After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

Emperor Cangqi's sharp gaze fell on Chu Jingyu and Abbot Hong'an, carrying a hint of barely perceptible warning.

Chu Jingyu stepped forward, bowed, and when he raised his head again, his face no longer had its usual gentleness.

His voice was clear and resonant, piercing directly through the oppressive silence of the hall:

"Your Majesty, I have ascertained the truth regarding the murder of Duke Xie Dai."

He paused, then looked directly at Emperor Cangqi on the dragon throne, "The mastermind, planner, and order giver of this case—"

Chu Jingyu took a deep breath, and amidst the incredulous gazes of the court officials, he raised his hand and pointed to the dragon throne. His voice suddenly rose, booming like thunder in the Golden Palace:

"It is indeed Your Majesty!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire court erupted in uproar.

The deathly silence was shattered, replaced by an uncontrollable chorus of gasps.

Countless gazes shifted back and forth between the enraged Emperor Cangqi and the Crown Prince, almost unable to believe their ears.

Emperor Cangqi's face turned ashen in that instant.

He abruptly stood up from the dragon throne, his wide dragon sleeves billowing in the wind with the sudden movement, and pointed at Chu Jingyu:

"You unfilial son! How dare you spout such nonsense and slander your sovereign and father! Do you know your crime?!"

His eyes revealed a murderous intent.

Chu Jingyu did not back down. Meeting Emperor Cangqi's furious gaze, he quickened his pace, giving the other party no chance to interrupt:

"Your Majesty, you need not deny it, much less use your authority as the sovereign to pressure me."

His voice was icy, each word like a nail hardened with ice, striking the ears of everyone present:

"The facts are undeniable, the evidence is irrefutable. Several months ago, you harbored murderous intentions because you feared that Duke Xie's achievements overshadowed your own and his prestige in the army!"

Chu Jingyu's gaze swept over the officials on both sides, whose expressions had drastically changed, and he continued:

"You first secretly issued an edict to Cui Yan, the governor of Qingzhou, threatening the lives of over a hundred members of the Cui clan to force him to comply and act on your behalf within the territory of Qingzhou!"

"At the same time, you dispatched a trusted assassin with another secret edict to Qingzhou, ordering him to cooperate with Cui Yan in setting up an ambush on Xie Guogong's route to suppress bandits, to take his life at all costs, and to fabricate the incident as a bandit attack!"

As Chu Jingyu finished speaking, he suddenly took out a roll of bright yellow silk from his sleeve and raised it above his head with both hands.

Under the bright night-shining pearls inside the palace, the vermilion seal on the silk was clearly visible.

"This is the original secret edict bearing Your Majesty's imperial seal. Experienced ministers familiar with the seal can easily verify its authenticity!"

His voice suddenly rose, so loudly it seemed to echo throughout the palace, "And the witness, Prefect of Qingzhou Cui Yan, is waiting outside the palace right now. Does Your Majesty wish to summon him into the palace for a face-to-face confrontation?!"

This series of accusations, clearly laid out and supported by solid evidence, struck the hearts of everyone in the hall like heavy hammer blows.

"Whoosh!"

The suppressed commotion in the hall finally turned into an uncontrollable disturbance.

The officials could no longer remain silent, and many of them stole glances at Emperor Cangqi on the dragon throne, their eyes filled with horror and fear.

Murdering a pillar of the state, framing loyal officials, and even threatening to execute a general's entire family... How can this be the behavior of a wise ruler?!

This is simply the work of a foolish, tyrannical, and self-destructive ruler who brought about the downfall of his country!

"You unfilial son! You dare to forge a secret edict, collude with border generals, and slander me! You are plotting a rebellion!"

Emperor Cangqi swayed, his hand pointing at Chu Jingyu trembling violently.

Just then, Abbot Hong'an, who had been standing silently to the side, finally moved.

He stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and the high-monk demeanor that Huiming had urgently instilled in him came in handy at this moment.

He first recited a long Buddhist chant:

"Amitabha."

The voice was loud and clear, with a strange penetrating power, which temporarily suppressed the commotion in the hall.

Abbot Hong'an looked up at the enraged Emperor Cangqi with pity in his eyes, as if looking at a pitiful person drowning in a sea of ​​suffering, and slowly spoke:

"Your Majesty, please calm your wrath. Anger is like a raging fire, burning both the heart and the body."

Wang Dazhuang tried hard to recall Huimingjiao's words and continued: "The Buddha said: All sentient beings possess the wisdom and virtues of the Tathagata, but they do not realize it because of their delusions and attachments."

"Your Majesty once had the world in your heart, but you were blinded by the lust for power, and your delusions grew. You became obsessed with control and suspicion, which led to the gradual growth of inner demons that obscured the clarity of your mind."

Seeing Emperor Cangqi's increasingly grim expression, Abbot Hong'an continued:

"As you sow, so shall you reap. Your Majesty sowed the seeds of murder and framing in the past, and today you reap the fruits of distrust between father and son, alienation between ruler and subject, and the revelation of the truth. This is the cycle of karma, and retribution is inevitable."

"However," he changed the subject, trying to imitate the tone of Huiming's teachings—a tone that showed both worldly wisdom and compassion: "The sea of ​​suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore."

"Your Majesty, for your own selfish reasons, has committed this heinous act against Heaven and reason, sowing the seeds of evil. If you continue to be obstinate, I fear not only will you lose your throne, but you will also jeopardize the Chu dynasty and plunge the people of the land into war!"

Abbot Hong'an paused, his gaze sweeping over the officials with their varied expressions, before finally settling on Emperor Cangqi, his tone heavy with sorrow:

"This old monk is a person outside the secular world, and should not concern himself with worldly affairs, much less speak ill of His Majesty."

He clasped his hands together, bowed deeply, then straightened up, his eyes seemingly glistening with tears.

"However, as the Buddha said: If I don't go to hell, who will?"

"The current situation is all due to a moment of folly on my part in the past, which helped Your Majesty to make a wrong turn, resulting in the injustice of loyal officials, the turmoil of the court, and the collapse of the foundation of the nation."

"For such sins, this old monk is willing to fall into the Avici Hell without regret."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Cangqi was utterly enraged. He stared intently at Abbot Hong'an, as if he wanted to devour him alive.

"Hong'an! Have you gone mad too?! I have treated you well. I bestowed upon you the position of abbot of Huguo Temple, granting you unparalleled honor! How dare you... how dare you collude with this rebellious son and turn against me? Have you forgotten who put you in this situation?!"

Upon hearing this, Abbot Hong'an's face showed even greater sorrow. He sighed deeply and slowly said:

"Your Majesty, this old monk...is deeply sinful."

"Back then, when the late emperor was on the throne, Your Majesty tempted me with the position of abbot of Huguo Temple. This old monk failed to guard his Zen mind. In a moment of weakness, I coveted the vanity of this supreme Buddhist sect in the mortal world and agreed to Your Majesty's offer."

"From then on, the image of a solitary lamp and ancient Buddha was a facade, while the blood-stained butcher's knife was the true reality."

"Over the years, I have been eliminating dissidents and preventing future troubles for His Majesty, both openly and secretly. The number of lives I have taken is almost unrecognizable, even to myself. This is my crime."

He paused, then continued, "Later, His Majesty ascended the throne. He was wary of meritorious officials and suspicious of loyal ministers. In order to protect his own power, I repeatedly used Buddhism as a pretext to fabricate destinies and tamper with celestial phenomena."

"Although I did not directly wield the knife in the death of Duke Xie, I knew the inside story. I did not dissuade him, but instead covered up for His Majesty and obscured the truth. This is my second crime."

"For many years, this old monk has been chanting Buddhist scriptures and wearing robes, but his heart has long been tainted by lust for power. In order to gain strength, he has secretly practiced evil arts, absorbed evil energy, and polluted the pure land of Buddhism. He is hypocritical and deceitful. These are the three sins."

With each sin he confessed, his voice grew lower, but his remorse became ever clearer.