“Princess!?” The entire court was shocked.

“But… the princess is a woman,” someone instinctively remarked.

Yan Ling’s expression remained cold: “She is still a royal princess, and she holds an imperial golden waist token.”

This reminder made many people rethink.

Wen Yuesheng held real power, had no direct connection with the various princes, and was not involved in court politics.

“Your Majesty, this is not appropriate!” Prince Hengguang spoke in a deep voice. “Not to mention that Si Ning is just a woman, but even in the court, she is not completely uninvolved. If we are to be thorough, Lord Wen is Sun Mingyuan’s direct superior. Si Ning should be avoiding any appearance of partiality.”

Many ministers in the hall paused.

Though his words were true, everyone in the court knew that Wen Yuesheng had only received the golden waist token after leaving the Wen family and breaking her engagement with Xiao Jin.

Moreover, though it was not openly discussed, many people were aware that the Wen family had recently separated from the princess and moved out, even quietly purchasing a residence in the capital, sparking a wave of rumors.

If Wen Yuesheng were truly biased toward Wen Xun, the golden waist token would have never been placed in her hands by the emperor.

However, on the surface, Wen Xun was still Wen Yuesheng’s father.

Prince Hengguang and several ministers latched onto this point, insisting that Wen Yuesheng could not handle this case.

Wang Jin was silent, and the elderly Lu Ge sighed and said, “The focus has shifted.”

Prince Hengguang was fierce but not particularly sharp.

What should have been emphasized was Wen Yuesheng’s identity as a woman, not who her father was.

He didn’t realize that by bringing up this point, he had only deepened the emperor’s suspicions.

The emperor now doubted whether Sun Mingyuan was Prince Hengguang’s man or Xiao Jin’s.

The emperor was still in his prime, and while the princes could fight for power, there were times when it was not wise to make these struggles too public.

The more Prince Hengguang pushed, attacking Wen Yuesheng’s weaknesses, the more it highlighted that she was not aligned with his camp.

While Prince Hengguang was still thinking this, Wen Xun also spoke up: “Your Majesty, Prince Hengguang’s words make sense.”

“The princess is a woman, and she should not be involved in such matters.”

“Enough,” Lu Ge shook his head with a chuckle. “It’s obvious who should preside over this case.”

Wen Xun, by speaking up, was trying to shift the responsibility to someone else, but since he had no direct connection with Sun Mingyuan, he couldn’t bring the case onto himself.

Instead, he attempted to discredit Wen Yuesheng’s involvement, effectively trying to prevent her from taking part in the case.

As for the emperor’s thoughts…

Wang Jin’s voice was calm: “Prince Hengguang and Prince Yong’an, both heirs to the throne and the most likely candidates to fight for succession, do not want the princess involved. Then, Your Majesty…”

Before Wang Jin could finish, the emperor’s voice echoed through the hall: “This case will be presided over by Si Ning.”

Before anyone could respond, the emperor added, “Yan Ling will accompany her in the proceedings.”

The stir that had just begun in the court was instantly extinguished.

Princess Si Ning’s status was noble, and Yan Ling, being a close minister to the emperor, left no room for dispute. No one could reasonably argue against it.

Lu Ge’s voice was calm: “As expected of Lord Yan, nothing is overlooked.”

It was clear that after Yan Ling’s statement, the reactions of those present were entirely anticipated by him.

Wang Jin: “Your Majesty is wise!”

Lu Ge: …

That old fool.

The dust settled.

It was widely circulated in the capital that Princess Si Ning would preside over Sun Mingyuan’s case.

No one had expected that the case would fall to Wen Yue.

However, in a certain sense, this confirmed that Wen Yue truly held power.

This was also the first time in many years that a woman would handle such a case in the court, which made the case itself a topic of widespread attention even before the trial began.

The next morning, the area outside the Supreme Court was bustling with activity.

Normally, court trials were not open to the public, but this case was of great importance, involving many well-known scholars with official titles.

Students from major academies paid great attention to the case, so the court had made an exception and allowed public observation.

“Princess Si Ning is presiding over her first trial in front of so many students. It won’t be easy for her.”

“Her being a woman makes it inappropriate for her to handle such a case. If it weren’t for the complex political situation, this case would not have been entrusted to her.”

As the people waited for the proceedings, a few appointed officials were quietly discussing the matter.

“We just hope that the princess doesn’t show any hesitation.”

Just then, they heard the sound of synchronized horse hooves approaching.

Everyone present looked up, and in that moment, several military generals riding horses entered.

The generals made way, and behind them came a dark-colored carriage.

After the carriage stopped, Wen Yue Sheng, dressed in a dark robe, holding a string of blue-green Buddhist beads, stepped out.

Many of the people present were seeing the Princess of Sinian, who held military power, for the first time.

As she descended from the carriage, the solemn-faced generals followed behind her.

Wen Yue Sheng’s gown fluttered lightly, her expression indifferent as she walked slowly forward. Wherever she went, countless people held their breath and bowed in greeting.

The officials who had been whispering just a moment ago, now closed their mouths.

Wen Yue Sheng entered and took her seat at the center.

“Bring in Sun Mingyuan,” an official from the Department of Justice beside Yan Ling said.

When Sun Mingyuan was brought into the hall and saw who was seated in the main position, his expression changed drastically.

He never expected that the one presiding over his case would be Princess Sinian.

His heart sank. Only when his gaze brushed past an official beside him did his expression soften slightly.

“Sun Mingyuan, do you plead guilty?” Wen Yue Sheng asked.

“Of course not!” Sun Mingyuan replied coldly. “This is a false accusation. I ask the officials to see through this!”

Before he could finish, the scholar who had just been brought in shouted angrily, “False accusation!? How dare you say it’s a false accusation! You ruined my life!”

This scholar, Yang, was only thirty years old but already had graying temples. Years ago, he entered the capital with the title of the top scholar in the imperial examination. He had originally aspired to make a name for himself and serve the empire.

But unexpectedly, he failed to pass, which shattered his hopes. He could never again bring himself to participate in the imperial exams. Instead, he became a teacher in a small school in the capital.

He had taught for several years, believing his life was set. But now he was told that he had clearly passed the imperial exams to become a jinshi, but the papers had been switched in the imperial palace, and his fate was altered forever.

In the past few days, whenever Yang thought of this, he felt intense pain.

Now, he no longer expected a career in government service. He only wanted the person who had committed such an evil act to pay the price.

Sun Mingyuan was unfazed. His face grew darker as he said, “One must speak with evidence. You failed the exams multiple times, and now you are blaming the court officials. How is that reasonable?”

He then looked at Wen Yue Sheng and said, “Princess, it seems a person like this, who disrespects the imperial court, should be dragged outside and given forty lashes.”

Yang, angered by his words, shouted, “You, you shameless scoundrel!”

Sun Mingyuan sneered. “Shameless? The shameless one is you.”

“Princess,” he turned to Wen Yue Sheng, “This incident took place several years ago. I had just been promoted to the position of Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Works. The imperial examinations have always been managed by the Ministry of Rites.”

“This man keeps claiming that I swapped his examination papers. But how could someone from the Ministry of Works interfere with the Ministry of Rites?”

Wen Yue Sheng, holding her Buddhist beads in one hand and tapping the table with the other, responded coldly, “It is because you colluded with someone from the Ministry of Rites.”

As soon as she spoke, the hall fell silent.

The students watching did not expect that, despite Sun Mingyuan’s aggressive stance, the chief judge would respond with such a remark.

Sun Mingyuan’s expression darkened, and he immediately said, “This is a false accusation! If the princess does not believe me, she can send someone to the Ministry of Rites to find my examination papers and clear my name!”

As soon as his words fell, Li Qingyuan quickly stepped forward. “Princess, the Ministry of Rites has sent two examination papers.”

This was because Yang claimed that his examination paper had been swapped with the paper of Yang Yu, who ranked thirty-seventh in the second tier of that year’s examination, and is now a Langzhong in the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry of Rites had sent two papers.

The handwriting on both papers was identical.

To ensure fairness in the grading process, all exam papers were recopied by a designated official before being submitted for review, and then sealed for safekeeping.

At a glance, the papers could be distinguished.

The one with Yang Yu’s name on it was filled with literary brilliance, with every word polished and citing classical texts.

It was well-crafted and profound.

On the other hand, the paper with Yang’s name was almost completely devoid of merit, lacking any notable points.

With the evidence before him, Sun Mingyuan grew even angrier and shouted, “The two papers are right in front of us, and the person who reviewed them at that time was the current Grand Secretary, Lord Lü.”

“In this case, does the princess still believe that I colluded with Lord Lü?”

Upon hearing Lord Lü’s name, the students watching became agitated.

Lord Lü was a renowned figure, a person of the highest moral standing.

His works were considered some of the best in the era, and many great scholars shared his name.

Not only that, but Lord Lu had been a minister for many years, and during the late Emperor’s reign, he had been an important official.

As a member of the pure faction, his reputation among scholars far exceeded that of others.

The idea that he would help someone cheat was simply unbelievable.

Though the court trial was public, many onlookers still cast suspicious glances at Wen Yue Sheng.

However, Wen Yue Sheng remained indifferent, lightly tapping the table again before saying, “Where are the original examination papers?”

Sun Mingyuan’s expression changed.

Yang, beside him, suddenly shouted loudly, “In response to the princess, I went to the Ministry of Rites to inquire, and the result was that the original papers had been destroyed.”

Sun Mingyuan, recovering from his shock, said solemnly, “The papers of all candidates from that year were destroyed. It wasn’t just yours!”

“Princess, if you intend to convict me based on this alone, I will never accept it!”

Wen Yuesheng, seated at the head of the table, said, “That year’s papers were destroyed, but what about the papers from the provincial exams three years ago? And what about this year’s autumn exams?”

“Do you think it is the official who stored the papers who is at fault, or is it you?”

Before he could respond, she coldly commanded, “Bring in Zhang Duo and Li Fangheng.”