After the maid had trudged out of the courtroom, the eunuch cleared his throat.
"Ahem, well, in this case, let us move onto your next accusation," straightening his back, the eunuch's gaze finally sharpened, " Princess Mingxing, you've been accused of publicly insulting the Queen. We have received several reports of varied and verified sources... what do you have to say about this?"
"Mhm," Lei Mingxing relaxedly leaned back and crossed her legs in one elegant motion before inquiringly gazing at her opponent, "what insults against Queen Mother have I uttered? Last time I read through the Palace and National Laws I found no such mention of silence counting as an insult? All I did was politely disagree to let my punishment be handled internally, as I felt it would be more approbriate for me to be publicly tried for my severe crimes and receive fair punishment in accordance to Qingshui Kingdom's laws as every citizen should... I would never speak ill of the Queen after her heartwarming care over the years, isn't that right? Queen Mother?"
Once again, the court's attention shifted to the central balcony of the Royal Family, although Queen Huiran handled the sudden spotlight much better than her youngest son. Her expression was unmoving, seamlessly keeping up the appearance of an ethereal beauty, as she slowly nodded. There wasn't even a hint of the reluctance and annoyance in her voice that she must have felt as she gently affirmed Lei Mingxing's words.
"...."
Having his own accusation invalidated by his own mistress, the eunuch fell silent in bafflement. What even was this trial? He had never experienced something like this! Hadn't he been told that this was a done case? A simple matter of formality?
Unsure how to proceed, he glanced up at the King and Queen, but only saw how gradually dissatisfaction spread on the King's face, while the Queen's was an unmoving mask, barely containing her fury. He could tell easily after serving her for over ten years.
"Is that all?"
This question snapped the eunuch out of his daze and he returned to focusing on Lei Mingxing. Looking at her subtle smile that seemed to regard him kindly but was actually unmistakenly mocking when examined more carefully. He felt anger bubble up. His bracelet vibrated twice as he regarded Lei Mingxing with squinted eyes. He opened his mouth, his tone harsh as he began to speak once more.
"Yes. And it seems we have come to the final accusation against the Second Princess," he roughly pulled out a scroll from his small pile of testimonies and other documents, "according to this contract between the Royal Family and the honored Count Chai, you should have entered the Count's House as his new wife over a month ago but you violated this contract by running away from your entourage and hiding in Sprouting Lily Town... What is your excuse for this, Second Princess?"
Waiting for her answer, the eunuch flashed a short selfsatisfied look at Lei Mingxing but the other just put on a remorseful face, pitifully meeting his gaze.
"I do not have an excuse for the disrespect I have shown Lord Chai, " thrilled to finally be able to condemn this hateful girl, the eunuch had already parted his lips in a sly smile when suddenly, the princess continued to speak ruefully, "You see, it was my cowardice and inadequacies that had led to the violation of the contract."
Feeling that he had finally nailed her down and she was just trying to gain sympathy by appearing sincere, the eunuch asked:
"What could you mean by this, Second Princess?"
It was in this instant, that he realized how foolish his question had been, but once spoken, he couldn't take back his words, only able to watch as Lei Mingxing's lips curled into a victorious smile while her head was lowered, hidden from the view of the other members of the court.
"Well, you have probably heard that when I was travelling to Black Leaf City with my entourage we encountered the ambush of a bandit group that knocked over my carriage. So, injured and fearing for my life, I did not dare remain in my carriage, instead I crawled out and foolishly fled. I ran for a very long time, convinced bandits were hot on my trail in my injury induced delirium when I chanced upon a merchant's carriage. This merchant, a kind-hearted woman of noble character, took me with her to Sprouting Lily Town and hired an alchemist to save my life. But of course, all this help did not come for free. I owed my savior a huge debt of gratitude but could neither prove my identity nor possessed the mean to repay her monetarily, which meant I had to work for her to pay off my debts. This arrangement went on until I was coincidentally recognized by Prince Regent Xie Zhentao and his son and they brought me back to the palace."
The way Lei Mingxing recounted this story sounded incredibly sincere and was spoken without the hint of a lie, but there was still something that seemed a bit strange.
"But how come Princess Mingxing couldn't prove her identity or repay her debt? Don't all royal scions carry their own seal and receive allowance?"
Two questions, accidentally uttered too loudly by an official.
This was all Lei Mingxing needed.
She raised her head toward the rows of nobles, officials, relatives,..., her expression one of embarassment.
"Ah, yes. It is embarassing to admit, but I do not have a seal, I never received one."
Silence fell on the courtroom. Breaths bated, all attention focused on the Queen, her face still unperturbed, the tea cup in her hand was covered in frost, betraying her crumbling composure.
This was an obvious slight towards the Queen who was responsible for handling all official matters of the royal family!
But Lei Mingxing wasn't finished yet.
"Same goes for allowance," the remorseful expression on her face had vanished, replaced by righteous fury that blazed wildly, "In all my 17 years of life, not once have I received any funds. In fact, I'm poorer than even my siblings' pets. My courtyard has fallen into disrepair with not a single room fit to house a person, maids steal my allowance, my clothes, furniture and even my food! Since I can remember, if the maids didn't make me starve for days, forcing me to fill my belly with unknown mushrooms and plants to sate my hunger, they changed my meal with the servants' rations! The only items I still have to my name are cheap wooden appliances and exactly 4 changes of clothes, including a single pair of boots that I acquired while working for my benefactor!"
"L-lies!" the eunuch's voice was flustered as he shouted, the incessant vibrating on his arm making him ever more anxious, his back wet with sweat. It was obvious he was raking his brain to come up with anyway to stop her from saying anymore.
"Lies? You call gross negligence, embezzlement, thievery and harming a royal lies ?", an ice-cold smile on her face, she assured the eunuch, "let's see about that."
Her gaze abruptly jumped to the crowd above her, focusing on a specific person.
"Lord Ke Wuyun, I formally request that you personally inspect my living quarters with your men to verify my claims."
Small theater:
Lei Mingxing: I would never wish any harm uponeta Queen Mother!
Queen Mother and Co.: Press X to doubt.