It’s hard to break a phoenix’s destiny

Chapter 487: The Palace is Full of Wine and Meat

Everyone moved to the main hall of Hanyue Palace, which is now also the meeting center of the Jin court.

Sima Chi naturally sat in the main seat, and Yang Xianrong sat on his left, dignified and elegant.

However, this was not an ordinary morning court session. The ministers were just lined up on both sides, while the red-clad spearmen occupied most of the space. Each of them held a spear and looked extremely majestic.

Qin Chaoge and Xu Henian both stood behind Yang Xianrong, looking a little nervous. Cui Xi, on the other hand, was very considerate and prepared hot tea for Yang Xianrong and stood beside her, just separating her from Sima Chi, and stood there with an indifferent look on her face.

Seeing Hong Tianquan being brought up and falling to the ground, Yang Xianrong nodded and put down the hot tea in her hand.

"Hong Tianquan, this is the time when I will formally interrogate you. You must answer honestly."

There was no sound in the hall.

Hong Tianquan raised his head with great effort, then lowered his head again.

"I have read all the files. Everything recorded in them is true, as verified by the Northern Army and the Shangshu Office. Why do you keep trying to overturn the case?"

"I was wrongly accused! I didn't steal anything!" Hong Tianquan shouted, "You are wrongly accusing me!"

"Oh? Unfair?" Yang Xianrong snorted coldly.

Sima Chi didn't know when the blessing came to him. He suddenly picked up the copper paperweight on the table and slapped it hard. The sound was quite loud, and everyone in the hall shuddered. Even Hong Tianquan trembled and didn't dare to speak.

Yang Xianrong was actually also startled, but she was sitting next to Sima Chi and saw his actions, so she was always prepared. So, while everyone was in a daze, she continued, "People say you are cunning and sophistry, and it seems that what they say is true. I have talked to you three times, all about trivial matters at home and general questions. And your answers were very different before and after, which is also recorded in the book."

Yuan Heshuo was standing aside holding a pile of letters. He straightened up immediately when he heard this.

Yang Xianrong glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and at the same time saw Pu Jinshan, whose mouth was blocked. He stared with his eyes wide open, looking extremely unconvinced.

"This is the case with small matters at home, let alone the case." Yang Xianrong looked back at Hong Tianquan, and Sima Chi cooperated by slapping the table with the copper paperweight again. "If you tell the truth, you are a hero. After all, if you have the courage to do it, you have the courage to admit it. But if you continue to argue, it will be a deliberate disturbance of the court. Even if I beat you to death right now in the hall, it would not be too much. You... think about it carefully, don't ask for trouble!"

Before Yang Xianrong had finished speaking, Sima Chi slammed the table with his copper paperweight for the third time. Even the red-clothed spearmen at the side began to pound the ground with the hard wooden sticks of their spears, making "hehehe" sounds from their mouths, which immediately made the atmosphere in the hall extremely tense.

Those who were timid couldn't help but step back.

Hong Tianquan raised his head and looked at Yang Xianrong with disdain on his face. "Who are you? You are just a woman..."

Before he could finish his words, Qin Chaoge had already stepped forward and slapped Hong Tianquan's face with a few slaps, leaving it red and bleeding from his mouth and nose.

The blood dripped onto the bluestone slabs of the hall, extremely bright red and sticky.

"I am Queen Hui of the Great Jin Dynasty." Yang Xianrong's tone was not sharp, but it revealed a sense of majesty and an extremely stable momentum.

"Speak! Speak quickly!" Sima Chi slapped the table again.

"If you tell me, I will consider it." Yang Xianrong added.

Hong Tianquan was already panicking at this time, because he saw Qin Chaoge was about to beat him to death, and his palms were covered with his own blood. If he continued to slap him, he would probably be finished here. "I'll tell you!" Hong Tianquan was already slurring his words, "I stole the silver and hid it in my stove."

"Where is your home?" Yang Xianrong asked.

"Number 7, Tongling Lane."

Yang Xianrong turned to look at Yuan Heshuo, who nodded and replied, "A yamen runner had found this address before."

"Then go find them." Yang Xianrong's voice turned cold. "If you lie again this time, you can be killed immediately. Don't take the trophy money. This palace, the emperor, and the prince don't have to worry about this little money."

Sima Chi slammed the table again, and all the red-robed spearmen and the people from the Shangshu Office and the Northern Army were dispatched. They moved very quickly. Because they all belonged to different masters, they secretly competed to see who could find the stolen silver first.

In the main hall, Hong Tianquan lost several teeth and fell to the ground with a dizzy head.

There was obvious panic in Pu Jinshan's eyes. He looked at Yang Xianrong and his body trembled slightly.

Yang Xianrong had already looked over at him and asked, "Master Pu, if the stolen silver is found, does that mean the case is closed?"

Pu Jinshan didn't dare to speak.

"Yes, let's wait and see." Yang Xianrong smiled and touched the golden hairpin on her head and the white jade earrings on her ears. "This is also the first time for me to try a case in the court. If Emperor Xiaohui could see this scene today, he would definitely find it very interesting. He likes lively occasions the most. It is so interesting to try a case while eating and drinking."

In the court, someone trembled again.

They had witnessed Sima Zhong drinking and eating meat in the main hall while listening to their reports on local affairs. Now thinking about it, they saw that he used a small wine stove to warm the wine, and had some barbecued meat and other food.

Why didn’t I think of it before?
The familiar smell of "wine and meat" in the prison was exactly the smell Sima Zhong experienced when he went to court.

Zhang Liangchu came over with a food box and placed the small wine stove, daughter's red wine and roasted lamb that he had just found in the prison on the table.

The smell spread and many people lowered their heads.

Sima Chi didn't know about this past, but his face looked a little worse.

Only Yang Xianrong stood up, picked up the small wine cup and poured himself a glass, then looked around at everyone in the hall and laughed softly.

That face instantly became so dazzling that it was impossible to look away.

She raised her head and drank the small cup of wine. The spicy taste lingered in her throat, making her cry. Then, she pinched a small piece of roasted lamb with her slender fingers and put it into her mouth to suppress the smell of alcohol.

It turned out that this was the reason why Sima Zhong always squinted at the ministers of the Jin Dynasty.

However, he always drinks, so he shouldn't feel the pungent smell. So, he should find these things in the court particularly boring, right?

Yang Xianrong looked at the people in the hall one by one and found that they all had a look of fear and nervousness on their faces. Some of them were even obsessed with her appearance, which was really ridiculous.