Chapter 259: False Accusations - Rebirth of the Noble Daughter

 Chapter 259: False Accusations

A plan quickly formed in his mind. He said to the spy from the Prince Ding’s mansion, “Are the brothers from the Shadow Guard available?”

“We have six people who can be mobilized at the moment.”

“That’s enough. Tonight, find a way to capture a few of Shan Yan’s trusted guards. If he wants to harm General Xiao, then let him experience what it’s like to be framed!”

“Yes, sir!”

Under the dark sky with a strong wind and the coolness of spring, the Ninth Prince was sleeping soundly when he suddenly heard someone outside urgently reporting.

“Your Highness, something terrible has happened!”

“Who is disturbing me in such a panic?”

He woke up, still groggy and quite irritated. Before he could reprimand the intruder, the guard outside anxiously said, “Your Highness, the wooden bridge has been blown up again. General Su has captured the person who did it and is waiting for you to come and interrogate him.”

“What!”

The destruction of the wooden bridge was even worse than that of a stone bridge. With only a few days left until he could cross the river to claim his credit, the delay seemed endless. His eyes blazed with fury, and even Long Guang beside him couldn’t hold him back. Gritting his teeth, he instructed the guard, “Tell General Su that I will come immediately. I want to see who is trying to thwart me!”

With that, he got up and quickly dressed.

Long Guang, attending to him, dared not slack off, keeping his movements light, fear of provoking the Ninth Prince and bringing trouble upon himself.

Soon after, when the Ninth Prince arrived in the main hall, he saw General Su and his men covered in black soot, staring intently at a severely injured black-clad man on the ground. Nearby, a few lifeless bodies lay in disarray.

The Ninth Prince was shocked by the grim scene and asked General Su, “General Su, what is the meaning of this?”

General Su feigned a heartbroken expression and began to shift the blame. Pointing angrily at the injured man, he said, “Your Highness, I have been tasked with constructing the wooden bridge over the Lan River for many days. Just when we were about to finish, these people took advantage of the situation and blew up the nearly completed bridge, causing significant damage and injuring several workers! If we had not discovered it in time, the remaining materials for the bridge might have been destroyed as well! These are despicable people! I suspect they are colluding with the Northern Di barbarians who previously destroyed the stone bridge. Their purpose is to prevent us from crossing!”

As he spoke, he pretended to be deeply pained, glaring at the injured man with intense hatred.

The Ninth Prince coldly snorted, his eyes locked on the man on the ground. He tried to speak but found himself unable to.

Long Guang, observing, found the man’s face somewhat familiar.

After a closer look, he suddenly realized and exclaimed to the Ninth Prince, “Your Highness, he is a guard from the governor’s side. I’ve seen him before!”

“Really?”

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This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com

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The Ninth Prince was somewhat incredulous, but General Su was internally pleased, as this saved him the trouble of feigning an investigation.

The fact that this information came from someone close to the Ninth Prince was more convincing than if it had come directly from him.

“Are you from Shan Yan?”

Suppressing his anger, the Ninth Prince demanded of the injured man.

Before the man could respond, a steel nail flew through the air and struck him in the chest.

Had it not been for the obstruction, the Ninth Prince himself might have been in danger.

“Be careful, Your Highness!”

Long Guang, unafraid, stepped in front of the Ninth Prince, prepared to protect him at all costs. This display of loyalty surprised the Ninth Prince, and his gaze towards Long Guang was filled with newfound appreciation.

General Su, quick on his feet, immediately checked the injured man. The man, filled with malevolence, glared at General Su, but blood flowed profusely from the wound in his chest, and he soon ceased to struggle.

“Who dares to kill and silence them? Go outside and find out who is behind this!”

At first, the Ninth Prince had some doubts about General Su, thinking that the additional death and injury might be a deliberate attempt to prevent any useful interrogation. However, with this chain of events, his suspicions were somewhat alleviated.

“Where is Shan Yan?”

“I will send people to capture him immediately!”

“Make sure he is alive! I want to know how much the Northern Di offered him to act this way! He’s even willing to repeatedly blow up bridges to prevent me from going to rescue General Xiao!”

The Ninth Prince was not foolish and promptly shifted the blame onto Shan Yan.

Otherwise, if Emperor Qi investigated, it might implicate him as well!

When General Su and his men stormed into Shan Yan’s residence, they found it empty with signs of a hasty escape. The place was in disarray, clearly indicating a panicked flight.

When reporting this to the Ninth Prince, his anger truly showed!

“Alright, the governor of the Northwest, a high-ranking official, is actually colluding with the Northern Di. Arrest all his family members and imprison them. Also, send a message to the Emperor, issuing a warrant for Shan Yan’s arrest. He must be captured!”

“Yes, Your Highness is wise!”

In no time, Gansu’s night became as bustling as daylight, with soldiers everywhere searching for Shan Yan. His family members, still asleep, were all thrown into Gansu’s prison, awaiting their fate!

Meanwhile, the infamous governor, who had caused such a stir, was drugged into a deep sleep and left lying in a heap of dry grass in the backyard, neglected by everyone!

General Su kept his head down and said nothing, but a faint smile played at the corner of his mouth as he listened to the Ninth Prince giving orders.

After all, he was one of the Ninth Prince’s trusted subordinates, and his work was exceptionally thorough.

The intricately woven web of false accusations would leave Shan Yan with no way to explain himself.

Moreover, General Su felt no remorse! During the capture, the Shadow Guard had found evidence of Shan Yan’s treasonous activities hidden in his bed’s secret compartment. The explosive devices used to destroy the stone bridge were deliberately arranged by Shan Yan, and the Northern Di barbarians who blew up the bridge had been planted by him.

The Northern Di had promised him not only control over the river but had secretly given him 100,000 taels of gold!

With such a huge temptation, how could he resist blowing up the bridge?

Furthermore, he was confident that the Northern Di could not build a bridge. As long as the Lan River remained, Gansu would be safe.

It was killing two birds with one stone—eliminating Xiao Ji and obtaining immense wealth. As for the lives of Liangzhou’s citizens, he couldn’t care less.

However, if some wealthy merchants from Liangzhou managed to escape amidst the chaos, he wouldn’t mind accepting them.

After all, they were bringing money, and there was no reason to refuse.

Thus, the plan to blow up the bridge was set in motion.

Later, as Liangzhou was preserved by Xiao Ji and General Su personally supervised the bridge construction by the river, Shan Yan was unable to act further against the bridge and instead spread malicious rumors to the Ninth Prince.