Mission: Protect Xiao Zhan (Completed)

ARC 5: Your Highness 4

On Zhan's third day in court, there was a matter that needed to be settled. One of the concubines; Wen Qing, was being recommended for execution.

It was no longer news that the king did not favour any of the concubines but Wen Qing had been sick recently. The imperial physicians had found out she was pregnant. This was an offense punishable by death and the whole court supported the notion.

Wen Chao, Wen Qing's elder brother happened to be a member of the court, he was the only one who said nothing. It was obvious the king wasn't responsible for the pregnancy, she must have had an affair but deep down they all knew this was politics at play. Without proof, the poor girl was dragged into court, stripped off her clothes and made to wear ragged clothes.

"What do you have to say?", Yibo asked her.

"Your highness, have mercy. I do not know how or when it happened but I can swear that I have known no man in my entire life".

Of all the concubines in the harem, Wen Qing was the most qualified to be queen. She came from a direct line of royalty and in terms of talents and etiquettes, she beat the others. Also, she seemed to be the only one not quite interested in gaining the king's favour as she had always acted indifferently unlike the others who found every opportunity to seduce the king. Who knew Wen Qing would be accused of having an affair and being in love with another man hence her disinterest in the king.

The court was in an uproar. Everyone argued, pointing accusing fingers at her. There were words like 'liar' and 'prostitute' being thrown around. They also directly accused the Wen family of trying to usurp the throne.

After a long argument, the king naturally had the final say. Before he said anything, he turned to Xiao Zhan who had never said a word in court.

"Baobei, what do you think?"

Xiao Zhan had been observing the accused concubine. He had no idea how deep politics in the inner court ran but he could tell when a person was being ganged up on. From the onset, everything sounded like a targeted attack. He dared not voice his thoughts in presence of other court members but he could tell Yibo anything.

"I think everyone deserves a fair trial. If she claims not to have known any man, maybe something beyond her understanding has taken place. I humbly suggest an investigation be carried out but that's just my thought. You have the final say". After a short pause, as if trying to cover a slip up, he added, "your highness".

Yibo found him cute, he couldn't help but chuckle. The court members that a single statement from Xiao Zhan could ruin their plan to drag the wen family to the mud. One of them was the first to speak.

"Your highness, how can he be made to speak in court? Have you forgotten tradition? He is just a boytoy kept by you. Now he feels his opinion even matters?"

He quickly got backed up by other members, "Your highness, this man killed his father, he still a prisoner. Just because he managed to gain the king's favour he is starting to think he is something".

They all talked and ranted, Zhan never knew he had grown such a thick skin but what surprised him the most was how shameless these people were. If one spoke against them, they would find a way to bring up their dirty past and bring the person down.

He tried to hide a smile, involuntarily turning to look at Yibo. His eyes met with Yibo's red eyes. It was obvious he was upset. Seeing Yibo this unhappy because of him made his heart go even softer. He simply felt moved. He didn't know his face had shown all of his emotions. Yibo misinterpreted his look to be one of sadness and quickly moved to speak for him.

"Xiao Zhan's killed his adopted father in self-defense which by the law, is no crime. Who was in charge of investigating his case? Why wasn't this stated in his file?"