Volume One - The Youngest Among Three Hundred Chapter Five - The Truth

Wang Wenbo rushed back to the Tribunal of Crimes to make his report at the fourth quarter of midday. By the sixth quarter, Chen Chang'an, clad in a white prisoner's robe, was led to the entrance of the Hall of Purity. Brimming with confidence in his ability to overturn the case, he appeared radiant, his demeanor utterly at odds with that of a typical convict.

Utterly incongruous, both inside and out, he seemed as though even the bold "prisoner" character emblazoned on his chest carried a sense of superiority.

This left the three officials seated in the hall rather taken aback. Hua Mulan brushed aside his slanted fringe and mused, "Not a madman, then?"

You're the madman—your whole family are madmen, Chen Chang'an retorted fiercely in his heart, though outwardly he maintained a respectful posture. "Greetings to Lord Li, and to the other two honored officials."

Years of blindness had honed his hearing keenly enough to discern that aside from Li Shu, there were two others present. Of course, in the Tribunal of Crimes, Li Shu was the one to curry favor with; the others mattered little and could be mentioned in passing.

Li Shu composed himself and said, "You are Chen Chang'an, yes? Step forward and answer."

"Thank you, Lord Li!"

Chen Chang'an bowed deeply, then strode into the Hall of Purity. The next instant, with a muffled bang, he crashed to the floor, eating dirt in spectacular fashion. Dust rippled outward from his body in waves.

Damn, I lifted my foot as if at home, but the threshold here is much higher.

Li Shu: "..."

Wu Yuanheng, perhaps thinking of something, turned his face toward the darker corner of the hall and scratched his head beneath his official cap.

The sneer on Hua Mulan's lips only deepened.

"Ahem, ahem!" Li Shu coughed loudly to dispel the awkwardness, his tone deliberately stern. "You claim to know Princess Changning's whereabouts, do you? I warn you: the princess is Her Majesty the Empress's most beloved daughter. Her disappearance implicates many. Our Tribunal of Crimes, the Office of Investigations, the Executioner’s Court, and even the Celestial Master’s Bureau, Black Cloak Guards, and the Imperial Eunuchs have all been mobilized, yet found nothing. If you dare spout nonsense here, I will show no mercy."

"Naturally, my lords, I am well aware of the gravity of the matter," Chen Chang'an replied with calm dignity. "The reason there has been no progress is that from the very start, your investigation has been heading in the wrong direction."

Neither Hua Mulan nor Wu Yuanheng spoke; after all, this was the Tribunal of Crimes, and it would be inappropriate for them to usurp authority. For Wu Yuanheng, who wore twin swords at his waist, relying on a blind man to solve a case was both humiliating and foolish.

Li Shu braced himself and asked, "Wrong in what way?"

Chen Chang'an answered with clear logic, "You have all been searching for clues at the spot where the sedan bearers noticed the sedan had grown lighter—on the way back to the palace. But in truth, that is not where the princess disappeared."

He blinked his clouded, sightless eyes and continued, "To be precise, Princess Changning vanished inside the Zhenqing Hall at Sanyuan Temple."

"Absurd!" Li Shu exploded in anger, striking the desk as he rose. "You insolent wretch! Everyone knows the princess vanished on the road back to the palace. Do you dare to slander the Daoist order? The Empress herself is devout, and the Sanyuan Temple is a sacred Daoist site. Your words border on sacrilege, a crime in itself."

Chen Chang'an, well-versed in the art of persuasion, bowed respectfully. "Lord Li, I do not speak at random. If you doubt me, summon the sedan bearers from that day and ask them; have them all present, and I will provide a satisfactory answer."

Li Shu, hearing his earnest and forceful words, considered carefully and ordered the sedan bearers brought in.

Who knew what went on in the minds of such high-ranking officials? Chen Chang'an wasted no time. "With the princess missing, your own positions are in jeopardy. Surely you all face punishment if she is not found! But now, if you cooperate and help me find her, you may yet escape unscathed. Tell me: when the princess arrived at Zhenqing Hall, which hand did she use to lift the sedan curtain? And when she returned to the sedan, which hand did she use then?"

In this dynasty, princesses traveling long distances were always assigned two teams of sedan bearers to take turns. Thus, eight men stood before the court, but when faced with this question, all bowed their heads in silence.

Chen Chang'an raised his voice, intimidating them: "If the princess is not found, you will all be implicated! This is your only chance to clear your names, do you understand?"

With a deep bellow, all eight sedan bearers trembled. After a moment's hesitation, one finally raised his arm stiffly. "When Her Highness left the sedan, she used her left hand to lift the curtain. I was on the left side, so her hand was right next to me. Now that I think of it, when she returned, she again faced me—but used her right hand."

At these words, Wu Yuanheng's expression shifted subtly, as if a veil had been lifted from his mind, though something still eluded him. Li Shu and Hua Mulan remained perplexed.

How did such blockheads get appointed officials—were their uncles the Grand Chancellors? Chen Chang'an masked his contempt with a fawning smile, adding, "My lords, Princess Changning is left-handed."

This revelation struck them like a bolt from the blue, shattering their doubts and illuminating everything with sudden clarity.

Indeed, Princess Changning was left-handed; yet after burning incense and leaving the Zhenqing Hall, she used her right hand to lift the sedan curtain—a clear sign of a switch.

There could be no doubt: the Zhenqing Hall at Sanyuan Temple was the true scene of the princess’s disappearance. The culprit had used sleight of hand to divert the investigators' attention, sending them down the wrong path from the very beginning.

"Could this truly be the case?" the three officials murmured, their gazes drawn irresistibly to Chen Chang'an, as if seeking confirmation for an answer now obvious.

Though blind, Chen Chang'an could well imagine the astonishment on their faces. He shrugged, letting silence speak for itself.

For final confirmation, Li Shu fixed his gaze on the sedan bearer who had spoken, his tone heavy as iron: "Are you certain?"

The bearer fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly. "My lord, all my life I have devoted myself to the princess, attending to her every need. I could not possibly be mistaken."

Chen Chang'an could only scoff at the bearer's claim of devotion; it was nothing but a man's most basic lustful fantasy, furtively observing her every move.

Much like if, in his previous life, he had ever had the chance to be the driver for a billionaire's daughter—driven by primal male instincts, not only would he remember which hand she used to open the Maserati door, but even how many times a day she visited the restroom.

This was precisely why Chen Chang'an had asked for all eight bearers to be summoned—probabilities demanded it.

Li Shu let out a long, pent-up breath. "So this is how it was."

Wu Yuanheng, so elated he clawed at his chair, rose, claimed a sudden stomachache, and hurried out of the Hall of Purity. Once out of sight, he broke into a run, found a deserted corner, and burst into jubilant laughter, a man transformed.

Hua Mulan tiptoed up to Chen Chang'an, waving his fingers in front of him. "Are you… truly blind?"

Chen Chang'an: "..."