Chapter 300 — Exposed

Chen Jia was stunned.

Since Song Yan was willing to see him again, it was clear he was deeply interested in what he had to say. But this was his ace in the hole, his one guarantee of survival, and he hoped to sell it for a good price. His original plan had been to force Song Yan to speak first, so that he would hold the initiative and could then negotiate terms with Song Yan.

He had never expected Song Chusheng to give no warning at all and turn hostile on the spot.

Could it be that Song Yan truly did not care about the news he had brought?

Chen Jia did not believe it.

He looked into Song Zhi's eyes.

Song Zhi's eyes were black and lustrous, like stars in the night sky—bright, yet cold, without a trace of warmth, like frost a thousand years old, giving off a piercing chill that let a man feel his ruthlessness and his heartlessness.

Chen Jia's heart quailed.

Perhaps Song Yan was merely putting on an act—but could he afford to gamble on it?

The estate granted by imperial decree in Daxing was Song's territory, the place where Song Yan kept his retainers.

If he willed it, he could tear Chen Jia to pieces at any moment!

It was as though Chen Jia had swallowed bile; a bitter taste spread through his heart.

The situation allowed him no hesitation.

He dropped to his knees before Song Zhi with a thud. "Young Master, it is not that I am putting on airs—it is only that the matter is of grave importance, and for a moment I was so frightened and uncertain I did not know what to do." Here he no longer dared delay, and hurried on: "Four years ago, my adoptive father Chen Zuxun and I were ordered to escort the Duke of Dingguo back to the capital from Fujian. We had only just left Fujian when Zhong Qiao—then commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Northern Depot—suddenly brought a few men and interrogated the Duke of Dingguo alone. My adoptive father and I both assumed he was acting on orders; we were heartsick over it, but the imperial command could not be defied, and we could only sigh over it in private. I even discussed it with my adoptive father—we quietly got hold of some fine medicine for wounds, meaning to slip it to the Duke of Dingguo in secret while on duty. But as it turned out, on the whole journey my adoptive father and I never once had the chance to stand guard over the Duke of Dingguo. My adoptive father said then that there was something strange about the whole business."

As he spoke, Chen Jia paused slightly, as though recalling certain things from those years, and nervously licked his lips.

Song Zhi's heart leapt into his throat, though outwardly he looked utterly unmoved; he picked up his teacup and took a gentle sip.

Seeing this, Chen He quickly and shrewdly withdrew, carefully closing the door behind him.

Song Yan and the Duke of Dingguo were as close as father and son.

Behind the screen, Dou Yan greatly admired Song Zhi's composure.

She watched Chen Jia without blinking.

"And then something happened to the Duke of Dingguo." Chen Jia lowered his eyelids. "By rights, if they were acting on orders, Zhong Qiao and his men ought to have been perfectly at ease. But Zhong Qiao and the others seemed very flustered—not only did they forbid us to mention the matter, they also secretly sent word to someone, as though they were discussing something. My adoptive father and I could not help but grow suspicious. And once we entered the capital, we were immediately thrown into confinement by men of the Eastern Depot."

So there was such a thing as this.

The knuckles of Song Yan's hand as he held the teacup had gone somewhat white.

He had always assumed the matter had been the Emperor's will, and had never dared probe deeper.

And on whose orders had Wang Yuan pursued the cause of his elder brother's death?

"Zhong Qiao told us then that Wang Yuan's move was entirely to use the Duke of Dingguo's affair as a pretext to find fault with us of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and that we must not speak carelessly. Whatever the Eastern Depot asked, we were to think thrice before answering, and on no account reveal anything about the Fujian journey.

"Because the Eastern and Western Depots and our Embroidered Uniform Guard have never been on good terms, and ever since Wang Yuan took concurrent command of the Eastern Depot, several times he has joined forces with men of the Western Depot and dealt the Guard heavy losses.

"We suspected nothing else.

"And we understood very well in our hearts that if we let anything slip before the Eastern Depot, even if we escaped with our lives from their hands, the Guard would not spare those who ate with us and fed the enemy. It might even bring ruin on our families.

"During the Eastern Depot's interrogation, we all kept our mouths shut, and as Zhong Qiao had said, not one of us revealed the true circumstances of the Duke of Dingguo's death.

"Wang Yuan questioned us for several days, got nothing of use, and let us go."

"Ah!" Dou Yan let out a low gasp of astonishment—but the sound had barely left her throat when she sensed something amiss and quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.

But it was too late. Chen Jia, whose every hair had nearly stood on end with vigilance, realized at once that there was someone behind the screen.

And it was a woman!

But he dared not raise his head.

He did not know what Song Yan meant by it, and still less did he know who might be behind that screen…

Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down Chen Jia's face.

Seeing that Song Yan merely drank his tea with an air of indifference, he dared not keep silent, and had no choice but to steel himself and go on: "My adoptive father and I thought the whole thing too bizarre—since Wang Yuan had stuck his hand in, how could he give up so easily? And I had a vague foreboding. I privately approached several of the men who had gone with us to Fujian on official business and asked what the Eastern Depot had questioned them about. They all said the Eastern Depot had at first asked only about the cause of the Duke of Dingguo's death, and then, finding they could get nothing, asked a few questions about who had gone to Fujian on official business, released them, and pressed no further—as though they were merely ascertaining which men had gone to Fujian, and not at all, as Zhong Qiao had said, investigating the cause of the Duke of Dingguo's death."

The screen behind Song Yan seemed unfathomable and mysterious, and it left him deeply uneasy.

"I told my adoptive father of this. He thought Wang Yuan was likely feinting with his spear while aiming elsewhere—that in all probability some harsher means awaited the Guard. Since we had been to Fujian, if the matter came to light, we would most likely be the first to bear the brunt and become the sacrifices. He told me to find out whom Zhong Qiao had been secretly in contact with at the time; perhaps I might turn up some clue.

"On my adoptive father's orders, I investigated the matter in secret."

As he spoke, he raised his head and looked at Song Yan, a complex of hesitation and struggle showing on his face.

Something stirred in Song Kejin's heart, and a crack appeared in his perfect mask. "What did you find?"

His cold voice nonetheless gave Chen Jia boundless hope.

"I found that after the Duke of Dingguo's death, Zhong Qiao had been in contact with Ding Wei, the military governor of Shaanxi."

Chen Jia's voice was a little hoarse, and yet it made the hand holding Song Yan's teacup tremble slightly.