Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 396 Doubt

Xiao Wang picked up the ginger soup and drank it all in one gulp, feeling much warmer.

Seeing that he was only wearing a thin shirt, Yan Ciwan took the thin blanket covering her legs and gave it to him.

Xiao Wang didn't stand on ceremony with her and directly took the thin blanket and draped it over himself.

Outside, the wind and rain raged, and flashes of light occasionally streaked across the sky, accompanied by the rumble of thunder.

Inside the room, Xiao Wang sat on a soft couch, covered with a thin blanket, holding a cup of hot tea. He said, "Just now, my Ninth Uncle, Du Erlang, Master, and I went to Magistrate Jiang's residence and rescued him from the guards."

Yan Ciwan pressed on, "How is Magistrate Jiang?"

"He was just a little frightened, but otherwise he's fine. I've already asked Uncle Jiu to escort him out of the city."

Yan Ciwan felt relieved, but then asked, "What about that Buddha amulet?"

"We've already hidden in Fu Zheng's place, just as we planned."

Yan Ciwan said, "Now we just need to wait quietly."

Xiao Wang stroked the teacup in his hand and said in a low voice, "Just now, Uncle Jiu told me that when he fought with Si Buping, Si Buping seemed to recognize him, but strangely, Si Buping did not expose his identity. Instead, he deliberately let himself be injured by him."

"That's it."

Xiao Wang looked at her: "You don't seem surprised."

Yan Ciwan recounted the connection between Si Buping and Crown Prince Renxian, concluding, "He must have already uncovered the truth of what happened back then and knows that Crown Prince Renxian had been kind to him, which is why he deliberately let him off the hook."

Xiao Wang sighed, "He let Jiang Qiuyu go this time, and the emperor will definitely not let him off easily."

……

Inside the Sizheng Hall of the Imperial Palace.

The emperor sat upright at the head of the table, looking down at Si Buping kneeling on the ground, his voice colder than the wind and rain outside.

"So many of you, and you can't even capture Jiang Qiuyu, who can't even kill a chicken? What use are you useless people to me?!"

The wound on Si Buping's right arm was still bleeding, and his entire sleeve was stained red with blood. Even the ground beneath him had a small pool of crimson blood.

He seemed oblivious to the pain, bowing his head deeply and saying, "It is your humble servant's incompetence that has disappointed Your Majesty. Your humble servant is willing to accept punishment."

The emperor narrowed his eyes. He was in a terrible mood. He wanted to make this good-for-nothing disappear forever so he wouldn't have to see him anymore. But reason told him that Si Buping was still useful and couldn't die yet.

He said expressionlessly, "Considering that you have followed me for many years, I will spare your life for now. Go and receive fifty strokes of the cane yourself. Learn from this lesson and do not disappoint me again next time."

"Yes." Si Buping stood up, but he did not leave. Instead, he took out an arrow from behind him. "Your Majesty, this is the arrow used by the assassin to attack me. Please take a look."

The eunuch stepped forward, took the arrow, and presented it to the emperor.

The emperor wrapped the arrow in a handkerchief, picked it up and immediately recognized it as an arrow used exclusively by the Shence Army.

His gaze immediately turned somber.

"Could there be a traitor within the Shence Army?"

Si Buping lowered his head and said respectfully, "This humble subject also has this suspicion. Twenty years ago, the Shence Army was under the command of Xie Chen. After Xie Chen died, the Xie family fell apart. However, the Xie family was deeply rooted and had many branches. Perhaps there are still some who escaped the net and are hiding in the Shence Army, waiting for an opportunity to take revenge."

The emperor lowered his eyes to look at the arrow in his hand, the insignia of the Shence Army clearly visible at the fletching.

He said slowly, "Even if there are one or two members of the Xie family who have escaped the net, they will not amount to much. What I am worried about is that someone is conspiring with them. Has Jiang Qiuyu not revealed who his accomplices are?"

"He was very stubborn and would rather die than betray his accomplices."

The emperor looked up at him: "Who do you think Jiang Qiuyu's accomplices might be?"

Si Buping shook his head, indicating he didn't know. The emperor had completely lost interest in continuing the conversation. He put down the arrow and said calmly, "Go."

"Wei Chen retire."

After Si Buping left, the emperor instructed the eunuch beside him, "Summon Fu Zheng."

The eunuch, carrying the emperor's decree, left the Sizheng Hall and braved the heavy rain to travel by carriage to Fu Zheng's residence.

At this time, Fu Zheng was still ill and looked quite haggard. When he learned that the emperor wanted to see him, he had no choice but to drag his sick body out of bed and put on his official robes with the help of his servants.

Half an hour later, Fu Zheng entered the palace and arrived at the gate of the Sizheng Hall.

At this moment, Si Buping was kneeling under the corridor, receiving the punishment of being flogged in court.

He was struck fifty times, and after that, his back was covered in blood and gore, and he was swaying precariously, almost falling over.

Seeing this, the eunuch in charge of supervising the execution reached out to help Si Buping, but Si Buping blocked him.

"No need, I can walk by myself."

Si Buping took a deep breath, took two steps forward, and saw Fu Zheng.

Fu Zheng looked him up and down and asked, "What happened to you? How did you get yourself into such a mess?"

Si Buping's face turned ashen, but his tone remained calm: "I failed in my duties and did not complete the task entrusted to me by the Sage."

Fu Zheng smiled and said, "So that's how it is. You should suffer a little to disappoint the Sage."

After saying that, he walked past Si Buping and went straight into the Sizheng Hall.

Si Buping walked to the edge of the steps and looked up at the gloomy sky where it was still raining.

The observant eunuch beside him opened his oil-paper umbrella and asked solicitously, "Grand Master, shall I see you off?"

Si Buping remained silent, standing there quietly without moving.

At this moment, all the eunuchs and palace maids withdrew from the Sizheng Hall.

Only the emperor and Fu Zheng remained in the hall.

The emperor threw the arrow in front of Fu Zheng and asked, "Do you recognize this arrow?"

Fu Zheng picked up the arrow and examined it carefully: "This should be an arrow used by the Shence Army."

"I remember that you served as a Lieutenant General in the Shence Army for two years. Although you were later transferred to the Left Jinwu Guard, you still often drank and ate with the soldiers of the Shence Army."

Fu Zheng explained, "When I was serving in the Shence Army, I was taken care of by the soldiers. They were my friends, and we would get together in our spare time."

"Friends?" Upon hearing these two words, the emperor's expression became meaningful. "I wonder if you said anything you shouldn't have while you were drunk?"

Fu Zheng's expression changed slightly: "What does Your Majesty mean by this?"

The emperor picked up a memorial from the side and handed it to him, gesturing for him to read it himself.

This memorial was written by Xiao Wenyi himself, and it records everything that happened this morning at the Crown Prince's mausoleum.

After reading it, Fu Zheng's face turned extremely ugly. He muttered under his breath, "This Jiang Qiuyu usually seems quite honest. I never expected him to be a follower of Crown Prince Renxian. He's been hiding his true intentions well!"

The emperor slowly said, "Just now, Si Buping led his men to capture Jiang Qiuyu. On the way, a group of people suddenly appeared and rescued Jiang Qiuyu. The arrow in your hand was left behind by that group of people."

Fu Zheng immediately understood the emperor's meaning and asked incredulously.

"Does Your Majesty doubt me?"