Chapter 198 False Accuser
Shen Yuexi sat upright, her eyes sweeping over the man kneeling on the ground in front of her.
The man had a shoulder injury, his hands were tied behind his back, and he lowered his head.
She had originally made an appointment with Xiao Zhuo to go out and relax today, but Xiao Zhuo received a report from the scouts at the last minute and did not go with them. She was bored, so she asked Li Wan to go out with her.
Unexpectedly, halfway through her journey, she was suddenly attacked by these people. They rushed forward with weapons in hand, not out for money, but out to kill her. Fortunately, Qiang Lin and the secret guards risked their lives to protect her, otherwise she would have been killed by these assassins.
The assassins failed in their attack and immediately fled in all directions. They only caught one injured person, who was the man in front of them.
She didn't know where these people came from, and whether they were assassins sent by Xiao Beiheng. She was fine, but she ended up scaring Li Wan to tears. When they returned to the mansion, she had to struggle to help Li Wan into the house.
"Tell me immediately who ordered you to do this." She stared at the leading assassin.
The man said nothing and kept his mouth shut tightly.
Qiang Lin said from the side, "Master, they ambushed us along the way, obviously knowing our travel plans. If we don't torture them rigorously, I'm afraid we won't be able to find the mastermind behind this."
Shen Yuexi nodded and said, "Isn't that what I'm asking?"
She turned to the assassin and said, "Are you going to tell me or not? If not, I'm going to get angry."
The assassin remained silent, completely ignoring her words.
Qiang Lin brought his fist to his lips, coughed, and said, "Master, you sound a little... gentle. This is not the right way to interrogate me. Please leave it to me. One of my secret guards specializes in torture."
Shen Yuexi thought about it and realized that she was not suitable for the job. It would be better to let professionals do it.
She nodded and said, "Don't hurt him, or he'll die without any evidence."
"Don't worry. If I hurt him, my master will hold me accountable," Qiang Lin said, waving to a nearby secret guard. "Drag him into the next room and make him confess."
The secret guard received the order and called two more people, dragged the assassin into the next room and closed the door.
Shen Yuexi listened intently as she heard screams that didn't sound human. Half an hour later, the secret guard opened the door and came out, turning around and ordering, "Alright, drag him out."
Two secret guards carried the assassin out without touching the ground. The assassin looked up and saw Shen Yuexi, and shouted repeatedly: "I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"
Seeing that there were no injuries on his face or body, and his hands and feet were intact, Shen Yuexi was quite puzzled as to how these secret guards could have done this. However, this was not a serious matter, so she asked the assassin, "Who sent you?"
"It was Captain Zhang Song. He sent people to assassinate you and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Shen Yuexi was shocked and asked, "But is it true?"
The assassin said repeatedly, "It's absolutely true. If you stop torturing me, I'm willing to confront Zhang Song face to face."
Shen Yuexi said to Qiang Lin, "First, take this assassin away and keep him under careful guard. Don't let him escape. Then send someone to find Zhang Song."
Qianglin followed his orders while she sat in the house, lost in thought.
Zhang Song was a captain of the Xiliang army. He had gone with Mei Pu to Langya Pass to rescue her and Xiao Zhuo. Now Zhang Song was actually trying to harm her and Xiao Zhuo. Could it be that the Xiliang people didn't want Xiao Zhuo to take the throne?
If that were the case, this matter could not be exposed. They were still under the protection of the Xiliang Army, and if they turned against them, they would be courting death.
While she was thinking, Qiang Lin hurried back and said to her, "Master, Zhang Song has disappeared."
Shen Yuexi was speechless. Zhang Song had run so fast. It seemed he knew his men had been captured and would betray him sooner or later.
At this time, Qiu Liming and Song Zhen, who learned that Shen Yuexi had been attacked, also arrived, and Shen Yuexi told them the situation.
She was worried that there were people like Zhang Song in the Xiliang army.
Song Zhen said, "Don't worry, Madam. Even if such a person exists, they wouldn't dare act rashly given the King of Xiliang's will. Zhang Song is a military commander who acts without consideration. Since he fled instead of seeking help, it means he has no backing and it's just his own idea. We must not make it public, lest it cause discord."
Qiu Liming agreed: "Madam, the military advisor is right. I was planning to send more people for protection."
Song Zhen said, "We are guests here. The Lord is commanding the Western Liang Army, so your arrangements are for the Western Liang Army. Prince Mei can recall these soldiers at any time. Don't trust them too much."
After comforting Shen Yuexi, the two left the mansion to arrange military affairs.
Shen Yuexi planned to go visit Li Wan. This trip scared Li Wan a lot, after all, she was the one who called her out.
As soon as I walked out of the room, I saw Xiao Zhuo and Mei Pu coming back together, accompanied by many servants carrying various gifts.
Shen Yuexi quickly lowered her head to straighten her dress, put on a smile on her face, and walked towards the two of them.
My husband rarely looks so happy. It seems this is a gift from Prince Mei. Prince Xiliang has given so much before, but I didn't expect Mei Pu to give them another one. He is so polite.
"My husband, Prince Mei." She walked forward and greeted the two of them with a smile.
Mei Pu was still wearing a mask and mourning clothes. He said hello to Shen Yuexi and then turned to walk towards the room where Madam Li Wan was.
The servants who were following him and carrying gifts also turned the corner with him.
Shen Yuexi was originally planning to say, "Let's put the gift in that room first." It turned out that the gift wasn't for her, but for Madam Li and Li Wan.
Fortunately, I didn't open my mouth, otherwise I wouldn't be able to put my face down.
When she looked back at Xiao Zhuo, she got angry.
This person was smiling, contrary to his usual behavior. She almost misunderstood Maep, and now he dared to smile.
"Husband, you look very happy." She rolled her eyes at Xiao Zhuo.
Xiao Zhuo didn't say much. He walked straight up to her, bent down, hugged her horizontally, and turned her around a few times.
Shen Yuexi felt that the entire courtyard in front of her was spinning.
"Stop, stop, stop!" She yelled, grabbing Xiao Zhuo's shirt at his chest. "If you turn again, I'll vomit on you!"
By the time she realized what was happening, she was already in the bedroom with Xiao Zhuo. When Xiao Zhuo put her down, she still felt dizzy.
Xiao Zhuo took out a scroll of documents from his bosom and said, "Here."
"What is this?" Shen Yuexi took it and opened it, and couldn't help but cry out in surprise, "It's the imperial edict of Emperor Yongde!"
The imperial edict stated that Emperor Yongde had mistakenly believed slanderous accusations, and that the same individuals who had planted witchcraft and other devices in the Eastern Palace to frame Xiao Zhuo were now known to be the same individuals who had falsely accused him. Emperor Yongde, filled with regret, wished to reinstate Xiao Zhuo as Crown Prince, but he could not do so without a clear reason. The Jingzhou army had plotted a rebellion, and the ringleader, Prince Jing, had been executed in the capital. Xiao Zhuo was now enthroned as Prince Zhao, commanding 50,000 troops to suppress the Jingzhou rebels. Once Jingzhou was pacified, he would be crowned Crown Prince again.
Only then did Shen Yuexi understand why Xiao Zhuo was so happy.
She placed the imperial edict on the table, stretched out her arms to hug Xiao Zhuo's neck, and said with a smile: "Husband, this is great! The emperor has vindicated you."
"Well," Xiao Zhuo also hugged her and said, "The injustice that was placed on me has been cleared up, and my mother can finally rest in peace."
"But I asked you to lead 50,000 soldiers. Where will you get those 50,000?"
"The 50,000 Yan troops led by border commander Zhao Mu in Xiaogang Village are heading here and will arrive soon." Xiao Zhuo said with a smile.
"Ah, what about Xiao Beiheng? No one is stopping him, will he follow us?"
Xiao Zhuo said, "It's okay. No one can defeat your husband. The only one who can defeat me is myself."
Shen Yuexi was about to say, "Why are you bragging?" But after thinking about it carefully, Xiao Zhuo really had the confidence to say that. He really had never lost a battle and was invincible.
"Does anyone else know about this?"
"You were the first person I thought of. I didn't even tell Maep."
Given Xiao Zhuo's steadiness and restraint, it was the first time that Shen Yuexi saw him so happy, and the first person he thought of was to share this happiness with her.
"By the way, the person who framed you... I just looked at it in a hurry." Shen Yuexi turned around and wanted to get the imperial edict.
Xiao Zhuo held her hand and said, "Don't look anymore. It's not Mei Dai, it's Concubine De."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com