You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?

"The Seventeenth Prince's first inspection trial will be judged by me."

The Imperial Master looked at Lin Yue with calm eyes and said, "After this first trial, the Seventeenth Prince can earn a maximum of two thousand Earth Merits from the Xiahong clan."

"Oh?" Lin Yue's eyes lit up.

He was worried about not having enough merits. If he could get two thousand more Earth Merits, he would be able to exchange them for two more chances to activate the Martial Art Shell.

"However, you might get nothing at all. It all depends on how Your Highness performs."

The Imperial Master gently waved her sleeve, and a report flew gracefully towards Lin Yue, "This is a report from the Imperial Examination Hall. Currently, it has been found that a batch of privately sold Exotic Beast materials flowed out from our Dawn Platform. Although intercepted during the transaction, the private sellers cannot escape punishment."

She looked at Lin Yue and said, "The Seventeenth Prince's trial this time is to inspect my decisions. Your Highness will decide how I should punish the private sellers, and then I will judge your decision."

"You mean you want me to sentence them for you? Is it that simple?" Lin Yue was somewhat surprised.

He couldn't help but ask, "Imperial Master, regarding the punishment for privately selling Exotic Beast materials, is there a specific set of rules?"

"Of course there is."

The Imperial Master nodded and said, "Measured by the value of the most stable kind of Spirit Pill, if the total price of the privately sold Exotic Beast materials is comparable to a First Grade Spirit Pill, then the cultivation is sealed, and the punishment is ten years in prison. If the total price matches a Ninth Grade Immortal Pill, the punishment is a hundred years in prison, and the highest penalty is sealing cultivation and exile to Eternal Night."

Lin Yue nodded slightly.

Great Yong never imposed the death penalty on criminals shielded by the nation's fortune, with the highest punishment being the sealing of cultivation and exile to Eternal Night.

Otherwise, if they died within the borders of Great Yong, it would only result in the internal depletion of the nation's fortune. It's better to exile them to Eternal Night; even if killed by the Exotic Beasts in the Eternal Night range, it would be akin to dying in battle, and much of the supplemented national fortune would return.

Anyway, it's always better than dying within Great Yong's borders.

"Imperial Master."

Lin Yue asked suspiciously, "Since there are established rules for punishment, why do you need me to sentence them?"

The Imperial Master did not elaborate further. She simply turned and walked down from the city tower, leaving a sentence behind, "The Seventeenth Prince will understand after following me to have a look."

...

Dawn Platform Prison.

In the slightly dark corridor of the prison, one could see the simple cells on either side. Many cells already had prisoners, all of whom had their cultivation sealed.

The Imperial Master led a few subordinates, quietly bringing Lin Yue deep into the prison.

In a dimly lit cell deep inside, three shadows could be seen.

The three were only dressed in simple white clothes. Their cultivation auras varied in strength, the strongest being an old man with a goatee, a Great Cultivator. The other man and woman were both at the Four Symbols Peak.

"Leader... Leader?"

The three appeared to be taken aback, seemingly not expecting the Leader to personally come to this dim prison.

And the young lord beside the Leader was unexpectedly wearing the princely clothing?

Could it be the Seventeenth Prince?

The Imperial Master stood before the bars of the cell, looking at the three and said indifferently, "Seventeenth Prince, what you need to sentence is these three individuals, who are all Centurion Hei Yan's and his two Squad Leaders."

"Punish?"

The three looked at Lin Yue.

However, their expressions remained calm, showing no signs of panic.

The old man even spoke with a smile, "So it's the Seventeenth Prince's inspection trial. Your Highness must remember to be fair."

So composed?

Lin Yue appraised the three, saying, "Isn't it just a centurion and two squad leaders? Why is it difficult for the leader to sentence them?"

The Imperial Master did not answer him but turned to walk toward a side room.

After following her into the side room, Lin Yue saw the Imperial Master waving her sleeve, and a lot of mutant beast materials appeared on the floor, including claws, fur, fangs, eyeballs, and even a heart.

"Seventeenth Prince."

The Imperial Master looked at the mutant beast materials on the ground and said, "This is part of the mutant beast materials those three privately sold, there is no need to show the rest."

"Why?" Lin Yue was a bit speechless. Couldn't she make herself clear?

"Does the Seventeenth Prince know the difficulty in punishing these three?" the Imperial Master asked.

"What?"

"First, among these three, two are closely affiliated with our Dawn Platform's Commander, deeply connected. The Great Cultivator is even the Empress's own nephew. Without concrete evidence, they can't be moved."

The Imperial Master slowly explained, "Secondly, the Exotic Beast materials before the Seventeenth Prince can't be valued accurately. We can only calculate punishment based on the lowest value of normal Exotic Beast materials. Even accounting for the other part of the beast materials with a confirmed value, it adds up to less than the value of a Third Grade Spirit Pill."

She turned and glanced at Lin Yue, saying, "According to the rules, with merely this much crime, one could simply deduct some merits and let it be."

"I see."

Lin Yue realized and said, "It seems the Master wants to impose a heavier punishment on these three?"

"Violating the military regulations should indeed be punished severely." The Imperial Master said coldly, "These three, relying on some background and skills, are so fearless, they are the parasites of my Dawn Platform. It's just..."

Lin Yue understood her meaning.

Even though the Master of the Dawn Platform held the highest position, it's not merely about sentencing as she wished.

Especially since these three hold a very special status, two are closely connected to their own Commander, and the Great Cultivator is the Empress's own nephew, which means he is the son of the nation's uncle.

Even for the Master of the Dawn Platform, these underlying relationships cannot be disregarded.