With a series of charges leveled against him—forcibly abducting a common woman, slandering the Crown Prince, and engaging in corruption—Cáo Bóshān collapsed to his knees instantly. Watching his spineless son, Cáo Diǎn felt an urge to beat him to death with his own hands.
"It’s a frame-up, Your Majesty! I am innocent!" Cáo Bóshān, kneeling on the floor in a pathetic state, shouted continuously. His voice, shrill and harrowing, sounded chilling. "Censor Tāng, you mustn't listen to these slanders! A clear conscience fears no evil; no matter how much you twist the truth, black will never become white." Cáo Bóshān wished he could knock Censor Tāng unconscious and drag him away; not a single word the man uttered was to his liking.
Each new charge felt like a death sentence.
Chapter 536