Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

Wannian County Government Office

Chen Chang'an was taken into the county government office by three constables, while dozens of onlookers gathered outside.

Whether they were drinking tea by the roadside or selling goods from a shoulder pole, when they heard that the talented scholar Shen An, who wrote "Clouds remind me of clothes, flowers remind me of beauty," had been arrested, they all gathered outside the county government office to watch the spectacle.

In the courtroom.

A middle-aged man with a short beard, dressed in official robes, sat under the plaque that read "A Clear Mirror Hangs High," his face solemn.

A chair was placed in the center of the lobby, and Zhao Wan'er sat on it with her hands folded on her lap.

She was dressed in simple clothes, her hair was loose, her eyes were red, and she was clutching a handkerchief in her hand. She would sob occasionally, looking pitiful.

Chen Chang'an was brought into the courtroom and stood beside Zhao Wan'er.

The bearded constable stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Sir, the prisoner Chen Chang'an has been brought here."

Magistrate Liu Yuan of Wannian County slammed his gavel and roared, "You audacious Chen Chang'an, kneel before me!"

Chen Chang'an looked at the county magistrate sitting above him, but did not kneel. Instead, he glanced at Zhao Wan'er sitting in the chair and asked, "My lord, may I ask why she is not kneeling?"

Liu Yuan frowned and snorted coldly, "Zhao is the daughter of an official. Her father is the Assistant Minister of Rites. According to precedent, she is exempt from kneeling in court."

Chen Chang'an nodded and said calmly, "If that's the case, then I don't need to kneel. Zhao's father is only an Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, a sixth-rank official, while my father is a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a fourth-rank official. There's no reason for me to kneel if she doesn't..."

Liu Yuan's throat moved, and the muscles on his face twitched.

He knew, of course, that this man was the son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Although the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was not his direct superior, he was in charge of the promotion and assessment of officials throughout the country. With just a thought, he could transfer him from the capital to some godforsaken border region.

Under normal circumstances, he would never dare to interfere with the son of the Vice Minister of Personnel.

But today's events were secretly orchestrated by his father, Chen Wenyuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, so he had nothing to fear.

However, what this kid said makes sense. With so many people watching outside, if he were forced to kneel, it would make him seem like he was in the wrong.

He waved his hand, his tone somewhat impatient, and said, "Fine, fine, you can just stand there."

Chen Chang'an shook his head, glanced at Zhao Wan'er again, and asked, "Why is she sitting while I have to stand?"

Liu Yuan slammed his gavel and roared, "She's the victim, you're the perpetrator! What gives you the right to sit here?"

Chen Chang'an crossed his arms and retorted, "This case hasn't even started yet, and you're already in a hurry to convict me? Isn't that inappropriate? Or did you receive some prior instructions that you must convict me today...?"

Whispers could be heard from the crowd outside.

"Young Master Chen is right."

"How can you convict someone before even trying the case?"

"This magistrate, could he have taken a bribe?"

……

Hearing the sounds from outside, Liu Yuan's beard twitched a few times. He waved his hand helplessly and said, "Give him a seat too!"

Two constables brought over a chair and placed it next to Zhao Wan'er's chair.

Chen Chang'an sat in his chair, glanced at Zhao Wan'er indifferently, and casually crossed his legs.

Especially at times like these, he must not show any sign of guilt.

Judging from the attitude of this county magistrate, he is most likely in cahoots with Chen Wenyuan and Zhao Shi.

Not only could he not feel guilty, he also had to stall for time as much as possible until Qing Shuang arrived.

Zhao Wan'er subconsciously turned her head and met Chen Chang'an's gaze. A nameless fear suddenly rose in her heart.

She had been a frequent visitor to the Chen residence since she was a child, and her impression of Chen Chang'an had always been that of a timid, cowardly, and useless coward...

She had never seen him look like that before, and then she recalled his behavior before he left the Chen family...

She always felt that there was a strange soul inside Chen Chang'an's body.

Overwhelmed by guilt and fear, she trembled slightly, pointed at Chen Chang'an, and said in a trembling voice, "My lord, two months ago, he was the one who molested me. I beg you, my lord, to do justice for me!"

Liu Yuan stroked his beard, cleared his throat, and tried to appear impartial as he asked, "You said you were sexually assaulted two months ago, why are you only coming to complain today?"

Beside her, an old woman from the Zhao household immediately stepped forward and explained, "Your Honor, my young lady is an innocent and virtuous woman, almost ruined by this lecherous man. For the past two months, she has cried every night. Today, she finally mustered the courage to come and file this complaint, begging Your Honor to do justice for my young lady!"

Liu Yuan nodded slightly, looked at Chen Chang'an, and asked, "Chen Chang'an, do you know your crime?"

Chen Chang'an shook his head and said, "Why should I confess to something I didn't do? Zhao Wan'er is such a vulgar woman, she's not worthy of my indecent behavior. This is all just a frame-up..."

He glanced at Zhao Wan'er indifferently, a glance that was exactly the same as the look he had given her during the two months he spent at the Chen residence.

Zhao Wan'er immediately recalled Chen Chang'an's contempt and mockery towards her back then, except that the time it was only in front of the Chen family, while this time it was in front of everyone...

This made her face turn bright red, and she felt extremely humiliated.

At that moment, a burst of laughter came from the crowd outside the door.

"This young master Chen is far too blunt!"

"That's true too. It's said that the day Miss Qingcheng invited him into her room to listen to music, Young Master Chen just kept trying to sell them Qing Shuang Fang's perfume..."

"That's hilarious! He wouldn't even be interested in Miss Qingcheng, how could he possibly be interested in this Miss Zhao?"

"I admit that this Miss Zhao is somewhat pretty, but compared to Miss Qingcheng, she's far inferior..."

"If he wanted to, he could just write a poem and countless beauties would offer themselves to him. Why would he need to molest her?"

"Hehe, that's not necessarily true. What if Young Master Chen likes ugly people..."

"Haha, that's possible!"

……

Behind the crowd, Gu Qingcheng wore a veil, her expression somewhat strange.

She didn't believe the story that Young Master Chen had sexually assaulted the girl...

That day, if he hadn't been promoting his perfume, he probably wouldn't have even given her a second glance. In front of this Miss Zhao, the most beautiful woman in the capital still had some confidence...

In the courtroom, Zhao Wan'er trembled all over.

It wasn't that she was scared by Chen Chang'an, but rather that she was angry...

"Compared to the stunning beauty, she's far inferior..."

"What if he likes ugly people..."

"I like ugly things..."

"Ugly..."

……

For a woman who is proud of her beauty to be talked about like this in public is tantamount to public execution...

Zhao Wan'er wasn't that thick-skinned. In her anger, an unnatural blush rose to her face, her head lolled to the side, and she fainted in the chair...