Proving His Innocence

Indeed, the mother and daughter who had suddenly appeared to accuse Duàn Yì were the handiwork of Prince Duan's Heir Apparent, Xia Shu.

Ever since learning of Duàn Yì's existence, ever since receiving word that Duàn Yì might be having an affair with Yang Wuxia, his heart had been filled with confusion, loss, resentment, jealousy, and every sort of emotion. What arose from them was a deep hatred for Duàn Yì.

Without question, the conflict between Xia Shu and Duàn Yì mainly stemmed from two aspects. First was the strategic hostility between their respective estates.

Duàn Yì's existence had greatly obstructed Prince Duan's branch from seizing the power of King of Zhenbei's branch. It had even caused the support of those backing them to diminish greatly—something they could not tolerate.

Only by ruining Duàn Yì's reputation, or even killing him, leaving the Emperor and the Crown Prince with no other choice, could they regain the court's powerful support and have the confidence to transform their own foundation from hollow and superficial into something solid.

Second was the rivalry between two men competing for the same woman. Just as Duàn Yì found Xia Shu displeasing, Xia Shu wished even more fervently that Duàn Yì would vanish from this world at once.

It was precisely because of this hatred, and these two natural oppositions, that Xia Shu had devised this scheme of flinging mud. Its purpose was nothing more than satisfying his selfish desires.

As far as reputation was concerned, there was no need to conclusively pin these crimes on Duàn Yì. So long as he could not defend himself or prove his innocence, both the martial world and the common folk would instinctively reject him.

Just think about it: a man who toyed with a woman, got her pregnant, then killed