Once Ni Wenyu heard the chants clearly, his face turned pale, his eyes rolled back, and fainted. 

Peg Pei could see that things are not going well at all. Not only did the testimonies fail to help but they caused trouble instead. Since the trial started, nothing has gone smoothly but if they can’t use this opportunity to take down Wei Zhi then he might get a chance to rise up again. Without any recourse, Peng Pei could only let out a haughty snort “Ni Wenyu fainted from a sudden illness, take him down to rest to be questioned later!”

Locksmith, Li Asuo is the only one left now. 

“Li Asuo!” Peng Pei turns to face Li Asuo, his tone was mild but had a hint of threat in them, “Look at this person in front of you, is this the masked man who asked you to make keys that night?” 

Li Asuo squinted his eyes, stared for a while, and finally nodded after a glint flashed across his eyes, “Sir, although I didn’t see the man’s face and the clothing is different but the veil and the figure are very similar.” 

“What you said is true?” Peng Pei asked coldly.

“This commoner dare not lie.” 

 Peng Pei sneered coldly and turned to face Gu Nan Yi, “Gu Nan Yi, you had an explanation for the matter with Dian Xue (acupoint), but now here is locksmith Li Asuo testifying that he had seen a man resembling you two nights ago. The same man had asked him to make keys from two key molds. What explanation do you have on this matter?” 

Weary of Gu Nan Yi’s martial art, Peng Pei didn’t force him to kneel and his tone had been polite thus far but in his questioning, he didn’t clearly point out how the case came about. The way he twisted the facts to his own liking made Official Ge who came from a justice background frown and wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent. 

Gu Nan Yi stood there motionless, not speaking. The whole Tiansheng palace court has heard of this Guardsman Gu. He dared to slap the crown prince’s hand, and had no interest in answering the Emperor’s questions. Many people have never seen him speak to strangers. Peng Pei didn’t really expect him to answer. In fact, it would be even better if he refused to say anything the whole time, this way, they can just count it as him acquiescing to the charges. 

In the silence, a smug look flashed across Peng Pei’s eyes as he said slowly, “Gu nan Yi, your character is one His Majesty and the court officials all have some understanding of. Someone like you would never commit such an arrogant and heinous crime for selfish reasons. I imagine you must’ve been forced by someone very close to you, or perhaps you were deceived by someone. As long as you are willing to explain your hardship clearly, then we would naturally report it to His Majesty. His Majesty will surely show you leniency so you can rest assured.” Pausing for a breath, Peng Pei suddenly raised his voice and said sternly, “But if you insist on stubbornly resisting, then you would naturally be punished by our empire’s highest law!” 

Feeling he had perfectly balanced strength and mercy in his little speech, Peng Pei could hardly suppress the look of self-satisfaction in his eyes. 

Second Prince and those with him were nodding continuously through Peng Pei’s little speech. The commander of the Justice Department once again felt Peng Pei’s words were misleading and assumed the accuser’s guilt, still not something that should be done on a trial. However, he still didn’t open his mouth– the water here is deep today, so he better keep from meddling! 

Feng Zhi Wei didn’t open her mouth either– When the lead court official is questioning a case, bystanders are not allowed to interrupt him. Peng Pei could disregard the rules by attempting to coerce a confession but he would not have allowed Wei Zhi to make any mistakes. She knows the moment she opened her mouth, Peng Pei would have her slapped on the face publicly as a punishment for disturbing the trial. He might even try to pin the crime of colluding on her. Although she is not afraid of those things but with Gu Nan Yi’s fierceness in protecting her and Hua Qing’s fiery temper, things would inevitably get out of hand so it would be better for her to wait and see what happens next. 

Seeing Master Gu’s calm demeanor, Feng Zhi Wei is filled with inexplicable confidence and felt that it was not time for her to show off yet. 

Peg Pei said a bunch of words but Gu Nan Yi didn’t seem to hear any of it. To him, all those people sitting above were all pigs about to enter the slaughterhouse so they are screaming desperately. 

He suddenly turned slowly to face Li Asuo. 

As soon as Li Asuo raised his head, he was met with Master Gu’s face with a fluttering veil. Even through the veil, the gaze behind the veil was piercing, like a cold iron pressing down, without emotion. His heart pounding from the seemingly endless emotionless oppression, Li Asuo stepped back in panic and a large set of keys that are always tied to his waist suddenly fell to the ground. 

The keys came into Gu Nan Yi’s hand the moment he stretched out his hand. No one knew what he was going to do. Fearing that he might suddenly attack, the guards who were guarding him nervously rushed forward. 

With one swipe of his finger, the largest key on the key ring fell to the ground. Gu Nan Yi took two unpolished copper pieces that were still on the key chain along with the fallen big key into his hand. He carefully traced the big key with his hand, then immediately closed his eyes and felt it again. 

The crowd stared at him with confusion. Peng Pei wanted to rebuke him but didn’t dare to because of Gu Nan Yi’s martial arts. Feng Zhi Wei frowned as she looked at Gu Nan Yi, silently remembering Zong Chen had once said Gu Nan Yi’s memory is very special. Ordinary things, things everyone can remember, he can’t remember them. Take roads for example, in his eyes, they are exactly the same. However, when it comes to particularly precise things or things of mechanical nature, things that are impossible for ordinary people to grasp completely, things that require the help of instruments, he can then copy them exactly as if he himself is a precise instrument and can copy perfectly without knowing the principle behind them. Which is why when he learned martial arts, the first thing he mastered is the fixed flow of meridians of internal energy. The second thing he mastered is the most complicated swordsmanship of his sect. A swordsmanship with tens of thousands of changes in one move, which he had memorized meticulously in one day…which is how he achieved this superb unmatched martial arts. 

Could it be…

By this time, Gu Nan Yi had put down the key and picked up those two copper pieces. Turning his head, he calmly told the guards by his side “Black cloth.” 

In a daze, the guard handed him a black cloth used for blindfolding. 

Gu Nan Yi lowered his head, reached behind the veil, and tied the black cloth onto his eyes. Although he had lowered his head but during an instance, his crystal clear skin and the delicate jade-like jawline peaked out, robbing anyone who saw it of their breath. 

After letting down his veil, he put the two copper pieces between his fingers. Using his finger like a sword, Gu Nan Yi cut one of the copper pieces into the shape of a small dagger. He then injected his internal energy into this small dagger, allowing him to start working on the remaining copper piece. 

Blindfolded, he shut off the world around him and returned back to the world where he had no other distractions. He moved extremely quickly, in the blink of an eye, copper shavings were flying between his fingers and palms. Amidst the jingling sound of the chains and the rustling of copper polishing, a prototype of something was gradually taking shape.

By this point, everyone in the hall had guessed what he was going to do and all stood up with shocked expressions on their faces. 

Peng Pei was first surprised, then his surprise turned to joy– this Gu Nan Yi, is so bold that he is crazy! He is actually trying to prove his innocence with this method, but in this world, there is no one who can make a key in an instant by hand! Not to mention, to do it with eyes closed! He is surely handing them his own head on a platter of his own making! 

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