Chapter 615: Manipulating Hearts and Minds

Chapter 615: Chapter 615: Manipulating Hearts and Minds

Gao Yi averted his gaze.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Of course he wouldn’t admit it.

But Shen Yanchuan had expected as much.

"You didn’t really think you could get away with what you did in Qingzhou, did you?"

Shen Yanchuan said slowly,

"Should I summon those grain merchants to cross-reference their accounts with you?"

Gao Yi started, turning back to look at Shen Yanchuan with alarm and uncertainty. Meeting those deep, inscrutable eyes, he felt as if his entire being was in the other man’s grasp.

It was like an invisible net had bound him tightly, leaving him unable to struggle free.

Gao Yi feigned composure, but his mind was racing. ’Those men haven’t been back to Qingzhou since last year’s autumn harvest. No matter how capable Shen Yanchuan is, there’s no way he could have tracked them down!’

Gao Yi snorted coldly. "What grain merchants? I am merely Lord Zuo Ci’s Chang Sui. How could I possibly be involved with such businessmen!"

Shen Yanchuan seemed to smile.

"It’s one thing for Zuo Ci to claim ignorance, but you can save your breath. He’s been lining his pockets for years in that post. Weren’t you the one who ’introduced’ those grain merchants to him?"

Qingzhou may be a small place, but it wasn’t without its opportunities for profit.

Zuo Ci, feeling his career had stalled, was focused solely on making money. He was too lazy to manage daily affairs, and he happened to have a subordinate in Gao Yi—attentive, obedient, literate, and skilled in martial arts. He was exceptionally useful, so Zuo Ci delegated most matters to him.

All he had to do was collect the money.

Eventually, it became common knowledge that if you wanted to get anything done in Qingzhou, you had to go through Gao Yi.

It saved Zuo Ci a lot of trouble, but from a certain perspective, he had also been rendered a mere figurehead.

This included the matter of collecting grain. Zuo Ci had heard whispers of it but paid it no mind. He simply took his usual cut and left Gao Yi in full charge.

By then, the people Zuo Ci met were only those Gao Yi had already vetted.

Gao Yi clamped his mouth shut.

He couldn’t guess how much evidence Shen Yanchuan truly had. The more he said, the more he might misspeak. So, he decided to say nothing at all.

However, Shen Yanchuan’s next words shattered Gao Yi’s defenses once more.

"The granaries in Quanzhou and Yizhou... you must have spent a great deal of time and effort on them, didn’t you?"

Gao Yi’s head snapped up! His mind went completely blank.

His reaction was the clearest answer possible.

Gao Yi immediately realized this, but he had no time to worry about it.

At this moment, only one thought echoed in his mind—’Shen Yanchuan actually found them! How... how on earth did he find out about this!?’

Gao Yi’s fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly. In the ice-cold prison cell, he broke out in a cold sweat.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally lowered his head, defeated.

"...Since you already know everything, why bother asking me?"

Shen Yanchuan raised an eyebrow. "So, you admit it?"

Gao Yi slumped in despair.

In truth, his heart was like dead ashes.

He gave a bitter laugh. "Whether I admit it or not, the result is the same—death, isn’t it?"

The only difference is whether it’s sooner or later.

Shen Yanchuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he let out a soft chuckle.

"It seems you are quite loyal. You don’t even fear death, willing to sacrifice your life to follow your master."

Gao Yi’s heart trembled, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face. "What did you say?! He’s dead?! But he was clearly exiled—"

Gao Yi’s voice came to an abrupt halt.

A suffocating silence spread, like a tide engulfing everything.

Gao Yi’s face turned deathly pale.

He finally realized what a terrible mistake he had made.

He froze, the blood in his veins seeming to solidify. It felt as though something was choking him, and the veins on his forehead pulsed. His mouth twitched and contorted, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

But what he had just said was enough.

The corners of Shen Yanchuan’s lips lifted slightly as he glanced back.

"My three lords, is this sufficient?"

Gao Yi no longer knew what he should be feeling or what expression he should be wearing.

After just a few sentences, a brief back-and-forth, he was utterly defeated.

He clenched his jaw so tightly he almost drew blood. "Shen Yanchuan... you tricked me!"

"Has your master not taught you that all is fair in war? Besides, if everything I said was a lie, why would you have admitted to it so easily?"

Shen Yanchuan’s tone was composed, as calm as if he were remarking on the pleasant weather.

Behind him, Chen Songshi and the others finally stepped forward, their expressions rather complex.

Gao Yi’s slip of the tongue was enough to confirm it—everything he did was on Xiao Chengxuan’s orders!

"It’s truly unthinkable... The Second Prince already holds such a noble station. Why would he go this far!"

Xu Fengchi glanced at Gao Yi, but his thoughts were elsewhere. ’Now I finally know how Xu Jie’s testimony came about back then...’

Shen Yanchuan rarely handled matters personally. His Black Cavalry Guard had their own designated roles, and among them were many skilled interrogators.

But it wasn’t until he witnessed it firsthand that Xu Fengchi clearly realized—Shen Yanchuan was the true master of this art.

He could see into people’s hearts with meticulous precision!

Even a tangled mess as confusing as a fog, he could unravel thread by thread to distinguish truth from falsehood!

How many questions had he even asked?

And Gao Yi had confessed to everything!

Su Wei’s expression was grave. "I will submit this testimony at once for Your Majesty’s review."

If Gao Yi still didn’t understand what was happening by now, then he truly had wasted all these years.

This wasn’t a case of the Black Cavalry Guard being ordered to arrest him.

This was clearly Shen Yanchuan, in league with the Three Judicial Departments, coming to extract a confession from him together!

Before this, Gao Yi could never have imagined that he would warrant being interrogated by these powerful figures all at once.

Of course, he would also never know that the reason for this was simply that Shen Yanchuan couldn’t be bothered with trouble.

—Having finally lured the man to the Capital City, it was only natural to resolve the matter cleanly and decisively.

He had been investigating the Qingzhou affair for so long; he no longer had the interest or patience to let it drag on.

Shen Yanchuan gave Gao Yi one last look.

"The news you received before was correct; your master isn’t dead yet. However..."

’However, after tomorrow, I’m afraid he’ll be wishing he were dead.’

...

By the time they emerged from the prison, the sky was already showing the first pale light of dawn.

Chen Songshi rubbed his sore shoulders and sighed. "These old bones of mine can’t take this kind of strain anymore..."

If this matter hadn’t involved Xiao Chengxuan, he wouldn’t have stayed up all night here.

Xu Fengchi smiled. "Now that the dust has settled, Elder, you can finally go back and get some proper rest today."

"How could it be that simple!"

Chen Songshi shook his head.

"Gao Yi has confessed, and we have the testimony, but it’s precisely because of this that things are about to get busy!"

Xu Fengchi understood what he meant.

This confirmed that Xiao Chengxuan had been hoarding grain.

For a Prince to be hoarding grain for no apparent reason—even a fool would know he was harboring thoughts of rebellion!

Su Wei, on the other hand, wasn’t too concerned about that. As far as he was concerned, Xiao Chengxuan was already irrevocably guilty of treason. What he was more interested in now was...

"Princely Heir, how did you know that the grain from Qingzhou was being stockpiled in Quanzhou and Yizhou?"