The court had not even fully recovered from Jun Lin's arrest—
When Lei Hua's system rang again.
[DING. Corrupt relationship network detected.]
Lei Hua froze mid-sip.
(*Please… not another public execution-level scandal… It's too early in the morning…*)
---
### THE TARGET APPEARS
Bin Rin entered the court in elegant silk.
Graceful.
Pure.
Perfect.
Every official admired her.
"Minister Bin's daughter is so virtuous…"
"So noble…"
"A perfect future consort…"
Lei Hua stared at her calmly.
(*If only they knew she's running a secret reverse harem…*)
---
### THE SYSTEM DROPS A BOMB
[DING. Five secret romantic ties confirmed.]
Lei Hua's soul nearly left her body.
(*FIVE?! This isn't romance, this is a disaster management department—*)
She glanced at the men standing scattered in court:
- A palace guard
- A minor minister's son
- A military officer
- A rich merchant heir
- A scholar from the academy
All of them—
Avoiding eye contact with each other.
---
### THE ACCIDENT
A servant suddenly tripped near Bin Rin.
A jade pouch fell from her sleeve.
Letters spilled.
Love letters.
Five different styles of handwriting.
Five different names.
Silence swallowed the court.
Everyone stared.
Bin Rin's face lost color instantly.
---
### TOTAL COURT MELTDOWN
"What… what is that…"
"Those are love confessions?"
"Five of them?!"
One of the men suddenly shouted:
"SHE PROMISED TO MARRY ME—!"
Another countered:
"SHE SAID I WAS THE ONLY ONE—!"
The third exploded:
"YOU ALL LIED— SHE IS MINE—!"
Chaos erupted.
Zhen Xi covered her eyes.
"So scandalous…"
---
### BIN RIN BREAKS
"ENOUGH!!!" Bin Rin screamed.
Her perfect lady mask collapsed.
Tears streamed down her face.
"You men begged me yourselves! Why blame only me?!"
The court turned deadly quiet.
Lei Hua whispered faintly:
"…She just self-destructed."
---
### THE EMPEROR'S FURY
The Emperor's face turned ice cold.
"Drag all six of them out."
Bin Rin collapsed.
"No— Your Majesty— I was used— I was framed—!"
The guards did not stop.
---
### LEI YUE SPEAKS
Lei Yue finally opened her eyes.
Her voice was calm.
"Love as a weapon always backfires."
Her words sliced clean through the disgrace.
---
### THE DARK CONNECTION REVEALED
Lei Hua's system rang again quietly.
[DING. One of Bin Rin's lovers is linked to Shen Wu.]
Lei Hua's heartbeat spiked.
(*So this mess was a cover… they were passing messages through romance?! These villains are creative in the worst way—*)
---
### ZHEN RUO WATCHES AGAIN
From the shadows—
Zhen Ruo smiled faintly.
"One pawn gone."
"But the board is still full."
---
### AFTERMATH
Bin Rin was imprisoned.
Her lovers were interrogated.
Minister Bin collapsed from shock.
And the court finally understood:
This was no longer simple corruption.
This was an organized collapse from inside.
---
### LEI HUA'S SHIVER
Lei Hua clutched her chest.
(*They are dismantling the empire piece by piece…*)
Lei Yue looked at her calmly.
"Fear means you finally understand the battlefield."
Lei Hua gulped.
"I… I just wanted to gossip…"
END OF CHAPTER 20