Chapter 422: Chapter 422: The Fish Dies, the Net Breaks
Just a few words, yet they held a tremendous amount of information.
No one spoke, but everyone present was perceptive enough. How could they not understand the meaning behind Ye Heng’s words?
—Not only was Xiao Chengxuan involved in Huo Yucheng’s case, but he had also tried to ruthlessly kill Ye Heng to silence him!
If someone else had said this, they might have had their doubts. But with Ye Heng himself making the accusation, it had to be the absolute truth!
Even a cornered rabbit will bite. If he hadn’t been driven to desperation, Ye Heng would never have broken with Xiao Chengxuan so publicly.
His decision to come here meant he had positioned himself completely against Xiao Chengxuan.
Hearing this, Xiao Chengxuan grew anxious.
"What nonsense are you spouting! This Prince doesn’t understand a word of it!"
Ye Heng sneered repeatedly.
He had nothing left. What was there to care about anymore?
If Xiao Chengxuan wouldn’t let him live, then he couldn’t be blamed for turning against him!
"You know very well whether I’m spouting nonsense or not." Ye Heng took a deep breath. "Back then, you tried to win over Huo Yucheng. When he refused you, you secretly grew to hate him and used every trick in the book to frame and kill him."
"You’ve killed nearly everyone involved in that case! You thought you had committed the perfect crime, but you never imagined that secrets don’t stay secret forever!"
Ye Heng’s eyes were filled with venomous hatred.
"I only hate myself for being so stupid! I actually believed your words, thinking that if I helped you cover it up, you would eventually find a way to get me back!"
If he hadn’t been stabbed in the back and nearly died in that blizzard, Ye Heng would never have come to his senses.
In Xiao Chengxuan’s eyes, he had long since become a discarded pawn.
Useless for anything but being an eyesore.
He had even fantasized that someone would be there to receive and care for him when he reached Tongbei. In reality, Xiao Chengxuan never intended for him to arrive there alive!
Xiao Chengxuan nearly gritted his teeth to dust.
He was filled with both frustration and resentment.
Frustration, that the men he had sent could have made such a huge blunder. Resentment, that if he let Ye Heng continue, he would have a hard time clearing his name, no matter what tricks he had up his sleeve!
"Ye Heng!"
Xiao Chengxuan cut him off with a sharp shout, his voice and expression harsh.
"I did hold you in some regard before, but I don’t know how I offended you for you to sling such mud at me! Your exile to Tongbei was the result of your own mistakes and has nothing to do with me! I don’t know what trouble you ran into on the road, but now you’re trying to pin everything on me! This is absurd!"
Xiao Chengxuan took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on Ye Heng.
"It seems you already know what happened to your wife and daughter. I know that would be difficult for anyone to accept, but that matter truly has nothing to do with me either. You must have heard some rumor and decided to lay all the blame at my feet!"
As he said this, Xiao Chengxuan’s gaze swept to the side, lingering meaningfully on Shen Yanchuan for a moment.
"I don’t know when you returned to the Capital City, or where you have been all this time. But since you are here today, let me make things perfectly clear: all of those matters have absolutely nothing to do with me!"
Xiao Chengxuan’s words were clearly pointed. Anyone could tell he was targeting Shen Yanchuan.
After all, it was Shen Yanchuan who had brought the man in.
No one knew what, if anything, he might have said to Ye Heng beforehand.
Many people also glanced discreetly in Shen Yanchuan’s direction.
In truth, they harbored the same suspicions, but at this time and in this place, few dared to voice them.
Shen Yanchuan naturally understood the implication as well.
He raised an eyebrow, the corners of his thin lips turning up slightly.
"It was quite a coincidence. The night Ye Heng nearly died, he happened to run into Deputy Commander Cui Yao, who was returning to the capital from the Northern Border."
Hearing this name, everyone was taken aback.
Cui Yao’s rank was not high, and he didn’t stand out among the other military generals.
But he had another identity—his superior was Shen Youyan, who guarded the Northern Border.
In other words, he was one of Shen Youyan’s men!
"Mr. Cui was leading his men back to the capital. Due to a sudden change in weather that made the roads treacherous, he took a temporary detour along the main road through Tongbei Pass. Unexpectedly, he found the dying Ye Heng there."
Shen Yanchuan paused.
"Although he’s stationed at the border year-round, he has met Ye Heng a few times during his annual reports to the capital, which is why he rescued him. According to him, Ye Heng was collapsed in the snow, already unconscious. More importantly, there were signs of stab wounds on his body."
"They went to great lengths and finally managed to save Ye Heng. Unfortunately, he had lain in the snow for too long, and both his legs were ruined by the frost."
This explained why Ye Heng was in his current state.
"Mr. Cui had been at the Northern Border and was unaware of the events in the capital. Not daring to delay his official duties, he brought the man back to the Capital City with him. He should have reported to Your Majesty immediately, but Xu Jie’s case broke just then, so this humble subject took matters into my own hands and held him until today."
Shen Yanchuan bowed his head slightly.
"I had my reasons and hope for Your Majesty’s forgiveness."
Emperor Muwu felt a tightness in his chest.
What could he say?
He was the one who had ordered the investigation. Shen Yanchuan had failed to report in a timely manner, which was indeed wrong, but in the end, it was all for the sake of solving this case.
At the side, Xiao Chengxuan was already seething with rage.
Cui Yao!
A coincidence!
Of all the roads, on all those days, how could he have just happened—not a moment sooner or later, not a step to the left or right—to "find" Ye Heng in the middle of a blizzard!?
This was clearly a setup planned long in advance!
Shen Yanchuan was unbelievable, daring to spout such absurdities!
Cui Yao was one of Duke Dingbei’s men, which meant he naturally took orders from Shen Yanchuan!
And yet he didn’t even try to hide it, saying it right in front of everyone!
He might as well have written it on his face—that it was he, Shen Yanchuan, who had sent someone to bring Ye Heng back!
All for the sake of today!
It wasn’t just Xiao Chengxuan; who here couldn’t see through it?
But even if they knew it was Shen Yanchuan’s scheme, what could they do?
Regardless, Ye Heng was right here!
Compared to that, nothing else mattered.
Ye Heng didn’t hear a word Xiao Chengxuan was saying.
He wouldn’t believe even half a word from him now!
Since Xiao Chengxuan wanted him dead, why would he care about the lives of his family?
In truth, the deaths of Mrs. Gao and Ye Shixian had little to do with Xiao Chengxuan. But how could Ye Heng accept that the daughter he had so carefully raised would kill her own mother?
So, in his heart, he still blamed Xiao Chengxuan for everything.
Today, even if it meant mutual destruction, he would drag Xiao Chengxuan down with him!
"Prince Qi, you don’t need to say so much." Ye Heng had no patience to hear him out. The impatience and disgust in his eyes were unconcealed, making him look as grim as a vengeful spirit crawled up from hell. "You will pay for your sins!"
That look sent a chill down Xiao Chengxuan’s spine.
So furious he was, Xiao Chengxuan actually laughed.
"Fine! Since you insist I did those things, I’d like to ask: I had no grudge or grievance with Huo Yucheng, so why would I go to such great lengths to frame him!?"
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