Chapter 363: Kill
Ye Shixian’s mind went completely blank!
The last trace of color drained from her face. Her lips trembled, and she looked like a vengeful ghost.
Everyone else present was also stunned.
"I... I didn’t mishear, did I? Did he just say... that Ye Shixian... killed Mrs. Gao? That she killed her own mother?!"
The news was so explosive that many people thought they must have misunderstood.
But while one person could be mistaken, could so many have heard the same wrong thing?
"I heard it too! Perfectly clearly! That lord said Ye Shixian killed Mrs. Gao!"
After a moment of dead silence, the crowd erupted in an uproar!
Mrs. Gao’s death had been the talk of the town for days, and many had felt sorry for Ye Shixian. But who could have imagined such a shocking reversal in the end!
"How is that possible? Who in this world could be so heartless as to murder their own mother?!"
Amid the shock, many people’s first reaction was disbelief.
Ye Shixian looked so delicate and fragile. How could she do something like that?
Besides, ever since Ye Heng’s downfall, she and Mrs. Gao had been depending on each other to survive. No matter how you looked at it, she had no reason to do this!
In the instant that the crowd was still stunned, the guards had already rushed forward and surrounded Ye Shixian.
At this moment, Ye Shixian finally snapped back to her senses.
Seeing the guards about to make their move, she let out a sharp cry, "Who dares touch me!"
Hongtao was also stunned by this sudden turn of events. Zhang Qian’s words echoed in her ears, making her heart pound in terror.
In her desperation, she hurried forward. "My lord! You must have the wrong person! Mrs. Gao was Miss Ye’s biological mother. How could she have been the one to kill her?!"
Zhang Qian gave her a cold glance. "She’s the one who knows best whether she did it or not!"
Hongtao grew anxious. It wasn’t Ye Shixian she was worried about, but rather—if something happened to Ye Shixian, her master would surely be implicated!
And since she had been with Ye Shixian these past few days, there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t be thoroughly interrogated as well.
Ye Shixian’s heart was racing.
She forced herself to calm down. "Lord Zhang, you claim I killed my mother, but do you have any proof? Otherwise, to arrest someone without cause—where is the law in that?"
Zhang Qian looked at her, his eyes narrowing.
The Ye Shixian of today was like a completely different person from the last time he’d seen her.
The timid, pitiful girl had finally torn off her deceptive facade, revealing the viciousness in her bones.
He said coldly, "We don’t just have physical evidence; we have a witness!"
If he wasn’t certain, why would he come to arrest her with such fanfare at a time like this?
Ye Shixian’s heart sank as a wild guess suddenly surfaced in her mind.
Zhang Qian’s attitude was so firm, he must have found something. Could it be... Shaoyao?!
The thought had barely crossed her mind when she heard Zhang Qian’s cold declaration: "Your personal maid, Shaoyao, has personally reported you, stating that on that day, it was you who strangled Mrs. Gao to death!"
His voice was full and resonant, and everyone present heard him loud and clear.
Ye Shixian swayed, nearly losing her balance.
’It was her... It was really her!’
Never had Ye Shixian been so filled with regret. How could she not have realized that the little wench had snuck out and gone straight to the Shuntian Prefecture!
If only she had thought of it sooner, if only she had managed to stop Shaoyao in time, then this wouldn’t have—
Suddenly, Ye Shixian’s eyes flew wide open, and she whipped her head around to look at Ye Chutang!
’I’ve wasted too much time here. If Ye Chutang hadn’t delayed coming out, making me mistakenly think Shaoyao was hiding inside, how could I have been held up until now?!’
Meeting her stunned gaze, Ye Chutang’s eyes curved into a slight smile.
’Looks like they made it in time.’
Ye Shixian’s breath hitched. In that instant, her mind went blank, with only a single voice shrieking in her ears.
’She did it on purpose... Ye Chutang clearly did it on purpose!’
’She knew all along what Shaoyao was going to do! She deliberately put on this act to buy Shaoyao time and opportunity to run to the Shuntian Prefecture and report me!’
But Shaoyao hadn’t left the house these past few days, so she shouldn’t have had any opportunity to collude with Ye Chutang.
’Then... did Ye Chutang guess from the start that I was the one who did it?!’
Ye Shixian felt as if she’d been plunged into an icy cavern. Her limbs went cold, and her blood seemed to freeze in her veins.
No wonder Ye Chutang had remained as steady as a mountain while rumors swirled outside after the incident.
No wonder Ye Chutang had been willing to make such a vicious oath.
No wonder...
She knew all along!
At this moment, all the previous events were finally tied together by an invisible thread.
An unspeakable terror welled up from the depths of her heart. Ye Shixian had never felt like this before, as if her every thought was seen through with ease, all her filth and depravity exposed under the scorching sun, leaving her nowhere to hide.
With every step she took, a deeper trap was waiting for her!
Hongtao was about to lose her mind.
"My lord, although Shaoyao is the miss’s maid, you can’t believe everything she says! You might not be aware, but she’s been lazy and disobedient lately. The miss couldn’t bear to reprimand her too harshly and was planning to send her back to her hometown so they could part on good terms. Who knew she’d overhear and run away! My lord, please see the truth—that girl must be doing this for revenge!"
Zhang Qian glanced at her. "It seems you’ve only been at the Ye Family residence for a few days. How are you so clear on these matters? And how can we know how much of what you’re saying is true?"
"I—" Hongtao was speechless, unable to think of a response for a moment. She could only turn back anxiously. "Miss, how can you just swallow this insult after being slandered like this!?"
Zhang Qian let out a low, inscrutable chuckle.
"If it’s a false accusation, why have you remained silent for so long, without any clarification or response?"
Anyone could see that Ye Shixian’s reaction was highly suspicious.
Guilt was written all over her face!
"If you have truly been wronged, I will clear your name. But if not... you should understand the principle of a life for a life, shouldn’t you?"
A roaring filled Ye Shixian’s ears. She couldn’t catch her breath and fainted.
Zhang Qian waved his hand.
"Take her away!"
...
After the chaos and confusion, Liuwan Lane finally returned to a state of tranquility.
The onlookers gradually dispersed, leaving the street empty.
But it went without saying that the events of today would spread rapidly throughout the entire Capital City.
...
「Prince Qi Mansion.」
The dark cloud that had been hanging over everyone for more than a month finally dissipated. The entire mansion was joyful, as if it were the New Year.
To them, the Second Prince’s ban being lifted meant he had not completely lost His Majesty’s favor.
In the end, His Majesty still doted on the exceptionally talented son that Consort Ru had borne him.
Even Xiao Chengxuan himself had swept away the gloom of the past and was in high spirits.
He even had several extra cups of wine.
Swishing the empty wine jug, Xiao Chengxuan immediately called out, "Bring more—"
A slender, pale hand reached out from the side, gently covering the mouth of his cup.
"Drinking is bad for your health. You’ve had enough for today, brother. Shouldn’t you stop?"