Chapter 228: Target of All Arrows

When those words were spoken, Meng Yuan's body shivered, immersed in immense pain.

Meng Yao, his beloved eldest daughter, who was pregnant with twins, died so tragically!

The corpse was burned to charcoal, together with the children in her womb!

Donglin Emperor's face was full of shock.

"You say Meng Yao is dead?!"

The others were equally stunned.

The news of Meng Yao's disappearance a few days earlier had caused a great uproar, and even many noble ladies in Xiliang were terrified, fearing they might be the next to vanish, so they stayed home and dared not go out.

Tonight, they were told that Meng Yao was dead!

How could anyone not be shocked?

"No, that's impossible!" A wave of sobbing rose from the crowd. Everyone turned toward the voice and saw Zhao Yan, instantly understanding.

Before Meng Yao married to Yuncheng, she was close with Zhao Yan, the two as like sisters. Meng Yao's death would be a huge blow to her!

Meng Qian turned to look at Zhao Yan and couldn't help shedding tears!

Her sister, such a gentle and kind person, should have received all the best this world offers, yet she was brutally killed while pregnant!

She is so resentful!

"Meng Yao is dead, what does that have to do with Ye Qingran?"

Meng Qian, with murderous intent, gritted her teeth and said, "We found a Jade Pendant on our sister's hand, engraved with the character Yun; this Jade Pendant belongs to Ye Qingran!"

"Also, our sister died in an abandoned courtyard in East Suburb; many have seen Ye Qingran go there a few days ago!"

"Besides that, our sister once took a boat ride on Qingshan Lake, and Ye Qingran went there that day as well!"

Meng Qian said word for word, all the accusations pointed at Ye Qingran!

The crowd wore shocked expressions.

Could it be that Ye Qingran truly is the murderer of Meng Yao?

Meng Qian coldly clapped her hands; several witnesses were brought in, all ordinary citizens of Xiliang.

"I ask you, have you seen Ye Qingran go to East Suburb and Qingshan Lake?"

"Yes, I once saw Miss Ye in East Suburb, along with her maidservants!"

"When Miss Ye rented a boat on Qingshan Lake, I was present; I even handled the paperwork for her."

……

The people brought in, one after another, kept accusing Ye Qingran.

Meng Qian's gaze, like a knife, shot at Ye Qingran, her voice cold as ice, "Ye Qingran, what else do you have to say?" Her eyes were also full of resentment.

She had previously thought Ye Qingran was a useless good‑for‑nothing, but never expected that she was not only a waste, but a bloodthirsty murderous lunatic!

"May I see that Jade Pendant?"

Ye Qingran remained calm, showing none of the nervousness or agitation that should accompany such accusations.

Meng Qian slightly furrowed her brows, "You want to destroy the evidence?"

Ye Qingran shook her head, "I want to see if this Jade Pendant is the one I lost!"

Meng Qian gave a cold smile, "What, you want to use the loss of the pendant as an excuse to escape your guilt? Ye Qingran, do you think we're fools?!"

Ye Qingran shrugged, "Believe it or not, this Jade Pendant really is the one I supposedly lost!"

But no one believed that.

The Jade Pendant in Meng Qian's hand was given to her by her mother Yun Sui Feng, but it had been lost many years ago.

The scales in everyone's hearts had begun to tip, and they increasingly thought Ye Qingran was the murderer of Meng Yao!

Zhao Yan stepped out, tears in her eyes as she looked at Ye Qingran, crying and demanding, "Ye Qingran, how could you do this? I can overlook what you did to me before, but Yao was such a kind person! She wouldn't even step on an ant; why did you kill her? Why?"

Meng Qian's eyes turned blood‑red, "Ye Qingran, is it because of me? We can't stand each other, I always pick fights with you; because of me you grew jealous, and since I trained in martial arts since childhood and am hard to handle, you vented your hatred onto my sister, right?"

"But Ye Qingran, why did you transfer your hatred toward me onto my sister?! My sister is innocent! She still carries two children in her womb! How can you be so cruel? Are you even human?!"

Their words stirred everyone's emotions, and the gazes at Ye Qingran were filled with anger and hostility.

One corpse, three lives—truly a horrific tragedy!

At that moment, Mu Qingrou stepped forward, raising her voice, "Ye Qingran, when you ruined my appearance before Wuji Hall, I thought you were a vindictive person. Ruining my looks was one thing, but Meng Yao? She was innocent, wasn't she? Why did you frame an innocent person with such cruelty? What benefit do you gain from killing Meng Yao? Do you know that her death destroys two families! Does your conscience not ache?"

Her words were filled with righteous indignation; if Ye Qingran were not the one involved, one would truly want to applaud her.

Dongfang Ling'er, who had just been wronged by Ye Qingran, naturally would not miss this chance, "Ye Qingran, from what you just did to me, it's clear you're a psychologically twisted person who can't stand others' happiness! People like you don't deserve to live in this world; you should go to hell!"

Zhao Shi followed quickly, "Ye Qingran, you are truly ruthless! General Meng and your mother had a life‑saving bond, supporting each other on the battlefield, saving each other's lives. How could you repay kindness with hatred?! Your actions would even break your deceased mother's heart!"

Gu Huanghou slammed the table and rose, "Ye Qingran, everyone knows General Meng dotes on Meng Yao, yet you killed her. What is your motive? Do you intend to crush General Meng so that I, Donglin, can lead the army without a commander and let the enemy invade?"

Gu Huanghou's words elevated the issue to a higher level, changing its nature dramatically.

Ye Huanhuan pointed to her own face, lamenting, "Sister, I know my hair and my face are your masterpieces. I don't blame you; after all, I was at fault for taking the Crown Prince that should have been yours, but if you have any grievances, just direct them at me. Sister Meng Yao... she was innocent! She was so gentle; I still remember when we were kids she gave you candy. Why did you do this? You have truly disappointed me! From now on, I, Ye Huanhuan, will not have a sister as mad‑hearted, treacherous, and ungrateful as you!"

……

In an instant, Ye Qingran became the target of all arrows.

National Master frowned, anger flashing in his mind, but after seeing that Ye Qingran remained as calm as a cloud all along, he guessed that this woman had come prepared.

So he said nothing.

Xia Zhimeng, unable to bear it any longer, stood up and shouted, "You want to convict my sister just based on this? That's too hasty! And you, has Meng Yao really been killed by my sister? No verdict yet, yet each of you is doing this? Adding insult to injury? How shameless!"

Gu Huanghou's complexion darkened, and she said to Summer Venerable Envoy, "Summer Venerable Envoy, control your granddaughter, or don't blame my palace for being unkind!"

Summer Venerable Envoy bowed, "Your Majesty, forgive me." After straightening, he addressed His Majesty, "Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance; before it is clarified, we should... be cautious in speech."

Gu Huanghou's eyes darkened, flashing murderous intent.

Donglin Emperor nodded. Summer Venerable Envoy had solved countless strange cases over the years, so his words naturally carried weight.

"Ye Qingran, what do you say?" Donglin Emperor asked, looking at Ye Qingran.

To speak frankly, he personally does not believe Ye Qingran killed Meng Yao. However, the evidence is now solid; this matter is indeed difficult to handle.

Ye Qingran spread her hands, "I say the person wasn't killed by me. The question is, do you all believe me?"

The crowd obviously will not readily believe Ye Qingran's one-sided account.

"Your Majesty, the evidence is solid; please grant justice to my little daughter!"

Meng Yuan spoke loudly.

Meng Qian followed, saying, "Your Majesty, the evidence is solid; please grant justice to my older sister!"

The deputy generals behind also said, "Your Majesty, the evidence is solid; please grant justice to Miss Meng!"

The fervent sounds gathered into a stream.

Seeing this, those who had just stood up to accuse Ye Qingran all knelt down, repeating similar words.

Others also knelt down, protesting for Meng Yao, asking His Majesty to punish Ye Qingran.

Soon, people knelt all over the ground!