Chapter 10 Conflicting Testimonies
Inside the cell.
After the others left, Zhao Duan leaned back on the big chair, folded his hands, and asked:
"Tell me, how could Zhuang Xiaocheng escape in advance?"
According to memory, Zhuang Xiaocheng was hiding in a small courtyard in Dongcheng. After the original owner learned about it, he dispatched the imperial army to arrest him, while he hid behind and took the credit.
Before the Forbidden Army arrived at their destination, the rebellious master and apprentice had already fled out of the city. Fortunately, there was someone keeping an eye on him, so the Forbidden Army pursued him out of the city.
During this period, it happened to be during the daytime ban. Zhao Duan used the rules to stop the people in the imperial office, and successfully forced himself into a desperate situation.
All I can say is, well done...
Seeing the wails of the "Kuang Fu She" patriots disappearing in the distance, Yun Xi smiled miserably and did not fight again.
After all, in her opinion, the little "information" she possesses has long been worthless.
I didn’t say it before, I just expressed my attitude.
If you can use useless "information" to make your companions less miserable, I think the teacher will agree.
"Because we received the news early and learned that it had been exposed, the teacher made a decisive decision to evacuate." Yun Xi sighed and said.
As expected, there are accomplices of the rebels in the capital... Zhao Duan is not surprised.
According to known information, Kuangfu Society has branches all over Dayu. As one of the core figures in the society, Zhuang Xiaocheng travels around the country all year round, coordinating intelligence and issuing orders.
The purpose of sneaking into the capital this time must be to control anti-party activities near the capital.
A role similar to a regional "command".
He asked again:
"Who sent the message to you? By what method?"
Yun Xi shook her head and said:
"I don't know."
As if she was afraid that Zhao Duan wouldn't believe it, she added:
“In order to prevent the people within the society from being arrested by the court and thus implicating other people, there is no fixed rule for the transmission of information.
Sometimes, the teacher would order me to drop a note somewhere in the city, or to retrieve information somewhere, and the members would not see each other...
The meeting place is also different every time, and important information will be transmitted using magic. Only the teacher knows this, not me. "
Zhao Duan's face was expressionless, and he had the illusion of traveling into a "spy war drama".
So professional...
The transmission of spells... was probably similar to sending a telegram. No wonder the "court secret stake" who was watching in the dark did not see anyone coming into contact with the two of them.
The plan to catch the messenger and follow the clues failed and failed.
"So? After learning the news, Zhuang Xiaocheng chose to take you to escape?"
Zhao Duan asked:
"Is there no real master protecting him?"
Yun Xi shook her head and said: "This is the capital. Once a strong master enters the city, it will easily attract the attention of the court. Only people like me are the safest."
Very reasonable... Zhao Duan thought for a while and suddenly asked:
"When exactly did Zhuang Xiaocheng learn that I was going to take action?"
Yun Xi hesitated for a moment and then said: "About a quarter of an hour before fleeing, the teacher hurried out of the study with a very ugly look on his face. He asked me to pack up immediately and go out of the city with him."
A quarter of an hour... Zhao Duan's eyes suddenly turned sharp and he said:
"You lied!"
Yun Xi was stunned for a moment, not knowing why.
Zhao Duan stared at her and said: "At that time, I went to your residence first, and then rushed out of the city. At that time, I ordered people to search the house. At a glance, It did seem like he left in a hurry, but not even a trace was left behind, including the study room.
Since your teacher is in charge of the transmission of information, there will always be some paper and pen records left behind. However, not only are there no correspondence left in the study, but there are not even many charcoal ash from the brazier. If according to what you said, it was learned temporarily, how could it be done within a quarter of an hour? To destroy incriminating evidence? "
Yun Xi opened her mouth, speechless.
"It seems that you are unwilling to cooperate, so we have to..." Zhao Duan gestured to call his men to drag "Qingyun" back.
The girl tied to the cross with a large font was in a panic, her face turned pale, and she hurriedly shouted: "I didn't lie to you! It's true! The teacher's study room is usually not allowed in for me, but it is cleaned from time to time. Maybe it has always been like this."
Zhao Duan pressed forward step by step: "How long will it take for regular cleaning?"
Without waiting for the latter to think, he shouted:
"Don't think about it, answer immediately!"
Yun Xi panicked and said:
"Usually every three to five days, they will take out a basin of paper and ashes and ask me to throw them away. The last time was about three days ago, and there were a lot of them, a big bag. I remember it very clearly..."
Three days ago... Zhao Duan's eyelids twitched!
According to the memory of the original owner, this was exactly the time when he learned this fresh information from the imperial office through a bribed informant.
Sure enough there is a problem.
His face was expressionless, and while the girl was panicking, he asked the second question:
"How did Zhuang Xiaocheng escape? What happened to the Earth Temple in the bamboo forest in the southern suburbs?"
Yun Xi shook her head again:
"I don't know... Because of the daytime ban and heavy rain, we didn't go through the city gate. The teacher used a magic scroll to tear a hole in the city wall, but the road was muddy and the carriage couldn't move fast, so the soldiers still caught up with us.
I fought to the death, followed the direction pointed by the teacher, fled into the Earth Temple, and was surrounded by you. You know what happened next. As for the warlock, he must be a master in the society, and he cast spells to rescue me. "
Saying these words in one breath, Yun Xi gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and rubbed her white neck: "This is all I know."
It's as if he's lying down and letting you go. No matter how you threaten him, it's useless.
On the other side of the cell.
Zhao Duan fell into deep thought.
At this moment, from the perspective of a bystander, he searched for the memory of the original owner in his mind.
Combined with the known information, many abnormalities were immediately noticed:
In the Earth Temple.
After Zhuang Xiaocheng saw him, the first thing he said was, "I never thought that I would be found by a lackey like you."
He didn't think it was unusual at the time, but after careful consideration, he came up with another interpretation:
I didn't expect to be caught by Zhao Duan, so who did he think about being caught?
In addition, Zhuang Xiaocheng's behavior was very strange from beginning to end.
Why did he start destroying the correspondence three days in advance, but then evacuated with an ugly face a quarter of an hour before Zhao Duan took action?
Why is he armed with a "magic weapon" that can tear apart city walls, but he has to rely on a female disciple with an ordinary martial arts level for protection instead of a magic weapon to protect himself?
Why did he delay in leaving after arriving at the bamboo forest, and had to wait until Zhao Duan arrived before reinforcements showed up?
“There is a problem, there is a big problem!”
Zhao Duan's thoughts telegraphed:
"First of all, the Bamboo Forest Temple is obviously a 'teleport point'. Whether it is a temporary agreement or it has been arranged in advance, it is Zhuang Xiaocheng's method of self-protection. There is no problem."
"Secondly, Zhuang Xiaocheng seemed to have known that his whereabouts had been leaked. In this way, it was reasonable to destroy the intelligence documents in advance, but why didn't he run away?
Waiting until I was about to take action, then hurriedly evacuated? It seemed that he deliberately led me to Southern suburbs..."
Zhao Duan's face changed slightly, and he couldn't help but have a bold idea:
"Could it be that Zhuang Xiaocheng's target is me? Want to trap and kill me?"
But the idea only existed in his mind for a second before he dismissed it: "No, it doesn't make sense logically. If it were directed at me, some of the details cannot be explained."
"Moreover, you have to sacrifice such a huge price and take huge risks just to trap and kill the pretty boy under the skirt of the empress?"
Zhao Duan himself laughed.
If it is a game of chess, at the risk of sacrificing a "veteran" and losing a female pawn, replace a "soldier" of the enemy...
For this kind of chess player, it is better to throw.
Since it can't be against him, in this game of chess, who is worthy of the opponent's painstaking efforts?
A flash of lightning flashed suddenly in Zhao Duan's mind, and a name almost blurted out:
"Edict!"
(End of chapter)