Whack-a-Mole (6)
By this point, the hall erupted into chaos in an instant. Yet I paid the commotion no mind and pressed Chongjip once more.
"If that is the case, can you name the accomplices here and now?"
"Of course. Starting with the ringleader..."
Every time a name left Chongjip's lips, fresh uproar swept through the chamber. Each time, I asked the accused to confirm or deny the charge, and though they first tried to offer some other reaction, in the end they all gave the same answer. They confessed their crimes and were dragged away by the soldiers waiting outside. Finally, after Chongjip himself was hauled out, half-collapsed and supported by two guards, I turned a weary face toward the remaining officials.
"A memorial service will have to be held, but unfortunately this hardly seems the moment. I shall petition His Majesty myself, so the rest of you may retire."
The others were plainly exhausted as well, so my suggestion met no resistance. One by one they filed out with tired faces. I turned and headed for the Emperor's residence to report the day's events.
That went rather well, didn't it?
"Mm. It takes time and has its limits, but it seems usable."
Under ordinary circumstances, even torture would not have loosened Chongjip's tongue so easily. The new ability had clearly done the heavy lifting. Still, battlefield conditions would be different, so I would need to think more carefully about how to employ it.
By the way, the way you provoked him was brilliant. When did you even obtain that wanted poster? I don't recall you having the chance when we captured Dong Cheng.
"Ah, that... Want one for yourself?"
At Ser's question I drew another sheet from my robe and showed it to her. It was the same paper as the poster I had brandished earlier, except this one was covered in rows of numbers instead of names. Ser stared at it in confusion for a moment, then realized what it was and cried out.
Wait—! This is the paper you were copying numbers onto while U Gil was chanting yesterday!
"Waste not, want not."
I grinned. Ser let out a string of hollow laughs, half-dumbfounded, then spoke again.
You absolute fraud... Then how did you know the poster existed, that Chongjip was involved, and that the hiding place would be somewhere unusual?
"Well... A few days ago the Emperor gave me a jade belt, remember? I had Zhang Fei deliver it. When she brought it back, I sensed something was off, so I opened it later and found a secret letter inside. At the time I'd already rescued the Emperor, so I didn't think much of it. But looking back, Dong Cheng was her closest aide then. If he planned anything afterward, he'd likely use a similar method. I glossed over the details since he would have changed them anyway, but it worked. Chongjip jumped to conclusions, his emotions swung wildly, and he ended up destroying himself. All's well that ends well."
You played him like a fiddle.
"Played him... I did use my head a little. Speaking of which, there's something I want you to notice."
What?
"Among everyone present today, there was exactly one person whose emotions barely fluctuated at all. Did you catch it?"
Chen Qun, I assume.
"Chen Qun?"
Yes. Dong Cheng recommended her; she only took office recently. Her name has been cropping up everywhere since yesterday.
"Then she may have been involved with Dong Cheng's faction. If so, she's no ordinary person..."
Will you interrogate her?
"No. Since neither Chongjip nor the others mentioned her, she probably wasn't a central figure. Chronologically she wouldn't have had much time to matter either. Someone with that much nerve isn't ordinary, so it would be better to overlook the small flaw and put her to use."
Even though the poster had been fake, burning it served another purpose: drawing a clear line that punishment would stop here and no further questions would be asked. In truth, most of the civil officials were under Dong Cheng's influence. Removing them all would paralyze the government on the spot. It was wiser to skim off only the ringleaders and leave the rest untouched.
That's surprisingly generous of you.
"Huh? Who?"
Chen Qun. She had quite a chest—almost on Man Chong's level. Don't tell me you weren't keeping her in mind.
"It was a bonus. We can't afford to lose talent like that."
Haah... I won't ask which kind of talent you mean, but you'll really regret it someday if you keep this up.
"Whatever."
While we spoke we reached Liu Xie's residence. I requested an audience. The eunuch who carried the message soon returned with permission, and I followed him inside.
"Your subject Jin Hwan pays his respects."
"Mm."
Liu Xie received me in her study. Dressed in comfortable robes, she answered my greeting with a slight nod. As if that were a signal, the waiting eunuch stepped out and closed the door behind him.
Huh. So now it's just the two of us. Something feels off...
While I was still thinking that, Liu Xie spoke again.
"Come closer. A little nearer."
"As you command..."
I approached without protest. She then told me to sit and offered the chair she had been using. My premonition grew worse, but I sat anyway. Liu Xie immediately rolled up her sleeves, produced a basin, poured water, scattered flower petals across the surface, and had me soak my feet.
"This is..."
"If you refuse, I'll scream."
When I hesitated, she threatened me outright. If we were discovered it would be troublesome for both of us, so I reverted to the master-puppet relationship and dipped my feet as ordered. Liu Xie extended her small white hands and began gently washing them from the ankles upward.
"You've worked hard today."
"Somehow, hearing you say that makes me nervous..."
"No, it's not like that. I've heard how much you've endured. Since we can't fight side by side, I at least wanted to ease your fatigue this way."
After rinsing my feet she pressed her fingers firmly into the soles, giving acupressure. She must have learned from one of the eunuchs; her technique was quite skilled. I offered honest praise.
"Not bad. Where did you learn this?"
"There's a eunuch who's good at it, so I learned from him. Since my husband suffers outside, I thought it would be nice to learn something that could please you. But more importantly..."
The moment her hands reached the area around my ankle bones, the pressure steadily increased. It felt as though she were deliberately crushing every knot and tender spot. Pain began to rise. I was about to ask her to ease up when she spoke first.
"You brought that girl Sun Quan back with you, didn't you?"
"No, that's..."
"You said you'd return soon, yet you were gone for over a fortnight and came back with a woman..."
"Ah, w-wait. Hold on, I can explain—Ayaaya!"
"Apparently receiving the Son of Heaven's favor wasn't enough for you?"
The force she applied was no joke. She targeted the most exquisitely painful spots and pressed with all her strength. Behind the ankle bone, the center of the sole slightly higher up—my hands gripped the armrests, trembling, but I had long since passed my limit. I tried to beg my way out of the situation.
"Ah, no, I'm really sorry, it's a misunderstanding, there really was a reason—Ugyagyagyagya... Aaak...!"
...In short, begging didn't work. In the end I apologized repeatedly without knowing exactly what for, reflected on my supposed sins, then apologized again for not knowing what I was sorry about before I was finally released. Still, when she wiped my feet with a towel at the very end and said with tears in her eyes that anyone would be jealous seeing me leave like this, my heart did skip a beat. If this wasn't jealousy, then what would actual jealousy look like?
You'll have to move your residence to the underworld.
"This isn't someone else's problem, you know..."
Your next appointment is already running late. You'd better hurry.
"Changing the subject, huh... Fine. See you later."
It was obviously a diversion, but Ser was right—time really had slipped away. I had meant to stop by briefly, say the meeting had been canceled due to circumstances, and leave, yet one thing after another had delayed me. Now I was late for the afternoon's real meeting—the one convened by the Prime Minister of Langya.
I quickened my pace, rushed into the meeting hall, and, still panting, opened the session at once.
"You look rather worn out."