Taking advantage of the dim night, Qiu Zeyu shook off his tail and made his way to a small courtyard in Lin'an City. He took out his token, flashed it, and quickly entered the courtyard.
Upon entering the inner chamber, the Emperor was listening to the proceedings behind a curtain and gestured for him to be quiet. Qiu Zeyu respectfully clasped his hands in obeisance and stood at the lower end of the table to listen.
Someone in front asked, "I advise you to tell the truth to avoid physical suffering. Do you know that our master has already investigated everything you have done? Even if you don't say a word today, you will not escape death."
Through the gauze curtain, Qiu Zeyu could vaguely see that the person being interrogated was the fake Taoist priest from the dilapidated temple outside the city.
Although the Taoist priest was tightly bound, he still stubbornly kept a straight face, as if he was ready to be killed or tortured at will.
The portly steward grinned and said, "You don't have to say anything. Then you won't have to keep your little grandson, who's been living away from home, well fed and cared for." He glanced furtively at the other side, then looked up and said, "That child looks very clever; he'll be a promising future. Alright, alright, someone come here!"
The fake Taoist priest still didn't believe him, because his daughter had been missing for years, and despite using countless connections in the underworld, he hadn't found a single clue. How could the other party possibly have found her? Besides, fabricating a grandson was utterly ridiculous! Trying to trick him by pointing the finger at Nanfang Nan was absolutely impossible. Even if he wasn't beheaded today, Master Nan would eventually rescue him! Hmph!
Two guards stepped forward, clasped their hands in greeting, and accepted the order.
The portly steward instructed, "Here's what we'll do. Unlike those petty thieves, we act with integrity. Let this old Taoist priest see his little grandson before he dies, otherwise he won't even recognize him on his way to the underworld. Bring that child up!"
"yes!"
Within two minutes, a thin little boy of about four years old was brought up.
The old Taoist priest tilted his head, glanced at the object, and quickly panicked. He noticed a wooden clownfish hanging around the little boy's neck, already patinaed. It was a piece his daughter had made herself when she was little, and she never took it off; it couldn't be wrong. He immediately shouted, "Child, come here, come here and let Grandpa take a look."
The little boy was terrified and took two steps back, hiding behind the guard. The old man in front of him was covered in blood and missing his right arm. He didn't look like a good person at all; in fact, he was quite frightening.
Seeing this, the portly steward laughed and said, "Look closely, isn't he your little grandson?"
The old Taoist priest didn't say anything, but the stubbornness in his eyes had vanished. The child's features were clearly identical to his daughter's when she was little; even without verifying the information, he was already eighty percent convinced. His tone softened unconsciously, "Who knows if you're just putting on an act to fool me!"
The chubby manager wasn't in a hurry. He kindly said to the little boy, "Zimeng, tell that old man what your mother's name is."
The little boy had been well taken care of by the fat steward these past few days and trusted him completely. He looked at the old Taoist priest tied up on the ground with bright eyes and said, "My mother's name is Gao Huiniang."
Upon hearing the name Gao Huiniang, the old Taoist priest could no longer hold back and burst into tears, wailing, "Impossible, impossible! I've been looking for her for so many years without a single clue! How could you possibly find her? You must be lying to me, just trying to get information out of me! You must be lying to me."
No one spoke. Although the little boy was a little scared, he still said timidly, "My mother's name is really Gao Huiniang. I'm not lying to you."
The old Taoist priest abruptly stopped crying, staring intently at the little boy's innocent face. He turned to the fat steward and said, "If you can find my daughter and help my family leave this place safely, I will tell you everything I know."
The old Taoist priest glanced at his grandson again and said, "How can you guarantee that you can do it? The person who orders me has connections in the imperial court and in the martial arts world. You can't bring him down."
At this moment, the old Taoist priest still didn't understand which force had captured him.
Seeing that his goal had been achieved, the portly steward clasped his hands and said to those behind the gauze curtain, "Young Master Huang, the perpetrator has agreed to confess everything."
"Hmm!" came a clear voice from behind the curtain. As the voice faded, the curtain slowly rose. Two guards immediately led the little boy away, dismissing the other guards.
The Emperor and the jade-faced scholar beside him were both exposed to the old Taoist priest. The old Taoist priest recognized the murderous jade-faced scholar at a glance, and his eyes could not hide his surprise. Turning his head to look at the young master Huang, whom the fat steward addressed, he immediately understood most of the situation.
The sage said, “Untie him; I have something to ask him.”
The old Taoist priest immediately knelt down and kowtowed, shouting, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The sage said with satisfaction, "Get up."
The old Taoist priest dared not rise, remaining kneeling, and said, "I was unaware that His Majesty had arrived. I spoke recklessly just now, not knowing the consequences. Please, Your Majesty, show leniency and forgive my poor eyesight."
The emperor did not reply, but asked, "Tell me everything you know, and you will be able to make amends for your mistakes."
The old Taoist hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, please forgive my boldness, but I would like to know the whereabouts of my daughter."
This was within the Emperor's expectations. He raised his hand, signaling the fat steward to speak to him.
The portly steward stepped forward and stood next to the old Taoist priest, saying, "Your daughter's name is Gao Huiniang. She has a red beauty mark under her left eye, isn't that right?"
"Yes!" The old Taoist priest gripped his robe tightly with his left hand.
"Two weeks ago, our spies finally found her at the Flower Pavilion!" the fat steward continued. "She's alive."
"Impossible! Hua Yuhe is also one of Master Nan's people, and I work for Master Nan too. She knows that all these years I've been willing to be their lackey just so they can help me find my lost daughter! How dare they lie to me?" The old Taoist stared intently at the fat steward, unable to believe it.
"Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, go and ask around. Her stage name at Hua Man Lou is Chun Yu! You'll know as soon as you ask when she went in!" the fat steward said softly.
"Spring Rain?" the old Taoist murmured repeatedly. Just yesterday, Hua Yuhe had recommended a beauty to serve him, saying she was a top-notch beauty. Three dishes were served, one of which read "Spring Rain"! Because he liked to drink, he finally chose the one called "Crane's Crest Red".
Thinking of this, the old Taoist priest's back was soaked with sweat! Did Hua Yuhe know that Chunyu was the daughter he had been searching for, yet she still maliciously brought her up to disgust him? Was all of this at the behest of Master Nan? If so, hadn't he been kept in the dark all along, a fool who was still working for someone else? Thinking of this, the old Taoist priest gritted his teeth, wishing he could immediately cleave them in two.
"We haven't been able to save Chunyu yet, but we have saved her son, your grandson. You'd better think carefully about what to do next, as it concerns the lives of both mother and son," the fat steward said unhurriedly.
At this moment, the old Taoist priest had given up resisting, kowtowed to the emperor, and said, "I will tell you everything I know, and you may ask me anything."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
