Chapter 84 This method of framing someone is too clumsy; no one will believe it.

That night.

Deep in Mao'er Hutong in the north of the city, there is an abandoned stage, situated on high ground, suitable for an ambush.

Anmang had arranged archers and crossbowmen around the stage beforehand.

The night breeze was blowing.

But there has been no movement for a long time.

An ominous figure hid in a sycamore tree in the alley, holding his breath and staring intently at the ground below, not missing a single sound.

strangeness.

They've long passed the agreed time, so why haven't they shown up yet?

Could it be that the news has been leaked?

That shouldn't be the case.

As Dark Night was questioning himself, wondering if he should send his men away first, he suddenly noticed a flash of cold light at the entrance of the alley.

It was the light emitted from the blade.

Someone is coming.

The footsteps were very light; it was difficult to detect them without using internal energy.

Looking down with a dark gaze, he indeed saw a familiar figure.

He was a close confidant of Dillon.

His name is Old Scar.

Because he had a scar on his face that ran through his brow bone.

Didn't Dillon come in person?

Dark Light was once again caught in a dilemma. Even if they caught him, they probably wouldn't be able to convict Dillon.

How cunning.

Anmang waited patiently for a while longer. After the old scarred man arrived, he wandered around the abandoned stage, but he was alone and the Northern Yan spy did not appear.

Clearly, they were quite cautious.

However.

The righteous path is one foot high, but the evil path is ten feet high.

Old Scar checked the area thoroughly, thinking he was safe, but little did he know that the Shadow Guards of Prince Xiao's Mansion were all masters of concealment, making them difficult to spot even during the day, let alone at night.

He only sent a signal after confirming that there were no problems, summoning Dillon and the people from Northern Yan to come over.

Shortly after the signal was given, a sound came from the entrance of the alley again.

This time, the commotion was obviously much bigger.

“I’m telling you, aren’t you all being too tense? Nothing’s happened for so many years, who would have noticed us? The downfall of the Shen family has turned you all into startled birds.”

"Better safe than sorry."

"Fine, our lord doesn't agree with what was discussed in the last letter. We've been cooperating like this for so many years. Now, you've suddenly changed your mind. How is our lord supposed to conduct himself in court?"

"It's not that we suddenly changed our minds, but that we were forced by circumstances. If we continue as before, we will be discovered sooner or later. At that time, it won't be a reduction, but a cessation of cooperation."

“A reduction of sixty percent is too much. Our lord needs a large number of weapons to deal with the barbarians. This battle is key to his power grab. In any case, as long as you provide strong support this time, our lord will surely do his best when needed in the future.”

As the hushed conversation was heard, two people slowly walked to the side of the stage.

One of them was Dillon.

The other one was wearing a black cloak, completely concealing his entire body.

The voice was also very low, sounding rough and hoarse.

The two seemed to have reached a stalemate at this point in their conversation.

Dillon was in a dilemma because they were in a situation where they really couldn't get that many raw materials.

If there's a risk of exposure, then this deal has to end here.

"In that case, there's nothing to discuss."

"What's the meaning?"

Dillon had barely uttered a sentence when the man suddenly sneered, "You want to break the alliance?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a muffled thud came from deep within the alley, as if someone had knocked over an earthenware pot.

Dillon instantly drew his sword: "Who?!"

The man in black reacted even faster, leaping backward as the hem of his cloak swept across the broken bricks of the stage, creating a gust of wind.

Old Scar had already rushed towards the source of the sound, but only saw a stray cat dart out from behind the broken wall and disappear into the night.

"Making a fuss over nothing."

Old Scar spat and was about to turn around when he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck.

The dark, gleaming dagger was already pressed against his artery.

"Don't move."

A cold voice came from behind, and then more than thirty shadow guards appeared simultaneously from the stage beams and haystacks, their crossbows aimed at the center of the stage.

Dillon's knife was only halfway up in the air when three arrows pinned it to his wrist, and it fell to the ground with a clatter.

He looked at the dark figures that had suddenly appeared around him, his expression shifting from astonishment to anger: "You...you are from the Xiao Prince's Mansion?"

"You have a good eye."

Anmang chuckled lightly: "Since you know we are from the Xiao Prince's Mansion, then behave yourselves and surrender."

He raised his hand and whistled, and the sound of horses' hooves came from the alley entrance.

Upon seeing the person who had arrived, Dillon immediately collapsed to the ground.

He ignored His Highness's words and insisted on meeting this Northern Yan man tonight.

It was because the Northern Yan was pressuring him too much that he just wanted to resolve the situation quickly, but he didn't expect that he had already been targeted.

Dillon regretted it too late.

The next day.

News then spread that Di Long, the Grand General of the Golden Guard, was a spy for the Northern Yan.

The Jiaqing Emperor was furious.

An imperial edict was immediately issued to imprison Ti Lung in the imperial prison for rigorous interrogation.

In the imperial court, the officials were in an uproar. No one expected that this military general, who had been deeply favored by the emperor, would collude with foreign enemies.

Qin Ye stood solemnly in the hall: "Father, I have ordered a thorough investigation of Di Long's residence. Dozens of secret letters exchanged with Northern Yan have been found. Di Long only confessed to making private deals with the Seventh Prince of Northern Yan, but..."

He paused slightly before continuing, "Your Majesty, I suspect that the one truly colluding with the Seventh Prince is the person behind Di Long."

"You're talking nonsense!"

The first person to get angry after Qin Ye said this was Prince Qin Su of Jin.

Who in the entire court didn't know that Dillon had been supporting Prince Jin?

At this moment, Qin Ye publicly stated that the real traitor was the person behind Di Long. How could Qin Su not be anxious?

"Qin Ye, don't make baseless accusations. Dillon did say he would support me, but I truly knew nothing about what he did. I..."

Before Qin Su could finish speaking, the hall erupted in an uproar.

Several senior officials shook their heads, clearly speechless at Qin Su's self-admission-like explanation.

Who would publicly say that court officials were secretly supporting them?

Isn't this forming cliques for personal gain?

"Eldest brother."

Qin Ye remained calm: "I did not name anyone, why are you in such a hurry to assume it refers to me?"

Qin Su then realized his slip of the tongue, and his face immediately turned bright red: "I only..."

That's enough.

Emperor Jiaqing slammed his hand on the dragon-shaped table, making the teacups clatter.

His sharp gaze swept over everyone in the hall, finally landing on Qin Ye: "Prince Xiao, this matter is entrusted to you to continue the thorough investigation."

Emperor Jiaqing paused meaningfully: "We must get to the bottom of this, but we must also be careful to exercise restraint."

Qin Ye's eyes flickered slightly, and he bowed to accept the order: "Your subject understands."

After the court session ended, several ministers who were on good terms with Qin Su immediately surrounded him, offering their suggestions all at once.

Qin Ye watched coldly and noticed that Prince Qin Huai was standing alone by the corridor pillar, coughing lightly with a handkerchief over his mouth.

"Second Imperial Brother."

Qin Ye stepped forward: "Your injuries have not yet healed; you should not have come to court."

Qin Huai raised his pale face and gave a weak smile: "This concerns the foundation of the nation. I know my abilities are limited, but I can't help but worry, so I thought I'd come and see."

After saying that, he sighed and said, "I never expected that General Di would do such a treasonous thing. But fourth brother, what you did today was really risky."

Qin Ye raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"

“After all, my elder brother is the eldest son of the emperor and has been favored by our father for many years.”

Qin Huai glanced meaningfully at Qin Su, who was surrounded by admirers in the distance, and whispered, "Father's words about being mindful of one's limits, Fourth Brother, should be carefully considered."

"Thank you for the reminder, Second Brother."

Qin Ye gave him a deep look, then said nothing more and turned to leave.

He returned to the Ministry of War, where half the files were piled up.

Qin Ye's fingers were twirling a sealed letter with wax seal, the edges of which had turned a worn yellow.

The letter was written in illegible handwriting, and the entire letter contained the quantity and date of the raw material delivery. The signature was just a crooked "Di" character, with no other trace.

Mu Ze stood to the side and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, all the letters and account books have been checked, and it is indeed only Di Long who is involved."

"When the Northern Yan spy bit off his poisoned fangs and committed suicide, he had no other tokens on him except for half a Northern Yan jade pendant."

Qin Ye put the secret letter back into the dossier and tapped the words "Seventh Prince of Northern Yan" with his fingertip.

Having run his business for so many years, why would Ti Lung leave all the traces in the open?

Unfortunately, the man in black died cleanly, and even the coroner who performed the autopsy only found that the source of the poison was a porcelain shard hidden under his tongue, with no other clues.

Just as he was pondering, hurried footsteps came from outside the door. Mu Lan lifted the curtain and entered: "Your Highness, the Dali Temple has sent a report that Di Long... has died suddenly."

Qin Ye abruptly stood up, his black court robe sweeping across the table, knocking down a roll of account books: "When did this happen?"

"Half an hour ago, the jailer said that someone brought in wine and food at noon, saying it was... His Highness Prince Jin's idea."

Mu Lan spoke very quickly: "By the time the jailer realized something was wrong, Dillon was already dead, with wine stains still on his lips."

"Let's go take a look."

The prison cells at Dali Temple were cold and damp; Ti Lung lay prone on a wooden table.

His right hand was tightly gripping half a wine glass, yet his face showed no pain, but rather an eerie calm.

Qin Ye bent down to examine him closely, his fingers brushing against the wine stains on the corner of his lips, leaving a slightly bitter almond scent on his fingertips.

"It's a trigger mechanism."

The accompanying coroner whispered, "A deadly poison, it takes effect immediately upon ingestion, but it doesn't kill instantly; instead, it slowly paralyzes the internal organs... But judging from General Di's appearance, it seems..."

"It was as if he drank it willingly."

Qin Ye took over the conversation, his gaze sweeping over what the man was holding in his hand.

It is a small wooden horse carved with a knife.

He turned to the jailer and asked, "Who was the person who brought the wine and food?"

The jailer trembled: "It was...it was Eunuch Wang, who served Prince Jin. He said...that His Highness, remembering past favors, wanted to send General Di some wine and food. This is one of Prince Jin's men, and I couldn't stop him, but I never expected..."

Qin Ye sneered.

Even if Qin Su were stupid, he wouldn't send poisoned wine at this time. It's clear that someone is using the name of the Prince of Jin to deliberately muddy the waters.

After all, such a framing tactic is too clumsy, and no one will believe it.

But how could Ti Lung be willing to die?

"Investigate Dillon's mistress."

Qin Ye turned and walked out.

Dillon didn't care about his wife; the only people who could threaten him were Liu and her two children.

Perhaps, the Liu family knows something.

However, when Qin Ye and his men arrived at Wutong Lane, the courtyard was already deserted.

The tea on the table was still warm, and the small quilt on the kang (heated brick bed) was neatly folded, indicating that they had left in a great hurry.

Moreover, the fact that he didn't bring anything with him is enough to show that he was forcibly taken away.

"The neighbors said that half an hour ago, a blue cloth carriage came and picked up the people."

"They were quick enough."

"Your Highness."

As soon as Qin Ye finished speaking, a guard came in to report: "The Princess Consort sent Miss Awu to deliver a message, saying that there is an urgent matter and she wants you to return to the manor immediately."