Kong Rui, at sixty-three, was one of the most experienced and senior officials in the court, second only to figures like Wang Jin and Lü Ge Lao.

He stepped forward, and the hall quieted for a moment.

“Princess, if you have evidence pointing to me regarding the leakage of imperial examination papers, could you kindly clarify where the misunderstanding lies?” Kong Rui said calmly. “If this is about the earlier impeachment of the princess, I can offer no support for that.”

“Impeachment is the Censorate’s duty. All Dahuí officials must be monitored by the Censorate; this is a rule passed down by our ancestors.”

He mentioned the Censorate’s duty, intending to steer the matter toward personal grievances.

But Wen Yuecheng remained expressionless and coldly replied, “Did the rules passed down by our ancestors also allow Lord Kong to form factions, eliminate rivals, and abuse his power?”

Kong Rui’s cloudy eyes turned toward her.

“Princess, when speaking and acting, one must have evidence…” an official began.

Wen Yuecheng lazily glanced at him. “Lord Gao wants evidence?”

This Censorate official had only recently impeached her, and aside from that, they had no other interactions.

Yet she was able to call his name with precise accuracy.

“Lord Gao and Lord Kong are both from the same hometown, and Lord Gao’s only son married Lord Kong’s granddaughter. Does that count as evidence?” Wen Yuecheng paused and then turned to another official. “Lord Liu was Lord Kong’s student. After entering the court, he didn’t even go to the Hanlin Academy but directly joined the Censorate. Does that count as evidence?”

“And the two from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue, both of whom have been promoted by Lord Kong since they started their posts, does that count as evidence?”

The officials whose names were mentioned changed their expressions slightly.

Although the Censorate was not ruled by Kong Rui alone, it was no coincidence that all the people involved in this matter were his close confidants, and they were also the ones who had recently impeached Wen Yuecheng.

Lu Qinghuai, a military official, didn’t understand the complexities of court politics.

After the impeachment, he hadn’t noticed the connections between the officials.

Though the impeachment was initiated by Kong Rui, he had only spoken one sentence throughout the whole matter.

Kong Rui was the one who set the direction, and the others seemed to sense the wind and followed his lead.

“Are you saying that our personal relationships count as evidence?” one of the officials retorted. “Isn’t the princess’ argument a bit too absurd?”

“That’s right,” another official added. “Many officials were taken care of by Lord Kong when they first entered the court. Does that count as evidence?”

“Naturally not,” Wen Yuecheng replied indifferently. Without waiting for further questions, she said, “Lord Yan.”

Yan Wei, who stood beside her, immediately presented the prepared evidence.

A thick stack of documents made everyone tremble at the sight.

Wen Yuesheng coldly swept her gaze over the officials. “The list of leaked examination questions given by Lord Kong to Wei Feng, the monthly delivery of ‘fruits and vegetables’ from Lord Gao and Lord Liu to Kong’s residence, and Kong’s insinuations to the Minister of Rites regarding the selection topics.”

“Does this count?”

With every word, the faces of the officials turned paler.

When they saw the emperor’s reaction to the evidence, their faces became even graver.

Wen Yuesheng slowly walked up to Wei Feng and looked up at him. “If these are not sufficient, then do the records Lord Wei made during his interactions with you all count as evidence?”

The hall fell silent.

Kong Rui’s gaze darkened as he looked at Wei Feng.

Wei Feng closed his eyes. Having struggled for years in his career, his ideals had long since changed.

After the fall of the Liang family, Kong Rui had found him and offered him a chance.

A chance!? A chance!?

Wei Feng had been waiting for this opportunity for so long. Now that it was before him, he couldn’t bring himself to give it up.

But he hadn’t realized that sometimes, one wrong decision could lead to endless consequences.

He had indeed risen to power, but what awaited him were Kong Rui and his faction’s endless demands—small matters at first, but soon involving the imperial examination and even the disruption of sacrificial rites.

Yes, people believed in destiny, and when blood was seen during a sacrificial ceremony, it was considered inauspicious, no matter who died.

But was it the nation’s misfortune, or was it the ruler’s?

As the ambitions of these people grew, Wei Feng, once elated, now found himself sleepless at night.

The career he had once pursued with all his heart had now become a deadly trap, each step he took bringing him closer to a dead end.

Indeed, he had brought this upon himself.

But every time he thought of Yan Wei, he couldn’t help but wish he could be like him.

He ordered someone to assassinate Yan Wei, partly because of leaks, and partly due to his own selfish desires.

As his journey down this path grew darker, he found it increasingly hard to view Yan Wei with a clear conscience.

Greed and desire hung above him like a sword, ready to crush him at any moment.

Wen Yuesheng coldly said, “Lord Wei, I remind you that leaking examination papers is a serious crime. If you take the blame for this, it will not only implicate you, but also your family.”

Wei Feng froze. His face twisted in anguish as emotions flickered in his eyes. Finally, he lowered his head and said, “I… I am guilty, and should die.”

The courtiers witnessing this scene were shocked. Someone, losing their composure, blurted out, “Isn’t this behavior from the princess nothing more than coercion?”

Kong Rui fell silent for a long time, then suddenly ripped off his robe and knelt, crying out loudly, “I have served as an official for many years, and though I have made mistakes, I swear I have never committed such an act.”

“Now, the princess presents evidence of unknown origin and a confession from a convicted criminal to destroy me.”

“This malicious act cannot stand. If the emperor does not believe me today, I will not blame His Majesty. I have lived with integrity, and I cannot accept this slander.”

“Only death can prove my innocence!” With that, he suddenly rose and hurled himself toward the massive red-gold dragon pillar in the hall.

With violent force and speed, he truly seemed to be intent on ending his life.

The entire court fell silent, stunned. Even the Censorate officials still arguing with Wen Yuecheng froze.

“Lord Kong—” one of the officials cried out in horror.

It seemed as though Kong Rui had truly been wronged in an enormous way.

“Princess, is this what you want? To force us to death…” Lord Gao began to accuse Wen Yuecheng.

Before he could finish, there was a loud crack.

“Ah!!” Kong Rui screamed in pain, sweat pouring down his face.

Everyone froze.

Even Yan Wei, standing beside Wen Yuecheng, was taken aback.

In the midst of this Censorate performance, Wen Yuecheng had somehow managed to kick Kong Rui’s leg.

His leg was immediately shattered, and he collapsed forward, kneeling directly in front of Wen Yuecheng.

Kong Rui’s leg was nearly destroyed, and the pain was so intense he almost fainted, gasping for breath and unable to speak a word.

He couldn’t speak, but Wen Yuecheng could.

She coldly said, “You used your power for personal gain, threatening and coercing officials to do your bidding. This is not your only crime.”

“Besides this, you also killed innocent scholars, forced worthy candidates to withdraw cases, and even nearly killed the scholar Qi Fang, who wrote this letter.”

“Lord Kong still acts as if he has suffered an immense injustice.” Wen Yuecheng paused and then continued, “If you are so wronged, then surely you can endure having your property confiscated.”

Wen Yuesheng looked down on him coldly. “You must die, but not in this hall. You should die in front of the thousands of scholars.”

Her voice was as cold and unfeeling as ever: “The execution should take place in front of the examination hall, where you will be beheaded and displayed for all to see.”

The emperor, after reviewing the evidence that had been presented, looked grim and cast a sharp gaze at the kneeling Kong Rui in the court:

“Kong Rui, tell me, after all you’ve done, are you trying to end it all by crashing your head into the column today? What is it you aim to achieve?”

With a loud slap, the emperor threw the book in his hand onto the ground: “Do you want to be remembered in history for causing shame to me? Or perhaps…”

“Is it to clear someone’s name, to avenge someone!?”

The emperor’s words made all the officials in the court lift their heads.

However, none of them had seen the evidence, so they did not immediately understand the reason behind the emperor’s anger.

In the court, Yan Wei’s face darkened, and he coldly spoke, “Upon investigation, Kong Rui was involved with numerous officials. After several transfers, many of them are now stationed in Fuzhou.”

The court was shocked.

Fuzhou? Why had Kong Rui gathered so many of his allies there?

Fuzhou was far from the capital and was a remote frontier post, a harsh environment. Most officials would not want to be assigned there, especially those who had served in the capital.

Some sharp officials began to realize the significance, while others were still puzzled.

Wen Xun whispered to the Duke of the State, “If I remember correctly, wasn’t it the case that the deposed Crown Prince led a rebellion that reached Fuzhou?”

The Duke’s face also darkened, “The deposed Crown Prince died in Fuzhou.”

Wen Xun’s expression changed drastically, and he looked at Kong Rui.

Kong Rui had been an official during the reign of the previous emperor.

At the time, he held a lower rank, and after the death of the deposed Crown Prince, he was not implicated in the subsequent purge.

As a result, they had never suspected Kong Rui of any connections to the Crown Prince.

The emperor, furious, sneered: “That traitor, Xiao Min, has been dead for many years. I never imagined there would still be loyal dogs like you, still plotting in his name!”

Hearing the name of the former Crown Prince, the entire court was in an uproar.

The officials who had initially believed Kong Rui’s claims and were ready to blame Wen Yue for the death of a good official now realized the gravity of the situation.

The evidence was undeniable. Kong Rui had committed countless crimes.

His attempts to seek death in the court were not out of any injustice but an effort to end things on his own terms before the emperor could dig deeper into his connections in Fuzhou.

Fuzhou was Kong Rui’s stronghold, and it was where the former Crown Prince had been buried. Even though the Crown Prince had died years ago, his loyalists were still plotting.

Kong Rui believed that everything he had done was in the name of justice, and he refused to acknowledge his own ambition.

He believed he was acting for the right cause.

When Wen Yuesheng’s people entered Fuzhou, he became alarmed, even going so far as to submit an impeachment against Wen Yue, hoping to force her forces out. However, that effort failed, and Wen Yue exposed all of Kong Rui’s schemes.

“You care so much about your reputation and want to clear the name of your former master?” The emperor’s voice rang out. “Fine, I’ll help you with that.”

“Take him to the dungeons, post the notices all over the city, and after three days, execute him publicly!”

The entire court fell silent.

What Kong Rui had done had truly provoked the emperor’s wrath.

The matter of the deposed Crown Prince, which had been buried for over a decade, was now being brought up again.

There were still remnants of his faction within the court, and they had been plotting against the emperor.

The emperor’s order was merciful. Instead of executing Kong Rui immediately in the court, he allowed a trial to take place.

However, the situation in Fuzhou had taken a turn for the worse.