Chapter 98: Interrogation (2)

“Why have you brought me back again?” The man looked at Ye Lang with a haughty air. “Stop pretending. Now that only you and I are here, you can speak.”

Ye Lang drummed his fingers lightly on the table and said at a leisurely pace, “From your eyes, I can see survival, and far more than that, greed. I truly do not understand why your country would choose someone like you to do something like this. Very well, as long as you tell me what you know, I will set you free and give you a new identity, along with endless wealth and glory.”

With every word he spoke, the man’s expression changed a little more.

“I am not...” The man had been about to argue, but when he met Ye Lang’s gaze, he finally lowered his head. “All right, I admit it. I am that kind of person. I just never imagined you could see through me so easily. It seems you are not as simple as the rumors say.”

“Of course I am not simple. I only keep a low profile.” Ye Lang accepted the compliment without the slightest embarrassment.

How had I never noticed before that this brat had such a thick skin? Still, come to think of it, I also never realized he had this kind of unusual intelligence. Could it be that he has always been pretending?

No matter what, choosing him for this task was the right decision. He even managed to exceed his own mission.

“What do you want to know?” the man asked.

“Simple. Tell me, why did so many spies from so many countries come here together this time? What was their purpose?” Ye Lang asked.

“I am not entirely clear on that either, but I heard from above that this time we were all just bystanders, here to watch the same spectacle. If possible, we were to seize a few advantages while we were at it.”

The man laid out everything he knew, but the problem was that even so, his answer still failed to explain the matter.

“Watch what spectacle?” Ye Lang asked.

“I do not know. I only know that it concerns the internal affairs of your empire, and that one of your own people invited us to come and watch.”

“What?”

Everyone in the secret chamber was stunned. None of them had imagined that this upheaval had actually sprung from within their own ranks.

And now even he was puzzled. Who was it, and for what purpose?

“All right, take him away.” Ye Lang felt there was nothing more to be learned, so he ordered the man to be removed.

“Didn’t you say you would grant me freedom, let me live a life of wealth and glory?” the man struggled and shouted.

“I did say that. I never said it would be now. Besides, this is not my affair. I have had enough fun for today. I am leaving.”

Ye Lang stood up and stretched.

“You—You are utterly shameless—”

“Who says I have no teeth? My teeth are perfectly fine.”

Ye Lang opened his mouth to show his immaculate white teeth.

After finishing the task, Ye Lang returned to the study, gave a few instructions, and prepared to leave. Naturally, the emperor and the others still had not made sense of the whole affair, so they would not let him go so easily.

“Ye Lang, how did you know that man would talk?” That was the emperor’s first question.

“Very simple. I had just taken down one man, and yet with eleven companions still at his side, he reacted so eagerly. That could only mean he was either fiercely loyal or looking to negotiate on his own. So I simply tried my luck, and it turned out I was right.” Ye Lang said carelessly.

“So you were only trying your luck? I thought you knew.” The Seventh Princess looked at him in surprise. “But that man was strange too. If you really had killed him, wouldn’t he have been doomed?”

“Who knows what he was thinking? I suppose he was the sort who would risk his life for success.” Ye Lang did not know the answer either. Only that man himself would know. But that no longer mattered. Whatever his reason had been.

“Then let me ask you this: how did you release those who should not have been released, while keeping these people here?” That was the emperor’s second question.

“What do you mean, should not have been released? Didn’t you say it was all right to act freely? I thought those men had such lofty integrity, so I let them go. There are not many like that left.”

That was Ye Lang’s answer.

“...”

The emperor and the others fell silent. Inwardly they thought, I should have expected this. How could this brat possibly think about who should be released and who should not? He only cares whether he likes them or not. Asking this question was, in truth, pointless.

Yet later the matter took a very interesting turn. Those who had been released, though high-minded and absolutely loyal to their nations, were one by one executed. Among the various countries, mutual suspicion also began to spread.

The reason was simple. Although they had spoken the truth, the whole situation was so absurd that everyone thought they were lying, and even believed they had betrayed their homelands to spread false information for the Sky Soaring Empire.

If they had remained here, then after some time their countries might have exchanged them back for certain conditions, since they were all rare talents. But Ye Lang had casually set them free, and as a result they gained no trust at all. What they received instead was only suspicion.

As for those who had been imprisoned, they instead came to be valued by their countries, who regarded them as excellent spies and scouts.

The loyal were executed, while the disloyal might rise to power. This indirectly weakened the strength of their nations and, in a broader sense, struck at the power of the various countries.

This made many people wonder: could Ye Lang’s original purpose really have been exactly this?

“Was that head earlier one of your alchemical creations?”

“Yes. In an instant, it can copy an identical object. Not only a head, but anything else as well.” Ye Lang nodded.

So that was it. This brat really does have all sorts of bizarre things. Even the imperial warrant...

Wait. The warrant.

“Let me ask you something. How did you get hold of an imperial warrant, and one that was blank?” This was a serious matter; they had to get to the bottom of it.

“I bought it...” Ye Lang gave an answer that was unexpected, yet somehow entirely plausible, because he often bought strange and curious things.

“...Where did you buy it?” The emperor and the others were at a loss for words.

“On Baker Street. There are lots of interesting things there. I happened to notice this blank warrant, picked it up, and intended to use it to fool people. Turns out it really came in handy.” Ye Lang answered in a relaxed, calm tone, as though he had no idea how serious the matter was.

“Is this warrant real?” the emperor asked solemnly.

“Fake.” Ye Lang answered directly, with complete bluntness.

“...Fake?”

The emperor and the others studied the warrant and also felt that something was off, but for the moment they could not tell what.

“Can’t you see it? The impression of the imperial seal is complete.” Ye Lang said.

“That’s it.”

Only then did everyone suddenly realize. The genuine imperial seal has a tiny chip in the lower left corner, but this one is flawless.

They had almost forgotten such a small detail. They saw the seal every day, and precisely because they saw it every day, they sometimes overlooked the finer points. Besides, no one would dare impersonate the imperial seal, so naturally nobody paid much attention to it.

“Who did this? How dare someone carve a seal!” the emperor said in a low voice. He would certainly pursue the matter.

“I do not know. This was the only one at the time. Besides, even if I told you, there would be no one left for you to hold accountable.”

“Why not?” the emperor asked.

“Though this warrant looks very new, it is in fact two hundred years old. The paper used for it is Hui Snow paper, which disappeared two hundred years ago.” Ye Lang said. He had been about to continue when someone interrupted him.

“Perhaps someone later used paper left over from Hui Snow paper.”

“Mm, that is possible. But there is a small proof on it. The person who made this warrant left a signature on it, along with his name and the date. I know you cannot see it. It is hidden among these patterns, with the grain of the design concealing the writing. Let alone forgeries by others, no one except him could make a seal warrant like this...”

“The greatest artisan under heaven, Red Leaf, on a certain year, a certain day...”

“A warrant made by Red Leaf. Truly worthy of the greatest artisan under heaven; it is so convincing that it can pass for the real thing. This has tremendous collectible value. Ye Lang, scrawling all over it like that is practically a waste of a priceless treasure!”

Someone could not help but lament.

“Hmph. My handwriting is worth more than his. In the future, this warrant will be worth even more because of my signature.”

With that, Ye Lang shook his head, ignored the crowd, and departed.

Ye Lang left. The two girls left as well. But the emperor and the others could not leave. They still had to determine who had invited those people from behind the scenes, and for what purpose...

Though they still could not be certain of everything, one thing was clear: something was bound to happen. Therefore, they had to strengthen their defenses, and those defenses could not be made known to outsiders, lest they startle the snake in the grass.

What troubled them now was whom to entrust with such defenses. The person had to be absolutely reliable, because this affair was very likely the work of someone within their own ranks.

Ye Lang?

Everyone thought of him first, but then immediately discarded the idea. He was utterly unsuitable. He could never complete a task like this.

Next, naturally, they thought of their own children. At any time, children would always be the people most worthy of trust. Even the emperor would think first of his own children.

Of course, even then the emperor still had to eliminate candidates one by one, choosing only those children least likely to betray him and most capable of accomplishing the task.

Ye Lang was ruled out. Ye Lanyu was also ruled out. And the Seventh Princess as well.

It was not that the three of them were untrustworthy. Rather, all three were simply unsuitable. Compared with this dark struggle, their hearts were far too pure. Perhaps anyone who stayed beside Ye Lang would gradually be cleansed by his spirit.

No matter what others said, it would never affect the bond among the three of them. From childhood to adulthood, they had always been together and never separated. Though quarrels and squabbles were frequent, the ties between them only grew deeper...