ITF Chapter61

The faint scent of tequila pheromones lingered around him. Bai Heting gradually awoke from his light sleep, discovering that a black coat was draped over his body.

Su Xingchuan had not expected such a light movement to wake him. He bent down and said to Bai Heting in a low voice, “I brought it over from his room. I thought you might need this.”

During this period, Bai Heting basically stayed in his own bedroom with Su Xingchuan attending to him personally. As requested, Shao Yixiao swiftly escorted Luo Congye to his mansion. And just as he had warned, Qiu Chen and dozens of Bai Heting’s most capable officers had already been placed in solitary confinement, leaving only a handful of unarmed household servants within the residence. Following that, Bai Jiashu dispatched several squads of imperial guards under the pretext of protection; the bathroom and bedroom were among the few places where their entry could be reasonably refused.

Bai Heting did not reply, but he wrapped the coat tighter around himself.

Su Xingchuan spoke again, “His Majesty has refused your request for an audience.”

Bai Heting nodded wearily. This was within his expectations; it was the price for him disobeying orders once again and bringing shame upon Bai Yi.

Su Xingchuan clasped his hands in front of his abdomen, his posture somewhat tense with remorse, “I shouldn’t have let you go see Luo Congye.”

Bai Heting dismissed it with a wave of his hand, “It has nothing to do with you.”

This kind-hearted old steward clearly still did not know that when he braved the rain to go that night, he had harbored the intention to kill Luo Congye.

It was just that a small accident had occurred along the way.

Just like that night fourteen years ago when he plunged into his childhood nightmare, he had once again made a choice that was far too naive and impulsive, without considering the consequences.

Unwilling to talk about that matter, he branched off from the topic with a question, “What time does today’s trial begin?”

Su Xingchuan said, “It’s still early. You should rest a bit longer.”

Bai Heting turned over, shifting into a position lying on his side. He buried half of his face into the soft feather pillow and pulled the coat on his body a bit higher, covering his mouth and nose.

Su Xingchuan stood by the bed, assuming he had fallen asleep again, when Bai Heting suddenly said, “Aside from those delivering water and food, pull all the remaining attendants out from the dungeon. Let Bai Jiashu’s people handle the guarding.”

Su Xingchuan felt greatly astonished, “Pull them out?”

Bai Heting continued to lay out his instructions without explaining, “Then, under the pretext of being short-staffed, recruit some people into the kitchen.” Having said that, he emphasized specifically, “Offer only a tiny bit of salary; the harsher the conditions, the better.”

Only if the conditions were harsh would it be possible to recruit people who had alternative motives. This time, Su Xingchuan caught his meaning. He said blankly, “So that is why you insisted on a public trial, just to let everyone know…”

“There are already enough outsiders in my mansion; I’m not afraid of a few more.” Bai Heting did not let him finish while reminding him with closed eyes, “Don’t show any flaws, make it look natural, and do not easily trust any domestic servants who haven’t been locked up by Bai Jiashu either.”

*

The entrance of the city hall was packed with crowds under the blazing midday sun.

Everyone knew that the supreme commander of the infantry was an Omega of exceptional appearance, but they rarely had the opportunity to witness his countenance up close. Every single person stretched their necks and stood on their tiptoes, wanting to catch a clearer glimpse.

When Bai Heting appeared in full military uniform, a considerable commotion broke out among the crowd. Ignoring the commotion outside the city hall, he stepped onto the witness stand with a face as cold as frost, his gaze briefly and gently drifting toward the docks.

Luo Congye appeared very calm. The superficial flesh wounds he had suffered at Shao Yixiao’s hands had already healed, leaving only a faint, unnoticeable bruise on his left cheekbone.

Bai Heting averted his gaze.

“…This person concealed his true identity to infiltrate my mansion, secretly colluding with rebel elements, and attempted to flee after the matter was exposed. It was Young General Shao who assisted me in capturing him back.” Staring straight ahead, he slowly delivered the statement he had prepared in advance. “His birth name is Pei Yan, and his father is the executed rebel, Pei Ming. He is an illegitimate son born to Pei Ming and an Urdan woman, who narrowly escaped during the arrests fourteen years ago.”

Seated at the judicial bench, Zheng Yunshang listened to Bai Heting’s concise statement before turning his gaze to Luo Congye and addressing him by his birth name. “Pei Yan, do you have any objections to anything General Bai Heting has just stated?”

Given Bai Heting’s status and position, his testimony was equivalent to evidence. In today’s trial, no one actually cared what the person on trial would say, yet Luo Congye still cooperated and replied, “No.”

When he spoke those words, his gaze remained locked on Bai Heting’s face, showing no unusual emotion whatsoever regarding this half-true, half-false accusation.

The current situation was already very clear. The more he resisted, the more easily the shelter Bai Heting had provided for him would be exposed in subsequent investigations. If Bai Heting insisted on protecting him, they could only die together.

Cutting ties cleanly and handing him over was a rational choice that a normal person could easily make after taking stock of the situation.

If it were swapped to him…

If it were swapped to him…

Luo Congye was unwilling to contemplate further down that line, while simultaneously noticing that Bai Heting glanced at him once more.

But it was merely a soft, seemingly accidental glance.

“Chief Justice.” Bai Heting paused before continuing with a lack of emotion, “Aside from treason, I have another accusation against him.”

These were all procedures that had already been rehearsed in advance. Zheng Yunshang nodded, signaling for him to continue.

Bai Heting said in a matter-of-fact tone, “He permanently marked me against my will.”

A collective gasp instantly rippled through the crowd. These sighs of regret were not for the Alpha about to be executed but were expressions of pity for that beautiful face. After enduring this event, this Omega would never be able to receive solace from the pheromones of any other Alpha again for the rest of his life; that was to say, he would in all probability spend the remainder of his days with a Beta.

Although the law explicitly laid out regulations regarding the crime of rape, such incidents were a common occurrence. If it were not because the victim belonged to the nobility, it wouldn’t even be accepted by the court.

As a result, in the entire courtroom, there was only one person who looked completely stunned.

Bai Heting’s face showed neither joy nor sorrow, completely calm as if none of this had anything to do with him. “He humiliated me. I demand to carry out the execution personally, so that he receives the punishment he deserves for defiling my purity. One month from today, I will execute him by hanging.”

Zheng Yunshang went through the motions to question once more, “Pei Yan, do you plead guilty?”

Luo Congye stared at Bai Heting intently without blinking.

For some reason, this scene actually reminded him of a trial scene Zhou Chengbei had described to him. He had once been unable to understand why Pei Ming would plead guilty without a single shred of resistance, but at this moment, something seemed to be awakened by the blood flowing inside his body.

He experienced the exact state of mind Pei Ming had felt while standing here all those years ago.

Luo Congye froze for a long while, then closed his eyes and said in a low voice, “I plead guilty.”

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