I've been bullied and humiliated for thirteen years; when I wake up, I'll be bloodthirsty.

Chapter 862 Restart

The two cases are closely linked and are both major cases that shocked the government and the public.

However, such a major case could be contained in just a few thin volumes of files. No one in the court was a fool; such a small amount of paper couldn't even clearly explain the cause and effect of the case, let alone the vast amount of information required for the multi-layered investigation. The Dali Temple's case filing required a complete record of the case's establishment, the events leading up to it, the investigation process, testimonies from relevant personnel, evidence, and the closing statement. This was to prevent oversights during future appeals or re-examinations, and any simplification or cutting corners was strictly prohibited. A case like this would require tens of thousands of words just for the case records, not to mention countless pieces of evidence and testimonies. How could it possibly be contained in just a few thin volumes?

This is clearly a problem.

With such an obvious oversight brought to light, Lord Zhong naturally couldn't pretend not to know. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to explain, "Your Highness, to be honest, the Dali Temple has experienced several fires and thefts over the years. In the end, we only have this much file left for these two cases..."

The cases handled by the Dali Temple are all quite complex. Not to mention fires and thefts, even prison breaks are commonplace. They happen at least once every year or two. This is not something Lord Zhong is making up to shirk responsibility.

In this way, Zong Que's intention becomes very clear.

It's blatantly obvious to everyone that there's something wrong with these two cases.

If there were no problems, why are so many of the perfectly sealed case files missing?

It's obvious that someone was afraid of reopening these two cases, so they deliberately destroyed the case files. Without the original case files, and with all the details gone after so many years, there's no longer any chance of reopening the cases.

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. At this point, it was impossible for them to pretend to be ignorant. If they knew there was something wrong with the case and everyone pretended to be deaf and dumb, how could they have the face to stand in the imperial court?

Therefore, officials from the Ministry of Justice immediately stepped forward to be the first to voice their support for Zong Que.

"Your Majesty, the villains have so blatantly destroyed the case files and violated the laws of our Great Zhao. Such behavior must not be tolerated. I believe that the Chenzhou case and the Rongguo Gong case should be reopened to restore the peace and order of our Great Zhao."

Next came the Censorate. "Your Majesty, I think it is very true. Since there are doubts, if we cannot restore the truth of these two cases, how will the history books evaluate this matter in the future? We must not let our Great Zhao suffer criticism in the history books because of this!"

One by one, the court officials stood up, going from being silent at the beginning to now unanimously supporting Zong Que in reopening the Chenzhou case.

The emperor watched them speak righteously with a cold eye, but his gaze finally fell on Zong Que.

Father and son exchanged glances amidst the obstruction of court officials, each fully aware of the power struggle between them.

When the crown prince was deposed, Zong Que brought up the Chenzhou case again, but he had few supporters. Now, however, more than half of the court officials support reopening the case. The core reason for this is only one.

Zong Que had already lost his eligibility to compete for the throne due to his disability in both legs, and now he stands here to watch these people choose sides.

The two stared at each other for a long time, and finally, the emperor spoke in a deep voice.

"allow."

From this moment on, after seventeen years and ten months, nearly eighteen years, the sealed Chenzhou case was finally reopened.

The first thing to be addressed in reopening the Chenzhou case is the case of the Duke of Rong, whose entire family was wiped out because of his involvement in the Chenzhou case.

Zong Que slightly turned his body, leaving the middle position for Rong Xin.

Rong Xin stepped forward two steps, her face expressionless, and respectfully knelt down to pay her respects.

"I am Rong Xin, the younger sister of Rong Che, the former Duke of Rong, and I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

The emperor remained silent with a cold expression.

Rong Xin knelt on the ground, looking up to meet the emperor's gaze.

"This commoner accuses Duke Xiao Zong of fabricating charges against my brother Rong Che, who is accused of treason and colluding with the enemy. I beseech Your Majesty to investigate this matter and clear my brother's name."

"Nonsense!" Duke Xiao stepped forward, cupping his hands in rebuttal.

"Your Majesty is wise. When Duke Rong was convicted, I was stationed in Jinzhou to guard against the southward advance of the Yan rebels. I was not even in the capital. How could I have falsely accused Duke Rong? Furthermore, I did not receive any request for aid from Chenzhou. By the time I learned of Chenzhou's defeat, it had already fallen into enemy hands. I led my troops there immediately, but it was too late. I have already submitted a complete account of the entire matter to Your Majesty, and Your Majesty can testify to this. I returned to the capital to report three years later. I did not even see Duke Rong's face. How could I have falsely accused him?"

The emperor asked Rong Xin, "Rong, what do you have to say?"

Rong Xin: "Your Majesty, please allow me to summon the witness Luo Jing."

"allow."

"Summon the witness!" the eunuch announced loudly.

A moment later, two imperial guards led Luo Jing into the hall.