“Miss Qiao was a woman of great righteousness from a young age. She fell into a fire pit while saving someone and has a burn on her left knee.”
"On the way here, His Majesty gave me a handwritten edict. In the edict, His Majesty specifically mentioned this matter, praising Miss Qiao for her innate sense of righteousness. He instructed me to tell the local officials that Miss Qiao has made a great contribution. Whether it is by providing flood control measures or by introducing formations, the local government should also do its part."
"There was also a written edict." Qiao Yuan said incredulously, "How come we had no idea about this?"
Yu Jianshan chuckled and said, "Well, this isn't for you to see. It just so happens that there was a problem with Miss Qiao's identity verification, so I took it out as proof."
He then took out a written edict, read it aloud, and it contained almost the same content as what he had just said.
Qiao Yuan and Qin Ren were heartbroken; it was all over, truly over.
Clinging to the last sliver of hope, Qin Ren glanced at the local officials as if grasping at a straw.
These local officials were people the two of them had met before; they seemed to admire the authority of the Qiao family in the capital and wanted to curry favor with them.
Moreover, the two of them had already hinted that the one who would receive the reward would be Qiao Lian'er from the east end of the village.
Wei Biejia stepped forward, his face solemn: "Impersonation is an unforgivable crime. Generals, sirs, we who are generals and officials should speak up for the people and act in accordance with justice. Now that things have come to this, the Qiao family in the east of the village's attempt to impersonate someone else is clearly presented before everyone. I think that Miss Qiao is still young and would not have taken the initiative to do these things. It is inevitable that the whole family is colluding. They should all be arrested."
Qin Ren glared, his eyes flashing with a threatening and warning emotion, but Wei Biejia remained unfazed.
Lu Sima also said, "The portrait and handwriting have been compared, and the physical characteristics match the Emperor's edict. This matter can be said to be certain. On the contrary, Miss Qiao from the east of the village has not yet come out, which shows that she is too ashamed to face him."
She's just a little girl; she probably wishes she could disappear into a hole in the ground right now.
Han, the military advisor, said, “We came to Datian Village together to support the justice of the generals and magistrates with our meager strength. We believe that the generals and magistrates will make a just judgment so as to set an example for us.”
The other two Yuezhou officials, along with Lord Zhang, stated their positions: Qiao Lian'er was the person the Emperor intended to reward, and Qiao Lian'er was an imposter. Of course, they did not succeed.
Qiao Yuan and Qin Ren then realized that they had been tricked; these local generals and officials were all on the Pei family's side.
They put on an air of righteous indignation, but in reality, they had already made up their minds; they were just playing along.
Both of them felt a metallic taste in their throats and almost vomited blood.
"Arrest this whole family," General Xu ordered.
Immediately, Imperial Guards stepped forward, seized Qiao Sanye and his family, and tied them up tightly with ropes.
"I'm innocent! Those array diagrams really were taken out by my daughter. It was Qiao Lian'er who was cunning and made preparations in advance to steal the credit. I beg you gentlemen to investigate!" Old Master Qiao cried out, his face pale.
"My daughter is naturally intelligent, a child prodigy. She is skilled in business and formations. She is outstanding and can do everything. She led our family to great success." Madam Qiao murmured, her mind unclear, but the daughter she was referring to seemed to be Qiao Lian'er.
It turns out that even she herself couldn't accept her daughter's mediocrity.
"Father, Mother, please stop talking."
A mournful voice rang out, and Qiao Lian'er, already dressed, slowly walked out of the courtyard.
"Now that things have come to this, let's just accept it. What isn't ours, why force it? I'm tired too."
"You useless piece of trash, you've dragged the whole family down with you!" Old Master Qiao cursed, spitting as he spoke. "I've wasted so much effort on you, ruining my future."
"Is that so?" Qiao Lian'er smiled sadly, her eyes empty, and she slowly raised her hand.
That's when everyone noticed that she was holding a dagger.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
