Chapter 424: Chapter 424: You Want Evidence?
A clap of thunder from a clear sky!
Everyone knew that Ye Heng had killed Ye Zheng.
But until his exile from the capital, Ye Heng had insisted he acted alone.
Who could have imagined that now, at this very moment, he would suddenly reveal that Xiao Chengxuan had orchestrated the whole thing from behind the scenes!
Xiao Chengxuan felt as if his head would explode.
He threw all caution to the wind and shot to his feet, about to charge forward. "What did you say!"
However, he was stopped after taking just one step.
Jiang Zhao Yuan, who stood at the head of the court officials and had been silent since entering, finally spoke, his brow furrowed.
"Your Highness, do not forget where you are!"
His voice was not loud, but Xiao Chengxuan heard him clearly.
The warning in his tone was like a bucket of cold water dumped over Xiao Chengxuan, snapping him back to his senses instantly.
’Imperial Father is still watching from above!’
A hollow feeling gripped Xiao Chengxuan’s heart, and the blood in his veins seemed to freeze. He quickly turned and knelt again.
"I was reckless and lost my decorum before the throne. Please punish me, Imperial Father!"
He did not even dare to lift his head.
Never before had he felt such crushing pressure!
However, Emperor Muwu did not look at him. He just stared at Ye Heng. "You just said you killed Ye Zheng. On whose orders?"
Xiao Chengxuan said anxiously, "Imperial Father! He is clearly framing me! I did not—"
"I was not asking you!"
Emperor Muwu’s sudden roar made Xiao Chengxuan flinch. A cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
His pale lips trembled slightly, but he did not dare utter another word.
Although he had been punished before, this was the first time his Imperial Father had harshly reprimanded him in front of so many people.
Emperor Muwu looked at Ye Heng again. "Speak!"
Ye Heng’s heart also trembled.
But he could no longer hold back. The resentment that had built up in his heart for years found an outlet and burst forth all at once.
"My family is shattered and I have lost everything. What reason would I have to lie? Every word I said before is true!"
"If Prince Qi hadn’t tempted me with promises of gain, why would I have harmed my own brother!"
Although it had happened several years ago, recalling it now made it seem as vivid as if it were yesterday.
"Back then, he promised me that if my elder brother died a sudden death on the road from the capital, I would be able to attain a position even higher than his! I... I was blinded by ambition for a moment, so I agreed. I told him my brother’s travel route, leading his assassins to... to—"
Ye Heng gritted his teeth.
Even now, it was impossible to say he did not feel a shred of regret.
An elder brother is like a father.
If he had not done it back then, perhaps he would not have fallen to this state.
But it was all too late.
Xu Fengchi watched with cold detachment, finding the whole affair laughable.
"So, for your own future, you betrayed your own flesh and blood?!"
Ye Heng closed his eyes, his expression pained.
Su Wei snorted coldly. "A higher position? So, the post of Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice wasn’t good enough for you?"
Over the past three years, Ye Heng had indeed enjoyed a meteoric rise.
If Ye Chutang had not later returned to the capital with her younger siblings and disrupted all their plans, he would have been smoothly promoted to an even higher position.
"For Ye Zheng to have a brother like you, what terrible luck! Fortunately, the heavens showed mercy and allowed his children to escape disaster. Though they faced many hardships, they finally returned to the capital safely."
Su Wei stroked his beard and sighed.
"Today, we can finally give those siblings a true accounting!"
Everyone thought of that incomparably beautiful young woman who always wore a gentle, serene smile, and for a moment, they were all speechless.
Suddenly, a questioning voice broke the silence.
"Do you have any evidence for what you’ve said?"
Murong Yang’s brows knitted slightly.
"Ye Zheng has been dead for three years. The specifics are difficult to verify, so of course, you can say whatever you want. If what you just said is true, then I’d like to ask—why exactly would Prince Qi want to kill him?"
His question was, in fact, the same doubt on many people’s minds.
The relationship between Ye Zheng and either Huo Yucheng or Xiao Chengxuan could only be described as average.
Even if there was some conflict between those two, it should not have involved Ye Zheng.
Yet he was dragged into it, which was truly strange.
Ye Heng was not at all surprised by their question. He just sneered, "Why don’t you ask Prince Qi himself that question?"
Murong Yang was left speechless.
’In Xiao Chengxuan’s current state, who would dare to poke the hornet’s nest!’
As expected, Xiao Chengxuan still would not admit it.
"Stop spreading your malicious lies! I barely even spoke with Ye Zheng. Why on earth would I suddenly want to kill him?!"
Xiao Chengxuan was still desperately trying to defend himself, clearly refusing to give up until he hit a dead end.
"If you’re so sure, then show me some proof!"
"You!"
Ye Heng was about to retort but suddenly froze.
Because he really did not have any proof!
Xiao Chengxuan was an extremely cautious person. When he had entrusted Ye Heng with this matter, he had deliberately chosen an exceptionally private place.
Besides the two of them, no one else was present.
Even if Ye Heng repeated their conversation from that day word for word, it would not be enough to convince anyone.
As for the assassins who were sent out...
Some had died, others had fled; they had long since vanished without a trace. Where would one even begin to investigate?
All in all, it had become a cold case.
Seeing Ye Heng at a loss for words, Xiao Chengxuan’s lips curled into a smirk.
"What’s wrong? Can’t make anything else up?"
Rage welled up in Ye Heng’s chest, almost making him choke.
His mind was consumed with revenge, determined to drag Xiao Chengxuan down with him today no matter what, but he had forgotten the most crucial piece.
The dispatched assassins had never contacted him directly.
He had done it that way to avoid being implicated, but now it had become a problem.
If the men could not be found, it would be impossible to confirm they were Xiao Chengxuan’s subordinates. And how could his guilt be established then?
But how could Ye Heng be willing to let it go just like that?
"I may not have evidence, but I know why you developed the intent to kill!"
He struggled to straighten his body and looked up at Emperor Muwu on the throne.
"Your Majesty, please see the truth! The reason he wanted to kill my elder brother was because my brother also participated in the trial of General Huo’s case back then!"
At that time, Ye Zheng served as a Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Due to his outstanding abilities, he was held in high regard.
He followed Huo Yucheng’s case from beginning to end and was even in charge of interrogating Huo Yucheng on more than one occasion.
The officials looked at each other in dismay.
From the sound of it, did this mean Ye Zheng had already known something? Or even that he had guessed Huo Yucheng’s misfortune was the result of being framed by Xiao Chengxuan?
It did not seem entirely without reason...
"I remember Ye Zheng once knelt outside the palace gates, pleading for General Huo..."
Someone spoke in a low voice.
Quite a few people knew about this, because at the time, very few civil and military officials in the entire court were willing to stand up for Huo Yucheng.
It was precisely for this reason that Ye Zheng was demoted and exiled from the capital.
Who could have imagined that there might be even more hidden secrets behind it?
Xiao Chengxuan’s heart leaped with panic for a moment, but he quickly calmed himself down.
He spoke with utter scorn, "The man is already gone. Right and wrong, isn’t it all just coming from your mouth? But without evidence, don’t even think about slinging this mud at me today!"
"You—"
Blood trickled from the corner of Ye Heng’s mouth.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and no one knew how the situation would be resolved.
Suddenly, a clear, cold voice spoke up:
"Prince Qi desires evidence?"
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