Chapter 20 — The Poor Bridegroom Is the Supreme One

The night before the trial, the atmosphere at Ngan Palace became tense and oppressive. News of the upcoming trial spread throughout Đại Lương capital, becoming the hottest topic of discussion in all walks of life - from officials to rustic markets. The prestigious headmistress of the Ngan Palace, who once shocked the entire court when she chose a poor man as her husband at the Grand Wedding Ceremony, is now at risk of losing everything because of the most serious crime that can happen to a person.

At Dai Ly Temple, in a small cell, Khinh Vy sat quietly, holding a cup of cold tea that the kind servant brought, her eyes looking far into the space in front of her. She knows that tomorrow will be the day that decides her entire fate - not only her honor and fortune, but also her life, and even Dịch Thần's safety, are all hanging on a fragile thread.

She remembered the entire journey that had passed since the day of her rebirth - from the bold decision to cede Âu Thế Khang to Khinh Tuyết during the Grand Wedding, to the days of quietly building trust with Kỳ Bá Thành, collecting every little piece of evidence, to almost losing his life in Black Mist Coc and witnessing Dịch Thần revealing part of his extraordinary strength. Every step, every decision, has led her to this important moment.

"If I fail tomorrow," she thought, a fear flashed through her heart but was quickly quelled by the strong will that had been forged over two lifetimes, "I would lose everything — my honor trampled on, my fortune taken away, my life hanging on the tip of the knife, and Dịch Thần, the person who saved my life twice, might not be able to escape their hands." But she also understood that because the risk was maximum, she could not let herself waver or tremble at this time.

At the same time, at Âu Thế Khang's mansion, Dịch Thần was also spending a sleepless night. He sat in the darkness, clearly feeling the True Yuan force swirling strongly in his body, as if waiting for the moment to explode. He knew that tomorrow, no matter the outcome, he would not be able to continue hiding his identity if the situation became too dangerous. But he also understands that revealing the Supreme Being of the Nine Heavens World too early, before it is really necessary, could cause unpredictable consequences not only for himself but also for the fragile relationship between the two worlds.

"I believe in you," he repeated that sentence in his mind as if to say to himself, "you have prepared so carefully, you will definitely find a way to turn the situation around with your own wisdom. But if it comes to the end, if your life is truly threatened, I will not hesitate to do whatever is necessary to protect you, even at the cost of exposing my entire identity to the entire Great Liang court."

In the main courtyard, Khinh Tuyết is also experiencing an uneasy night. Even though she had prepared additional backup plans with her mother and the Au family, deep in her heart, she still could not dispel the vague feeling of insecurity that had been growing since the consecutive failures of her previous plots.

"Why is she always able to escape every plot I devise?" She asked herself in the dark, "Could it be that she knew something that I didn't know?" That thought made her shiver, but she quickly dismissed it, reassuring herself that it was just a coincidence, that this time, with such thorough and comprehensive preparation, there was no reason to fail again.

Early the next morning, when the dawn light had just risen over the sky of Đại Lương capital, all roads leading to Nha Mon Dai Ly Temple were filled with curious people, wanting to witness with their own eyes the trial that was considered the most shocking in recent years. Soldiers were deployed heavily to maintain order, creating an atmosphere that was both solemn and extremely tense.

Inside the trial hall, the rows of seats reserved for court officials were full, each with their own mood - some were curious, some were worried, some had secretly taken a side in the silent power struggle behind this case. Ngân Bá Viễn sat in the front row, his face full of complicated tension - even though he had been affected a lot by Triệu Nhã Trân and Khinh Tuyết's slanderous words, deep down, he still had a bit of fatherly love for his daughter, making him unable to be completely indifferent to her fate.

Đại Lý Tự Khanh Quách Bá Ninh entered the hall, sat on a high pedestal, his eyes scanned the entire scene in front of him, from the rows of mandarin chairs, to the area reserved for relevant parties, and finally stopped at the place where Khinh Vy was escorted in, her face still remained surprisingly calm despite being in an extremely unfavorable situation.

"The trial of the case of Ngân Khinh Vy, accused of stealing the Hộ Bộ seal and murder, has now officially begun," Quách Bá Ninh announced, his voice echoing throughout the vast hall, creating an absolute silence that covered the entire solemn space.

Khinh Vy stood in the middle of the hall, her eyes glanced over - Khinh Tuyết and Âu Thế Khang sat in the opposite row, their faces full of confidence but containing a certain wariness; Triệu Nhã Trân and Âu Vĩnh Phát sat behind, their eyes never leaving her; and in a hidden corner of the hall, she caught a glimpse of the silhouettes of Vân Nhi and Bạt Sương standing in the crowd, clutching a small wooden box - the place to store all the evidence they had diligently collected over the past many months.

But the person she wanted to see the most, Tạ Dịch Thần, was not here. She knew that he was still being held at Âu Thế Khang's mansion, and his absence at this important moment made her heart even heavier with worry, although she still tried to maintain a vague belief that somehow, he would find a way to appear right when she needed him the most.

"All the pieces are in their right places," she thought to herself, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, "now, it only depends on how we use them to turn the whole situation around." She clearly understood that this would be the biggest and most dangerous gamble in her entire reincarnation journey - a gamble that if she failed, she would lose everything she had tried to rebuild from scratch, but if she succeeded, she would not only regain justice for herself, but also expose the entire true face of those who had twice pushed her to the brink of death.

She looked to the opposite side again, carefully observing Khinh Tuyết's attitude. Even though her sister still tried to maintain a confident expression on her face, Khinh Vy, with her sharp eyes trained over two lifetimes, still recognized the small signs of insecurity creeping in - Khinh Tuyết's hands tightened her shirt until it wrinkled, her eyes occasionally glanced quickly towards the hall door as if waiting for some news from outside.

"She's also scared," Khinh Vy realized, "perhaps, A Loc's discovery has made their plan no longer as perfect as they thought." That realization helped her regain some confidence, even though there were still many unpredictable variables in the upcoming trial.

She also couldn't help but think of Dịch Thần, wondering if he was safe or not, if he could find a way to appear at the most important moment in the public hall. Even though she was filled with anxiety, she still tried to put those distracting thoughts aside, focusing her entire mind on the most important task at hand - proving her innocence and exposing the enemy's evil plot, with the same wisdom and careful preparation that she had worked hard to cultivate over the past many months.

The gong signaling the official start of the trial rang, interrupting all thoughts in Khinh Vy's mind. She held her head high, her eyes steadfastly looking straight ahead, ready to enter the most decisive battle of her life, a battle that she knew clearly, only her wisdom, calmness and painstakingly collected evidence could help her win the final victory.