TNIBFT -Chapter 335 A Crime That Doesn’t Deserve Death

This answer seemed both expected and yet beyond everyone’s anticipation.

All eyes turned to Qin Fengyi, filled with doubt and scrutiny, as if they wanted to see through her completely.

Nanfeng drew his sword, face full of fury: “Do you want me to kill you right now?!”

“Nanfeng!”

Qin Fengyi’s cold voice stopped him. Nanfeng’s face turned ashen. He sheathed his sword and stood silently behind her.

Li Shan knelt on the ground, shoulders hunched.

He kept his head down, hiding his expression, occasionally glancing up to read the crowd’s reactions, looking for a moment to exchange subtle eye contact with Miao Changqing.

The hall fell into a dead silence.

Everyone’s gaze toward Qin Fengyi had changed. Zhu Heyu and the others quietly waited for Ye Tian to speak.

“This…” Miao Changqing feigned embarrassment and looked at Ye Tian: “City Lord, there must be some misunderstanding here!”

“Miss Qin has been by the City Lord’s side for over three months. If she were truly the mother of these children, why didn’t she come sooner?”

“Why only appear now, after the Young Master became City Lord?”

Qin Fengyi’s eyes were calm. Miao Changqing clasped his hands and asked: “Miss Qin, can you explain this?”

Qin Fengyi remained expressionless: “I was seriously injured and unconscious for many years. I only recently awakened.”

“Hahaha… really?” Miao Changqing sneered. “What a stroke of luck! I’ve never heard of anyone who was seriously injured, unconscious for years, and just happened to wake up at this exact moment. Isn’t that a bit too convenient?”

“And what you said—do you have any proof?”

“No!”

Qin Fengyi spoke firmly.

Miao Changqing’s face lit up with a triumphant smirk. He turned to Ye Tian with a bow: “Young Master, all these years I’ve dreamed of clearing the General’s name. Any offense toward Miss Qin, I hope you will forgive.”

Zhu Heyu also stepped forward with a bow: “Miss Qin’s actions must be clarified. Even if it’s not for the sake of the General, for the safety of the Young Master, the truth must be known!”

“Yes!”

Ye Tian’s personal guards all nodded in agreement.

Seeing Qin Fengyi surrounded and under attack, everyone’s eyes were filled with hostility. Zhu Zhongyi, standing in the back, thought for a moment and grit his teeth, stepping forward: “Young Master, I have something to report!”

“Zhongyi, what are you interfering for?”

Zhu Heyu was surprised and stepped forward to pull his son back. But Zhu Zhongyi, like a pillar of iron, stood unmoving, eyes resolute as he said to Ye Tian: “Young Master, last night, Miao Changqing sent someone to assassinate Miss Qin. I followed the assailant and killed him on Zhuque Street, and found a large number of forged letters on him.”

“Miao Changqing’s intentions are impure. I don’t know why he acted this way, but Miss Qin must have been wronged!”

Zhu Zhongyi’s gaze turned icy as he stared at Miao Changqing.

“What?”

“Miao Changqing…”

Everyone was shocked and turned their eyes to him.

Miao Changqing remained calm and composed. He looked at Zhu Zhongyi: “You say I sent someone to assassinate Miss Qin. Where’s the proof?”

“Though you are young, this concerns a human life. Are you relying solely on your empty words?”

“And these forged letters you claim? Where are they—are they in Miss Qin’s hands? How convenient—midnight assassination attempt, your subordinate is killed and the letters end up in Miss Qin’s possession? Zhu Zhongyi, I suspect someone misled you. You are young and gullible!”

Miao Changqing’s smile was half teasing, half mocking.

Zhu Zhongyi’s face turned red with fury, eyes blazing: “You lie!”

“Every word I said is true!”

Zhu Heyu stepped forward, trying to pull his son back. The two seemed about to come to blows, but Ye Tian raised his head to stop them: “Enough. Anyone else wants to speak?”

“No one else?”

Qin Fengyi remained silent.

Miao Changqing’s lips curled into a smug smile as he continued: “If this is mere coincidence, then is it also a coincidence that Miss Qin commands Dazhou’s elite troops?”

“What?”

“Elite troops?”

Everyone’s faces were stunned. Qin Fengyi’s eyes stared at the door, lost in thought.

Nanfeng looked worried, glancing nervously at her.

Miao Changqing pressed on: “Most of the generals in the Daliang army are familiar to me. I was told that one night, Xiao Tianchen led the Daliang army, and Miss Qin commanded Dazhou’s elite forces to engage them. Is this true?”

Everyone’s faces turned pale. Could it be that Miss Qin had been secretly with the Young Master all along?

Qin Fengyi nodded: “Yes.”

Miao Changqing smiled proudly and turned to Ye Tian with a bow: “Young Master, I’ve only been here two days, and already there are signs. As for why Miss Qin has been secretly moving troops and taking action multiple times, the Young Master should investigate thoroughly!”

Ye Tian turned his gaze to Qin Fengyi.

He recalled that day—when the Daliang army supposedly reached the city walls, the next day, Xiao Tianchen inexplicably retreated fifty li.

It was her. She had been aiding him in secret.

And the Four Directions City, borrowing medicinal herbs, and the recent crisis at Heng City.

Gratitude filled Ye Tian’s heart. Seeing Qin Fengyi look at him, he smiled gently, a soft warmth in his eyes.

“Young Master!”

Seeing Ye Tian show no sign of anger, Miao Changqing grew anxious and loudly scolded her. Ye Tian stood, and Miao Changqing continued: “This woman first killed the old general, stole the marching plans, bringing ruin to your family. Now she hides beside you, constantly causing trouble. Young Master, you must think carefully!”

Zhu Heyu and the others turned pale.

Zhu Zhongyi was defiant.

Ye Tian sneered: “Everything was normal before you came. After you arrived, my wife suddenly became a traitor. Tell me, who’s really the problem?”

Miao Changqing frowned, still unable to comprehend.

Ye Tian raised his head to Nanfeng: “What are you waiting for?”

“Didn’t you hear someone slandering my wife? Should I not kill him and let him continue?”

“Ah?”

Nanfeng hesitated, then quickly glanced at Qin Fengyi and said with a smile: “As you command!”

“What are you going to do?”

“Young Master, you’re confused. I serve the old general. You can’t kill me…” Miao Changqing’s face turned pale. He still didn’t understand why Ye Tian was acting unconventionally.

Evidence is clear—why would he kill me?

“This…”

Before Miao Changqing could finish, Nanfeng’s sword sliced across his throat. Blood spurted.

Miao Changqing’s eyes widened in horror, face twisted in pain, hands clutching the wound, lips trembling.

Zhu Heyu and the others turned pale: “Young Master?”

“This… Young Master, Miao Changqing doesn’t deserve death…”

“Thud!”

Before anyone could finish, Miao Changqing collapsed with a muffled thud, dead on the spot.

Li Shan, kneeling on the ground, trembled in fear, prostrating himself and pleading: “Spare me! I know nothing! I was forced! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!”

Everyone exchanged glances, unsure what to do.

Ye Tian pressed his foot on Li Shan’s head, voice cold: “This is the fate of Miao Changqing. Now, tell me properly—who sent you, and what was your purpose?”

“Why did you frame my wife?”

Li Shan collapsed to the ground, weeping uncontrollably. “It… it was Miao Changqing…”

“It was Miao Changqing. He came to me. He made me say these things…”

Li Shan’s face pressed against the floor, full of terror.

Zhu Heyu and the others couldn’t believe it.

“This…”

“What on earth is going on?”

“Why would Miao Changqing do this? If he wasn’t sincerely surrendering to the Young Master, why hand over all his troops to him? And why show up just when we were about to clash with Daliang?”

Everyone looked at Ye Tian in confusion.

Ye Tian shifted his foot, freeing Li Shan’s face from under it, and turned to Nanfeng: “If he doesn’t want to explain himself, send him on his way.”

“Yes!”

Nanfeng saluted. The cold gleam on his long sword still dripped with blood.

Li Shan felt a burning heat in his lower body and went limp, crying and begging for mercy: “I’ll talk, I’ll talk! I’ll tell everything! Don’t kill me… don’t kill me!”

Nanfeng glanced at Ye Tian and didn’t advance.

Li Shan trembled as he spoke: “It was Princess Leyang! Miao Changqing was actually working for her!”

“He was able to come to Sifang City because Princess Leyang promised him benefits!”

“What?”

“How could it be like this?” Ye Tian’s personal guards stared at Miao Changqing’s body in disbelief. Could their loyal, long-time comrade really have been a spy sent by Princess Leyang?

Seeing that no one believed him, Li Shan turned to Ye Tian: “If you don’t believe me, you can capture Miao Changqing’s followers—they know everything!” Li Shan tried desperately to prove his words were true.

“He stayed in Sifang City only because of Princess Leyang’s plan. On the way to Heng City yesterday, he should have followed the plan, which was to deal with you, the City Lord. But things unexpectedly changed. To gain trust, Miao Changqing had no choice but to hand over his troops. As long as his followers still obey him, even the City Lord couldn’t mobilize them!”

Li Shan’s words were shocking.

Ye Tian and Qin Fengyi exchanged a glance—they had suspected something, but didn’t expect it to be true.

Zhu Heyu’s face turned pale. After hearing all this, he didn’t know how to face Ye Tian.

By a hair’s breadth, due to his negligence, Ye Tian could have been killed.

Zhu Heyu felt utterly guilty.

Zhu Zhongyi looked at his father’s profile, at a loss for words…

To his father, comradeship meant loyalty to everything, but people are not the same; his father had always been self-deluding.

“Take him away.”

Ye Tian didn’t want to hear any more useless information and gave the order.

Old Yang immediately dragged away Miao Changqing’s body, and Nanfeng took Li Shan out. Within moments, the blood in the hall was cleaned by a few staff.

Everything returned to normal.

Zhu Heyu and the others looked grim, seeming to want to say something to Ye Tian. Qin Fengyi stood and said, “I have matters to attend to. I’ll return to my room first.”

“All right.”

Ye Tian watched Qin Fengyi leave.

Once her figure disappeared out the back door, Zhu Heyu knelt before Ye Tian: “It was my misjudgment. I nearly brought harm to the Young Master!”

“If the old general were still alive, he would surely be extremely disappointed in me… I…”

His voice choked with guilt.

Fang Shenghu also said, “And I, for trusting the wrong people, nearly endangered everyone!”

His honest face was full of shame.

Liao Fanjun and the others knelt in front of Ye Tian to plead for forgiveness.

“The past is past. The priority now is to deal with Miao Changqing’s followers. If they escape, they will cause trouble later,” Ye Tian said.

Zhu Heyu immediately volunteered to make amends.

“And as for Miss Qin, we shouldn’t have doubted her,” Zhu Heyu continued, looking ashamed at Ye Tian. “Also, Miao Changqing said Miss Qin has elite troops from Dazhou under her command. What exactly is her identity?”

“She’s been in Sifang City all this time. Moreover, she has no family. Do they know that she married you?”

Upon hearing this, everyone went silent.

When Qin Fengyi’s identity was mentioned, Zhu Zhongyi looked up, serious, at Ye Tian.

Ye Tian gazed out onto the street, shaking his head: “She never mentioned it, and I never asked. But I can guarantee with my life that she would never harm me or my child.”

“Perhaps… she has her own hardships she cannot speak of.”

“From the last time Xiao Tianchen retreated, to capturing Heng City, even Lin Xianzhong’s siege—everything she’s done was her own doing. No matter her identity, she is, and always will be, my child’s mother.”

Ye Tian’s voice was resolute.

Zhu Heyu, Fang Shenghu, and the others exchanged glances.

Fang Shenghu said, “Miss Qin came to Sifang City under the guise of Meng Yuquan. I speculate she’s probably the daughter of Dazhou’s Left Chancellor, because Meng Yuquan was associated with him.”

Everyone nodded.

If Miss Qin really was the Left Chancellor’s daughter, Ye Tian had aligned himself with someone very powerful.

Liao Fanjun frowned: “It’s hard to say. Qin is the Dazhou state surname. She might be the daughter of a powerful family, or perhaps the descendant of a disgraced minister, hiding elite troops in Sifang City along with her father’s and brother’s men.”

This guess seemed even more fitting.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Ye Tian looked at them: “Go about your business. My family matters no longer need to be discussed.”

“Yes!”

They saluted and gradually left.

Elsewhere, on the desolate snowfield.

The wind was bitter, snow swirling, the world a vast expanse of white, dotted with dozens of tents under the faint starlight.

“Ha…”

A woman rubbed her hands, red from the cold, and lifted the tent flap to enter. Inside, the charcoal fire burned brightly. Shen Jie sat at a desk reading, fully absorbed, his handsome profile almost radiant, impossible to look away from.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Shen Jie set the book aside. Seeing who it was, he smiled brightly: “Yingxue, you’re here?”

He stood and walked to Zhu Yingxue, holding her hands gently and blowing warm breath on them, carefully helping her rub them.

Seeing his nervousness, Zhu Yingxue smiled: “It’s all right. Though this place is poor, lacking Dazhou’s luxuries, as long as I’m with you, even foraging for wild vegetables, I don’t mind.”

“Foraging for wild vegetables?”

Shen Jie chuckled, pinching her cheek affectionately: “You’re a noble lady. You probably don’t even know what wild vegetables are.”

“Besides, how could I let my woman suffer?”

“Annoying!” Zhu Yingxue blushed, shyly turning away, unable to look at Shen Jie.

She was the daughter of Dazhou’s Left Chancellor. Before birth, she had been promised to Meng Yuquan. Even as the only daughter of the Chancellor, her father refused to compromise his promises for her happiness.

She and Meng Yuquan lived a nominal life together. She tolerated his womanizing until he came to Sifang City. She escaped from home and, by chance, met Shen Jie.

Shen Jie knew her entire past.

Unlike ordinary men, he cherished and protected her. Shen Jie understood all her inner grief. Only after hearing of Meng Yuquan’s death did she dare return to Dazhou with Shen Jie.