Blossom

Chen Jia was stunned.

Since Song Mo was willing to see him again, it showed great interest in what he had to say. But this was his trump card for survival, and he had hoped to fetch a good price for it. His original plan was to force Song Mo to speak first, so he could gain the upper hand in negotiations.

He hadn’t expected Song Mo to remain silent and suddenly turn hostile.

Could it be that Song Mo truly didn’t care about the information he brought?

Chen Jia refused to believe it.

He stared into Song Mo’s eyes.

Song Mo’s pupils were dark and gleaming, like stars in the night sky—bright yet cold, devoid of any warmth. They resembled millennia-old frost, exuding a bone-chilling harshness that made his ruthlessness palpable.

Chen Jia’s heart trembled.

Perhaps Song Mo was merely putting on a show, but could he afford to gamble?

The Imperial Manor in Daxing was Song Mo’s territory, the very place where he raised his Martial Retainers.

If he wished, Song Mo could tear him to pieces at any moment!

A bitter taste filled Chen Jia’s mouth, as if he had swallowed bile.

There was no time for hesitation.

With a thud, he knelt before Song Mo. "Young Lord, it’s not that I’m playing coy, but this matter is of grave importance. I was momentarily overwhelmed and didn’t know how to proceed." At this point, he dared not delay any longer and spoke urgently, "Four years ago, my sworn father Chen Zuxun and I were ordered to escort Duke Ding back to the capital from Fujian. Shortly after leaving Fujian, Zhong Qiao, then the Commander of the Northern Pacification Office of the Imperial Bodyguards, suddenly arrived with a few men and interrogated Duke Ding privately. My father and I assumed he was acting under orders. Though we lamented inwardly, imperial decrees are not to be defied—we merely sighed about it in private. I even discussed with my father about secretly obtaining some high-quality wound medicine to tend to Duke Ding during our watch. Yet, as it turned out, neither of us ever got the chance to guard him. At the time, my father remarked that something about this was deeply suspicious."

Chen Jia paused, as if recalling events from that year, and nervously licked his lips.

Song Mo’s heart leaped into his throat, though outwardly he remained impassive. He lifted his teacup and took a slow sip.

Seeing this, Chen He tactfully withdrew, carefully closing the door behind him.

Song Mo and Duke Ding had been as close as father and son.

Behind the screen, Dou Zhao marveled at Song Mo’s composure.

Her gaze remained fixed on Chen Jia.

"Then Duke Ding met his end," Chen Jia lowered his eyelids. "Logically, if they were acting under orders, Zhong Qiao and his men should have been composed. Instead, they appeared flustered—not only forbidding us from mentioning the incident but also secretly contacting someone, as if conspiring. My father and I grew suspicious. Upon entering the capital, we were immediately detained by the Eastern Depot."

Such a thing had happened?

Song Mo’s fingers gripping the teacup turned white at the knuckles.

He had always assumed this was the Emperor’s doing and never dared investigate further.

On whose orders, then, had Wang Yuan pursued the truth behind his uncle’s death?

"Zhong Qiao told us at the time that Wang Yuan’s actions were solely to find fault with the Imperial Bodyguards over Duke Ding’s case. He warned us not to speak carelessly—no matter what the Eastern Depot asked, we were to think thrice before answering and never reveal anything about the Fujian mission.""Due to the longstanding discord between the Eastern and Western Depots and our Imperial Bodyguards, ever since Wang Yuan took over as the Eastern Depot's superintendent, he has joined forces with the Western Depot several times, dealing us heavy blows.

"We had no reason to doubt it.

"Moreover, we were well aware. If we let anything slip in front of the Eastern Depot, even if we managed to keep our lives, the Imperial Bodyguards would never spare those who betrayed their own. It might even implicate our families.

"During the Eastern Depot's interrogation, we all kept our mouths shut, following Zhong Qiao's instructions. No one revealed the specifics of Duke Ding's death.

"After several days of questioning yielded nothing useful, Wang Yuan released us."

"Ah!" Dou Zhao couldn't suppress a soft gasp of surprise, but the moment the sound escaped her throat, she realized her mistake and quickly covered her mouth.

But it was too late. Chen Jia, already on high alert with every hair on his body standing on end, immediately sensed someone behind the screen.

And it was a woman!

But he dared not look up.

He didn't know what Song Mo intended, nor who might be behind that screen...

Beads of sweat the size of peas rolled down Chen Jia's forehead.

Seeing Song Mo calmly sipping his tea, Chen Jia couldn't remain silent. Steeling himself, he continued, "My adoptive father and I found the whole thing utterly baffling—since Wang Yuan had intervened, why would he give up so easily? Moreover, I had a nagging feeling something was amiss. I discreetly contacted a few colleagues who had also been on the Fujian mission, asking what the Eastern Depot had questioned them about. They all said the interrogators initially only asked about Duke Ding's death. When they got nowhere, they simply confirmed who had gone to Fujian before releasing them. It didn't seem like an investigation into Duke Ding's death at all, contrary to what Zhong Qiao claimed."

The enigmatic screen behind Song Mo filled Chen Jia with unease.

"I reported this to my adoptive father. He suspected Wang Yuan was 'wielding the sword of Xiang Yu'—his true aim lay elsewhere. There was likely some more sinister scheme targeting the Imperial Bodyguards. Since we'd been to Fujian, we'd be the first casualties if things went south. He told me to investigate Zhong Qiao's covert contacts, hoping to uncover some clues.

"Following my adoptive father's orders, I began probing this matter secretly."

As he spoke, Chen Jia looked up at Song Mo, his expression a mix of hesitation and inner turmoil.

Song Mo's flawless facade cracked slightly as something stirred within him. "What did you find?" he asked.

His icy tone inexplicably kindled hope in Chen Jia.

"I discovered that after Duke Ding's death, Zhong Qiao had contacted Ding Wei, the military supervisor of Shaanxi."

Chen Jia's voice was hoarse, but it made Song Mo's hand tremble faintly as he held his teacup.

Ding Wei—the Emperor's grand eunuch from his princely days, once the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs' writing brush eunuch. In his later years, the vigorous Wang Yuan had usurped his position as the Emperor's confidant. In a fit of anger, Ding Wei had left for the Shaanxi Regional Military Commission as supervisor. Yet the Emperor still favored him greatly, inquiring after him frequently. He remained one of the most prominent grand eunuchs at court.

"Is this true?!" Song Mo fixed his gaze on Chen Jia, a flash of menace crossing his brow.

Chen Jia nearly wept under that stare.He had inexplicably offended Wang Yuan, and his former colleagues who had once been close to him now looked at him as if he were a dead man, keeping their distance. Even those who pitied him could only advise him to "accept his fate."

Only Song Mo was different.

Upon hearing that Ding Wei was involved in the matter, Song Mo showed no fear.

Choosing Song Mo had indeed been the right decision!

When the Duke of Yingguo's mansion caught fire, he had generously rewarded those who provided information about the thieves with a thousand taels of silver.

Now that he had offered clues about the wrongful case of Duke Ding, given Song Mo's character, he would surely not be treated unfairly.

Considering the friendship between Song Mo and Wang Yuan, if Song Mo were willing to put in a word for him, he might even turn misfortune into fortune and gain Wang Yuan's favor...

Chen Jia grew increasingly excited and hurriedly said, "This is absolutely true! Not only that, but I’ve also uncovered the cause of Duke Ding’s death!"

Dou Zhao’s heart pounded violently, her hands clenching into fists.

Song Mo, however, turned pale and stared at Chen Jia for a long time without speaking.

The only sound in the room was Chen Jia’s heavy breathing.

"It’s true! Everything I’ve said is true!" Unable to bear the oppressive silence, he raised his voice. "Ding Wei was originally from Wuyi, Fujian, with the surname Cheng. He was abducted as a child and sold to a family named Ding. After his adoptive parents passed away, a relative sent him into the palace. When he took charge of the Eastern Depot, he uncovered his true origins and found his only surviving nephew, who was working as a page in Quanzhou."

"Ding Wei helped his nephew purchase thousands of acres of fertile land in Quanzhou and opened two trading firms."

"Seeing his nephew suddenly wealthy, some sought to curry favor."

"Afraid of being looked down upon, his nephew refused to reveal his uncle’s identity. He only claimed that a long-lost relative, now a high-ranking official in the capital, had repaid an ancestral debt by gifting him immense wealth."

"Those people then tricked him into smuggling goods by sea. He was caught by a lieutenant under Duke Ding’s command. Unaware of his identity, Duke Ding ordered him executed along with the other ordinary merchants."

The room fell into dead silence.

Dou Zhao clutched the front of her robe over her chest.

Song Mo’s face turned ashen.

Chen Jia’s voice echoed once more in the room.

"From then on, Ding Wei harbored a deep hatred for Duke Ding."

"Zhong Qiao was a sleeper agent Ding Wei had planted in the Imperial Bodyguard during his tenure at the Eastern Depot. After Ding Wei was transferred to the Shaanxi Regional Military Commission, Zhong Qiao’s cover was abandoned. Using intelligence he had acquired from the Eastern Depot, Zhong Qiao secured his position in the Imperial Bodyguard and gradually rose to become the Commander of the Northern Pacification Office."

"When Duke Ding was imprisoned, Ding Wei instructed Zhong Qiao to torture him."

"After Duke Ding’s death, Zhong Qiao panicked and sought Ding Wei’s help."

"Ding Wei reassured him, saying the Emperor had already suspected Duke Ding and intended to punish him, so the Emperor would never investigate the matter."

"Sure enough, the Emperor never pursued it afterward."

"My foster father and I stumbled upon this explosive secret and dared not investigate further. We decided to bury it deep in our hearts and never speak of it again."

"A few months later, Zhong Qiao was suddenly imprisoned for a minor offense and soon died in jail."

"The following year, my foster father inexplicably offended Wang Yuan and was executed by him."

"It was only then that I realized many of those who had accompanied us on the mission to Fujian had met similar fates—executed by either the Eastern Depot or the Imperial Bodyguard for one reason or another."

"I began to grow fearful.""Quietly gather those who went to Fujian with me, trying to figure out what exactly happened.

"Before we could uncover the reason, rumors spread that I had offended Wang Yuan.

"I was isolated by the Imperial Bodyguards, often sabotaged at work, and made frequent mistakes in my duties—almost getting dismissed.

"Five months ago, I was arrested by the Eastern Depot. Without any interrogation, they directly subjected me to severe torture. If Wang Yuan hadn’t recently tricked Metropolitan Commander Shi Chuan in front of the Emperor, and if my brothers hadn’t seized the chance to bring my case to Shi Chuan’s attention, I might have died in the Eastern Depot’s prison.

"I just can’t understand—even if we knew the truth behind Duke Ding’s death, it should have been Ding Wei who silenced us. Why was it Wang Yuan, who has a life-and-death feud with Ding Wei, who took action?"