I traveled back to the Southern Song Dynasty and was actually outmaneuvered by Yue Fei.

Chapter 085: Bribery

Dong Xian.

In the Battle of Yancheng in the tenth year of Shaoxing, he was a fierce general who led 800 infantrymen to break through the Jin army's defenses from the flank and broke through six Jin army defensive lines in one day and night.

In the eleventh year of the Shaoxing era, after Yue Fei was imprisoned, he was demoted to Ezhou. Nominally, he was the military commander of Ezhou, but in reality, he was monitored by Qin Hui's men for more than a year.

"Your Highness's presence is an honor to our humble abode." Qin Hui stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and although he smiled, there was no smile in his eyes.

"You flatter me," Zhao Bozong returned the greeting as a junior member of the imperial clan, then turned to Dong Xian and the scholar in the blue robe, "And these two are—"

"Dong Xian, military commander of Ezhou, and Zheng Gangzhong, prefectural judge of Jiankang." Qin Hui's tone was casual, as if he were introducing two insignificant subordinates.

"General Dong has been idle in Ezhou for a year. He is returning to the capital to report on his duties, just in time for the New Year. Magistrate Zheng is a new magistrate who was transferred from Jiankang Prefecture. He is here to report for duty at the signing office today."

Zhao Bozong's gaze lingered on Dong Xian's face for a moment.

Dong Xian didn't look at Zhao Bozong; he kept his head down, as if avoiding something.

But Zhao Bocong noticed that when Qin Hui said "Jiankang Prefecture Magistrate", Dong Xian's fingers, which were clenched tightly at his side, suddenly tightened.

Zheng Gangzhong.

Zhao Bozong remembered this name. In May of the twelfth year of the Shaoxing era, the man Qin Hui sent to Zhenjiang to suppress Li Bao's naval forces was Zheng Gangzhong.

At the time, he led eight warships out of Zhenjiang as the naval commander of the Privy Council, but was completely annihilated by Li Bao at Jiaoshan. He was captured alive and taken to Lin'an for trial.

But now he stands here, dressed in the official robes of a sixth-rank civil official, with a submissive smile on his face. Not only has he not been imprisoned in the Dali Temple, but he has also been promoted.

All the evidence from the Battle of Jiaoshan—the Privy Council's dispatch orders, military orders, and documents bearing Qin Hui's private seal found on the four captured warships, and the ironclad evidence Qin Keqing had sealed in an oilcloth bag to be presented as irrefutable evidence in court later—was wasted.

Because Qin Hui had already gotten people out of trouble before he was impeached.

"Judge Zheng," Zhao Bozong said in a very calm tone, "wasn't he still serving in the Privy Council's naval forces last May? How come he's been transferred to the Ministry of Personnel so quickly?"

Before Zheng Gangzhong could speak, Qin Hui answered for him, "Zheng Gangzhong made some mistakes while serving in the Privy Council. According to the law, he has been demoted to the position of Investigating Officer in Jiankang Prefecture. As a subject, mistakes must be punished and merits must be rewarded. This is the rule of the court."

He emphasized the word "rules" with particular force, as if reminding Zhao Bocong that he was also using rules.

"The Prime Minister is right," Zhao Bozong said without arguing.

"Your Highness, you've come today for more than just New Year's greetings, haven't you?" Qin Hui suddenly changed the subject.

"Besides paying New Year's visits, there is another matter. The Imperial Clan Court has completed its registration before the New Year, and there are no other members of the imperial clan among the prisoners detained by the Court of Judicial Review."

The verification report has been sealed by the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs. According to ancestral rules—" Zhao Bocong emphasized the words "ancestral rules" as much as Qin Hui had just said, "the verification results should be presented to the Emperor before the fifth day of the first lunar month. I have come to the Ministry of Personnel to deliver this verification report."

After saying this, he took out a copper box from his sleeve and placed it on Qin Hui's desk. The box had the seal of the Imperial Clan Court on it, and Zhao Shiyi's signature was also on it.

Qin Hui glanced at the bronze box but did not open it.

"Your Highness, did you go to the Dali Temple to review the documents?"

"I've been there."

"They went to the lowest-ranking prison too?"

"I went to every floor."

The room was quiet for a moment, and the snow fell on the window paper, making a very soft rustling sound.

"Your Highness is meticulous in your work." Qin Hui pushed the bronze box back to Zhao Bocong. "Since the document for verification is sealed with clay by the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, let it be sent directly to the Emperor. As a prime minister, I have no right to open the confidential documents of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs."

Zhao Bozong put the bronze box back into his sleeve, cupped his hands in greeting, and turned to leave the signing room.

As he descended the steps of the Ministry of Works, the snow fell even heavier. There were hardly any pedestrians on the Imperial Street, only a few snow-sweepers with their heads down, sweeping the ground, their brooms making a harsh scraping sound as they cut across the bluestone slabs.

Zhao Bozong stood at the entrance of the Ministry of Personnel, glanced back at the black plaque with gold characters, then wrapped the plain gauze over his royal robes tightly and walked toward the Prince's Mansion.

......

Dong Xian was sitting in a side room in the backyard of the Ministry of Personnel. Qin Hui had ordered him to wait here for orders, and he had been waiting for two whole hours.

He was brought into Lin'an City in the early hours of the third day of the Lunar New Year by an inconspicuous carriage. The carriage curtain was nailed shut from the outside, and he could only see the flashing lights outside through the gaps in the curtain.

After entering the backyard of the Qin residence, he was searched, and even his sword was not allowed to be carried. An old man in gray asked him the same question three times:

"During your year in Ezhou, did anyone deliver anything on behalf of the former Yue Fei's army?"

He answered the same question three times: "No."

The old man in gray didn't dwell on the question, but instead kept asking him about his daily life in Ezhou: which day he went to the military camp, which day he went to the government office, which day he went to the market to buy things, and which day he drank with whom.

These seemingly trivial and meaningless questions were repeatedly woven into a complete net by the old man in gray. Each timeline was overlapped and compared. He had to answer the date of every trivial matter in a consistent way, otherwise he would be caught out immediately.

Dong Xian answered in unison.

Because he really did not do anything for the former Yue Family Army. During his more than one year in Ezhou, he did only one thing every day: survive.

To live, so as not to give Qin Hui a reason to kill him.

After asking his last question, the old man in gray stood up and said something.

"General Dong, I am Tian Ruyi."

Dong Xian didn't move when he heard the name, but the sweat on his back soaked through his undershirt.

Tian Ruyi's reputation in the intelligence field was no less than Yue Fei's reputation in the military.

This person can find flaws in the most minute timelines and extract intelligence from the most ordinary daily trivia.

Now Tian Ruyi stood before him, asking if he had ever delivered anything for Yue Fei's former troops in Ezhou. He answered "no," his answer consistent, almost perfectly consistent.

This is the problem.

Because when a normal person answers the same question three times, their answer will always be slightly different.

The first time they might say "no," the second time they might say "I never sent it," and the third time they might say "How could I send it?"

But he answered "no" three times.

This shows that he had prepared in advance.

Tian Ruyi also noted this down.

However, Tian Ruyi did not expose him on the spot. He simply closed the interrogation record, said "General Dong, please wait in the side room for a moment," and left.

Dong Xian waited in the side room for two hours.

He didn't know how Qin Hui planned to deal with him—kill him directly? No, Qin Hui always followed procedures when killing former members of Yue Fei's army: trial by the Court of Judicial Review, review by the Ministry of Justice, and approval by the three provinces, each step of which was legal and compliant.

However, the third day of the first lunar month is not a day for government offices. Even if executions are to be carried out, they must wait until the fifth day of the first lunar month when government offices reopen.

So he is still alive.

The door to the side room was pushed open from the outside, and Qin Hui entered, followed by Tian Ruyi and Wan Qixie.

Dong Xian stood up and clasped his hands in a salute.

Qin Hui waved for him to sit down, then sat down in a chair in the side room and said something that sent chills down Dong Xian's spine.