I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

The atmosphere in the court was tense like a taut bowstring, ready to explode at any moment. Prince Jin collapsed to the ground with a pale face. The suspicion of treason that had just been exposed weighed down on him like a mountain, making it hard for him to breathe. The emperor's majestic gaze lingered on Prince Jin, with suspicion and anger intertwined in his eyes, shrouding the entire court in a haze.

At this tense moment, a loud shout broke the deadlock: "Your Majesty, I have something important to report!" Everyone looked over and saw that it was the King of Zhao who hurried over. The King of Zhao was dressed in gorgeous court clothes and walked steadily. He seemed calm, but there was a hint of imperceptible anxiety in his eyes.

King Zhao walked quickly to the center of the court and bowed deeply to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I have heard about the King of Jin and feel that there are many misunderstandings. The King of Jin is loyal to the court, and I can vouch for him."

The emperor frowned slightly and said, "Prince Zhao, why are you so sure? Now the evidence is irrefutable. Prince Jin is suspected of treason. You should not easily protect him."

King Zhao raised his head and said sincerely, "Your Majesty, I have seen everything King Jin did. He opened the warehouses to release grain and wrote letters to make suggestions, all for the sake of the court. As for the so-called evidence, I think it is very suspicious. For example, there are many people in the world who are good at imitating the handwriting of letters, and the seals on account books can also be forged. Your Majesty, you cannot convict King Jin based on these alone, otherwise it will chill the hearts of loyal ministers."

Chen Jue was furious when he heard this. He took a step forward and looked directly at King Zhao: "King Zhao, don't be deceived by King Jin. These evidences are not easily obtained. We have obtained them after many investigations and verifications. The content of the letter involves confidential information. How can ordinary people know and forge it? King Jin colluded with the Lin family to launder money and expand his power through underground banks. There are traces of all kinds of actions. Now you are suspected of colluding with spies from the enemy country. How can you easily get away with such a crime of treason?"

King Zhao looked at Chen Jue, his eyes flashing with displeasure: "Chen Shaoqing, although you are in charge of the investigation, there is no guarantee that there will be no mistakes. You said that King Jin committed treason. Do you have solid evidence to prove that those spies were sent by King Jin and not framed by others? You are so sure, do you have some ulterior motives?"

Chen Jue's face darkened. "King Zhao, I, Chen Jue, am devoted to the court, and all my investigations are to find out the truth. We found the special mark of King Jin in the intercepted communications, which is ironclad evidence of his collusion with the enemy. You are accusing me without reason. Are you trying to interfere with the judiciary and protect King Jin?"

King Zhao sneered, "Special mark? Humph, this could be someone doing it on purpose to lure you into this. You keep saying you're doing this for the court, but your current actions seem to be targeting King Jin and stirring up disputes in the court."

The prince said, "King Zhao, please stop talking nonsense. Chen Jue is an upright man, and his investigation is rigorous and meticulous. King Jin's crime is beyond doubt. Are you trying to join him in the rebellion by defending him like this?"

The King of Zhao quickly bowed to the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, I have absolutely no such intention. It's just that I think we should not easily convict the King of Jin before we are absolutely sure. Otherwise, if a good person is wrongly accused, it will cause chaos in the court."

The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "Prince Zhao, there is some truth in what you said. This matter needs further investigation. Prince Jin will be detained for the time being and will be punished after the truth is found out."

Although Chen Jue was unwilling, he had no choice but to obey the order. After leaving the court, he walked to the Dali Temple with a heavy heart, thinking about the matter of the King of Jin and the sudden intervention of the King of Zhao.

At dusk, Chen Jue was getting off work and preparing to go home. He had just walked a short distance from the Dali Temple when suddenly, a horse-drawn carriage galloped towards him like a wild horse. The sound of horse hooves rang out like thunder on the street, and pedestrians around screamed and dodged.

Chen Jue was startled and quickly dodged. The carriage brushed past his clothes and flew past, bringing up a gust of wind. He steadied himself and shouted angrily, "Who is so bold!"

However, the carriage did not stop, but quickly disappeared at the end of the street. Chen Jue had an ominous premonition in his heart, and he knew that this was no accident.

Not long after, Chen Jue received an anonymous letter with only a few words on it: "Chen Jue, don't interfere in the affairs of Prince Jin again, otherwise you won't be so lucky next time." Chen Jue tightly grasped the letter, knowing in his heart that this was a warning from Prince Zhao.

The next day, Chen Jue went to court as usual. In the court, King Zhao looked at him with a smile, his eyes full of provocation and threats. Chen Jue turned a blind eye and decided to continue looking for evidence so that King Jin would not escape the blame.

After the court session, King Zhao deliberately walked up to Chen Jue and whispered, "Chen Shaoqing, were you frightened yesterday? I advise you to be more sensible. You can't overthrow the King of Jin."

Chen Jue looked at King Zhao coldly: "King Zhao, do you think you can scare me like this? I will not give up justice because of your threats. King Jin is guilty of treason, which is unforgivable. I will make sure he gets the punishment he deserves."

King Zhao's face darkened: "Chen Jue, don't refuse a toast. If you insist on doing this, not only will you be in danger, but the people around you will also be implicated. You don't want to see such consequences, do you?"

Chen Jue's eyes flashed with anger: "King Zhao, you dare to threaten my family? If you dare to do anything reckless, I will not let you go even if I risk my life."

King Zhao sneered: "Hmph, I hope you can think it over carefully. Don't ruin your own life and that of your family because of your momentary stubbornness." After saying that, King Zhao turned away.

Chen Jue knew that the matter had become increasingly complicated and dangerous, but he had no intention of backing down. He returned to the Dali Temple, summoned his men, and accelerated the investigation of the case of Prince Jin.

A few days later, Chen Jue found some new clues, which further confirmed the fact that the King of Jin was colluding with the enemy country, and he came to the court again with new evidence.

"Your Majesty, I have new evidence." Chen Jue presented the evidence to the emperor, "This is a spy from an enemy country that we captured at the border. He personally admitted that it was the Prince of Jin who contacted them and provided them with intelligence in an attempt to overthrow our dynasty."

Upon seeing this, the King of Zhao immediately said, "Your Majesty, this man may have confessed under torture, so don't trust him. Chen Jue is eager to convict the King of Jin, so there is no guarantee that he will not use some improper means."

Chen Jue glared at King Zhao: "King Zhao, you are slandering me. We are interrogating according to the law, and everything this man said is true. Why do you always stop me from exposing King Jin's crimes? What is your secret relationship with King Jin?"

King Zhao looked stern, "Chen Jue, please stop slandering me. I am just trying to be fair and not let innocent people be wronged. Your evidence is not enough to prove that King Jin is guilty."

The emperor watched the two people's dispute and fell into deep thought. At this time, the ministers in the court also began to whisper, some supported Chen Jue, and some felt that what King Zhao said made sense.

When the two sides were deadlocked, the prince stood up and said, "Your Majesty, let other officials jointly review the evidence and witnesses to ensure fairness. Don't make hasty decisions based on the opinions of one party."

The emperor nodded in agreement: "Let's do as the prince says."

Chen Jue looked at King Zhao and knew that the struggle was far from over and the danger he faced was escalating. But for the stability of the court and the peace of the people, he was ready to make the truth known to the world, even if it meant a complete break with King Zhao and King Jin.

In the following days, Chen Jue continued his investigation while guarding against the possible conspiracy of King Zhao. King Zhao was also secretly trying to stop Chen Jue. The changes in the court were developing in a more complicated and dangerous direction.