Chapter 493: Interrogation
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Lin Man read the letter from start to end three times. In the end, he couldn’t help but reread it carefully again. It was very ordinary Chinese. Even if he wasn’t highly educated, he could still recognize the words and understand the letter completely. Could it be that the secret code was in the child’s handprint at the back?
Lin Man aimed the letter at the sun and the flames, but he still didn’t see anything unusual. If not for fear of accidentally destroying the letter, he really wanted to try using water and fire. In the end, he threw the letter to Liu Dahei angrily and said, “What exactly is the meaning of this? To think those corrupt officials sent an old servant to deliver the letter at this time. What is it if not a conspiracy?”
Liu Dahei couldn’t read, so he threw it aside after a glance. He thought for a moment and said, “Why don’t we bring that old servant over and ask her in detail? Could it be that we can’t even pry open the mouth of an old servant?” Lin Man thought about it and agreed. He got someone to bring her up. The old servant who delivered the letter trembled and knelt down in front of the two of them with a plop. She didn’t even have the strength to kowtow. Her entire body collapsed to the ground. “My, my king, please spare me. I’m also a poor person.”
Lin Man spat and said, “You’re a poor person? Then what do you call people like us who barely keep alive on chaff and wild herbs? Tell me, did those corrupt officials send you to deliver news to Qi Haoran? How many people do they plan to send to save him and when?”
Tears and snot streamed down the old servant’s face as she said, “Your Majesty, I’m really a poor person. I’m from Xingzhou Prefecture. Every year, the Jin soldiers plunder resources there. My in-laws and husband are all dead, and my children are scattered and lost. Even though I survived, I had no choice but to sell myself as a slave. Although I’m fed and clothed at my master’s house, I have plenty of chores to do. In addition, I’m stupid, so all the laborious tasks fell upon me.”
Lin Man said irritably, “Did I ask you this? I’m asking why those useless officials of the Imperial Court sent you here.”
Liu Dahei narrowed his eyes and carefully observed the old servant. Although he was illiterate, he was much more meticulous than Lin Man. Compared to what he heard, he was more willing to believe what he saw and analyzed with his mind.
The old servant wiped her tears and snot as she said, “I was sent by Fourth Madam. It has nothing to do with the officials. Fourth Madam has a tough life. She s only married for two years and she’s already about to become a widow.” Just as Lin Man was about to get frustrated, he was suppressed by Liu Dahei, who softened his voice and asked, “The Fourth Madam you’re talking about is Qi Haoran’s wife?”
The old servant nodded repeatedly. “Indeed it’s Fourth Master’s wife. She only married into the family two years ago and is only 16 years old this year. She’s very young. Kings, take pity on her and let Fourth Master off.”
Lin Man sneered. “He’s pitiful? He’s an official, and I’m a bandit. Who’s the pitiful one? That kid got married when he was in his teens. I’m almost 30 years old, but I’m still single. Darned it, who’s the pitiful one?”
The old servant looked at him in a daze, unable to find any words to refute him.
However, Liu Dahei asked, “You said that you were sent by your Fourth Madam. Why did she send you here at this time? Isn’t this putting your life in danger?” The old servant came back to her senses and quickly defended Fourth Madam. “Fourth Madam has no choice. Fourth Master’s memorial arrived 17 days ago, while you’ve surrounded him for 18 days. But the court hasn’t confirmed whether to save him or not.”
Lin Man and Liu Dahei sneered. In their hearts, they despised the Imperial Court. At the same time, they felt relieved.
Our old master doesn’t care about Fourth Master, and Eldest Master is far away in the north. No one in the court can speak up for Fourth Master. Our Fourth Madam was so anxious that she couldn’t eat or drink, but she was harmed by an evil person and gave birth prematurely. Although both mother and son were safe in the end, our Fourth Madam has suffered a fright. She said that if something happened to Fourth Master, she and her son might not be able to survive in the capital. So, she wrote a letter and asked me to bring it over. She said that even if Fourth Master was going to die, she had to let him know that she had given birth to a son for him and let him leave in peace. If she and her son don’t survive, the family of three could accompany each other on the way to the netherworld now that he knows.”
The old servant wiped her tears and said, “I didn’t want to come at first, knowing that I could die. However, Fourth Madam said that rebels are just commoners who are forced into a comer. She was on the same side as me. Fourth Madam even promised me that if I could deliver the letter, regardless of whether I could return alive or not, she would write a letter to Eldest Master and ask him to help me find my lost children. She even promised to raise them. This is a huge favor. I now have nothing to worry about, so I came.”
“My two kings, I beg you to be kind and let our Fourth Master go.”
Lin Man said irritably, “Let him go and let him kill us?”
Smiling, Liu Dahei said, “How about this? Go and tell your Fourth Master that those corrupt officials caused your Fourth Madam to give birth prematurely. Ask him to join us. How about that?”
Qi Haoran was clearly a talented man, to have held up for 18 days with 30,000 enemies surrounding his 3,000 men. If such a talent could be used by him, there would be no worries of failure.
Stunned, the old servant quickly waved her hand. “That won’t do. Many lives would be lost. If Fourth Master joins you, Fourth Madam and Third Young Master will really die.”
“As long as we don’t say anything, who will know? When the time comes, can’t we just get someone to secretly go to the capital and sneak out your Fourth Madam and Third Young Master?”
“No, no.” The old servant shouted, “There’s an army of 200,000 guarding outside. There might be people hiding nearby to gather information. Once Fourth Master surrenders, the capital will immediately know. That’s a huge crime that involves confiscation of assets and extermination of the entire clan. I don’t dare to persuade him.”
Lin Man and Liu Dahei shuddered and could not help but sit up straight. “What did you say? Where is the 200,000-strong army?”
The old servant looked at them in a daze. “You have no idea? Young Master Zijin told my Fourth Madam that the Emperor mobilized 200,000 troops from somewhere to order to intimidate or something. They’re outside Jinghu now.” In disbelief, Lin Man stared at her viciously and said, “Are you playing us for fools? Why didn’t they come to save them when there are 200,000 troops outside?”
The old servant cried out in grievance, “I really don’t know. Young Master Zijin said that they were thinking about the big picture. How would I know about the big picture?”
“Alright.” Liu Dahei waved his hand and said, “You can leave first. If you dare to do anything else, I’ll kill you regardless of whether you’re poor or not.” The old servant shivered and obediently allowed someone to take her away.
Lin Man glared at him. “Don’t tell me you really believe her?”
Liu Dahei lowered his eyes and said, “Don’t forget that other than our two groups, there are seven or eight other groups on the south side of Jinghu. They have a total of 100,000 people. Do you think that the 200,000-strong army will enter alone and let the 100,000-strong rebel army surround them, just to save 3,000 people?”
Lin Man’s face turned pale. “You’re saying that we really are being surrounded by an army of 200,000, and Qj Haoran and his 3,000 men are abandoned?”
Liu Dahei didn’t say anything, but his attitude was clear.
Lin Man cursed angrily and asked, “Our two groups are fighting with Qi Haoran here and don’t know about the news outside. But what about the others? Don’t they know that they’re surrounded by the Imperial Court’s soldiers?”
Liu Dahei opened his eyes and glanced at him.. “Do you think that’s possible?”
Chapter end
