It's hard to open the iron gate
Feng Chuang was secretly imprisoned in the deepest death row of the Imperial City Prison, a place isolated from the outside and the most tightly controlled by the Imperial City Prison. Xiao Jingche issued a strict order, at all costs, to pry open Feng Chuang's mouth and dig out the roots of "Ninth Brother".
However, the difficulty of the interrogation was beyond imagination.
Feng Chuang, knowing he was doomed, steeled his resolve. Conventional torture had little effect on a veteran like him. He either closed his eyes and remained silent, or he launched into a volley of curses against Cao Jin and the interrogating officers, his language so obscene and involving palace secrets that the clerks, terrified, dared not record everything.
After days of torture, Feng Chuang was practically unrecognizable, yet he never revealed a single iota of his crucial intelligence about "Ninth Brother." He simply kept shouting, "You castrated fools, are you worthy enough to know the true face of 'Ninth Brother'? When 'Ninth Brother' is free, he will make sure you all die without a burial place!"
Cao Jin was terribly anxious, yet helpless. He knew His Majesty was waiting for the results, and the Empress was undoubtedly watching closely. If he didn't find anything, his life would be in jeopardy.
Just when the interrogation reached a stalemate, Lu Qinglan sent Cao Jin a small packet of colorless and odorless powder through special channels, along with a note with four words on it: "Attacking the heart is the best approach, maybe give it a try."
Cao Jin was skeptical, but determined to save his life, he ordered the powder mixed into Feng Chuang's drinking water. Within half a day, Feng Chuang began to experience symptoms of mental confusion and incessant delirium, as if in a trance. Under the interrogator's conscious guidance, he began to speak in fragmented sentences.
"...jade ring...token...south of the city...dry well..."
"...that person in the palace...likes...white camellia..."
"...Grain transport...March 3rd...Cargo..."
These fragmented words were unclear in meaning, but they were like a treasure to Cao Jin. He immediately ordered his men to follow these clues and make every effort to track them down.
Discoveries soon arose regarding the "jade ring" and the "dry well in the south of the city." At the bottom of a dry well in an abandoned manor in the south of the city, the Imperial City Bureau discovered half a jade ring with a unique dragon pattern, apparently a token of some kind. As for the noblewoman in the palace who "loved white camellia," investigation revealed the only one who favored white camellia was the long-deceased Empress Dowager Duanhui (Xiao Jingche's stepmother). However, her former harem members had long since dispersed, and the clues seemed to have been lost.
The only thing that cannot be verified for the time being is "Grain Transport on the Third Day of March", because it is still too early to arrive on the third day of March next year.
Cao Jin reported the progress of the interrogation (primarily the fragmentary information and the discovery of the jade ring) to Xiao Jingche. Xiao Jingche held the half of the dragon-patterned jade ring, his brow furrowed. He seemed to have seen the shape of this jade ring somewhere before, but he couldn't place it. Feng Chuang's mention of "the one in the palace" only fueled his suspicions. Could it be that "Ninth Brother" had indeed extended his reach into the late emperor's harem?
Just as Xiao Jingche and Cao Jin were racking their brains for these fragmented pieces of information, the counterattack of the "Ninth Brother" forces had quietly launched like a poisonous snake in the dark night.
The first attack was directed at the Flying Tiger Battalion, which had just put down the rebellion.
Late in the night of the fifth day after Feng Chuang's arrest and the temporary takeover of the Flying Tigers by the Imperial Guards, several large warehouses storing fodder suddenly caught fire simultaneously! The blaze spread rapidly, and although it was extinguished in a timely manner, it still destroyed some of the fodder, triggering a new round of panic in the camp. The arsonist was highly skilled, leaving no obvious traces, clearly the work of someone with intimate knowledge of the camp's interior.
Almost that same night, Zhou Zhen, acting as the commander of the capital's garrison, was attacked by a hidden arrow on his way home! If not for the desperate protection of his personal guards, he would have nearly died. The assassin missed his target and immediately fled, never to be seen again.
These two incidents were aimed directly at the military power in the capital that had just been stabilized, with the intention of creating chaos and intimidating the court.
The second attack was even more sinister and vicious.
Wang Quan, the Imperial Censorate official who had impeached Han Mingyuan, unexpectedly hanged himself in his study while on leave at home! He left behind a "suicide note" lamenting the persecution he had endured from "certain forces" for impeaching Han Mingyuan, expressing his unbearable humiliation and the desire to die to demonstrate his resolve.
This incident caused an uproar in the court and the country! Although Wang Quan's death was shrouded in mystery (his family claimed there were no abnormalities before his death), this "suicide note" subtly directed public opinion towards Han Mingyuan, who had just been reinstated and was enjoying great success, and Lu Qinglan, who was behind him! For a time, rumors of "the empress eliminating dissidents and forcing the censors to death" spread like wildfire.
This series of events caused Xiao Jingche's nerves, which had just been relieved by the capture of Feng Chuang, to become tense again. The counterattack of "Ninth Brother"'s forces was so swift and so brutal! Not only did they still have remnants of power in the army, they also extended their tentacles into the court, capitalizing on the death of the censor!
He felt an invisible net tightening, his opponent hiding in the shadows, his tactics endless. What frightened him even more was that the "person in the palace" Feng Chuang mentioned in his hallucinations was like a thorn, deeply piercing his heart.
In Kunning Palace, Lu Qinglan listened to Fu Yu's report with a cold expression.
"Arson, assassination, frame-up... they've run out of tricks." She said with a hint of disdain. "Feng Chuang was caught, and they've lost a hand. They're desperate."
"Your Majesty, the rumors surrounding Wang Quan's death are quite detrimental to Lord Han and you..."
"The clear will be clear, and the turbid will be turbid." Lu Qinglan interrupted, "Tell Han Mingyuan to close the door and refuse visitors. Don't pay attention to the outside world. Your Majesty is more eager to find out the true cause of Wang Quan's death than we are." She paused and asked, "Does Prime Minister Gu have any explanation for the half jade ring?"
Fu Yu replied, "We have managed to have Prime Minister Gu 'accidentally' see the pattern of the jade ring. Prime Minister Gu seemed extremely shocked, but did not say much, only saying that this item was of great significance and that we must be cautious."
Lu Qinglan nodded. Even Gu Zhao had this attitude, so the origin of the jade ring must be very complicated.
"Tell Cao Jin that Feng Chuang cannot die and must be kept alive. Continue to dig deeper into those fragmented information, especially... focusing on the old events related to the jade ring in the late emperor's later years." Lu Qinglan's eyes were deep. "Also, have our people keep a close eye on the grain transport. The third day of March may be an important day."
While the iron gates haven't been fully opened, cracks have appeared. "Ninth Brother"'s counterattack, though fierce, has also revealed its continued activity. The contest has entered its second half, with both sides racing against time, searching for the key to victory. And that mysterious half of the dragon-patterned jade ring seems to be pointing the way to the final solution.
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