Chapter 406: Interrogate
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“This is impossible!” Consort Lu shook her head and said.
Everyone looked towards her.
Consort Lu’s dignified and beautiful face showed a smile. “From what I know, these elite cavalries had to pa.s.s three stages of inspection to enter the Fairy’s Capital, the General Resident, the Ministry of War, and the secret guardians from the Imperial House. As long as their ident.i.ty is ambiguous, they won’t be allowed into the Fairy’s Capital.”
All the women looked utterly shocked.
Although they knew that it was difficult for those cavalries to enter the Fairy’s Capital and that they had to go through steps of inspection, they were unclear of what the exact stages were that they had to go through. From what Consort Lu said, they only understood it, it sounded like a strict and thorough process to them, such that a traitor would not be able to make his way in.
The General Resident, the Ministry of War and even the secret guardians of the Imperial House were formed from elites. No matter how powerful the traitor was, he could forget about concealing his ident.i.ty from those geniuses, if it was Lu Yurong, he would certainly be done for.
“Aunty, I don’t know how the traitor managed to get in. But I know what Chu Li is capable of, he got rid of all my informants in the Yi Public House, most of them were just hanging around and were never activated, they showed no signs at all but he got rid of them anyway,” Lu Yurong said.
“Chu Li has such capabilities?” Consort Lu was amazed.
She was not just a rich princess who knew nothing at all, she had a rather good understanding of those matters.
Those informants who were not activated at all meant that they had no suspicious movements, so they did not cause suspicion.
Consort Lu also knew what Lu Yurong was capable of, those informants had only one contact and did not know who their partners were. If they were still eliminated, it could only be because Chu Li indeed had astounding capabilities.
Lu Yurong smiled and looked at Leng Qing. “How did he notice it?”
Leng Qing shook her head.
Lu Yurong smiled and said, “Whether it’s true or not, we will know the outcome of it very soon.”
While they were talking, a team of cavalry with red cloths tied on their arms rumbled back, they stopped downstairs and did not move an inch, as if they were stuck to the ground.
There were twenty-two men in this cavalry team, but when all the horses galloped at once, it actually seemed like an impressive display of manpower.
They sat on their horses without moving. Their horses remained still as well, an inexplicable and insistent imposing manner was emitted from them.
Under the sunlight, their armors shone brightly. Since their helmets covered their faces, it made them look hideous and horrifying, as if they were grim reapers ready at any moment to take away lives.
“Let us go down and take a look,” Prince Ba said.
Chu Li said, “Royal Highness, you’re not afraid that it will cause an uprising?”
“As long as there’s irrefutable evidence, what can they say? Calling them up individually will only cause various suspicions among them, so we might as will expose it to the public!” Prince Bao shook his head.
“That works too.” Chu Li nodded.
Prince Bao had a thorough thought process, he was very cautious with each step he took and did not leave any causes for gossip, which was very unlike a Prince’s conduct. He gave out a feeling as though he was walking on thin ice.
It looked like it was not easy being the Prince, it was not as grand as what everyone thought.
The both of them arrived downstairs and stood before the twenty-two cavalrymen.
Through their armor, the twenty-two cavalrymen looked at the both of them, they gave out a feeling of inauspicious power.
Prince Bao turned around and looked at Chu Li. “Which one?”
Chu Li pointed at one of the men.
Prince Bao looked from head to toe at the cavalryman that Chu Li pointed at.
The man had a tall and built physique, which made him stand out from the twenty-two cavalrymen, he could be recognized at once. The inauspicious power he gave out was like an essence, it was clear that he had killed quite a number of people and performed many praiseworthy services before.
Prince Bao frowned.
In the course of normal events, someone like him would not fit to be a traitor as he was too conspicuous. Every action and movement he made would be under people’s attention at all times. Should there be any inapposite manner, people would notice.
Furthermore, once Prince Bao looked at his imposing manner, he grew a favorable impression of him, he looked so stern with a heroic spirit, which somehow made people feel respectful towards him.
“It is really him?” Prince Bao asked in a hoa.r.s.e voice.
Chu Li nodded slowly.
Everyone stared at the both of them, they had no clue of what they were talking about.
“Very well, if that’s the case, I will trust you this time! You, fall out!” King An turned around and pointed at the well-built cavalryman.
The well-built cavalryman knocked his heel lightly, causing the horse beneath him to move a step forward and stopped before the two of them.
Prince Bao ordered, “Get off the horse and take off your helmet!”
The well-built cavalryman leaped off his horse gently and lifted his helmet. He had a bold face with a heroic spirit.
He removed his helmet and hung it on the saddle, then he did a fist salute and said, “I’m Zhou Zhixiong, field officer of the Po Feng Battalion, greetings, Royal Highness!”
Prince Bao examined Zhou Zhixiong from head to toe.
However Prince Bao looked, Zhou Zhixiong did not seem like a traitor to him, in fact, he grew fond of Zhou Zhixiong immediately. He showed a heroic spirit and was a figure with born leaders.h.i.+p aspects. With proper training, he could be a valiant military leader!
Chu Li asked, “You’re from the Li Dynasty, am I right?”
Zhou Zhixiong was stunned, then he stared at Chu Li as he frowned in dissatisfaction. “Who are you, brother? I was born in the Li Dynasty, from Green Hill Road in the Green Mountain Town!”
“Oh——? Are you really from the Green Mountain Town?” Chu Li laughed.
Zhou Zhixiong stared at Chu Li coldly then turned to look at Prince Bao. “Royal Highness, what does this brother intend to do? I’m undoubtedly from the Green Mountain Town, why does this brother insist that I’m from the Li Dynasty?”
“This is Chu Li, the Head Chief from the Imperial Residence of King An. In the normal course of events, you pa.s.sed through all stages of inspection, so there should be nothing wrong with your ident.i.ty, but Head Chief Chu thinks that you’re suspicious, so he’ll ask you a few questions, you just have to answer them accordingly.” Prince Bao smiled.
Zhou Zhixiong widened his eyes, he scoffed angrily. “What enmity do you have with me, Head Chief Chu, why are you framing me?!”
As he was already overflowing with killing intent, once Zhou Zhixiong widened his eyes, his imposing manner became even stronger. He looked like a ferocious beast pouncing towards them.
Chu Li laughed and said, “Since you’re from the Green Mountain Town, have you seen Lady Lu from the Ren Public House?”
“Of course,” Zhou Zhixiong answered.
Chu Li said, “Then can you recognize which one is Lady Lu?”
Chu Li pointed towards the gazebo that was far away, the ladies were sitting inside and were looking towards them.
Zhou Zhixiong racked his brain.
‘It might very well have been a trap, why would Lady Lu be at such an occasion?’
Lady Lu was the Eldest Lady in the Ren Public House, but the womenfolk present were from the Imperial Residence, which was incoherent with Lu Yurong’s ident.i.ty.
However, what if he was the only one who was unclear of what was going on? Lu Yurong might actually be there.
Zhou Zhixiong shook his head and said, “Lady Lu always covers her face with a white veil when she leaves the Public House, I’ve never seen her face before!”
Prince Bao smiled and said, “Then can you recognize her from behind?”
“Royal Highness, I don’t have such a good sight. I can’t tell from their backs which one is Lady Lu!” Zhou Zhixiong replied in a low tone.
“Hmm, that is understandable.” Prince Bao nodded and looked at Chu Li.
Chu Li smiled.
Zhou Zhixiong reacted extremely fast with his wits, he obviously had not seen Lu Yurong before, but he could find such an excuse to avoid the question.
He was indeed from the Green Mountain Town, the reason Chu Li asked him that was to show his weakness.
Chu Li only knew that something was wrong with Zhou Zhixiong.
Whether something was wrong with someone, how they appeared, prevention methods, where the loophole was, those questions could not be answered from what Zhou Zhixiong had said.
By the looks of it, Chu Li would have to worm facts out of him bit by bit, to see what he was thinking of to gain more information.
“Chief Chu, I’d like to ask you instead, what do you have against me?! People like us risk our lives and fight in the b.l.o.o.d.y warzone, each time is like a narrow escape. It took us a lot of painstaking effort to perform outstanding services and survive to enter the Fairy’s Capital, but now I have to suffer suspicion like this? … Don’t tell me the cavalries from the Li Dynasty that I have killed were all fake? Do you think that my military meritorious services are fake too? I defied death and have worked so hard, but because of your small suspicion, Head Chief, everything is written off, because of one thing you said, I’m suddenly a traitor?” Zhong Zhixiong scoffed in a hoa.r.s.e voice.
He turned around and looked at the other cavalries. “Brothers, are soldiers like us so untrustworthy that they have to defend against us as they defend against thieves?”
“I agree!”
“Yeah!”
All the cavalries scoffed in hoa.r.s.e voices.
Among the crowd, Zhou Zhixiong was extremely prestigious as he had performed quite a number of commendable military services. Once the cavalries saw that he was being treated unfairly, they sympathized with him as he was one of their kind. As if it was happening to them, they were subconsciously filled with indignation and stared at Chu Li with dissatisfaction.
“Head Chief Chu, what proof do you have? If you don’t have any proof and you call him a traitor with your empty words, you’re going way overboard!” one of the cavalrymen scoffed.
He was still in his armor and his face was being covered by his helmet since his voice was m.u.f.fled too, it was hard to tell who it was.