The Questioning

Beneath the expanse of the city defense canopy, the sunlight was no longer blindingly harsh. In a small courtyard nestled within a bamboo grove, two handsome young men sat opposite each other over a game of Go, black and white stones already covering the board. Si Zijing's features were soft and delicate, bearing a teasing smile. "Xiao Qingzi, looks like you've lost again." Mu Qing silently raised his eyelids, his tone tinged with helplessness. "You're in the capital, yet you still have the leisure to dabble in such frivolous pastimes. You truly must have too much free time." The corners of Si Zijing's lips curled as he completely ignored the remark to boast smugly, "Ah? How did you know I often get to play against the Lord Chancellor?" "..." A wave of silence washed through Mu Qing's heart, though outwardly he gave no sign beyond rolling his eyes. "Smug bastard. Who asked you?" Si Zijing shrugged, mirth dancing in his eyes. "Back when we were at the Honglin Academy, every time you met the Chancellor, you could brag about it to the rest of us for half a month. Forgotten so quickly?" The Honglin Academy was an institution for cultivating talent that rivaled the Hanlin Academy, belonging exclusively to the Prime Minister's Manor. Hearing this, Mu Qing fell quiet for a moment, then chuckled dryly and shook his head. "How many years has it been since then? You're still bringing it up." "Can't help it. I'm a nostalgic man." "Alright, that's enough." "You didn't come all this way just to reminisce. What is your actual business?" "Why can't we reminisce? Of all our peers from back then, only the two of us can still speak as equals. Let's talk personal matters first; it won't be too late to get to official business after." "Then speak." "..." Seeing this, Si Zijing could only let out a soft sigh, his expression turning solemn. "The Lord Chancellor and Lady Lou Ji place great trust in you. You shouldn't betray that trust." The moment those words landed, Mu Qing's mind went completely blank. Fortunately, years of habit had conditioned him to show neither joy nor anger, and he replied in a steady voice, "Is this a personal matter, or official business?" Si Zijing gave a dry chuckle and smiled. "Personal, of course. If it were official business, I wouldn't be the one standing here. At the New Year banquet earlier this year, looking through the dossiers didn't tell me much, but coming to your turf this time, I finally realized what a wretched mess things have devolved into." Mu Qing was quiet for a moment, then grunted, "A small backwater cannot compare to your capital. Resources of every kind are stretched to their limits. What would you have me do?" Si Zijing did not respond to the excuse. Instead, he stared at him, enunciating each word: "Mu Qing, if you keep going down this path, Chief Lou and the Chancellor might truly give up on you." "Whether they give up on me or not doesn't matter. Staying here in this frontier outpost suits me just fine." "There's no need to be sarcastic." Si Zijing spoke in a slow, earnest voice, full of heartfelt gravity. "What happened back then was truly not your fault. But with your standing, you should know that when someone sits in the Chancellor's seat, more often than not, right and wrong cannot be judged solely by the facts." "So you, the big shot from the capital, came all this way just to lecture me?" "I simply don't wish to see the former top student of the Honglin Academy reduced to this." "..." "..." "...Let's just talk business." "Fine." Si Zijing stared at his former confidant, nodded, and spoke solemnly: "You know that when it comes to business, I dislike wasting words. So I'll keep it brief. I came here for only one thing: the sects are scheming to overthrow Zhenxi Manor, and a certain lord has already arrived in person. I need you to mobilize all the Source Crystals and war stockpiles that the Black Scale Guards hold in Xize Province." Hearing this, Mu Qing fell quiet for a brief moment, then casually retrieved an emblem from his Sumeru ring and tossed it over. "Zitan Road, Shop Seven of the Jia Block. The passphrase is 'monkey wine.'" "Good." Si Zijing rose without offering any formal courtesies. He casually waved a hand, turning to leave as he spoke: "Now that the city-protecting array is active, a major battle could break out at any moment. I'll go collect the supplies first. Get yourself ready as well; I'll see you at the prefectural yamen in two hours." With those words, Si Zijing vanished from the spot in an instant, leaving Mu Qing alone in the bamboo grove. Mu Qing gazed down at the crisscrossing stones on the board for several breaths, then slowly stood up and paced toward the courtyard exit. Yet after taking only two steps, he abruptly stopped. Turning his head, he glanced back at the game board once more, a faint sigh lingering in his dark eyes. As his figure vanished around the corner of the courtyard, a gentle breeze swept through. The board in the pavilion crumbled into powder, scattering with the wind... "..." "..." Watching this scene from several hundred paces away, Si Zijing let out a soft sigh. He lowered his gaze to glance at the mark in his palm that he had quietly planted on Mu Qing during their conversation, murmuring in a low whisper, "As expected, you're hiding other things. When the Chancellor transferred you to Xize Province, how was it not also a test? You chose the wrong path... don't blame your brother on the road to the Yellow Springs." *** When Li Junwu arrived at the Xuanting military camp, to her surprise, Lu Baizou was already waiting there, as though he had long anticipated her arrival. And even more unexpectedly, beside Lu Baizou stood a crowd of high-ranking generals she had just seen in the prefectural yamen, among whom was even the veteran General Jin, who had already been marked as a loyal officer. Dismounting her horse, Li Junwu slightly clenched her fists beneath her brownish-yellow armor. Sweeping her gaze over the officers gathered at the camp entrance, she asked, "This princess recalls having just assigned city defense duties. For what reason have you gathered here?" Her cold, clear voice carried across, reaching the ears of every person present, yet not a single one spoke. Amidst the silence, Lu Baizou took a step forward, cupped his hands in salute to Li Junwu, and said in a deep voice, "Princess, out on the streets, there are too many ears. Please step into the camp first." "..." Seeing this, Li Junwu could not comprehend what was happening. She could not fathom why the generals she had just reined in now stood on Lu Baizou's side, as if they had all been fed a bewitching potion. Her thoughts racing, Li Junwu furrowed her brows. Casting a glance over the men present, she took the lead and walked through the camp gates. Once she entered, the assembled officers filed in behind her. Flanked by the generals—or rather, kept under their watchful eyes—the group traversed several courtyards, turned a corner, and the moment they stepped onto the military drill grounds, Li Junwu instinctively froze in her tracks. Across the drill grounds stood thousands upon thousands of armored soldiers, clad in heavy armor, gripping keen weapons, their killing intent palpable and stern. Lu Baizou took a step forward, gesturing for Li Junwu to ascend the Suwu Platform. As the dozen or so figures mounted the dais, the gaze of over ten thousand soldiers followed them. After a brief silence, Li Junwu spoke coldly, "Commander Lu, you brought this princess to the drill grounds. Can you tell me what this is about now?" Lu Baizou swept his gaze over the ten thousand Zhenxi elites below and projected his voice: "Princess, Lu has three questions. "Before your disappearance, you reported to the Marquis that you had captured the Great Desert Divine Maiden alive. Today, you have returned to the city. May I ask where that Divine Maiden of the Great Desert is right now?" With that, without waiting for Li Junwu to reply, he spoke again: "When the gates opened today, soldiers witnessed a woman entering the city with a wolf-shaped demonic beast, suspected to be the Great Desert Linlang. May I ask where that demonic wolf is now? "Princess, you claim Saints will assault the city. May I ask where your information came from? Did it come from the mouth of that Great Desert demoness? "To these three questions, I implore the Princess to resolve the doubts of the Zhenxi Army's myriad soldiers! "We implore the Princess to activate the array and search the city before these myriad soldiers!"