“You still have injuries on your body, go down and rest! Heal your wounds properly… the country is still waiting for you to contribute your strength!” After Bai Qingyan finished speaking to Fan Yugan, she turned to Bai Qingjue and said, “A’Jue, have someone bring that shopkeeper here. I have questions for him.”

Hearing this, Fan Yugan stood up, bowed, and took his leave.

Bai Qingjue had someone go fetch the shopkeeper. When he returned, he asked, “Elder Sister, do you want to meet those four scholars?”

Bai Qingyan held her teacup, slightly raising her eyes to look at Bai Qingjue: “Is there a necessary reason to meet them?”

She saw her younger brother’s lips curve into a faint smile: “Naturally, it’s to let them know that the Emperor has truly arrived at the coast. Once they’ve seen it, younger brother’s wager will be won, and they’ll need to accept their loss gracefully and willingly return to the capital with younger brother!”

“There’s no need to meet them specially…” Bai Qingyan smiled as she spoke, “Just have them wait at the door. After I finish seeing the shopkeeper, I’ll just take a glance at them.”

Those who could write such passionate articles with a sharp and resilient literary style were, in Bai Qingyan’s view, a pity not to participate in the imperial examinations. Judging by their writing style, they were certainly promising material.

Bai Qingjue had originally meant the same thing – just having them take a distant look from outside to make them lose with complete conviction would suffice.

Soon, an old man who had endured severe torture, his entire body covered in blood, his face swollen beyond recognition, was dragged in by two Imperial Guards. He knelt in the center of the main hall, not daring to raise his head, his whole body trembling precariously.

An Dongyi spy, being personally met by a nation’s emperor, was truly giving the spy too much honor.

The tavern shopkeeper, covered in bloodstains, knelt on the ground, crying out his innocence repeatedly, his whole body shaking terribly. A common citizen seeing the imperial countenance for the first time – how could he not be afraid: “This humble person… this commoner… this commoner is just a tavern shopkeeper, begging Your Majesty’s clear judgment! This commoner has lived in Jin Wan City since childhood, always been timid since young, how could I possibly be a spy?”

“Yes, how… did you become a spy?” Bai Qingyan’s posture was dignified and composed as she spoke unhurriedly, “Clearly a citizen of Great Zhou, why would you sell your life for Dongyi? Even if you were dissatisfied with the Great Zhou, it was still during Great Liang’s time, weren’t you? Were you also dissatisfied with Prince Liang? Why did you become Dongyi’s spy so early, betraying your compatriots? Watching helplessly as Prince Han Cheng and the naval officers and soldiers, to protect these people who lived in the same city as you day after day, all died in battle, yet you still sold your life for Dongyi. I think… everything has its reason. Perhaps for wealth? Or for beauty, or… having your weakness seized? Or perhaps… your family members are selling their lives for Dongyi.”

The woman sitting in the place of honor didn’t speak loudly, the cup lid in her hand casually stirring the tea leaves floating up and down in the cool tea, her voice slow and gentle, yet inexplicably giving the shopkeeper enormous pressure – even stronger than the pressure from those who came to interrogate him earlier. Perhaps it was because the woman before him was the supreme ruler of the realm.

His spine bent even more, his pupils trembling violently as he kowtowed to hide his panic: “Your Majesty, this commoner is wronged! This commoner is a subject of Great Zhou, how could I do things to betray Great Zhou!”

“Every year near New Year’s, you prepare special delicacies and send them to Dongyi! In the residence on the east side of the city lives Dongyi’s Seventh Prince…” As Bai Qingyan spoke, the cup lid gently tapped against the porcelain cup’s edge. That sound seemed to strike the old shopkeeper’s spine, making him unable to straighten his back even more. His whole body shook like a sieve, sweat pouring out like syrup, the person soft as a puddle of mud.

“Prince Han Cheng once gave me a list of righteous men who served as officials in Dongyi for the country, along with their detailed backgrounds… Among them was one whose father opened a tavern in Jin Wan City.” Bai Qingyan lowered her eyes to look at the increasingly trembling shopkeeper, “It seems… he serves in the Ministry of Personnel? I heard the shopkeeper has no sons or daughters, perhaps… You are that righteous man’s father?”

“Your… Your Majesty… Your Majesty’s clear judgment, this commoner… this commoner is not! This commoner is just someone who runs a tavern! This commoner…” The old shopkeeper was already shaking terribly, his mind in chaos, his mouth also becoming clumsy, completely unlike his clear and logical appearance when being questioned by the officials. But thinking of his son, he still forced himself to speak: “This commoner is just a lowly person, how could I possibly have any connection with Dongyi officials! Your Majesty, this is all a misunderstanding, this commoner… every year before New Year’s Eve, when I go to sea, that’s to pay respects to my deceased wife and children, not to go to Dongyi! If I were going to Dongyi… how could I return in seven or eight days? Just going there would take at least eight days at the fastest!”

“So, someone should be meeting you halfway…” Bai Qingjue held his teacup and added a casual remark.

The old shopkeeper was thrown into confusion again by Bai Qingjue’s casual comment, and could only shout: “This commoner is wronged, Your Majesty!”

“The two people beside you who accompanied you to sea have already confessed…” Bai Qingjue looked at the shopkeeper and said another sentence.

“This is impossible!” The old shopkeeper raised his head and said with certainty, then quickly lowered his head again, saying, “This commoner hasn’t done anything, what could they confess to?”

“Then why is the old shopkeeper so adamantly saying it’s impossible, rather than… they were forced to confess under torture? Oh… it should be that after the old shopkeeper arrived at the destination, he left on a small boat, and only returned after the exchange was completed. They never saw anything at all!” Bai Qingjue slowly blew on his teacup, took a sip, then turned to look at Bai Qingyan, “Elder Sister, we’ve figured it out. This time we can be said to have caught a pest for our Great Zhou.”

“Whether it’s a pest or not doesn’t matter much; we were going to destroy Dongyi anyway!” Bai Qingyan waved her hand, signaling the Imperial Guards to take the old man away. “But after destroying Dongyi, naturally, whoever betrayed Great Zhou will bear the consequences they should bear!”

Though Bai Qingyan said this, she already had other thoughts in her heart.

Hearing these words, the old shopkeeper was already shaking uncontrollably. The more he wanted to say something, the more unable he was to open his mouth. Being dragged away like this left him unwilling, so he could only stretch his voice to shout: “Your Majesty! Your Majesty, this commoner isn’t a spy! Begging Your Majesty to spare this commoner! Begging Your Majesty to spare this commoner!”

Looking at the old shopkeeper’s appearance, Bai Qingyan knew she had guessed correctly. This Dongyi Ministry of Personnel Vice Minister was indeed the old shopkeeper’s son. Since she knew of such an advantageous connection for Great Zhou, why not make use of it? Not to mention… Dongyi’s Seventh Prince was currently in their Great Zhou’s hands.

“Elder Sister… since this Dongyi Ministry of Personnel Vice Minister has already boarded the Dongyi Empress’s ship, and they’ve delivered the Seventh Prince, such a tremendous leverage, into our hands, we should naturally make the best use of everything and create a better opportunity for our Great Zhou’s destruction of Dongyi.” Bai Qingjue smiled as he spoke.