A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1446: Interrogation

Strictly speaking, calling her a younger cousin was somewhat of a stretch.

The ancestral homes of the Zhengyi Sect’s Xiao family and the Quanzhen Sect’s Pei family were both located in Qizhou, making them longtime neighbors of the Li family and the Dazhen Mansion.

Within Qizhou, the Li family’s ancestral home was in Beihai Prefecture, the Xiao family’s ancestral home was in Langya Prefecture, and the Pei family’s ancestral home was in Lanling Prefecture.

With a much longer history than the Pei family, the Xiao family was divided into six major branches—the Northern Ancestral Branch, Southern Ancestral Branch, Xijing Branch, Imperial Capital Branch, Beihai Branch, and Langya Branch. These six branches all originated from the same ancestor, but after more than a thousand years of inheritance, they had grown fairly distant from one another, each developing its own branch ancestor.

Xiao Yuehua came from the Beihai Branch, while Xiao Yueru came from the Northern Ancestral Branch. From a bloodline perspective, they were not especially close relatives. However, the relationship between those two branches happened to be relatively close, which was why Xiao Yuehua and Xiao Yueru referred to each other as cousins.

Qi Xuansu had come this time primarily to investigate the case rather than to tour Putuo Island. So after exchanging a few polite words with Xiao Yuehua, he immediately brought Liu Hu to where Gu Ying was being held.

There were many famous scenic spots on Putuo Island, some of which were former Buddhist sites that were converted into Daoist ones. This transformation was not forced by the Holy Xuan. Rather, it was the Cihang lineage that voluntarily initiated the conversions, demonstrating just how keen these women were at sensing and adapting to shifts in the political winds.

At this time, Gu Ying and the others were being detained within Fayu Temple.

As Qi Xuansu stepped through the gates of Fayu Temple Hall, Zhang Qingyue had already come forward to greet him. “Chief Deputy Qi.”

“Still no confession?” Qi Xuansu asked directly.

Zhang Qingyue shook his head.

Qi Xuansu did not intend to interrogate Gu Ying. Instead, he wanted to question another person who had just been arrested and had been involved in the first major Jiangnan case.

This man was named Ma Jinguo. He was not a member of the Daoist Order but rather a Deputy Chief Military Officer serving under the Nanhai Navy. It was precisely because of this identity that he had escaped disaster back then.

This was also within expectations. In matters like this, it would have been strange if no court officials had been involved.

It was well known that the Taiping Sect wielded great influence over the Donghai Navy, while the Zhengyi Sect held major influence over the Nanhai Navy. After Zhang Jucheng made contact, the Nanhai Navy willingly cooperated, and the man was arrested. Naturally, this violated proper procedure. Officials of this rank required imperial approval before action could be taken against them, making the matter highly complicated.

But Zhang Jucheng no longer cared. He intended to arrest first and report afterward.

This was not without precedent. In principle, court officials were supposed to be handled only by the imperial court, while Daoists could only be dealt with by the Daoist Order. Yet in practice, only the latter rule was consistently enforced, while the former had become largely nominal. The two peak periods of Daoist interference in court affairs came after Donghuang’s assassination attempt and during the era of the fifth-generation Grand Master. As long as there was sufficient justification, Daoists could directly intervene in court affairs.

It was only because the position of Grand Master was currently vacant and Emperor Jiushi was a strong ruler that the Imperial Court managed to recover some ground, leading to a situation where each side generally avoided interfering with the other.

However, the Imperial Court suffered from an inherent disadvantage in this regard. Although the Northern Daoist faction formed the foundation and core of the Imperial Court, it had also absorbed a large number of Confucian scholars. Whenever the Daoist Order intervened in court affairs, it usually used the Daoist-Confucian conflict as an excuse to force the court to yield. This was because Daoism had been the official religion of the Great Xuan Court since the founding of its dynasty.

Some court officials and military generals were originally Daoists, possessing dual identities as both officials and Daoist priests. The Daoist Order could directly punish such officials under Daoist law, and the court would have little room to object. After all, since they were Daoists, they had to obey Daoist law. The court also could not force officials to abandon their Daoist identities, because the emperor himself had a Daoist title—Great Sage Ziji. If officials abandoned their Daoist identities, should the emperor abandon his as well? Doing so would shake the very foundation of the empire.

Due to this, Emperor Jiushi sought to seize power from the Daoist Order to concurrently serve as Grand Master of the Daoist Order himself. After all, being such a crippled emperor was too frustrating.

In short, Zhang Jucheng took an enormous risk in arresting this Deputy Chief Military Officer. Officially, it was merely to assist in an investigation. But in reality, forceful methods had been used.

If the interrogation produced results, then explanations could be provided afterward, and the matter would likely fade away because the court would turn a blind eye to it. But if no results came from it, then Zhang Jucheng and Qi Xuansu would be in serious trouble.

This was actually very similar to Wang Jiaohe arresting Chen Jianchou. Both cases ignored proper procedure. Qi Xuansu had been able to counterattack successfully because Zhang Yuelu and Star Lord Yuheng had blocked Sun Heyu, while Little Yin had taken a sword strike for him. Wang Jiaohe failed to obtain sufficient evidence, and since the procedure itself was flawed, he naturally fell into a passive position.

But if Sun Heyu had managed to seize Chen Jianqiu and firmly establish Chen Jianchou’s guilt, then Qi Xuansu’s counterattack during the Daoist Mansion Council would have appeared weak and powerless. Facts would have spoken louder than arguments. At that point, procedural violations would have become a minor issue, while the real issue would have been Qi Xuansu’s secretary secretly colluding with a secret society. No matter what Qi Xuansu said, Wang Jiaohe could have easily dismissed it by deflecting back to secret societies.

Now, Zhang Jucheng stood in the same position Wang Jiaohe once had, while the Great Xuan Court stood in the position Qi Xuansu had once occupied. Meanwhile, Qi Xuansu had taken on the role that Sun Heyu once played. If he could obtain sufficient evidence, there would be no major problem. But if he failed, then he would fall into the same passive predicament Wang Jiaohe once faced.

The court officials could then openly question Qi Xuansu and Zhang Jucheng of their intentions.

This put Qi Xuansu under considerable pressure, which was why he personally conducted the interrogation.

Led by Zhang Qingyue, Qi Xuansu arrived at an interrogation room.

On the way there, Qi Xuansu had already reviewed Ma Jinguo’s case file and had gained a rough understanding of the situation.

This man’s background was rather complicated. Although he possessed a Daoist identity, he was essentially a wandering Daoist and retained many Jianghu habits. In that sense, he was similar to Qi Xuansu.

However, once Qi Xuansu shifted his focus fully toward the Daoist Order, he quickly shed those roguish habits. Bureaucratic jargon now rolled smoothly off his tongue, and he no longer used slang words casually. Those unaware of his past might even think he came from an aristocratic family and had grown up immersed in such speech.

Qi Xuansu was quite familiar with dealing with Jianghu people.

At this time, Ma Jinguo was escorted by two Spirit Guards. He wore specially crafted shackles capable of restraining ordinary Heavenly Beings. The moment he walked in, his gaze was immediately fixed on Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Deputy Ma, do you know who I am?”

“I can roughly guess. You must be Chief Deputy Qi,” Ma Jinguo replied.

Qi Xuansu instructed the two Spirit Guards, “Bring a chair over for Deputy Ma.”

The two Spirit Guards carried over a chair and placed it opposite Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu then gestured with one hand. “Please, sit.”

Ma Jinguo appeared hesitant and suspicious. But after staring at Qi Xuansu for a while, he still sat down.

He was a seventh-generation disciple who had failed to prosper within the Daoist Order, so he decided to wander about Jianghu. Later, through some twist of fate, he enlisted in the Black Robes, first deployed on land and later at sea. After decades of hardship, he had finally climbed to the position of Deputy Chief Military Officer. As such, he could be considered a man of broad experience.

Ma Jinguo had expected this Chief Deputy Qi to begin with a show of intimidation. Instead, Qi Xuansu remained unexpectedly calm and courteous, leaving Ma Jinguo unable to discern his true intentions.

Thus, Ma Jinguo lowered his eyes respectfully. “I dare not accept this address.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Then I shall address you by name.”

Ma Jinguo answered, “Very well.”

Qi Xuansu went straight to the point. “Ma Jinguo, do you still remember the first major Jiangnan case?”

With that question, Ma Jinguo’s face turned slightly pale. However, he was a man who had weathered many storms, so he quickly steadied himself before replying, “Of course, I remember. Fang Linhou, the main culprit in that case, was already executed by the Daoist Order.”

Qi Xuansu asked further, “Do you know how much money Fang Linhou embezzled?”

“I don’t know,” Ma Jinguo answered. “I never paid attention to that case.”

Qi Xuansu remained calm and composed. “What was your relationship with Fang Linhou?”

“We were both in Jiangnan, so our paths crossed occasionally. We’re just casual acquaintances,” Ma Jinguo replied.

Qi Xuansu spoke unhurriedly, “If you were merely casual acquaintances, then why did Fang Linhou transfer 20,000 Taiping coins to your account in the 36th year of the Jiushi Era, 30,000 Taiping coins in the following year, and 35,000 Taiping coins in the year after that? Even the year before the case broke out, he was still paying you dividends.”

Ma Jinguo immediately fell silent.

Earlier, he had not understood why he had been arrested. Now he knew.

Qi Xuansu raised his voice slightly. “Answer the question.”

Ma Jinguo had no choice but to respond, “I do not understand what you are saying, Chief Deputy Qi. Fang Linhou never transferred any money to me.”

Qi Xuansu pointed toward Liu Hu, who was beside him. “Do you know who she is?”

Ma Jinguo lifted his head to glance at Liu Hu, then lowered it again. “I don’t know.”

Qi Xuansu said, “She is Liu Shiying’s daughter.”

Upon hearing the name “Liu Shiying,” Ma Jinguo’s entire body trembled.

Qi Xuansu continued, “Liu Shiying was an experienced accountant who was sharp and capable. Otherwise, Fang Linhou would never have entrusted the accounts to him. Tell me, do you think Liu Shiying might have kept a copy of the ledgers as insurance? Although Liu Shiying was silenced, his daughter survived, and those accounts were never found. Haven’t you people been searching for them all these years?”

Ma Jinguo’s hands began trembling, and sweat beaded his forehead.

Qi Xuansu took out the account book. “Unfortunately for you, I managed to find the person you failed to find and the things you failed to recover. Ma Jinguo, are you going to confess voluntarily or insist on resisting until the very end?”