The entire Ministry of Justice instantly fell into a dead silence.
Chen Changli and the rest of the crowd were stunned, as they never thought these three authorities who had never met Qin Nan before would speak up for his sake.
Bai Xiangsheng’s expression changed slightly.
As for the Minister of Justice, his forehead was covered in sweat.
He had already been troubled when the Chen Clan was involved, and now three other authorities whose status were on par with Chen Changli were involved too.
The Minister of Justice immediately recalled Qin Nan’s words as his expression became gloomy.
What could he possibly do now?
“The Minister of Martial Arts is here!
“The Minister of Academics is here!”
At that instant, a piercing voice echoed in the Ministry of Justice.
Everyone at the scene was startled.
The Minister of Martial Arts and the Minister of Academics were both brothers of the current emperor. Although their actual power was not on par with the authorities at the scene, their status and reputation definitely outmatched theirs.
Why were they here too?
Could it be...
The Minister of Justice’s heart beat rapidly.
Whoosh whoosh.
Following two piercing sounds, a middle-aged man with a muscular figure arrived with a ferocious-looking appearance. Behind him was a young man with a gentle look, holding a wooden fan in his hand.
“Greetings, Royal Highness!”
Bai Xiangsheng, Chen Changli, and the others brought their fists together as they reacted.
“Mm? Why are you all here? Minister of Justice, I don’t like wasting time. Release Qin Nan at once.” The Minister of Martial Arts was astonished when he scanned the surroundings, before he uttered in a demanding tone.
“Minister, on behalf of an old friend, please let Qin Nan go.” The Minister of Academics said smilingly.
The atmosphere of the place instantly froze as the two sentences were spoken.
Chen Changli and the three ministers never expected them to support Qin Nan as well.
However, Bai Xiangsheng’s expression completely stiffened while the Minister of Justice’s face became slightly pale, totally losing their previous appearances.
Two Royal Highnesses!
Three Ministers!
And the National General!
Such a formidable formation was here just to plead for Qin Nan!
If they insisted on not letting Qin Nan go, the outcome was very clear. They would surely offend almost half of the authorities of their dynasty!
However, if they let Qin Nan go, what would happen if the Empress blamed them?
At that instant, the Minister of Justice felt himself to be in both ice and fire, as his expression changed rapidly.
“What do you say?” Chen Changli squinted.
The three ministers and two Royal Highnesses stared at him with glistening eyes.
An invisible pressure descended upon the Minister of Justice’s figure like a giant mountain.
“What are you all doing here?”
A pleasant voice appeared all of a sudden.
The crowd could see Bai Ling arriving in a phoenix robe, followed by the same old man with the hunched back.
Everyone was stunned.
“Greetings, Empress!”
The Minister of Justice was extremely relieved, who immediately knelt down on his knee.
Bai Xiangsheng let out a relieved sigh as well.
“Greetings, Empress.”
Apart from the two Royal Highness, everyone else dropped to their knee as they greeted.
“Rise.” Bai Ling waved her hand as she proceeded to the commanding seat and glanced down at the crowd, “I heard it all when I was on my way here. It appears that two Royal Uncles, General Chen, and three ministers are pleading for Qin Nan. Is that true?”
The two Royal Highnesses moved their lips without saying anything.
The three ministers fell into a deep ponder.
They were only here to help Qin Nan as they owed the Black Dragon a favor. However, since the Empress was here in person, it was enough to imply her determination. If they insisted on helping Qin Nan, they would be going against the Empress.
Meanwhile, Chen Changli’s heart shuddered.
He was well aware of Qin Nan’s ident.i.ty, thus he was not afraid of the Empress’ pressure. Should he make use of the opportunity to trick the Empress?
As he was hesitating, Bai Ling spoke again, “Any person who breaks the law in the Royal City must be punished regardless of their ident.i.ty. Otherwise, how would the people see us? However, since everyone is pleading for Qin Nan, I’ll shorten his sentence from five years to only a single year. How’s that?”
Spending a year in the Demon Cage was the same as spending five years there, since it was enough for him to go mad.
The words only served as a resolution for the crowd.
However, Bai Ling slightly regretted her plan too. She never thought Qin Nan would be able to obtain the support of these many authorities in such a short time. Otherwise, she would have altered her plan and killed Qin Nan secretly instead.
However, there was no way for her to back off after it had come to this stage.
Otherwise, she would be a joke for the world, as she, the Empress, was unable to deal with a mere fifth-layer Martial Sacred.
The two Royal Highnesses and the three ministers were obviously considering their stance.
“The Emperor is here!”
At that instant, a roar served as a shocking explosion.
Bai Ling, Bai Xiangsheng, Chen Changli, and the others wore astounded expressions on their faces.
The emperor was here?
Why would he come at this time?
“All hail the emperor!”
At that instant, everyone immediately dropped to their knees.
The emperor w.a.n.g Liyan slowly approached the hall surrounded by guards. His royal aura and cultivation of the half-Martial Progenitor Realm were fully unleashed.
“Mm? Ling’er? First Brother, Third Brother? And the others, why are you here?”
w.a.n.g Liyan wore a confused expression.
He had made his way here in a hurry, thus he had yet to understand the situation.
The two Royal Highnesses and the three ministers felt their hearts dropping as they immediately tried to come to a decision.
In their opinion, the Emperor was surely on the Empress’ side. If the Empress were to comment on the topic, even with their ident.i.ties, they would offend the Emperor as well.
The Minister of Justice and Bai Xiangsheng were slightly overjoyed.
With the emperor here, they would no longer have any problem.
“Emperor, today a person named Qin Nan has killed Bai Qi, a core disciple of the Bai Clan on the street. Following this, the Minister of Justice captured him in time. To our surprise, the National General led his men here and demanded the Ministry of Justice release the criminal. The two Royal Highnesses and three ministers were here to stop him...”
Bai Ling said with a calm expression.
She had said so as to do the two Royal Highnesses and the three ministers a favor, trying to put all the blame on Chen Changli.
Chen Changli and the people of the Chen Clan let out a hollow laugh without rebuking it.
The two Royal Highnesses and three ministers let out relieved sighs in their hearts.
“Oh? Is that so? General Chen, I didn’t know you were a friend of Cultivator Qin Nan.” w.a.n.g Liyan let out a smile and said, “What a coincidence, I’m somehow related to him as well. I’m here to ask the Ministry of Justice to release him.”
The words served as a huge blast in the crowd’s ears.
The Emperor...was here to help Qin Nan?