Liao Shang had already taken a shortcut and hurried ahead, but when he reached the entrance of the Ministry of Justice, he still spotted that solitary, aloof figure at a glance—the crowd keeping well away from him—and the white beast crouched at his feet, watching everyone like prey.
“The Ministry of Justice is handling a case. Young Palace Master, please allow us to do our duty.”
From the moment Pei Yuan Jin entered Haojing, everyone who needed to know about him or guard against him had already made their preparations. Thus, although he rarely left the estate, every faction had long since investigated his distinguishing features thoroughly.
The reason Liao Shang had hurried back and forth so quickly was precisely because he feared Pei Yuan Jin would interfere.
Pei Yuan Jin slowly turned around. “Leave him here.”
Liao Shang said, “It is my duty. Young Palace Master, please make things easier for us.” At a signal from his eyes, another crowd of constables poured out of the Ministry of Justice and surrounded Pei Yuan Jin several layers deep.
Pei Yuan Jin raised an eyebrow. “You want to stop me?”
“Naturally, I know that even all of us together are no match for the Young Palace Master.” Liao Shang remained calm. “Your skill gives you the confidence to fear nothing, and we cannot stop you. But Count Yongfeng and the rest of his clan do not possess your abilities. Have you considered the consequences of breaking a prisoner out?”
Having watched this far, Fu Xi Yan understood that Liao Shang was not bluffing or putting on a show this time. He was completely serious. Before Pei Yuan Jin could speak, Fu Xi Yan hurriedly said, “I trust that with Head Constable Liao’s ability to investigate cases, there should be no need to torture anyone into confessing.”
Liao Shang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Lord Fu may rest assured. This case implicates an enormous number of people—three hundred in all. It is also possible Southern Yu deliberately laid a false trail. We will investigate carefully, neither wronging the innocent nor letting the guilty escape. If Lord Fu has nothing to hide, there is no need to worry.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Good. Then I’ll have the opportunity to see Head Constable Liao’s investigative skills for myself.”
He gave Pei Yuan Jin a slight shake of the head.
Pei Yuan Jin’s expression darkened visibly. Just as Liao Shang’s heart began pounding, convinced the situation could no longer end peacefully, Pei Yuan Jin suddenly sprang into the air and disappeared beyond the crowd.
The white tiger rose with him and gave Liao Shang a warning roar! before racing away amid the startled cries and scrambling pedestrians.
Liao Shang looked gratefully at Fu Xi Yan. “Lord Fu, please.”
Fu Xi Yan smiled, dismounted, and walked calmly through the gates of the Ministry of Justice.
Compared with the Censorate prison, the Ministry of Justice prison was even darker and more oppressive. The moment he entered, he could smell the faint, nauseating reek of blood.
The interrogation chamber lay in the deepest part of the prison. As Fu Xi Yan walked inward, he was treated along the way to the sight of bloodied prisoners moaning miserably inside their cells. Servants splashed water across the floor and scrubbed away the blood with large brooms—swish, swish, swish.
The bloody water spread all the way to Fu Xi Yan’s feet.
Liao Shang observed him unobtrusively.
Without changing expression, Fu Xi Yan took a large step over it.
As he walked, he thought, As long as I don’t look, they don’t exist… la-la-la, la-la-la, I can’t see anything at all. This is just an escape room. Fake, fake. Nothing scary here.
The interrogation chamber had no windows. Once the iron door closed, the only light came from a small oil lamp on the table.
Liao Shang sat behind the lamp, leaving half his face in darkness and half illuminated, giving him a rather eerie appearance.
A person with weak nerves might have started trembling just from sitting there. Fu Xi Yan was somewhat unsettled himself, but he had seen more than enough interrogation scenes in television dramas to know psychological pressure was one of the techniques involved. Since Liao Shang had promised there would be no torture, and Fu Xi Yan had already lived two lives, there was really no reason for him to fear tricks like these.
As he thought it through, his breathing gradually steadied.
Watching Fu Xi Yan go from faint nervousness when he entered to calm within moments, Liao Shang felt a trace of admiration. “Lord Fu doesn’t seem afraid.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Before I became Capital Patrol Commissioner, I was the Prison Warden at the Censorate. To tell the truth, sitting here feels almost familiar.”
Liao Shang said, “My Ministry of Justice prison has considerably more tricks than the Censorate’s.”
Fu Xi Yan had no desire to compete over which institution had the more impressive torture chamber, so he tactfully replied, “Fortunately, I’m a very honest man. Whatever Head Constable Liao wants to ask, go ahead. I’ll tell you everything I know and hold nothing back.”
Liao Shang said, “Lord Fu has visited the East Market Bank?”
“Once.”
“To deposit money or withdraw it?”
“Neither.” Fu Xi Yan said, “I went there to buy information.”
Liao Shang narrowed his eyes slightly. “Lord Fu is certainly frank.”
Fu Xi Yan smiled. “I told you. I’m an honest man.”
“What information did Lord Fu ask about?”
“I asked where certain martial-arts manuals could be found.” Fu Xi Yan could not actually remember exactly which titles he had rattled off back then. Nine Yang Divine Skill, Nine Swords of Dugu, Evil-Warding Swordplay—he had thrown out whatever came to mind.
Elio’s Notes: Nine Yang Divine Skill, Nine Swords of Dugu, and Evil-Warding Swordplay are famous martial arts from Jin Yong’s wuxia fiction. Fu Xi Yan is deliberately using fictional techniques from his previous world rather than techniques that actually belong to this novel’s martial system.
“Where did Lord Fu hear about these martial arts?”
“From Young Palace Master Pei, naturally.” Without changing expression, Fu Xi Yan dragged Pei Yuan Jin in as his shield. “He told me these legendary martial arts were supposed to be extraordinarily powerful, but no one knew where they had gone or whether they had ever really existed. I got curious, so I asked the bank.”
“Ordinary people do not go to banks to inquire about information.”
“Head Constable Liao should still remember Zhang Da Shan poisoning me, shouldn’t you? Shaanxi Regional Inspector Wei Gang handled that case, and that was how we became acquainted. Before he left, he privately gave me a copper coin and told me that at noon on dates ending in seven or eight, I could go to any pawnshop or bank whose sign bore a Bai Ze design and pay to learn anything I wanted to know.”
Liao Shang asked, “Why would Wei Gang give you that copper coin?”
Fu Xi Yan sighed. “I was puzzled myself at the time. I thought perhaps my extraordinary natural talent had won Wei Gang over so completely that he decided to bestow such an enormous benefit upon me. Looking back now, I suppose he had some other motive.”
Wei Gang had given him the copper coin. If there was a problem with the coin, then there was a problem with Wei Gang, and Fu Xi Yan had no intention of foolishly covering for him. But while explaining matters, he absolutely could not reveal the secret dealings between Fu Xuan and Wei Gang. Otherwise, Fu Xuan would have an even harder time clearing himself than Fu Xi Yan did.
Liao Shang said, “If I remember correctly, you were still with the Brocade Guard then, tasked with escorting the Third Prince to Luoyang?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Head Constable Liao has a good memory.”
“Was there no place marked with Bai Ze in Luoyang? Or did you simply never get a chance to use the copper coin?”
“I actually used it in Luoyang already.” Fu Xi Yan cooperated so readily that it was difficult not to believe in his sincerity. “I was young, after all. Young people are naturally curious. How could I possibly receive a new toy like that and resist trying it? As it happened, one of the appropriate dates came up, so I went.”
“Did you go there to buy information too, or to sell it?”
Fu Xi Yan blinked and asked curiously, “What? You can sell information there too? How much would the things my father says in his sleep be worth?”
Liao Shang leaned forward slightly with genuine interest. “What does your father say in his sleep?”
“How would I know? I don’t sleep with him. I was only giving an example.”
Realizing Fu Xi Yan had led him off course, Liao Shang immediately schooled his expression. “So your first visit to the pawnshop was to buy information. What did you ask?”
So he knows the place I visited in Luoyang was a pawnshop.
Fu Xi Yan’s heart tightened. They really do have a great deal of information. The only question is exactly how much.
He propped up his chin and pretended to think. “Let me see. It’s been a while, so I need to remember… Ah, right. I was also attacked once in Luoyang, so I asked the pawnshop who had tried to kill me.”
Liao Shang asked, “And who was it?”
Fu Xi Yan sighed. “The pawnshop manager said that if even I, the person being assassinated, hadn’t seen who the killer was, how could someone sitting inside a pawnshop possibly know?”
Liao Shang froze for a moment and immediately felt a certain sympathy for the helplessness and frustration Fu Xi Yan must have experienced when he first heard that answer.
“That was all you asked?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Do you know what the East Market Bank told me when I asked about those martial-arts manuals? They said they’d never heard of them. Think about it. If you go somewhere to buy something once or twice and they never have what you want, would you keep going? Tsk, tsk. I really don’t know where these pawnshops and banks find the nerve to use ‘Bai Ze’ as their sign.”
Liao Shang said, “You mean that between the pawnshop in Luoyang and the East Market Bank in Haojing, you made a total of two visits and failed to obtain the information you wanted both times?”
He’s emphasizing the number of visits.
Why emphasize that?
Does he think I’m lying about how many times I went?
If they managed to identify this many people, maybe they got hold of ledgers or lists of names.
Fu Xi Yan’s thoughts moved rapidly. He suddenly slapped the table. “Oh, right! There was another time in Luoyang. I’d reached the end of my rope and decided I had nothing left to lose, so I went in and asked whether they knew of any gift that was inexpensive but still respectable. That was when they told me where to find the Ruixue Divine Cattle. That one worked out pretty well. Yuan Jin enjoyed eating it, and later he even went to buy some himself.”
He deliberately hauled Pei Yuan Jin in as a banner to wave.
Liao Shang obligingly followed his lead. “Lord Fu and the Young Palace Master are very close?”
Fu Xi Yan smiled. “Whether we’re close or not, didn’t you see for yourself at the entrance?”
Liao Shang said, “The Prefect of Jiangling has already confessed. Every bank and pawnshop marked with Bai Ze was a Southern Yu spy station. You visited them repeatedly. Suspicion is unavoidable. You would be better off telling the truth and seeking a chance to atone through meritorious service.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Everything I’ve told you is the truth. Head Constable Liao, please don’t forget to credit me for my contribution.”
“Who was your contact?”
“In Luoyang, the pawnshop manager received me. I never saw the person who handled me at the East Market Bank because there was a partition blocking the view.”
“What information did you sell to Southern Yu?”
“If Head Constable Liao has time, you should visit Xiang’ao Da in the West Market. The shop may not rake in money by the bucketful, but it has at least given me the freedom to shop as I please. What I mean is—I’m not short of money.”
“Were you the inside man when Chen Wen Ju escaped from prison?”
“Chen Wen Ju didn’t manage to escape with his life. I deserve a fair amount of credit for that, don’t I?”
“Of the sixteen Southern Yu assassination attempts, why were you the only one who emerged unscathed?”
“If everyone else had the Young Palace Master of the Immortal Treasury Palace standing beside them, they could have emerged unscathed too.”
The questions and answers came at breathtaking speed. Neither man seemed to need even a moment to think, yet Liao Shang still failed to find a single obvious flaw.
Without drawing attention to it, Fu Xi Yan wiped his slightly damp palm against his leg and smiled. “Does Head Constable Liao have anything else to ask?”
Liao Shang looked at him and slowly said, “When I went to your estate today, someone was speaking with you outside the gate. Who was he?”
Under ordinary circumstances, uncovering Southern Yu’s spy network should have had Northern Zhou celebrating joyfully, secure in the knowledge that it could finally sleep peacefully. In reality, however, everyone in the Northern Zhou court—from Emperor Jianhong downward—was deeply uneasy.
By the time they forced the Prefect of Jiangling to talk and raided the pawnshops and banks, the people inside had already vanished. All that remained were ledger after ledger filled with officials’ names.
Rather than saying Northern Zhou had uncovered Southern Yu’s spy network, it would be more accurate to say that Southern Yu had completed its mission, withdrawn cleanly, and left them a list of suspected Northern Zhou traitors as a parting gift.
How could anyone dare trust a list handed to them by the enemy?
And yet they had no choice but to investigate it.
Northern Zhou had originally intended to fish in troubled waters while Southern Yu was embroiled in internal conflict, kicking it while it was down with trumped-up accusations. Southern Yu’s counterattack, however, was far sharper and more direct. It practically announced in broad daylight: No need to frame us. Assassinations, right? Fine. I did it. In fact, I did more than you ever imagined. What are you going to do about it?
That slap landed squarely across Emperor Jianhong’s face. He flew into a rage at morning court, then summoned his trusted civil and military officials after court and berated them all over again. In the end, he kept only Chancellor Pu Jiu Lin and Minister of Justice Shen Lan behind.
“Since We ascended the throne, We have never suffered such a monstrous humiliation!” Emperor Jianhong stared darkly at the two senior ministers standing silently with lowered heads. “Do you still intend to advise Us to endure this without responding?”
Shen Lan quietly glanced toward Pu Jiu Lin beside him.
Pu Jiu Lin said, “The longer such a spy network is allowed to spread, the more harmful it becomes to Northern Zhou. Discovering it in time, rooting out the disorder, setting matters right, and having the resolve to cut off a poisoned limb to save the body is a great benefit to the state.”
Emperor Jianhong looked toward Shen Lan. “What does Minister Shen think?”
Shen Lan said, “Chancellor Pu is entirely correct. The Ministry of Justice will accelerate its investigation of the names and ensure that no innocent person is unjustly implicated.”
Emperor Jianhong gave a cold snort. “The list in your hands contains three hundred people. But are those truly colluding closely with Southern Yu actually among those three hundred names? Did we uncover Southern Yu’s spy network—or has Southern Yu already accomplished its objective, allowing its real agents to penetrate deep into Our court before throwing this useless so-called network at Us so that We will suspect one another, investigate one another, and throw Ourselves into chaos? Perhaps there is even a Southern Yu spy standing in this very hall, somewhere between you and Us.”
Pu Jiu Lin and Shen Lan immediately dropped to both knees and bowed until their bodies touched the floor.
Pu Jiu Lin cried loudly, “Your Majesty, please see clearly! This subject has always been utterly loyal to Northern Zhou and harbors no divided heart. Everything this subject has done has been for the preservation of Northern Zhou’s dynasty through the ages!”
Shen Lan hurriedly added, “This humble subject as well.”
Ordinarily, such formulaic declarations would have been harmless enough. At this particular moment, however, they sounded especially hollow and grating.
Emperor Jianhong rubbed his brow irritably. “Get out, both of you!”
Only after the two men withdrew did he look helplessly toward Yu Shuang Xi, who stood waiting beside him. Frustrated, he said, “All these years, We have exhausted Our mind and strength eliminating the remnants of Prince Yunzhong and Prince Longnan, removing the threat posed by the Rong family, and keeping the realm stable. And in doing so, We actually overlooked the danger from Southern Yu!”
Yu Shuang Xi had served in this role long enough to understand the emperor’s habits reasonably well. He consoled him, “One must pacify threats within before resisting enemies without. Your Majesty did nothing wrong.”
Emperor Jianhong waved a hand. “There is no need to comfort Us. Had Southern Yu not had its Regent, the disorder there might have become even worse. Where is that list of three hundred names? Has the Ministry of Justice submitted it?”
Yu Shuang Xi found a memorial and handed it to him.
Emperor Jianhong skimmed through it, his brows drawing tighter and tighter. “Xu Gao and Chang Qi Chuan are both full third-rank senior officials… Yu Yan Dong, Ma Tang, Lou Bai Zhan… Fu Xi Yan? Why is that fatty’s name here too? Where is he? Has he been arrested?”
Yu Shuang Xi knew which information would interest him and had already asked. “Liao Shang personally led men to arrest him yesterday afternoon.”
“Arrested?” Emperor Jianhong looked somewhat surprised. “The Immortal Treasury Palace did nothing?”
Yu Shuang Xi said, “Pei Yuan Jin immediately blocked the entrance to the Ministry of Justice. However, Fu Xi Yan understood the situation. After using his words to force Liao Shang to promise there would be no torture to extract a confession, he persuaded Pei Yuan Jin to leave of his own accord.”
Emperor Jianhong sighed. “The two of them are truly that close? Fu Xi Yan is being held in the Ministry of Justice prison now?”
“Yes.”
“We seem to recall Tu Mu is there as well?”
“Yes.”
Emperor Jianhong said meaningfully, “With three hundred people entering the Ministry of Justice at once, they may run short of cells. Have someone move Fu Xi Yan into Tu Mu’s cell.”
Yu Shuang Xi raised his head in slight surprise. After thinking about it, he understood the emperor’s intention and left to carry out the order. Before long, however, he returned carrying a calling card.
Emperor Jianhong asked in confusion, “What is that?”
Yu Shuang Xi handed it over. “A calling card.”
Emperor Jianhong accepted it in surprise. “Someone sent a calling card to Us? Where was it delivered?”
“Wangxian Gate.”
The moment Emperor Jianhong heard the name of the gate, an ominous feeling rose in his heart. “Who sent it?”
Yu Shuang Xi confirmed his foreboding. “Pei Yuan Jin of the Immortal Treasury Palace.”
After returning from the Ministry of Justice, Pei Yuan Jin summoned the Wind, Thunder, and Lightning Divisions in Haojing. The entire Wind Division was sent out to gather information, the Lightning Division secretly surrounded the Ministry of Justice on all sides, and the Thunder Division took up guard around Count Yongfeng’s Estate.
The following day, Pei Yuan Jin had someone deliver a calling card to Wangxian Gate at the imperial palace, informing them that he would visit at noon.
Seeing him fully dressed and prepared to leave, Yu Su Huan could not hide her concern. “Why must you force your way into the imperial palace? Fu Xi Yan is being held by the Ministry of Justice.”
Pei Yuan Jin said mildly, “The imperial palace is the source.”
“If you start fighting inside the palace, matters will become even more difficult to contain. Northern Zhou’s imperial palace is not nearly as defenseless as people imagine. The Yulin Guard is only the force displayed openly for outsiders to see. There are many hidden arrangements inside designed specifically to kill intruders.”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “I may not need to fight.”
Yu Su Huan looked astonished. The Pei Yuan Jin she knew had always preferred using his hands to using his mouth and killing someone to wasting words. This time, he was actually making an exception?
Pei Yuan Jin said, “I’ll meet the emperor first. Whether it becomes war or peace afterward depends on how he behaves.”
Yu Su Huan: “…”
That supremely self-important arrogance was indeed the Pei Yuan Jin she knew.
Pei Yuan Jin looked at the sky. “It’s almost noon.”
With Southern Yu’s spy network exposed and three hundred officials of various ranks arrested, Fu Xi Yan should originally have been unremarkable among them. However, Count Yongfeng’s Estate had enjoyed promotion after promotion lately, giving everyone the impression that the Fu family enjoyed imperial favor, so Fu Xi Yan naturally attracted considerable attention.
As Pei Yuan Jin rode toward the imperial palace in a carriage, people sent by various factions followed him openly and secretly.
It reminded him of when he had first entered Haojing.
What had he done back then?
Pei Yuan Jin extended one hand through the carriage window and crooked a finger, summoning the white tiger.
The white tiger traveling beside him immediately sprang forward—
A tiger’s roar thundered out, accompanied by one crisp, short command that rang through Heaven and earth.
“Scram!”
The pressure swept outward in every direction.
After most of the followers scattered, the Thunder Division continued hunting down the remainder and threw them into the street for public display. Seeing this, everyone else withdrew.
The rest of the journey was extremely peaceful.
By the time they reached Wangxian Gate, Yu Shuang Xi was already waiting outside with Fu Xuan.
The moment Pei Yuan Jin stepped down from the carriage, Yu Shuang Xi came forward to receive him. “His Majesty was delighted to hear that the Young Palace Master would visit and ordered this servant to wait here and welcome you.” The words themselves sounded pleasant enough, but paired with his expressionless face, they produced an indescribably strange effect.
Fu Xuan, on the other hand, proactively saluted Pei Yuan Jin, offering a gesture of goodwill.
Pei Yuan Jin nodded in return, then said to Yu Shuang Xi, “Lead the way.”
Yu Shuang Xi looked at the Thunder Division members behind him. “His Majesty invited only the Young Palace Master. I must ask the men of the Thunder and Lightning Divisions to wait outside the palace gate.” He deliberately named the Lightning Division as well.
Pei Yuan Jin knew that the Northern Zhou imperial palace possessed a special means of detecting people who concealed their presence. That was why, when Fu Xi Yan entered the palace before, Pei Yuan Jin had Xiao Sang reveal himself voluntarily. Pei Yuan Jin had no intention of recklessly testing those defenses now either.
“Fine.”
He raised one hand, stopping the Hidden Dragon Unit from revealing themselves, then strode proudly toward Wangxian Gate.
Inside Yanying Hall, Emperor Jianhong listened to the palace attendant’s report and asked in surprise, “He truly entered alone?”
The attendant nodded. “There is indeed no one accompanying him.”
Emperor Jianhong thought for a moment. “Have Yu Shuang Xi return first. Tell him to come see Us as quickly as possible.”
The attendant accepted the order and left. Not long afterward, Yu Shuang Xi used his lightness skill and rushed back ahead of everyone else.
Emperor Jianhong hurriedly asked, “If Pei Yuan Jin and We are both inside Yanying Hall, and he tries to kill Us, how confident are you that you can stop him?”
Yu Shuang Xi replied, “I am not his match, but I can delay him. Your Majesty would need to reach a safe location within a quarter of an hour.”
Emperor Jianhong’s expression changed slightly. He was beginning to regret allowing Pei Yuan Jin inside. “Commander Fu is leading him here?”
“Yes.”
“Have the two of them spoken?”
“No.”
Emperor Jianhong rose and paced back and forth. “When will Great Sir return?”
“This old man has returned.”
Before the words had even faded, a scholarly man with an immortal bearing, white hair, and a youthful face strolled leisurely in through the doorway.
The guards outside showed absolutely no reaction.
Emperor Jianhong’s pupils contracted. He quickly concealed his shock and wariness. “Excellent skill, Great Sir. You can enter and leave the imperial palace without anyone noticing!”
Great Sir said, “Communing with Heaven and earth is this old man’s martial path. Your Weight-Sensing Divine Soil is certainly a valuable treasure, but as long as one knows beforehand which areas it covers and simply avoids stepping upon them, passing through is easy.”
Elio’s Notes: The Weight-Sensing Divine Soil is a palace-security treasure spread across designated ground. Its purpose is to expose otherwise concealed intruders when their weight or presence falls within the area it covers.
Hearing Great Sir casually reveal the palace’s hidden arrangements only deepened Emperor Jianhong’s wariness. He gave a dry laugh. “We did not expect Great Sir to understand the imperial palace so thoroughly.”
Great Sir said, “I have already told you that my martial path is founded upon communing with Heaven and earth. How could I fail to recognize a treasure like Weight-Sensing Divine Soil?”
Emperor Jianhong still needed his assistance and naturally did not dare press the matter too far. “Great Sir’s knowledge is truly impressive. Regarding Pei Yuan Jin’s intrusion into the palace, We must ask for your assistance.”
Great Sir said, “I do not believe he came here intending to kill anyone. There are countless sects under Heaven, and by number of disciples, the Immortal Treasury Palace ranks first in the present age. If he truly intended to kill someone, he could simply summon every disciple in and around Haojing. He would not enter the palace alone.”
“Perhaps he intends to make Us lower Our guard, then seize Us and use Our life to force the release of the prisoner.”
“Possible, but unlikely.” Great Sir stroked his beard. “Why waste time speculating here? He is almost here. Ask him yourself and you will know.”
Emperor Jianhong knew there was no avoiding the meeting this time. “Then Great Sir, please accompany Us.”
Great Sir took an ordinary-looking lucky-child mask from inside his robes and placed it over his face. “Let’s go.”
They emerged from Yanying Hall just as Fu Xuan was leading Pei Yuan Jin across the plaza before the hall.
Seeing Pei Yuan Jin neither bow nor kneel, Emperor Jianhong frowned slightly. “Are you Pei Yuan Jin of the Immortal Treasury Palace?”
Pei Yuan Jin cupped his hands. “I ask the Northern Zhou emperor to order Fu Xi Yan’s release.”
Calling him the “Northern Zhou emperor” made Pei Yuan Jin’s position perfectly clear: he did not consider himself a subject of Northern Zhou.
That only made Emperor Jianhong angrier. The Immortal Treasury Palace headquarters might never pay taxes, and no one dared investigate its household registers, but it was nevertheless physically located within Northern Zhou’s borders!
Keeping his expression calm, the emperor deliberately asked Fu Xuan, “Who is Fu Xi Yan? We hear he shares Commander Fu’s surname. Perhaps Commander Fu knows him?”
Fu Xuan replied, “He is this subject’s nephew.”
“What happened to him? Why is Pei Yuan Jin asking Us to release him?”
Fu Xuan said, “He is young and ignorant and was misled by others. He once visited the East Market Bank and has now been implicated in the Southern Yu spy-network case.”
Emperor Jianhong said, “If he truly went there, then he has not been wrongly accused, has he?”
He looked toward Pei Yuan Jin.
Pei Yuan Jin said, “He was also one of the targets in Southern Yu’s sixteen assassination cases against Northern Zhou officials.”
Emperor Jianhong said, “Yet We hear he emerged completely unharmed. How do We know he was not secretly colluding with Southern Yu and merely putting on a show?”
A moment ago, the emperor had supposedly not even known who Fu Xi Yan was. Now he somehow knew Fu Xi Yan had escaped without a scratch.
Mockery appeared in Pei Yuan Jin’s eyes. “I was with him that day. If he had been injured, that would have been the performance.”
Emperor Jianhong said, “A nation has its laws. If We release someone merely because you came to plead for him, how are We supposed to answer to everyone else?”
“Plead?”
Pei Yuan Jin tilted his head slightly, a trace of coldness at the corner of his mouth.
“I never plead with anyone.”
He raised one hand and removed the Red Dragon King from his hair. With a light flick, the hairpin transformed into a slender, fiery-red sword.
“So that lucky-child is what you’re relying on.” Pei Yuan Jin said, “Let’s make this simple. Name your terms.”
Great Sir, still wearing the lucky-child mask, replied calmly, “You are merely at the Dao-Entry Stage.”
Pei Yuan Jin slowly raised his hand and pointed the sword directly at him.
“Cultivation level is one factor that determines victory or defeat. It is not the only one.”
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