Chapter 17 — The Poor Bridegroom Is the Supreme One

Yamen Đại Lý Tự is located in the middle of the central administrative area of Đại Lương capital, with cold gray stone walls and heavy ironwood gates that are always closed, creating a terrifyingly majestic atmosphere. Khinh Vy was escorted into a small cell with damp stone walls and only a tiny window that weakly let light in.

She sat on a rough wooden bed, her hands still had scars from the ropes that tied them while being escorted, but her mind was not as confused as the other person expected. On the contrary, in this rare moment of silence, she began to rearrange everything she knew, what she had prepared, to find the best way to help herself and Dịch Thần escape this dangerous situation.

"Ngân Khinh Vy, come out for interrogation," a prison officer's voice rang out, the cell door opened, she was led to a large hall, where Đại Lý Tự Khanh Quách Bá Ninh was sitting on a high pedestal, his face solemn, flanked by clerks preparing paper and pens to record statements.

"Ngân Khinh Vy," Quách Bá Ninh spoke, his voice echoing throughout the hall, "you are accused of stealing the private seal of the Ministry of Ministers' Household, using it to forge documents transferring royal assets, and are also suspected of being involved in the disappearance and death of A Loc's servant in order to silence the public. Do you have anything to defend yourself?"

Khinh Vy raised her head and calmly looked straight at the mandarin sitting on the high pedestal. "My lord, I know absolutely nothing about the Hộ Bộ seal being stolen, nor have I ever met or had anything to do with the servant A Loc that you just mentioned. I believe that this is a slanderous plot carefully orchestrated to harm me."

"You say it's slander," another official standing next to Guo Bá Ninh spoke up, his tone full of sarcasm, "but we have witnesses who claim to have seen you appear near the seal storage room on the night A Loc disappeared. How do you intend to deny this?"

"The goddess wants to know, who is that witness, and in what specific circumstances did they see the goddess?" Khinh Vy replied, her voice still calm, not wavering under the pressure of the whole hall.

The mandarin was a bit confused and glanced at Quách Bá Ninh before responding. "The witness requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation, but the testimony was fully recorded and signed."

"Is an anonymous witness, without direct confrontation, enough weight to convict a person?" Khinh Vy objected, her sharp eyes looking straight at Quách Bá Ninh. "You are a famous and fair-minded person. Surely you understand that an anonymous, non-confrontational statement is not enough to serve as solid evidence of guilt in any serious case."

Quách Bá Ninh pondered for a moment, his eyes looking at Khinh Vy with a reassessment. He had heard many rumors about this woman, about the shocking decision in the Great Wedding Ceremony, but this was the first time he directly witnessed the calmness and sharpness of her reasoning under the pressure of an official interrogation session.

"You have a point," he finally said, "but the physical evidence collected at the crime scene points directly to you. We found a torn piece of cloth embroidered with the typical Ngan Phu pattern, along with traces of blood, in the area near where A Loc was said to have been murdered."

Khinh Vy heard that and secretly understood in her heart that this was false evidence that had been subtly planted to frame her. "My goddess would like to ask, has that piece of cloth been carefully examined for its origin? The Ngan palace has hundreds of clothes with similar patterns, and not only my goddess owns that type of fabric. Furthermore, if my goddess is indeed the mastermind of the murder, would anyone be stupid enough to leave such clear evidence at the scene?"

Khinh Vy's sharp argument made the entire hall silent for a moment. Quách Bá Ninh frowned slightly, doubts began to arise in his heart about the authenticity of this entire case, but the pressure from behind the scenes, from the forces that were secretly supporting the Au clan, still weighed heavily on his shoulders.

"This needs to be further investigated," he announced, his voice cautious, "while waiting for the results of additional investigation, Ngân Khinh Vy is temporarily detained at Nha Mon Đại Lý Tự. The official trial will be scheduled within the next half month."

Khinh Vy was escorted back to the cell, feeling both relieved that a hasty verdict had been avoided and worried because half a month was not too long to collect enough evidence to completely refute the case.

Meanwhile, at Âu Thế Khang's mansion, Dịch Thần was detained in a closed room, surrounded by more than twenty martial artists, all of whom were equipped with sharp weapons. He sat silently on a wooden chair, his eyes scanning the room, assessing the surrounding situation in a strangely calm way.

Âu Thế Khang entered the room, the corners of his lips curled up into a satisfied smile. "Master Ta, I didn't expect that one day I would be able to welcome you in such a situation. I heard that you have some bravery that caused your wife to barely escape death in Black Mist Valley. I'm very curious, what kind of ability do you have that you dare not be afraid of the current situation?"

Dịch Thần raised his head to look at him, his eyes were so cold that Âu Thế Khang suddenly shivered even though he didn't understand the reason. "Do you think that keeping me here can make Khinh Vy submit?"

"Of course," Âu Thế Khang replied, her tone confident, "a woman with deep feelings like hers would not dare to put her husband in danger just because she stubbornly defends her honor in court."

"You have completely misjudged Khinh Vy," Dịch Thần replied, his voice low but full of weight, "she will never yield to threats, but will find a way to save both me and herself, and expose all of your plots to the public."

Âu Thế Khang smiled faintly, not believing in that confident assertion. "We'll wait to see if that comes true. In the meantime, stay here obediently and don't do anything foolish, otherwise I can't guarantee your safety."

After Âu Thế Khang left, Dịch Thần sat quietly alone in the closed room, his eyes looking out the small window, where the afternoon sunlight was gradually fading. He knew that even though he had enough strength to break all these confinements in the blink of an eye, doing so would only cause his true identity to be exposed too soon, before Khinh Vy could complete his plan to expose his conspiracy.

"I believe in you," he thought to himself, closing his eyes, feeling the True Yuan force in his body still silently circulating, ready to explode at any time if the situation required it. But he also understood that this time, the real battle did not lie in martial power, but in the intelligence and preparation of his wife in whom he had placed all his trust.

At the same time, in the small courtyard west of Ngan Palace, Vân Nhi was sitting and sobbing in the corner of the room, completely panicked at the scene of both the young lady and the young master being arrested in the blink of an eye. Bạt Sương, who was fortunate enough not to be at the scene when the officers and soldiers arrived because he was scouting for news outside, when he returned and heard the news, he immediately ran to the small courtyard.

"Miss, calm down, tell me clearly what happened," Bạt Sương said, his voice trying to keep calm even though his heart was equally confused.

After listening to Vân Nhi recount the story, Bạt Sương's face became unusually serious. He clearly understood that this was the most dangerous attack that the Khinh Tuyết faction had ever carried out, not only targeting Khinh Vy but also using his own brothers as hostages to control him. As a loyal Dharma Protector of the Nine Heavens, Bạt Sương has the power to summon forces to rescue Dịch Thần immediately, but he also clearly understands the principle that his brothers always adhere to when acting on earth - not to intervene with force unless it is really at a dead end, to avoid revealing their identity too early and disturbing the human order.

"Don't worry, lady," he said, his voice regaining its firmness, "my brother is capable of protecting himself in any situation. The most important thing right now is that we must quickly find the whereabouts of A Loc's servant, and consolidate all the evidence we have collected, to promptly prepare for the upcoming trial. That is the only way to truly save both my wife and my brother." Vân Nhi wiped away her tears and nodded decisively. "I will help you do whatever I can, as long as I can save the young lady and young master."