The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 38 The Real Wanted Criminal

Xiao Yi let the patrolmen tie his hands and calmly followed them, appearing to be a law-abiding citizen.

After a while, they were taken to a nearby temporary police station, which was full of homeless people who had broken the law, and the air was filled with the smell of filth and sweat.

Weak, feeble cries of "I'm innocent!" rose and fell.

"Quickly report to the Commander: the murderer who killed the soldiers has been captured; she is a Khitan woman..."

The junior officer was eager to report his achievements, and in the pause between words, he hastily pointed and arranged for Xiao Yi to take the position.

"Take him to the inner room to await questioning."

After that, no one paid any attention to Xiao Yi.

He simply closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, conserving his energy.

He seemed to have fallen asleep for a while when he suddenly heard a conversation outside. It was an old man and a Khitan girl.

"May I ask if you are the daughter of the Liao Dynasty's Imperial Brother-in-law and Princess Abuli?"

"That's right, I am indeed the Lady of Liucheng County in the Great Liao Dynasty. Whether you kill me or torture me, I will not even flinch!"

"Greetings, Your Highness. Your Highness is mistaken. The one who waged war against your country and started the border troubles was the traitor Guo Wei. He kidnapped Your Highness here and deserves to die. In fact, our Great Han Kingdom is wholeheartedly committed to making peace with the Great Liao."

"Why didn't you say so sooner? I had to hide for so many days."

"Yes, yes, the court only saw the county princess's name on the list of prisoners tonight. We apologize for any offense, county princess. Please move to the Sifang Pavilion to rest for a while."

"Okay."

Xiao Yi was taken aback.

The rapid change in the Later Han court's attitude towards the Khitan after Shi Hongzhao's death was laughable and absurd.

When he came to his senses, he felt someone staring at him. He turned around and saw a man wearing a blue official robe.

This man was around thirty years old, with a thin face, sharp and calm eyes, and a somewhat frail appearance, yet he inexplicably possessed a dangerous aura.

It doesn't come from the majesty of power or force, but from danger.

Xiao Yi couldn't explain why he felt that way.

The man in the green robe pointed at Xiao Yi and said, "Bring him in."

"Here."

Xiao Yi was taken to the interrogation room in the innermost room.

In the room, there was a table with an oil lamp on it. The man in the green robe sat down in the shadow behind the lamp.

“Meng Ye, an official in charge of censoring at the Xuanhui Academy.”

"The Southern Hero, Zhan Zhao."

Meng Ye's gaze fell squarely on Xiao Yi, and he smiled knowingly, asking, "A chivalrous young man with a warm heart?"

"Treat the common people like pigs and dogs, but treat the Khitans like honored guests. Is there no law left?"

"This is not my responsibility; I'm in charge of apprehending wanted criminals."

"A wanted criminal? What does that have to do with me, Zhan Zhao?"

"You acted well," Meng Ye said with a smile, "but let's stop here."

"It is you who should stop now. May I ask what I have done wrong?"

Meng Ye said, "Stop acting, I've seen you before."

Xiao Yi's face showed a look of surprise, and he asked, "When did I see Officer Meng?"

"That day you rode your horse down the long street, and the Xuanhui Envoy beckoned to you by the window. I was right there beside you, dressed in blue and riding a red horse, full of youthful vigor. I should give you a shout of praise."

"So that's how it is. That day, when I was walking with Judge Bao on Madao Street, we happened to see..."

Laughter interrupted Xiao Yi's words.

Meng Ye seemed to be so angry that he laughed, and his laugh was so arrogant that it made people feel quite uncomfortable.

"Have you forgotten? That day, when the Imperial Uncle sent someone to follow you, you introduced yourself as a member of the Grand Tutor's family."

Xiao Yi knew the situation had turned unfavorable, so he lowered his eyes and began to think.

Meng Ye laughed even harder and said, "If you're unwilling to be frank, I'll speak first."

He took out a thin silk handkerchief from his sleeve, took a deep breath of its fragrance, and placed it on the table.

"Do you recognize him?"

"I don't recognize it."

“It came from a maid in the Shi family. To this day, I still savor the memory of her crying and groaning under my crotch.”

Xiao Yi's heart sank.

In that instant, a strong murderous intent inexplicably arose in him towards Meng Ye.

"Hehe." Meng Ye continued with a laugh, "This maid went to Shi Hongzhao's study before she ran away and took two items with her, but she refused to say where she hid them, so I had to ask her myself. By the way, do you know who she is?"

"I don't know."

"Guess who you are."

"I can't guess."

“It’s alright, here’s a hint,” Meng Ye said. “She… wasn’t originally a woman; I made her who she is.”

Xiao Yi was stunned for a moment.

He had to admit that the seemingly frail official in front of him had given him a bit of a shock.

"Is it...Shi Dehong?"

"Pah, pah, pah."

Meng Ye clapped his hands and laughed, nodding repeatedly.

"See, I told you you could guess it."

"What did you do to Shi Dechong...?"

“She wanted to be a woman, so I made her a woman.”

Meng Ye's eyes showed a hint of reminiscence, and the dangerous aura emanating from him intensified.

Xiao Yi felt a chill and instinctively wanted to get away from this person.

"In short, Shi Deqin was ecstatic, and then she confessed."

As he spoke, Meng Ye leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp as a knife, and lowered his voice, slowly saying, "Shi Erlang, just tell me, where did you hide the thing?"

Xiao Yi's pupils suddenly contracted, and he exclaimed in surprise, "What?"

"Ha, still acting? Your 'sister' has already exposed you."

Meng Ye tapped a document on the table lightly with his fingers and pushed it in front of Xiao Yi.

This was the very military order for the manhunt for fugitives that Xiao Yi had seen from the city tower.

He fell silent.

It turns out that these people were not searching for Guo Xin, but for "Shi Deyuan," and the phrase "around twenty years old and handsome" actually referred to him.

ridiculous.

Xiao Yi said, "You tortured him into confessing? He was just saying what you wanted to hear. Shi Deyuan is clearly dead..."

"The bodies of all the members of the Shi family have been examined, and the entire family is present except for Shi Hongzhao's second son, Shi Deyuan. That night, the only one who broke through the encirclement was Zhang Mantun, a general who served Shi Deyuan. He used a feint to get you out of there. You are Shi Deyuan."

"No, I killed Shi Deyuan in the stable. Because of the fire in the stable, you didn't find his body..."

"Oh!"

Meng Ye suddenly slammed his hand on the table and grinned maliciously, "You want to try my skills too?"

Xiao Yi fell silent.

The astonishment on his face gradually faded, replaced by a strange calm, while countless thoughts raced through his mind.

You cannot pretend to be Shi Erlang. Once his identity is confirmed, you will surely die. But simply denying it won't help.

The same principle applies: to survive, you must have value; think about what they need.

Imperial Guard Military Seal?

No, a mere imperial guard tally wouldn't warrant such a fuss; there's something else worth such a grand undertaking.

—The seal of the Privy Councilor, which can mobilize troops from all over the land.

Did Shi Hongzhao not hand over the Privy Council Seal to Guo Wei? Or did Wang Yanchao return the Privy Council Seal to Shi Hongzhao when he returned to the capital?

This seal of office may not have been that important to Guo Wei, but it was the key to the power struggle among the court officials.

That night, Shi Dechong must have taken the seal of office, but the officials and soldiers did not find it when they searched his house.

There's only one possibility: he was taken away by Zhang Mantun.

Now, the officers and soldiers have been misled and are investigating in the wrong direction.

These thoughts were numerous, but they only passed through Xiao Yi's mind in an instant.

"You're too arrogant. I'm not Shi Erlang..."

"Heh." Meng Ye sneered, "It seems I can't persuade you with words."

Xiao Yi ignored everything and continued to say what he wanted to say.

“I am not Shi Erlang, but I can find what you want. I should say, I can find the military tally and the seal of the key.”

When the last two words were uttered, Meng Ye's expression changed.

"where?"

"On the day the house was searched, Liu Zhu went to the Shi residence to confirm that the seal of office was still in Shi Hongzhao's hands, but then he disappeared."

"where?"

"You searched not only the Shi residence but also the Guo residence. Su Fengji, Liu Zhu, and Nie Wenjin all want to find the Privy Council Seal, right? Because this is not only related to the troop deployment but also to the distribution of their power."

"Where are you?"

"You're the Emperor's brother-in-law's man, who are you cooperating with? Su Fengji? It seems not." Xiao Yi stared intently into Meng Ye's eyes and asked, "Liu Zhu? Or Nie Wenjin? The ones who captured me were Nie Wenjin's men, so it seems to be him."

"I'm interrogating you. Tell me, where is the seal of the Privy Council?!"

Finally, Xiao Yi caught the fleeting urgency in Meng Ye's eyes.

One breath, two breaths...

Xiao Yi deliberately paused for five breaths, waiting until Meng Ye became somewhat impatient before speaking.

"I want to see General Nie and talk to him in person."

"Ha, taste my punishment."

Meng Ye grinned maliciously, picked up the face towel on the table, smelled it, and then put it into his sleeve.

Xiao Yi felt a chill run down his spine. The scent made him almost see Meng Ye draping it over Shi Dechong's face…

wrong.

This fragrance is much stronger and of much lower quality than the one used by the maids in the Shi family.

Why?

The next moment, Xiao Yi seemed to see a hint of bluff in Meng Ye's dangerous grin.

Could it be that a weak official, seeking to survive among an overbearing military man, devised a bizarre and horrifying method to instill fear in others, using this fragrance to make himself willing to commit the crime?

If that's the case, then they're nothing more than pathetic creatures born from a perverse era, their confidence still hollow.

His acting is good, and he seems to have a strong passion for acting.

Xiao Yi gritted his teeth and said, "You want to find the talisman, and I want to see Nie Wenjin. We each get what we need. Once I see him, I'll speak up immediately, and you'll have done a great service."

The torture chamber fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the occasional crackling sound of the oil lamp wick popping.

The two stared at each other, as if trying to overpower each other with their presence.

Xiao Yi no longer felt the fear he had felt for Meng Ye out of disgust. His gaze did not avoid that dangerous smile, only showed determination.

He was not afraid of his punishment and was not intimidated.

After a long while, Meng Ye, perhaps unsure of his ability to interrogate Xiao Yi, unconsciously lowered his gaze, stood up, and walked outside. After two steps, he stopped and uttered three words in a tone devoid of emotion.

"Come with me."

Xiao Yi came out of the inner room, looked around, and saw that no new people had been captured. He knew that Hua Nong and Guo Xin had probably gotten away with it, and breathed a sigh of relief.

He was gradually weaving a plan in his mind that would not only allow him to escape but also enable the soldiers to prepare everything he needed for his journey north and send him out of the city.

Worth a try.

(End of this chapter)