There was no significant change. As Renév expected, there was no mercy for Hwangbi from the Emperor.
“Guilty.”
In the end, the verdict of guilt was pronounced for the murder case involving Princess Henriquet’s poisoning.
Although Hwangbi immediately objected, the judge maintained a dry expression and offered only procedural words.
“Next, the case of the murder of the Anthony Viscount family…”
The judge explained the origin of the incident.
Hwangbi, implicated as the mastermind behind the attempted assassination of the first prince at the behest of the Empress, framed the incident as the independent wrongdoing of Viscountess Anthony to cover up the case and silenced her to prevent her from revealing the truth.
Hwangbi shook her head, claiming it was absurd.
“Well, it’s almost like a novel. Unbelievable.”
Whether the judge was tired of Hwangbi’s continued interference without the right to speak or had become accustomed to it, he spoke without giving her any attention.
“Lady Milé, testify.”
The gazes of the people in the courtroom focused on Lady Milé.
Taking a deep breath with lowered eyes, Lady Milé, after a brief pause, raised her head.
Then she stepped out of the witness stand.
…?
Naturally, people’s heads turned following her movements.
Where Lady Milé, after leaving the witness stand, stopped was next to Hwangbi.
“I accuse myself in the case of the Anthony Viscount family’s murder…”
The murmurs inside the courtroom grew louder.
Hwangbi, who had been glaring at Lady Milé with hostility, suddenly exclaimed.
“I object!”
It seemed like a shift in posture towards dealing with the situation more rationally.
It was indeed a characteristic transformation for Hwangbi.
…
The judge glanced at Hwangbi as if suggesting that it might be better to seek the right to speak rather than continue to intervene.
“Lady Milé is currently in a mentally fragile state. Can we trust her words as they are?”
Hwangbi appealed not to the judge but to the audience. It seemed like an attempt to sway public opinion.
“What evidence is there that Lady Milé is in a mentally fragile state?”
The judge asked Hwangbi.
“I appointed Lady Milé to take over the duties of Viscountess Anthony, who left for vacation due to recent poor health. However, she has been delaying her return to the palace, citing health problems. It seems the reason is not her body but mental issues…”
She continued to argue whether it was right to believe Lady Milé’s testimony in her current mental state.
Opinions in the audience were divided.
Some shouted that Hwangbi’s arguments made sense, while others accused her of orchestrating the incident to cover it up.
Then,
Amid Hwangbi’s continuous interruptions, whether out of irritation or familiarity, the judge spoke without giving her any attention.
“Lady Milé, testify.”
Under the judge’s permission, Lady Milé spoke.
“Yes, I have had trouble sleeping recently. Because of that, I found myself in a situation where I couldn’t perform my duties as a lady-in-waiting properly…”
The public opinion leaned more towards agreeing with Hwangbi’s opinion based on Lady Milé’s testimony.
However, the subsequent content completely reversed the flow of the trial.
“I started having nightmares… from the time when the Anthony Viscount family was poisoned.”
The judge asked with an intrigued look.
“Did the Anthony Viscount family commit suicide to defend Hwangbi’s innocence, as you claim?”
“That’s not true. They did not take their own lives. On the contrary, until just before their deaths, they believed that Your Highness Hwangbi would save them. The reason they lost their lives was… because I poisoned the meals they ate.”
Sighs erupted from various places, but the judge, uninterested, immediately asked a question.
“Why did the Anthony Viscount family’s meals contain poison? Tell us.”
Now, even swallowing saliva seemed cautious, and a heavy silence descended on the courtroom.
“That’s because there were orders from Your Highness Hwangbi.”
However, as Lady Milé’s testimony came to an end, the courtroom was once again in turmoil.
“Quiet, quiet…”
After calming the people, the judge continued with his questions.
“Once the truth is revealed, Lady Milé, you, too, will not escape unscathed. Honestly, what is the reason for your frankness?”
The judge asked with a genuinely curious tone.
“Since that day, I have been having nightmares where the Anthony Viscount family appears, pouring curses on me. That’s why my return to the palace has been delayed.”
Lady Milé did not stop there and added several things that could prove the situation.
She explained how she obtained the poison for the food, the route to enter the heavily secured underground prison, and more.
“Judge! This person is not in her right mind. Can’t you see?”
Hwangbi objected and refuted Lady Milé’s testimony throughout.
However, facing the criticism from the audience, Hwangbi seemed helpless too, and within the court, she did not answer any questions from the judge.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
