443 Interrogation (1/2)
Gu Shenwei had not heard from Chu Nanping for a long time.
Nearly a year ago, when he had been deeply dejected by the fact that none of the youths trained by him could be counted as qualified killers, he found Hu Shining in Jade City and hired this retired training tutor from the Carvewood Academy of Golden Roc Fort to instruct his young killers at his secret base in Shu-lik. He also asked the tutor to take his three young bodyguards to Shu-lik for the training.
”Tie Linglong ran away before they set off, and since then her whereabouts has remained unknown, but Chu Nanping and Nie Zeng did leave for Shu-lik with Hu Shining.
Now that Shu-lik has been occupied by the allied forces of Norland and the Golden Roc Fort, the secret base must've been exposed no matter how hard they tried to hide it from others. Hu Shining's loyalty has never been tested. He accepted this job just for the money and still harbors deep respect for his former boss, the Golden Roc Fort. Given these, those young killers I entrusted to him probably could not escape their tragic fate,” thought Gu Shenwei.
With this in mind, he made a detailed inquiry about the strange person and confirmed that it was indeed Chu Nanping and that he had arrived here alone. Gu Shenwei considered this an ominous sign.
”Chu Nanping probably heard the news that I've conquered the kingdoms around the Xiaoyao Lake and thus came here to find me from the west. He probably considered the Hui Kingdom to be my ally and thus chose to enter the city through the city gate instead of sneaking into it.
”He's still as simple as a child. The short-term killer training can't change him too much.
”However, I've been in the Hui Kingdom for nearly two months. How come Chu Nanping has never shown up during the recent two months?” thought Gu Shenwei, feeling particularly uneasy and confused.
He could not wait any longer to find out the truth. Although it was already dark, he still led 500 soldiers into the city to occupy the palace again and had all the important ministers of the Hui Kingdom brought to him into the palace. Besides, he also arrested many eunuches and court maids holding certain posts. As such, he held more than 100 people in custody overnight and had them imprisoned and interrogated separately.
When his soldiers went to question the prisoners about the young swordsman's whereabouts, he personally led a small team of guards to break into the queen's bedchamber and interrogate her. ”The game is over, and I don't want to beat about the bush anymore. I have to make her tell me her deepest secret,” thought Gu Shenwei.
He had restrained himself for all this while in an attempt to win the Hui nation's support, but now he did not hesitate at all to take the most hardline measures.
The queen had predicted that something was going to happen tonight when the Dragon King's soldiers had been busy arresting people everywhere in the palace. When he broke into her bedchamber, she was fully dressed, waiting for him. The little prince shrank into a corner of the room and did not even cast a glance at him.
”What makes you storm into my bedchamber, Dragon King? Can't you wait until tomorrow morning to talk to me?” The queen did not sound as proud as she had been during the day, but her tone was somewhat harsh and ironic.
”You know the reason,” said Gu Shenwei.
After that, ten guards behind him unsheathed their swords. This scene was far more threatening and convincing than his words.
The queen still refused to cooperate. After a moment's hesitation, she said, ”I don't know.”
”Take the boy out,” Gu Shenwei said to his guards.
Two guards went to the corner and carried the little prince out. Like a cub falling into the hands of a hunter, the boy kept struggling and shouting but still had to surrender in the end.
The queen's face color changed, but she didn't run over to rescue her son. Instead, she spoke softly to the Dragon King, ”What do you want exactly? The Hui Kingdom is already yours. Is there anything you're unhappy about? He's just a child, and you've already punished him.”
Gu Shenwei just stood there, looking as if he was thinking about something else, and made no response to the queen. Soon enough, the little prince's miserable screams came from outside. This child, who had been pampered since his birth, was suffering the first torture in his life, which far exceeded his imagination.
”Stop it!” The queen could not remain calm anymore and cried out, as every scream from the boy gave her intense pain. She was an ambitious woman, but without the little prince, none of her ambitions could be fulfilled.
Gu Shenwei looked at her coldly. He thought that he was merciful enough to not torture the boy in front of her.
”I'll tell you everything. Ask them to stop, right now,” the queen pleaded.
Gu Shenwei deliberately waited for a moment before giving a sign to the guards behind him. Soon enough, a guard went out to ask the soldiers to stop the torture, and then the screams subsided.
At this moment, the queen looked no different from a common woman. She grew pale and red by turns. Her chest heaved, and the fright was evident in her eyes. ”He... Shangguan Jianyi had another plan,” said the queen.
Despite the fact that this was not what he wanted to hear, he still let the queen continue without saying anything to interrupt her.
”He intends to instigate a rebellion against you and kill you in the Hui Kingdom.”
The queen had planned to surprise the Dragon King with this secret. However, he reacted nonchalantly to it. She felt bewildered and began to ramble.
”He asked us to make you stay in the Hui Kingdom and away from the main body of the Great Snowmountain troops. He told us that it was not easy to deceive you and we could only achieve this goal by refusing the Dragon army to enter our capital. He said that once your suspicion was aroused, you would not easily leave this place. He promised us that he would go to contact the kings and military leaders of Kang, Sha and An kingdoms and bring back a large army that would effect complete numerical superiority on the battlefield. According to our agreement, he'll return three days later.”
After hearing that, Gu Shenwei thought to himself, ”This might be the plan that Shangguan Jianyi used to persuade the queen and the ministers into supporting him. His plan might work if I hadn't asked Dugu Xian to reorganize the army, but now, he stands no chance of succeeding.
Now, there are people loyal to me among all the troops stationed around the Xiaoyao Lake, regardless of their size. Shangguan Jianyi might be able to rope in some people for his plan, but he'll never recruit enough qualified soldiers to form an army. As for the Kang, Sha and An Kingdoms, they did hide some of their subjects from me, but they're common people who don't know how to fight during a battle.”