All Heavens: From Joy of Life to The Great Feng Night Watchman

Page 453

Chu Caiwei tilted her head, her eyes narrowed into crescents, and the smile in her dimples was almost overflowing.

Xu Qi'an's budding feelings of love, which he had been trying to pry open for years, blossomed the moment he met Li Chang'an.

Li Chang'an shifted his gaze from Chu Caiwei's pretty and lovely face, and then saw a figure in red rushing from the depths of the government office.

"Pingyang! Are you alright?!"

The woman in red was extremely beautiful, with a round face adorned with bright peach blossom eyes and vivid red lips. Even though she looked angry, there was still a hint of charm between her brows.

"Sister Lin'an, I'm alright. I owe it all to Hero Li for saving me."

Princess Lin'an was not tall, but she was petite and exquisite. Her neck revealed fair, firm, and delicate skin that looked very smooth. Her small body seemed to contain powerful energy.

Li Chang'an thought that it was no wonder Xu Qi'an called her the nightclub queen that such a pretty girl could dance all night long.

Princess Lin'an's expression softened instantly upon seeing that Pingyang was unharmed. She glanced at Li Chang'an and said, "Hero Li, you saved Pingyang, and I will certainly treat you well. But before that, let me first kill that bastard Zhang Yi!"

As they were talking, Princess Lin'an suddenly grabbed the imperial sword and charged towards Zhang Yi.

Chen Hanguang jogged out of the government office, hurriedly bowed to Prince Yu and his daughter, and then immediately called out to Princess Lin'an.

"Your Highness, the wanted criminal hasn't been tried yet. He can't be killed! He can't be killed!"

Lin'an's expression, which had just softened, turned cold and stern again. She put one hand on her hip and placed the sword against Chen Hanguang's neck with the other.

Her voice was soft and pleasant, but her tone was fierce: "This is a sword bestowed by the Emperor, do you dare to stop me!"

Looking at the furious Princess Lin'an, Li Chang'an was momentarily dazed. Was this domineering yet fierce little queen really Princess Biao Biao?

At this moment, Prince Yu stepped forward and said, "Lin'an, keep him alive for questioning. All three families are guilty of the heinous crime of extermination!"

“Killing him now would not only be too lenient for him, but it would also be detrimental to the prosecution.”

Looking at Zhang Yi, who was convulsing in pain, Lin An realized that killing him was indeed too lenient.

"Hmph, very well, I'd like to see how you conduct this interrogation!"

Prefect Chen Hanguang of the Capital Prefecture had tried many cases, but this was the first time he had seen a princess and a prince sitting in the back.

Zhang Yi's case went smoothly. With Heng Hui's identification and Li Chang'an's testimony, there were basically no doubts.

Li Chang'an knew that Zhang Yi's behavior, which used coercion to violate a woman's will, constituted rape.

If a crime is stopped due to external intervention, it is not considered rape interruption, but rather attempted rape, and the sentencing is the same as for rape.

In other words, it's not that he didn't want to do it anymore, but that he really wanted to do it but couldn't. So whether he did it or not, it's a serious crime.

Although this world doesn't have such a legal system, Zhang Yi murdered a member of the royal family, so he could be convicted immediately.

As for the young master of the Sun family and the eldest son of the Earl of Pingyuan, they both loudly cried out for justice at this time.

"My lord, we did nothing! This was all Zhang Yi's doing!"

"My lord, we are innocent! We did not harm the princess!"

The two men kept protesting their innocence, which made Princess Lin'an unable to sit still any longer. She put her hands on her hips and angrily rebuked them, "You scoundrels! You watched over them and did nothing, and even helped keep an eye on the monks. Aren't you accomplices? What are you trying to say to yourselves!"

Li Chang'an nodded. "That's right. People who plan to commit crimes together beforehand are called accomplices, and they are guilty of the same crime as Zhang Yi."

Assuming Zhang Yi succeeds, but the other two don't, they are still guilty of rape and will be punished accordingly.

For the young master of the Sun family and the eldest son of the Earl of Pingyuan, even if they were watching from the sidelines, it would still be considered rape.

Although Princess Biao Biao lacked modern legal knowledge, her simple sense of justice allowed her to pinpoint the crux of the case.

"Your Highness, we are innocent! We had no idea that Zhang Yi intended to harm the princess!"

"We only agreed to help the princess elope!"

Princess Lin'an roared, "You two scoundrels, how dare you speak so eloquently!"

Chen Hanguang cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness Lin'an, Zhang Yi's matter is already very clear. As long as we question these two people separately, we can find out the truth soon. Please rest assured."

According to normal procedure, these two people should be interrogated separately before a verdict can be reached.

Prince Yu was always thorough and steady in his actions. “I believe that Prefect Chen will handle this matter impartially. However, I would like to ask Prefect Chen to keep an eye on the three families and prevent them from escaping.”

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to the head constable of the Six Doors and the night watchman Yin Luo on the other side.

Such a big matter cannot be decided by the government office alone; Chen Hanguang needs to report to various levels before it can be carried out.

The head constable of the Six Doors and that Yin Luo are both smart people. Princess Lin'an and Prince Yu are both here, so why bother with procedures?

"Your Highnesses, rest assured, we will take care of this matter immediately."

Prince Yu nodded in satisfaction, then said to Lin'an and Pingyang, "Lin'an, Pingyang, let's go back and wait for news."

Princess Lin'an puffed out her cheeks, looking unwilling to accept it. She thought she could convict someone with just a few words, but now it seemed that it wasn't that simple.

“Your Highness Prince Yu, Princess Lin’an, this matter doesn’t need to be so complicated.”

Li Chang'an stood up and slowly walked to the front of the young master of the Sun family and the eldest son of the Earl of Pingyuan.

Just as Chen Hanguang was about to see off the two distinguished guests, Li Chang'an unexpectedly jumped out again.

"Master Li, the country has its laws, and violence cannot be used to disrupt the law. Criminal investigations cannot be conducted using江湖 (jianghu) methods..."

However, Li Chang'an's next move left him speechless with astonishment.

Li Chang'an stood with his hands behind his back and solemnly said to the two men, "A gentleman should be honest, and so should a common man."

Then, the two young men looked strange, their minds filled with nothing but honesty.

"Tell me, how did you discuss this with Zhang Yi?"

The young master of the Sun family said in a daze, "Zhang Yi said that Princess Pingyang is a rare beauty, a golden branch and jade leaf that has not yet been deflowered. I am very much looking forward to everyone tasting her together."

The eldest son of the Marquis of Pingyuan said, "That foolish woman in Pingyang didn't even notice. The three of us have already discussed it and decided to use the bald monk to threaten her into serving us obediently."

"Then, we'll kill them both and bury them together with that aura-concealing artifact, so no one will find out..."

Prince Yu's face was contorted with bulging veins, his tiger-like eyes filled with tears, and he was furious beyond measure.

"brute!"

With a roar, he snatched the imperial sword bestowed upon him by Lin'an and plunged it into the mouth of the eldest son of the Earl of Pingyuan.

The longsword pierced through the back of his head, spraying blood and red and white brain matter everywhere as the sword churned violently.

Chapter 271 The Beauty Who Was Ruthlessly Killed by Huaiqing

If the young master of the Sun family and the eldest son of the Earl of Pingyuan told the truth, they would surely die. Although Prince Yu's killing in court was illegal, it was not a major crime.

Of course, such behavior would affect Prince Yu's career. However, Princess Pingyang's elopement and Prince Yu's failure to discipline her properly have disgraced the royal family, so he will definitely not be able to join the cabinet.

Prince Yu was a very composed person. When he found the princess, he had already made up his mind that it was enough for his daughter to come back, and he didn't care if he didn't join the cabinet!

Therefore, his killing of the disciple of the Earl of Pingyuan was a completely rational act, not an impulsive one.

The Earl of Pingyuan is two-faced. Princess Pingyang treated the Earl of Pingyuan's eldest son as a friend, but this boy treated her daughter like a fool. Moreover, his intention to rape her was so heinous that it was outrageous. He not only wanted her but also wanted to kill her.

Prince Yu could not swallow this insult; he could not vent his anger without killing someone himself.

"Lord Chen, can we now make a final decision?"

Prince Yu's casual remark snapped everyone out of their daze.

Prince Yu seized Lin'an's sword and killed him on the spot, a behavior completely unlike that of the composed Prince Yu.

Princess Lin'an, who was usually loud and boisterous, had never seen anyone actually kill anyone before. Her face turned pale and her hands and feet went cold. She was not as calm as Princess Pingyang.

As for Chu Caiwei, she froze on the spot just as she brought a piece of dried meat to her mouth.

She didn’t think much of Prince Yu’s killing, but Li Chang’an, who was skilled in both martial arts and Taoism, had also cultivated Confucianism and Taoism – that was shocking enough!

The cultivation system of the Great Feng Dynasty was established by the Imperial Observatory. It is possible to cultivate both martial arts and Taoism, but it is almost impossible to cultivate Confucianism and Taoism at the same time, because their requirements for mental state are completely different from those of martial arts.

As a sorcerer, Chu Caiwei was very interested, and he believed that his senior brothers were even more interested in Li Chang'an.

"We need to bring Li Chang'an back to the Imperial Observatory and study him thoroughly..."

Chu Caiwei made up her mind, then glanced at the blood and brain matter on the ground. Amidst the pungent smell of blood, she put the piece of jerky near her mouth into her small mouth and chewed it with relish.

What a fun day!

Prince Yu tore off the hem of his magnificent robe, wiped the imperial sword clean repeatedly, and then returned it to Princess Lin'an with both hands.

"The wicked villain has been slain; the sword is returned to you."

Princess Lin'an's mind was filled with the bloody scene. She hadn't come to her senses yet. She opened her mouth a few times but couldn't say anything. She just mechanically stretched out her arm and let Prince Yu put the sword back in its sheath.

Seeing Prince Yu's calm demeanor, Princess Lin'an suddenly felt that she had appeared too weak. If it were the strong Princess Huaiqing, she would never have been so timid.

Finally, Lin'an forced himself to remain calm and said, "Cut! Cut! Cut it well!"

Then, Princess Lin'an and Prince Yu sat back down as if nothing had happened.

The young master of the Sun family had long since collapsed to the ground, trembling, unable to utter a single word.

"Ahem! The facts of this case are now clear, and the witness testimonies are complete. According to the laws of the Great Feng Dynasty, anyone who plots to harm a member of the imperial family shall have their entire family exterminated. This prefecture intends to sentence the three criminals to the extermination of their entire families! The matter of the robbery and murder by the men in black has not yet been investigated, so Monk Heng Hui has been temporarily detained."

In cases involving serious crimes such as murdering imperial relatives and exterminating their entire families, the Jingzhao Prefecture did not have the final judicial authority. Chen Hanguang would submit the case file and proposed judgment to the Ministry of Justice, which would then jointly decide on the trial outcome with the Dali Temple and the night watchmen, and report to Emperor Yuanjing for a ruling.

Now that Chen Hanguang has made a preliminary judgment, he can issue a document to detain all three families and their clans.

No one knew that Sun Zhongming had turned himself in, and the night watchman would consider the Sun family's sentence when making the final judgment.