I slaughtered my way through the border at the start, I am the Great Ming's Night Raider!

Chen Yuan stood half a step behind the Grand Princess, a very subtle position.

This not only revealed his status but also demonstrated his close relationship with the Grand Princess.

Many officials were secretly observing him and whispering among themselves.

"Is that the newly promoted commander of a thousand households by the Grand Princess?"

"I heard they used to be night scouts..."

"Night scouts? Aren't they military households? How can they be commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

"What do you know? This is His Highness's will..."

Amidst the discussions, the sound of bells rang out from the Bell and Drum Tower.

It's Mao Shi (5-7 AM).

Fengtian Gate slowly opened, and civil and military officials filed in.

Chen Yuan followed the Grand Princess into the Fengtian Hall, his first time stepping into this hall that symbolized the highest power of the Ming Dynasty.

The hall is tall and spacious, with seventy-two golden nanmu pillars supporting the dome, and the floor is paved with gold bricks that are so shiny they reflect light.

The throne, perched high atop the steps, was currently empty—the Emperor was seriously ill and had not attended court for several months.

A chair was placed in front of the throne, which was the seat of the Grand Princess who was in charge of the country.

Everyone stood still.

The eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial announced, "All officials pay their respects—"

"Greetings, Your Highness—"

All the officials bowed in unison.

"Rise."

The Grand Princess sat upright in her chair, her voice calm and authoritative.

The morning assembly began.

First came the routine: reports from various departments, border military situation, local disasters, financial revenue and expenditure... one by one, tedious and cumbersome.

Chen Yuan listened quietly, but he was making plans in his mind.

Cao Jixiang stood beside the throne, eyes downcast, like a clay sculpture.

Finally, it was the Censorate's turn to report.

The position of Left Censor-in-Chief Liu Qiu was vacant, and Right Censor-in-Chief Li Yan submitted the memorial on his behalf.

Li Yan stepped forward, holding a jade tablet, and declared in a loud voice: "Your subject Li Yan hereby impeaches Cao Jixiang, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, for ten major crimes!"

The hall fell silent instantly.

coming!

Cao Jixiang didn't even lift his eyelids, as if he hadn't heard.

The Grand Princess said, "Speak."

Li Yan unfolded the memorial and read aloud: "First, he forged imperial edicts and abused his power, falsely conveying imperial decrees! Second, he embezzled and perverted the law, accepting bribes! Third, he framed loyal officials and persecuted ministers! Fourth..."

He read out all ten charges in one breath, concluding with, "Cao Jixiang's crimes are heinous and unforgivable! I beg Your Highness to execute him according to the law and uphold justice!"

After the performance ended, the hall was deathly silent.

All eyes instantly turned to Cao Jixiang.

Cao Jixiang finally moved, slowly descending the steps to stand before Li Yan, and smiled: "Imperial Censor Li, you say my family forged an imperial edict? Do you have any evidence?"

"Of course!" Li Yan raised his head. "The edict you drafted yesterday to abolish the power of regent was a forged edict!"

"Oh?" Cao Jixiang turned to the Grand Princess. "Your Highness, is this true?"

The Grand Princess looked at him and slowly said, "I was just about to ask you, Eunuch Cao, did you draft that imperial edict?"

"Yes," Cao Jixiang readily admitted, "but that was the Emperor's will. Although the Emperor was seriously ill, he issued the decree himself when he was of sound mind. I was merely acting as his scribe."

The Grand Princess sneered, "His Majesty hasn't seen any outsiders for months, not even me. How come he only saw you, Eunuch Cao?"

"Well..." Cao Jixiang said slowly, "His Majesty has his own reasons. Perhaps... he feels that there are some people he should no longer see."

These words were almost provocative.

The atmosphere inside the hall was extremely tense.

Just then, a voice rang out: "Eunuch Cao says the Emperor issued the decree himself, but is there any proof?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Chen Yuan who was speaking.

He stepped out of the queue and into the hall.

Cao Jixiang narrowed his eyes: "Commander Chen, do you even have the right to speak here?"

"A commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a fifth-rank official, is authorized to report matters to the emperor according to the law." Chen Yuan said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Moreover, this matter is of great importance, and since I am present, I naturally want to get to the bottom of it."

"Good, well asked." Cao Jixiang smiled. "Then let me ask you, do you have any evidence to prove that I forged an imperial edict?"

Chen Yuan took out the scroll of the bright yellow imperial edict from his robes. "This is the edict that Eunuch Cao drafted yesterday. It states that the power of regent is abolished and handed over to the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Grand Secretariat for joint administration. But..."

He unfurled the imperial edict: "The ink on this jade seal is not yet completely dry. According to regulations, it must be left to dry for three days after use before being issued. Eunuch Cao used the seal yesterday, and the ink is still wet today, clearly indicating that it was sealed immediately after use, intended for issuance after today's court assembly. This is not in accordance with regulations, and more importantly..."

He paused, then raised his voice: "The handwriting on this imperial edict is not the Emperor's own! It was forged by someone you, Eunuch Cao, had done!"

An uproar erupted inside the hall.

Cao Jixiang's expression finally changed: "You...you're slandering me!"

"Whether it's slander or not, a test will tell."

Chen Yuan then took out several more secret letters. "These were found in a hidden compartment in Eunuch Cao's office. They are letters between Eunuch Cao and his court officials. They bear Eunuch Cao's own handwriting, and comparing them with the handwriting on the imperial edicts, it's immediately clear they were written by the same person!"

He handed the imperial edict and the secret letter to Li Yan: "Imperial Censor Li is an expert in calligraphy. Please have Imperial Censor Li examine them."

Li Yan took it and compared it carefully, his expression growing increasingly serious with each look.

Finally, he looked up, his voice trembling: "It is indeed...it is indeed the same handwriting! This imperial edict...it is a forgery!"

"Whoosh—"

The hall erupted in chaos in an instant.

The officials whispered amongst themselves, discussing the matter animatedly.

Cao Jixiang stood in the hall, his face ashen, but his eyes still fierce.

"So what if the handwriting is forged?" he sneered. "Who can prove it was written by us? Maybe... it was you, Commander Chen, who framed us!"

"What about this one?"

Chen Yuan then took out another item.

It was a jade pendant, carved from white jade with a dragon, its eyes inlaid with rubies.

The Grand Princess was startled when she saw the jade pendant.

Upon seeing the jade pendant, Cao Jixiang's expression finally changed completely: "This...this is..."

"This was found in Eunuch Cao's secret compartment."

Chen Yuan held up the jade pendant, "This jade pendant is exactly the same as the one His Highness Prince Zhao wore back then! Eunuch Cao, can you explain why His Highness Prince Zhao's jade pendant is in your possession?"

The hall fell silent once more.

This time, it was eerily quiet.

It is common knowledge in the court and among the people that Prince Zhao, Zhu Gaosui, died suddenly in the second year of the Xuande reign.

But what does it mean that his jade pendant appeared in Cao Jixiang's hands?

This means that Cao Jixiang was likely involved in the death of the King of Zhao.

This means...this is a huge scandal.

Cao Jixiang's hands trembled in his sleeve, but he forced himself to remain calm: "It's just a jade pendant, what can it prove? Maybe our family found it, maybe someone gave it to us..."

"And what about Eunuch Qin?" Chen Yuan pressed on. "Eunuch Qin died suddenly five years ago. What explanation does Eunuch Cao have for his death?"

Cao Jixiang finally panicked: "You...what nonsense are you talking about!"

"Eunuch Qin was a confidant of Prince Zhao and a former servant of the Grand Princess," Chen Yuan stared at him. "Before his sudden death, someone saw you, Eunuch Cao, visit his residence. After that, Eunuch Qin 'died suddenly from an illness.' Eunuch Cao, is this another coincidence?"

"You...you're spouting nonsense!" Cao Jixiang roared in exasperation. "Guards! Guards! Seize this madman who's spouting such rubbish!"

Several agents from the Eastern Depot rushed in from outside the hall, intending to seize Chen Yuan.