Lord Yao and Li Xue's analysis was correct. Ma Sibei had been engaged in espionage activities for many years, and his contact was a businessman named Wu Qing.
When Wu Qing was young, he did business in Beijing with his father. Since their ancestral home was Yuanxi, the two hit it off immediately.
Wu Qing was generous. At the time, Ma Xiangbei was still relatively young. Although he was an official in the imperial court, his income was not high and he lived a poor life. Wu Qing gave him what he needed and quickly won him over.
By the time he realized he had been bribed, he was already deeply mired in a quagmire from which he could not extricate himself.
He finally realized that Wu Qing was a barbarian and a spy from a foreign country. In addition, he himself was originally from the West and did not have a strong sense of belonging to the Great Northern Dynasty. As long as he could make money, it didn't matter who he served.
From that moment on, Ma Sibei began to follow Wu Qing wholeheartedly and serve him.
However, since their rank was too low to obtain the court's core secrets, the two of them discussed it and established this teahouse.
After collecting useful information, Ma Sibei organized it and then fed it back to Wu Qing.
The teahouse had been operating for over ten years, through which Ma Sibei had obtained a great deal of information he wanted.
Of course, this teahouse could also make money, and that money went into Ma Sibei's pocket.
The emperor sat beside him, listening intently. Although he did not utter a word, he was deeply shaken.
Unexpectedly, a sixth-rank official of the imperial court was able to obtain a large amount of important information from the court and send this important information to foreign countries in a continuous stream. How could the emperors of the Great Northern Dynasty bear this?
Only then did the Fourth Prince ask:
Do you know this Nasbad? Do you know where he is now?
“I have never met this person before, but I have heard Wu Qing mention him. He should be active in the Qing’an Prefecture area.”
"Nasba acts with impunity in the Central Plains, even more so than the people of the Central Plains themselves. Who provides him with this privilege?"
"I don't know that. I heard Wu Qing say that Nashibai stayed in the capital for two days, which was arranged by Ma Pei."
Nashibai's activities in the Qing'an Prefecture area were carried out through Wu Qing's connections, with Ma Pei carrying them out.
"Who is Ma Pei? How did another Ma Pei come up here?"
“Ma Pei is the accountant in the teahouse. He is also a foreigner. Wu Qing arranged everything regarding Naspa. I didn’t get involved.”
Upon hearing that another foreigner named Ma Pei had appeared, the Fourth Prince was so enraged that he picked up the gavel, slammed it on the table, and roared.
“Fan people, Fan people, Fan people again! Tell me, how many Fan people does the Great Northern Dynasty actually have?”
The interrogation continued, and it took two hours for Ma Sibei to finish confessing everything.
As dusk approached, everyone grew weary. Only then did the Fourth Prince speak:
"Take Ma Sibei away and keep him under strict guard. He will be interrogated at a later date."
At this moment, the Fourth Prince's voice was not loud. Despite uncovering such a major case, the Fourth Prince did not seem very excited; on the contrary, he was worried.
Ma Sibei was taken away, and everyone in the room remained silent for a long time.
Ma Sibei's capture went unnoticed by other officials in the court, and Wu Qing and Ma Pei were even less aware of it. During this time, their shops and teahouses would continue to operate as usual.
"Your Majesty, should I split my forces into two groups and raid Wu Qing's shop and Ma Pei's teahouse tonight, and capture the two of them?"
The Emperor pondered for a moment, then spoke:
"Do not take any action for now. If the court takes any action, someone will immediately notify Nabaishi."
Once he receives news from the capital, he will definitely flee, making it impossible to capture him.
Alright, send men to Qing'an Prefecture immediately and have them take immediate action to capture Nashibai.
Three days later, the imperial court took action, not only to arrest Wu Qing and Ma Pei, but also to find out which officials were enjoying themselves in the teahouse.
"The chief ministers of all six ministries are here today, and you are already aware of the matter. If any of you have frequented the teahouse and have not leaked any court secrets, step forward now and admit it, and I will forgive and forget."
Upon hearing this, all the high-ranking officials immediately knelt down.
“We were not involved in this case and have never been to the ‘Listening to the Rain Pavilion’ teahouse. We beg Your Majesty to see the truth.”
"My beloved ministers are all pillars of the nation. I believe you were not involved in this matter. Rise."
What happened today must be kept strictly confidential. If there's nothing else, you may go back.
"We take our leave," the chief ministers of the six ministries said, and then they all departed.
At this moment, only a few people remained in the room. The Emperor looked at the Fourth Prince and said:
"Fourth Prince, you'll have to work hard and arrange for capable people to take the imperial edict to Qing'an Prefecture and cooperate with the local government to make sure Nashi Bai is captured."
"Yes, Your Majesty, please issue the decree. I will arrange for people to set off tonight at top speed. I estimate they will arrive in Qing'an Prefecture within five days."
"In the capital, taking action three days later is entirely feasible. Even if someone wanted to send a message, it would be too late."
That afternoon, Zhao Xian was busy in the workshop when a soldier suddenly came to report.
"Sir, several carriages have arrived outside; they're all here to buy goods."
Zhao Xian was taken aback. Normally, people who come to Shuixian Village to buy goods in large quantities do so in the morning. Isn't it a bit late to come at this time?
It will get dark soon, and if the journey is a little far, we might not be able to get back.
"Who is coming to buy goods at this time?" Zhao Xian asked.
"I don't know him. It seems like this is his first time buying goods. The shopkeeper's surname is Bao, and he said that you know him, sir," the soldier said.
"His surname is Bao. I know him. Could it be him?"
"...His arrival here means something big is about to happen."
Zhao Xian dared not delay and immediately went out to greet him.
Four horse-drawn carriages were parked at the entrance of the workshop. Bao Ping was dressed as a merchant, and several porters followed behind him.
"Who do we have here? It's Manager Bao! You've worked hard. Please come in and have a seat. Have some water first," Zhao Xian said warmly.
"Thank you very much, Lord Shaofu. I'm sorry to have troubled you." After saying this, Bao Ping followed Zhao Xian into the room.
Bao Ping sat down inside, and seven or eight porters immediately stood behind him, lined up in a row.
“General Bao’s arrival in Narcissus Village must mean he has a major operation planned. Is it targeting Nassbai?” Zhao Xian asked.
"The Minister of the Imperial Household is indeed wise. This morning, he received an imperial edict ordering Qing'an Prefecture to take immediate action and arrest Nashi Bai."
"Isn't it a bit too early to arrest Nashibai at this time? Could it be that the imperial court has found the barbarians' hideout?" Zhao Xian asked, somewhat surprised.
"I also have a letter written by Princess Li Xue here. You will understand once you see it, Lord Shaofu."
After Bao Ping finished speaking, he handed Zhao Xian a letter.
Zhao Xian took the letter, opened it immediately, and began to read it.
"It's incredible that the princess actually found a spy agency that had been hidden in the capital for many years."
"Wu Qing's shop turns out to be a stronghold of the barbarians. It seems we can close the net here now," Zhao Xian said excitedly.
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