Chapter 152: Surfacing

Zhao Helin's eyes suddenly contracted as he stared intently at Cheng Maoming.

Cheng Maoming did not look at him, instead saying to Emperor Taian, "Whether Zhao Helin instructed Yang Wu or not, Your Majesty will know as soon as you ask him."

After a brief silence, Emperor Taian asked, "Where is he?"

"He is within the Jinlin Guard."

"Bring him here."

What followed was a suffocating wait. Zhao Helin was drenched in cold sweat, occasionally lifting his sleeves to wipe it away.

Emperor Taian flipped through the memorials on the dragon desk with an expressionless face; in the room, where a pin drop could be heard, only the faint sound of turning paper could be heard.

After an unknown amount of time, Yang Wu was finally brought before Emperor Taian.

Emperor Taian casually tossed the memorial onto the desk and looked with a heavy gaze at the man trembling on the ground.

"Raise your head."

As this majestic voice rang out, Yang Wu slowly lifted his head.

He was a man in his thirties with a square face and thick eyebrows, possessing quite upright features, but his overly flickering eyes made his entire demeanor appear frivolous.

Emperor Taian frowned in displeasure.

As a rogue who had spent his life idling in the streets, Yang Wu had never imagined he would see the Son of Heaven one day; he was instantly terrified and completely dazed.

"This commoner... greets... greets the Emperor..."

"Why did you hire someone to commit murder?" Emperor Taian asked in a deep voice.

Even against the methods of the Jinlin Guard, Yang Wu had not been able to resist, let alone before the monarch of a nation.

At this moment, he had not a single thought of concealment in his mind. Without even a stutter, he blurted out, "It was Lord Zhao who told this commoner to do it!"

"Yang Wu, do not talk nonsense!" Despite having prepared for the worst, Zhao Helin was still exploding with rage upon seeing Yang Wu sell him out so readily.

Yang Wu looked at Zhao Helin and said blankly, "Lord Zhao is also here..."

It turned out he had been so nervous that he hadn't noticed Zhao Helin was present at all.

A cold glare flew from Emperor Taian, and Zhao Helin did not dare to make a sound. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead one after another, as if he had just been fished out of water.

"How did he instruct you?"

Yang Wu spoke honestly, and at the end, he even produced the silver he had profited from. "This commoner didn't do it for the money! It was because I was afraid that if I didn't listen to Lord Zhao, he would cause trouble for me. I beg the Emperor for mercy!"

He kowtowed repeatedly, the sound of his head hitting the floor thumping loudly.

Standing beside Emperor Taian, the Great Eunuch Liu Chuan felt nothing but heartache, thinking to himself that if he broke a gold brick with such kowtows, this dog wouldn't be able to afford the compensation.

"Enough. Take him away."

As soon as Emperor Taian spoke, Yang Wu was immediately dragged out.

Emperor Taian looked toward Zhao Helin.

Kneeling Zhao Helin's body slumped, rotting onto the ground like a pile of mud. "This official deserves death—"

"You do deserve death, but I still want to know, why did you do this?"

Zhao Helin lowered his head and fell into silence.

Should he tell the Emperor it was the Crown Prince?

If he did, the Emperor would surely fly into a rage.

Emperor Taian let out a cold laugh. "Zhao Helin, did you think Cheng Maoming had not reported to me? I was merely giving you a chance to see whether you would choose to bear the consequences yourself, or if you would bring ruin upon your entire clan."

Hearing these words, Cheng Maoming, who was kneeling silently, was secretly alarmed.

The Emperor truly used the art of entrapment with consummate skill; he had just trapped him, and now it was Zhao Helin's turn. Cheng Maoming had been prepared and had avoided it, but as for Zhao Helin under such immense pressure, his mind likely wasn't so sharp.

Just as Cheng Maoming expected, because Yang Wu had confessed without hesitation, Zhao Helin's psychological defenses had long been crushed. Hearing Emperor Taian's words, he was instantly struck with terror. "This official will confess! This official will confess! It was Eunuch Wang by the Crown Prince's side who told me to do it!"

"What did you say?" Emperor Taian's hand shook, knocking over the teacup beside him, but he did not care about the flowing tea soaking the memorials.

Only then did Zhao Helin realize he had been trapped, and he snapped his gaze toward Cheng Maoming.

Cheng Maoming showed no reaction on his face, but a hint of a smile was hidden in his eyes.

Zhao Helin's heart plummeted straight down, falling into an ice cellar.

It was over. Everything was over!

Cheng Maoming had long investigated the connection to the Crown Prince but had not dared to speak of it; yet, because his brain failed to turn quickly enough for a moment, he had been bluffed out by the Emperor!

Zhao Helin looked at Emperor Taian in a state of despair, with only one thought: How could the dignified Son of Heaven be like this?

Emperor Taian strode in front of Zhao Helin and asked word by word, "Was it someone by the Crown Prince's side who made you do it?"

Zhao Helin did not dare to answer, his head almost buried in the ground.

"Speak!" Emperor Taian kicked him over, his voice as cold and hard as a blade. "Otherwise, I shall execute your nine generations!"

Zhao Helin scrambled up in a wretched state to kneel again, crying, "It was..."

Emperor Taian took a deep breath to calm his tempestuous emotions and looked toward Cheng Maoming, who was kneeling on the other side.

Cheng Maoming lowered his head even further.

"What else have you discovered?"

Cheng Maoming hurriedly said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this official has only discovered that Zhao Helin instructed Yang Wu to hire assassins; the reason why Zhao Helin did this has not yet been uncovered."

A resentful gaze shot toward him, which Cheng Maoming accepted calmly.

A defeated opponent, no matter how much he struggled, would not be able to stir up any ripples.

"Anything else?" Emperor Taian's voice carried no discernible emotion, yet it pressed down on people, making it hard to breathe.

Cheng Maoming struggled internally for a moment before saying honestly, "I have also discovered the origins of two criminals. One is named Wang Hu and the other is Zhang Shan; they are soldiers belonging to the same squad in the Xuanwu Camp."

Given Emperor Taian's suspicious and cautious nature, he used only trustworthy people in key positions. Upon hearing this, his first thought went to his brother-in-law, Dou Qisheng.

Zhao Helin had admitted that the person who ordered him to kill to silence witnesses was Wang Gui by the Crown Prince's side, and Cheng Maoming had discovered that the two criminals were soldiers under the Crown Prince's brother-in-law. At this point, it could be said there was no longer any doubt: the kidnapping of the eldest Miss Lin was orchestrated by the Crown Prince.

This scoundrel!

If there were not ministers present, Emperor Taian would have wanted to jump up and curse for an hour, then go to the Eastern Palace to slap the Crown Prince's face until it was swollen.

But now, he had to clean up the mess the Crown Prince had made.

After a pause, Emperor Taian spoke, "Zhao Helin, as a Deputy Commander of the Jinlin Guard, you knew the law yet broke it. Because you were dissatisfied with the selection of the Prince of Wei's consort, you instructed others to kidnap the prospective Princess of Wei and kill to silence witnesses. Your crime is unpardonable! In consideration of your many years of service to the imperial court, I shall spare your family from execution, but you are hereby granted a cup of poisoned wine."

Zhao Helin collapsed to the ground, thanking him with a sob, "This official thanks the Emperor for his immense grace—"

Soon, two guards arrived and dragged Zhao Helin away like a dead dog.

The hall suddenly became desolate. Aside from the palace attendants who were even restraining their breathing, there were only Emperor Taian and his subject, Cheng Maoming.

"Minister Cheng." Emperor Taian spoke.

Cheng Maoming's scalp tightened, and he hurriedly responded, "This official is here."

"You have worked hard investigating this case these past few days."

"To share Your Majesty's burdens is this official's honor. This official only regrets not having handled the matter better."

"Minister Cheng has already done very well. Was it not you who discovered the wicked official Zhao Helin, who was loyal on the outside but a traitor on the inside?"

Such praise did not make Cheng Maoming feel relieved; instead, the pressure felt like a mountain.

"Investigate the Xuanwu Camp thoroughly once more to see what connection those two criminals have with Zhao Helin."

Cheng Maoming's heart sank.

The Emperor's intention was clearly to cover for the Crown Prince.

(End of Chapter)