Chapter 425: Chapter 425: Seen
Xiao Chengxuan instinctively looked in the direction of the voice, his heart suddenly lurching.
’Shen Yanchuan... why is he asking that?’
’Could it be—’
’Impossible!’
’Shen Yanchuan wasn’t even in the Capital City back then, so how could he possibly...’
Xiao Chengxuan forced himself to remain calm. "Since he claims I did those things, then naturally I’ll demand evidence from him!"
Shen Yanchuan nodded slightly, as if in understanding.
"Prince Qi has a point. Without evidence, it would be an unjust accusation. It would be even worse if an innocent man were wronged, as in the case of General Huo all those years ago."
His words were spoken casually, but to Xiao Chengxuan, they were grating. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Shen Yanchuan was implying something.
But he couldn’t be bothered to argue over a few words right now.
’The people from back then are either dead or gone. I refuse to believe Shen Yanchuan has some heaven-defying ability to produce evidence from all those years ago!’
All eyes focused on Shen Yanchuan.
Some curious, some doubtful.
Shen Yanchuan seemed oblivious, turning his head to look at Xu Fengchi instead.
"Lord Xu, I recall that when Second Miss Ye returned to the capital, she paid a special visit to the Xu Residence."
Xu Fengchi was taken aback, not expecting him to suddenly bring this up. He nodded. "That’s right."
It was no secret that he and Ye Zheng were close. After Ye Zheng’s death, he had been the one running around, trying to sort things out.
Many people in the capital knew that Ye Chutang had visited the Xu Residence to express her gratitude.
Shen Yanchuan continued, "In that case, besides the letter from General Huo, did she happen to give you, Lord Xu, any other items at that time?"
Xu Fengchi paused.
In truth, he and Ye Chutang had indeed been in contact before that.
Throughout his investigation, Ye Chutang had given him some hints and clues, both overtly and covertly.
But...
"There were none."
Xu Fengchi shook his head.
"However, she and her younger siblings had just returned to the capital and possessed nothing of value. Taking pity on them for having no parents or older brother to look after them, I made a point of giving her a few mementos I had kept from that time."
Shen Yanchuan asked, "Mementos?"
"Yes." Xu Fengchi let out a soft breath. "After Ye Zheng and his family met their fate, I couldn’t get there in time. Later... I found a way to retrieve a few items left at the scene."
Amid the crowd’s shock, a hint of admiration could also be seen in their eyes.
Right in front of Your Majesty!
Xu Fengchi had just admitted it so directly!
By rights, nothing from a crime scene is allowed to be taken privately.
’Xu Fengchi really has some nerve!’
Of course, Ye Zheng had been an honest official. Although he had been traveling with his belongings at the time, there wasn’t really anything of value.
Most of it had been quietly appropriated by Ye Heng.
What Xu Fengchi managed to get were probably just some small trinkets.
But the sentiment behind it was truly sincere and rare.
"I had originally wanted to give her some gold and silver, but she refused it."
That made things clear.
On that visit, Ye Chutang had only accepted a few mementos belonging to her parents and older brother.
Nothing else.
Listening from the side, Xiao Chengxuan started to sense something was off. ’Is Shen Yanchuan trying to find evidence from Xu Fengchi?’
’How ridiculous!’
’Ye Chutang was only fourteen back then. Ambushed so suddenly, she was probably scared out of her wits. How could she have paid attention to anything else?’
’She was lucky just to survive. Does Shen Yanchuan actually think she could have secured some kind of evidence to be used today?’
Xiao Chengxuan couldn’t help but sneer.
"Shen Yanchuan, are you trying to find your evidence right now? You can’t just conjure something out of thin air!"
Shen Yanchuan raised his gaze slightly and gave him a faint look.
A sudden chill ran down Xiao Chengxuan’s spine, and a sense of unease inexplicably rose in his heart.
He could never see through a man like Shen Yanchuan; he could never guess what he was planning.
But one thing was certain: Shen Yanchuan had feelings for Ye Chutang!
This affair had already dragged Ye Zheng into it. For Ye Chutang’s sake, Shen Yanchuan would never let this go easily.
’What else will he do...?’
A faint smile touched Shen Yanchuan’s lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
He then looked toward Ye Heng.
"Back then, you handled most of the funeral arrangements for Lord Ye Zheng’s family. If there were any clues, I presume they’ve all been erased by now?"
Ye Heng’s expression was incredibly grim.
’If I had known this would happen, I would have acted differently back then.’
’But it’s useless to say any of this now!’
Xiao Chengxuan was growing impatient.
"All this talk, and all you’ve done is drag out Ye Heng to make baseless accusations! Are we supposed to take his word for everything? Shen Yanchuan, if you have a problem with me, then come at me directly! Stop resorting to these messy tricks—"
"Second Miss Ye once mentioned to me," Shen Yanchuan interrupted, his tone calm, "that when her father was assassinated, she only managed to escape with her life because her older brother protected her to his dying breath."
Yet, upon hearing this, it wasn’t hard for the crowd to imagine the scene from those simple words.
Xiao Chengxuan was momentarily silenced. The hall fell quiet, leaving only that voice, as cool and clear as jade, to ring out distinctly.
"She said her brother was struck by a total of thirteen arrows. He bled to death, yet he held her in his arms from beginning to end, never loosening his grip in the slightest."
Xu Fengchi suddenly recalled the high-spirited youth from all those years ago and shut his eyes, unable to bear the image.
No one could have predicted that a youth as proud and unyielding as a pine tree would meet such an end.
For outsiders, these few brief sentences summarized the fate of Ye Zheng, his wife, and his son.
Only those who had lived through it all remained trapped in that nightmare, passing their days in long and agonizing torment.
The crowd was silent.
Shen Yanchuan looked at Xiao Chengxuan, his gaze cold, and said, word by word:
"She said she watched with her own eyes—wide open—as those thirteen arrows pierced her brother’s flesh and bone, one by one."
Xiao Chengxuan’s heart sank!
It was as if an invisible, terrifying wave was crashing down, threatening to swallow him whole in an instant!
He finally realized something and opened his mouth, wanting to shout at Shen Yanchuan to stop him from saying another word.
For some reason, however, his throat felt as if it were caught in a vise, and he couldn’t utter a single syllable.
He hardly dared to meet Shen Yanchuan’s gaze any longer, and his hands began to tremble slightly.
Shen Yanchuan’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly.
"She said that if she ever saw arrows like those again, she would recognize them in an instant."
"As it happens."
"She has indeed seen them again."
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