personal connection to Chen Chao. In fact, they were former students of the Great General. It was just that they had been injured in the Northern Frontier and forced to return to the Divine Capital for assignments.

At this moment, their intervention did not necessarily mean they believed in Chen Chao's innocence. Perhaps they simply did not want to see a martial official like him meet his end here.

But regardless of the reason, they ultimately stood up.

Chen Chao was rather surprised.

Many prominent figures were also surprised.

Although these voices might not change the outcome of this situation, at least there were some differing opinions being heard.

By this point, those who spoke were all high-ranking officials in court, while those family heads remained silent, watching the situation unfold with cool detachment.

The Emperor glanced at the officials kneeling before him, then suddenly turned his head and looked at the three princes, asking, "What do you guys think?"

When the Emperor spoke, everyone originally thought the matter would be concluded, but unexpectedly, he turned to ask the princes.

The gazes of the crowd naturally fell upon the three princes.

The First Prince cleared his throat a few times and was the first to speak: “Imperial Father, Commander Chen has indeed rendered service to our Great Liang, but if he truly killed Marquis Huainan, I'm afraid he must still be dealt with according to Great Liang's laws.”

The First Prince spoke cautiously, and there were no issues with his words.

The Second Prince added softly, “Our Great Liang Dynasty is clear in its rewards and punishments. If Commander Chen has erred, he should be punished. However, as the ruler of the realm, Imperial Father has the authority to decide all matters with a single word.”

The Second Prince's words seemed much more diplomatic, tossing the issue back to the Great Liang Emperor.

The Third Prince's face was pale, his lips pressed tightly together, and when it came time for him to speak, he simply remained silent.

The Great Liang Emperor paid no mind to this and looked toward Chen Chao, asking, “What do you have to say?”

Since Han Pu had spoken, Chen Chao had remained silent and had not said a word. As the person involved, he had kept his silence, and at this moment, His Majesty the Emperor finally mentioned him.

Many felt that this was the Emperor's way of making his stance known.

Chen Chao stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, it seems that Lord Han hasn't finished his words.”

Everyone had thought that Chen Chao must have much more to say, but they did not expect him to say only this one sentence.

However, once this was said, everyone suddenly remembered that Han Pu had indeed only said one thing before being interrupted by the other court officials...

Afterward, countless officials at the banquet began to urge the Emperor to execute Chen Chao, but in reality, Han Pu had not yet finished speaking.

Yet not many were interested in hearing those unfinished words, they only needed to know that Chen Chao was the murderer of Song Ting, and that was enough.

The Great Liang Emperor smiled and looked toward Han Pu, “Minister Han, do you have anything else to say?”

Han Pu was silent for a long time.

His earlier silence, whether intentional or unintentional, lasted a considerable while without him speaking. Now that His Majesty had inquired, this Chief Judicial Officer finally raised his head and said, “Marquis Huainan Song Ting was indeed killed by Deputy Commander Chen, but according to the truth that this subject has investigated, on that night, Deputy Commander Chen was the target of an assassination.”

Many people were aware of this matter, and upon hearing this, many officials' expressions turned somewhat grim.

“The mastermind behind the assassination of Deputy Commander Chen that night was, in fact, Marquis Huainan.”

Han Pu's words once again sent shockwaves through the crowd!