Chapter 46: The Truth

"I am not aware of this..."

Before Guo Hongba could finish his sentence, he felt a glowing, red-hot iron hovering perilously close to his ear. Terrified, he let out a miserable wail and begged repeatedly for mercy, "Fine! I'll talk, I'll talk! It seems it was because those two Xie women once submitted an informant letter into the bronze petition box. The letter accused Guo here, General Qiu, and the Prince of Wei of having widely slaughtered officials and commoners in Bozhou. Before that petition could reach the Holy One's hands, the Prince of Wei discovered it. That was why General Qiu later ordered me to use the pretext of meeting esteemed guests to bring them to the Phantom Snow Pavilion."

"Is that the only reason?"

The sizzling sound came from beside his ear once more, accompanied by the distinct smell of burning flesh.

Guo Hongba closed his eyes again, let out another agonizing wail, and answered in a rush, "There is... there is another reason. Those two Xie women are actually my wife's maternal nieces. Back in the day, the Xie family engaged in maritime trade, specializing in canal transport, and were wealthy enough to rival nations. Furthermore, the Xie family used to be on very close terms with Su Minghe, the second young master of the Su family, and his wife. They frequented each other's company, and even joined other merchants in founding some sort of commercial association, with Su Minghe's wife serving as its leader.

The reason I engineered a plot to marry the Xie woman back then was precisely because of this. The Prince of Wei wanted any and all information concerning Su Minghe and his wife."

At the mention of Su Minghe and his wife, Xiao Muchen could not help but step down from the dais. Striding right up to Guo Hongba, he demanded, "Why did the Prince of Wei want information on Su Minghe and his wife?"

"Because Su Minghe's wife was the most trusted and intimate shadow guard of the late Crown Prince Li Hong. That woman not only knew everything about the late Crown Prince Li Hong, but she also knew many of Wu's secrets. Even after Li Hong's death, she took away a crown prince's personal seal, and... and she also knew Li Chunfeng's final prophecy. She knew by whose hands the Great Zhou would ultimately perish!"

"So, it was the Prince of Wei who sent you to assassinate Su Minghe and his wife?"

Faced with such a direct and blunt question, Guo Hongba lowered his head again with a mixture of dread and unease.

"Yes, yes! Actually, the Prince of Wei only wanted her to reveal the identity of the person destined to replace the Martial Zhou dynasty. But that woman was far too stubborn. How many years had passed since the late Crown Prince Li Hong died? The Holy One had already ascended the throne as emperor, as she wished. What good did such stubborn loyalty to the Li Tang imperial house do her? And..."

"And what?"

"And the Prince of Wei suspected that she took away the late Crown Prince Li Hong's orphaned heir. He feared she might use this orphan as a pretext in the future, emulating Li Jingye to champion the Tang and oppose Wu. That was why he sent General Qiu to assassinate the woman while hunting for the child. The rest of us were merely following orders!"

Hearing this, Xiao Muchen felt a jolt in his heart, and a grim premonition began to take root within him.

"What did you say? Filial and Benevolent Emperor Li Hong left behind an heir?"

To his knowledge, Li Hong's death had always been a mystery. Some claimed he died of illness, while others whispered he was poisoned by Empress Wu. But regardless of the truth, this benevolent and kind-hearted crown prince seemed to have died without leaving a single heir.

Originally, Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu had betrothed Lady Yang to Li Hong as crown prince consort. Unexpectedly, before the grand wedding, Lady Yang was defiled by Helan Minzhi, the nephew of Empress Wu. Consequently, Wu Zhao had no choice but to select Lady Pei, daughter of Pei Judao, as Li Hong's wife. However, less than two years after her marriage to Li Hong, he died a sudden death at Hebi Palace. According to court historians, the Filial and Benevolent Emperor Li Hong died without issue.

Not long after Li Hong's death, Lady Pei also perished suddenly from illness and was buried alongside Li Hong in the Tang Gong Mausoleum.

Where on earth could this orphaned heir have come from?

Faced with Xiao Muchen's overwhelming, high-altitude pressure, Guo Hongba grew even more terrified and uneasy. He hurriedly explained, "I only heard rumors... I do not know where the Prince of Wei obtained the information.

Grand Commander, I have already told you everything I know. In light of me, Guo, serving the Great Zhou and the Holy One with all my heart, please spare my life this once! Spare my life, won't you?

Besides, whether it is the Inner Guard Bureau, the Imperial Censorate, or the Directorate of Inspection, we are all people serving the Holy One. Whose hands are completely clean of a few lives? Who hasn't pocketed a bit of money? As long as one is loyal to the Holy One, isn't that enough?

Grand Commander, wouldn't you agree?"

Xiao Muchen nodded, let out a cold laugh, and said, "What you say is true. However, while the Holy One enjoys employing merciless blades like you without any bottom lines to purge political opponents, does Censor Guo understand why the Inner Guard Bureau and my existence still remain?"

Guo Hongba was stunned, waiting for an explanation, but Xiao Muchen seemed to have lost interest in continuing. Instead, he ordered Xuanhu to place a sheet of blank paper, along with an inkstone, brushes, and ink, right in front of Guo Hongba.

"Write down every single evil deed you have ever committed! According to the Great Zhou code, if you confess to all your crimes without holding anything back, your life will be spared, and severe offenses will be punished lightly!"

"You want me to write a confession?"

"Correct! Whether it is the slaughter of the entire Xie family, your participation in the assassination of Su Minghe and his wife, or all your crimes of corruption, bribery, and murder for wealth—not a single detail may be omitted! Otherwise... I will treat you the exact same way you used to treat those officials you framed and threw into prison. Oh, by the way, have you ever heard the story of 'Inviting the Urn'?"

How could he not have heard of it? Didn't Zhou Xing die inside his own urn?

The rumor went that he was so steeped in monstrous sins and had committed so many evils that even the Buddhas manifested their divine presence, forcing him to enter the urn himself to atone. Some even whispered that in the middle of the night, he was possessed by the vengeful ghost of someone he had killed, which not only wrapped around his neck but roasted him to death.

In short, the death of Zhou Xing had become an inexplicable mystery that the people of Luoyang endlessly discussed with relish.

Ever since Zhou Xing's death, Guo Hongba's own nightmares had steadily increased.

If he wrote this confession, would he finally be able to rid himself of those haunting nightmares?

"Alright, I'll write it! I'll write it right now!"

...

After Guo Hongba finished writing the confession, Xuanhu brought the closely written sheet of stiff paper to Xiao Muchen.

As Xiao Muchen read through it, Xuanhu muttered indignantly, "Such a shameless wretch! He's committed so many vile acts, a thousand deaths wouldn't be enough to pay for his crimes! Master, what do you plan to do with this man?"

Just as he finished asking, he noticed that Xiao Muchen's gaze had frozen on the very bottom of the page, and the pair of phoenix eyes behind his silver mask held a trace of profound shock and sorrow.

"What is it, Master?"

"Nothing!" Tucking the confession away, Xiao Muchen murmured with a sigh, "I simply never expected that the death of Su Minghe was also the handiwork of the Prince of Wei. Wu Chengsi has repeatedly brought up the old case of Pei Judao to the Holy One, suspecting that remnants of the late crown prince's faction still exist. The Holy One has also been urging me to investigate this old case. The Prince of Wei must have whispered something to the Holy One that I am unaware of.

Whether it is Pei Judao or Pei Yan, the Hedong Pei family has consistently supported the Li Tang imperial house. The Holy One remains deeply wary of their faction."

"Does that mean, Master, even knowing this is the Prince of Wei's doing, we cannot demand justice for Su Minghe's death, nor can the young lady exact her revenge? I fear this matter has already received the tacit approval of the Holy One!"

Xiao Muchen nodded. "Do you know why the Holy One was so deeply wary of Crown Prince Zhanghuai, Li Xian, back then? It was not only because Li Xian's talent and virtue won the support of numerous noble clans, but also because of his annotations to the *Book of the Later Han*. The most prominent characteristic of the entire Eastern Han dynasty was empresses dowager reigning behind curtains and imperial relatives usurping state power.

Perhaps Li Xian harbored no malicious intent, but it allowed those with ulterior motives to make a fuss over the matter, driving a wedge of maternal distrust between him and the Holy One. A single *Book of the Later Han* was enough to become his death warrant.

As far as I know, Su Minghe, having once been an honored guest of Crown Prince Zhanghuai, very likely participated in those annotations. The Prince of Wei only needs to make a great fuss over this very point, and perhaps the entire Su family will be dragged down with it."

At this, Xiao Muchen paused in deep contemplation and instructed, "Hide this confession away for now. Do not let a single soul know of it yet. Have him write another copy, but omit anything concerning Su Minghe. Let it only expose his corruption, lawbreaking, keeping of private retainers, and murders. We will reserve the truth for another purpose!"

Xuanhu agreed with a nod, then asked, "Then what about this Guo Hongba? Do we kill him or not?"

Xiao Muchen pondered for a moment. "Not yet. We need to make his death serve some value to us!"

"Oh? And how do we make his death valuable?"

At Xuanhu's question, Xiao Muchen shot him a cold glare.

"Master, don't glare at me like that! You know my brain is a bit slow and doesn't think as deeply as yours. Just offer a little guidance, and I'll figure it out!"

Xiao Muchen stood up and said, "I recall that every year on the fifteenth day of the fourth month, Princess Taiping hosts a Peony Banquet in Zhengping Ward, inviting talented scholars from elite families or learned commoners from humble backgrounds throughout the capital. Even young ladies confident in their own literary talents are permitted to attend. By then, every renowned noble daughter, youthful prodigy, and even students from the Imperial Academy in all of Luoyang will be present at this banquet."

"That is true, and the fifteenth of the fourth month is the day after tomorrow! And then?" Xuanhu still didn't understand what this had to do with Guo Hongba.

Xiao Muchen rolled his eyes at him again. "This presents an opportunity. At present, the only person in the imperial court capable of rivaling the Prince of Wei on equal terms is the Holy One's most beloved daughter, Princess Taiping.

Guo Hongba's crimes require a broader audience to bear witness. Princess Taiping and all the nobility of Luoyang city will make the finest witnesses!"

At this, a spark of enlightenment finally flashed across Xuanhu's mind, and he exclaimed in sudden realization, "Ah! I understand now! I will go make the arrangements right away!"

"Wait, there is one more matter..." Xiao Muchen called Xuanhu back, lowering his voice. "Investigate discreetly: after the death of the Filial and Benevolent Emperor Li Hong, was Crown Prince Consort Pei pregnant? Or did any other woman bear Li Hong's child?"

Hearing this, Xuanhu furrowed his brows. "Master, that will be difficult to investigate. Fifteen or sixteen years have passed, and the old officials who served the Filial and Benevolent Emperor Li Hong have long since left the center of the court. Some are dead, others are exiled. Furthermore, the crown prince consort's father, Pei Judao, was accused of treason by Zhou Xing and executed when the Holy One ascended the throne. Not many members of the Eastern Branch of the Pei family are left."

By the Eastern Branch, he meant Pei Judao's lineage. Of course Xiao Muchen knew that because of their ties to Li Hong, Zhou Xing had framed and slaughtered almost all of Pei Judao's branch. Yet the Hedong Pei family's roots ran deep; even if the Empress desired their destruction, she could not exterminate the entire clan—especially since the female sovereign was not someone given to blind, bloodthirsty massacres.

"Since Guo Hongba spoke of it, it suggests the rumor is not entirely groundless, and walls have ears in this world. Begin the investigation with the people close to the Prince of Wei!"

"Understood!"

With his orders acknowledged, Xuanhu noticed a deep look of anxiety lingering on Xiao Muchen's face and couldn't resist teasing, "Master, you seem to be taking an increasing interest in the affairs of the young lady of the Su family. Could it be that you... have truly fallen for this young lady?"

Before he could finish, Xuanhu felt two piercing glares like cold blades sweep across him. He immediately raised his hands in a conciliatory salute and hurriedly corrected himself, "Forget I said anything!"

To his surprise, he heard his master add:

"Immediately dispatch men to inform Uncle Lu and Aunt Ning to have a courtyard prepared!"

What were they preparing a courtyard for?

Xuanhu stood frozen in blank astonishment. Then, his eyes lit up as if a realization had struck him. Straightening his posture, he gave a crisp, resounding reply: "Understood! I will see to it at once!"