Chapter 40: Trapped in an Attempt to Prove His Innocence
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After leaving Wu Mingkong’s bedchamber, Zhao Yi felt as though he had just taken a stroll through the gates of hell.
He dashed out of the imperial palace without even returning home, making straight for the Shadow Guards’ secret headquarters.
“Tian Yi!”
Zhao Yi kicked open the door and strode inside with a dark expression.
Tian Yi appeared soundlessly before him and bowed.
“My lord.”
“That old dog Wang Defa is proving impossible to kill.” Zhao Yi sat down and rapped his fingers on the table, his face twisted into a vicious scowl. “We’ll have to serve him something substantial.”
He lowered his voice.
“Go find some witnesses and evidence.”
Tian Yi froze for a moment. “My lord, time is rather—”
“Who the hell told you to find real ones?” Zhao Yi swore. “Is your brain made of concrete? Can’t you think outside the box?”
“For instance, find some sixty-year-old widow and have her go to the Ministry of Justice sobbing that Wang Defa broke into her home in the dead of night and tried to violate her!”
The muscles in Tian Yi’s face twitched. His entire body seemed to turn to stone.
Could this… really work?
“How is Wang Defa supposed to prove he didn’t do it?” Zhao Yi sneered. “Can he produce an alibi? His wife and children testify for him? That would be collusion! If no one can prove he didn’t do it, then he did it!”
“Then there’s the one hundred and twenty thousand taels he spent buying those glass cups.”
“Make him explain where the money came from. Could his salary possibly cover it? Did his ancestors strike a gold mine or something?”
“As long as he can’t produce evidence that the money was clean, then it was obtained through embezzlement and bribery!”
“Do you understand now? We don’t need to prove that he’s guilty. We only need to make him prove that he’s innocent!”
“Go dig up some genuine crimes committed by his followers as well. Find out how much they stole and how many people they harmed. Mix the real evidence with the fake, and the fake will become real!”
Zhao Yi delivered this twisted sophistry with such righteous conviction that it was almost persuasive.
Tian Yi felt cold all over. Looking at his master’s face, which seemed to proclaim, “I’m a scoundrel—who’s going to stop me?”, he experienced fear for the first time.
This was no longer mere treachery.
This was rubbing the laws of Great Zhou into the dirt!
“If you understand, then get to work!” Zhao Yi waved impatiently. “Take all this—the people and the evidence—and deliver them to the Minister of Justice!”
“Your subordinate… will obey.”
Tian Yi’s voice was somewhat hoarse as he accepted the order and turned to leave.
He had barely reached the door when Zhao Yi called him back.
“Oh, right.”
Zhao Yi turned around, his expression suddenly taking on a playful cast.
“Who’s our man planted in the Duke of Anguo’s residence?”
Tian Yi stiffened.
“My lord, that is classified information of the Shadow Guards.”
“I asked you what his name is.” Zhao Yi’s tone brooked no argument.
Tian Yi fell silent for a moment. In the end, he lowered his head.
“Little Ye.”
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Zhao Yi’s expression froze.
Little Ye?
Damn!
A storm surged through Zhao Yi’s heart. He had always thought that Little Ye was merely an ordinary servant of Ying’er’s.
He had never imagined that the man was one of Tian Yi’s deepest-planted spies.
Those intelligence agents really were rotten to the core.
…
Once everything had been arranged, Zhao Yi felt much more at ease.
With his hands tucked into his sleeves, he hummed a little tune and ambled toward the secret base outside the city.
The moment he drew near, a rich aroma of wine drifted toward him.
Looking around, he saw the brothers Li Jin and Li Yin sitting shoulder to shoulder in a corner by the wall. Their cheeks were flushed, their eyes unfocused, and they were mumbling drunkenly about something.
Zhao Yi’s face turned black at once.
He lunged forward and kicked each of them hard in the backside.
“Damn you!”
“I told you to brew the wine, and the two of you started drinking it first?”
The brothers shot three feet into the air from the force of the kicks. Most of the drunkenness vanished instantly. When they saw Zhao Yi’s face dark as the bottom of a cooking pot, they dropped to their knees with a thud.
“Please spare us, Young General!”
Li Jin looked as though he were about to cry. “We… we only had a tiny sip. Just one tiny sip!”
Li Yin nodded furiously beside him, then let out a loud belch.
Enraged, Zhao Yi gave each of them another kick.
“From now on, I taste everything you produce first! If I haven’t given permission, no one touches a drop!”
After scolding them, he walked over to the enormous distillation apparatus and filled a bowl with the liquor that had just flowed from the pipe.
The liquor was clear, its fragrance rich and inviting.
He took a sip.
The fiery spirit exploded across his mouth, blazing like a line of fire from his throat all the way down to his stomach.
Wonderful!
It was still far inferior to the famous liquors of later generations, but compared with the turbid swill of this era—stuff that tasted like horse urine—it was pure nectar from heaven!
“Not bad!”
Zhao Yi drained the bowl in one gulp, satisfaction spreading across his face.
He pulled a thick stack of banknotes from his robes and shoved it into the brothers’ arms.
“A reward for you!”
“And double the monthly bonuses for everyone working here!”
Li Jin and Li Yin stared at the thick bundle of banknotes in their arms. Their mournful expressions instantly blossomed into radiant smiles.
Following the Young General was worth being scolded for!
Zhao Yi summoned the head craftsman, Master Zhang, slapped a drawing of a Molotov cocktail down in front of him, and explained his ideas in detail.
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Master Zhang’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. He held the drawing as though it were a priceless treasure.
“Young General, once this is completed, it will surely become a devastating weapon on the battlefield!”
“Enough chatter. Get it made as quickly as possible!” Zhao Yi patted him on the shoulder. “You’ll have all the money and manpower you need!”
He turned to Li Jin and Li Yin.
“Expand production! I want this wine piled high enough to fill the entire warehouse!”
…
After giving all his instructions, Zhao Yi left the base completely satisfied.
Suddenly, he found himself missing his little Ying’er.
She was much better than that foul-mouthed woman who spent all day either threatening to rip out his kidneys or trying to kill him with her eyes.
His Ying’er was the best—soft, fragrant, and sweet.
He changed direction and headed straight for the Duke of Anguo’s residence.
Liu Sanwang was the one who opened the gate again. His smile was just as warm and sincere as ever.
A chill ran through Zhao Yi as he looked at him.
He found Chu Yanran in the waterside pavilion in the rear courtyard.
The young girl was resting her chin on her hand, staring blankly at the colorful carp in the pond.
“What are you thinking about? Thinking of me, perhaps?” Zhao Yi crept up beside her and whispered into her ear.
Chu Yanran jumped. When she turned and saw him, her pretty face flushed bright red.
“You… you scoundrel! You startled me again!”
She lightly struck him with her little fists, though there was no real force behind it. It seemed more like a coquettish protest.
Zhao Yi caught her hand and pulled her into his arms, settling her on his lap.
“Do you want to know what happened afterward? Blue Rabbit was poisoned by Lady Ma while trying to save Rainbow Cat, and she nearly died.”
“What?”
Chu Yanran’s attention was immediately captured by the story. She even forgot that she was sitting on his lap.
Zhao Yi then told her the rest of the tale with vivid enthusiasm. When the story reached its most moving parts, Chu Yanran’s eyes grew misty.
By the time he finished, night had fallen.
Zhao Yi went to pay his respects to Chu Feng, the Duke of Anguo.
The old duke looked more and more pleased as he studied him.
“With Wang Defa gone, I fear the court is about to undergo a great upheaval,” Chu Feng remarked meaningfully.
“This junior understands.” Zhao Yi bowed respectfully. “Please rest assured, Your Grace. I know what I’m doing.”
Chu Feng nodded and said no more.
After leaving the Duke of Anguo’s residence, Zhao Yi felt as though every bone in his body had nearly come apart.
He was exhausted.
He absolutely had to get a good night’s rest.
Tomorrow, another fine spectacle awaited him.
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