I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 892 Such Family Affection
Faced with the King of Great Victory's feigned question, Xie Lingyun nodded and replied, "Your Majesty, this is indeed the case."

Upon hearing Xie Lingyun's words, Gong Chun hurriedly spoke up: "Your Majesty, Zhang Chen dared to defy the law, and his crime is unforgivable. I beg Your Majesty to execute him immediately to set an example for the law."

At this moment, someone in the queue spoke up, and dozens of people from the eight major families stepped forward and knelt on the ground, pleading with the Great Victory King Mingzheng to execute Zhang Chen on the spot.

Seeing the scene before him, a strange look appeared in the eyes of the Great Victory King, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but he quickly suppressed it and looked at Zhang Shenqi, who stood motionless in the queue: "Zhang Shenqi!"

Then a man stepped out from the ranks and bowed to the King above. It was Zhang Shenqi, Zhang Chen's uncle. He stepped forward and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"What do you think?" the Great Victory King asked.

"I beg Your Majesty to issue an order to execute this scoundrel. In my heart, there is only the law, and I have never shown any favoritism!" Zhang Shenqi said respectfully.

Upon hearing Zhang Shenqi's words, the Great Victory King's smile became even more undisguised. Then, his eyes swept over the people in the court without saying a word. At this moment, Zhou Qiucheng, the seventh teacher of Chongzheng Academy, stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

"What can I do for you, my dear minister?" asked the Great Victory King above.

"Your Majesty must not kill Zhang Chen, lest you fall into his trap," Zhou Qiucheng said respectfully.

"A scheme? What scheme? Tell me quickly, my dear minister," the Great Victory King immediately asked.

"I had contact with Zhang Chen in Jinling years ago and know that there are some conspiracies involved. However, Your Majesty should summon Zhang Chen so that he can tell the truth in person. I hope Your Majesty will find out the truth and not be deceived by villains," Zhou Qiucheng said.

Upon hearing this, the Great Victory King nodded. This matter had been secretly planned that day, so he naturally agreed without hesitation: "Summon Zhang Chen."

Zhang Chen emerged from the side hall and walked step by step toward the Great Victory Court. As he walked, Zhang Chen realized that the dragon energy in the air was becoming increasingly oppressive as he got closer to the center of the court. Even his immortal power was suppressed, and only the Five Elements Authority and the Eye of Heaven could be mobilized.

The Five Elements Authority is at an extremely high level. The Eye of Heavenly Punishment involves the supreme power of the Heavenly Dao, so it is naturally not afraid of being suppressed by the power of the Human Dao.

Zhou Qiucheng's request for Zhang Chen to enter the main hall was Zhang Chen's own plan. It was a key move to lure Bai Cang into the main hall and meet the Great Victory King.

After glancing at the Great Victory King, Zhang Chen saw that the other party was surrounded by dragon energy, and he could not tell the other party's cultivation level. So he could only kneel down and respectfully bow: "This humble subject Zhang Chen pays respects to the Great Victory King."

“Zhang Chen, you dared to leave the Northern Lands without permission and disobey the King’s decree. This is a capital offense. Now, go before the King and explain your reasons. If you can gain the King’s forgiveness, you may have a chance to live. Otherwise, even the Heavenly King himself cannot save you.” Zhou Qiucheng said to Zhang Chen meticulously.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen bowed to Zhou Qiucheng again in thanks, then looked up at the King above and said, "Your Majesty, before recounting the conspiracy, I have a request."

“Speak,” said the King.

Zhang Chen respectfully said, "Your Majesty, please summon Princess Pingbian to the court. I wish to confront Princess Pingbian."

To put it simply, Zhang Chen wanted to create an opportunity for the Great Victory King and the Queen of Pingbian to meet.

Since things had come to this point, in order to cooperate with Zhang Chen's act, the Great Victory King did not refuse, but instead called out to the door, "Summon the Princess of Pingbian."

As soon as the Great Victory King spoke, footsteps sounded outside the hall. A woman dressed in white gauze slowly walked in from outside the door. In that instant, Zhang Chen seemed to see a beam of light.

Zhang Chen had seen Zhang Xiaolan before, but in his eyes, although Zhang Xiaolan was beautiful, she was just an ordinary beauty. There was never a lack of beauty in the world, and her beauty was still inferior to Xie Lingyun's. But now, looking at Zhang Xiaolan again, Zhang Chen suddenly felt that Zhang Xiaolan in the past was like a pearl covered in dust, now shining with unprecedented brilliance.

He had to admit that Zhang Xiaolan radiated light at that moment, not only light but also a captivating light that absorbed all the brilliance of the world, making her the only one in the hall and drawing the attention of all the officials.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaolan possessed a unique charm that stirred an inexplicable impulse within one's heart. Her slender figure seemed like a magnet, drawing the eye and making it impossible to look away. As the poem testifies:
Her hairpin trembled slightly, her jade hairpin swayed delicately, and her round fan, half-concealed by ice silk, swayed gently.

Fragrant clouds drift silently, their golden threads swaying gently; her eyes, like the waist of a Chu palace maid, sweep across the view.

There is also a poem to prove it:
With delicate hands, she gently brushed the raven-black hair from her temples; languidly, she lifted the beaded curtain, unwilling to paint her face. The dance of the rainbow-colored robes had ended, the spring night was short; the bright moon still bathed the waist of the small bridge.

(P.S.: These two poems are the author's original works.)

Just then, Zhang Chen's primordial spirit suddenly trembled slightly, and a trace of energy flowed within the Eye of Heavenly Punishment, instantly pulling Zhang Chen out of that state of depravity. Zhang Chen was so shocked that cold sweat broke out on his heart: "The fox clan's charm is indeed terrifying! Even the dragon energy of the Imperial Palace cannot suppress the fox clan's methods."

"Of course, it's also related to Zhang Xiaolan absorbing the dragon energy of the Pingbian Prince's Mansion, which gave Zhang Xiaolan resistance to dragon energy, allowing him to use his methods even in the inner palace." Zhang Chen was secretly shocked.

Zhang Xiaolan slowly stepped forward and gracefully bowed to the King above. The officials and civil servants all stared at her graceful figure, their eyes burning with desire and their breathing becoming rapid. The King above also seemed to have his gaze glued to Zhang Xiaolan, unable to look away.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to Your Majesty," Zhang Xiaolan's sweet voice rang out in the air.

"Before meeting the Queen, I never imagined that there could be such a stunning beauty in the world. Compared to her, all the beauties in my harem are just ordinary and vulgar." The Great Victory King did not hold back his praise.

"Zhang Chen, you've summoned the Princess Consort. You can speak freely now." Xie Lingyun, seeing the lecherous looks on the face of the Great Victory King and his court officials, quickly steered the conversation in the direction of the princess.

Upon hearing Xie Lingyun's words, Zhang Chen's eyes swept over the entire court, a strange look appearing in them. If everyone knew that a male fox lived inside Zhang Xiaolan's body, he wondered if the entire court would be disgusted enough to vomit.

At this moment, Zhang Chen stepped forward and bowed to the King: "Your Majesty, I, Zhang Chen, have fled back from the north, but I have my reasons. That King of Pingbian is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and he actually wants to rebel. Moreover, he wants to use a substitution trick. Please allow me to explain in detail."

"The sinner followed his father all the way to the North, but who would have thought that the King of Pingbian was a wolf in sheep's clothing, actually wanting to transform into a dragon to cultivate a twelfth-level expert, and colluding with the demon race to prepare for a rebellion..." Zhang Chen recounted the grand plan of the King of Pingbian's mansion, from the ancestor's transformation into a dragon to Zhang Xiaohua's substitution of a concubine, and then to the demon race's breach of the White Bone Great Wall, forcing him to leave the North.

“Zhang Xiaolan is an insider. If Your Majesty were to question Zhang Xiaolan, you would surely be able to verify the truth of what I have said. If I had not thwarted the Pingbian Prince’s attempt to transform into a dragon twice, I fear that the Pingbian Prince would have already begun to rebel. The Pingbian Prince’s family harbors wolfish ambitions, and even after their failed rebellion, they had Zhang Xiaohua impersonate me. The Princess Consort knows all of this. Your Majesty only needs to interrogate the Princess Consort to find out the truth.” Zhang Chen continued to accuse the Pingbian Prince’s family of persecution against him.

The officials had long known that the Pingbian Prince's Mansion was making moves, but they never expected that the mansion's actions would be so meticulous. No one knew as much as Zhang Chen. With Zhang Chen's narration, the events in the North were fully revealed to everyone.

"Your Majesty only needs to interrogate Princess Pingbian to find out the truth." At this moment, Xie Lingyun stepped forward and said to Prince Pingbian above, "Zhang Chen is not only innocent, but has also made a great contribution by ruining the grand plan of Prince Pingbian's mansion. Please forgive Zhang Chen's crime."

The Great Victory King looked at Zhang Xiaolan and was somewhat bewildered by her. Originally, according to the consensus, they only needed to interrogate the Princess of Pingbian in court to verify that Zhang Chen's words were true. However, after the Great Victory King actually saw the Princess of Pingbian, he couldn't bear to part with her.

“Zhang Chen’s words are true. There is no need to interrogate the Queen. I have spies in the North who have already reported back and verified that Zhang Chen’s words are true.” King Dasheng said, “Zhang Chen has indeed made contributions to the country.”

Clearly, he softened. Faced with a beautiful woman, even a hero can't resist her charms, and he couldn't bear to interrogate her in public.

Seeing that the Great Victory King was about to change his tune, the people from the eight major families below couldn't sit still any longer. They all looked at Zhang Shenqi, waiting for him to make a statement. After all, Zhang Chen was a member of the Zhang family, and even if they wanted to put Zhang Chen to death, they would have to consider Zhang Shenqi's attitude.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Zhang Shenqi stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the Great Victory King above: "Your Majesty, although Zhang Chen has rendered meritorious service, his father's crimes are too grave and cannot be easily pardoned. I implore Your Majesty to order his execution to uphold the law. Although he has rendered meritorious service, it cannot cover up his father's crime of treason. I beg Your Majesty to issue the decree!"

As Zhang Shenqi finished speaking, the officials of the eight great families all received the signal and stepped forward, eager to put Zhang Chen to death.

"Your Majesty, although Zhang Chen has rendered meritorious service, his father committed the heinous crime of treason, which is insufficient to offset his crime. I beg Your Majesty to execute him!"

"Your Majesty, merit is merit, and demerit is demerit; they cannot be offset against each other. Your Majesty should reward him first, and then execute him after the reward is given!"

"Your Majesty, if Zhang Chen does not die, it will be difficult to silence public opinion. If everyone in the world follows suit in the future, what will become of us?"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

……

At this moment, everyone gathered together, determined to kill Zhang Chen.

(End of this chapter)