Chapter 426: Chapter 426: Bluff
Xiao Chengxuan’s face paled, his heart hammering so hard it felt as if it would leap from his chest.
It took all his effort to restrain his emotions and try to appear calm.
The others, however, could no longer suppress their gasps of shock.
"She saw them again!? What does the Princely Heir mean by that!?"
Even Xu Fengchi’s eyes widened.
’Ye Chutang had never mentioned this to him before!’
’Why did she only tell Shen Yanchuan of all people?’
Although he knew the two had met long ago—and that Shen Yanchuan had helped Ye Chutang several times since her return to the capital—Xu Fengchi was still startled to hear his words.
Others might not have known her, but he felt he understood Ye Chutang.
She seemed refined and gentle, always with a faint smile on her lips. She was polite to everyone, but in truth, she kept everyone at a distance.
Aside from Yan, A Feng, and Xiao Wu, she kept everyone else behind an invisible barrier.
Xu Fengchi was one of the few people she trusted, but that was only for Ye Zheng’s sake.
If Xu Fengchi hadn’t continued to work tirelessly on Ye Zheng’s behalf after his death, Ye Chutang would likely never have contacted him on her own initiative.
’And now, she’s told something so important to Shen Yanchuan.’
’Those two...’
Xu Fengchi couldn’t help but glance at Shen Yanchuan again.
It was Ye Chutang who had told him that Ye Heng was still alive.
Ever since he learned Ye Heng was in Shen Yanchuan’s custody, he had guessed the two had secretly joined forces.
’It seems now that to her, Shen Yanchuan is more than just a partner...’
The others present, however, weren’t thinking as deeply as Xu Fengchi.
They were more concerned with the fact that Shen Yanchuan’s words were clearly pointed at someone!
Shen Yanchuan’s gaze fell upon Xiao Chengxuan.
Everyone sensed it, and all eyes slowly turned to him.
The atmosphere grew taut, and it seemed as if even breathing had ceased.
Xiao Chengxuan grew inexplicably nervous.
The next moment, Shen Yanchuan spoke.
"During the assassination attempt on Wulan Mountain, the arrows used by those men in black were identical to the ones she saw back then."
Many were stunned for a moment before the realization dawned on them.
"Wulan Mountain!?"
"I remember now! The Princely Heir and Prince Qi were both there and were ambushed on the mountainside! That incident caused a huge stir at the time!"
"That’s right! I remember, too! That was when Second Miss Ye fell off a cliff to save the Princely Heir and was lucky just to survive!"
"Th-this... If the arrows used by the assassins were the same both times, it must mean they were acting on the same person’s orders! But no matter how you look at it, the two incidents seem completely unrelated, don’t they?"
"No, something feels off... Prince Qi was there during that assassination attempt, yet he wasn’t injured. If..."
The speaker suddenly fell silent, but everyone present was shrewd and calculating. How could they fail to grasp the unspoken meaning behind those words?
If the mastermind was Xiao Chengxuan, then everything would make perfect sense!
He first sent men to kill Ye Zheng, then sent others to lay an ambush on Wulan Mountain.
That was also how he managed to emerge unscathed from the chaos.
As for why he staged that incident on Wulan Mountain... it wasn’t hard to guess.
Shen Yanchuan is the Heir of Duke Dingbei. Behind him stands Shen Youyan and the military power he commands!
Having failed to win over Huo Yucheng in the past, Xiao Chengxuan had inevitably turned his sights on Shen Yanchuan.
Judging by Shen Yanchuan’s stance, their negotiations must have failed.
Which led to the various "accidents" that followed.
In an instant, the way everyone looked at Xiao Chengxuan changed.
Who among them wasn’t aware of this prince’s ambitions?
If he could harm Huo Yucheng back then, he could certainly harm Shen Yanchuan now!
He just hadn’t expected Ye Chutang to enter the picture and recognize the arrows used by those black-clad men!
Connecting these incidents, one by one, it wasn’t difficult to piece together the whole story!
Su Wei’s brow furrowed. "Princely Heir, are you saying that the assassination attempt on Wulan Mountain and the murder of Ye Zheng were all part of Prince Qi’s scheme?"
Shen Yanchuan paused for a moment.
"I never said that. It’s just that the perpetrators on both occasions used arrows with the same unique markings. It’s impossible not to be suspicious."
Although he hadn’t given a definitive answer, his words actually made the accusation all the more convincing.
Xiao Chengxuan completely panicked.
"You’re lying!"
His eyes looked as if they would split with rage, veins bulging on his forehead. His face was flushed, his features twisted.
"The arrows weren’t the same at all!"
The entire hall fell into a dead silence, with only his fierce, hoarse roar echoing in the air.
Xiao Chengxuan suddenly realized what he’d done, and his heart plummeted.
The next moment, he saw Shen Yanchuan raise an eyebrow, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
"Oh?"
’It’s over!’
The realization finally hit Xiao Chengxuan, and he felt as if he’d been plunged into an icy abyss.
His lips began to tremble, and he instinctively shook his head in denial.
"N-no..."
Shen Yanchuan asked softly, as if genuinely curious:
"Your Highness Prince Qi seems so certain. Were the arrows used on those two occasions different?"
His quiet question struck everyone like a clap of thunder!
In the vast hall, no one spoke. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Yet an unseen, monstrous flood was already surging forward!
At this point, what was there left to argue?
The conviction with which Xiao Chengxuan had shouted those words said it all.
If he had nothing to do with it, how could he have known?
Shen Yanchuan smiled.
"However, Your Highness is correct. The arrows on those two occasions were, in fact, different."
The last trace of color drained from Xiao Chengxuan’s face, leaving it a ghastly white.
In that instant, he finally realized—Shen Yanchuan had been baiting him!
Everything that had just happened was a deliberate trap set by Shen Yanchuan!
And in his panic, he had fallen right into it!
"I... I didn’t... I didn’t do it!" Xiao Chengxuan looked frantically at Emperor Muwu. "Imperial Father! I am innocent! Those incidents truly had nothing to do with me!"
But what use were his pleas and denials now?
Emperor Muwu sat high on his throne, his face expressionless, but his aged eyes were exceptionally cold and severe.
Beneath that icy exterior was a towering rage!
"Good... good! Truly my fine son! I never knew you possessed such cunning and schemes!"
Emperor Muwu’s chest heaved, his voice and expression severe.
"I must have been blind to be deceived by you for so many years!"
All the officials knelt in unison.
"Your Majesty, please quell your anger!"
But this was hardly a matter that could be appeased with a few simple words.
For things to have reached this point was truly disgraceful!
Xiao Chengxuan knew he was finished, but how could he accept it?
’All those years of painstaking plotting, all to be destroyed in a single moment?’
’No!’
Xiao Chengxuan desperately scanned the room, his pleading gaze landing on a figure just ahead of him.
’The only one who can save me now is my grandfather!’
Jiang Zhao Yuan, of course, was not about to stand by and watch his own grandson be cast into the abyss.
He took a step forward and spoke in a heavy voice.
"Your Majesty, a prince who breaks the law is to be judged as a commoner. If Prince Qi is truly responsible for all this, then he must be dealt with impartially. I will not attempt to shield him. However, I have one matter I would like to verify with the Princely Heir."
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