Chapter 45: Arrest and Interrogation

Although it was deep in the night and dead silent, the Guo Manor was far from peaceful. Lanterns at the eaves swayed, and a lean, dark figure had already stealthily slipped into the estate.

In the northwest back courtyard of the Guo Manor, Guo Hongba had already brought two servants to Lady Xie's quarters. Perhaps because he had not stepped foot in here for a long time, a strange and foul odor drifted from the courtyard, causing Guo Hongba to wrinkle his nose in utter disgust.

"Is the mistress inside?"

Guo Hongba called out. Receiving no response from within, he simply kicked the door open and strode heavily into the room. Who would have expected that the moment the door swung open, a basin of filth would pour down from above? A suffocating sensation, akin to drowning, made him reflexively gasp in a huge breath, only to immediately taste human excrement and urine.

"I am right here, husband. Is the shit your wife produced delicious? How does it compare to Dr. Wei's?"

A mocking voice echoed from the room, fueling Guo Hongba's rage even further.

"You wretched woman, how dare you mock me! I'll slaughter you!"

Drawing his saber, he charged into the inner chamber. When his vision finally cleared enough for him to see, he found a tall, imposing man standing before him.

The man turned around. Seeing the two yellowish clumps atop Guo Hongba's head and two streams of foul liquid dripping down his cheeks, the man also covered his nose and mouth in deep aversion.

"Censor Guo, perhaps you should go wash up first? In your current state, I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"Are you the guard beside Censor-in-Chief Xiao? Why are you in my wife's room? Where is my wife?"

"Didn't you just say you wanted to slaughter me, your wife? What deep and irreconcilable hatred could a husband and wife possibly share that would make Censor Guo so full of malice, wishing for nothing more than my death?"

Blinded by fury, Guo Hongba roared at the top of his lungs:

"Kill him for me!"

The retainers stationed within the manor immediately responded to the command, swarming toward Xuanyu. Simultaneously, Xuanyu let out a sharp whistle. Several dark figures instantly vaulted down from the surrounding areas, swiftly subduing and capturing the charging retainers one by one.

Seeing these sudden figures clad in black, Guo Hongba's expression changed drastically: "Who on earth are you?"

Xuanyu's expression turned stern. He immediately raised the token concealed within his sleeve right before Guo Hongba's eyes: "The Inner Guard Bureau, investigating a case. Guo Hongba, you are merely a rank-eight censor, yet you keep so many retainers and concubines in your manor. Where did you get this immense wealth? The Inner Guard Bureau suspects you of corruption, so we request Censor Guo's cooperation with our investigation. Furthermore, two of your concubines were murdered yesterday at noon; we have even graver suspicions that you are the murderer."

"Clean him up thoroughly, and take him away!"

At the mere mention of the Inner Guard Bureau, Guo Hongba was dumbfounded. As the direct supervisory agency under the Female Emperor, the Inner Guard Bureau had the authority to directly arrest and interrogate anyone they suspected. To make matters worse, they even possessed the direct right to execute first and report later, operating in absolute secrecy.

This was an institution far more terrifying to the officials than the Dali Temple or the Ministry of Justice.

He had heard that a traitor had once appeared within the Inner Guard Bureau, prompting a complete overhaul three years ago. All the key officials had been replaced. Aside from Wu Lingyue, whose identity was clear and who frequently assisted the Dali Temple in investigating cases under the light of day, all other members of the Inner Guard Bureau remained an enigmatic mystery.

"I am wronged!" After standing in a daze for a long moment, Guo Hongba immediately dropped to his knees. "This official has not committed murder, nor have I accepted bribes. I beg the Grand Commander to make a thorough investigation!"

Xuanyu did not waste any more breath on him, ordering his men to knock Guo Hongba unconscious and carry him away.

...

Meanwhile, Murong Huan had pursued that shadowy figure into the back courtyard of the Guo Manor. Just as she saw the black-clad figure draw a flying dart, preparing to hurl it at Guo Hongba, Murong Huan lunged forward like a swift arrow, instantly gripping the assassin's wrist and saying, "He will receive the punishment he deserves, but now is not the time to kill him."

"Who are you?"

"If I guessed correctly, you must be Xie Zi'e, right?"

The bright, sparkling eyes visible through the assassin's mask shimmered with crystal clarity. Catching sight of Murong Huan's features in the moonlight, she could not help but freeze in astonishment.

...

"I am Xie Zi'e. Who are you, and why do you obstruct my revenge?"

With that, the black-clad figure engaged Murong Huan in combat. Trading blows with fists and kicks, the two fought from the rooftops down to the courtyard below, until a streak of white flashed forward, blocking their path and pushing Xie Zi'e back with a single palm strike, forcing them to a halt.

A trace of surprise flickered in Murong Huan's eyes. She had not expected that someone who looked as frail and delicate as Xiao Mucheng could effortlessly neutralize her strength while simultaneously pushing Xie Zi'e away.

"What is going on?"

Xiao Mucheng asked, turning his gaze to the masked woman: "Who are you?"

"She is Xie Zi'e!" Murong Huan replied. "Xie Zi'e, daughter of the exiled merchant from Bozhou. She traveled with her father from a young age, engaging in commerce and befriending heroes and gallants. Later, she married the martial arts practitioner Duan Xianzhen. Unexpectedly, during a trading journey, both her father and her husband were murdered by bandits. Consequently, Xie Zi'e disguised herself as a man to hunt down her father's killers, traveling all the way to Luoyang. You accepted employment everywhere, befriending many people to help you identify your enemies, until a month ago when you discovered that the murderer of your father and husband was none other than your uncle, Guo Hongba.

"Afterward, you informed your two younger sisters, intending to face death alone by assassinating Guo Hongba. But you never expected that your two younger sisters would keep it from you, successfully infiltrating the Guo Manor by luring the second young master of the Guo family.

"Until today, when you learned of their tragic deaths, you came here to seek vengeance against Guo Hongba, didn't you?"

As Murong Huan recounted this, the grief in Xie Zi'e's eyes deepened. She pulled the black cloth from her face, revealing the very countenance Murong Huan had painted. The only difference from the portrait was that this woman had cropped her hair short, dressed entirely in men's attire, and her skin had been tanned to a slightly dark, yellowish hue. Combined with her slender figure and somewhat broad bone structure, this disguise made her virtually indistinguishable from a man.

Had she not known beforehand that Xie Zi'e was a woman, Murong Huan might well have been fooled by this masculine disguise.

"Why do you know my past so well?" Xie Zi'e asked.

Murong Huan smiled slightly: "A month ago, you visited the Ruyi Pavilion. The proprietor there remembered you and told us about your past. Combined with what I saw of the Xie family's history from Lady Guo's dreams, piecing all the information together made it easy to deduce your experiences."

"Dreams?"

Murong Huan nodded: "Have you ever heard the story of Nie Zheng assassinating the Prime Minister of Han? After assassinating the premier, Nie Zheng gouged out his own eyes and mutilated his face simply so the Marquis of Han could not discover his identity and thereby implicate his living family!"

"And your two younger sisters, after failing to assassinate their enemy, also mutilated their own faces. They likely did so to prevent you from knowing of their deaths and grieving for them, and even more so to keep the enemy from knowing of your existence."

"Xie Zi'e, you may assassinate Guo Hongba, but the pity is that Guo Hongba is not the mastermind behind the murder of your two younger sisters. Even if you succeed, you will trade your own life while letting the true mastermind go unpunished! Do you think it's worth it?"

At Murong Huan's words, Xie Zi'e's eye sockets turned red. Fighting back the tears welling in her eyes, she stubbornly asked, "Then who is the mastermind?"

"We are currently investigating that!"

"Even so, Guo Hongba still deserves to die!"

Xie Zi'e said through gritted teeth. Xiao Mucheng chimed in: "I will make him die. But, Xie Zi'e, don't you want to expose his wicked deeds to the public and demand justice for your Xie family?"

A cold laugh escaped Xie Zi'e's lips: "In this city of Luoyang, tyrannical officials run rampant and protect one another. Can I possibly trust you?"

"I stake my life on it. I am Xiao Mucheng, the Censor-in-Chief. If Guo Hongba is not dead in three days, you may come and assassinate me!" Xiao Mucheng declared.

In the moonlight, the silver-haired, ethereal man stood with a firm and solemn expression, as inviolable as a deity yet capable of inspiring involuntary trust.

Xie Zi'e fell silent.

At that moment, Murong Huan said, "Xie Zi'e, let me take you to see your aunt and your two younger sisters first. I imagine you must have many things you wish to say to your aunt."

...

Guo Hongba had been hooded and blindfolded before being dragged into a secret hall. When someone finally removed the sack from his head, he felt a profound darkness, as if he were inside a cavernous hall where the distant sound of dripping water echoed.

A sudden "clack" echoed from somewhere, and several candlelight flames flickered to life in the hall, swaying gently.

Using the candlelight, he looked around and saw a white-robed man wearing a hooded cloak, whose features were obscured, reclining gracefully upon a cloud-patterned couch, looking both illusory and ethereal.

"Are you awake?"

A cold, slightly mocking voice roused him.

Guo Hongba saw Xuanyu. Regaining his wits, he realized his limbs were bound to a wooden rack, and nearby, a charcoal brazier was emitting a sizzling sound.

A piece of red-hot iron heating in the coals looked particularly glaring.

Fear began to grip Guo Hongba: "What is this place? Who... who are you?"

"This is the secret prison, and he is the Grand Commander of our Inner Guard Bureau. Actually, our Grand Commander doesn't usually make arrests lightly. Censor Guo, you are truly honored!"

"Gr—Grand Commander, why have you seized me?"

"Naturally, because we have questions to ask. Censor Guo, whether you can walk out of here alive, or rather, whether you can escape enduring too much physical torment, depends entirely on whether that mouth of yours is cooperative."

As Xuanyu spoke, he picked up the glowing red iron brand and pressed it against a piece of pigskin, producing a loud sizzle.

Guo Hongba's face turned pale with fright, and he stammered, "What do you want to ask? I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"

Such a cowardly display truly wasted such an imposing name.

Xuanyu approached the white-robed man and whispered, "My Lord, you may question him."

The white-robed man nodded. After whispering a few words into Xuanyu's ear, Xuanyu asked, "First question: Who on earth are you working for?"

Guo Hongba hesitated in terror for a moment. When Xuanyu picked up the branding iron once more, he struggled and blurted out, "All right, I'll talk! It's General Qiu, the Prince of Wei, and a mysterious person whose identity I don't know."

"Prince of Wei, Wu Chengsi?"

"Yes!"

The white-robed man paused for a moment, then motioned for Xuanyu to ask the next question:

"Were those two Xie women killed by the Prince of Wei?"

"Sort of!"

"What do you mean by 'sort of'?"

"At the time, the Prince of Wei and that mysterious person were both present, and General Qiu had specifically named those two women. That's why I brought them to the Phantom Snow Pavilion and presented them. Later on, I don't know what happened, but a fight broke out inside. When I rushed in, A'ying and A'qing had already fallen to the ground."

With those words, the hall fell silent for a moment.

"Second question: Why did the Prince of Wei want to see those two women?"