TFWYH – Chapter 855 The Prefect’s Trial

What kind of person was the Shadow Master?

Simple-minded and adorably clueless.

How could he possibly pick up on all those hidden meanings?

When Ling Yu questioned him, he was momentarily speechless. Then he replied with complete confidence,

“She called me ‘Brother.'”

So she’s my little sister now. Of course I have to go!

Ling Yu: …

Oh, get lost.

You shameless bastard! You actually tricked my little sister into calling you ‘Brother’?

…Wait.

Something wasn’t right.

Ling Yu narrowed his eyes dangerously at the Shadow Master.

Ling Yue wasn’t the type to go around calling random men “Brother.”

So did that mean…

The moment a certain possibility crossed his mind, Ling Yu’s face darkened.

“Suit yourself.”

He shot the Shadow Master a cold glance, made no further attempt to stop him, and left with Tang Wan.

Tang Wan: ?

Completely confused.

The Shadow Master: ?

Even more confused.

---

The three of them soon arrived at the Shuntian Prefecture Office.

When they got there, Chancellor Gu had also just arrived.

The two groups met at the entrance to the courthouse.

The moment Chancellor Gu saw Ling Yu, his old face immediately darkened, a sinister glint flashing across his eyes.

Ling Yu, however, merely smiled at him as calmly as a gentle breeze.

Chancellor Gu wanted to throw a few sarcastic remarks his way, but when he noticed the Shadow Master following behind Ling Yu, he immediately swallowed his words, flicked his sleeve, and walked into the courthouse.

Ling Yu couldn’t have cared less.

Still holding Tang Wan’s hand, he also stepped inside.

Now that all the important figures had arrived, the Prefect hurriedly had seats prepared for them before bringing in everyone connected to the case.

The two corpses were brought in as well.

The moment Old Madam Liu and Ling Cangshun saw Ling Yu, their eyes lit up with hope.

But the instant they remembered they would soon have to testify against Ling Yue, they guiltily lowered their heads.

The Prefect struck the sounding block.

The trial officially began.

His gaze immediately fell upon Ling Yue.

“Miss Ling, regarding the two bodies before the court—”

“Prefect He.”

Before he could finish, Chancellor Gu interrupted him.

With a calm expression, he spoke as though it were only natural.

“All the household servants have identified Miss Ling as the murderer. That makes her the defendant, while the servants are the plaintiffs. Since when does a court question the defendant before hearing the plaintiffs?”

“Uh…”

The Prefect’s eyelid twitched.

Almost instinctively, he glanced at the Shadow Master, who sat quietly beside Ling Yu. Though keeping a low profile, his presence was impossible to ignore.

The Prefect couldn’t help silently worrying for Chancellor Gu.

Chancellor Gu… this young lady seems to have quite an unusual relationship with Lord Shadow Master.

Please don’t court disaster…

Of course, Gu Hengcang knew none of this.

He had never imagined that the mighty Dark Emperor would take an interest in such an ordinary-looking young girl.

He simply assumed the Shadow Master’s presence was the Emperor’s way of backing Ling Yu.

And he could no longer allow Ling Yu to continue growing stronger unchecked.

So even if offending the Shadow Master wasn’t something he wanted…

…he had no choice.

The Shadow Master paid him no attention whatsoever.

His eyes remained fixed on Ling Yue.

Seeing that she looked calm and completely confident, he refrained from intervening.

The Prefect had long since mastered the art of reading people’s expressions.

He instantly understood the Shadow Master’s intentions.

Clearing his throat, he decided to follow Chancellor Gu’s suggestion and began by questioning the lead matron.

“Wang Po, you claim that Miss Ling killed both of the deceased. Do you have any evidence?”

“Your Excellency, those two people were indeed killed by Miss Ling. All of us witnessed it.”

The moment Wang Po spoke, the other matrons and guards eagerly chimed in.

“That’s right, Your Excellency. We all saw it with our own eyes.”

“Not only did Miss Ling trespass into a private residence, she even killed someone. One of the victims was supposedly her own grandfather!”

“She’s utterly heartless, Your Excellency. Such a vicious woman must be severely punished.”

…

“Silence! Silence!”

The Prefect struck the sounding block again, and the noisy courtroom immediately fell quiet.

Once everyone had settled down, he turned toward Old Madam Liu, who had kept her head lowered the entire time.

“Ling Liu, you previously stated that you and Miss Ling had a quarrel. Your husband came to break up the dispute, but Miss Ling accidentally pushed him, causing him to strike his head on a rock and die. Is that statement true?”