Emperor Jianhong remained expressionless. "Zeng Anmin has solved the case and redeemed himself through meritorious service, clearing you of suspicion."
Zeng Shilin's expression froze in bewilderment. Only then did he notice his only son standing beside Emperor Jianhong. Zeng Anmin blinked at his father with a perfectly innocent look, as if to say that it was indeed him.
Zeng Shilin looked blank. He knew exactly what kind of character his son possessed. If it were visiting a brothel or gambling a few rounds at a casino, he would undoubtedly excel. But solving a case? Utterly absurd. Therefore, his immediate reaction was that his son must have deceived Emperor Jianhong with smooth talk. But a lie could only last so long. If discovered later, wouldn't it just hand their enemies a perfect weakness to exploit? Coupled with his failure to properly guard the Dragon Inspection Map, it would be compounding his sins.
Zeng Shilin's face suddenly turned solemn. He bowed to Emperor Jianhong, his voice extremely sorrowful. "Your Majesty, my son has deceived the court, but I beg Your Majesty not to punish him. All the faults lie with me. I am willing to die in prison to atone."
He firmly believed that his son had spouted nonsense and committed the crime of deceiving the sovereign.
Feeling a bit helpless, Zeng Anmin spoke up. "Dad, I didn't deceive His Majesty..."
However, before he could explain further, Zeng Shilin angrily interrupted him. "You ignorant boy, what do you know about solving a case?! Come here and kneel! Beg His Majesty for forgiveness!"
He then hurriedly turned back to the emperor. "A thousand faults and ten thousand mistakes, they are all mine. Your Majesty, for the sake of my decades of unswerving loyalty to the Holy Dynasty, please do not hold this against my foolish son."
Zeng Shilin, who had been an aloof and proud figure in officialdom for over a decade, now bowed his back with extreme humility. Any normal person could instantly recognize his deep, protective love for his son.
What a touching scene of a loving father and a filial son!
Emperor Jianhong took in Zeng Shilin's actions and then looked at Zeng Anmin. The image of the young man from earlier in the day—methodically and confidently solving the case—surfaced in his mind. Inevitably, the emperor thought of his own princes, who were constantly at each other's throats. It gave him a strong urge to just disown the lot of them and start over with new heirs.
His mood completely soured by the comparison, Emperor Jianhong felt slightly depressed and lost the desire to speak. He simply cast a faint glance at the White-clothed Venerable.
Catching Emperor Jianhong's signal, the White-clothed Venerable instantly understood. He stepped forward to help Zeng Shilin up.
Zeng Shilin pulled his hands back and assumed a respectful listening posture. He only glanced at the White-clothed Venerable from the corner of his eye, quietly putting some distance between them.
Such a small action, yet it inflicted so much emotional damage. The message was obvious: stay away from me, you vulgar Martial Artist.
The White-clothed Venerable's eyelids twitched as he gritted his back teeth. He thought, "These snobbish Confucian Cultivators! They are truly detestable!" Suppressing his displeasure, he spoke.
"Today at the hour of the Dragon, the Observation Department and I were ordered to go to the Governor's Mansion... That Wang Daoyuan tried to tempt Zeng Anmin with words, planning to finish him off when he attempted to escape... It is laughable that I saw right through his thoughts, yet he remained utterly oblivious.
"Fortunately, Zeng Anmin did not disappoint my expectations and did not blindly trust Wang Daoyuan.
"Seeing that the boy possessed a steady temperament, I helped him secure an audience with Your Majesty, earning him a chance at survival."
It had to be said that his recounting of the events was heavily embellished with self-praise. Even Zeng Anmin could tell. The actual process of solving the case was glossed over in just a few words, while the parts involving the Venerable himself were dragged out for at least an extra hundred words or two.
Zeng Anmin thought, "Does this edgy youth really love showing off this much?"
"Finally, with my assistance, Zeng Anmin successfully solved this case," the White-clothed Venerable concluded, his face full of satisfaction. Getting to tell the story exactly as he had envisioned it in his head put him in an excellent mood.
"This..." Zeng Shilin looked at his son with bewildered and uncertain eyes.
The White-clothed Venerable had added a lot of fluff, but Zeng Shilin was a seasoned veteran of the court and naturally grasped the key points. When his son was breaking down the details of the case, his logic was rigorous, his reasoning smooth, and his process methodical. With decades in officialdom, the governor had encountered at least eight hundred cases, if not a thousand. He knew exactly what kind of wisdom and experience was required to pull that off!
Seeing his old man's expression, Zeng Anmin naturally knew what he was thinking. Fortunately, he had already prepared a response.
He let out a sigh and offered a bitter smile. "Dad, after facing such a sudden disaster, wouldn't it be absurd if I remained as foolish as before?
"Seeing Uncle Qi fall right in front of me, yet being utterly powerless...
"In the past, whenever I stirred up trouble, you were always the one shielding me. This time, it was my turn to help you.
"As for solving the case, it actually wasn't that difficult. I firmly believed that it was absolutely impossible for you to collude with the Demon Race. With that solid premise, figuring out the rest was much simpler. As for seeking an audience with His Majesty, I was fully prepared to die trying..."
Having said his piece, Zeng Anmin pressed his lips together and fell silent.
Zeng Shilin trembled slightly, looking at his son with a profoundly complex expression.
Zeng Anmin was right; the hardest part of solving a case was finding a starting point. Once that thread was found, unraveling the rest was a smooth process.
After a long silence, a deeply gratified look washed over the governor's face. "You've finally grown up. Good..."
A sudden tragedy could indeed force a person to mature. There was no shortage of such examples throughout history. To everyone present, this explanation was perfectly logical.
Emperor Jianhong, watching from the sidelines, found the touching scene increasingly aggravating. The more he watched, the more he wanted to disown his own useless heirs.
Deciding that out of sight was out of mind, he turned to leave. "Beloved Minister Zeng, since the matter has been clarified, you may return to your mansion. I am tired."
However, to his surprise, Zeng Shilin's stubborn voice rang out from behind him.
"I will not leave."
Emperor Jianhong frowned, narrowing his eyes as he looked back.
Zeng Shilin did not shy away from the imposing gaze. "Until Your Majesty officially pardons my alleged crimes, I have no right to leave this prison. I implore Your Majesty to issue an imperial edict proclaiming my innocence to the world!"
Emperor Jianhong's eyelids twitched.
Zeng Shilin was clearly digging his heels in against the emperor. It was as if he were saying, "Oh, so if you say I colluded with the Demon Race, then I did. And if you say I'm innocent, then I'm innocent? You want me to just leave quietly? Fine. Issue an imperial edict and let the whole world know."
To sum it up in one word:
Apologize!
The entire prison cell fell into a dead silence.
"That's right, Father. You really should issue an imperial edict."
Ning'an, who had ruined countless plans for Zeng Anmin, inadvertently delivered a critical blow to Emperor Jianhong. In her simple mind, she genuinely felt that Zeng Shilin's request was perfectly reasonable.
Zeng Anmin almost burst out laughing. It seemed this princess's sheer cluelessness wasn't just directed at him; she was an equal-opportunity menace to everyone.
Emperor Jianhong ignored Ning'an and fixed his gaze on Zeng Shilin. As their eyes met, Zeng Shilin remained completely unflinching.
"That can be arranged," Emperor Jianhong said slowly, staring at the governor. "Since rewards and punishments must be clearly defined, let us be thorough. Zeng Anmin has performed a great meritorious service by solving this case. Therefore, I shall appoint him to the capital to serve as an Imperial Guard. How does that sound?"
Zeng Anmin and his father simultaneously thought, "Shameless! Old fox! Son of a bitch!"
However, the older Zeng reacted swiftly, shaking his head. "My son does not practice Martial Arts, so he is naturally unqualified to serve in the Imperial Guard. As for this reward... Your Majesty might as well issue an edict converting it into cash, so that I may build bridges, pave roads, and benefit the common people."
Emperor Jianhong merely gave Zeng Shilin a deep, meaningful look before turning and walking straight out, leaving everyone with nothing but the back of his head.
Seeing him leave, Ning'an and the White-clothed Venerable immediately followed suit.
Only the father and son were left in the prison cell.
"This..." Zeng Anmin looked at his father in confusion.
"Let's go." A smile appeared on Zeng Shilin's face. He grabbed his son's sleeve and led him out, following in Emperor Jianhong's footsteps.