gnovel Chapter 004: Interrogation at the Dali Temple
Chapter 004: Interrogation at the Dali Temple
In the alley, Zhao Bozong suddenly stopped, then turned around and started walking back.
The man in gray stood at the alley entrance, his hand already removed from the pipe and slipped into his sleeve.
Zhao Bocong stopped three steps away from him.
"Go back and tell Prime Minister Qin."
The man in gray narrowed his eyes. "Yue Yinping went to the Dali Temple not to find her father's corpse."
Zhao Bozong noticed that although his expression did not change, the swallowing motion of his Adam's apple indicated a person's instinctive reaction when their secret was exposed.
What she's looking for is a letter.
Snowflakes fell between the two men. The man in gray took his pipe from his mouth. "What letter?"
"In the eighth year of Shaoxing, Qin Chancellor wrote a letter to Wanyan Zongbi of the Jin Dynasty. The letter included a map of the troop deployment in the Jingxiang area."
The man in gray's breathing changed.
The cold air he inhaled caused his body to move more dramatically, and Zhao Bozong knew he had made the right bet.
He knew of the letter's existence, not because he had seen it, but because it was recorded in historical books.
In the twentieth year of the Shaoxing era, Qin Hui fell seriously ill. His adopted son, Qin Xi, attempted to destroy a batch of secret letters exchanged with the Jin state, but Qin Hui's political enemies seized upon this opportunity.
These letters later became one of the key pieces of evidence used to posthumously demote Qin Hui after his death.
Historical records state that these letters were in Qin Xi's possession, but they do not explain why Qin Hui entrusted such important documents to Qin Xi for safekeeping.
Unless Qin Hui's own share is no longer in his possession, for example—it was obtained by Yue Fei and hidden somewhere in the Dali Temple.
"Yue Yinping went to the Dali Temple to retrieve that letter," Zhao Bozong said in a low voice.
"Once she gets the letter, she can prove that Qin Xiang is involved with Jin. Tell Qin Xiang exactly what I said. Then tell him that I can help him get the letter back."
The man in gray was silent for a moment. "Who are you?"
Zhao Bocong took out the token from his sleeve.
It is cast in bronze, about the size of a palm, with the four characters "Jianguo Gongfu" engraved on the front and Emperor Gaozong's signature on the back.
The man in gray's expression changed upon seeing the token, not out of fear but out of surprise.
The surprised expression on the face of a well-trained secret agent indicates that his judgment was wrong—he thought he was watching a big fish, but he didn't expect to be watching the emperor's son and grandson.
"The Duke of Jian Guo?"
"Zhao Bocong." He put the token back into his sleeve. "A seventh-generation descendant of Emperor Taizu, and an adopted son of the Emperor. I help Prime Minister Qin not for his sake, but for the sake of the Emperor."
The man in gray did not respond.
Zhao Bozong continued speaking at a slow pace, each word carefully chosen – in fact, he had already considered the entire alleyway in his mind.
"Your Majesty may not be unaware of Prime Minister Qin's collusion with the Jin dynasty. But if Yue Yinping makes this letter public, Your Majesty will have no choice but to punish Prime Minister Qin. Once Prime Minister Qin falls, the peace treaty will be over. And once the peace treaty is over, Your Majesty's mother, Consort Wei, will never return."
He paused, then said, "Tell Prime Minister Qin that I'm not helping him, I'm helping the Emperor."
The man in gray stared at Zhao Bozong for a long time. Zhao Bozong knew that he was judging whether Zhao Bozong's words were true or false, and whether Zhao Bozong was an enemy or a friend.
But every word Zhao Bozong said was in line with the stance that the Duke of Jian Guo should have.
He was a descendant of Emperor Taizu, the adopted son of the emperor, and protected the interests of Zhao Gou.
A person like Qin Hui would not believe in others' loyalty, but he would believe that others would use him.
Zhao Bocong's current stance is that he is using Qin Hui to preserve the emperor's dignity.
The man in gray tucked his pipe back into his waistband. "Wait here," he said, turning and leaving the alley.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he reappeared at the alley entrance, followed by two other people, both dressed in gray short-sleeved browns, with their hands tucked into their sleeves.
"The Prime Minister Qin has sent a message," the man in gray said, "The Duke of Jian Guo may enter the Dali Temple to assist in the search of Yue's belongings."
Zhao Bozong remained silent; this was exactly what he had been waiting for.
Qin Hui didn't believe he could find the letter, so he threw him into the Dali Temple, only wanting him to interrogate Yue Yinping. Once the interrogation was completed, Qin Hui obtained the letter.
If the investigation fails, it will be concluded that Zhao Bocong was having an affair with Yue Yinping. Regardless of the outcome, Qin Hui will not lose out.
What Zhao Bozong wanted was not Qin Hui's trust, but the qualification to enter the Dali Temple so that he could see Yue Yinping and find out her true plan.
"lead the way."
The man in gray walked ahead, with Zhao Bozong following three steps behind. The interior of the Dali Temple was colder than the outside.
After walking through a long corridor, at the end of the stone steps was an iron gate. The gate was unlocked, and the man in gray pushed it open and stepped aside.
"Prime Minister Qin said that Yue Yinping knows where the letter is. If you have the ability to make her talk, the letter is yours." After saying that, he withdrew.
Zhao Bocong stood at the door.
The cell wasn't large; it had stone walls and a stone floor, with only a layer of blackened straw in the corners. There was a small air vent on the wall.
Yue Yinping sat in the corner, her hands shackled, one end of the chain locked to her wrist, the other end nailed into a crack in the wall.
Her mourning clothes were stained with blood, and there were specks of blood on her left shoulder, as if her flesh had been torn open by a blunt object. There was also blood at the corner of her mouth, which had dried and formed a dark red scab.
But her eyes were bright, and when she saw Zhao Bozong enter, she paused for a moment. Then she smiled, and a thin line of red appeared at the corner of her mouth again.
"You're faster than I expected."
Zhao Bozong closed the door, walked up to her, and squatted down so that he could look her in the eye.
"You deliberately watched me outside, making me a target of Qin Hui's men. Then, in order to escape, I went to see Qin Hui, and he sent me in to see you. You planned all this way?"
Yue Yinping did not answer, but just looked at him.
"What's your name?"
"Zhao Bocong".
"A seventh-generation descendant of Emperor Taizu?"
"Yes."
"Was she selected to enter the palace in the second year of the Shaoxing era?"
"Yes."
Yue Yinping nodded, as if confirming that she had finished verifying, and then said softly, "My father has seen you."
Zhao Bozong's eyes flickered.
"In the second year of Shaoxing, on the day you were selected to enter the palace, my father happened to be in Lin'an reporting on his duties. He went to see you briefly." Her voice was calm, as if she were recounting a small incident from long ago. "After he returned, he said something to me."
The cell suddenly fell silent. Zhao Bozong's voice was low and deep: "What did you say?"
He said: "This young man has a clear and upright gaze, and has the appearance of a benevolent ruler. After my death, this young man will surely clear my name."
Zhao Bozong's fingers clenched the fabric at his knees; he had read countless historical materials about Yue Fei.
But he was unaware of this, and no historical record mentions it.
In the second year of the Shaoxing era, Yue Fei was in Lin'an reporting on his duties when he visited a seven-year-old child who had just been selected to enter the palace. He remarked that the child had clear and upright eyes and the appearance of a benevolent ruler. He added, "After my death, this child will surely clear my name."
The second year of the Shaoxing era, ten years before the Fengbo Pavilion incident. Nine years before he was stripped of his military power.
At that time, Yue Fei's army had just taken shape, the great victory at Yancheng was still seven years away, and Zhuxian Town was even more out of reach.
At that time, Yue Fei was on the rise in his life. He didn't know how or when he would die, but he knew one thing—he would die sooner or later.
"Your father..." Zhao Bozong's voice was somewhat hoarse, "...foresaw his own death nine years ago?"
"He couldn't predict how he would die. But he knew that as long as he held military power, the emperor wouldn't be able to sleep at night, and he would die sooner or later."
Yue Yinping's tone was calmer than that of a fifteen-year-old girl, as if she were stating a conclusion unrelated to herself: "So he made a lot of arrangements, one of which was about you."
Zhao Bocong's breath hitched. "What arrangements?"