Brought to Justice

Xu Xin stepped back silently, shut the door, and pushed it open once again. Seeing Lu Yang still seated upon the imperial throne, he confirmed that his eyes had not deceived him. "Lu Yang, so it was you all along!" *I investigated every prince and princess without finding a single clue, and I didn't even spare Eunuch Li's household—and after all that, it was you, brat!* *To think I previously suspected the First Prince. His Majesty was indeed right; it wasn't the First Prince's doing.* *Did you have nothing better to do with your time than steal the imperial throne?!* Xu Xin's roar immediately dragged the Immortal Fairy, who was chatting in the spiritual space, back to reality. She tried to look for Ao Ling and the other two, only to discover that the trio had already flattened themselves into paintings and hidden on the wall. Only she and Xia Tian remained in the room. "What happened? What happened?" Hearing their direct superior shout, the Ministry of Justice officials who had accompanied Xu Xin to commend Lu Yang all craned their necks curiously to look. "Holy crap! Old Scoundrel Buyu's disciple really has some nerve. He even stole the imperial throne! Not even Old Scoundrel Buyu had the guts for that." "The pupil surpasses the master. The ancients truly did not lie." "Minister Xu must have anticipated that Lu Yang did it all along! That's why he used giving an award as an excuse to come here and arrest him!" "Don't forget, Minister Xu used to be the number-one detective in the Imperial City." "The old blade hasn't dulled one bit!" For a moment, exclamations of astonishment rose one after another. Some marveled that the culprit was Lu Yang, while others marveled at Xu Xin's divine foresight. "Lu Yang, what else do you have to say for yourself?" The Immortal Fairy was fiercely loyal. Refusing to sell out the three Great Generals and preserving the vital strength of the Soybean Dynasty, she rose from the throne and spoke with solemn righteousness: "A true man shoulders the consequences of his own actions! This was done solely by Chancellor Xia and me!" Emperor Xia: "..." *Couldn't you at least have claimed I was a passing servant?!* "Chancellor?" Xu Xin turned his head and looked at Xia Tian. Come to think of it, this fellow named Xia Tian seemed to have been present as a witness when Lu Yang reported the Fourth Prince. He had also stood by Lu Yang's side when Lu Yang persuaded Shi Lei and the others to surrender. Now he had a hand in stealing the throne as well. Just what was his relationship with Lu Yang? "That's right! Xia Tian is the Chancellor of our Soybean Dynasty!" "Soybean Dynasty?" Xu Xin looked back at the Immortal Fairy. The Immortal Fairy patted her chest. "The dynasty I founded." Xu Xin's heart muttered in bewilderment. He had originally just asked a couple of offhand questions, so how on earth was the matter blowing up bigger and bigger with every answer? "...Arrest them both." The Soybean Dynasty's enterprise had barely gotten off the ground before suffering a total crackdown from the Ministry of Justice. The Minister of Justice had taken the field in person to arrest the founding Bean Emperor and the first Chancellor. Lurking in the shadows, the Tribulation Transcendence cultivator fell into deep thought. His duty was to protect Emperor Xia. If Emperor Xia was arrested by the Ministry of Justice, did that count as him being in danger? After the Ministry of Justice took away the founding Bean Emperor and the first Chancellor, the three Great Generals returned to their original forms. "What do we do?" Jin Caiwei asked, encountering such a situation for the first time and entirely at a loss. "That's easy. Just have Senior Brother Lu Yang join my East Sea. We have diplomatic immunity." Back when the Immortal Fairy first proposed stealing the throne, Ao Ling had already anticipated the possibility of Elder Sister Immortal being arrested. This was the perfect opportunity to make Lu Yang switch allegiances and come to their East Sea. Jiang Lianyi rolled her eyes at Ao Ling. "Your East Sea doesn't even have a country. Where would you get diplomatic immunity? Senior Brother Lu Yang should join our Demon Empire instead!" Jiang Lianyi's idea was identical to Ao Ling's: both wanted to pull Lu Yang into their respective camps to make it easier to stay close to the Immortal Fairy. "Senior Brother Lu Yang is mine!" "He's mine!" "Mine!" As Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi bickered over who Lu Yang belonged to, Jin Caiwei looked wherever each speaker spoke, quickly growing dizzy from watching them. ... The Imperial Palace. After apprehending the major criminals, Xu Xin hurried to the palace to report the situation. "For what matter has Minister Xu arrived?" Jiang Qun had not expected Xu Xin to return so soon after just half a day. Xu Xin hesitated, uncertain how to broach the subject. He had spent the entire journey pondering how to begin. "Reporting to Your Majesty, the person who stole the imperial throne has been found." Jiang Qun's eyes lit up. Minister Xu truly lived up to his reputation as a master detective, uncovering the truth so swiftly. "However, there is also treason involved behind this matter." "Treason? Which of my sons is it?" Jiang Qun reasoned that the Fourth and Fifth Princes had already been delivered into custody by Lu Yang. If Lu Yang wanted to clear a path for his ascension by doing this, only the Second Prince remained. "Is it the Second Prince?" "It is Lu Yang." "?" Jiang Qun experienced a rare moment of utter bewilderment. Then, piecing the facts together, he understood. *Right, it must be Lu Yang reporting someone again.* Xu Xin's next words instantly overturned his guess: "According to my investigation, the person who stole the throne was Lu Yang himself. His purpose in stealing the throne was to establish the Soybean Dynasty—meaning he harbors treasonous ambitions. Falling into our net alongside Lu Yang was an accomplice." "Lu Yang? Treason?" It took a tremendous effort for Jiang Qun to link those two completely unrelated terms together. Lu Yang committing treason? What, was the Dao Seeking Sect finally making a bid for supremacy over the world?! "Your Majesty, how should this be handled?" Xu Xin asked. Having worked in the Ministry of Justice for two thousand years, this was the first time he had encountered such an absurd affair. Entirely at his wit's end, he could only turn to his superior for help. He realized that dumping difficult problems onto his superior was an exceptionally handy method—one he would have to use more often in the future. Jiang Qun was also put in a difficult spot, unsure of what measure of severity to apply. *Very well. Since Imperial Father temporarily entrusted the throne to me, I cannot simply gloss over it.* Jiang Qun slammed a hand against the table, imperial majesty radiating outward. "If the Son of Heaven breaks the law, he is punished the same as a commoner! Even members of the Dao Seeking Sect are no exception! I shall interrogate Lu Yang personally!" "Bring Lu Yang to Daming Hall!" "Yes!" Xu Xin inwardly cried out in alarm. It seemed His Majesty truly meant business this time; Lu Yang was in dire straits. "Wait." Jiang Qun called Xu Xin back. Xu Xin wondered if His Majesty had reconsidered and decided to let Lu Yang off the hook. "Move the imperial throne to Daming Hall as well." "To serve as physical evidence?" "To serve as a chair." ... Soon, Lu Yang and his accomplice Xia Tian were brought before Daming Hall to be interrogated personally by Jiang Qun. Given Lu Yang's unique status, the matter was not publicized widely. Aside from the Ministry of Justice, no one knew the imperial throne had been recovered, nor did anyone know Lu Yang was responsible. Clad in imperial robes and wearing an imperial crown with dangling jade beads, Jiang Qun walked with steady, measured strides. His eyes shone with sharp brilliance, holding the hidden might of dragons and tigers. As he sat upon the throne, looking down over the realm, his aura was entirely distinct from that of the Immortal Fairy wearing imperial robes. The Imperial Guard lined up in two rows inside Daming Hall, holding ceremonial dharma treasures that fully displayed imperial majesty. "Minister Xu, have the criminals been brought?" "They are outside the hall." "Bring them forward." Following Jiang Qun's command, Eunuch Li called out, "By imperial decree, bring forth the criminals!" Eunuch Li's voice echoed through the entire expanse of Daming Hall. Shortly after, four Imperial Guards escorted two people inside. The morning sunlight shone behind them, stretching their shadows long across the floor. Facing the glare, Jiang Qun could not make out their features clearly. Still, he was thoroughly familiar with Lu Yang, easily recognizing him by his silhouette even against the light. Yet the problem was: why did the other figure look so familiar as well? Finally, the two stepped out of the blinding sunlight, and Jiang Qun clearly saw both of their faces. "Reporting to Your Majesty, Lu Yang and his accomplice Xia Tian are both present," Xu Xin announced. Jiang Qun: "..." *Dad, did you go on an incognito tour just to pull an act on me?!*