CHAPTER 129: CHAPTER 127: GIVE IT A TRY

Qin Maoxing stood outside the door and took a deep breath before following the servant into the courtyard.

He never expected that he would come to ask Song Xian for help.

But right now, as Su Huaiqing said, nothing is more important than catching the Liao spies.

With thoughts swirling in his mind, Qin Maoxing braced himself and walked into the study, looking up at Song Xian, who was seated in the main position.

Song Xian’s face was cold, his entire being exuding an aura of deadly intent, like a sharp, icy sword that lay before him, making him instinctively want to draw his own sword to confront it.

Qin Maoxing steadied himself and stepped forward to salute, "General Song."

Song Xian lifted his eyes to look at Qin Maoxing and, without pleasantries, directly asked, "Lieutenant Qin, what brings you here?"

Qin Maoxing pressed his lips together. Both of them were of military background, so it was better to be direct: "The spies caught in Zhenzhou by the General and Mr. Li, did they have a wooden tooth in their mouths?"

Song Xian did not hesitate and nodded, "Yes."

Qin Maoxing continued, "Does it look like this?" He pulled out a cloth bundle from his sleeve and opened it to reveal a wooden object. It was damaged, but upon closer inspection, it vaguely resembled a piece of a wooden tooth.

Song Xian looked up at Qin Maoxing, "Where did Lieutenant Qin obtain this from?"

Qin Maoxing had prepared for this. Before speaking, he paused for a moment: "It was found on a person caught in the Qian Ning Army."

The Qian Ning Army was under the jurisdiction of the Henghai Jiedu Envoy.

Qin Maoxing continued, "Actually, Su Huaiqing and I have been secretly investigating the Liao spies for a long time. This matter starts with a fire at the Ministry of War a few years ago."

Song Xian had heard about the fire in the Ministry of War’s archive, which destroyed some documents and killed an Extraordinary Minister.

Qin Maoxing said, "The deceased Extraordinary Minister was Lv Yanzhi, a native of Cangzhou, and a close friend of mine."

Song Xian asked, "There was something suspicious about Lv Yanzhi’s death?"

Qin Maoxing nodded, "But the government office found no issue. I went to the Capital City to pay my respects and did not suspect anything until Su Huaiqing told me that before Lv Yanzhi’s death, he was investigating the accounts of the archive because he believed there was a problem with the military supplies in the North. The military resources allocated by the court each year did not match those existing and consumed in the North.

Lv Yanzhi was skilled at calculations, and his daily duties were too easy for him. So, he began reviewing old accounts and discovered discrepancies. But Lv Yanzhi could not confirm it yet and told Su Huaiqing he’d clarify once he had verified the details.

The day after he said this, the archive caught fire. The accounts were gone, and Lv Yanzhi also perished in the flames. The government office’s investigation concluded that Lv Yanzhi knocked over a lamp while asleep at his desk reviewing documents at night."

Qin Maoxing couldn’t help but feel sad at the thought of the late Lv Yanzhi, "Later, Su Huaiqing and I secretly investigated the military supplies and found Daqi’s weaponry and firearms in the hands of the Liao people."

Song Xian said, "In battles between Daqi and the Liao, military supplies could be captured. How do you know those were secretly sold to the Liao?"

Qin Maoxing said, "I had the same suspicion, so I kept pursuing it relentlessly and finally captured a deputy general of the Liao, interrogated him thoroughly, and he confessed that those supplies were bought from Daqi by Xiao Xingzong."

As Qin Maoxing spoke, he looked at Song Xian, yet before he could open his mouth, he saw the answer in Song Xian’s eyes. Song Xian had already guessed what he was about to say.

Qin Maoxing felt a bit deflated, "After capturing him, I planned to take him to Cangzhou, but we were ambushed halfway, and the deputy general was killed."

Song Xian said, "This happened this year?"

Qin Maoxing nodded, "After that Liao man was killed, I pursued who might have leaked the information. In the autumn, I caught an informant in the Qian Ning Army. Before I could extract any confession, he ended his own life.

Upon hearing that Liao spies had wooden teeth in their mouths, Su Huaiqing and I exhumed the informant’s body and found this tooth-looking object in his stomach."

Song Xian was silent for a moment before he said, "The fact that you and Su Huaiqing’s investigation alerted the enemy was the cause of this. To cover it up, they instead pushed the Song Family out as scapegoats." Hence, the Emperor’s suspicion of the Song Family.

Hearing Song Xian say this, much of the confusion in Qin Maoxing’s heart dissipated.

This matter indeed was intricately linked step by step.

"In the North, those who could and would trade military supplies with the Liao, aside from the Song Family, would be the Henghai Jiedu Envoy," Song Xian looked at Qin Maoxing, "The case of Song Min allowed you to see clearly that at least I am not secretly colluding with the Liao, so you came to me for verification, wanting to know if the Song Family is the one selling military supplies?"

Qin Maoxing thought he would have to explain in detail, but Song Xian had already seen through it.

Song Xian did not give Qin Maoxing the answer he sought, his ink-black eyes deep and unreadable: "I must ask you the same, is it the Henghai Jiedu Envoy who is secretly trading military supplies and colluding with Xiao Xingzong?"

Song Xian said, "One cannot act on mere assumptions; evidence must speak. You pursued the matter of military supplies, yet before reporting to the court, there were already rumors of the Song Family colluding with the Liao. If the truth were so easily revealed, Lv Yanzhi wouldn’t have died, and you wouldn’t have had to investigate secretly for so long."

Qin Maoxing admitted that because of this, he also had further suspicions. Could this matter involve his uncle?

Song Xian continued, "You’ve discovered military supplies and informants in the Henghai Jiedu Envoy’s territory. You cannot, to exonerate your uncle, put suspicion on the Song Family.

If the Song Family could reach out to those around you, then better to lay the charge of colluding with the Liao on the Henghai Jiedu Envoy."

Qin Maoxing’s face grew uglier, but he had to admit that Song Xian made a lot of sense: "There is one more thing, Su Huaiqing’s uncle, Lin Xu’s close aide, once visited Cangzhou.

That’s why Su Huaiqing rushed to Zhenzhou."

Qin Maoxing and Su Huaiqing investigated secretly but traced the issue back to their own families.

Song Xian thought of what Xie Liangchen had said, in a past life Qin Maoxing was harmed by his own family, and Su Huaiqing also died mysteriously, possibly because of investigating this case.

Qin Maoxing said, "Huaiqing and I only wish to uncover everything clearly. Now that Huaiqing is in Zhenzhou, General Song, if there is anything I can do, just let me know."

Song Xian set aside the documents in front of him, looking at Qin Maoxing: "If Lin Xu goes to Cangzhou again, can you find out who he associates with?"

"I can," Qin Maoxing said, "I have informants in Cangzhou, and I’m sure they can track him."

Song Xian stood up: "Then let’s give it a try."

...

Chen Family Village.

Old Mrs. Chen watched her granddaughter eat, "Just one day of chicken and you’re already stockpiling?" Her granddaughter ate in small bites, as if she’d had a gourmet meal and everything else didn’t taste as good anymore.

Xie Liangchen, with a guilty conscience, forgot all about the beef soup Song Xian had sent over: "Maybe the hen was too fat."

Old Mrs. Chen silently noted that it seems more cost-effective to buy fatter chickens.

After finishing their meal, Xie Liangchen and Chen Zigeng rinsed their mouths together and then left the village together.

Chen Zigeng was headed to Mr. Dongli for his studies, while Xie Liangchen was going to the blacksmith to see if her treasures for preparing medicine had been forged. If they didn’t work well, they needed modifications.

"Let your fourth uncle go with you," Old Mrs. Chen called Chen Yongyi over, "It’s almost the New Year, and the roads aren’t safe. Be more cautious."

Xie Liangchen felt that her grandmother was not saying this just because it was almost the New Year, but because she feared some secrets might be uncovered, and she would be in danger.