In order to clear the misunderstanding, Li Mu had to know what the misunderstanding was.
He had done nothing wrong, but he was treated like this. Anyone would be angry.
Zhang Chun tried his best to persuade him. "The consequences of this are very serious. Think about it. You've offended so many people in Fairy's Capital. Once you lose His Majesty's protection, many people won't be able to stop themselves from attacking you …"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door of the Li Residence.
Li Mu walked to the door and saw two constables standing outside.
One of the constables looked at Li Mu and said nervously, "Lord Li, there's a case that involves you. Please cooperate with us and follow us to the Ministry of Justice."
Zhang Chun was shocked. He asked, "Someone's making a move so soon?"
The news that Li Mu had fallen out of favor had just spread, and the Ministry of Justice had already made a move. It seemed that some people hated him to the point where they couldn't tolerate it for even a moment longer.
To prevent Xiao Bai from worrying, Li Mu told her to wait for him at home and not go out no matter what happened. Then, he gave the conch to Xiao Bai. If anything happened at home, she could contact the Empress instantly.
After doing all this, he walked to the door again and said to the two constables, "Let's go."
On the way to the Ministry of Justice, Li Mu asked the constable, "What case am I involved in?"
The constable shook his head. "It's not convenient for me to reveal this. You'll know when you reach the Ministry of Justice."
When he spoke to Li Mu, he was still cautious. The Emperor's heart was unpredictable. Who knew if Li Mu had really fallen out of favor? If he was favored again in a few days, wouldn't the people who offended him be in big trouble?
"Constable Li, where are we going?"
"Eh, this is the direction to the Ministry of Justice. Is Constable Li going to the Ministry of Justice to cause trouble again?"
"Quick, quick, quick. Follow Constable Li. After so long, there's finally something to watch …"
…
Every time Li Mu went to the Ministry of Justice, there would be a large crowd of people following him. However, this time, he wasn't the one bringing criminals to the Ministry of Justice. He was the one being sued.
Ministry of Justice.
The director of the Ministry of Justice paced anxiously in the courtyard. He didn't want to take this case at all. It wasn't easy for him to build a good relationship with Li Mu. He didn't want to waste all his previous efforts.
However, that woman had sounded the grievance drum of the Ministry of Justice. The commoners were all watching outside, so he had to accept it.
A moment later, he walked to the assistant minister's office and bowed to Zhou Zhong, who was sitting behind the table. He said, "Sir Assistant Minister, this case involves Master Li. I am worried that there will be a wrong judgment. How about we let Sir Assistant Minister preside over this case?"
Zhou Zhong stood up and said, "Alright."
Li Mu arrived at the Ministry of Justice and entered the court. He saw Zhou Zhong sitting at the front, and a woman kneeling at the front.
The woman was in her early twenties. Her hair was messy, and her face was filled with fear. When she saw Li Mu, she retreated a few steps, and her eyes were filled with terror.
This was the first time Li Mu had seen this woman, but she seemed to be very afraid of him.
Zhou Zhong looked down at Li Mu and asked, "There is a case that involves Imperial Censor Li. I will now ask you a few questions, and I hope you can answer truthfully."
Li Mu said calmly, "Go ahead, Assistant Minister Zhou."
Zhou Zhong said, "Where were you last night at midnight?"
Li Mu said, "I was resting at home."
Last night, he had been waiting for the Empress to fall asleep, and only slept very late.
Zhou Zhong asked, "Is there a witness?"
At midnight, Xiao Bai had already fallen asleep in her room. Li Mu shook his head and said, "No."
Zhou Zhong said, "The person kneeling in front of the court is a woman from Yonghe Lane. She came to the Ministry of Justice today to report that she was raped at home last night at midnight. According to her, the person who raped her was you, Imperial Censor Li. Do you have anything to say about this?"
Li Mu looked at the woman and said, "I was at home last night and did not go out. It is even more impossible for me to go to Yonghe Lane and rape her. Why is this lady falsely accusing me?"
Zhou Zhong looked at Li Mu and said, "If Lord Li has a clear conscience, can you allow me to perform a soul-search?"
A soul-search was different from a soul-search. Under a soul-search, a person's memories would be flipped through without any secrets. A soul-search was only used to ask specific questions, and was most often used by the government during investigations.
A soul-search was useless against Li Mu. The Art of Tranquility could keep one's heart calm at all times. Not to mention Zhou Zhong, even the Empress could not use a soul-search to find out the secrets in Li Mu's heart.
He said directly to Zhou Zhong, "Assistant Minister Zhou's soul-searching technique is useless against me. There is no need to expend any more mana. Furthermore, under the circumstances where there is no evidence, it is against the law to search the soul of the accused. The accuser should produce evidence and not have the accused prove his innocence."
Zhou Zhong thought for a moment and nodded. He looked at the woman again and asked, "Lady Xu, you said that Censor Li raped you last night. Do you have evidence?"
Lady Xu raised her head and said, "I saw it with my own eyes and experienced it personally. It is the evidence."
Zhou Zhong looked at her and said, "Lord Li is an official of the imperial court. Since you want to accuse him, are you willing to accept a soul-search? If you lie, I will punish you severely …"
Lady Xu did not hesitate and said, "I am willing."
Zhou Zhong walked down and pressed his palm on her head. The woman's gaze gradually became dazed.
After a moment, Zhou Zhong waved his hand and images appeared in front of everyone in the court.
Although these images were static, it was not difficult to see what had happened last night when they were all connected.
The images were very clear. It was obvious that a masked man in black had barged into the woman's house and violated her. At the critical moment, the woman pulled off the black cloth covering the man's face. Under the black cloth was Li Mu's face!
Zhou Zhong looked at Li Mu and asked, "Censor Li, do you have anything else to say?"
Li Mu did not explain anything. He only said, "I believe that the Ministry of Justice will clear my name."
Zhou Zhong said, "Although this case cannot be concluded, Lord Li, you are a major suspect. I'm afraid I can't let you leave the Ministry of Justice so easily. Men, take Li Mu into custody for now. After I investigate this case, I will try him again …"
Two constables walked forward and said, "Lord Li, please."
In the court, the director of the Ministry of Justice had a look of disbelief. He said, "That's impossible. I've seen the girl by Constable Li's side. She is a thousand times more beautiful than this woman. How could Constable Li give up what is close at hand for what is far away …"
One of the constables said, "That's not necessarily the case. How can a domestic flower be as fragrant as a wild flower? Some people might just like that …"
The director of the Ministry of Justice looked at Li Mu's back as he calmly left. Even important officials of the court would rarely be so calm when faced with a case like this. He was almost certain that Li Mu had a motive for being so calm.
Zhou Zhong walked out of the court and was about to return to the yamen when a shout came from behind him.
"Stop!"
Zhang Chun angrily pointed at Zhou Zhong and said, "You've so carelessly captured an official of the court. What can the memories of a mortal woman prove?"
Zhou Zhong asked calmly, "The person who violated the woman looked exactly like Censor Li. Doesn't that prove anything?"
"What does that prove?" Zhang Chun snorted coldly and said, "If I were to become Assistant Minister Zhou and do evil deeds, would you be blamed for the crime as well?"
Zhou Zhong asked, "Lord Zhang, are you implying that a Realm Six expert disguised himself as Censor Li to violate a woman and frame him for it? If Lord Zhang has Realm Six cultivation and wants to frame me, the Imperial Clan Temple can use this as a reason to imprison me. Before the truth is out, I have nothing to say. "
Zhang Chun said, "Transformation techniques don't necessarily require Realm Six supernatural powers. Transformation Talismans and Transformation Pills can also transform the body and disguise one's appearance."
Zhou Zhong asked, "Would someone use a Heaven-Grade Fu-lu and Heaven-Grade Medicinal Pill to frame Censor Li?"
Zhang Chun said coldly, "Lord Li is dedicated to the people and offended all the officials of the Fairy's Capital. There are countless people in the Fairy's Capital who want to harm him. This is very likely …"
Zhou Zhong nodded and said, "We can't rule out this possibility. However, we'll only know the truth after the Ministry of Justice's investigation …"
Zhang Chun flicked his sleeves and left. At this moment, the onlookers outside the Ministry of Justice were still discussing.
"Constable Li has been in there for so long. Why hasn't he come out yet?"
"I don't know what happened either …"
"Sigh, someone's coming out …"
…
A constable from the Ministry of Justice walked out and waved at the crowd. He said, "What are you all doing here? Disperse, disperse …"
Some of the people went up and asked, "What happened in there? Why hasn't Constable Li come out yet?"
"Constable Li?" The constable smiled disdainfully and said, "To tell you the truth, I'm afraid Constable Li won't be coming out this time …"
"What?"
"What the hell is going on?"
"Why can't Constable Li come out?"
"Tell us clearly, or we won't leave today!"
Seeing that the crowd was getting more and more agitated, the constable was worried that the officials would hold him accountable if things got out of hand. He hurriedly said, "Your Constable Li is involved in a case of rape and has been sent to the Ministry of Justice's prison. Don't crowd around here. Disperse, disperse …"
As soon as he finished speaking, the onlookers were stunned for a moment before an even bigger commotion broke out.
"F * cking bullsh * t!"
"How dare you insult Constable Li!"
"Constable Li isn't that kind of person. The Ministry of Justice must be trying to frame Constable Li!"
"Dog official, Constable Li is such a good person. How dare you frame him!"
"Everyone, shout with me. Release him, release him!"
"Release him!"
"Release Constable Li!"
…
Inside the Ministry of Justice, hearing the deafening shouts outside, the constable of the Ministry of Justice sighed. "If the people of Fairy's Capital could treat me like this one day, my years as an official would have been worth it …"
An old official from the Ministry of Justice sighed. "The person behind this is really scheming. No one knew about this at first, but with this commotion, everyone in Fairy's Capital will know about it very soon. At that time, some people will definitely believe it. It's easy to ruin one's reputation, but it's hard to build one's reputation. If you want to kill someone, you have to go for their heart first …"
In a certain mansion in the North Court, a continuous conversation could be heard from a room. When the sound reached the door, it seemed to be blocked and absorbed by something and completely disappeared.
"Is that woman alright?"
"She'll be fine. I asked someone to use the Form Disguise Pill to transform into Li Mu's appearance. In that woman's eyes, the person who raped her was Li Mu. Even if the Ministry of Justice searched her soul, they would only see Li Mu."
"What if the Ministry of Justice searched Li Mu's soul?"
"He's a cultivator and can tamper with his memories. Even if the Ministry of Justice searched his soul, the results wouldn't be enough to use as evidence. That woman is a mortal, so her memories are more credible …"
"But there will still be flaws …"
"That's not important. Whether there are flaws or not depends on whether Li Mu is still favored or not. If His Majesty no longer protects him, he can be sent to his death with any random reason …"
After a short silence, a gnashing voice could be heard from the room. "He must die!"
…
Outside the Ministry of Justice.
The people shouted for a while, but there was no response from the Ministry of Justice. Gradually, they fell silent.
When Constable Li worked for the people, he was fearless. No matter if the other party was an official or a noble, or even the high and mighty Academy, he would always seek justice for the people.
However, when he was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice and the people wanted to seek justice for him, they realized that there was nothing they could do other than stand at the entrance of the Ministry of Justice and shout weakly.
"Constable Li can't be such a person!"
"Someone must be framing him. He has offended too many people for the sake of the people. How can these people tolerate him?"
"I heard that Constable Li has fallen out of favor with His Majesty. Perhaps that's why those people attacked Constable Li."
"But why did Constable Li fall out of favor? He has always worked for the people and for His Majesty …"
…
The expressions on the people's faces changed from helplessness to worry. At this moment, someone in the crowd suddenly said, "You may know a person for a long time without understanding his true nature. Perhaps that Li Mu has always been pretending. This is his true nature. Otherwise, why would the Ministry of Justice arrest him?"
As soon as that person finished speaking, someone grabbed him by the collar and pulled him out of the crowd.
A burly man lifted him up and glared at him. He shouted, "Who do you think you are? How dare you speak of Constable Li like that?"
"When Constable Li was beating up those hedonistic villains and abolishing the Silver Penalty Act for the people, where were you?"
"When Constable Li struck Young Ruffian Zhou with lightning and made the decision for that pitiful family, where were you?"
"When Constable Li fought against the three major Academies and cried out for the countless victims in Fairy's Capital, where were you?"
"Now that Constable Li is being framed, you jump out. Tell me, are you hired by the person who framed Constable Li? What are you trying to do by slandering Constable Li …"
…
It would have been better if that person didn't speak. Once he did, the indignant anger in the people's hearts finally found an outlet.
In the past three months, Li Mu had used his actions to prove what kind of person he was.
No one in Fairy's Capital had the right to criticize him.
Although they were in the Great Zhou's Capital of Fairy's Capital, they had always been shrouded in darkness.
It wasn't until Li Mu's appearance that the people finally saw a ray of light.
Li Mu shone brightly in the hearts of the people of Fairy's Capital. The only thing more dazzling than him was the sun in the sky.
At this moment, he was being framed and someone was taking advantage of the situation to sow discord. This completely enraged the people who were already angry. In an instant, the people punched and kicked. The person who slandered Li Mu was immediately buried in their punches and kicks.
If it weren't for the bailiffs from the Ministry of Justice who saw that something was wrong and stepped out to stop them, there would have been another tragic case in front of the Ministry of Justice before Li Mu's case was over.
Because of the commotion in front of the Ministry of Justice, this case that was originally limited to the Ministry of Justice quickly spread.
In the past few months, every incident related to Li Mu was at the heart of the storm in Fairy's Capital. Naturally, his case spread very quickly.
When the people of Fairy's Capital heard this, they were naturally worried. However, there was nothing they could do. They could only silently march in front of the Ministry of Justice to express their protest.
However, in the Southern and Northern Courtyards, there were many voices that were different from the voices of the people.
"Haha, Li, to think that you would have such a day."
"When you bullied my grandson, you didn't think that you would have such a day, right?"
"In the past, you had His Majesty protecting you. This time, without His Majesty, I'd like to see how you'll die."
"Before I could do anything, someone else beat me to it. I wonder who hates him so much. Could it be the Zhou Family?"
…
In the past three months, the officials and nobles of Fairy's Capital, regardless of whether they were from the new or old parties, had formed grudges with Li Mu. When they heard that Li Mu had been imprisoned, they all clapped their hands in joy.
They couldn't even be satisfied with hearing about Li Mu's tragic case from others. Many of them personally came to the Ministry of Justice to see for themselves. This undoubtedly made them even happier.
Faced with the officials and nobles who wanted to visit Li Mu, the director of the Ministry of Justice was in a difficult position.
Of course, they could visit the prison. However, the Ministry of Justice had a rule that not everyone could visit the prison. There were rules regarding the identity of the person who visited the prison and the time of the visit.
In principle, the relatives and friends of non-criminals were not allowed to visit the prison. However, the people who came to the Ministry of Justice were either officials or nobles. He couldn't afford to offend all of them.
He walked to the assistant minister's office and asked Zhou Zhong, "Lord Assistant Minister, these people outside all want to visit the prison. Should we reject them?"
"No need." Zhou Zhong waved his hand and said, "If they want to visit, let them. However, each visit can only be two people at most. They can't stay for more than half an hour."
Since the assistant minister had spoken, the director of the Ministry of Justice didn't say anything else. He nodded and said, "I'll make the arrangements now."
The prison of the Ministry of Justice.
In a neat and tidy prison cell.
Li Mu stood in the middle of the cell. This was his first time in the Ministry of Justice's prison. Compared to the county and provincial yamen, the prison of the Ministry of Justice was cleaner and tidier. There wasn't any odor in the prison either. Zhou Zhong had arranged a good cell for him. The inside of the cell was spotless. Li Mu had wanted to use his spells to clean it up, but later found that there was no need.
He wasn't shackled and his mana wasn't restricted. If he really wanted to leave, the prison of the Ministry of Justice wouldn't be able to hold him.
However, he wasn't in a hurry to leave. He wanted to know who was so impatient that they were willing to use Fu-lu and pills just to frame him.
Footsteps came from outside. Two people appeared outside the cell.
One of them was someone Li Mu had seen before. It was the Vice-Director of the Ministry of Revenue, Wei Teng. The other person was someone Li Mu didn't recognize. The person stood outside the cell and took the initiative to introduce himself. "Lord Li may not know who I am. Let me introduce myself. I am the director of the Ministry of Rites, Zhu Qi. Zhu Cong is my son."
Li Mu had already noticed that this person looked similar to Zhu Cong. He glanced at the two of them and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Zhu Qi said, "I was shocked to hear that Lord Li was imprisoned. I wanted to come and take a look."
Wei Teng quickly followed and said, "Lord Li is a pillar of the country and a favorite of His Majesty. How could he do such a despicable thing? If you need any help, just ask. I won't help you. Hahaha …"
Wei Teng looked at Li Mu in the cell and laughed happily.
His hatred for Li Mu was even greater than Zhu Qi's.
Because of Li Mu, he lost his nephew. His only younger brother lost his son. Since then, he was unable to recover from the setback and cut off all contact with him. As for his son Wei Peng, he also suffered an unprecedented blow because of that incident.
Since Wei Bin's execution, Wei Peng had never stepped out of the Wei Mansion. He hugged a thick copy of the Law of Great Zhou all day long. He read it when he walked, when he ate, and even when he went to the toilet. Even when he slept, he would use the book as a pillow.
Wei Teng saw his son's abnormality and his heart ached. He blamed all of this on Li Mu.
Wei Teng and Zhu Qi laughed happily. Li Mu looked at them indifferently and said, "Scram."
Wei Teng's face darkened. He said sternly, "Don't you know where you are? Don't you know your own situation? What right do you have to be arrogant in front of us?"
Zhu Qi sneered and said, "I'd like to see how long you can be arrogant!"
At this moment, a prison guard walked in and said to the two of them, "Lords, it's time to visit the prisoners."
The two of them looked at Li Mu mockingly again and turned to leave.
Li Mu watched the two of them leave. He shook his head and said in a low voice, "It's not …"
They were not the ones who framed him.
Soon, another person walked in from outside.
It was an old man with white hair and a face full of wrinkles. As soon as he entered the cell, he looked at Li Mu and said, "Lord Li, do you know me?"
Li Mu glanced at him and asked, "Who are you?"
The old man snorted and said, "I'm the deputy of Taichang Temple. Two months ago, you beat up my grandson three times and broke five of his ribs. You don't know who I am?"
Li Mu said, "Is the Prime Minister of Taichang Temple senile? The one I hit was your grandson, not you; why should I know you?"
The deputy of Taichang Temple pointed at him and said in a trembling voice, "You, you, you're too arrogant …"
Li Mu said coldly, "It's not the first time I've been so arrogant. Is this the first time you know?"
The Taichang Temple Deputy Prime Minister had come to mock Li Mu, but he did not expect that not only did Li Mu fail to mock him, but he also angered himself. He pointed at Li Mu, his beard trembling, and said angrily, "You, you, you, I'll wait and see if you can still be so arrogant in a few days!"
After saying this, he angrily stormed off in a huff.
Li Mu looked at the back of the deputy of Taichang Temple and shook his head. He said, "Not really …"
The Director of the Ministry of Rites, the Minister Counsellor of the Ministry of Revenue, and the Deputy of Taichang Temple were the first to mock him. Obviously, they were not the ones behind the scenes.
Li Mu sighed as he stood in the prison cell.
Usually, he did not care. It was only at times like this that he realized how many enemies he had in Shen 'du. There were so many that he did not even know who the mastermind was.
A voice came from the door again, and Li Mu's gaze followed it.
His enemies in Shen 'du were honest. They seemed to be afraid that they would come too late. After Li Mu was released from prison, they came to the Ministry of Justice one after another to sightsee.
The two people who came this time were both women, and they weren't young either. One of them had a rather charming figure, and was a young woman around 30 years old. The other person was even older, and didn't even have a hint of charm.
The two of them did not come close. They only glanced at Li Mu from afar and turned to leave without saying a word.
The woman next to the young woman looked at Li Mu with a gaze filled with bone-deep hatred. Li Mu could feel a strong resentment and malice from her.
Her disgust for Li Mu was even greater than that of the other three combined.
Li Mu's eyes flashed. He sensed something and looked at the prison guard. He said, "You, come over here!"
The prison guard at the door ran over quickly and asked anxiously, "W-what do you want?"
Li Mu glanced at him and asked, "Who are the two women who came in just now?"
The prison guard shook his head and said, "I don't know."
"Go and ask."
"Do you think you …"
The prison guard was indignant. After exchanging glances with Li Mu, he could not help but tremble and run out quickly. After a while, he ran back in and said, "I asked. It's the fourth madam of the Zhou Family and the wife of the Minister of Rites. The wife of the Minister of Rites is the daughter of the fourth madam of the Zhou Family …"
"Director Zhou …"
Li Mu said the name softly. His guess was confirmed.
There were many people in the Divine Capital who hated him, but Zhou Ting and his wife were definitely two people who hated him to the core. Their only son had died at the hands of Li Mu. Li Mu had always been wary of Zhou Ting, but after Zhou Ting left office, he stayed in the Zhou Family and did not leave. Li Mu thought that he was plotting a bigger scheme, but he did not expect that the first to act would be his wife.
Since he had found the mastermind, there was no need for him to stay in the Ministry of Justice.
He looked at the prison guard again and said, "Call Zhou Zhong over."
The prison guard did not dare to talk back this time and ran out. Not long after, Zhou Zhong walked slowly into the prison.
He looked at Li Mu and asked, "Censor Li, do you have anything else to say?"
Li Mu said indifferently, "That woman's matter has nothing to do with me. Someone framed her."
Zhou Zhong shook his head and said, "Lord Li's one-sided statement cannot be used as evidence."
Li Mu asked, "Did the person who raped that woman succeed?"
Zhou Zhong said, "That woman from the Xu Family had her chastity taken last night."
Li Mu looked at him and said, "If that's the case, then this case cannot be done by me."
Zhou Zhong asked, "Why?"
Li Mu's face showed a trace of unnaturalness. He said, "Because this official # @ ¥* …"
Zhou Zhong took a step forward and tilted his ear. He said, "I didn't hear you clearly. Please repeat yourself, Lord Li."
Li Mu's forehead darkened. He gritted his teeth and said, "Because this official's primordial yang is still there!"
Zhou Zhong's expression was clearly stunned. Not only him, but even the prison guard was stunned.
The two of them had never imagined that Li Mu would be able to use such a reason to clear himself of suspicion. But when they thought about it carefully, it seemed that no testimony would be as powerful as this one.
This was a special case to begin with. That woman had been raped and her chastity taken. Naturally, that criminal had done something indescribable with her. In other words, the criminal of this case had to be someone who had been through it before. It was impossible for him to be a virgin.
A man's primordial yang would be lost the first time he fused with a woman. If Li Mu's primordial yang was still there, then he naturally could not be the criminal who raped that woman.
After Zhou Zhong came back to his senses, he looked at Li Mu and said, "I'll have to trouble Lord Li to extend your right hand."
Li Mu impatiently extended his hand. Zhou Zhong was clearly not like Xiao Bai, who could see through his chastity with a single sentence.
Zhou Zhong placed his hand on Li Mu's wrist and withdrew it a moment later. He immediately ordered the prison guard behind him, "Open the door!"
The prison guard hurriedly took out a key and opened the door. Li Mu walked out of the cell and glanced at Zhou Zhong. He said, "The Ministry of Justice, I'll remember this …"
Zhou Zhong shook his head and said, "You can't blame the Ministry of Justice. If Lord Li had been able to produce this evidence in court, then you wouldn't have been temporarily detained …"
Zhou Zhong was speaking nonsense. There were so many people in court. Using such a method to prove his innocence in front of those people was shameless, but Li Mu was.
This was one reason. The other reason was that Li Mu wanted to lure the snake out of its hole, to draw out the true mastermind behind this case.
Zhou Zhong walked to the door of the prison and extended his hand. He said, "Lord Li, please …"
At the same time that Li Mu and Zhou Zhong walked out of the prison, in the Li Residence.
Xiao Bai was anxiously pacing around in the courtyard. Although she didn't go out, she still heard the people outside talking about the matter. Her benefactor was in danger, but she couldn't help at all …
In the end, she gritted her teeth and took out a conch. After activating it with her mana, she said with a sobbing voice, "Sister Zhou, please save my benefactor …"
Changle Palace.
Zhou Yi, who was sitting cross-legged on the brocade couch, entered an ethereal state to avoid her inner demons. Suddenly, she opened her eyes.
She waved her hand lightly and an image appeared in front of her.
It was the image of Li Mu being locked up in the Ministry of Justice's prison.
Her expression changed slightly. Her figure flashed and appeared outside Changle Palace. She asked, "What happened to Li Mu?"
Mr. Mei had also just received the news and was hesitating whether he should inform the Empress. He immediately said, "Your Majesty, Li Mu was framed and locked up in the Ministry of Justice's prison."
She finally could not hold back the doubts in her heart these past few days and asked, "Your Majesty, what did Li Mu do to make Your Majesty unhappy?"
Zhou Yi was puzzled. "Why do you ask?"
Mr. Mei said helplessly, "Please forgive Mei Wei for asking too much. Your Majesty has been too cold to him these days, so much so that there are rumors in the court that Your Majesty is dissatisfied with him. Li Mu has fallen out of favor. The only reason he can live peacefully in the Fairy's Capital is because Your Majesty has his back. He can't live without Your Majesty. Once Your Majesty abandons him, the various forces in the Fairy's Capital will make a move on him.
Zhou Yi couldn't tell Mei Wei that she was avoiding Li Mu because she wanted to control her inner demons.
She also didn't expect that her actions would cause such serious consequences.
Mr. Mei continued, "Li Mu can't live without Your Majesty. Your Majesty's actions will disappoint him. With his personality, Your Majesty might lose him forever …"
Not only Li Mu couldn't live without her, but she couldn't live without Li Mu either. In this cold court, only Li Mu could bring her some warmth.
Zhou Yi had already realized the severity of the situation. She said, "Go to the Ministry of Justice and bring him out immediately … Forget it, I'll go myself!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his face turned into Mr. Mei's and he disappeared into thin air.
Ministry of Justice.
Li Mu walked out of the prison and found a group of people outside.
The director of the Ministry of Rites, the minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and the minister of the Taichang Temple hadn't left yet. They were shocked when they saw Zhou Zhong and Li Mu walk out.
"Why is he out?!"
"Why did the Ministry of Justice let him out?"
"Is there any law here?"
…
Zhou Zhong walked in front of them and said, "This case has nothing to do with Lord Li. The Ministry of Justice caught him by mistake."
The minister of the Taichang Temple said angrily, "That woman has already identified him. You've also searched her soul. This case was obviously done by Li Mu. How can you protect him like this …"
Zhou Zhong said calmly, "The Ministry of Justice only cares about evidence when handling cases. Lord Li has evidence to prove that this case has nothing to do with him."
The director of the Ministry of Rites said in disbelief, "What evidence?"
Zhou Zhong glanced at Li Mu and said, "Lord Li is still a Yuanyang Body."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was silence in the room.
There was no better reason than this to clear him of suspicion in this case.
After all, it was impossible for a rapist to still be a virgin after the rape.
Perhaps even the mastermind behind the scenes would never have guessed that Li Mu was a fledgling.
They couldn't understand why Li Mu was such a handsome man. He could have any woman he wanted. How could he be a virgin?
Moreover, the woman beside him was so beautiful. How could he hold himself back? Was he even a man?
Seeing everyone's eyes and expressions, Li Mu wished he could sew Zhou Zhong's mouth shut.
However, he was no match for Zhou Zhong.
His gaze swept across the director of the Ministry of Rites, the minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and the minister of the Taichang Temple. He said, "You guys are very good …"
The three of them felt a chill run down their spines, straight to their heads.
No one expected that Li Mu would be able to escape so quickly.
Based on his past temperament, the three of them probably wouldn't have a good life in the future.
Looking at Li Mu's back as he left, the director of the Ministry of Rites said with a pale face, "What do we do now?"
The minister of the Ministry of Revenue snorted and said, "What are you afraid of? The current Li Mu is no longer the Li Mu of the past. Without His Majesty, what is he?"
The minister of the Taichang Temple was also relieved. He agreed and said, "That's right. He escaped once, but can he escape a second time or a third time? There are countless people in Luoyang who want him dead. He won't be able to jump around for long …"
The three of them comforted themselves in such a way, and their anxious hearts finally relaxed.
Zhou Zhong glanced at them and asked, "Are the three of you so sure that Li Mu has really fallen out of favor?"
The three of them, who had just relaxed, suddenly became worried again. The director of the Ministry of Rites asked, "Sir Zhou, what do you mean by that?"
Zhou Zhong shook his head and said, "It's hard to fathom a ruler's heart. Once in favor, once out of favor, once out of favor, and once again back into favor. This has happened a lot in history. You guys are too impatient …"
When Li Mu walked out of the Ministry of Justice, he was surprised to see Mr. Mei walk in.
Mr. Mei was surprised to see Li Mu. He asked, "Why did you come out?"
Li Mu said, "I didn't do it in the first place. It'll be fine as long as I explain it clearly."
Mr. Mei asked, "How did you explain it?"
Li Mu waved his hand and said, "That's not important."
He looked up at the sky and said, "It's almost lunchtime. Sister Mei, do you want to go home with me and have a meal before going back to the palace?"
Mr. Mei thought for a moment and said, "His Majesty hasn't eaten yet. I'll go back and ask His Majesty first …"
Li Mu said lightly, "It's better not to call His Majesty. There's not enough food at home. There's only enough for three people."
Mr. Mei said, "Then I'll go to the market with you to buy some food …"
Li Mu shook his head and said, "Forget it. I suddenly don't feel like cooking. I'll just go back and eat some steamed buns and salted vegetables with Xiao Bai. Goodbye, Sister Mei …"
"Mr. Mei" watched Li Mu's figure disappear from her sight. She stood there in a daze, with a confused and helpless expression on her face.
After a moment, she withdrew her gaze and slowly walked toward the palace gate.
Changle Palace.
Zhou Yi looked at Mr. Mei and asked, "Was I really wrong?"
Mr. Mei's lips moved, but he didn't know what to say. When Her Majesty was young, she focused on cultivation and rarely had contact with others. She was used as a pawn by the Zhou family. After she ascended the throne, she was high above the masses, and no one around her could talk to her.
Although she wasn't young, she didn't have much experience and didn't know how to get along with others.
Almost everyone around her was respectful to her. They only obeyed her and did not dare to resist. However, Li Mu did not belong to that "almost" exception.
She couldn't say that the Empress was wrong. She could only say, "I hope Your Majesty doesn't blame Li Mu. He's loyal to Your Majesty and is full of passion. It's inevitable that he'll feel sad and disappointed when something like this happens. This shows that he's really loyal to Your Majesty …"
Zhou Yi thought for a moment and said, "Then it's my fault."
It was nighttime.
Li Mu lay on the bed, unable to calm down.
He didn't care about being framed and imprisoned because those people were his enemies. This was what his enemies should do.
Meanwhile, he had been loyal and devoted to the Empress, clearing all obstacles for her. He had even cared about her life, relieving her of her worries and boredom. He had invited her to his home for a meal, and had even cooked her favorite food. However, his passion had been exchanged for indifference and alienation.
He felt that it wasn't worth it.
The human world wasn't worth it.
He even considered whether he should take Xiao Bai back to the North County. At most, he wouldn't need the Psyche Power of the people of Shen 'du. He didn't want to continue staying in this sad place.
As he thought about it, he suddenly felt tired.
He uncontrollably entered a dream and saw a familiar figure in the dream.
Li Mu didn't want to see her now. He silently recited the Clear Heart Chant and woke up from the dream.
Tiredness came again, and he entered the dream again.
He silently recited the Clear Heart Chant and woke up from the dream again.
Enter the dream, wake up.
Enter the dream, wake up.
…
After more than ten times, Li Mu didn't feel tired anymore. However, there was another figure in front of his bed.
Zhou Yi looked down at him and said, "I was wrong."
Li Mu immediately froze on the bed.
To be able to connect the words "I" and "I was wrong" was an inconceivable thing.
After he came back to his senses, he got up from the bed and asked subconsciously, "Where did you go wrong?"
[PS: This book has 10,000 words. 6,000 is the basic update, and 4,000 is the main update. When I was thinking about this plot yesterday, I felt that it would be better to finish it in one go. I specially set an alarm in the morning and wrote for about ten hours. Now my eyes hurt and I have a headache, so I'm going to sleep. There will be no more updates today. Readers reading outside the website, if you think the writing is pleasing to your eyes, I hope you can come to the Chinese website to support the original version. Thank you!]
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
