Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 177 Analysis of the Truth Behind the Kidnapping

"Arrest them!!"

Before he could finish speaking, several dark figures kicked open the iron door of the west wing. The candlelight inside flickered violently. Xiao Zhen jerked the table up and saw three goose-feathered swords crossed and held against his neck, the blades reflecting his suddenly dilated pupils.

The sound of metal clashing rang out outside, then fell silent.

Xiao Zhen suppressed his shock and anger, not daring to struggle, but he still hissed, "Wang Zuo! Wang Zuo! You dare to wield the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard alone, His Majesty will not let you get away with this... Ugh!"

The next moment, he was slammed to the ground, and several hands groped all over his body, then carefully searched his mouth.

"Ugh! Ugh!"

This time, Xiao Zhen instinctively began to resist. From his perspective, he saw a pair of black boots approaching, and Wang Zuo's voice floated down from above: "I never expected it! You actually dared to collude with the Liyuan Society! How come I didn't see through you before? Fortunately, Your Majesty's judgment is wise and insightful, allowing me to avoid falling into your trap! Your Majesty is wise!!"

Xiao Zhen suddenly froze.

It stopped moving.

Wang Zuo waved his hand and said, "Take him away. I want to interrogate him myself!"

"Sir, shouldn't we investigate this further?"

Lu Bing hesitated for a moment, then whispered his suggestion.

He's still a bit confused.

Xiao Zhen was another faction within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and he was always at odds with Wang Zuo, a fact Wang Zuo was well aware of.

However, Wang Zuo told him not to get involved in this matter, so Lu Bing personally had no conflict with Xiao Zhen.

But now, Xiao Zhen has suddenly become an inside agent of the Liyuan Society?
That's...that's unlikely!
What benefits could Li Yuanshe possibly offer to bribe a powerful commander?

Wang Zuo glanced at his disciple, his eyes showing contemplation, but finally said, "Very well! There are some things you should know by now, let's interrogate him together!"

Upon entering the interrogation room, Wang Zuo dismissed even the clerk recording the case, allowing Lu Bing to take over the task.

Xiao Zhen was handcuffed to a chair, but Wang Zuo was in no hurry to torture him. Instead, he pointed to the next room and asked, "Listen! What's that sound?"

The clanging of chains mingled with the screams of a certain commander—

That was the voice of Xiao Zhen's confidant.

The confidant who had previously ordered the other party to deal with Ni Jie, the clerk in the ceremonial office.

A cold wind, carrying the stench of blood, swept over the high walls of the imperial prison, startling a flock of night crows.

No one knew better than the Embroidered Uniform Guards themselves how terrifying the Imperial Prison was. Thinking about what he was about to face, Xiao Zhen trembled all over, and his eyes even reddened.

Wang Zuo could tell at a glance that there was no need to use torture, and he was somewhat disheartened: "Time is of the essence, so I won't waste any more time with small talk. Who took Yan Shifan away?"

Xiao Zhen hurriedly said, "I don't know... I really don't know!"

Wang Zuo wasn't surprised: "You don't know who it is, but there should be some clues, right? For example, what about Sun Liu, your mole in the examination hall, the 'night scout'?"

"You! How did you..."

Xiao Zhen froze, then looked up at his opponent and said with a bitter smile, "So that's how it is! So that's how it is! You've been deliberately fighting me back and forth these past few years to appease His Majesty?"

"Nonsense!"

Wang Zuo waved his hand at Lu Bing, indicating that he didn't need to remember this sentence, and repeated: "I asked you, where is 'Night Scout' Sun Liu?"

Xiao Zhen closed his eyes in despair: "Gone! He's disappeared too!"

Wang Zuo finally frowned: "So besides your self-righteous attempt to clean up the mess, you didn't do anything?"

"There's nothing I can do!"

Xiao Zhen gritted his teeth: "You've been keeping my most elite men under your control all along. What kind of people are under my command? A bunch of useless trash! They've managed to turn even a simple case of cheating and framing in the imperial examinations into this mess! What clues do you expect them to find?"

Upon hearing about the framing and cheating in the imperial examinations, Lu Bing abruptly stopped writing, his eyes flickering with emotion.

This time, Wang Zuo didn't give any hints. Since he had let this disciple in, he wanted the other party to truly understand how to secure the position of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He said calmly, "There are no incompetent subordinates, only incompetent superiors. You think my subordinates are all elites? That's because they were all trained by me!"

"Humph!"

Xiao Zhen clearly didn't believe it, and then said, "With Commander Wang's abilities, how will he resolve this case? I'll be watching with bated breath!"

Wang Zuo laughed: "Wenfu, do you know what this person is thinking?"

Lu Bing was still processing what had just been said when he heard this and exclaimed, "What?"

"He knows he's doomed, and even though he's afraid of being tortured, deep down he hopes to see us helpless, at least to find some comfort before he dies... What a useless thought!"

After Wang Zuo finished his assessment, he said in a deep voice, "Wen Fu, go and find his private register!"

Lu Bing accepted the order and left. The Embroidered Uniform Guards were professional in their searches; no matter how well something was hidden, they could dig it up from the ground. Soon, the people Xiao Zhen had taken over or painstakingly developed over the years were clearly laid out before the two of them.

Lu Bing was secretly amazed. This number was definitely not small. Looking at their identities, they came from all walks of life in the capital, and even from the northern and southern parts of Zhili.

Wang Zuo ignored everything else and specifically flipped to the private register to see the salary of each spy, shaking his head repeatedly: "You only give this little bit?"

Xiao Zhen said in a low voice, "Whatever the problem... that's how it should be!"

"Don't pretend you don't know. These spies are separated from their families, and with one less man in each household, they must be struggling financially. That's why they often send their salaries back to their families! Those who work specifically for my Embroidered Uniform Guard don't earn much more than the laborers outside, and they still have to be separated from their families. How can you expect them to remain loyal?"

Wang Zuo said coldly, "Only by paying enough money can you get people to work hard. Didn't you think of that when you embezzled the money from the Three Judicial Offices?"

Xiao Zhen's cheek muscles twitched slightly.

Wang Zuo turned to Lu Bing and instructed him, "Wenfu, look closely at this face! Remember, in the future, when you are stingy with money for your subordinates, or when someone offers you a large sum of money, think about what will happen to that person!"

Xiao Zhen flew into a rage, the chains rattling loudly: "Wang Zuo! A scholar can be killed but not humiliated! You have gone too far!"

Wang Zuo ignored him and continued, "This accident must have been caused by something going wrong with Sun Liu, the 'night scout.' Yan Shifan's kidnapping by thieves must be related to this. Go to the examination hall yourself, rescue him, and put His Majesty and Minister Yan at ease!"

Lu Bing hesitated, still harboring many questions, but considering the urgency of saving lives, he nodded heavily: "Yes!"

……

Imperial Examination Hall.

Haiyue sat in the empty Minglun Hall, in the second seat of the students at the daytime Deer Cry Banquet, with her eyes closed, resting.

Following his advice, Yan Song went to the palace that very night to meet the emperor.

If, as previously speculated, this case is indeed orchestrated by that particular person, then there is now one more person urgently hoping for a swift resolution.

Once things escalate, complications can easily arise, and it's likely that the emperor didn't want certain underhanded methods to be made public.

With her mind emptied and her inner energy flowing freely, Haiyue's already young body felt no fatigue whatsoever, and the clear sound of footsteps soon reached her ears.

Haiyue gracefully rose to her feet and went outside the hall, where she saw Lu Bing striding towards her: "Mingwei!"

Haiyue smiled and said, "It's wonderful that Wenfu has come. His Majesty truly treats his officials well by sending you here!"

"Ah...yes!"

Lu Bing paused for a moment, then quickly got to the point: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard has a spy in the examination hall called 'Night Owl' Sun Liu. Yan Shifan's abduction may be related to this person!"

"Sun Suizui's real name is Sun Liu, and 'Night Without Returning' refers to the night watchman..."

Haiyue nodded slightly: "It is indeed this person. I have also found some clues on my end!"

He led Lu Bing to the place where he had previously discovered "Jiangnan Summer Retreat" and pointed to the footprints on the wall, saying, "Sun Liu knows martial arts, and the footprints on the wall match the pair of black boots in his room. We can deduce that he climbed over the wall to get out."

Lu Bing frowned, and without saying a word, he pushed off with his foot and flipped over.

He quickly turned back, frowning, and said, "Could it be that Sun Liu kidnapped Yan Shifan? Why would that be?"

Haiyue asked, "Did Sun Liu have any motive for defection?"

"Have!"

Lu Bing had considered this on his way here: "Sun Liu's defection must be related to his salary. His superiors paid him too little, and spies can't contact their families. Over time, he developed disloyal intentions! But even if he kidnapped Yan Shifan, he couldn't demand money from him, could he? Vice Minister Yan is known for his integrity and incorruptibility!"

Haiyue obtained the puzzle piece and said knowingly, "Why don't we try a different approach? What if Sun Liu kidnapped Yan Donglou but didn't demand a ransom from Minister Yan?"

Lu Bing was stunned: "Then who should he ask for it from?"

"Demand it from the real kidnappers!"

Haiyue said, "After Donglou disappeared, a letter was left behind. It was written on gold-flecked paper and claimed to be fighting for the people, but it also revealed his wealth! Can such a kidnapper satisfy Sun Liu's appetite?"

Lu Bing understood somewhat: "Mingwei means that Sun Liu was not a kidnapper, but he handed Yan Shifan over to a kidnapper and then demanded a sum of money?"

Hai Yue nodded: "The normal logic is that when a hostage is kidnapped, the ransom is naturally demanded by the kidnappers from the hostage's family. But this case is quite different!"

“Sun Liu was ordered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and was eager for money. However, he knew that his superiors were stingy and unwilling to spend a lot of money on spies like them. He also knew that Vice Minister Yan was honest and probably could not afford to pay a lot of money to redeem his son. So he came up with a plan.”

"He acted as an intermediary, handing the hostages over to the kidnappers. The money was not paid by the hostages' families, but rather taken from the kidnappers."

“Sun Liu was an insider at the examination hall and was familiar with the terrain and the movements of other people. After having lunch at noon, he came to the vicinity of the Deer Cry Banquet without leaving a trace. After Dong Lou left the Minglun Hall, he went up to him and used a method to take him out of the examination hall and hand him over to the real kidnappers.”

"In this way, Sun Liu does not need to continue to coerce Vice Minister Yan and can directly take the money away. The kidnappers can take away the candidates who attended the Deer Cry Banquet in broad daylight without lifting a finger, thus avoiding the risk of exposure."

"Both sides got what they wanted, and the agreement was reached immediately!"

"This is a case of collusion between a betrayal of the Imperial Guard and secret agents, and kidnappers!"

(End of this chapter)