The daughter of the emperor was reborn and was spoiled by the sickly prince.

The sky is getting brighter and a new day is about to begin.

The Dali Temple is solemn and dignified. Above the main hall hangs a plaque with the words "A Clear Mirror Hanging High", symbolizing justice and impartiality.

A tense atmosphere had already spread in the hall.

Today is the day of the court session, and many people have already gathered in the courtyard to watch.

Because today's case is of great importance.

On one side are the disciples of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and on the other side is the Duke of Zheng who holds a large number of troops.

Both parties are heavyweights with noble identities and prominent positions, which is enough to make this trial a major focus in the capital.

Therefore, not only did the common people gather to watch, but many dignitaries were also invited to come as witnesses of the trial.

Liao Zhendong was dressed in court robes, with a solemn expression, sitting upright on a brocade stool in the hall.

Liao Qinglan's uncle, Duke Rong Cheng Qi, is also among them.

As soon as the presiding judge, Duke Zheng, stepped into the Dali Temple, he looked at Liao Zhendong provocatively and sneered, "Prime Minister Liao, your family's school is famous all over the world, but I didn't expect that such a scum would come out of it. I think the Liao family school is not worthy of its reputation."

Before the imperial examination, the son of Duke Zheng was kicked out of the school by Liao Wei. Duke Zheng always kept this account in mind and finally found an opportunity to ridicule him.

Although Gu Mingzhao had no direct relationship with the Liao family, he just wanted to embarrass Liao Zhendong in front of everyone.

Before Liao Zhendong could say anything, Cheng Qi could no longer hold back his anger and jumped up to refute: "What nonsense are you talking about! How can you slander the reputation of the Liao family at will! You are a fool, but you still speak nonsense to scholars. It's really ridiculous!"

Duke Zheng sneered, "You call me a fool? Your second son Cheng Yuan is a lowly businessman. I'm afraid he is even worse than a fool!"

Duke Zheng's words immediately caused an uproar in the hall.

During this period, Cheng Yuan's reputation was well-known in the capital. He ran a wide variety of shops, ranging from spices and cloth to jewelry and jade, all of which were novel in style and attracted many people to follow him.

But the most outstanding and most praised thing is his pharmacy.

His shop sold many panaceas, and from time to time there was a mysterious old man who never showed up. He could bring people back to life just by looking, smelling and asking, behind a screen, and was known as the "living Hua Tuo".

How could Duke Zheng allow such a reputation to be arbitrarily tarnished?

Although Cheng Qi did not approve of Cheng Yuan doing business outside, he did not allow others to slander him wantonly. He glared at Duke Zheng and said, "My son can do whatever he wants. Who is it for you to point fingers? My son sells medicine to cure diseases and save lives. That is accumulating virtue! Who of you who looks down on him, stand up and let me see, and don't come to my shop in the future!"

Cheng Qi's words were so powerful that everyone present fell silent, fearing that Cheng Qi would misunderstand.

That's Cheng Yuan! Who wouldn't want to ask the "living Hua Tuo" behind him to take their pulse?

Duke Zheng was speechless for a moment.

Liao Zhendong was still thinking about the pain of Duke Zheng losing his son and didn't want to care too much about it.

But when he saw that Duke Zheng was still in the mood to ridicule himself and his elder brother-in-law, the pity in his heart disappeared.

His tone also turned colder, and he spoke slowly: "Duke Zheng, the case has not yet been heard, but you have already convicted Gu Mingzhao. I'm afraid this is unfair."

Duke Zheng snorted coldly: "Today, I will not only punish Gu Mingzhao, but also let everyone in the world see that your Liao family school is nothing more than this."

After saying this, Duke Zheng walked to the main seat and sat down.

On his left and right sat Chen Qian, the Minister of Dali Temple, and Du You, the Junior Minister of Dali Temple.

Seeing that the chief judge had taken his seat, Chen Qian cleared his throat and called out, "Announcement, suspect Gu Mingzhao, here!"

Following Chen Qian's summons, Gu Mingzhao was escorted by two jailers and walked unsteadily into the lobby.

His clothes were tattered, covered in dust and blood, and his originally handsome face looked a little haggard.

Liao Qinglan, who was in the crowd, felt an inexplicable pain in her heart when she saw him like this.

She had never seen Gu Mingzhao so miserable.

When I saw Gu Mingzhao in prison a few days ago, he was not as thin as he is today.

She couldn't help but feel a little confused. Qing Feng could come and go freely in the prison, so didn't anyone send him some food?

As soon as Gu Mingzhao stood in the middle of the hall, Duke Zheng slammed the gavel and shouted, "Bold Gu Mingzhao, do you admit your guilt?"

Gu Mingzhao smiled coldly and replied: "What crime have I committed?"

Duke Zheng was so angry that his face turned blue. He shouted sternly, "How dare you, Gu Mingzhao, to quibble in front of me! Someone, bring the evidence!"

Then, several yamen runners came forward, holding a lotus jade pendant that was broken into two pieces and a testimony that read like smoke.

Duke Zheng pointed at the jade pendant and the testimony and said coldly, "This is your jade pendant, which appeared at the crime scene! And Ruyan's testimony also clearly pointed out that she saw you and my son arguing and leaving Zuihonglou together. What else do you have to say?"

Gu Mingzhao looked up at Duke Zheng, without any fear on his face, and said calmly, "If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext."

Upon hearing this, Duke Zheng was furious. He stood up suddenly and shouted, "Come here! Beat him up hard and see if he will surrender!"

At this moment, Cheng Yuan appeared out of nowhere, strode to Gu Mingzhao, and asked loudly: "Duke Zheng, are you trying to force a confession out of me?"

Duke Zheng was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses: "Who did I think it was? It turned out to be Second Master Cheng. You have neither a title nor fame, so how can you stand up here?"

Cheng Yuan smiled bitterly in his heart.

He didn't want to get involved in this mess, but Liao Qinglan insisted that he ask Du You for help and speak up for Gu Mingzhao in the lobby.

When no one recognized him, Liao Qinglan always trusted and supported him, and helped him earn his first pot of gold. Faced with Liao Qinglan's request, he could not refuse.

He could only pretend not to see Cheng Qi's eyes that were about to spit fire, and stood up with his head held high.

He said in a deep voice: "Although I have no title or fame, I am also a citizen of Daliang and have the obligation to uphold justice! Whether Gu Mingzhao is guilty or not should not be decided by you, Duke Zheng!"

Duke Zheng was furious at Cheng Yuan's words and glared at him fiercely: "I am the presiding judge of this case. I am talking about fairness and justice! Come on, continue the trial!"

At this time, Du You, the Junior Official of the Dali Temple, also stood up and said loudly, "Duke Zheng, there are still many doubts in this case. We should not rush to use torture before the truth is found out. Moreover, what Mr. Cheng said makes sense. We should give Gu Mingzhao a chance for a fair trial."

Many people present recognized Cheng Yuan as the owner of Jishidiang.

Jishidiang holds a free clinic every ten days, providing free medical treatment to poor people, and sells medicine at cost price, which makes it deeply loved and respected by the people.

Now that they saw Cheng Yuan speaking up for Gu Mingzhao, the people echoed him, expressed their support, and demanded that Gu Mingzhao be given a chance for a fair trial.

Duke Zheng had an ugly look on his face. He thought that with his power, he could easily convict Gu Mingzhao, but he didn't expect that someone would appear halfway.

Although he was angry, he also knew that the officials of the Dali Temple and the people had spoken. If he openly defied the law, it would only bring him greater trouble.

Therefore, Duke Zheng had to suppress his anger and said in a deep voice: "Since you all say so, I will give Gu Mingzhao a chance. Chen Qian, you will continue the trial!"