Barren Star – Chapter 47
by Little PandaYou won’t want to know.
StarNet Forum
A new post titled 《Guess What I Saw on the Interstellar Court’s Official Website…》appeared, and within five minutes, it was marked with the character “explosive” [bào – trending/viral]. New replies kept appearing with every refresh.
2F: Did I read that wrong? The Planet Master [xīng qiú zhǔ – ruler of a planet] of Mountain and Sea Star reported the Ning Family to the Interstellar Court for “illegal invasion”? Isn’t the Governor also from the Ning Family?
3F: I thought “Mystery No. 1” was the Ning Family’s base, but now it seems unrelated to them?
4F: The Planet Master is called Ning Buyi, what’s her relationship to the Ning Family? Is there any gossip? She doesn’t seem to be among the young ladies of this generation of the Ning Family.
5F: This charge of “illegal invasion” could be either minor or serious. Actually, even if the Planet Master had killed them, she wouldn’t be held responsible. Now that it’s gone to the Interstellar Court, are they planning to settle?
…
138F: I have a question, why did the Ning Family illegally invade Mountain and Sea Star? Are they trying to harm my precious fruits?
156F: I must go watch when the court opens!
…
1195F: So who exactly is this Planet Master of Mountain and Sea Star? Which base is it? Mystery No. 1 – never heard of it before, right? How did they cultivate plants? Are any of our Da Xia bases following up on this? When will our Civilization Star have plants too?
1196F: I don’t understand, why choose a barren star? Isn’t a civilization star better?
1197F: Don’t understand +1, and there’s news that Mystery No. 1 hasn’t had any exchanges with Da Xia’s bases, which means the seeds and cultivation methods haven’t been shared. As long as Mystery No. 1 remains closed, only barren stars will have plants.
1198F: Wouldn’t it be better to have more people researching? Why be so selfish?
1199F: The above statement is a bit extreme. How is it selfish? Look at those major bases on the Civilization Star and Construction Star – they pour in hundreds of billions in funding every year with nothing to show for it. Why give it to them? What a waste of resources. Besides, can’t you buy produce on the Starlight Platform? Some roots themselves are seeds – how come they haven’t figured anything out? Just a bunch of freeloaders.
…
Whether it was Mountain and Sea Star’s “dark pollution” decrease or Mystery No. 1 base’s produce, both caused huge waves on StarNet. When the two topics combined, the discussions never ceased. Upon seeing the Interstellar Court’s official announcement, some people, like great white sharks sensing blood, rushed forward aggressively, digging deep into the relationship between Mountain and Sea Star’s Planet Master and the Ning Family. Under the paparazzi’s investigation, Ning Jun’s past affairs couldn’t be hidden, and those who learned the truth criticized him openly.
——Suddenly understand why the Planet Master has a bad relationship with the Ning Family, so there was this old story.
——Giving a soon-to-be destroyed planet to his daughter as compensation, then wanting it back when he saw the planet could be saved? These privileged nobles really know how to play games.
——Scumbags will surely face destruction.
The Ning Family.
Ning Jun received advance notice from the Interstellar Court and was already overwhelmed with worry. Seeing the news on StarNet made his anger burn even hotter. He wanted to deny it, but unfortunately, those who dug deep into the records found evidence he couldn’t erase. He tried to solve it with money, but the other side wouldn’t budge, clearly showing they had support from some power. Besides the Imperial Family, who else would dare to oppose the Ning Family and the Supervisory Department?
“Second Brother, your notorious reputation is now affecting our Ning Family’s image.”
“That’s right, and this child Yunjing, how could he be so reckless? Now being sued in the Interstellar Court, he’s brought shame to our entire family.”
“Tell us, what should we do?”
…
Listening to his brothers’ comments, Ning Jun’s anger surged. His gaze turned cold and dark as he demanded furiously: “What do you mean? Was going to Mountain and Sea Star solely my idea? And don’t just mention Ning Yunjing, weren’t your precious sons also in the accompanying group? If this goes to court, Ning Yunjing won’t be the only one questioned.”
Seeing his brothers’ unhappy expressions, Ning Jun took a deep breath, “There’s no point in blame now, this case absolutely cannot go to trial!”
“That’s your spawn, Second Brother Ning, we uncles aren’t even close to him.”
Hearing these cold words, Ning Jun nearly ground his teeth to pieces. He angrily said: “I’ll make contact!” Though he said this, Ning Jun knew this path wouldn’t work. When he first got the news, he had already contacted Ning Buyi, but the result was that she blacklisted him, making communication impossible. Now he wished he could strangle that damned girl! The possibility of getting her to withdraw the lawsuit was slim, so he could only work through the Interstellar Court. But the difficulty lay with the Imperial Family – if they were determined to push this matter, it wouldn’t be easily resolved. If he contacted people from the Imperial Family, the Hua Family and Si Family probably wouldn’t stand for it either.
The Ning Family Mansion.
Ning Xiao paced back and forth uneasily.
He was Ning Jun’s cousin and the eldest of their generation, though his dull personality made him unpopular in the Ning Family. However, his daughter Ning Mo was a Judge of the Star Court, which meant the Ning Family members didn’t dare show him disrespect.
“Are you thinking about Second Uncle’s situation?” Ning Mo sat on the sofa watching news. Her head ached from watching Ning Xiao’s pacing shadow, and she pressed her temples, sighing.
“Why is your cousin so inconsiderate? By taking Yunjing to the Interstellar Court, isn’t she just making our Ning Family a public spectacle?” Ning Xiao said.
“You’re wrong about that. This isn’t the Ning Family’s business anymore. Mountain and Sea Star has no connection to the Ning Family, and wasn’t Ning Yunjing’s behavior clearly illegal invasion?” Ning Mo replied.
“How is there no connection?” Ning Xiao frowned, then suddenly had a flash of insight and turned to stare at Ning Mo, “You previously worked with the Chief Judge, did you know about Mountain and Sea Star earlier?”
“Does that matter?” Ning Mo spoke slowly, “The ‘illegal invasion’ case can’t be suppressed, the entire star system is watching. If you truly want to save our family’s face, you need to stop Second Uncle before he acts rashly in desperation and affects both the Ning Family’s and the Supervisory Department’s reputation.”
Ning Xiao was stunned, asking: “What do you mean?”
Ning Mo smiled slightly: “For the Supervisory Department, the best solution would be to remove Second Uncle from his position, don’t you think?” This wasn’t just for the Supervisory Department, but for the Ning Family as well. Since its establishment, the Supervisory Department had been jointly controlled by three families – as long as representatives came from these three families, it didn’t matter who specifically held the positions. Sacrificing Ning Jun’s branch could help them distance themselves from the situation – why not do it? The only worry was that her dear Second Uncle might lose his head and make some deal with the Imperial Family that the Supervisory Department couldn’t tolerate.
Hearing this, Ning Xiao’s heart sank. Even with all the scandals, he hadn’t considered Ning Jun’s removal from office. But after hearing Ning Mo’s words, he felt this possibility was very likely, and suspected that the family’s authority figures were already gathering to discuss it. Feeling anxious, he gave Ning Mo a bitter smile and asked: “What should I do?”
Not wanting her father involved, Ning Mo immediately replied: “Don’t worry about it, just focus on your own responsibilities.”
Ning Xiao was silent for a moment, looking at his somewhat unfamiliar daughter, and tentatively asked: “Is the Star Court pushing for this?”
“What are you saying?” Ning Mo frowned, speaking seriously, “The Star Court is only responsible to the planets.”
Mountain and Sea Star Base.
Ning Buyi had long since blacklisted Ning Jun, refusing to communicate with anyone from the Ning Family. When the Interstellar Court routinely inquired about private settlement, she firmly refused. If they couldn’t make those people fear them this time, who else might invade Mountain and Sea Star in the future? Ning Buyi patiently waited for the court date, but on the eve of the trial, she received a message from Hua Zhuoyu.
“Ning Jun has reconciled with the Imperial Family and successfully bribed three judges.”
When she saw these words, Ning Buyi’s eyelid twitched, fearing she might lose the case. But quickly, her anxiety dissipated like smoke – since Hua Zhuoyu had received this information, it meant she had a solution. Sure enough, soon after, new information arrived.
“On the day of the trial, the Supervisory Department will apply to intervene in the judgment. The Interstellar Court is subordinate to the Imperial Government, and the Supervisory Department has the right to oversee it.”
Ning Buyi asked: “Does this mean the Supervisory Department is abandoning my dear father?”
Hua Zhuoyu replied: “This approach has the lowest cost.” As long as all blame could be pushed onto Ning Jun and Ning Yunjing, they could separate the Ning Family, which represented the Supervisory Department, from the matter. The Hua Family had previously “sacrificed kinship for justice” [dà yì miè qīn – to place justice above family ties], and if the Ning Family couldn’t do the same, they might lose public respect and gradually lose authority.
Ning Buyi could guess their excuse, after all, she, Ning Yunjing, and Ning Jun were blood relatives. By pushing everything onto the “small family” [xiǎo jiā – immediate family], wouldn’t it disconnect from the “big family” [dà jiā – extended family/organization]? Ning Buyi didn’t care about others’ discussions; she only wanted to see results beneficial to Mountain and Sea Star, hoping to deter those with ulterior motives. After pondering for a moment, Ning Buyi asked something she was very curious about: “Logically speaking, when the Imperial Family found this opportunity, they should have taken a bite out of Ning Jun no matter what, so why did they compromise?”
Hua Zhuoyu: “I think you won’t want to know.”
Ning Buyi: “…” After pondering for a while, she probed, “They’re not trying to use my identity, are they? Don’t tell me he wants to arrange a marriage between me and the Imperial Family?”
Hua Zhuoyu: “Congratulations, you guessed right.” As long as the Imperial Crown Prince hadn’t officially married, everything was variable. Between Li Liyuan’s support and Mountain and Sea Star’s plant base, the weight of each was clear. However, before Xia Tu could make a decision, Li Ziyan overheard this news through Xia Sang’s hint, after which she had a huge confrontation with Xia Tu. Xia Tu was about to head to the battlefield to build his reputation, and he planned to break off his engagement with Li Ziyan at least after the Giant Sickle Star matter was resolved. Currently unwilling to clash with the Li Family, he could only sternly reject Ning Jun and berate him. But who knows what he’s really thinking? At least the judges who previously wouldn’t even meet with Ning Jun have now accepted his bribes.
Ning Buyi felt nauseated thinking about being coveted by Xia Tu – how dare this male protagonist even think of it?!
At this moment in the Crown Prince’s mansion, the atmosphere was as heavy as lead and iron. Even Si Xun, who had a good relationship with Xia Tu, kept his lips tight and head down, not daring to speak.
Xia Tu was in an extremely foul mood, his face ashen. How dare Li Ziyan give him attitude? If it weren’t for gaining military support, why would he need to compromise like this?
“How did she get the news? Did she install listening devices in the mansion?” Xia Tu asked coldly.
Si Xun pursed his lips, thinking secretly, isn’t it obvious? Li Liyuan and His Highness were just using each other – one wanted to use this to eliminate the Supervisory Department’s control over the Imperial Family, while the other probably wanted to become a candidate for Imperial Marshal through connections. With Li Liyuan’s merits and qualifications, that position was quite far, so he could only think of underhanded methods. Si Xun didn’t think well of Li Liyuan, but unfortunately, the Crown Prince wouldn’t listen to him, wanting to use charm to win hearts and then control the Li Family.
“She’s changed a lot recently,” Xia Tu said with furrowed brows. In the past, his impression of Li Ziyan wasn’t good, only remembering how she would dress up elaborately and appear inexplicably before him. However, someone so infatuated with him was easy to control, almost completely obedient. But when did she start changing? Initially, she was even willing to follow him without any official status.
Si Xun mumbled: “A woman’s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea.”
Xia Tu pressed his temples, saying slowly: “Send over a gift box of True Wood’s newly developed perfume.”
Si Xun looked up at Xia Tu, trying hard to keep a straight face: “…True Wood has gone bankrupt.”
Xia Tu: “…” He had forgotten about this, and being suddenly reminded by Si Xun, anger surged like a tidal wave in his heart. He violently swept everything off the table, and only after hearing the crashing sounds did his frustration dissipate.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the court date arrived.
To demonstrate the Interstellar Court’s fairness, any trial not involving top secrets was open to the entire StarNet. Countless netizens clicked into the court’s entrance with anticipation for eating melon, but were immediately kicked out, told they didn’t have viewing permissions.
——???? Why isn’t public viewing allowed? How could this involve top secrets?
——The person above is truly young, this is just an excuse. If it were truly a classified case, we wouldn’t even know about it.
——The ones being tried are the Ning Family, one of the Empire’s three major powers. Let’s disperse, what right do we common people have to know?
——Then I have to question the court’s impartiality.
Ning Buyi didn’t personally attend the Interstellar Court, but as the Planet Master and plaintiff, she had viewing permissions. At the base, even the four little honeybees who were conscientiously working in the flower fields put down their work, sitting in rows in the Administrative Hall, watching the court proceedings projected on the screen.
Her case with Ning Yunjing didn’t involve high-level secrets; not opening it to the entire StarNet was likely the Ning Family’s behind-the-scenes manipulation. Ning Buyi didn’t want to let them have their way. Seeing people who eagerly rushed to the Interstellar Court give up on watching, she posted a message through Star Micro: Have submitted an application for public trial to the court.
This was equivalent to denying that the case was “highly classified.” The spectators who had planned to give up rushed back eagerly, submitting applications and complaints in the comments section. After receiving the complaints, the Supervisory Department pressured the court. Under both internal and external pressure, the court had to take a step back and open the proceedings to the entire StarNet.
Ning Yunjing’s side could only use the excuse of “being family”, but how could “sentiment” move people in court?
On the forum, the original post had already exceeded ten thousand replies, and with the trial of the “illegal invasion” case, the post’s popularity continued to increase.
12346F: Isn’t this a bit excessive? Even a half-brother is still a brother by blood? Seems a bit heartless.
12347F: I thought about it, if I had such a planet, I would at least share it with family.
12348F: What are you saying, your property equals family property?
12349F: Replying above, why be so particular about divisions when we’re all family?
…
13569F: Blood relations don’t automatically make people family, thanks.
14567F: Has anyone noticed that Mountain and Sea Star’s mercenaries are all Beast Race? I previously saw a post saying the Beast Star Free Trade Market has produce, could it also be from Mountain and Sea Star Base?
14568F: Is the person above suggesting that Mountain and Sea Star actually trades with Beast Star? That’s unlikely, right? We Da Xia people don’t even have enough, how could we share with Beast Star? Even if we’re friendly, there’s no need to go that far, right?
14569F: What’s wrong with Beast Star? Are you being racist? [Produce picture], jealous?
15000F: Initially, I thought Mountain and Sea Star was fine, and I could even understand taking a blood brother to Interstellar Court. But hearing that Mountain and Sea Star Base doesn’t allow our scientists to visit, employs Beast Race members, and establishes markets on Beast Star… all of this makes one think. Could they be crooked buttocks [wāi pì gu – meaning having questionable allegiance]?
15001F: They even invited Tushan Sansan as their spokesperson, while rejecting our Da Xia local celebrities who offered to work for free.
…
On StarNet, as news of Mountain and Sea Star’s friendly relations with the Beast Race became known, few people still cared about Ning Buyi and the Ning Family’s affairs, instead focusing their attention on “Beast Race Civilization.” In the eyes of some extremists, although the Beast Race was one of the three major civilizations, they belonged to a backward, primitive barbaric era and couldn’t be compared to Da Xia civilization. They simply couldn’t accept that Mountain and Sea Star had closer relations with Beast Star than with Da Xia Imperial Star.
“My Lord, the public opinion online isn’t good. Many people are saying they won’t buy our base’s products anymore,” Xiong Xun said gravely. He was very dissatisfied with those Da Xia people. When buying priceless produce at low prices, they called them bodhisattvas, but now they changed their tune to say Mountain and Sea Star Base was selfish. Moreover, these people had strong prejudices against the Beast Race.
Ning Buyi asked: “Has anyone requested refunds?”
Xiong Xun shook his head.
Ning Buyi smiled and asked again: “Then are there any unsold products on the shelves?”
Xiong Xun shook his head again.
Ning Buyi said dismissively: “If that’s the case, why care about them?” She wouldn’t force everyone to think like her; she would just persist in doing what she wanted to do, even if thousands criticized her. “I’ll be going out for a while soon,” Ning Buyi suddenly added.
“Going out?” Xiong Xun frowned, but before he could finish, Feng Ermao rushed over, blinking her eyes and saying, “Where to? It’s too dangerous outside, take this with you!” As she spoke, she pointed to herself.
Ning Buyi: “…” Feng Ermao, this complete weakling, wasn’t even as good as Baize.
The public trial and dual supervision from the Supervisory Department meant the judges didn’t dare to be careless. Even if they had agreed to Ning Jun’s requests, they could only proceed according to the “law.” Regardless of public opinion, Ning Yunjing’s “illegal invasion” was an unchangeable fact.
After the verdict, Ning Yunjing accepted the result and didn’t appeal.
At the Ning Family, Ning Jun raged furiously, viciously cursing his colleagues at the Supervisory Department – if they hadn’t interfered, how could there have been a “public trial”? Then it would have been just their internal matter. The other Ning Family members weren’t as angry as Ning Jun; for them, as long as the family’s reputation was preserved, Ning Jun’s branch had nothing to do with them. Fearing Ning Jun might harbor resentment and affect the Supervisory Department’s stability, the Ning Family members jointly submitted documents to the Supervisory Department, requesting to remove Ning Jun from his position in the Ning Family.
If Ning Jun hadn’t caused scandals, even if everyone disliked him, they couldn’t have removed him from power, but he gave others an opportunity. Before he could cause bigger waves, his position was revoked. After the Empire’s Emperor signed off, it was announced through government and Supervisory Department portals.
Ning Buyi originally couldn’t be bothered with the Ning Family and Supervisory Department’s petty affairs, but when Hua Zhuoyu sent the news, she still glanced through it, learning that the internal strife within the Supervisory Department was more serious than she had imagined. The plot-induced misconceptions were being corrected bit by bit.
“Have you departed?” Compared to the debates on StarNet, she was clearly more concerned about Hua Zhuoyu’s whereabouts. Now that some communications with Giant Sickle Star had been cut off, no one could say clearly what the situation was there. Hua Zhuoyu was going as a Star Court judge, but she was still a Da Xia person, with an unresolvable hatred towards the Insect Race.
Hua Zhuoyu said: “Soon.”
Ning Buyi asked again: “How many safe cities are left there?”
“Iron Tree City,” Hua Zhuoyu answered, pausing for a moment, her eyes flickering as she teased, “Why are you asking this? Are you planning an interstellar tour too?”
Ning Buyi didn’t hide it, frankly saying: “I indeed have that thought.”
Hua Zhuoyu’s expression suddenly became serious, dropping her previous lazy demeanor. Her eyes flashed with sharp and stern light. “I don’t recommend you go to Giant Sickle Star,” she said, and fearing Ning Buyi might not realize the seriousness of the issue, she deliberately emphasized her tone and repeated, “Strongly do not recommend.”
“I must go,” Ning Buyi said calmly.
The Mountain and Sea Atlas had provided more detailed side quest information, and the location was exactly Giant Sickle Star as she had previously suspected.
“Don’t tell me you want to plant trees on Giant Sickle Star?” Hua Zhuoyu couldn’t understand and could only make such a guess.
“I have my reasons,” Ning Buyi frowned, not wanting to say more.
Hua Zhuoyu knew she couldn’t change Ning Buyi’s attitude, so she took a step back: “At least let me know when you depart.” After a pause, she emphasized again, “You cannot reveal your abilities. He Chao is a judge, he can boldly use the purification ability. But you can’t.”
“What I’m about to say might make you feel I’m disregarding life, but I must tell you, you are more important than anyone else.” Choice itself implies unfairness, and she could only choose to be responsible for the future, civilization, and the vast majority of people.
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