Yan Sanhe made two trips, carrying in two jars of wine.

Bu Liu didn’t dare step forward to help, only helping to open the wine jars and filling Zhao Yanjin’s cup.

“Speak. Why do you want to ask about Zheng Yu’s death in battle in the eighth year of Yonghe?”

Not even a fly could enter Prince Han’s residence, so naturally outside news couldn’t get in either.

Zhao Yishi spoke concisely: “There are suspicious points in the Zheng family’s case, and there are also suspicious points in Old General Zheng’s death in battle.”

“Suspicious points?”

Zhao Yanjin lifted his chin, sneering: “I advise the Crown Prince to speak more clearly, otherwise with so many memories, how would I know which one the Crown Prince wants to hear?”

Zhao Yishi pinched his two fingers forcefully and simply laid everything out.

“The Zheng family’s case wasn’t done by Wu Guanyue and his son. Very likely, Zheng Yu harbored the deposed Crown Prince’s orphan and was… was exterminated by the Late Emperor.”

“Harbored the deposed Crown Prince’s orphan? He harbored the deposed Crown Prince’s orphan? Zheng Yu actually harbored the deposed Crown Prince’s orphan?”

Zhao Yanjin’s eyes widened bit by bit, wider and wider, as if his eyeballs would pop out of their sockets.

“Bang bang bang!”

He suddenly pounded the bamboo couch with his fists. While pounding, his mouth let out “hahaha” laughter.

The three people in the room were utterly baffled by this laughter.

What was wrong with this person?

Had he gone mad?

Just then, Zhao Yanjin’s laughter abruptly stopped, his mouth mumbling: “No wonder, no wonder, no wonder… they had to kill Ye Dong.”

“What did you say?” Yan Sanhe exclaimed in shock.

This outburst, more than Zhao Yanjin’s mad laughter and couch pounding, sent Zhao Yishi and Bu Liu’s souls flying.

To cover up, Zhao Yishi immediately followed with: “What did you say? Who killed Ye Dong?”

“Yan Ruxian and Tan Shu. Tan Shu did it himself. Oh right, that little eunuch was also present. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Zhao Yanjin’s voice suddenly dropped, repeating: “I saw it with my own eyes.”

After speaking, he fell completely silent, motionless, his eyes vacant, with terror gradually surfacing on his face.

Even more terrified than him was Yan Sanhe.

Prince Han saw with his own eyes that Ye Dong was murdered, so why did Yan Xi say Ye Dong committed suicide?

Was he lying?

Why would he lie?

Yan Sanhe suddenly turned to look at Zhao Yishi, discovering that Zhao Yishi was looking at her with a deathly pale face, his eyes also filled with terror that seemed about to overflow.

Meanwhile, Bu Liu on the side was like someone struck by lightning, his soul gone who knows where.

Ye Dong was murdered?

Not suicide?

“I said something was wrong with the Old General that time.”

Zhao Yanjin’s gaze remained vacant, as if speaking to Zhao Yishi and the others, yet also as if talking to himself.

“I told him to bring two thousand more soldiers. He said it wasn’t necessary, five thousand would be enough. I said we need to hold out for seven days, Old General, this is no joke, don’t be stubborn.

He said other generals would need seven thousand, but for my Zheng family’s troops, five thousand would definitely be enough.

I still wasn’t reassured, saying why don’t we change tactics, don’t risk yourself. He said using himself as bait was the best and simplest method.”

Yan Sanhe could no longer care about propriety: “When Supervisor Yan Ruxian came to the northern lands, didn’t he tell you about the Zheng family matter?”

“No, not a single hint was revealed. He concealed it airtight.”

Zhao Yanjin was immersed in his own memories, completely unaware that the person questioning him had changed to the little eunuch beside the Crown Prince.

“Probably didn’t dare say anything either. With a great battle imminent, this would disturb military morale—it’s a beheading offense.”

“Regarding using Zheng Yu as bait, did Yan Ruxian express any opinions?”

“Him?”

Zhao Yanjin shook his head with a cold laugh.

“What opinions could a eunuch who serves people express? All battle plans were discussed between Zheng Yu and me. No, after I lost three battles, I listened to everything Zheng Yu said. It was Zheng Yu himself who made the final decision.”

Yan Sanhe: “How did you see them kill Ye Dong?”

“On the way back to the capital. Because Zheng Yu had died, I felt stifled inside, so I went to talk with Ye Dong.”

Zhao Yanjin continued his recollection on his own: “All the army’s documents were drafted by Ye Dong. I had more contact with him than even with Zheng Yu.”

That day, the army reached Ningyuan City and rested there for two days.

Ye Dong was the Old General’s closest person, so Zhao Yanjin arranged a separate room for him.

That night, after finishing a jar of wine and thinking of the Old General, he couldn’t sit still anymore and went to find Ye Dong.

After the Old General’s death, Ye Dong wouldn’t eat, drink, or speak. Zhao Yanjin feared he’d die of excessive grief halfway back and decided to counsel him.

Ye Dong was a witness to the entire battle. If His Majesty blamed the Old General’s death on him, Ye Dong could speak on his behalf.

When he pushed open the door, he happened to see Tan Shu wiping blood from his sword, while Ye Dong lay on the bed with blood continuously gushing from his neck, falling onto the bed and then from the bed to the floor.

On the other side, Yan Ruxian sat in a chair drinking tea, with his little eunuch standing behind him.

The little eunuch was trembling with fear.

All the blood in Zhao Yanjin’s body seemed to ignite. He rushed forward and grabbed Tan Shu’s collar, his eyes wide with fury.

“You bastard, what are you doing?”

“Why did you kill him?”

“Have you gone mad?”

“Your Highness?”

Yan Ruxian called out to him in a shrill voice, glancing at the little eunuch behind him. The little eunuch quickly closed the door.

Yan Ruxian put down his teacup and said leisurely: “This servant came out following His Majesty’s orders. What words to speak, what deeds to do—all at His Majesty’s command.”

He smiled slightly.

“Your Highness should mind your own business. Don’t reach too far, don’t ask too much. If you really reach, really ask, in the end it’s you who suffers.”

All the ignited blood in Zhao Yanjin’s body suddenly went cold, but his mind was a tangled mess.

What did these words mean?

How could His Majesty possibly have issue with a mere Ye Dong?

At this moment, Yan Ruxian walked to his side with hands behind his back, an eerie smile on his face.

“Your Highness should let what you saw tonight rot in your belly, treat it as a dream. This would also fulfill your filial duty as a son. This servant will also speak well of Your Highness before His Majesty.”

Zhao Yanjin didn’t know how he returned to his room, much less how he fell asleep. The next day when he groggily woke up, he really thought he’d had a dream.

It wasn’t until his guard came to report that Ye Dong had committed suicide that he realized this wasn’t a dream.

But what did a mere Ye Dong have to do with him?

Was it worth offending Yan Ruxian, offending His Majesty, and gambling away his bright future for a small scribe?

Not worth it.

Not worth it at all!

Yan Sanhe: “So you never even considered why they had to kill Ye Dong?”

Zhao Yanjin was in a daze.

“I considered it, but I racked my brains and couldn’t figure it out. What use is it to keep thinking about what you can’t figure out?”

Yan Sanhe: “When did you learn of the Zheng family massacre?”

“After returning to the capital.”

Zhao Yanjin laughed darkly: “I even thought, fortunately Zheng Yu died in battle, fortunately Ye Dong also died, otherwise, wouldn’t they all die of anxiety one by one.”

While laughing, he drank wine, drinking very hastily, with half the wine flowing down from the corners of his mouth.

After downing three bowls in succession, Zhao Yanjin threw down the bowl, leaned back, and lay straight on the bed, bursting into loud laughter again.

“So that’s how it was… so that’s how it was… it all makes sense now, everything makes sense.”

Did it all make sense?

Not at all.

Yan Sanhe asked through gritted teeth: “When Zheng Yu held Black Mountain City and you arrived with reinforcements two hours late, was it deliberate or unintentional?”