Chapter 1301: Severe Interrogation

Upon hearing this, everyone present, from the people in the room to the officials in the imperial court, changed their expressions drastically. No one had expected Xu Yu to possess such crucial evidence.

Many even felt a twinge of jealousy, as according to Xu Yu, Yu Yanluo and that person had been inseparable and addressed each other intimately. To think that the capital's most beautiful woman, whom countless men had pursued yet she disdained, had finally fallen for a man.

What special qualities did this Zuan possess? He lacked a distinguished background, his cultivation was not outstanding, and his appearance was merely average. How did he manage to win Yu Yanluo's favor?

Bi Linglong also felt quite a sting. After all, Yu Yanluo's reputation was immense, and Zuan had caused such a huge mess trying to save this woman. She couldn't help but feel the absurd sensation that her own man had been unfaithful, and she was left to clean up his mess.

Pei Mianman also glared at Zuan in exasperation. This fellow had disappeared for so long without a word; just as she suspected, he had been enjoying himself with other women while she had worried day and night.

Seeing the continuous stream of rage points he received, Zuan's head began to ache. He quickly said, "Lord Xu, I don't understand what you're saying. The Snake Tribe is tens of thousands of miles away from here, with the Great Snow Mountain, a forbidden life zone, in between. If there were any news from there, how could a message reach you so quickly?"

He himself had returned only after riding a Wind-Fire Wheel and experiencing another fortuitous encounter. How could a spy's message be faster than him?

"Lord Zuan is not an official on the border, so perhaps he is unaware of these details," Xu Yu chuckled. He hadn't expected to be mocked by the other party just moments ago, and now he could return the favor so quickly. "When we send spies to the demon tribes, we are naturally aware of the vast distance between the two places. If there is any urgent military intelligence, a round trip would be too time-consuming and could delay vital military affairs. Therefore, the scholars at the Imperial Academy invented a simplified version of the Audio-Video Mirror."

"It can directly transmit text messages, which are received immediately here."

"This avoids the need to activate the full Audio-Video Mirror, which consumes immense spirit stones, and also prevents the large spatial fluctuations that would occur when activating it, thus avoiding detection. It further protects the safety of our secret agents."

"These secret agents are recorded in the Xiu Lou's most classified archives. Their loyalty is absolutely reliable, and His Majesty and Commander Zhu Xie can personally verify this."

Hearing these words, the entire hall erupted in an uproar. Those of lower rank inquired about the situation, while some high-ranking officials explained the relevant regulations to them.

Zuan's expression also changed. He knew the Xiu Lou had a highly classified archive where only Zhu Xie Chixin was allowed access, and even Gold-Rank Embroidered Uniform Guards had no authority to enter. He hadn't expected it to contain information about these secret agents.

Listening to Xu Yu's description, this so-called simplified Audio-Video Mirror seemed similar to a telegraph from his previous life. He hadn't expected this cultivation world to achieve the same purpose through different means.

It was all his fault for not being from this world; he was unaware of many things considered common knowledge by others, which sometimes put him at a great disadvantage.

"If such evidence existed, why wasn't it presented earlier?" Bi Linglong's voice rang out. She noticed Zuan's silence, assuming he was flustered, so she spoke up to help him and also buy him time to devise a countermeasure.

Xu Yu replied, "Reporting to the Crown Princess, the reason it wasn't presented earlier was to protect the secret agents. These agents risk their lives in foreign lands doing work that could lead to execution. If their identities were exposed, their fate would be utterly miserable."

He had initially thought other evidence would be enough to convict Zuan, but he never expected Gold-Rank Eleven to appear first, and then for Zuan himself to show up again. In desperation, he had no choice but to play his trump card.

At the same time, he worried that although he was loyal to the Emperor, he had offended the Crown Princess, and his future might not be good after the Crown Prince ascended the throne.

He secretly glanced at Prince Qi, wondering if he should perhaps hedge his bets.

At this moment, others immediately started discussing animatedly, particularly expressing high respect for the secret agents who risked their lives to infiltrate the demon tribes.

Zuan frowned and said indifferently, "Lord Xu's statement is likely untrue. As far as I know, the demon tribes intensely reject humans due to their defeat in the past war. Perhaps human spies could infiltrate some other tribes, but for a demon tribe with such distinct characteristics as the Snake Tribe, how could a human spy hide there undetected?"

He had just been recalling his time in the Snake Tribe and was quite certain there were no humans there. After all, to be able to hear Yu Yanluo's intimate address to him, the spy couldn't have been too far away.

With him leading the way, officials from the Crown Prince's faction also chimed in with their agreement, as the questioning was indeed reasonable.

Xu Yu looked at Zuan with a half-smile. "Lord Zuan seems quite knowledgeable about the Snake Tribe. Have you perhaps been there yourself?"

Zuan cursed Xu Yu as an old fox under his breath, always trying to set traps for him. "Lord Xu, haven't you heard the saying, 'Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen a pig run?' I am, after all, a tutor to the Crown Prince. To not disappoint His Majesty's high hopes and to not hinder the Crown Prince's studies, it's natural for me to acquire all sorts of knowledge. The demon tribes are great enemies of humanity, and the Crown Prince will certainly have to deal with them in the future, so they are naturally a key subject of my study."

Hearing his implied meaning that the Crown Prince would one day ascend the throne, Prince Qi's face twitched slightly. This fellow sometimes made him want to cooperate, and other times genuinely made him want to kill him.

In contrast, officials from the Crown Prince's faction nodded in approval. Bi Qi, the Minister of the Right, who had been observing with a cold gaze, thought to himself, 'No wonder my daughter desperately wants to protect him. This fellow truly is a talent.'

Xu Yu's breath hitched. Facing the doubts from the Crown Prince's faction, he could only explain, "To be frank, the spy in the Snake Tribe is not human, but a member of the Snake Tribe whom we painstakingly bribed. Commander Zhu Xie will know this if he checks the archives."

Zuan's expression changed. He hadn't expected that just as humanity had traitors, the Snake Tribe also had its own turncoats. Who could it be?

It couldn't possibly be Elders Bai and Qing, could it?

Zhu Xie Chixin nodded. "Indeed, that is correct. The reason Lord Xu was vague earlier was to protect the spy's identity. This matter is highly classified, and I ask everyone to keep it confidential. If any word of this leaks out in the future, leading to harm to that spy, our Embroidered Uniform Guards will invite everyone present here to the Xiu Lou for tea."

Hearing this, all the officials felt a chill down their spines. Being invited for tea by the Embroidered Uniform Guards was never a good sign; in recent years, many of their colleagues had been invited and never returned.

At this point, Zhao Shu, Duke of Xinhuan County, spoke up: "Now that the evidence is conclusive, Zuan, you were seduced by beauty, colluded with the demon tribes, and betrayed the court. What more do you have to say?"

Sang Hong was now filled with regret. He shouldn't have let Zuan return if he had known this would happen. He had thought returning would clear his name, but who knew Xu Yu possessed such evidence? Now, his return had only led him into a trap.

At this moment, Pei Mianman spoke up: "Lord Xu, your spy's report mentioned that Lord Zuan and Yu Yanluo were inseparable and intimate in the Snake Tribe, correct?"

Xu Yu frowned slightly, unsure what she was getting at, but still replied, "That is correct."

"May I ask when Lord Xu received this information?" Pei Mianman continued to ask.

"About several days ago." Xu Yu's expression changed as soon as he answered, because he knew what the other party was about to say.

As expected, Pei Mianman sneered, "Then Lord Xu's evidence is somewhat contradictory. Since Lord Zuan was with Yu Yanluo in the Snake Tribe, it's well-known that the Snake Tribe is extremely far from Yunzhong Commandery, with the Great Snow Mountain, a forbidden life zone, in between. To travel from the Snake Tribe to Yunzhong Commandery would take at least half a year, wouldn't it? So how could Zuan appear here?"

Bi Linglong, visible in the Audio-Video Mirror, secretly nodded and cast a look of approval at her, thinking, 'Even if Zuan is lustful, at least the women he finds aren't idiots. I was just flustered with worry and didn't think of this loophole immediately.'

As soon as these words were spoken, the imperial court erupted. Even many officials from Prince Qi's faction looked doubtful, as returning from the Snake Tribe to Yunzhong Commandery in just a few days seemed impossible by any measure.

Xu Yu was actually puzzled by this himself, but he still braced himself and said, "Although for the general populace, a round trip in just a few days is impossible, perhaps there's an unknown secret passage in the Great Snow Mountain."

Midway through, he himself felt a little uneasy. After all, the fearsome reputation of the Great Snow Mountain was known to all; if there were any secret passages, the world would have already fallen into chaos.

His reaction was quick, and he immediately thought of a plausible explanation: "The reason Yu Yanluo could reach the Snake Tribe so quickly before was likely because she had operated in Yunzhong Commandery for many years and secretly built some kind of teleportation array. Therefore, Zuan must have returned through the same method."

"For the safety of the empire, I suggest that Zuan be arrested and interrogated thoroughly to discover the location of that teleportation array. Firstly, this would guard against future demon tribe raids, and secondly, we could also use this array to launch surprise attacks on the demon tribes."

Bi Linglong immediately said, "Your Majesty, please reconsider. The demon tribes are not a monolith. Marshal Qin is currently engaged in battle with the demon tribes, and the Snake Tribe has never had much animosity towards humans. If we were to lightly provoke them and force the demon tribes to unite completely, it would not be a blessing for our dynasty."

The Emperor nodded slightly, then looked at Prince Qi and said, "What does Prince Qi think about this matter?"