Chapter 550 - 328: Zhang Maoquan Has Some Talent for Interrogation

Chapter 550: Chapter 328: Zhang Maoquan Has Some Talent for Interrogation

After Zhang Maoquan left, Anshun continued his report.

"I’ve been keeping a close watch on Huayang Palace. Just as you predicted, Your Highness, last night a eunuch serving Qin Wan Yi secretly met with someone. It was Qin Jiachun, one of the eunuchs scheduled to be sent out of the palace. He has a connection to Qin Song, the eunuch by Qin Xiyue’s side."

"What kind of connection?"

"The two of them used to be sworn family. Qin Song once acknowledged Qin Jiachun as his godfather, but they had a falling out three years ago and dissolved the relationship."

"Three years ago?" Song Yunzhao said meaningfully. ’That was when the courtiers were petitioning the Emperor to select new concubines. Around that time, Qin Song and Qin Jiachun had their falling out. A few months later, Consort Chu passed away from illness, and the Dingnan Bo Mansion wanted to send a Beauty into the palace. The courtiers pressured the Emperor to hold the selection, he eventually agreed, Qin Xiyue entered the palace, and Qin Song became her Chief Eunuch.’

’And they’re both named Qin. If it’s a coincidence, it’s far too convenient.’

"Was Qin Jiachun the one who led the recent disturbance?" Song Yunzhao asked.

Anshun froze for a moment, then realized which incident she was referring to. He immediately nodded. "Your Highness is wise. It was him."

’To prove her sincerity to the Empress Dowager, Qin Xiyue is really making a huge sacrifice this time,’ Song Yunzhao thought.

"Have Zhang Maoquan deal with Qin Jiachun. You go keep an eye on Shouci Palace and see if Qin Wan Yi goes there to ask the Empress Dowager for help."

"Yes." Anshun quickly complied.

Song Yunzhao clicked her tongue. ’This time, Qin Xiyue’s investment will probably be a total loss. The Empress Dowager is the most selfish person there is. Wang Zhaorong worked so hard for her before, but when the Wang Family was in trouble and she wanted to ask for help, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t even see her.’

’For Qin Xiyue’s matter this time, the Empress Dowager will most likely just stand by and do nothing.’

’I’ve just dismantled the foundation of their partnership. Let’s see how they conspire together now.’

’There are too many people and affairs in this palace, and countless factions in every department. Forget everywhere else; the Six Departments alone have so many people, so many cliques, and so many spies. It’s unrealistic to replace them all.’

’Besides, wherever power is born, conflict will follow. If you take one person down and replace them with another, they’ll eventually develop their own ambitions after sitting in that position for a while.’

’The human heart is a complicated thing.’

What Song Yunzhao needed to do now was secure the rear for Feng Yi and maintain general control over the major trends in the harem. ’If she could truly make everyone think and act as one, she’d have to be a deity, and she simply didn’t possess such abilities.’

’Her best plan was to use this opportunity to place her own people in key positions. That way, she would be the first to know of any future disturbances.’

But she hadn’t been in the palace long and lacked a foundation. For the past few years, only the people of Wangyou Palace had revolved around her, so she didn’t have many capable people to deploy. That was why she had summoned Anshun and Zhang Maoquan and asked them to recommend some useful individuals.

’Although she didn’t have many trustworthy people by her side, she believed there were plenty of others out there who wanted to latch onto a great tree like her.’

And just as she expected, people had already been trying to get in touch with Anshun and Zhang Maoquan. The two eunuchs hadn’t dared to mention it to her before, but now that she had asked, they listed the names of those who wished to pledge allegiance.

Yun Zhao selected a few names and had them secretly investigated during this assignment to see if their allegiance was genuine, and not just spies planted by someone else.

Qin Jiachun leading the disturbance wasn’t a particularly thorny problem for Yun Zhao. She didn’t even need to get involved personally; sending Zhang Maoquan was enough.

Anshun returned to report around noon, his forehead beaded with sweat. He began, "Chief Steward Zhang first had his men apprehend Qin Jiachun, then led them to search his room. However, they didn’t find anything useful. Even his personal silver accumulated over the years only amounted to a few dozen taels. The Chief Steward felt something was wrong, so he had me stay behind to watch in secret, while he and his men stormed off, feigning anger."

Song Yunzhao nodded slightly. "And then?"

"I hid in the shadows with two little eunuchs, but there was no activity. No one approached Qin Jiachun’s room. His roommate did come back once, but he turned pale with fright upon seeing the ransacked room and quickly fled."

Song Yunzhao looked at Anshun and said, "Since Qin Jiachun dared to cause a disturbance, he must have been prepared. Why would he leave any evidence for you in his living quarters?"

"You are right, Your Highness. I sent a message to Chief Steward Zhang, and he told me to come back and report to you. He wants to send someone out of the palace to investigate Qin Jiachun. It’s said that Qin Jiachun has purchased a residence outside."

Song Yunzhao had overlooked that point. ’Right. Any eunuch with some status and savings in the palace would buy a house outside.’ "Then you should make the trip."

Anshun quickly agreed, collected the pass to leave the palace, and departed.

Meanwhile, Zhang Maoquan detained Qin Jiachun while having someone secretly pass false information to Qin Song, telling him that Qin Jiachun had confessed everything.

Song Yunzhao: ...

’Zhang Maoquan really has a knack for interrogation.’

’It was a brilliant move, a psychological tactic.’

’With Anshun going out of the palace to dig into Qin Jiachun’s background, this two-pronged approach should make the matter easy to resolve.’

Anshun didn’t return to the palace to report until dusk. Feng Yi happened to be there, carrying Feng Ze and walking around the room. When Anshun was summoned inside, he didn’t dare to raise his head.

"After leaving the palace, I first went to the area around the Former Grand Tutor Mansion to gather information. No one knew anything when I mentioned Qin Jiachun, but I did get some news about Qin Song. Qin Song was originally a hereditary servant of the Qin Family. After his parents passed away, the Qin Family sent him into the palace. I had to visit several places before I discovered that Qin Song had purchased a house outside. Qin Jiachun’s house is just one street away from his. It took some effort, but I managed to find out that Qin Jiachun was also a hereditary servant of the Qin Family. For some unknown reason, he was later expelled from the family, only to enter the palace shortly after..."

As Song Yunzhao listened to Anshun’s report, she mentally pieced together the timeline. ’This means that Grand Tutor Qin began setting up his people a very long time ago.’

’Qin Jiachun being expelled from the Qin Family was likely a move to avoid suspicion, though that’s just speculation with no proof. Later, after Qin Song entered the palace, he formed a sworn kinship with Qin Jiachun. Then, before Qin Xiyue entered the palace, the two of them feigned a falling out, which allowed Qin Song to be smoothly assigned to serve by Qin Xiyue’s side...’

Song Yunzhao didn’t quite understand the convoluted thinking of scholars. ’It was all so roundabout. But from an outsider’s perspective at the time, with Qin Jiachun expelled from the family, it would look like they had a genuine falling out, and he would naturally have no connection to Grand Tutor Qin anymore.’

’According to Anshun, after Qin Song entered the palace, he was framed and fell on hard times, which led him to seek help from Qin Jiachun. That’s how they connected. On the surface, nothing seems amiss.’

’However, there’s a problem with the timing of their house purchases outside the palace. They were bought less than a year apart, on adjacent streets, and Qin Song hadn’t even entered the palace when the houses were bought.’

’If it weren’t for the Emperor’s plan to clean up the harem this time, this detail probably wouldn’t have been uncovered for a long while.’

Song Yunzhao heaved a long sigh. ’Grand Tutor Qin’s schemes run so deep. It’s no wonder the novel’s protagonist was able to make it to the end.’

She turned her head to see Feng Yi’s extremely grim expression and couldn’t help but reach out to hold his hand. Others might not know, but Yun Zhao knew that in the book, Feng Yi had held a certain degree of affection for Grand Tutor Qin, the kind a student has for a teacher.