In the study, silence fell. For Xie Zhifei and the others, this kind of silence had become commonplace.

Every person Yan Sanhe interrogated had long silences before speaking. This meant that what they were about to say would not be trivial matters.

No one dared urge them on—they all waited quietly.

It seemed they waited only an instant, yet also seemed to wait a very long time, before Xie Daozhi spoke heavily.

“I have no relationship whatsoever with Yan Xi. Before the Zheng family walls collapsed, I had never met him. I learned from Zhu Qing’s mouth that you were investigating him, which is why I…”

“Why you what?” Yan Sanhe pressed.

Xie Daozhi coughed once. “Why I turned my attention to him.”

The words were vague, but Yan Sanhe had to get to the bottom of it: “What does ‘turned your attention to him’ mean?”

Xie Daozhi: “Found ways to contact him.”

Yan Sanhe: “And then?”

Xie Daozhi: “Paid him a huge sum to bribe him, asking him to tell a lie.”

Yan Sanhe: “What was your purpose in making him lie?”

Xie Daozhi fell silent for a moment: “I was afraid the matter would be traced back to me.”

His voice was very low, yet enough to make everyone’s hearts in the room beat like drums, especially Xie Zhifei.

Before entering the study, he had mentally prepared himself and even taken a pill in advance. Who knew that upon hearing these words, his heart would still beat so fast it felt ready to split open.

Afraid.

Traced back.

To him.

Did this mean…

“Xie Daozhi.”

Yan Sanhe accurately voiced the doubt in Xie Zhifei’s heart: “What did you do that you’re afraid would be traced back to you?”

Xie Daozhi’s face suddenly turned ghost-white. After a long while, he squeezed out word by word:

“I was the one who sent news of the Zheng family massacre to Old General in the Northern Territories.”

“What did you say?” Yan Sanhe’s breathing momentarily stopped.

Xie Daozhi’s eyes flickered. “I secretly sent news of the Zheng family to the battlefield.”

Yan Sanhe: “Was it before the supervising officer went, or after?”

Xie Daozhi: “Before the supervising officer went.”

Before the supervising officer went?

That meant Old General Zheng had long known about the massacre of his family thousands of li away.

No wonder Bu Liu said Old General Zheng had been very off during that period, saying he aged significantly overnight. So… so he had known all along.

Yan Sanhe unconsciously looked toward Xie Zhifei.

Xie Zhifei’s gaze didn’t meet hers as usual. Instead, he stared expressionlessly at some spot, as if his soul had left his body.

Yan Sanhe’s heart worried, yet she continued asking very calmly: “Xie Daozhi, why did you do this?”

“Because…”

Xie Daozhi put his hand to his forehead. “…Because I wanted Old General to lose the battle.”

Xie Zhifei suddenly raised his head, looking at his own father in shock.

The others were also shocked into goosebumps by this thin sentence.

The Prince of Han and Old General went to war—everyone in Hua Kingdom, even three-year-old children, hoped the army would win.

Yet Xie Daozhi…

Yet he wanted Old General to lose the battle?

“Why?” Yan Sanhe pressed.

Xie Daozhi sighed: “Because of the Crown Prince at that time.”

The Crown Prince at that time—meaning the current new Emperor.

Yan Sanhe thought of the background of Old General Zheng’s campaign and instantly understood everything.

At that time, Song Zhiyu had lost a battle in the Northern Territories. Of one hundred thousand troops, only twenty thousand remained. The Son of Heaven was thunderously enraged.

Song Zhiyu had been recommended by the Crown Prince. This defeat implicated the Crown Prince as well, earning the Emperor’s disfavor.

Added to that, the Crown Prince was obese with a lame foot—the Emperor had long found him displeasing. Thus arose thoughts of changing the heir. The Crown Prince’s position was precarious.

Just then, the Prince of Han, to seize the throne, requested to lead troops in campaign and went to great lengths to bring Old General Zheng along.

Old General was formidable at leading troops. The Zheng family army had strict discipline, unity of purpose, and unstoppable force. The likelihood of victory was extremely high.

As long as this battle was won, the Emperor would have reason to depose the Crown Prince and legitimately install the Prince of Han as heir.

Yan Sanhe looked at Xie Daozhi with complex emotions: “So you’ve long been a member of the Crown Prince’s faction?”

“Miss Yan, I’m not a member of the Crown Prince’s faction. I’ve simply read a few more years of sage texts.”

Two points of light burst forth in Xie Daozhi’s eyes.

“Throughout history, there’s order between elder and younger, distinction between legitimate and common-born. Though the Crown Prince is unremarkable, he is eldest and legitimate. Moreover, he’s learned and courteous, humble to the worthy—he should rightfully inherit the throne.

As for the Prince of Han—he flatters superiors and oppresses inferiors, harboring wolfish ambitions. If he took the throne, wouldn’t the realm fall into chaos?”

Yan Sanhe said sternly:

“So you disregarded the court’s laws, secretly sent messages to Old General, attempted to disrupt military morale, and make Hua Kingdom’s army return in defeat?”

This question was sharp to the extreme.

Hua Kingdom’s laws stated: anyone disrupting military morale shall have three clans executed.

Why use such severe laws?

Because a major war concerned the nation and realm, concerned the common people. The slightest carelessness meant national destruction and death.

On the battlefield, things changed in an instant. Forget the commanding general’s unstable emotions—even a slight change in wind direction could alter a war’s outcome.

Even Emperor Yonghe, concerned for his Zhao family realm, faced with Zheng Yu’s betrayal, had to step back. He issued strict gag orders to the supervising force and commanded Yan Ruxian to wait until the army won before killing Zheng Yu.

Yet Xie Daozhi, to preserve the Crown Prince’s heir position, dared secretly send news of the Zheng family to the battlefield?

This boldness truly reached the heavens.

Xie Daozhi bit his lip: “Miss Yan, I had no choice.”

“What a ‘no choice.'”

Yan Sanhe trembled with rage. “So the lives of those soldiers defending home and country weren’t as important as the Crown Prince’s future?”

“Miss Yan!”

Xie Daozhi shouted loudly: “Under all heaven, there is no land that is not the king’s. Along all shores, there are none who are not the king’s subjects. If the heir is in peril, the realm is in peril. For the realm’s security, what wrong did I do?”

He actually said what wrong did he do?

Yan Sanhe bit her tongue hard, using the pain to cleanly sever her anger, forcing herself to calm down.

“So you made Yan Xi lie because you were afraid.”

Xie Daozhi sighed deeply.

“In extraordinary times, one takes extraordinary measures. Miss Yan, the crisis is resolved. Naturally I also want to consider the Xie family, consider the Xie family’s children and grandchildren.”

Yan Sanhe’s eyes reddened: “Then what lie did you make Yan Xi tell?”

Xie Daozhi’s expression grew increasingly ugly. After a long silence, he finally spoke:

“I had him slightly alter the Emperor’s oral decree, claiming Yan Ruxian told Old General about the Zheng family’s calamity before the great battle and forced him to death.”

Yan Sanhe: “What was your purpose in doing this?”

Xie Daozhi: “Also for self-preservation.”

Yan Sanhe: “How does this preserve you?”

Xie Daozhi: “This way no one would notice that Old General’s death in battle was because I sent news in advance. In utter despair, he only took five thousand elite troops.”

Yan Sanhe’s brow suddenly furrowed.

“You wanted to attribute Old General’s death to the Emperor and extricate yourself?”