Free Web NovelChapter 400: Chapter 400: Ironclad Evidence
Zhao Hanguang’s body slowly slid down the palace pillar, leaving a shocking, trailing streak of blood.
Everyone stood frozen, stunned into a long silence.
Shen Yanchuan watched the scene unfold in silence, his eyes dark and somber.
In truth, he had guessed before the morning court session that Zhao Hanguang would make a move. He just hadn’t expected him to choose such a drastic method.
"Send Mr. Zhao on his way."
The cold, clear voice finally brought everyone back to their senses.
Eunuch Li glanced cautiously at Emperor Muwu. The emperor closed his eyes for a moment, then raised a hand.
"Give him a proper burial."
Guards immediately came forward and carried away Zhao Hanguang’s body, leaving only the streak of blood, starkly red against the floor.
Emperor Muwu opened his eyes again. His gaze was now utterly cold and severe as he stared fixedly at Xu Jie.
"Zhao Hanguang has proven his integrity with his life, accusing you of murdering Huo Yucheng. Xu Jie! What do you have to say for yourself!?"
Xu Jie trembled like a leaf in the wind, a chill piercing him to the bone.
’What was there to say?’
’Zhao Hanguang had blocked off all his escape routes!’
’Besides, everything Zhao Hanguang had just mentioned about Li Duo and those other matters was true.’
’How could he possibly hide what had already happened!?’
At that moment, Xiao Chengxuan’s mind was also in turmoil.
’Why on earth did Zhao Hanguang suddenly turn on me? Could he have found something out? But if so, why didn’t he expose me, even up to his death...’
’How had things developed to this point?’
Shen Yanchuan’s gaze shifted, and he threw a cool, fleeting glance at him.
Xiao Chengxuan was frowning, seemingly as shocked as everyone else by the day’s events.
Of course, he still maintained the air of a detached bystander, as if none of this concerned him.
However, the flicker of panic in his eyes revealed he was not as composed as he appeared.
Shen Yanchuan’s eyes narrowed, and a flicker of scorn crossed their depths.
Xiao Chengxuan thought his plan was seamless, but he was unaware that Zhao Hanguang had already learned the truth. From his initial downfall, to being "rescued" by Xiao Chengxuan, to the string of promotions that followed—it had all been orchestrated by Xiao Chengxuan from the start.
Zhao Hanguang didn’t want to accept it, but he had no other choice.
He had seen Xiao Chengxuan as his great benefactor and had served him loyally for years. To suddenly discover he had been a mere puppet in the other’s hand all along—the shame of it, the utter despair.
And so, in the end, he chose this path.
He had taken his revenge and repaid his debt, thus freeing himself from this quagmire and making a clean exit.
It was just... a pity, in the end.
Seeing that Xiao Chengxuan was still not speaking up for him, Xu Jie’s heart sank.
He could no longer afford to worry about anything else and hurriedly began to defend himself.
"Your Majesty, please see the truth! I am truly being framed! I shared a deep bond with General Huo. How could I ever do something so vicious!"
Shen Yanchuan gave a slight nod. "Lord Xu has a point. That is what I find most curious as well. No matter how you look at it, you and General Huo were from the same hometown, and he went out of his way to help you more than once. Anyone else would have been grateful for such kindness for the rest of their lives. I simply can’t imagine what you were thinking, Lord Xu, to so decisively cast aside a bond like that."
Xu Jie grew frantic. "Young Master, watch what you say! I never did any such thing, so whence comes this absurd accusation!"
Shen Yanchuan smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
"Whether you did it or not, only you would know, Lord Xu. I, for one, simply cannot imagine how you managed to offend high officials from both the Imperial Supervision Office and Guanglu Temple at the same time—so much so that one of them would accuse you at the cost of his own life."
"You!"
Xu Jie was struck speechless. It felt as if a stone was pressing down on his chest, making it difficult to breathe.
It was only then that he realized the Heir of Duke Dingbei standing before him was not the same man he’d met before!
Back in Changzhou, he had thought he’d seen right through Shen Yanchuan. The man had tried to investigate him, but hadn’t he come up with nothing?
Yet now, it was also him who had cast him into this pit of suspicion with just a few words!
He seemed so elegant and harmless, but...
As Xu Jie met that pair of dark, indifferent eyes, his heart suddenly seized.
Only now did he realize one thing: he had completely, utterly misjudged Shen Yanchuan!
However, under these circumstances, there was little time left for him to reflect.
Numerous excuses flashed through his mind, and he began to stutter as he spoke.
"I... I—I don’t know why Mr. Zhao would frame me like this! And the letters, those two letters! At the end of the day, they’re just two documents with identical handwriting. How can you insist they were written by me?"
Xiao Chengxuan paused for a moment before finally speaking. "There is no signature, and the script is indeed different from Lord Xu’s usual handwriting. I’m afraid... this does warrant a thorough investigation."
A flicker of hope ignited in Xu Jie’s heart.
As long as someone was willing to speak up for him, there was still hope—
"So, Lord Xu refuses to confess?"
Shen Yanchuan cut him off. A thought seemed to cross his mind, and the corners of his lips curled into the faintest of smiles.
"Wouldn’t that just break Yun Niang’s heart?"
Xu Jie’s mind went blank with a loud BUZZ.
Yun Niang. The courtesan he had doted on for the past six months. With her gentle voice, soft words, and artistic talent, she was so different from the other women of the demimonde, which was precisely why he adored her.
And he had written her far more than just one letter!
Xu Jie suddenly realized something, his eyes flying wide. Shen Yanchuan hadn’t found nothing in Changzhou—quite the opposite, he had found the most damning evidence of all!
That letter... that letter... Shen Yanchuan must have been the one who gave it to Lord Xu!
"As for the other letter," Shen Yanchuan paused, turning to Lord Xu with a slightly raised eyebrow, "since you were the one to present it, Lord Xu, it must certainly be authentic."
"The Princely Heir is absolutely right."
Lord Xu recalled his shock upon receiving the letter and sighed to himself.
He lifted the hem of his robes and knelt.
"Your Majesty, I dare not conceal the truth. This letter was, in fact, left by Ye Zheng."
The moment he finished speaking, a brief, dead silence was shattered by a massive uproar.
"Ye Zheng!? Which Ye Zheng!?"
"Who else could it be? The one from the Ministry of Justice, of course! If not for that ’accident’ when he pleaded on Huo Yucheng’s behalf, he’d probably be the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice by now!"
"It’s him! But... but how did he end up with this letter from Huo Yucheng?"
"Well... I remember he was the one in charge of handling that case, wasn’t he? Could it be he already knew something even back then?"
The court buzzed with speculation.
Xu Jie was already completely stunned.
’H-how did Ye Zheng get dragged into this!?’
Emperor Muwu’s expression was taut, his gaze severe and dark.
"If Ye Zheng had this letter, why didn’t he present it at the time!?"
Lord Xu bowed his head deeply to the floor.
"Your Majesty, it was not that Ye Zheng intentionally concealed it. Rather... he never had the chance to open the letter, let alone learn of its contents."
Emperor Muwu’s brow furrowed. "What did you say?"
...
"Sister, what are you looking at?"
As Ye Yunfeng walked down the covered veranda, he saw Ye Chutang sitting by an open window. On the table in front of her rested a small wooden box.
The box looked like it had seen many years; its edges were worn, and a solitary bronze lock hung from its clasp.
She seemed to be lost in thought.
Hearing his voice, Ye Chutang tilted her head slightly.
Ye Yunfeng noticed the wooden box and looked puzzled. "Isn’t that the box Father left behind? Sister, you didn’t send it back to Qingzhou?"
