The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 10 Conflicting Testimonies

Inside the cell.

After the others left, Zhao Duan leaned back in the chair, folded his hands, and asked:

"Tell me, how could Zhuang Xiaocheng escape so early?"

According to memory, Zhuang Xiaocheng was hiding in a small courtyard in Dongcheng. After the original owner learned about it, he dispatched the imperial guards to capture him, and he hid behind to reap the credit.

Before the Imperial Guards arrived at their destination, the rebel master and his disciples had already fled out of the city. Fortunately, there was someone following them, so the Imperial Guards were able to chase them out of the city.

During this period, it happened to be a daytime ban. Zhao Duan took advantage of the rules to stop the people from the imperial yamen, and ended up successfully forcing himself into a desperate situation.

All I can say is, well done...

Seeing the wailing of the patriots of the "Kuangfu Society" fading away, Yunxi smiled bitterly and did not resist again.

After all, in her opinion, the little "intelligence" she had had no value any more.

I didn't say it before, I was just expressing my attitude.

If I could use useless "information" to save my companions some pain, I think the teacher would agree.

"Because we received the news early and learned that we 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 was not surprised.

According to known information, the Kuangfu Society has branches in various places in Dayu. As one of the core figures in the society, Zhuang Xiaocheng travels around the society all year round, coordinating intelligence and issuing orders.

This time, he sneaked into the capital city to manipulate the activities of the rebels near the capital city.

A role similar to that of a regional "headquarters".

He asked again:

"Who sent you the message? And by what method?"

Yunxi shook her head and said:
"I do not know."

As if she was afraid that Zhao Duan would not believe her, she added:

“In order to prevent the society’s patriots from being arrested by the imperial court and thus implicating others, there is no fixed pattern for the transmission of intelligence.

Sometimes, the teacher would order me to drop a note somewhere in the city, or to retrieve information from somewhere, and the members would not see each other...

The meeting place is also different every time, and important information will be transmitted through magic. Only the teacher knows these, and I don’t know them. "

Zhao Duan had a blank expression on his face, and it felt like he had traveled into a spy drama.

So professional...

The transmission of magic... is probably similar to sending a telegram. No wonder the "court secret agent" who was watching in the dark did not see anyone contacting the two.

The plan to catch the messenger and follow the clues to the culprit failed.

"So? After learning the news, Zhuang Xiaocheng chose to take you away?"

Zhao Duan asked:

"Is there no real expert protecting him?"

Yunxi shook her head and said:
"This is the capital. Once a powerful 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 about it and suddenly asked:
"At what exact time did Zhuang Xiaocheng learn that I was going to take action?"

Yunxi hesitated for a moment before saying:
"About a quarter of an hour before we fled, the teacher came out of the study in a hurry. His face was very unhappy. He told me to pack up immediately and leave the city with him."

A quarter of an hour later... Zhao Duan's eyes suddenly became sharp and he said:

"You are lying!"

Yunxi was stunned and didn't understand what was going on.

Zhao Duan stared at her and said:
"At that time, I went to your residence first, but found nothing there, so I rushed out of the city. At that time, I ordered people to search the house. At first glance, it looked like you left in a hurry, but there was no trace left, including in the study.

Since your teacher was in charge of the transmission of intelligence, there must be some written records left behind. However, there are no letters left in the study, and there is not even much carbon ash in the brazier. If, as you said, he learned about it at the last minute, how could he have destroyed the evidence in a quarter of an hour?"

Yunxi opened her mouth, speechless.

"It seems that you are unwilling to cooperate, so I have to..." Zhao Duan pretended to call his men to drag "Qingyun" back.

The girl tied to the cross in a spread-eagle position was very anxious, her face turned pale, and she shouted hurriedly, "I'm not lying to you! It's true! The teacher doesn't usually let me into the study room, but he cleans it often, maybe it has always been like this."

Zhao Duan pressed on: "How long does it take to clean it frequently?"

Without waiting for the latter to think, he said:
"Don't think, answer immediately!"

Yun Xi panicked and said:

"Usually every three to five days, they would take out a basin of paper ashes and ask me to throw them away. The last time, about three days ago, they threw away a lot, a big bag. I remember it very clearly..."

Three days ago... Zhao Duan’s eyelids twitched!
According to the original owner's memory, this point in time was exactly when he learned this fresh information from the imperial court through an informant he bribed.

Sure enough there is a problem.

He had a blank expression on his face, and took advantage of the girl's panic to ask her second question:

"How did Zhuang Xiaocheng escape? What's the story behind the Earth God Temple in the bamboo forest in the southern suburbs?"

Yunxi 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 caught up with us.

I fought desperately, and then I followed the teacher's instructions and fled into the temple, where I was surrounded by you. You know everything that happened afterwards. As for the sorcerer, I think he is an expert in the society and cast a spell to rescue me."

After saying these words in one breath, Yunxi gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and stretched her fair neck:
"That's all I know."

He looks like he's just going to lie down and let nothing happen to him. No matter how much you threaten him, it's useless.

The other side of the cell.

Zhao Duan fell into deep thought.

At this moment, he was searching the original owner's memories in his mind from the perspective of an observer.

Combining the known information, I immediately noticed many anomalies:

In the Temple of Earth.

The first thing Zhuang Xiaocheng said when he saw him was, "I never thought that I would be found by a running dog like you."

I didn't think it was unusual at the time, but after careful consideration, I came up with another interpretation:
He didn't expect to be caught by Zhao Duan, so who did he think would catch him?

In addition, Zhuang Xiaocheng's behavior was strange from beginning to end.

Why did he start destroying the correspondence three days in advance, but left with a grim look on his face a quarter of an hour before Zhao Duan took action?

Why does he have a magic weapon that can tear open the city wall, but has to rely on a female disciple of ordinary martial arts level for protection, and has no magic weapon to protect himself?

Why did they not leave after arriving at the bamboo forest, but had to wait until Zhao Duan arrived and reinforcements appeared?
"There's a problem, a big problem!"

Zhao Duan's thoughts were transferred:

"First of all, the Bamboo Forest Temple is obviously a 'teleportation point'. Whether it is a temporary agreement or a long-standing arrangement, it is a means for Zhuang Xiaocheng to protect himself. There is no problem with it."

"Secondly, Zhuang Xiaocheng seemed to have known that his whereabouts had been leaked. In this case, it would be reasonable for him to destroy the intelligence documents in advance, but why didn't he run away?
They waited until I was about to take action before hastily evacuating? It seemed as if they had deliberately led me to the southern suburbs..."

Zhao Duan's face changed slightly, and he couldn't help but come up with a bold idea:

"Is Zhuang Xiaocheng's target me? He wants to kill me?"

But the thought only lasted for a second before he dismissed it:
"No, it doesn't make sense logically. If it's directed at me, I can't explain some of the details."

"Moreover, you would sacrifice so much and take such a huge risk just to lure and kill a pretty boy under the skirt of the empress?"

Zhao Duan even laughed at himself.

If it were a game of chess, he would risk sacrificing a "veteran" and throwing away a female pawn to exchange for an enemy "soldier"...

It is better to surrender this kind of chess player.

Since it couldn't be targeting him, who in this game of chess is worth the other party's efforts?

A flash of lightning suddenly flashed through Zhao Duan's mind, and a name almost came out of his mouth:

"Zhao Ya!"

(End of this chapter)