Chapter 400: Chapter 304: A Game of Imperial Power_3
Even though Lian Yang was the only bloodline of the Dayue Royal Family to be protected down to the present, he was naturally entrusted with the hope of restoring the nation.
But given the current situation of Dayue, indeed, whether the nation is restored or not doesn’t have much to do with Great Zhou. To put it another way, without the ability to take over their lands, Dayue must at least have an emperor. The culprits who initiated the war are already dead, and even if their successors ascend to the throne to continue the dynasty, it will no longer affect the overall situation.
Ultimately, the stability between the two countries depends on who is stronger and determines the outcome, rather than endless slaughter.
Of course, initiating war is not just a matter of exchanging words.
Pei Zhan continued, "Given your current situation, you should be protecting Lian Yang. Why did you travel all the way to Tanzhou? How did you find Xu Yin?"
Perhaps feeling that his previous response was too harsh, which was highly disadvantageous to his current self, Tie Ying softened his tone again, taking on a more cooperative stance: "After last winter’s cessation of warfare, the borders reopened. News reached Yu City that Xu Yin, the Assistant Minister of Rites of Great Zhou, bore a great resemblance to the deceased King Yi.
"King Yi was the fiercest contender for the throne with our Monarch, and there was some old enmity between them as well. Our master sent me to investigate his background. Upon investigation, I found that he had many connections with Duan Mian, the second son of King Yi. Whether it was the time or the place where he was rescued by the Liang Family.
"Most crucially, I traced the trail back to discover something tied directly to the current Monarch of Dayue."
Pei Zhan squinted, "How so?"
Tie Ying looked at him, "Do you recall when you attacked Dayue’s capital, that the current Monarch Duan Hong provided you with a map of the Imperial City?"
Pei Zhan said, "I remember."
Tie Ying snorted coldly, "Duan Hong is a descendant of a collateral line distant from the main branch of the Imperial Family by seven or eight generations. His line was just an empty shell and barely ranked. Yet he suddenly emerged and provided you with a detailed map, how could he have done that?"
Pei Zhan looked at him, "Of course. But he said it was ancestral."
With dynastic changes, the layout of the Imperial Palace wouldn’t have changed significantly, so the claim of being ancestral was believable. Anyway, the map matched with what he had gathered, so Pei Zhan gave credit to Duan Hong’s attitude, which helped him to successfully ascend the throne of Dayue.
"Ancestral?" Tie Ying said, "He’s really stretching it. That map, if I’m not mistaken, was secretly provided to him by Xu Yin!"
"Are you saying Xu Yin and Duan Hong are already in collusion?"
"I don’t know." Tie Ying looked confused, "But a couple of months ago, there were two groups of people inquiring about the Lian Family."
"Two groups of people?"
"That’s right." Tie Ying looked up, "Two groups, not the same party. Both were inquiring about the whereabouts of General Wei Wu’s adopted son, Lian Qing. Upon receiving this news, our master immediately dispatched me to probe into Xu Yin’s background, which is how I ended up in Tanzhou. However, before I could start my investigation, my northern accent gave me away. That person named Zhou Yi sent a large number of samurai to capture me."
Everyone was silent. After a moment, Fu Zhen said, "You were alone?"
"There was one other, he got away."
The room fell into silence again.
It wasn’t until Tie Ying suddenly stood up, shivering, and coughing again that Pei Zhan stood up, waved for a guard to summon Lu Chongyang to treat him, and then led the group out of the courtyard door.
The sky already showed a sliver of dawn, and the sound of the watchman’s clappers drifted over from afar.
Liang Zhi said, "Judging from Tie Ying’s words, Xu Yin’s identity can almost be confirmed. He can only be Duan Mian’s son, and that’s why he possesses the means to do so many things! Furthermore, he clearly harbors other intentions, and Lian Yang is thinking of restoring the country. The people of Prince Yi Mansion are undoubtedly of the same mind! But Xu the Traitor is even more despicable, for he even drags in Great Zhou!"
Everyone looked at him but said nothing.
To this point, all of Xu Yin’s dubious points align with the account of Tie Ying regarding Duan Mian’s son.
As long as Tie Ying isn’t lying, all of Xu Yin’s schemes are thus verified.
And with Xu Yin being brought into the capital in this manner, Great Zhou is no longer a threat to their master-servant relationship. What reason would he have to lie?
Yet, suddenly unveiling this veil, it seemed as though another veil had settled over everyone’s hearts.
"That insatiable dog of ambition! He slaughtered people in my Great Zhou, receiving favors from my Liang Family for so many years, yet he had other motives all along!"
Liang Chen couldn’t suppress his anger, striking his palm against a nearby tree trunk.
The leaves fluttered down, evoking, for no reason, a memory of the drifting peach blossoms in the northwest corner of Baihe Temple in the dead of night.
Pei Zhan moved in thought, turning to look at Fu Zhen, but saw that she had not followed after all...