On the throne, the Emperor of Great Tang appeared in excellent spirits. At first glance, Ye Luo couldn’t discern his cultivation level at all. Clearly, he was protected by a powerful artifact.

Of course, Ye Luo didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he walked straight toward the seat the palace attendant had prepared for him.

Little did he know, at this moment, Ye Luo had already stunned the entire court into silence.

It wasn’t about who Ye Luo was, but rather about the treatment he was receiving from the Emperor of Great Tang.

Perhaps Ye Luo himself hadn’t realized that the side he was seated on contained only one prince. In Ye Luo’s mind, he merely thought that since there were two princes seated on the opposite side, his placement balanced things out.

Unbeknownst to him, the person seated right beside him was none other than the Crown Prince!

In the Great Tang Empire’s court meetings, neither ministers nor princes stood; everyone had their designated seats.

If someone was absent, their seat would remain empty.

These were the so-called "court benches."

The court bench system was a tradition of the Great Tang Empire, and it also symbolized a person’s status and power.

Typically, civil officials sat on the left and military officials on the right on the first tier. Those holding ranks of Prince or above sat on the second tier. The third tier was reserved exclusively for the Emperor alone!

Before Ye Luo arrived, many had been speculating where his court bench would be placed. But no one could have imagined that Ye Luo’s court bench would be directly beneath the Crown Prince’s!

What kind of position was that?

It meant that, at this court meeting at least, Ye Luo was granted a status second only to the Crown Prince. And in the Great Tang Empire, the Crown Prince held immense power—not only special privileges from his identity but also the authority to oversee civil, military, and administrative affairs!

Everyone was utterly shocked, and the other two princes were filled with deep resentment.

Of course, in this grand hall, no one dared to voice their opinions aloud.

At this moment, the Emperor of Great Tang turned his gaze toward Ye Luo and asked, "My son, I’ve heard that you used the Soul Searching Technique to uncover the Demon Clan’s conspiracy. Is this true?"

Ye Luo stood up and replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, it is true. Based on my Soul Search findings, Pearfall Palace serves as the Demon Clan’s headquarters for their replacement scheme. Furthermore, within the Imperial Capital, there are still numerous Demon Clan puppets or individuals under their indirect control—including some in this very court!"

"What? You’re saying there are Demon Clan members even in my court?"

Though the Emperor of Great Tang had been mentally prepared, he couldn’t help but be shocked upon hearing this revelation.

The other ministers, meanwhile, were utterly dumbfounded, their expressions a mixture of terror and disbelief.

"Ninth Brother, are you saying there are Demon Clan members in this court? Are you certain?"

The Crown Prince looked at Ye Luo in astonishment. His sole impression of Ye Luo was that Ye Luo once dined and dashed at his restaurant. Beyond that, like the other princes, he held Ye Luo in disdain. Yet now, Ye Luo’s words had forced him to address him as "Ninth Brother."

Ye Luo smiled faintly but did not respond. Instead, he began descending from his seat. Though he couldn’t directly reveal the identities of those involved, he remembered their appearances clearly, as he had gleaned this information from the Young Master of Pearfall Palace’s memories.

"You there, step forward for a moment," Ye Luo suddenly directed at an official.

The official’s face turned pale instantly. He even fell to the ground, loudly protesting his innocence.

Unfortunately, Ye Luo ignored his cries. The rest, meanwhile, were gripped with fear, not daring to speak up for the man.

After all, Ye Luo was still the Ninth Prince. Even if they thought he was causing trouble, as ministers, they were powerless to oppose him. And more importantly, Ye Luo had evidence to back his claims!

"You, you, and you as well—step forward!"

Ye Luo continued to point out several individuals.

In an instant, over ten people had been singled out in the great hall, one of whom was even an Earl!

How could this be possible? Could it be that all these people were Demon Clan replacements?

If so, the Demon Clan’s influence was far greater than anyone had imagined!

The entire court was filled with suspicion and confusion.

At this moment, the Xiaoyao King stepped forward. After all, Li Long had once mentioned Ye Luo and Princess Ling Xue’s arranged marriage to him. Thus, Xiaoyao King felt he had some standing to reprimand Ye Luo.

He addressed Ye Luo, saying, "Boy, stop causing trouble. This is the imperial court! If you continue with your antics, not even His Majesty will be able to protect you!"

Though this sounded like a threat, Ye Luo could tell from Xiaoyao King’s expression that he was actually trying to caution him.

Nonetheless, Ye Luo completely ignored him and pressed forward with his actions. After another moment, Ye Luo called out three more individuals. Among them was a Commandery Prince!

The Commandery Prince grew furious when he heard Ye Luo call his name.

"You insolent brat! How dare you insult this prince? Even though you are a royal prince, you must still address me as Royal Uncle! Your Majesty, I demand justice! How could someone of my royal lineage possibly be colluding with the Demon Clan?"

The Commandery Prince shouted furiously. But Ye Luo paid him no heed, verifying once again to ensure he had identified everyone. Only then did he return to his seat.

"My son, why did you call out so many ministers?"

The Emperor was now in a difficult position. Only Ye Luo knew the secrets held by the Young Master of Pearfall Palace. The Emperor was well aware that the Demon Clan replacements had long infiltrated the Great Tang Empire, so he had no choice but to suppress the ministers’ outrage and wait for Ye Luo’s explanation.

Ye Luo first bowed respectfully to the Emperor of Great Tang, then turned to address the court, saying, "I know many of you are dissatisfied, but wait until I’ve finished my questioning—you will understand everything then!"

Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, Ye Luo walked straight up to the Commandery Prince and asked, "Your Highness, is it true that you have a concubine named Gui’er?"

The Commandery Prince froze for a moment. Indeed, he had taken such a concubine, though very few people knew of it. She had been a gift from a merchant—a supposed farmer’s daughter from the frontier.

Because Gui’er was beautiful and kind-hearted, the Commandery Prince had grown quite fond of her over the years.

Hearing Ye Luo mention her, the Commandery Prince reacted instinctively, saying, "How do you know this? I rarely speak of it!"

Ye Luo smiled faintly. "It’s good that you admit it. Allow me to inform you: your concubine Gui’er is a Demon Clan replacement and, in fact, a genuine Demon!"

What!

The court was completely stunned. The companion of a Commandery Prince was actually a Demon Clan member!

This revelation left everyone reeling.

Even without Ye Luo saying more, the rest began to understand. Perhaps the Commandery Prince hadn’t consciously worked with the Demon Clan, but how much information had he unknowingly leaked to them over the years?

In an instant, the Commandery Prince’s face turned deathly pale.

Ignoring him, Ye Luo had already moved on to confront the next person.