She had not expected Duke Cheng to still be this self-righteous.
No, rather, she had not expected Duke Cheng to be this perceptive.
That’s right, the crux of the matter was that even if Ling Chuhan was guilty first, his crime absolutely did not deserve death.
But now the problem was that Ling Chuhan had died.
The moment he died, the matter changed from the Xiang family being in the right to being in the wrong.
Because before the questioning had even been completed and before any evidence had been found, they had chased Ling Chuhan, causing him to fall to his death.
In comparison, Ling Chuhan indeed had not caused excessively serious consequences.
Her chest ached somewhat, and she could not help thinking of Qi Yuan.
Yuan Jie’er had said earlier that she was going out for a while. Who knew where exactly she had gone?
Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives, just as she was thinking about Qi Yuan, she saw Qi Yuan walk around from the moon gate.
Her heart immediately jumped a few times, and she quickly stepped forward, wanting to pull Qi Yuan away first.
But Duke Cheng had already spotted Qi Yuan before her, and his expression instantly became even sharper.
It was this little girl before him. She looked harmless to humans and animals alike, but in reality she was vicious and ruthless.
Anyone who provoked her ended badly!
The reason he was being so aggressive toward the Xiang family was, first, because he truly blamed the Xiang family for mishandling the matter, and second, because he wanted to force the Xiang family to reveal who had first chased after Ling Chuhan.
He had already questioned the people from the hunting grounds earlier and learned that Qi Yuan had been the first one to chase after him.
Now, seeing Qi Yuan, he strode forward in large steps. He did not soften his heart just because Qi Yuan looked frail and delicate. Instead, in a voice like a great bell, he furiously shouted, “It was you, acting smart on your own, who killed my grandson!”
As he spoke, he raised his hand high.
Qi Yuan smiled faintly at him. “Duke Cheng, no one killed him. In full view of everyone, he used a dog whistle to make hunting dogs bite people. That is an indisputable fact. Besides, although my younger brother is fine, the Xiang family still lost two servants, and seven or eight others were injured. Aren’t those people’s lives lives too?”
She showed not the slightest fear. “We discovered something was wrong, and then he fled without a word. Was there anything wrong with us pursuing him? Duke, you really need not throw your weight around here, crying thief while catching thief.”
Madam Xiang instantly felt Qi Yuan was truly a heroine among women!
That’s right!
At first she really had been frightened senseless by Duke Cheng’s fury.
So much so that she had forgotten they were not the side in the wrong at all!
Master Xiang also let out a sigh of relief and said seriously, “Duke, if you wish to go to court, then let’s go to court. After the incident occurred, we also immediately reported it to the authorities. If you are dissatisfied and want to enter the palace to accuse us before His Majesty, then our Xiang family will accompany you to the end. There’s no need for you to forcibly pin accusations on us like this!”
D*mn it, only now did he react.
Who exactly ought to be angry here?!
Their family had been perfectly fine, merely wanting to entertain the new son-in-law and help him become familiar among the capital’s noble circles. Whom had they offended?
Of those two siblings from the Duke Cheng Residence, one had been secretly meeting an outside man in the rear courtyard, causing a fire.
The other had bribed servants to switch all the hunting dogs and even used a dog whistle to direct the dogs to attack people.
After the incident, he died, and now it still had to be blamed on the Xiang family, was that it?!
This was simply bullying people too far!
Duke Cheng laughed from extreme anger.
He grabbed Qi Yuan by the throat and said through gritted teeth, “You really do have a sharp tongue, but I don’t want to hear your sophistry right now! You killed my grandson, and I want your life in repayment!”
Right now he was in the midst of towering rage.
Under towering rage, it was perfectly normal for someone who had lost a grandson to lose rationality.
Just as Qi Yuan chasing Ling Chuhan and Ling Chuhan dying meant she was legally innocent, if, under towering rage, he could not control his emotions, would Emperor Yongchang really kill him, a meritorious official, over some insignificant female relative?!
Second Madam Qi screamed, her blood instantly rushing to her head.
Throwing herself forward recklessly, she shouted loudly, “Duke Cheng, how dare you! How dare you touch my niece!”
At this moment, she desperately wished Old Marquis Qi were here.
At least he could stop him.
Qi Yuan looked at Duke Cheng mockingly and smiled. “So the Duke is also this skilled at pretending madness and feigning stupidity?”
She clicked her tongue. “Unfortunately, it’s too late now.”
Too late for what?
Duke Cheng completely disdained it, only thinking Qi Yuan was pretending to remain calm.
But it was useless.
With only a slight exertion of force from him, everything would end.
It was true he had lost a grandson, but as long as he killed Qi Yuan, then revenge would be achieved.
And he could also curry favor with the Crown Prince.
He gritted his teeth and exerted force, but just then, the sound of something slicing through the air arrived. Immediately afterward, a feathered arrow tore through the sky straight toward Duke Cheng.
Duke Cheng’s gaze sharpened, and he instantly shoved Qi Yuan away before dodging to the side.
Everyone was badly startled and all turned to look ahead in unison.
Not far away, Xiao Yunting appeared atop the roof. Calm and composed, he lowered his bow and arrow, leapt lightly down from the roof, tugged at the corner of his mouth as he swept a glance across the crowd with their differing expressions, and said expressionlessly, “Quite lively here. Why is Duke Cheng trying to kill someone in public?”
Duke Cheng’s heart jolted, and he immediately knelt on the ground.
The others also reacted, kneeling down all at once.
Almost simultaneously, a young servant ran in crying, saying that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had arrived.
Master Xiang and Duke Cheng both immediately lifted their heads. Outside, Lai Chenglong directly arrived with his men.
All the Embroidered Uniform Guards wore flying-fish uniforms. The moment they appeared, their presence alone oppressed everyone. The people present immediately felt even breathing become difficult and silently lowered their heads further.
Only at this point did Second Madam Qi, still shaken, step forward to support Qi Yuan, trembling as she asked, “Yuan Jie’er, are you alright?”
Good heavens, fortunately His Highness had arrived in time.
Qi Yuan raised her brows. She too was very surprised that Xiao Yunting had come.
She looked at Lai Chenglong and gave a slight nod.
Lai Chenglong’s gaze fell on her neck. The section of neck she revealed was slender and graceful, and the ring of red strangulation marks upon it was especially obvious.
His gaze darkened somewhat, and he likewise gave Qi Yuan an almost imperceptible nod.
Only then did Xiao Yunting speak. “Everyone rise. What exactly happened here to stir up such a city-wide uproar?”
Then he asked Lai Chenglong, “And for what reason has Lord Lai come?”
Lai Chenglong respectfully cupped his hands toward Xiao Yunting. “Replying to Your Highness the Imperial Grandson, this subordinate and the others were ordered to invite Duke Cheng to the Suppression Division to assist in investigating a case.”
Investigate a case?
Duke Cheng raised his brows. “Lord Lai, if you are here to investigate my grandson’s falling off the cliff, then the true culprit is already right here.”
Lai Chenglong’s expression was cold. “Duke, you misunderstand. The case this official is investigating is the extermination of the Wen family.”
The extermination of the Wen family?!
Duke Cheng’s heart instantly jolted violently, and then he turned sharply to stare toward the rear courtyard.
Wen Mingfeng?!
He had never once entertained such thoughts. How could he possibly have gone to slaughter the entire Wen family?!
The Wen family had never intended to reveal Wen Mingfeng’s background. From beginning to end, they had only wanted to help the Crown Prince control him. How could they possibly have harbored such intentions?!
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