Chapter 112 - The Wolf Is Charged

Xiao Zai spent the rest of the night shaking the bars of his cell and demanding answers about Chu Yun from the apathetic guards, who kept ignoring him as if he wasn't there.

His mind kept cycling through nightmare scenarios where Chu Yun fainted from the cold, got frostbite, or got hypothermia, and ended up collapsing from exposure. Xin was much warmer than Zui, it was very likely that Chu Yun would underestimate the cold and end up putting himself in danger.

Rationally, he knew his anxiety and fear wasn't helping either him or Chu Yun, but his panic kept mounting with nowhere to go. He was minutes away from shifting into his wolf form and trying to squeeze through the bars, even though the only thing that would accomplish was getting him stuck between them.

Morning came, Xiao Zai could see the faint light of morning shine through the bars of the window in front of his cell, weak and grey, promising more bad weather. When morning had turned into noon, the doors to the prison finally opened again. 

Xiao Zai thought someone was coming to deliver him a meal, but jumped to his feet when he recognised Gu Wei's form.

His dam came to a stop in front of the bars, his expression unreadable.

"Is Chu Yun alright?" he asked, clinging to the bars.

Gu Wei's expression darkened. "He is, his tongue in particular is wagging just fine."

Xiao Zai let out a breath of relief, if Chu Yun was getting on his dam's nerves it meant he was fine.

Before he could ask anything else, namely about other aspects of Chu Yun's health, two guards came up around Gu Wei, one of them fitting a large key into the rusty lock of his cell and opening his door.

"Thank you," Xiao Zai told his dam, stepping out of the cell with a relieved sigh.

Gu Wei's expression was still tense. "Don't thank me just yet, this isn't over."

---

Chu Yun needed Hua Nanyi's help to walk to the throne room, where the King, several ministers, and five judges would gather for Xiao Zai's trial.

All eyes turned towards him when he ambled through the doors, with as much dignity as his injuries allowed him. The gazes fixed on him held a mixture of pity and curiosity. The tale of his night in the snow had likely already made the rounds around Haolin.

With the state his knees were in, he wasn't in any condition to sit on the floor. Hua Nanyi led him to a high-backed chair near the far wall of the room. Ignoring the curious looks, Chu Yun lowered himself gingerly onto the chair, trying not to show the pain he was feeling. A nearby servant brought a footstool so that he could stretch out his legs.

Chu Yun couldn't help noticing there were a lot of spectators to the trial. He scanned the room, but his eyes snagged on a familiar face. For some reason, Chu Hean was seating near the judges panel, not far from Xiao Yuan and his concubine, who had decided to wear white for the occasion, and was crying copiously.

What was Chu Hean doing here? Especially on the side of the 'injured' party? As someone the King intended to marry to Xiao Zai, he shouldn't be considered a witness for Xiao Yuan.

Maybe Chu Yun was about to see the culmination of the King's plans.

It was unclear if Chu Hean could feel Chu Yun's gaze on him, but either way he didn't look his way even once.

Suddenly, all heads turned towards the door once again. Chu Yun nearly gasped when Xiao Zai walked in, his hands in chains in front of his waist. Gu Wei was with him, but so were scores of guards.

Xiao Zai was looking for him among the crowd. Their eyes met across the room, Chu Yun could see the relief go through Xiao Zai at seeing him well.

It just made Chu Yun feel guilty for having him worried. He wondered if what he had done would even amount to anything. 

The guards led Xiao Zai towards the front of the throne, where they made him kneel.

At that same moment, the King walked in, followed by a retinue of servants. The Queen Dowager, too, was helped by her servants into the sofa behind her beaded curtain.

Gu Wei stood at Xiao Zai's side, one hand on his shoulder while he knelt, and his head held high. 

It should have been Chu Yun standing in his place.

But now he could only bite his tongue and stay on the sidelines to his own husband's trial.

As soon as everyone was seated the King rose, smiling wider than at Xiao Yuan's wedding. Who, speaking of which, looked drunker than ever. For once, Chu Yun couldn't blame him.

"This King thanks you all for your presence, we gather here today to deliberate on the sentence for the crimes of the Second Prince, Xiao Zilang, Xiao Zai, my son," he lifted a hand to his chest as if this fact pained him deeply. 

He turned towards a man in blue with a brocade insignia on his chest with a nod. "Bailiff, please."

The Bailiff cleared his throat and started listing out Xiao Zai's charges. Most of which sounded far-fetched to Chu Yun, even considering the already far-fatched scenario.

The King had sat down when the Bailiff started reading the charges, but he got up the moment he was finished.

"Now that we have heard the charges levelled against the Second Prince, I'll deliver my sentence before hearing the judges counsel," he sighed deeply with great gravity, and finally said, "it is with great consternation that I say that I think the punishment should be death."

Chu Yun clutched the armrests of his chair, digging in his short fingernails, leaving dents in the wood.

The First minister rose from his seat, and said, "I apologise to his Majesty, but I believe the death penalty is too steep. My recommendation is that this dispute is solved through a hunt."

One-by-one the other judges rose and passed the same judgement.. Chu Yun was immensely relieved, until he looked towards the King and saw the small smile curling in the corner of his lips.