Chapter 39: The Chief Judge
Northwest corner of the Imperial City.
Xiao Yi looked up. Before him stood a grand yamen, its gate hung with a black lacquered wooden plaque inscribed with the large characters “Imperial Guard Commander’s Office.”
Entering, he walked across a ceremonial guard courtyard fifty paces square. Ahead was the main hall, its beams fifteen feet high. The armored soldiers all wore bright light armor, holding halberds, their gaze straight ahead, their aura solemn.
Around the hall, they entered a passage corridor. A bronze bell hung from the ceiling of the corridor; it was rung as a signal for urgent military matters, its sound capable of reaching half the city.
On either side were west and east wing rooms, which were busy all night. The east was the registry room, where over twenty military officers were poring over desks. The west was the order delivery room, where sixteen couriers waited with their command seals.
Further back was the council hall, with three steps leading up to its front.
Ascending the steps and pushing open a door, a large 《 Bianliang City Defense Map 》 appeared before his eyes, clearly showing the disposition of the Imperial Guard, the gates of the Imperial Palace, and the network of streets and alleys.
On a long desk below, a small wooden plaque was placed; one could casually pick it up and point to the empire.
Possessing such a magnificent official residence and holding the great power of the capital region, who wouldn’t want to usurp Shi Hongzhao’s position?
Judging by this scene, Xiao Yi had a deep understanding of Shi Hongzhao’s past arrogance and Nie Wenjin’s current proud elation.
“General Nie, Second Young Master Shi has been brought.”
The man standing by the window, with his hands behind his back in contemplation, turned around.
At the same time, Xiao Yi recalled the information he had seen on the scrolls in Shi Deyu’s study, making comparisons.
“Nie Wenjin, son of a military household from Bingzhou, he has been steeped in archery and horsemanship since youth, brave and skilled in mounted archery. Initially a guard under Gaozu, when Khitan cavalry raided the border, he single-handedly broke through their ranks, killing their chieftain. Thus, he became renowned, promoted to guard general. He is cunning and greedy for profit, able to bend and stretch, and can be made to be close to the young sovereign…”
Nie Wenjin was around forty years old. His years in the military had tanned his face to a dark red. A scar ran diagonally across his brow from his forehead, and his chin was covered in short, stiff, curly beard. His eyes were very bright, revealing the straightforward honesty of a rough man, unlike the “cunning” described in the intelligence, but the gleam of ambition could still be seen within them.
The collar of his purple robe was open, and he wore a dark red leather armor over it. Each of his shoulder pieces was adorned with a brass shoulder guard, making him appear even more imposing.
Xiao Yi judged this to be a deliberate affectation, to display his martial prowess before the young emperor, distinguishing him from Li Ye and Su Fengji.
This man was a very good actor.
He must be a natural actor, no wonder Shi Hongzhao sent him to be an mole by the emperor’s side.
Meng Ye stepped forward a few paces and whispered in his ear.
After listening, Nie Wenjin’s gaze fixed on Xiao Yi, filled with scrutiny, suspicion, and undisguised pressure.
“Shi Deyuan?”
“Xiao Yi pays his respects to General Nie. I am the adopted son of Prime Minister Li Gongsong, whose family was confiscated by the Shi family, and I was given the slave name Xiao Yi.”
Xiao Yi knew that his overly outstanding demeanor had always brought him a lot of trouble. Tonight, he had to resolve this matter completely.
On the other hand, this was also an opportunity, giving him value.
Meng Ye scoffed, found a small stool for himself, and sat down, watching with interest.
Even a trusted subordinate of Li Ye, an escort official in a green robe, behaving in such a manner was somewhat presumptuous.
Xiao Yi noticed that as Nie Wenjin’s gaze swept past, his brow seemed to furrow slightly.
“Shi Hongzhao killed the entire Li clan and gave me the slave name…”
After speaking thus, and after a moment of absentmindedness, his emotions changed somewhat.
“A dignified man, driven like a lowly slave, hah, is my life worthless? Let’s see Shi Hongzhao’s blood splash five steps, and him fall under your sword! Is my life cheap, or is his life worthless?! General, you are the benefactor who avenges me. Killing Shi Hongzhao, you killed him well! You killed him with satisfaction! You killed him to everyone’s great delight!”
By the end of his speech, his eyes were filled with joy.
As if carrying Xiao Yi’s sorrow and Li Zhaoning’s anger, because he felt those emotions as his own.
Even when he met Nie Wenjin’s gaze, he saw the same joy in each other’s eyes.
Being under Shi Hongzhao, unable to bear it any longer, and killing him with a single blow was exhilarating. At this moment, Xiao Yi resonated with Nie Wenjin, cheering him on.
Nie Wenjin couldn’t help but smile.
To slay a powerful figure, to hold high office, to wield great power; a man of integrity should live like this.
This was his most triumphant deed, how could he not be full of spirit?
Xiao Yi struck while the iron was hot and quickly said, “General, you frequent the Shi residence and should have some understanding. Shi Deyuan is obese, slow-witted, cowardly, and vulgar, spending his days buried in erotic pictures; he is certainly not me. If Shi Hongzhao had a son like me, why would he always confine himself indoors and be ashamed to see outside guests? Does he deserve to have a son like me? Bah!”
Nie Wenjin raised his hand to stop him, his brows knitted, and uttered only two words.
“Command Seal.”
“Good.”
Xiao Yi stopped at the right moment and got straight to the point.
“That night, I did see Shi Deyu go to the study and take something. The Shi residence was surrounded tightly, and only he and Zhang Mantun escaped. Numerous Imperial Guards were watching, so the item could not have disappeared into thin air…”
“So it was you,” Meng Ye interjected, “Shi Deyuan, you took the command seal.”
This man’s eyes were somewhat sinister; he must already regret bringing him to see General Nie.
It was too late for regrets.
“If I were Shi Deyuan, I would have gathered the Shi family’s old retainers and fought my way out of the city long ago.”
Xiao Yi refuted him sharply and continued with his deduction, saying, “Therefore, there is only one possibility – the command seal fell into the hands of some Imperial Guard soldier or general who surrounded the Shi residence that day.”
Nie Wenjin narrowed his eyes slightly.
Xiao Yi keenly noticed the change in his demeanor, knowing he was an intelligent person, and felt considerably more at ease.
“Nonsense, you’re looking for death!” Meng Ye slammed the desk, his killing intent exposed, and he rebuked, “You lied to me! You said you would bring me to see General Nie, and then you would tell me the whereabouts of the talisman seal…”
“I am telling you.”
Xiao Yi, on the contrary, became even calmer. The angrier Meng Ye became, the more it indicated the seriousness of the situation, leading to his nervousness and anger.
As expected, Nie Wenjin said, “Let him finish.”
“Shi Hongzhao has operated in the military for many years, and his roots in the Imperial Guard are deep. Any of his subordinate generals would pose a far greater threat than a twenty-year-old Second Young Master Shi. General, your path to supporting His Majesty, correcting chaos, and reviving the Han Dynasty is only a step away; you must not be negligent. Think carefully: between a pampered youth with no worldly experience and a general deeply entrenched in the Imperial Guard for many years, who is more likely to have taken the talisman seal?”
Xiao Yi stopped at the appropriate time, waiting for Nie Wenjin’s reaction.
First, he saw a pair of questioning eyes.
It was normal not to want to believe, but what he said was the truth, or at least a very high probability.
Even if he were Second Young Master Shi, he had been captured now, so killing him or not posed no risk.
From Nie Wenjin’s perspective, the greatest risk was still the command seal falling into the hands of a leading general, which could lead to the failure of the coup and the death of his entire family.
Xiao Yi waited patiently.
Finally, Nie Wenjin uttered a single word.
“Who?”
“I’ll interrogate him.”
“You? Interrogate whom?”
“Shi Deyu, Zhang Mantun,” Xiao Yi said with certainty, “Let me interrogate them, and I will surely give General a satisfactory answer.”
“Shi Deyuan, you are quite cunning,” Meng Ye sneered, suppressing his anger, “You are trying to confuse the issue.”
Fool.
Xiao Yi knew that Nie Wenjin would be able to judge the facts for himself.
“I have told you the truth. Whether you believe it or not is up to General Nie. But you have been looking in the wrong direction, wasting the most precious two days chasing the fictitious Second Young Master Shi. If you don’t correct yourselves soon, and the command seal falls into the hands of a major general or a powerful feudal lord, the situation will be lost.”
Having said that, he lowered his hands and said no more.
The firelight illuminated their faces, flickering uncertainly.
Resentment flickered in Meng Ye’s eyes, Nie Wenjin frowned in thought, and Xiao Yi looked serene, letting them weigh and struggle.
Finally.
The last trace of hesitation in Nie Wenjin’s eyes was replaced by decisiveness.
“Zhang Mantun is with Liu Zhu. We need to send someone to escort him here. You interrogate Shi Deyu first.”
…
Xiao Yi could barely recognize Shi Deyu.
Pushing open the door, the man lying there in shackles was still dressed as a maid. His long hair was scattered, and his silk skirt was drenched in blood, evoking pity at first sight.
“Shi Deyu,” Meng Ye said with a smile, “Look who’s here.”
Hearing this voice, Shi Deyu instinctively trembled, so terrified that he involuntarily curled up.
He turned his head, revealing an extremely pale, weak face. His eyes were downcast, and he dared not look at Meng Ye until his peripheral vision caught Xiao Yi, and he froze.
“Xiao Yi, Brother Xiao Yi…”
Xiao Yi immediately saw a plea in Shi Deyu’s eyes, as if asking him to end his painful life with a single blow.
“Hmm?”
Meng Ye let out a cold snort from his nose.
Shi Deyu was terrified and quickly said, “Second Young Master… no, Second Brother! Second Brother, have you been captured too? Quickly give them the talisman seal… wuwuwuwu…”
After speaking, he slumped down again, covering his face and sobbing.
“General Nie, look, he clearly is Second Young Master Shi…”
“Do not blame Officer Meng,” Nie Wenjin raised his hand, looked at Xiao Yi, and said, “Go and interrogate.”
“Yes.”
Xiao Yi walked forward, squatted in front of Shi Deyu, and looked directly at the tragic face, saying, “Eldest Young Master…”
“Second Brother, Second Brother, the talisman seal is already in your hands, it has nothing to do with me.”
“General, may I speak with him alone?”
Nie Wenjin exhaled impatiently and, before Meng Ye could speak, led everyone out directly.
Soon, only the two of them were left in the interrogation room.
Xiao Yi sighed and said, “Recalling the Eldest Young Master’s great ambitions then, to see him like this today is truly pathetic and lamentable.”
Shi Deyu sobbed uncontrollably.
After a long time, his mouth full of snot and tears, he trembled and said, “I regret not listening to Brother Xiao Yi’s words that day.”
“It’s too late to say that now,” Xiao Yi said, “I saw you tuck away the talisman seal. It wasn’t found in the mansion, so it must have been taken out and given to some Imperial Guard, right?”
“Can you… give me a quick death?”
“Alright.”
Shi Deyu’s tears had already dried from crying. He mumbled, “Tie Ya protected me as I left the mansion. We met an Imperial Guard general who said he would die to save the Eldest Young Master Shi. I said I was him, but he didn’t believe me, so I showed him the talisman seal.”
“And then?”
“He took the talisman seal and rode away. I hurriedly told Tie Ya to chase him… wuwuwu…”
Shi Deyu clearly regretted every decision he made that night, sobbing incessantly.
Xiao Yi had already understood.
Indeed, it was taken by an inside mole within the Imperial Guard.
But why wasn’t it handed over?
Waiting to see how the situation unfolded? Holding out for a better price? Or was it sent to an important location?
It definitely wasn’t sent to the Guo family.
“Who was that person?”
“I didn’t see clearly, I was too panicked…”
“Did Zhang Mantun catch up with that person? Is it possible he knows who it is?”
“I don’t know,” Shi Deyu sobbed, “Brother Xiao Yi… we were master and servant… give me a quick death…”
Xiao Yi thought for a moment. Knowing that it was highly likely they were being overheard, he still asked, “Do you want to live?”
“Wh-what?”
“I can try to save you if you persuade Zhang Mantun to ‘cooperate’ with me. So, tell me, do you still want to live?”
Shi Deyu parted his lips. In his eyes, which were full of a desire for death, a glimmer of hope for life reappeared.
