Xiangzhou Arc: Transmigration of the Soul Chapter 38: Returning to the Court, It Was Her After All
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After hearing her words, Shen Jianzhou pressed his thin lips together.
The faint smile vanished from his face, and he did not tease her any further. Instead, his expression turned stern as he extended his long, bony fingers and crooked them slightly, beckoning Ye Qiaoqiao over.
At the same time, he said in a low, hoarse voice, “Come here.”
His tone allowed no argument, compelling obedience almost instinctively.
Ye Qiaoqiao’s heart gave a sudden jolt.
She was a fortune-teller from the twenty-first century, and Shen Jianzhou was the one who needed her help. Yet, faced with that arrogant, overbearing manner of his, he still somehow made her comply.
Fortunately, he was devilishly handsome, so sitting beside him was hardly a loss.
Suppressing her instinct to retort, Ye Qiaoqiao lowered her eyes and shifted over to Shen Jianzhou’s side.
Seeing her obey, the corners of Shen Jianzhou’s lips lifted slightly.
Then, unhurriedly, he drew three silver needles from his robes. His manner was both elegant and casual.
With practiced ease, he held the three needles between his index, middle, ring, and little fingers.
The motion flowed as smoothly as running water, completed in one seamless movement.
Shen Jianzhou was clearly thoroughly familiar with the technique, carrying himself with the effortless composure of a master.
Ye Qiaoqiao watched his practiced hand movements, utterly baffled.
Under the light filtering through the carriage window, the silver needles glimmered with a faint, icy sheen, their sharpness unmistakable.
It seemed that with the slightest flick, they could effortlessly shatter the stillness in the air.
Shen Jianzhou looked perfectly at ease, with a hint of languor in his gaze.
He raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ye Qiaoqiao, asking carelessly, “Did you see that posture clearly?”
It was almost as though, if she had not seen it clearly, he would refuse to teach her the technique again.
“Yes, I did.” Ye Qiaoqiao nodded obediently.
Shen Jianzhou’s eyes swept over her attentive face. Then, without warning, he struck.
His wrist gave the slightest twitch, moving as swiftly as lightning, far too fast for anyone to react.
With a crisp clang, the three silver needles flew like arrows loosed from a bow, wrapped in a fierce momentum, and struck the edge of the carriage window with unerring precision.
The force was so great that even the window frame trembled faintly, emitting a soft humming sound.
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Ye Qiaoqiao lifted her eyes and saw the three silver needles embedded firmly and evenly in the window.
Their tails still quivered slightly, reflecting threads of icy light. The sight was truly astonishing.
She secretly marveled.
So the Crown Prince was actually so formidable!
And this silver-needle technique of his was genuinely extraordinary!
She could not help looking at Shen Jianzhou with new admiration.
Filled with an eager impulse to try it herself, Ye Qiaoqiao hurriedly took out the silver needle she had just removed from her knee and prepared to imitate him.
Who could have known that Shen Jianzhou would extend a hand and firmly stop her.
His gaze held a trace of severity, signaling her not to move.
Ye Qiaoqiao looked up at him in confusion, her eyes filled with bewilderment and reluctance. “Your Highness, what’s wrong with letting me try?”
Shen Jianzhou had demonstrated it for her. She could not possibly waste such a good opportunity.
“It is time to get off,” Shen Jianzhou said, the corner of his mouth curving faintly upward.
Only then did Ye Qiaoqiao come to herself. She hurriedly looked outside through the carriage window.
That was when she realized that, at some point, the carriage had already come to a steady stop outside the courthouse.
Although she felt somewhat disappointed, she knew this was not the time to be stubborn. Reluctantly, she put away the silver needle.
After carefully concealing it and straightening the hem of her robe, she followed Shen Jianzhou down from the carriage.
When Shen Jianzhou stepped down first, Dong Feiguang recognized the Crown Prince and hurried forward to greet him.
Seeing this, the other bailiffs also fell to their knees in perfect unison and shouted, “Long live the Crown Prince!”
Their voices shook the heavens and echoed across the open ground before the courthouse, displaying the full weight of imperial authority.
The moment Ye Qiaoqiao emerged, she was stunned by the thunderous cries of “Long live the Crown Prince!”
For a while, she failed to react and stood there in a daze.
She thought to herself that he truly was the Crown Prince. No matter how much she had said, this spectacle remained as imposing as ever.
Ye Qiaoqiao quickly recovered, however.
Remembering the two incidents she had caused at the Divine Calculation Pavilion, she had no desire to attract attention or show off at a time like this.
She quickly composed herself, lowered her head as though nothing had happened, and silently followed behind Shen Jianzhou, step by step toward the courtroom.
Shen Jianzhou, meanwhile, appeared to be long accustomed to such scenes, his expression calm and composed.
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He merely raised a hand slightly, signaling everyone to rise.
The gesture retained the majesty of the imperial house while carrying a hint of warmth.
Those kneeling hurriedly rose from the ground and stood respectfully on either side.
Shen Jianzhou then strode steadily toward the seat at the front of the courtroom.
When Ye Qiaoqiao followed him into the main hall and lifted her eyes, she saw that two people were bound in the middle of the courtroom.
One was the broad-faced, burly man who had shouted outside the Divine Calculation Pavilion that he would smash its signboard and have her bound.
The man had lost all his former arrogance. His head hung low, and he looked utterly dejected.
The other was the thief who had come to steal from her residence the previous day.
He was equally disheveled, panic visible in his eyes, his body trembling faintly.
Seeing that everyone involved was present, Ye Qiaoqiao decided the timing was perfect.
She stepped forward, bowed respectfully, then raised her head and addressed Dong Feiguang, seated at the front of the courtroom, with a sincere gaze.
“My lord, these two men caused trouble at my home one after the other. You must give me justice today.”
“I already know the whole story,” Dong Feiguang replied with a slight nod.
His steady gaze swept over everyone below. Then he picked up the courtroom block and struck it heavily against the table.
The sharp crack rang throughout the courtroom, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
He first fixed the burly man with a piercing stare. “Who hired you to force your way into a private residence and cause trouble in broad daylight? Confess honestly!”
His words rang out with authority, every syllable carrying tremendous weight.
A thick aura of solemn威严 instantly filled the courtroom.
The force of his tone made the burly man shudder violently. His already anxious heart leaped straight into his throat.
The man immediately dropped to his knees and begged for mercy through his tears. “My lord, I’ll confess, I’ll confess! I was hired by an old woman—this woman’s mother-in-law. She was the one who ordered me to do it!”
As he spoke, beads of sweat the size of beans sprang across his forehead.
They rolled continuously down his cheeks and dripped onto the floor. He was now utterly terrified.
Ye Qiaoqiao stared in shock.
How could it have been Zheng Qianjuan?