Chapter 92 — The Talisman Painter Who Guards the Village

Trial in the Capital

A month after returning from Khuyết Nguyên Abyss, Diệp Sương was again in the capital Lệ Dương, this time not to confront in the dark, but to stand in the light of day, in the court's trial hall, where the official trial for Lỗ Khắc Viên was finally opened after weeks of preparation.

The vast hall was filled with people — court officials, representatives of the Tông Vân Các led by Thư Khải Dương himself, and many civilians who were allowed to attend, something unprecedented in cases involving high-ranking officials like this.

The atmosphere in the hall carried a strange solemnity, different from the suffocating tension of the first time Diệp Sương faced Lỗ Khắc Viên in front of the headquarters gate. The sunlight through the high windows shined in streaks of light and dust on the tile floor. The whispers of the crowd kept rising and falling like waves. Every time a new official entered, a new round of whispers arose.

*

"This is the first time in recent history," Cố Bạt Nguyên whispered to Diệp Sương as they both stood waiting for the trial to begin, "a case related to Khâm Vân Ti was tried publicly, instead of being quietly resolved behind closed doors. That is also part of the fruit of what you have done." Diệp Sương nodded, her eyes following Lỗ Khắc Viên as he was escorted into the hall, chains around his hands but his gait still retaining some familiar straightness. He no longer had the cold, frightening look of the previous meetings; there was only a tiredness permeating every gesture.

*

The presiding judge, a gray-haired old man who had served many kings, read out the charges - abuse of power, illegal exploitation of Linh Mạch resources, endangering national security, and indirectly causing the deaths of hundreds of people across Cửu Vân over the past fifteen years.

"Does the defendant have anything to say before the court pronounces the verdict?" the old judge asked.

Lỗ Khắc Viên stood up and was silent for a long moment before speaking, his voice echoing throughout the hall. "I do not deny any accusations. I just want to say, everything I did, no matter how wrong, stemmed from a real fear of a future where Cửu Vân was not strong enough to withstand the growing disasters. I chose the wrong path to deal with that fear. I accept all punishments."

*

Chúc Nghi Lam was invited to testify, recounting everything she had witnessed during her three years working under Lỗ Khắc Viên, from secret survey trips to the sophisticated way the records were disguised. Her voice trembled but did not waver, every word she spoke was clear and well-founded.

Next, another unexpected witness was called - Úc Bá Tuyền, the soldier who had perjured himself before the Tông Vân Các council, now appeared with a completely different appearance, skinny and full of remorse.

*

"I confess," he said, his voice trembling, "my testimony before the Tông Vân Các council that year was completely fabricated, on the instructions of a person claiming to represent Khâm Vân Ti, promising to give me a better position if I testified falsely, blaming Chu Diệp Sương. I was scared, greedy, and I accept all the punishments for that action."

Diệp Sương looked at him, the emotions in her heart complicated—not complete forgiveness, but no longer the anger she had felt when she was unjustly detained. She understood that he was only a small pawn in the big game of a much more powerful person.

Diệp Sương remembered the days she had been detained awaiting trial, the searching eyes of once-close disciples who had suddenly become strangers, and wondered whether things might have been different if someone like Úc Bá Tuyền had spoken up then. But he pushed that thought aside — the past cannot be rewritten, you can only learn from it so as not to repeat it.

*

The trial lasted all day, with dozens of other witnesses and hundreds of pages of documents presented to the jury. Late in the afternoon, the presiding elder finally pronounced the verdict.

"Considering the seriousness of the crimes and the irreparable consequences that have affected countless families throughout Cửu Vân," he announced solemnly, "the court strips Lỗ Khắc Viên of all positions, confiscates his ill-gotten assets, and sentences him to life imprisonment without parole."

*

Lỗ Khắc Viên received the verdict in silence, did not protest, did not complain, only bowed his head one last time before being escorted out of the hall. Before completely disappearing behind the large door, he looked back at Diệp Sương one last time, his eyes carrying a complexity that was difficult to name - not quite resentment, not quite serenity, just a tired acceptance of the final price of thirty years of pursuing a wrong ideal.

*

After the trial, the court announced its decision to comprehensively restructure Khâm Vân Ti, placing it under the general supervision of both the court and representatives of the Tông Vân Các, with an independent inspection council established to periodically review all survey and exploitation activities related to Linh Mạch throughout Cửu Vân.

"I would like to nominate Miss Chúc Nghi Lam," Cố Bạt Nguyên told the court, "for the position of head of this newly established inspection council. No one understands the loopholes of the old system better than the person who risked her life to expose them."

*

Chúc Nghi Lam stood stunned before that unexpected nomination, her face full of emotion and confusion. "I... I'm just a little maid," she said, her voice shaking.

"She is the only person in that entire system who dared to act properly, even at the cost of her own safety," Thư Khải Dương added, supporting the nomination. "That is the most essential quality for this position, more than any experience or position."

*

Diệp Sương stepped forward, grabbed Chúc Nghi Lam's hand, and smiled encouragingly. "You can do it," she said firmly. "I believe that, more than anyone." Chúc Nghi Lam nodded, took a deep breath, then bowed her head to accept the invitation before the entire court, marking a new chapter not only for her, but also for the way an agency operated that had been a fertile ground for ambition and secrecy for decades.

*

Chúc Nghi Lam looked toward the door where Ngộ Khắc Bình had disappeared. He smiled when he saw Diệp Sương enter, and for the first time since the interrogation he looked relieved.

"I hear the trial is over," he said. "Lord Lỗ received a life sentence without parole."

"That's right," Diệp Sương replied, sitting down next to the bed. "As for you, the court has decided to be lenient, considering that you stepped in to prevent the disaster at the last minute, despite having previously participated in Lỗ Khắc Viên's apparatus. You will not be imprisoned, but will have to serve on the new inspection council, under the supervision of Chúc Nghi Lam, at least for the next few years." Ngộ Khắc Bình nodded, his eyes shining with genuine relief. "It's more of an opportunity than I dared to hope for. I won't waste it."

*

On the way back to the mansion, Cố Bạt Nguyên announced another piece of news he had just received from Tông Vân Các, brought by a messenger. "The Council of Elders met separately on the case of Lỗ Khắc Viên," he said. "Considering that he voluntarily confessed and actively supported the investigation, the council decided not to expel him, but to permanently strip him of his position as an elder, demoting him to an ordinary novice in charge of record-keeping—a job that he himself suggested as a way to face every day what he had missed in the past."

"I think it's a fair punishment," Diệp Sương said, after a moment's thought. "Not too harsh to extinguish the opportunity to correct mistakes, nor too gentle to overlook the consequences of permissiveness."

*

That evening, before setting off to return to Vân Tiêu Peak, the whole group stopped to have a meal at a small restaurant near the city gate. Miên Trà, who had gradually gotten used to the noisy life of the capital after many weeks of staying, excitedly recounted the strange dishes she had just tasted, making the whole table unable to hold back their laughter, dispelling some of the heavy atmosphere left after a long, stressful day at work.

Thanh Việt looked at her for a long moment, then poured her another cup of tea and pushed it toward her. "You did well," he said softly. "Not only for exposing the truth, but for not letting hatred become the only thing left in your heart."

"Finally, I can breathe a little easier," Tất Bá Kỳ said, raising his teacup. "Even though I know, this is just the end of one chapter, not the whole story."

"That's right," Diệp Sương replied, raising her cup, her eyes looking around at the familiar faces that had gone through a long journey with her. "But at least now we can write the next chapters with a much stronger foundation than when we started."

The day she left the capital for the second time, Diệp Sương felt a different kind of relief than the first time — no longer the relief of a battle that had just ended, but of faith in a system that was beginning to learn how to repair itself, step by step, just as Tạ Vân Khê had taught it about the patience needed for any real change.