Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Interrogation

"You... You actually..." Ji Lei leaned against the railing, staring at Shen Zechuan's smile, suddenly stepping back, "What do you want!"

"I'm asking you," Shen Zechuan said delightfully, "You're asking me?"

Shen Zechuan's gaze turned sinister as he arrogantly waved at Ji Lei. Ji Lei didn't budge, leaning against the wall, refusing to come any closer to Shen Zechuan.

Shen Zechuan said, "Prisoners are but livestock awaiting slaughter. Master Uncle, how dare you ask me that?"

Ji Lei replied, "What else can you do? Kill me?"

"How rare it is for us uncle-nephew to meet. There's not enough time for play, how could I kill you so quickly?" Shen Zechuan ran his thumb along the railing, softening his voice, "If you keep silent, you believe there's an opportunity, holding onto those secrets, no one would dare touch you. Life in prison is more comfortable, with no worries about food or clothing, and your life is safe. With Pan Rugui as company, you'll have plenty of leisurely and carefree days."

Cold sweat dripped down Ji Lei's forehead. He pressed himself against the wall, avoiding direct eye contact with Shen Zechuan.

"But pleasures like these are fleeting. As long as your tongue remains, losing a leg, an arm, or gouging out your eyes, none of it matters much. A few months ago, Master Uncle invited me to enjoy roasted donkey meat, but I didn't get to taste it then. Now, with this long night ahead, it's perfect for sharing a drink." Shen Zechuan slid out a thin blade between his fingers, tapping it against the railing, saying, "Ji Lei, let's have a drink."

"Y-You're m-mad!" Ji Lei stretched his neck, enunciating each word, "Shen Zechuan, you're mad!"

"I've lost my mind," Shen Zechuan replied with certainty, gazing at him.

Ji Lei snarled, "How dare you touch me? With the Empress Dowager holding your head on a platter, how dare you lay a finger on me?"

Shen Zechuan's mood lifted again as he said with a smile, "Uncle-Master, why do you keep saying such hilarious things tonight? Who do you think summoned me here?"

Ji Lei was furious. "Don't think you can—"

"Shen Wei is dead," Shen Zechuan swiftly interrupted Ji Lei. "On the day Shen Wei set himself on fire, I heard that the Jianxing Palace in Dunzhou was engulfed in flames. He was burnt beyond recognition and dragged out of the ruins by the Jin Yiwei. They hung his body on the city walls of Dunzhou to be spat upon. I didn't witness it myself, but I've been trying to imagine it all these years. After much contemplation, I realized something."

Ji Lei swallowed, his throat twitching with anticipation.

"His grand plan to betray his allies has already succeeded; wouldn't it be more comfortable to switch sides on the battlefield? Duanzhou has already fallen, and he leads his troops to welcome the alliance with the Biansha cavalry, aiming to capture the capital before the Li Bei iron cavalry crosses the frozen river. But he is so afraid, afraid to the point of shrinking back and only daring to retreat." Shen Zechuan stood up, "He has already succeeded; moving forward is the only way to survive. Yet he keeps retreating, and even if he is nothing more than a wine bag and a rice bag, he should know that retreating is the path to death."

Ji Lei sighed heavily, replying with disdain, "Because he dare not. Who among the twelve tribes of BianSha would take him seriously? He was as good as dead the moment he betrayed his own people!"

Shen Zechuan tossed a precious East Pearl into the cage. It rolled along the edges before stopping at Ji Lei's feet with a soft clatter. Observing the gradual shift in Ji Lei's expression, Shen Zechuan broke into a smile.

Ji Lei's hands trembled violently as he fixated on the Eastern Pearl, struggling to utter, "No... It can't be..."

"Emperor Xiande is no more," Shen Zechuan leaned in, stating solemnly, "And Shen Wei has also met his end."

Ji Lei abruptly kicked East Pearl away, declaring, "You cunning scoundrel, don't even think about deceiving me!"

Shen Zechuan said joyfully, "Hua Siqian also took his own life by biting his tongue. So, who's next? You or Pan Rugui? Let's draw lots! Uncle-Master, you go first."

Saying that, he flicked two slender blades into existence between his fingers, skillfully passing them through the gap towards Ji Lei.

"Kill Pan Rugui if there's a flaw, and if not, offer your flesh to the dogs. Don't be afraid, just draw the whip."

Ji Lei gazed at the gleaming, razor-thin blades, his lips parting as he whispered, "What nonsense are you spouting...?"

"Empress Dowager instructed me to act swiftly," Shen Zechuan fixated on him. "Yet, I offered you a choice, Shifu. One more day alive could mean a turn of events."

Enduring days of torture, Ji Lei's mind was in a haze. Amidst this eerie atmosphere, Shen Zechuan's words blurred the line between reality and fiction. He stared intently at the blades, then, inexplicably, lifted his hand. As his trembling fingers brushed against them, he saw Shen Zechuan's lips curl into a slow smile.

"Oh," Shen Zechuan chuckled with regret, "I forgot. All the blades I brought today are new; the ones with notches have been dealt with."

The humiliation of being toyed with surged within Ji Lei. He lunged forward uncontrollably, clinging to the railing and screaming hysterically, "Just do it if you want to kill or punish me! I won't tell you anything you want to know! Kill me, just kill me!"

"Wrong," Shen Zechuan maintained control of the atmosphere. "I'm not the one who wants you dead."

"It was you!" Ji Lei clung to the railing. "It was you!"

"Was it me?" Shen Zechuan deftly rolled an oriental pearl under his foot and gazed at him with a cold stare, repeating the question. "Was it me?"

Ji Lei buried his face in his hands, running fingers through his disheveled hair as he slumped down on his knees along the railing, chanting over and over again, "It was you... It was definitely you..."

Suddenly, Shen Zechuan declared, "Shen Wei killed the crown prince."

Ji Lei felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. He looked up at Shen Zechuan in horror and said, "You...?"

Shen Zechuan continued, "You and Shen Wei killed the crown prince."

"It wasn't me!" Ji Lei yanked at his hair. "It wasn't me! Shen Wei was the one who killed the crown prince!"

"You both conspired to frame the crown prince for treason," Shen Zechuan spoke swiftly. "You forged the documents, forcing him into the Temple of Confession. He wanted to see Emperor Yongyi, but it was you who drew your sword and struck him down."

"It wasn't me!" Ji Lei had lost his mind; he desperately denied the accusations amidst the barrage of questions. "I didn't draw my sword! It was Shen Wei, he was the one determined to kill him!"

"So Shen Wei is dead as well," Shen Zechuan repeated, circling back to the topic. "He burned himself to death, unrecognizable. Now, it's only you left."

Ji Lei's mind was flooded with the word 'death' under the barrage of insinuations. He vividly recalled the face of the former Crown Prince when he was executed. Back then, he stood in Shen Zechuan's position, looking down at him like a pig. Now, his position had been ingeniously switched. The cage made him feel like a beast, reduced to being trampled under Shen Zechuan's feet, awaiting his fate.

Ji Lei didn't want to die.

His desire for survival had never been more intense. He knocked his forehead against the bars and said, "We were just following orders! We had no choice! If you want revenge for Shen Wei, I can help you! Shen Wei killed the Crown Prince, was enfeoffed as the Jianxing King, and went to Zhongbo. He fled!"

Ji Lei choked back sobs, overwhelmed by an inexplicable fear that he was indeed a helpless livestock, forced to look up at Shen Zechuan.

"I didn't kill the Crown Prince; I wanted to save him! But Father suddenly died," Ji Lei said helplessly. "When Father died, they tried to frame me! If I took the blame, Elder Brother would kill me, and Ji Gang would too! What could I do? I had to turn to Pan Rugui! To protect myself, I had to forge documents! I was backed into a corner, but I wanted to live!"

"Tell me how Ji Wufan died," Shen Zechuan asked abruptly.

"I don't know... I don't know how Father died... He fell ill, and because Ji Gang left, his favored son was gone," Ji Lei said, his face twisting with hatred. "I was the one who saw him off in the end! Yet he accused me of having rotten roots, treating Ji Gang and Zuo Qianqiu as his true sons, passing on his martial arts to them. But I'm also a Ji, and I did nothing wrong. How could he treat me like that?"

"Shen Wei killed the Crown Prince and couldn't sleep at night; he was scared. When we drank together, he told me he sensed someone watching him, even hearing footsteps on the roof late at night. I told him it wasn't us, the Jinyiwei, but in this capital, what else could it be if not us? I suspected there were traitors within the Jinyiwei, with members of the Eight Great Families everywhere."

"The Huas have already gained power, so we had to be cautious. Shen Wei's insomnia worsened, and he wanted to escape, bribing Pan Rugui with a large sum to leave the capital. At that time, Beijiang was rising, and the Empress Dowager had no other troops except the Eight Banners. To guard against the Xiaos, Shen Wei was granted the title of Jianxing King and sent to Zhongbo, a crucial province between Beijiang and the capital. The Empress Dowager wanted him to be her watchdog, keeping an eye on both Beijiang and Qidong."

Ji Lei's tone became increasingly agitated.

"No one could have predicted that Shen Wei would conspire with the enemy. He was seeking death! He had correspondence with Qidu, and if those documents fell into the hands of the Linbei Iron Riders, Xiao Jiming wouldn't miss the chance to strike at Qidu! That's why Shen Wei had to set himself on fire! Do you understand? Shen Wei was a traitor, and he refused to be anyone's puppet anymore. With Hua Family having an illegitimate son, according to the Empress Dowager's wishes, Zhongbo wouldn't need outsiders to keep an eye on it. Shen Wei had committed so many atrocities for the Hua Family in Qidu. If Zhongbo no longer needed him, he would become the Empress Dowager's discarded child."

"None of us expected him to act out of desperation, letting the Bi Sha Cavalry slaughter the city... This was revenge! Revenge against Qidu, the Empress Dowager, and the Great Zhou!"

With his hands gripping the railing, Ji Lei pleaded, "I've said everything... It was the Empress Dowager who forced Shen Wei to his death, just as she did with the Crown Prince. Yongyi Emperor, Xiande Emperor, and Hua Siqian were all abandoned by her as well! You're working for the Empress Dowager now. Look at me; I didn't tell her that you've pledged allegiance to the Xiao Family... That night, you saved Xiao Chiye, didn't you? But the Xiao Family won't help you. As long as Xiao Chiye is in Qidu, they can't make a move. They're preoccupied with their own problems, so why would they care about you?"

Desperate to prove his worth, his fear only grew stronger, causing his defenses to crumble. The more insignificant he felt, the more terrified he became.

Through the railing, Shen Zechuan asked his final question, "Five years ago, when Duanzhou fell, my master's wife died. No one knew about this. How do you know so much?"

Looking into Shen Zechuan's eyes, Ji Lei's sweat trickled down his face amidst the silence.

* * *

Xi Hongxuan had fallen asleep while waiting until something was thrown at him, jolting him awake. He caught the paper, unfolded it in the darkness, and saw the bright red fingerprint at the bottom. He chuckled vaguely and said, "You really are something."

There was a hint of saltiness on Shen Zechuan's body. After a moment of laughter, he said, "Whether this confession will be presented or not depends on how Elder Hai weighs the matter."

"A favor this significant," Xi Hongxuan remarked, "won't go unpaid, right?"

"I want someone from the Imperial Guards, a man named Qiao Tianya. He's skilled with a blade," Shen Zechuan said calmly.

"…I'll see what I can do." Xi Hongxuan hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I'll discuss it with Yanqing."

"Thank you for your trouble," Shen Zechuan said. "It's late, and I should be going."

With that, he opened the door and stepped out first.

Rain was pouring outside. Xi Hongxuan wanted to call Shen Zechuan back to share the carriage, but something changed his mind. He reviewed the confession and found it too smooth.

While considering that he should still show the confession to Xue Xiuzhuo, Xi Hongxuan instructed his attendant, "Go, drag Ji Lei out and send him back."

The attendant obeyed, opening the door only to stumble inside with a loud thud and scream as if he had seen a ghost.

Xi Hongxuan, following the open door, caught sight of Ji Lei. His stomach churned, and he covered his face before retreating, carelessly knocking over tables and chairs in his haste. He dashed into the rain and began vomiting violently.

* * *

Shen Zechuan washed his hands until they turned red before he wiped them with a handkerchief. His white robe was spotless but carried the stench of blood. He lifted the hem of his garment, frowning as he sniffed it.

It smelled terrible.

Shen Zechuan crouched by the water's edge, drenched in the rain. The night rain soon soaked him through, and he slowly raised his head, gazing at the dark sky until his neck ached. Then, he stood up and began to walk back.

As Shen Zechuan reached the alleyway leading to the Imperial Guards' residence, he noticed someone standing at the entrance.

Xiao Chiye leaned against the door, his arms crossed in the darkness as he stared at Shen Zechuan like a leopard on the prowl.

Somewhere along the way, snow had mixed with the rain, adding an icy chill to the wetness.