Chapter 59 Interrogation (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
Wei Baocheng stood there for a long time, and finally Zhou Xiaoyan and Fu Mingzi came over.
He glanced at the two of them cautiously. Fu Mingzi was fine, with a happy expression on her face, but the Fifth Prince looked a little awkward, as if he was embarrassed or stiff.
"Let's go, let's go." Zhou Xiaoyan's words were a little incoherent: "Let's go see that Little Li first." He straightened his expression.
But she couldn't help feeling a little resentful towards Fu Mingzi. A hug would have been fine, but why...?
Zhou Xiaoyan bit his lower lip, recalling how Fu Mingzi's lips had brushed against his cheek in his excitement. Was it intentional? Or was it truly accidental?
Zhou Xiaoyan couldn't help but glance at Fu Mingzi again.
Fu Mingzi smiled with his eyes narrowed, but his heart was not so calm. The seemingly coincidental kiss just now was actually intentional. However, seeing his embarrassed and annoyed look afterward, he couldn't really say it. He could only smile and say it was a coincidence.
However, watching him make wild guesses now, he found it quite amusing. Zhou Xiaoyan, who was usually the most upright and aloof person, had emotional fluctuations because of him. Just thinking about it made Fu Mingzi's heart surge like a fire.
Wei Baocheng was unaware of the subtle tension between the two, and simply replied meekly, "Your Highness, please come this way. This servant has specially found a secluded palace room to lock him up."
Zhou Xiaoyan then came to his senses, pursed his lips, and his face returned to its previous calm.
The journey was peaceful. Wei Baocheng led the way, with Zhou Xiaoyan and Fu Mingzi following behind. The two did not exchange a single word, but an ambiguous atmosphere had been present between them.
Wei Baocheng walked ahead, his stomach rumbling, and he felt a bit sweaty on his back. In the past, Young Master Fu would always find topics to talk about with the Fifth Prince, but today he was suddenly silent, which made people feel a little uncomfortable.
The palace wasn't far, and they arrived quickly. Because the location was somewhat remote, the palace itself looked rather cramped and dilapidated. Wei Baocheng looked a little embarrassed: "Your Highness, please excuse me, Little Li is inside."
Zhou Xiaoyan was unfazed by the dilapidated state of the place. He walked slowly to the window, glanced inside, and sure enough, saw a eunuch with a bruised and swollen face, tied to a pillar.
“You go in and ask him, I won’t go in.” Zhou Xiaoyan looked around for a while, then suddenly changed his mind and looked at Wei Baocheng.
Wei Baocheng was taken aback, not expecting Zhou Xiaoyan to say that, and hurriedly said, "This servant..."
"No need for further words." Zhou Xiaoyan interrupted Wei Baocheng: "Just tell him that I'm afraid I won't be able to come for a while, so you'll have to come and ask him. Just ask him what your fourth brother asked him to do by keeping an eye on me. Remember to put some pressure on him, but don't push him too hard."
Wei Baocheng was somewhat puzzled, not understanding the meaning behind Zhou Xiaoyan's words.
Fu Mingzi couldn't help but laugh when she heard this. Zhou Xiaoyan's move was quite good. Although this little eunuch didn't seem to have a prominent status, he must be someone the Fourth Prince needed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been sent to follow Zhou Xiaoyan.
If Zhou Xiaoyan were to go in and interrogate him at this moment, he probably wouldn't get a single word out of him, and might even put on a show of proving his innocence by dying.
In the end, it was Zhou Xiaoyan who was at a disadvantage.
However, if Wei Baocheng were to ask him questions, it would be different. This would not only show that Zhou Xiaoyan did not value him and gave him the opportunity to manipulate things, but also that Wei Baocheng was also a eunuch and would not put too much psychological pressure on him.
Whether this person is telling the truth or lying, they will inevitably reveal something. Then, by bringing them in front of the Fourth Prince, the Fourth Prince will be the first to feel guilty and will lose face, and will no longer dare to make such small moves.
As for not pushing too far, it's probably because they wanted to plant a spy between the Fourth Prince and this little eunuch. Releasing him without much interrogation would likely leave a lingering resentment in the heart of a deep-thinking person like the Fourth Prince, no matter how magnanimous he appears on the surface.
This can be considered as rendering one of his most capable men useless.
However, all of the above are just Fu Mingzi's guesses. But Fu Mingzi also believes that her guesses are not far from what Zhou Xiaoyan thought.
Wei Baocheng, however, did not have as many tricks up his sleeve as Fu Mingzi. Upon hearing Zhou Xiaoyan's instructions, he accepted the order and went inside.
Zhou Xiaoyan and Fu Mingzi stood by the window, watching everything inside the room.
As soon as Wei Baocheng entered, he kicked Xiao Li, who was lying unconscious on the ground.
"Wake up." The tone was anything but friendly; in fact, it sounded rather impatient.
Little Li slowly opened his eyes, momentarily dazed, then immediately regained his senses, abruptly sitting up and staring intently at Wei Baocheng: "Wei Baocheng, how dare you lay such a cruel hand on me! Our Highness will not let you get away with this!"
Wei Baocheng sneered: "You don't need to act all high and mighty with me. We all know what you're thinking. But our Fifth Prince doesn't have time to argue with someone like you. He sent me to ask you something: what are you up to by following our Prince so suspiciously today? Was it on the orders of your Fourth Prince?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Li breathed a sigh of relief without showing any emotion, then glared at Wei Baocheng through gritted teeth: "What nonsense are you spouting? I'm not with the Fifth Prince at all! I just came out to use the restroom, and you've beaten me up like this! Wei Baocheng, don't think I'm afraid of you just because you're one of the Fifth Prince's men!"
A smile appeared on Wei Baocheng's kind face, but the smile was anything but kind; instead, it carried a sinister undertone.
"I think you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin." Wei Baocheng said in a sinister tone as he walked up to Xiao Lizi and stepped on his fingers. With a crack, all five fingers were probably ruined instantly.
"Ah!" Little Li cried out, trying to back away, but there was a pillar behind him and nowhere to go.
“You know perfectly well where this is. Even if you shout yourself hoarse, no one will hear you. Little Li, for the sake of our past friendship, I'll teach you a lesson.” Wei Baocheng coldly reached out and pinched the boy’s chin: “Don’t try to play tricks on me.”
"I, I didn't..." Little Li was sweating profusely, but he still stubbornly insisted.
Wei Baocheng chuckled and stomped his foot again. Little Li let out a short scream and fell down the pillar.
However, Wei Baocheng was holding his chin, so he couldn't fall to the ground and could only hang there halfway, his face pale.
"You said you needed to use the restroom, but the restroom is in the exact opposite direction from where you went." Wei Baocheng said slowly and deliberately, "Don't tell me you don't know the way. You used to serve tea in the palace. Do you think I don't know that?"
Xiao Li's expression changed drastically as he looked at Wei Baocheng with disbelief. He thought he had concealed the fact that he was originally serving tea in the palace very well. You see, he had even changed his name to hide his previous job. As for his appearance, he was only eleven or twelve years old back then, and it was completely different from what he looked like now. Even the Fourth Prince probably didn't know his background.
But why did Wei Baocheng find out?
Little Li was panicking inside, but he had to put on a calm front and force himself to look at Wei Baocheng.
Actually, it wasn't just Xiao Li Zi who was surprised; Fu Ming Zi, who was standing outside, was also somewhat surprised. Xiao Li Zi used to serve tea in the palace, which was a job in front of the emperor. How could he bear to give up such a job to serve the Fourth Prince?
Fu Mingzi's mind raced, and suddenly she felt as if she had grasped something.
But the situation inside had changed. Little Li knew that continuing to resist was pointless. Besides, he was well aware of Wei Baocheng's methods. He had to cut his losses and survive, otherwise, if word got out about his background, not only would he lose his life, but his family's too...
"I... I noticed that His Highness has been ignoring Fifth Prince lately, and he's been depressed about it for a long time. I couldn't bear it, so I mustered up the courage to ask him if there was any misunderstanding." Little Li's eyes darted around, but his tone was very smooth, as if he had memorized it.
Wei Baocheng scoffed: "Don't try to fool me with these polite words. You should know my methods. If you don't tell the truth, then I won't hold back anymore."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Li seemed to have made up his mind and said through gritted teeth, "It was the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince had previously learned that Young Master Fu seemed to have ulterior motives towards the Fifth Prince, and after seeing the two of them go out, he was afraid that something might happen, so he asked me to follow and take a look. It was out of good intentions, not..." Xiao Li hesitated.
Upon hearing this, Wei Baocheng felt a cold sweat break out. The Fourth Prince had actually seen through Young Master Fu's thoughts, and he, as his personal attendant, hadn't even noticed.
However, Wei Baocheng maintained a calm demeanor and said coldly, "You had better tell the truth."
Little Li hurriedly nodded: "I really am telling the truth, Brother Wei. I committed a crime before the Emperor, and later I asked someone to change my name so that I could serve by the Fourth Prince's side. Please don't tell the Fourth Prince about this. If you ever need anything in the future, I will definitely do my best to help you."
Xiao Li was afraid that Wei Baocheng wouldn't believe him, so he even revealed his weakness.
Wei Baocheng sneered: "You're smart enough to know what's good for you. You just wait and see. I'll go and report to the Fifth Prince. Only after I've reported will I be able to decide your fate."
Leonardo DiCaprio hadn't completely lost his mind, and obediently nodded.
Wei Baocheng stepped out of the room and saw that Zhou Xiaoyan and Fu Mingzi were no longer by the window, but had walked to the gate of the courtyard.
Wei Baocheng hurriedly stepped forward and whispered, "Is Your Highness satisfied?"
Zhou Xiaoyan nodded: "Release them."
Wei Baocheng was stunned: "Just like that?"
Zhou Xiaoyan glanced at him: "Do you have a different opinion?"
Wei Baocheng's expression changed, and he looked somewhat embarrassed: "This servant wouldn't dare." He had initially thought that Zhou Xiaoyan would use this incident to give the Fourth Prince a hard time.
"Then do as instructed. I'll be going now." Zhou Xiaoyan finished giving the order and turned to leave.
Fu Mingzi followed along, his face calm, showing no sign of distress despite having misjudged Zhou Xiaoyan's intentions.
Because he made a new discovery right after Leonardo DiCaprio confessed.
Perhaps Zhou Xiaoyan asked Wei Baocheng to ask the question on his behalf just to confirm one thing: Xiao Li's original identity was that of a eunuch serving tea in the palace.
First of all, Fu Mingzi was certain that what Xiao Lizi said was nonsense. If someone serving the emperor committed a crime, it would be a matter of life and death. Even if they paid to save their lives, no one would dare to place him in front of the prince. At most, he would be sent to the Imperial Stables to feed horses for the rest of his life or to empty chamber pots for the rest of his life.
Since Little Li's fate was not this way, then besides making a mistake and leaving the emperor's court, there is only one other reason: the emperor transferred him away from the emperor's court and sent him to the side of the fourth prince.
Fu Mingzi suddenly understood why the Fourth Prince ascended the throne in Fu Yunjia's dream, even though the Fourth Prince was backed by a powerful family. At the same time, she also understood why Zhou Xiaoyan was so concerned about Consort Wan bullying Consort Wu.
Fu Mingzi's eyes turned cold as he looked towards the main hall. He had underestimated the emperor's shamelessness!
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Author's note: I've been so engrossed in following the drama these past few days that I almost missed updating. I'll fix any bugs later.
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