Chapter 36: The Interrogation

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Fengzhou Prefecture Prison.

Despite being a prison, it lacked the "familiar" atmosphere that Yan Kuang, who had spent years in the Imperial Guard's Bureau, was accustomed to.

The prison was unnervingly quiet, stirring suspicion in Yan Kuang, who was used to the constant din of the Bureau. There were no groans, no screams, and, pitifully, almost no prisoners at all. What kind of "upright and incorruptible" official could govern such a vast prefecture to this extent?

The head jailer, having lost face earlier because of Yan Kuang, had been seething with rage. All the way here, he had been plotting how to vent his spite on this "arrogant brat." Now, as they entered the dim, gloomy prison, the human impulse for cruelty inevitably intensified.

The head jailer’s face twisted into a mask of malice. He drew his blade and brought it down with a vicious slash—

A sudden, sharp scream pierced the air!

One of the guards had his leg slashed, blood pouring from the wound. Had the blade landed a fraction of an inch closer, it would have surely struck the bone. The others were thrown into a panic; only when they realized the assailant was their own head jailer did they dare to rush over to support the wounded man.

The head jailer suppressed his fury and said with forced composure, "…Quickly, take him away to have his wounds treated!"

Yan Kuang stood to the side, composed and relaxed, his expression that of a spectator watching a play. The unfortunate guard had been walking just in front of him.

The head jailer glared at Yan Kuang, trembling with a mixture of rage and fear. "What exactly is your background! To be so vicious!"

"If I hadn't dodged quickly, my leg would be gone by now. You dare speak to me of being vicious?" Yan Kuang lowered his gaze slightly, radiating an effortless authority. "It seems your memory is poor. I shall say it once more."

He enunciated each word clearly: "Take me to see your Prefect, or tell him to come here and see me."

...

Inside the interrogation hall, the charcoal brazier burned brightly. Yan Kuang looked up; the middle-aged man in the pale scarlet official robe directly ahead must be the Prefect of Fengzhou.

The "Grim Reaper" of the Imperial Guard's Bureau was currently shackled to the rack of this earthly purgatory, unable to move, yet still remained calm and collected.

When the Prefect of Fengzhou failed to recognize Yan Kuang at first glance, Yan Kuang felt a private sense of relief: fortunately, he had never enjoyed socializing in the past, so his face would not reveal his former identity. Nor would it ruin what he was about to do.

Yan Kuang suddenly thought of Han Shaozhen. If it were his uncle, a man whose power held the imperial court in his palm, there would be few in the Great Chu who did not know his face.

The Prefect was sipping tea when the head jailer leaned in to whisper something. The Prefect instantly grew anxious, urging, "Where is he? Why hasn't he come yet?"

"Who is he?" Yan Kuang interrupted at an inopportune moment.

"Audacious criminal!" the head jailer roared. "Who gave you leave to speak?"

Yan Kuang smiled provocatively. "I am a man facing death; what can I not say? And is there anyone I cannot see?"

"My Lord! Do not listen to this thief's gibberish!" The head jailer, harboring deep resentment and eager for revenge, added, "My Lord, in my humble opinion, it would be better to begin the interrogation now!"

The Prefect still appeared hesitant, but the head jailer, unable to wait any longer, grabbed the thickest whip and prepared to strike Yan Kuang.

"Just as my master anticipated, you are not the mastermind, my Lord!"

As soon as Yan Kuang uttered these words, the Prefect’s expression shifted, revealing a complex mix of emotions. He feigned calm and said to the jailer, "Wait."

The jailer’s whip remained suspended in mid-air, and he looked thoroughly dissatisfied at being stopped.

Yan Kuang pressed his advantage: "If I am not mistaken, the mastermind is precisely the person you are waiting for."

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Upon hearing this, the Prefect grew even more nervous, his face darkening. "Who... who sent you here?"

Yan Kuang had only been bluffing to see if there was something amiss in Fengzhou Prefecture. He hadn't expected the Prefect to have such a guilty conscience that he would confess so readily.

Yan Kuang continued to weave his web of deception, feigning mystery. "Who I am is not important; what matters is my master. Has my Lord guessed yet?"

This prompted the Prefect’s imagination to run wild, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

The head jailer could no longer watch this. He stepped forward and struck Yan Kuang twice with the whip!

"My Lord, do not listen to his bewitching words!" the jailer urged. "This thief is cunning; he’s likely just babbling to save his own life! Let me give him a beating, and he’ll be honest!"

The Prefect was jolted back to his senses and cast a suspicious look at Yan Kuang.

The two lashes caused some of Yan Kuang's old wounds to flare up. He frowned slightly, enduring the pain, and said calmly, "Prefect of Fengzhou, Jia Chuan, courtesy name Guangbo; father Jia Ping, former Hanlin scholar. Jia Chuan, you placed 123rd in the second rank of the imperial examinations in the seventeenth year of Shengde, the same year as the current Grand Councilor, Han Shaozhen."

"You were first appointed as an Assistant Prefect of Fengzhou, then promoted to Governor, and four years ago, you were promoted to Prefect of Fengzhou."

"You...!" Prefect Jia was utterly shocked. He quickly ordered the jailer to stop, his palms trembling as he gripped the armrests of his chair.

This time, Yan Kuang was not bluffing; these were the detailed records of officials’ lives kept within the Imperial Guard's Bureau.

As far as Yan Kuang knew, this Jia Chuan was mediocre, lacked ambition, and was skilled at currying favor. He had offered bribes to Han Shaozhen year after year to secure this position as Prefect. Now, he had become deeply entrenched in Fengzhou, acting like an emperor in his own domain.

However, the function of the Imperial Guard's Bureau was never to uphold justice. As long as the Emperor did not wish to move against him, and as long as he did not commit treason or major crimes, the reach of the Bureau did not extend—and should not extend—here.

The head jailer was growing fearful, but he persisted. "My Lord... I believe he is an enemy, not a friend! It would be better to strike first..."

Yan Kuang said, "Killing me is easy. But the person behind me—a mere Prefect of Fengzhou like you, I fear, cannot afford the consequences."

Prefect Jia wiped a palm full of sweat and asked, "Could it be... you are a man of Grand Councilor Han..."

...Han Shaozhen?

Yan Kuang was surprised. Based on his knowledge, Han Shaozhen was Jia Chuan's superior; if Jia Chuan were truly plotting something, he should have coordinated it with Han Shaozhen. Could it be that even Han Shaozhen was unaware of what was happening in Fengzhou?

*It seems Han Shaozhen and his "running dogs" are not as of one mind as I thought,* Yan Kuang mused.

He hadn't intended to fabricate a "master," but since Jia Chuan had asked, he followed the current. "Grand Councilor Han has long been aware of this matter."

"And he is... very displeased."

Far away in the capital, Han Shaozhen couldn't help but sneeze. He then said to his attendants, "The weather is turning cold. Hurry up, send more men, and find the young master as soon as possible..."

Hearing this, Prefect Jia broke into a cold sweat, and the head jailer turned pale. Both men looked at each other, completely at a loss.

Yan Kuang seized the opportunity to fish for more information: "Jia Chuan, you had best make a clean confession. The Xianle Hall, the mastermind, the purpose, the motive—do not omit the important details. Perhaps Grand Councilor Han, in remembrance of old ties, will grant you leniency."

Prefect Jia trembled as he stood up, about to speak, but then his eyes darted as if he had thought of something. He sat back down, leaving the jailer looking on in confusion.

Yan Kuang’s brow furrowed.

Prefect Jia suddenly asked with suspicion, "If Grand Councilor Han already knows everything, why send you to probe? If he truly intended to spare me, he would have sent someone to negotiate terms. If he did not intend to spare me..."

The Prefect’s tone grew increasingly confident, and he even revealed a faint smile before speaking loudly—

"Then the person who arrived should have been Yan Kuang of the Imperial Guard's Bureau!"

Yan Kuang: "..."

He had only recently resigned, and he assumed that in order to stabilize the court, the Emperor had not yet made the news public. And this Prefect Jia was not as dull as he had thought; he had realized the truth at the very last moment.

*It is all my own arrogance,* Yan Kuang sighed inwardly. *I was too impatient. To think that I, a Commander of the Imperial Guard, have almost zero skill in interrogating and extracting information, and have always relied on the "useful tools" hanging on the walls of the imperial prison to get things done.*

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The head jailer finally regained his composure and began to shower the Prefect with praise for his "divine foresight."

Having shaken off the confusion, Prefect Jia regained his confidence and barked at Yan Kuang, "So... you are not one of Grand Councilor Han’s men at all! What is your background, and what is your purpose! Speak!"

With that, Prefect Jia glanced at the jailer and gave a slight nod.

The jailer, seeing a chance to vent his spite, did not hesitate. He waved his hand and gave Yan Kuang a few brutal lashes. Still unsatisfied, he turned his attention to the charcoal brazier that had been neglected for so long.

Yan Kuang knew the methods and force of these local prefectural interrogations; compared to his own, they were hardly worth mentioning, and he could certainly endure them if he had to.

But there was no need.

The jailer used a coarse cloth to carefully pick up the branding iron. With a slight blow, sparks flew everywhere.

Prefect Jia said with leisurely detachment, "This thief is so cunning, he even dared to mock me. We must interrogate him properly..."

Yan Kuang remained silent. His clenched fists slowly relaxed as he suddenly formed another plan.

If he wasn't sent by Han Shaozhen, couldn't he be sent by his arch-rival, Yuan Shanqi? Since Jia Chuan wasn't truly "loyal" to Han Shaozhen, why not offer him another "way out"?

The only problem was that, from the perspective of an interrogator, it would be difficult for anyone to believe anything Yan Kuang said now.

A little physical pain was nothing; he didn't care.

The branding iron emitted a searing heat. Yan Kuang’s expression remained indifferent as he stared unflinchingly into the jailer's eyes.

Suddenly, a metallic clang echoed—followed by a scream!

Accompanying it was the foul, pungent odor of scorched fabric and flesh.

"Senior Brother!"

The cold light of a crescent blade flashed, reflecting the furious beauty of Lin Jiangyue. She had deflected the branding iron, driving it firmly into the flesh of the man who had intended to use it.

"What kind of trash is this! How dare you lay a hand on my Senior Brother!"

"What kind of thing are you! How dare you touch my Big Brother!"

Young Master Han rushed in right behind her, throwing himself onto Yan Kuang, sobbing and snot-nosed.

"What... is everything all right?"

Yan Kuang, who had been frowning under the weight of Young Master Han, looked up and saw the wry, speechless expression of Cheng Ruyi.

He was standing not far away, watching him.

Those moon-bright eyes, once filled with inscrutable emotions and endless tricks, now held only one thing.

Cheng Ruyi had been worried to death. But he dared not approach, nor did he dare to look at Yan Kuang for too long.

This Jia Chuan, and even the jailer, recognized him. They recognized him as the former "unlucky" top scholar, the former Assistant Prefect of Fengzhou.

Yet, despite this, he had risked everything to break in with the others. Once he confirmed Yan Kuang was safe, Cheng Ruyi hurriedly lowered his head and backed away.

He did not know why he had lost his mind and done something so futile and dangerous.

Lin Jiangyue had already slashed through the iron chains to free Yan Kuang, while Han Ning continued to wail beside them.

The jailer had collapsed on the floor, fainted from pain, and Prefect Jia stood there in terror, about to call for guards, when a voice spoke—

"Prefect Jia, there is no need to call for anyone."

Yan Kuang looked toward the sound and saw a man wearing a traditional cap and a dark blue robe walking slowly into the interrogation hall.

The man in the blue robe, whose identity was unknown, bowed to Prefect Jia and said, "My Lord, this man is a friend of mine. I humbly ask that you be lenient and allow me to take him away. In the future, I will certainly provide you with an explanation."