Why My Domineering Prince Regretted Filing for Divorce?-Chapter 448 - 389: What If I Testify?_3

The crowd, seeing that his face was unfamiliar, furrowed their brows and after a long moment of recognition, gently shook their heads and said, "Who is this person?"

"What kind of evidence is he?"

Yu Wenye remained silent, merely glancing at him. Cheng Qiao immediately stepped forward and, bowing to the crowd, said, "Greetings, Lord Ji, and all esteemed gentlemen. I am Cheng Qiao, Deputy Commander of the Left Palace Army."

"The Left Palace Army!?"

Upon hearing these three words, some in the crowd immediately showed expressions of surprise, while Ji Hong’s eyes flickered as he remembered, saying, "The Left Palace Army, you’re from Jiangdu Palace—"

Cheng Qiao nodded, "Yes, I am a guard of Jiangdu Palace."

A soft sigh echoed through the crowd.

It had been several months since Chu Yang’s demise, and the only information they had was the message from Wang Shaoji at Jiangdu Palace. Now, with much difficulty, Shang Ruyi returned, but she presented a result completely contrary to what was previously known, leaving everyone perplexed.

Finally, there was a living person back from Jiangdu Palace!

Ji Hong, as if he had found a treasure, hurriedly asked, "Since you are a guard from Jiangdu Palace, were you present on the night of the late Emperor’s demise?"

Cheng Qiao said, "I was present, but I arrived late."

Ji Hong frowned, "What do you mean?"

Cheng Qiao said, "On the day of the Cold Food Festival, Your Majesty issued an edict in advance, opening the gates of the palace, but all patrol guards, including the Left and Right Palace Army, and also Wang Shaoji’s Imperial Guard, were forbidden from stepping a foot past the Bright Gate."

Zhou Ying immediately said, "Then what do you mean by saying you arrived late?"

Cheng Qiao replied, "When I was patrolling with the Left Palace Army, I found that the Imperial Guard was not in their usual patrol area, but cries of battle rang outside the Bright Hall. Yet prior to this, no alarms were sounded within the palace, suggesting the Imperial Guard entered without announcing themselves, defying the late Emperor’s decree."

"..."

"Worried for the late Emperor’s safety, I disregarded the ban and led the Left Palace Army through the Bright Gate."

Ji Hong asked, "And then, what did you see?"

Cheng Qiao raised his head and stated loudly, "I saw the Imperial Guard wielding swords and sabers, besieging the Bright Hall, and the late Emperor—had taken his own life!"

At his words, everyone present fell silent.

However, this was not a silence of acceptance, but rather the crowd’s eyes flickered with doubt, as they looked at each other cautiously, unwilling to easily believe rumors.

Watching them like this, Shang Ruyi coldly laughed in her heart.

Almost instantly, following her cold laugh, a questioning voice rang in her ears: "You claim you are the Deputy Commander of the Left Palace Army from Jiangdu?"

Cheng Qiao turned to look. The speaker was Li Jisheng, the Imperial College head. His body was thin, wrapped in a dusty yellow robe, resembling a scholar, but his voice was sharp and harsh, giving off an impression more like a shrewd merchant than a scholar.

Cheng Qiao replied calmly, "I am indeed."

Li Jisheng continued, "Then why are you not in Jiangdu Palace, but here in this place?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd sighed as if waking from a dream. Indeed, while they focused on his words, they forgot to question himself. Why was a Deputy Commander of the Left Palace Army from Jiangdu Palace here in Daxing City, and why had he appeared now at Dayan Temple?

Faced with this line of questioning, Cheng Qiao couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

He turned to Yu Wenye, who merely gave a slight nod without speaking further.

Cheng Qiao took a deep breath, saying, "Although I served as Deputy Commander of the Left Palace Army, on Cold Food Night, I led the Left Palace Army in a life-and-death struggle with the rebellious Imperial Guard, like fire and water; after Wang Shaoji killed the late Emperor, he took over all of Jiangdu. I had nowhere to stay, so I rescued Young Madam Yu Wen, and after months of traversing, she reached Daxing City."

Upon hearing these words, Meng Wei immediately let out a cold laugh beside him.

He said, "So, are you now with the Yu Wen Family?"

"..."

"Or were you always with the Yu Wen Family?"

Watching them gradually begin to attack Cheng Qiao, Shang Ruyi became somewhat anxious.

However, she found it difficult to speak up.

Because Cheng Qiao had indeed served in the Taiyuan Army and, after leaving Jiangdu Palace, he had indeed joined the Yu Wen Family, to deny this would only require a detailed investigation to clarify, leaving no room for argument.

But if he admitted—

While Shang Ruyi was feeling anxious, a cold, yet clear voice suddenly spoke up behind her.

"Yes, he is indeed with the Yu Wen Family."

"...!"

Upon hearing this voice, Shang Ruyi’s heart skipped a beat.

Even without turning around, she knew the speaker was no other than Yu Wenye, who had remained silent as she was being attacked, as if he was always uninvolved.

He actually chose this moment to speak.

But he admitted Cheng Qiao was with the Yu Wen Family, wasn’t this handing over the handle to their opponents?

Thinking of this, even if she wanted to avoid facing him, Shang Ruyi turned around, seeing even Yu Wenquan’s face showing a hint of seriousness as he looked at his second son. But Yu Wenye stepped forward, standing beside her, shoulder to shoulder.

Shang Ruyi slightly furrowed her brows and whispered, "You—"

But before she could finish, she felt a warm hand grasp her cold, almost despairing fingertips.

She immediately felt that warmth hit her heart, freezing her momentarily still.

The surrounding people also quieted down for a moment.

It seemed they couldn’t believe Yu Wenye would admit to the most disadvantageous fact for them, causing Zhou Ying and Li Jisheng to briefly exchange glances, finding it too smooth, making them hesitate to take a step further, instead asking a question meant to deliver a fatal blow.

At this moment, it was Ji Hong, who had remained silent since speaking, who deeply stated, "If this person is with the Yu Wen Family, then his words cannot be easily trusted."

Yu Wenye looked down at him.

Yu Wenquan also stepped forward, speaking seriously, "Mr. Ji—"

Ji Hong raised his hand, stopping his words, saying, "Duke Sheng, I know you hold sway in the court today. But this matter is not one you can answer. If the Yu Wen family’s people back each other up as witnesses, does that not reflect the partiality you just accused others of?"

Shang Ruyi asked, "Then, Lord Ji, how do you propose to proceed?"

Ji Hong looked at her but did not respond immediately, while Zhou Ying and Li Jisheng immediately said, "If no one else steps forward to testify today, it’s unlikely this matter will be convincingly resolved."

At their words, Shang Ruyi felt a pinch.

She hurriedly looked up at him, but Yu Wenye’s face remained expressionless, without the slightest emotional fluctuation, merely slowly lifting his gaze to look ahead.

Shang Ruyi followed his gaze.

There was the Great Hero Hall.

The doors and windows there remained tightly shut, resembling someone who had sealed off all their senses, indifferent to the chaos of the outside world, with a serene heart untouched by any upheaval.

Seeing him gaze there—

As a hint of doubt rose in Shang Ruyi’s heart, suddenly, the tightly closed door rang out with a sound.

The crowd had originally focused their attention on Shang Ruyi, and this sudden sound startled everyone to lift their heads, seeing the heavy doors slowly opening. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

A familiar, yet long absent figure emerged from within.

"What if I bear witness?"