Chapter 68 Tea Master 4 In fact, Junior Sister’s child is in the capital…

The bloody interrogation room was dimly lit.

Xie Wuhen sent two more torches, and only after he could clearly see the expression on Zeng Yidao's face did he ask in a deep voice, "What did you mean by that, Mr. Zeng?"

Zeng Yidao asked back, "Which sentence?"

Xie Wuhen stared at him solemnly, "You asked me if I was ready to face the truth."

Zeng Yidao lowered his head and spat out a mouthful of blood, but a smile remained on his lips: "That's exactly what it means."

"What does the truth have to do with me?"

"There are many things that Master Shaoqing could not imagine."

"If you have something to say, just say it."

Zeng Yidao chuckled, then raised his eyes and looked at Xie Wuhen calmly.

His hair was disheveled and blood was oozing from the corner of his mouth, but even though he looked disheveled, there was still a hint of toughness in his eyes and brows, as if he was not a suspect on trial, as if he was still the gentleman sitting in front of the tea table making tea.

His tone was neither hurried nor slow: "So, Zeng wants to make a deal with Lord Shaoqing."

Xie Wuhen looked disdainful: "What if I don't agree?"

Zeng Yidao put away his smile and said, "Then Master Shaoqing, you can take my life now."

He added, "Zeng is of humble origin, and his life is insignificant, yet the Shaoqing is ruining his mission to the Emperor because of this."

Xie Wuhen's expression remained unchanged: "Mr. Zeng actually knew that I was working for the Emperor?"

"The Junior Official keeps claiming that Zeng murdered his teacher, yet he hasn't filed charges against him. It's easy to imagine that the Junior Official was acting in secret. Who could possibly order a Junior Official of the Dali Temple to act in secret? Naturally, it could only be the current emperor."

"Mr. Zeng is quite wise."

"As the saying goes, old ginger is still spicy."

"I wonder what kind of deal Mr. Zeng wants to make with me?"

Zeng Yidao took a breath and said seriously, "I can tell you, Master Shaoqing, about my junior sister, but on the condition that you release me without charge."

Xie Wuhen sneered, "Mr. Zeng, a murderer, actually dreamed of being acquitted?"

Zeng Yidao remained undeterred. "If Your Excellency thinks I am delusional, you can simply refuse to trade with me."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Zeng was just saying what was on his mind."

The two looked at each other solemnly, unable to give in.

After a moment, Xie Wuhen compromised, "If you can do what you say, I can let you go home."

After all, the most important thing right now is to find Empress Duofu.

"But there is a prerequisite," he added.

"What are the conditions?"

"Even if I let you go home, you must remain under my strict surveillance. Without my permission, you are not allowed to leave your home or even leave the city without permission."

"How long do you plan to monitor Zeng, Lord?"

"Monitor until I feel it is no longer necessary."

Zeng Yidao was silent for a moment, and finally said "OK".

Xie Wuhen called out, "Someone come here."

Wu Sheng responded and entered the room: "Boss, what's the matter?"

"Remove Mr. Zeng from the cangue and have him sit down to talk."

"Okay, boss."

Wu Sheng called a police officer forward, and the two of them worked together to untie Zeng Yidao, helped him sit down on an official hat chair, and let him drink a cup of tea.

Then Xie Wuhen raised his hand and dismissed Wu Sheng.

There were only two people left in the house.

Xie Wuhen spoke first: "Mr. Zeng, you can speak now."

Zeng Yidao stared into the void before him, exhaled heavily, and narrated, "The story of my junior sister began in the spring of the fourth year of Yonglong. That day, my junior sister, who had been away from the mountain for several years, suddenly sent me a letter. I was overjoyed and eager to know the contents, but unfortunately, the letter was taken away by our master. He said that my junior sister simply missed us, so she wrote to express her regards. As for the specific contents of the letter, he did not mention a single word. I felt something was amiss. My junior sister had been away from the mountain for many years and had rarely contacted me. Why would she suddenly write back if it wasn't something important?"

Zeng Yidao said with a wry smile, "To be honest, I've been attracted to my junior sister since I was a child, but Master interfered and sent her down the mountain early, leaving me waiting in vain for years—leaving me alone even in my prime. Now that I've finally got news of her, how could I give up so easily? So, while Master was making tea in the morning, I sneaked into his room and stole this letter."

Xie Wuhen already knew the general content of the letter: "It's your junior sister's letter asking for help, right?"

"Yes, it was indeed a letter asking for help from my junior sister." Zeng Yidao sighed deeply, "My junior sister said that she was having a hard time in the palace, and was even regarded as a thorn in the eyes of the two empresses. If she didn't escape from the palace, she would be afraid of losing her life. In the letter, my junior sister asked the master to take her in so that she would have a place to stay after leaving the palace. I thought that my junior sister had no relatives and no one to rely on except me and the master. If we don't take her in, who will? So I didn't bother to cover up the mistake of stealing the letter, and went directly to the master to recommend myself, saying that I would go down the mountain to pick up my junior sister. I thought the master would definitely agree, after all, my junior sister was also brought up by him, but... the master refused." He was too sad to speak for a while.

Xie Wuhen snorted coldly: "Your master is afraid of getting into trouble."

"Master claimed that Junior Sister would bring disaster upon our family, so he stopped me from bringing her back. I had a heated argument with him, and in a rage, he drugged my tea. While I was unconscious, he locked me in the house with chains, preventing me from leaving." Zeng Yidao looked up at the torches on the wall. The flickering flames revealed the old age and decadence of his face. "For several days, I stayed awake all night, listening to the rain and wind outside. We lived on the highest peak of Liuyang Mountain, and the wind and rain were so loud, it seemed as if they were going to blow the roof off. I remained silent for several days amidst the sound of the wind and rain. Then I realized I couldn't confront Master head-on."

Xie Wuhen asked, "What did you do?"

Zeng Yidao smiled bitterly, "I later pretended to compromise, saying I was willing to follow Master's arrangements and not go to pick up Junior Sister. Master really believed me, not only bringing me a sumptuous meal, but also untying my chains. He earnestly told me that as long as I followed his wishes, everything he had would be mine. But I wasn't interested in anything about him. I only wanted Junior Sister. I remember it was still a rainy day, and the spring humidity made everything sticky. I finished the food he brought me, then changed my clothes and wanted to go out. He blocked the door and asked me why I wanted to change clothes. I said my clothes were too damp. He then asked why I wanted to go out. I said I wanted to get some fresh air. He exposed me and asked if I was still thinking about going to pick up Junior Sister."

"You admit it?" Xie Wuhen asked.

"Yes, I admit it. At that time, I had reached the limit of my patience with him. I declared to him with all my might that I would take care of my junior sister as long as I lived. Even if it meant severing our relationship as master and disciple, even if it cost me my life, I would remain steadfast. Master got angry and pulled out the tea knife he always carried with him and stabbed me. I was caught off guard and was stabbed in the abdomen. But I was younger and stronger than him after all, so I snatched the tea knife from his hand and stabbed him back."

"You killed him?"

Zeng Yidao lowered his head and muttered, "How can it be as simple as 'kill him'? He fought back several times, snatched the tea knife, and then stabbed me in the arm and leg. He kept scolding me, saying that I was an ungrateful bastard of the Zeng family, that I was ungrateful, that I deserved to be orphaned, and that..." He paused, "He wanted to tell the world that his disciple Zeng Wusheng, Zeng Chengqi, was a vagrant who coveted his junior sister and killed his master. He could beat me and scold me, but he couldn't implicate my junior sister. In my rage, I snatched the tea knife again and stabbed him in the chest..."

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head weakly, as if this memory had drained all his strength.

Xie Wuhen sneered: "You still don't admit that you are the murderer?"

Zeng Yidao raised his eyes and said, "What if you admit it? What if you don't admit it?"

"If you admit it, you will pay with your life."

Zeng Yidao showed disdain on his face: "On that day, between my master and me, it was either he or I. If he died, I would pay with my life, and if I died, he would pay with his life. This is understandable. If you think I should have died long ago, you can behead me and show it to the public."

Xie Wuhen was silent for a moment and changed the subject: "What happened next?"

"Later, I went down the mountain to pick up my junior sister."

"Where did you pick it up?"

"Of course, I'm going to the capital." Zeng Yidao's voice became increasingly hoarse, and he fell into recollection again: "In a dilapidated temple on the outskirts of the capital, I met my junior sister whom I hadn't seen for a long time. At that time, she was accompanied by a man. No, that's not right, not a man, but a eunuch from the palace. I heard my junior sister call him 'Shun Zi'. As soon as she saw me, she noticed my injuries and asked me how I got hurt. She also asked about my master's attitude. I didn't want to lie to my junior sister, so I had to tell her the truth about what happened. I promised her that even if I couldn't return to Liuyang Mountain, I would find a quiet place for her to settle down. My junior sister didn't say anything at the time, but just nodded in agreement. We had a meal together in the dilapidated temple and rested together under the shrine of the dilapidated temple. I wanted to discuss with her the next day about where to settle down, but when I woke up the next day, my junior sister and the eunuch named Shun Zi had left, and my junior sister also left a letter."

"What's in the letter?"

"The letter said that she was being hunted by the palace guards. Without a safe hiding place, she would never dare to implicate me. She was very sorry that I killed my master and was injured because of her, but without her, I could at least live. With her, I would definitely die."

Zeng Yidao's face was filled with sorrow. "She also told me to take good care of my injuries and not to worry about her."

Xie Wuhen frowned: "She left just like that?"

Zeng Yidao closed his eyes and breathed tiredly, "Indeed, my junior sister passed away just like that. I tried to find out about her several times, but couldn't get any news about her. I even nearly died at the hands of the palace guards who were chasing her. Later, I learned my lesson and stayed in the capital after recovering from my injuries. I picked up the art of tea again while secretly trying to find out about her. Later, the 'Wuyou Teahouse' was established."

Xie Wuhen pressed on: "Have you heard anything about your junior sister?"

Zeng Yidao raised his eyes and looked at him calmly, with a hint of cunning between his brows: "Can I trust Master Shaoqing?"

"Since it's a transaction, we naturally need to trust each other."

"Okay, then let's 'trust each other'." Zeng Yidao's tone was meaningful, and then his expression became slightly restrained: "Later, my junior sister died."

Xie Wuhen was shocked: "Dead?"

"That's right. Back then, after many twists and turns, I met a man. Through his connections, I learned that my junior sister and the eunuch were sold into slavery in the inner chambers of a wealthy family, and were later murdered many years later."

"Why was he killed?"

"In this world, does a slave need a reason to be killed?"

Xie Wuhen took a deep breath and asked, "Whose backyard did it end up in?"

Zeng Yidao chuckled, "Sir Shaoqing, this issue is not included in our deal."

"This is also part of your junior sister's destination, how can it not be included?"

"To be honest, I don't know whose backyard it is."

"Where's that guy?"

"The boy passed away five years ago."

Xie Wuhen glared at him coldly: "You are lying!"

Zeng Yidao said calmly, "I have already disclosed my junior sister's whereabouts as the Shaoqing wished. Why do you say this?"

"Your junior sister should have given birth to a child, right?"

"This is just concealment at most, not lying, right?"

Xie Wuhen didn't want to waste time talking to him, so he asked directly, "Where is the child she gave birth to?"

Zeng Yidao sneered: "This issue is really not part of our deal!"

Xie Wuhen gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist: "Are you going to tell me or not?"

Zeng Yidao studied him inquiringly, as if examining a landscape or an object. "Your Excellency has so many questions, I must answer them one by one. But before I do, I must ask the medical officer to treat my injuries. I also ask Your Excellency to fulfill your promise and send me back to the Worry-Free Teahouse safely."

Xie Wuhen bit his back teeth and nodded after a while: "Okay, as you wish."

He then ordered Wu Sheng to send Zeng Yidao back to the teahouse, and then asked a medical officer to bandage Zeng Yidao's wounds.

In the tea room on the third floor, Zeng Yidao lay quietly on the couch.

Xie Wuhen sat in front of the tea table and drank tea: "Mr. Zeng, can you speak now?"

Zeng Yidao looked out the window at the daylight and said, "Fortunately, I am several decades older than the Shaoqing. I have been able to use this time advantage to uncover some clues about what happened back then. Otherwise, I would have been unable to escape the Shaoqing's control today, would I?"

Xie Wuhen said disdainfully, "Do you think you can escape my control now?"

Zeng Yidao smiled and said, "At least staying in a teahouse is better than staying in the Dali Temple prison, right?"

"Stop talking nonsense and get down to business."

Zeng Yidao smiled again: "In fact, Junior Sister's child is in the capital, and is plotting to avenge Junior Sister!"