The public trial was held in the Grand Court Pavilion.
Thousands gathered—officials, nobles, scholars, and even commoners invited under the guise of transparency.
In reality, it was a stage.
Zhen Luo sat on the high seat, dressed in black and gold, expression unreadable. His presence alone made the hall feel colder.
Li Shuran knelt in the center, hands folded, eyes red-rimmed but posture elegant.
The Queen sat beside the Emperor, her smile gentle, maternal.
Everyone could see the story forming.
The cruel prince. The innocent lady. The worried mother.
"Lady Li Shuran," Zhen Luo said calmly, voice echoing through the pavilion, "you are accused of colluding with external forces to destabilize the palace and endanger the Crown Prince."
Li Shuran bowed her head. "I would never harm Your Highness."
Her voice trembled perfectly.
The crowd murmured.
The Queen sighed softly. "My son, she has already suffered enough. Must you continue this spectacle?"
Zhen Luo looked at her.
"Mother," he said politely, "you taught me that mercy is weakness."
The Queen's smile tightened.
Then the trap sprang.
A minister stepped forward, bowing deeply. "Your Majesty, there are rumors that the Crown Prince's purge has caused unnecessary deaths. Some say His Highness is becoming… tyrannical."
The word echoed.
The crowd stirred.
The Emperor's eyes darkened.
Zhen Luo did not react.
He simply raised a hand.
A guard dragged in a trembling man.
"This is Minister Qiao's accountant," Zhen Luo said. "He kept records of Lady Li's payments, the Queen's intermediaries, and every official who accepted bribes."
The crowd exploded.
Li Shuran's face turned pale.
The Queen's gaze sharpened.
While the court burned, Han Jian moved quietly in the shadows.
He wasn't watching the trial.
He was visiting prisons.
Specifically, the cells of those loyal to the Queen.
He leaned against the bars of one cell, eyes half-lidded.
"Confess," he said softly.
The man shook. "I—I don't know anything!"
Han Jian smiled faintly.
"You will."
No one heard the screams.
No one recorded the confessions.
But by nightfall, Zhen Luo would have documents that legally crushed the Queen's faction.
Han Jian liked paperwork soaked in fear.
Meanwhile, Bai Zehan and Luo Xian sat quietly among the nobles, pretending to sip tea.
"Why do I feel like we're next?" Bai Zehan whispered.
Luo Xian didn't answer.
Because at that exact moment, the Queen stood.
"Your Majesty," she said gently, "if we are truly seeking justice, we must investigate everyone involved. Including those who leaked palace secrets."
Her gaze slid toward Bai Zehan and Luo Xian.
The hall went silent.
A minister bowed. "Reports indicate two nobles accessed restricted archives recently."
Bai Zehan choked on his tea.
Luo Xian sighed.
"We're famous," Bai Zehan whispered.
"Yes," Luo Xian replied calmly. "In the worst way."
Back at the center, Li Shuran laughed suddenly.
Everyone turned.
Her expression was calm now.
"So this is it," she said softly. "You planned everything, Your Highness."
Zhen Luo met her gaze. "You stepped into it willingly."
She smiled bitterly. "And yet… you still don't know who truly controls this palace."
The Queen's fingers curled.
That night, the village buzzed with rumors.
The Crown Prince is a tyrant.
The Queen is under investigation.
Lady Li is a victim.
Two nobles are traitors.
In the Eastern Palace, Zhen Luo sat alone, reviewing confessions Han Jian had delivered.
Han Jian leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.
"You're ruining your reputation," he said lightly.
Zhen Luo didn't look up. "Reputations are tools."
Han Jian walked closer. "And tools break."
Zhen Luo finally looked at him.
"Then stay," he said quietly. "So I don't break."
Han Jian paused.
Then he smiled like he always did—lazy, dangerous, unreadable.
"As you command, Your Highness."
The Queen stared at the city from her balcony.
"They're calling him a tyrant already," her shadowed aide whispered.
She smiled slowly.
"Good," she said. "The people must fear him before they beg me to remove him."
The tyrant narrative had begun.
The Queen sharpened her knife.
Li Shuran realized she was already sacrificed.
Bai Zehan and Luo Xian became official targets.
And Han Jian?
He was quietly rewriting the palace from the inside.