Voluntary Admission of Guilt

"You're back."

"You have been wronged these past two days."

Gu Chengyin cupped his hands in a polite salute, his expression calm. "Your Highness exaggerates. The Department of Clean Officials is quite peaceful, which was perfect for me to focus on my cultivation."

Luo Zhao nodded slightly. She reached out to pick up a stack of documents from the desk and handed them to Gu Chengyin. "Take a look at this. With the assistance of the Censorate and the Eunuch Faction over the past two days, we have made rapid progress."

Gu Chengyin took the documents, feeling their slight weight in his hands.

He walked over to a guest seat and began to read through them with intense concentration.

The contents of the documents were detailed and categorized, clearly recording the progress of the investigation into the various crimes of corruption, dereliction of duty, and forming cliques against Xiao Song and his faction.

The signed confessions of witnesses, descriptions of the origins of physical evidence, details of account transactions, and even transcriptions of some secret correspondence—most of the key links in the chain of evidence had already been secured.

Luo Zhao's voice sounded from the side. "The Golden Imperial Guards have already apprehended the people who needed to be controlled, and a lot of physical evidence has been seized."

"Right now, the entire Divine Capital is in a state of extreme anxiety. The highborn and noble families are all staying behind closed doors, watching to see what happens."

"As for those rumors meant to muddy the waters and direct the spearhead toward my Imperial Father, they were crushed the moment they appeared. They won't cause any waves."

"Now that the evidence is irrefutable, even if Xiao Song has monumental abilities, he won't be able to turn the tables this time."

Gu Chengyin gave an affirmative hum, his gaze still sweeping quickly and carefully over every word on the pages.

He was not only looking at the secured evidence, but also using this information to reconstruct the secret battles of the past two days, as well as the reactions of all parties and potential fish that slipped through the net.

Seeing Gu Chengyin so focused, Luo Zhao said no more and simply watched his profile in silence.

Her thoughts involuntarily wandered. Setting aside this man's desire for control and his presumptuous behavior that made her gnash her teeth in hatred...

Simply in terms of appearance and bearing, he could indeed be called handsome and composed.

Especially now, as he was lost in thought, that focus and intelligence between his brows held a unique sort of attraction...

The moment this thought arose, Luo Zhao immediately spat in her heart and forcefully dispelled it.

It was absolutely impossible, and she would absolutely never feel even the slightest bit of romantic interest in Gu Chengyin!

However, at this thought, Luo Zhao glanced out of the corner of her eye at Shangguan Yunying beside her.

She realized that her chief female official was staring unblinking at Gu Chengyin.

Her eyes were filled with concern, trust, and even a trace of tender affection.

A wave of inexplicable displeasure instantly surged in Luo Zhao's heart. As her chief female official, Shangguan Yunying actually didn't put her first?

Was Gu Chengyin the Highness, or was she the Highness?

She immediately coughed lightly. Shangguan Yunying snapped back to reality, lowering her eyes in a slight panic, her cheeks tinged with red.

Gu Chengyin remained completely oblivious to the subtle clash between the two women beside him.

His entire mind was immersed in analyzing and deducing the information.

After a long time, he finally put down the last page of the documents.

Gu Chengyin did not speak, but instead frowned and fell into deep thought.

Luo Zhao astutely noticed the anomaly in his expression. Her heart tightened, and that bit of displeasure from earlier was instantly replaced by worry.

She set down her teacup and asked, "What is it? Did you find something amiss?"

Gu Chengyin slowly shook his head. His gaze refocused, looking at Luo Zhao with cautious doubt in his eyes.

"The chain of evidence itself looks very complete, and the logic forms a closed loop."

"But... I just feel that it's too logical and smooth."

"Too logical and smooth?" Luo Zhao asked, puzzled. "The evidence is conclusive, and their momentum is gone. How else could they resist?"

"It would be nothing more than delaying for time or vainly attempting to quibble. Now that both witnesses and physical evidence are present, a reversal is absolutely impossible."

"Your Highness, the ending may already be set in stone, but there is much that can be manipulated in the process and the sentencing."

Gu Chengyin picked up the stack of documents, his fingertip tapping on several key names and financial figures. "Xiao Song has operated for many years. His roots run deep, and his disciples and former subordinates are spread throughout the court."

"This time, we struck with the force of a thunderbolt, knocking away the branches he extended. But have we touched the main trunk, or the core criminal evidence directly linked to Xiao Song himself?"

Luo Zhao frowned. "The Xiao Estate is the residence of the Chief Minister of the Grand Secretariat. Without an explicit decree from my Imperial Father, no one can trespass."

"As for Xiao Song himself, before he is convicted, it's even more impossible to go directly to his estate for a search."

"That is exactly the problem."

Gu Chengyin's eyes sharpened. "Xiao Song is no ordinary man. He should know better than anyone else what can be saved and what must be abandoned once the matter is exposed."

"Over the past two days, our actions were fast, accurate, and ruthless, clearing out his peripheral wings. That is true."

"But what about Xiao Song himself? What is he doing? Claiming illness and refusing guests behind closed doors?"

"His disciples and former subordinates are being taken down one after another. Does he have no counterattack or mediation actions at all? Even if just symbolic?"

Gu Chengyin stood up and slowly paced the hall.

"Your Highness, think about it. For a person like Xiao Song, what is the worst outcome? It is the execution of his entire family, the implication of his nine familial relations, and the total annihilation of his thousand-year-old noble clan."

"What is the second worst outcome? It is being stripped of his official post and noble titles, and having his family property confiscated. However, the core descendants of the family might be preserved, exiled to the borderlands to await the future."

"The best outcome, of course, is that he remains safe and sound, but looking at it now, that is already impossible."

Gu Chengyin stopped pacing, turned around, and looked directly at Luo Zhao. "Therefore, I feel that all of Xiao Song's current inaction, or seemingly futile resistance, has a true purpose that is not to escape guilt."

"His goal might be fighting for that second worst outcome, letting the court and the public see that although he, Xiao Song, has committed faults, his crimes do not warrant death, and especially do not warrant punishing his entire clan."

"To make His Majesty remember his many years of hard work and show extrajudicial mercy, punishing only the chief offender without burdening his family, and ideally, leaving behind a spark for a future resurgence."

Luo Zhao was moved upon hearing this. Having been immersed in the sense of victory from pressing forward step by step, she indeed had not thought deeply from this angle.

With Gu Chengyin's guidance, she immediately realized that given Xiao Song's deep scheming, this was highly likely his true calculation.

Pleading guilty and submitting to the law might be unavoidable, but how to plead guilty, which crimes to admit to, in what setting to confess, and how to guide public opinion and the Emperor's will afterward... there was a profound study in all of this.

Luo Zhao pondered, "So, you believe that during tomorrow's morning court session, not only will he not resist stubbornly, but he will instead..."

"He will take the initiative to confess."

Gu Chengyin affirmed, "But the manner of his confession, the extent of his confession, and his appeals after confessing will be the key."

"For example, framing his crimes within the relatively controllable scope of corruption, dereliction of duty, and lax supervision of subordinates, while doing his utmost to clear himself of any connection to major crimes like treason and rebellion that would warrant the execution of his nine familial relations."

"He might even throw out some greater secrets that have nothing to do with His Majesty in exchange for clemency."

"What we want to eat is one hundred percent of the Xiao family's cake."

"What Xiao Song wants to preserve is at least fifty percent, or even more."