klisemfg Chapter 167 What thief? I didn't see him.
Chapter 167 What thief? I didn't see him.
Li Yan's palms were sweating, but he kept reassuring himself.
As long as General Fucha can prove this point for him, he can clear his name!
Zhao Xiaofeng isn't dead!
He then said that he was so focused on chasing the murderer that he didn't see the situation inside the prison cell clearly, so what?
Yes! That's what we'll say!
Hope ignited in Li Yan's eyes.
Zhai Rongyu saw his expression and waved his hand, saying, "Go, summon General Fucha."
She was actually happy to see them fighting like dogs.
"Zhao Xiaofeng, what do you have to say?" General Lu asked.
Zhao Xiaofeng recalled how he had seen Li Yan kill the paper figure with a sinister look on his face without the slightest hesitation while hiding in the shadows, and said with some resentment, "Princess! This Li Yan is a complete liar! He's the one who told me to go and splash water on the military rations! He's also the one who told me that if I was discovered, I should take the blame, and he would find a way to vouch for me!"
"But I never expected him to turn around and harm me!"
Li Yan retorted angrily: "Traitor! You're still spouting nonsense! I think your whole family has a death wish!"
He deliberately emphasized the words "whole family," but Zhao Xiaofeng wouldn't listen to him. She just gave a cold laugh and turned her head away.
Li Yan was stunned.
Has Zhao Xiaofeng lost his mind? He doesn't even care about his own mother's life?
Seeing this, General Lu asked Zhao Xiaofeng, "Why are you listening to Lieutenant General Li?"
Zhao Xiaofeng lowered his head and gritted his teeth, saying, "Li Yan captured my mother, and I had no choice but to obey his orders. I really didn't want to frame the Longyan Army! Since ancient times, loyalty and righteousness have been difficult to reconcile. I was forced into this situation! I beg the county magistrate to save my mother and my life!"
Zhai Rongyu put down the hand warmer, took a sip of tea, and gave Li Yan a mischievous look.
"Oh right, Lieutenant General Li, I forgot to tell you."
"Just now, General Lu went to eat. In order to prevent the thieves from killing me, I used a paper doll to make Zhao Xiaofeng's appearance and put it in the cell, but hid the real Zhao Xiaofeng separately."
A look of panic flashed across Li Yan's eyes, and he gripped the hilt of the knife tightly with both hands.
It turned out to be like this...
No wonder, no wonder...
This county princess possesses such extraordinary abilities!
He really underestimated her!
Seeing his gaze, Zhai Rongyu chuckled and said, "General Li, don't be so quick to admire me. General Li, you may not know this, but my paper doll does have some abilities."
"What... what kind of skill?" Li Yan's heart was pounding with anxiety.
“If my paper doll is splattered with blood, it can’t be wiped off.” Seeing Li Yan’s face suddenly turn pale, she added mischievously, “Even if it is wiped off, it will grow back.”
"That means the murder weapon is still stained with blood!"
Li Yan's mind went blank for a moment, and he pulled his fingers away from the knife handle as if he had been burned.
General Lu said, "Now that the military camp is sealed off, as long as we check everyone's weapons, the criminals will have nowhere to hide!"
"Don't worry, Lieutenant General Li! I will definitely clear your name!"
Li Yan gave him a smile that looked more like a grimace, "Then thank you very much, General Lu."
His palms were sweaty, and he kept glancing anxiously at the door.
Why isn't the general here yet...?
The only one who can protect him now is the general!
"General Fucha has arrived—" a soldier announced from outside the tent.
Li Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fucha Xiangming rushed in, glanced at Li Yan kneeling on the ground, and when he saw Zhao Xiaofeng kneeling properly to the side, his eyes suddenly darkened.
That idiot not only failed, but also got captured!
There's absolutely no hope for them!
He suppressed his anger and bowed to Zhai Rongyu, saying, "Princess, someone found a secret letter outside the military camp. I suspect it is related to spies from Nansang, so I have come here to present it to you for your perusal."
Li Yan stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning, his lips, which had just curled into a smile, suddenly stiffening.
Secret message?
Was it the letter he just sent out?
How could it have been General Fucha who discovered it?
He looked up and met Fucha Xiangming's gaze, who gently shook his head at him.
Li Yan lowered his head, his heart churning with emotions.
No, it couldn't have been General Fucha who harmed him.
Someone must have discovered the secret letter, and the general deliberately presented it to the authorities to prove his innocence and clear himself of suspicion.
But how could this letter be related to Nansang's spies?
Could it be that General Fucha is...?
Li Yan dared not think any further.
He broke out in a cold sweat, his lips grew dry, and he licked them, looking uneasily at the secret letter.
How could this letter have been discovered so quickly?
It's happened many times before, so why is it like this time...?
Zhai Rongyu opened the letter, her red lips parted slightly, and she read aloud what was written in the letter: "General Hu Lie, rest assured, the newly arrived military rations of Long Yan have also been flooded. Now the army has no food. Let them go hungry for three days, and then we can attack again."
Upon hearing this, General Lu stood up from his chair in anger: "As expected, he is a spy from Nansang!"
"This is infuriating!"
Zhai Rongyu asked, "Where did General Fucha find this letter? Did you see the person who delivered it?"
Fucha Xiangming didn't even look at Li Yan, and said in a calm voice, "Some soldiers saw Lieutenant General Li acting suspiciously and followed him all the way. Who knew that they saw him pressing the letter under that stone, and that's when they discovered the trick."
"General!" Li Yan stared at him in disbelief.
Zhai Rongyu then asked, "General Fucha, Lieutenant General Li just said that he and you saw the thieves outside the prison. Is that true?"
Fucha Xiangming frowned. "What thief? I didn't see him."
Li Yan's mind went blank for a moment, and he hurriedly said, "General! How could you not have seen him! We saw the thief enter the prison together, and that's why I thought of protecting Zhao Xiaofeng!"
"General, please think about it again!"
He desperately tried to wink at Fucha Xiangming, but Fucha Xiangming pretended not to see it and said righteously, "Princess, although Lieutenant General Li is my subordinate, he is now suspected of being a spy from Nansang. I cannot show favoritism."
Zhai Rongyu said "Oh," and then suddenly realized and said to Li Yan, "Look, your boss said it was all your doing and has nothing to do with him."
She practically had the words "sow discord" written all over her face.
Li Yan's lips trembled.
Upon hearing about the spies, General Lu immediately stepped forward, drew Li Yan's sword, and exclaimed in shock, "Princess, look! It's covered in blood!"
Li Yan reached out to grab it, saying, "This is the blood I left behind from my fight with that thief!"
Zhai Rongyu said, "My paper doll's blood is unique. You can recognize it with just one examination of the talisman. Your rebuttal is useless."
Li Yan's lips were pale as he murmured as he looked at Fucha Xiangming, "General, it's clearly..."
Fucha Xiangming interrupted him angrily: "Li Yan! The evidence is now irrefutable, what else do you have to say?"
Zhai Rongyu said, "If you have any accomplices, confess them quickly, and I, the county magistrate, will spare your life."
Seeing that Fucha Xiangming had no intention of protecting him, Li Yan pieced together all the previous clues and suddenly realized that he had been used as a pawn by Fucha Xiangming!
Fucha wanted to protect himself, so he pinned all the blame on him!
Even this letter was something he planned!
Li Yan felt a surge of anger.
He risked his life for Fucha, yet this is how he treated him...
Alright, in that case, nobody's going to survive!
A ruthless glint flashed in Li Yan's eyes as he spoke, "Your Highness, please understand! I was instructed by someone..."
"Slash—" Fucha Xiangming snatched the knife from General Lu's hand and slashed it across Li Yan's neck, killing him on the spot!