Wang Su stared at Xie Lin, his face deathly pale, and his mouth trembling. It took him quite a while to speak.
Xie Lin, unperturbed, waited patiently for him.
After a long moment, Wang Su finally closed his eyes and rasped out, "Young Master Xie, if I confess who ordered me, can you promise to not implicate the person you saw?"
Xie Lin regarded him, "Master Wang Su, you seem to misunderstand something. Even if you don’t speak, I can still investigate. It would just take a bit longer. Why would I need to make a vow with you?"
Wang Su stubbornly faced Xie Lin, his face pale, "If you can’t promise, I will not say a word even if it kills me."
Xie Lin chuckled, "All right, then. First, I’ll investigate the person you mentioned. I’m sure something will turn up. Master Wang Su, you must understand, every woman in the palace has skeletons in her closet. None of them can avoid scrutiny."
He took a step towards the exit, then threw over his shoulder, "Master Wang Su, you should think it through. Once I leave, it’ll be too late to talk."
Having said that, Xie Lin decisively made his way out.
Wang Su’s hand visibly trembled. As Xie Lin was about to step across the threshold, he called out, "Young Master Xie, wait."
Xie Lin slowly turned back to him.
Wang Su spoke, "I will tell you."
He relaxed his clenched fists, "I only hope, Young Master Xie, that you will look kindly upon my confession and not implicate her. She has nothing to do with this case."
Xie Lin nodded firmly, "I’m not interested in going out of my way to cause myself trouble. As long as you confess the mastermind, anyone not related to the case will not be troubled."
With that assurance from Xie Lin, Wang Su gritted his teeth and revealed, "It’s the Crown Prince’s Consort."
Xie Lin narrowed his eyes, moved to a side table, and began to write out the confession, "Tell me everything in detail."
He proceeded to recount in detail how the Crown Prince’s Consort had someone approach him, threatening him with someone he cared for in the palace. Three years ago, not only did Xie Lin see that person in the palace, but somehow, the Crown Prince’s Consort also knew about her and used this to threaten him.
"Young Master Xie," he hesitated, "You promised not to involve the person in the palace, but this confession..." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
"Don’t worry. I need to verify your confession before I can submit it, especially given that it implicates the Crown Prince’s Consort, which is a big deal. If my investigation shows she has nothing to do with this, I will edit the confession I submit, removing any mention of her," Xie Lin said without raising his head. "As I said, I do not want to invite trouble. Just understand that."
And so, Wang Su resumed his recounting, "Feeling helpless, I sought out my fellow disciple, Guang Zhen. I blackmailed him with information I held against him, promising that even if I were to die once the deed was done, I would take his secret to my grave. Brother Guang Zhen is the stubborn sort... I am to blame for his predicament."
Xie Lin continued to write, not showing any overt reaction.
Wang Su kept on, "As a first-time killer, Guang Zhen was bound to make mistakes. He thought he would be safe once he had done the deed, burying the body on the back hill where there were many wild animals. He hadn’t expected Young Master Zhou and Commander He to not only locate Ding Man’s burial spot, but also to trace it back to the Buddha Temple and interrogate every monk there. It only took a few words from each to expose us..."
Although Xie Lin hadn’t seen Zhou Gu’s interrogation firsthand, he could guess that with Zhou Gu’s cleverness, it would not have been hard for him to identify the culprits amongst hundreds. Otherwise, Zhou Gu wouldn’t be considered the most intelligent one in the Duke Residence and nurtured meticulously by the old Duke and the Eastern Palace.
After Wang Su finished his confession, Xie Lin put away his writing brush and handed the paper over for Wang Su to sign.
"Young Master Xie," Wang Su reconfirmed, "Once I sign this, you can use this paper to present my confession in court."
Xie Lin nodded, "That’s right, but the reason I asked you to sign this wasn’t to use it as a confession to turn in. After all, I’ve already said, I do not want to invite unnecessary trouble. I need your sign so that you’ll stay alive, as a witness. Unlike Guang Zhen who is now beyond reach. Otherwise, I will not only release this confession but also expose the person you protected."
He looked at Wang Su, "Do you understand what I’m saying, Master Wang Su?"
Wang Su nodded, "I understand."
His only option was to trust that Xie Lin genuinely did not want to invite trouble. As long as he didn’t seek death, Xie Lin would honour his word. Thus, he signed his name on the paper.
Leaving the dungeon under the Duke Residence, Xie Lin sighed to himself. Sure enough, this case needed to be convoluted enough to involve his father and the Emperor. He also understood why his father had not transferred Wang Su to the prisons of the Ministry of Justice or the Dali Temple and instead had kept him under watch at the Duke Residence.
Now that Wang Su was implicating the Crown Prince’s Consort, the case had become even more complicated.
If it truly was the Crown Prince’s Consort, then it would be understandable why she would want to harm Su Rong and kill Zhou Gu. But did the Crown Prince’s Consort really have the capability to do it all alone? Did she act on her own, or was she directed by the Crown Prince Yan Li, or did the Marquis Nanping Residence have a hand in it?
Xie Lin made his way back to the Rui’an King Residence without seeking Zhou Gu. He decided to wait for his father to return from the palace. Naturally, his father had to know about Wang Su’s confession. Even though Xie Lin kept his calm in front of Wang Su, the fact that the Crown Prince’s Consort was implicated was more than he could handle.
Upon learning that Xie Lin had left the Duke Residence in a hurry, Zhou Gu immediately knew that Xie Lin had obtained vital information from the interrogation. He dropped what he was doing and ordered one of his men, "Quickly, follow Xie Lin and ensure he returns safely to the Rui’an King Residence."
Having learned from past mistakes, he couldn’t afford to take Xie Lin’s safety lightly anymore.
His commands were promptly carried out.
Xie Lin, who had arrived at the Duke Residence on horseback, naturally left the same way. Realizing he was hurrying, he slowed his pace lest he draw unwanted attention, especially as many people already knew Wang Su was being held at the Duke Residence. Once his horse reached a certain street, two arrows suddenly flew towards him from both sides. One aimed for his head, the other at his heart.
One of the guards following Xie Lin rushed forward and deflected one of the arrows. Before he could react to the other, a figure leaped out from behind and deflected it with a sword. Almost simultaneously, countless people rushed forward, forming a protective circle around Xie Lin.
Xie Lin was momentarily stunned. He sat on his horse, staring blankly at the people who had rushed out to protect him and the arrows lying on the ground.
Soon, however, he snapped out of his daze and ordered, "Capture them quickly!"
After the attacks on Su Rong and Zhou Gu, it was finally Xie Lin’s turn to be assaulted in broad daylight.
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