His entire family perished in battle; he rose from the ashes to conquer the world.

When Mu Yuan noticed that the old man's gaze wasn't as sharp as it used to be when he was being scrutinized, he asked in return:

"Who are you?"

Before the old man could speak, Ma Chengwu began to introduce:

"This is Minister of Justice Xu Wei, an imperial envoy appointed by the Emperor, who has come specifically to investigate the cause of Feng Zhong's death."

At this point, Ma Chengwu introduced another middle-aged man.

"This is Wang Xian, the Grand Eunuch. He has served the Emperor since he was a child. He is assisting Lord Xu in handling the case this time."

Upon learning the identities of the two, Mu Yuan narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself: These two are no ordinary people!

The Minister of Justice is responsible for criminal law, prison administration, and judicial review. Holding the rank of Second Grade, he wields real power—a true high-ranking official.

Another Grand Eunuch, Wang Xian, held the rank of fourth grade. Although his official title was not as high as that of the Minister of Justice, he had one advantage that the Minister of Justice and even other court officials could not match.

That is, the Grand Eunuch was able to have direct contact with the Emperor on ordinary days.

Moreover, the Grand Eunuch was specifically responsible for the emperor's food, daily life, and imperial carriage guards, which shows that the Grand Eunuch was deeply trusted by the emperor.

Finally, Wang Xian stayed by the emperor's side from childhood to adulthood.

This further illustrates the point.

Wang Xian's influence was not simply due to the emperor's trust; he was one of the few people who truly understood the emperor.

"Grandpa Wang, let's begin."

Xu Wei looked at Wang Xian beside him and spoke very carefully and politely.

Wang Xianwei kept his eyes closed, his attitude casual yet tinged with arrogance. He hummed in response, his gaze fixed on Mu Yuan, and his voice sharp:

"Young Master Mu, do you know your crime?"

The fact that they immediately asked if he knew he was guilty clearly showed that they were treating Mu Yuan as a criminal.

Mu Yuan wasn't surprised.

After all, it was Prince Zhu Zheng of Ning who wrote the memorial and sent it to the capital.

Given Prince Ning's personality, in his memorial, he would not only portray him as the murderer of Feng Zhong, but would also smear him in various ways.

How could Mu Yuan possibly confess? Besides, he didn't kill Feng Zhong at all.

"What crime is the father-in-law talking about? What crime is it, and where does it come from?" Mu Yuan asked in return.

"Still being stubborn? You killed Feng Zhong, and you're asking what crime I committed? Do you know that Feng Zhong was recommended by the Duke of Liang and personally appointed by the Emperor to serve as the Deputy Commander of the Western Army in the Southwest? How dare you commit murder against him?"

With her fingers delicately intertwined, Wang Xian publicly revealed Mu Yuan's crimes.

"Father-in-law, if I had killed him, why would I have voluntarily stayed in prison these past few days?" Mu Yuan continued to ask Wang Zhi.

Wang Xian snorted coldly and said, "Perhaps you have a guilty conscience, or perhaps you are deliberately putting on a show for outsiders to dispel their suspicions about you."

Watching Wang Xian preside over the case, arguing with Mu Yuan throughout, did nothing to advance the case.

Xu Wei, the Minister of Justice, could no longer sit still.

"Father-in-law, please rest for a moment. I will conduct the interrogation."

Xu Wei remained very polite to Wang Xian, who nodded in response. Only then did Xu Wei turn to look at Mu Yuan:

"Young Master Mu, your words have been a denial of murdering Feng Zhong. Do you have any evidence to prove it? If you do, please produce it as soon as possible, and I will clear your name. If you don't, then your words just now are just sophistry."

A hint of hesitation flashed in Mu Yuan's eyes.

Compared to Wang Xian, Xu Wei clearly values ​​evidence more.

Such people are often more difficult to deal with.

Because the other party will not be swayed by emotions during the trial, and will prioritize evidence above all else.

However, the most crucial piece of evidence is the medicine bottle that Feng Zhong threw away before taking the poison, which is now nowhere to be found.

Lan Que, who was listening in, noticed that Mu Yuan was silent and had a strange expression. He was afraid that Mu Yuan would actually produce some evidence. In addition, Zhu Zhu had overheard his conversation with Prince Ning. If something went wrong, it would be extremely disadvantageous for him.

Thinking of this, Lan Que quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said to Xu Wei:

"Lord Xu, why waste your breath talking to him? There were many eyewitnesses to his murder of Feng Zhong that day, and they were all soldiers from the Western Army. I urge you, Lord Xu, to punish him as soon as possible!"

"Nephew Lan, as an observer, you shouldn't cause any trouble." Xu Wei smiled and waved to Lan Que, gesturing for him to sit back down.

Mu Yuan had been secretly observing Xu Wei's actions.

He was very polite to both Wang Xian and Lan Que.

But this politeness was clearly tinged with distance.

Lan Que gave an awkward smile and sat back down. The moment he lowered his head, a cold glint flashed across his face, clearly indicating that he had some complaints about Xu Wei, but dared not show them openly.

Xu Wei looked at Mu Yuan again:

"Young Master Mu, I'll ask you one more time: do you have any evidence to prove you didn't kill Feng Zhong?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Yuan remained silent.

Just as he was about to shake his head and say no.

"I can testify that Mu Yuan is not the murderer of Feng Zhong."

Just then, a voice came from outside.

The next moment, Zhu Zhu rushed in, accompanied by Qin Hongxiu.

Upon seeing Zhu Zhu's arrival, Prince Ning and Lan Que exchanged a glance, their expressions instantly changing, clearly showing signs of panic.

"My dear niece, you're not allowed to cause trouble here."

Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, stepped forward first and gave a look to the guards beside him, preparing to have them forcibly take Zhu Zhu away from there, citing Zhu Zhu's misbehavior as an excuse.

Just as the guards were about to step forward, Qin Hongxiu rushed forward, blocked them, and shielded Zhu Zhu behind her.

"If you want to touch the princess, you'll have to get past me first!"

"How dare you!" Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, roared. "Qin Hongxiu, don't think you can act so wildly here just because you're from a military family and the daughter-in-law of the Mu family!"

"Your Highness, what are you so afraid of in your repeated attempts to stop me?" Qin Hongxiu mocked.

Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, immediately denied it, saying, "Don't make baseless accusations! Don't think I don't know. Your husband has only been dead for a short time, and you're already having an affair with Mu Yuan. You're simply a slut!"

Upon hearing him publicly slander her, Qin Hongxiu immediately prepared to take action.

Fortunately, Zhu Zhu stopped Qin Hongxiu in time, shook her head, and whispered a reminder: "Don't be fooled. What we need to do now is save Mu Yuan."

Qin Hongxia's anger subsided considerably, and she regained her composure.

"Lord Xu, I can vouch for Mu Yuan's innocence. Would you be willing to hear it?"

Zhu Zhu looked at Xu Wei. As the daughter of the Prince of Jin, she had lived in the capital since childhood and naturally knew many high-ranking officials, including Xu Wei.

Xu Wei looked at Wang Xian beside him and asked:

"Father-in-law, what do you think?"

Wang Xian wasn't stupid. Even though he was unwilling, there was no need to contradict the Prince of Jin's daughter in this situation. In the end, he reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Seeing Wang Xian nod, Xu Wei quickly followed suit and agreed.

"Tell me about it."

Zhu Zhu raised her hand and pointed to Prince Ning and Lan Que, then recounted in detail the conversation she had overheard between the two that day.

As Zhu Zhu finished speaking.

The atmosphere at the scene instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Everyone looked unwell.

Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, almost gritted his teeth as he said to Zhu Zhu, "My dear niece, you must provide evidence before you speak!"