War Prisoner - Chapter 81

Wanyan Xu turned his body around, casting a disbelieving look at his own son, as if he did not dare to put faith in what he had heard, for fear that it was too good to be true. Although he had already come to be suspicious of the circumstances surrounding Su Yi's defection, in the end, he had no proof to support his hunch. Moreover, in the hall on that day, Su Yi had made no protestations of innocence, but had confessed to his guilt with no hesitation. 

To hear Wanyan Shuo say words to this effect at this time, although he was overjoyed at the unexpected good news, he was also extremely doubtful and startled. Not knowing what kind of evidence he had fished up, he quickly walked back to the Dragon Throne and sat down before saying gravely: “Imperial Son must know that this is no small matter, there is no room for childish whims or temperament here. If you have any evidence, share it with us, so that the honoured ministers and I [1] can review it.”

Yu Cang's face was as dark as the depths of the ocean; he thought that Zi Yan must have betrayed him and wracked his brain, trying to think of possible countermeasures to fend off this threat. However, he saw that Wanyan Shuo had produced a document and was saying: “Reporting to Imperial Father, this is the sheet of prose that Mother Empress left on the table the day he made his escape from the palace. The meaning of his words is indeed easy to understand, they state his desire to recover the rivers and mountains of his country. But there is a fine detail hidden in this document that can prove that Mother Empress was being framed by someone.” 

He slowly cast his gaze over the befuddled ministers, who still failed to understand the meaning of his words before saying clearly and deliberately: “Although this poem was indeed penned by Mother Empress, but it was not written at the time of Mother Empress's escape, rather it was written soon after Mother Empress had been taken prisoner.” Because he had a trump card up his sleeve and was confident that he would be able to exonerate Su Yi, he had taken the initiative of referring to him as his Mother Empress once again.

At such a time, nobody had the leisure to pursue this relatively trivial matter. The critical thing was that in the early days of Su Yi's captivity, when he had yet to be crowned as the Empress, it was hardly surprising that he would still carry about in his heart a feeling of injustice and the wish to restore his country. Therefore, if the poem was dated to that time, it could hardly serve as proof of his treason. Most importantly, if it could be proven that these words were not written at the moment of his escape, then it was more than likely that somebody with ill-intentions had utilised his poem to malign him. Because Su Yi had outstanding talent in both the literary and martial fields, he could easily have written a few hundred poems just like this one at the time of his departure, there was really no need for him to rummage through trunks and boxes just to find a older work to serve as his manifesto and parting words. At this moment, all the officials' eyes were focused on the piece of paper that Wanyan Shuo held in his hand and waiting with all ears for him to present a case that would exculpate Su Yi.

Wanyan Shuo put away the document, and walked to He Jian's side. He asked solemnly: “Honourable Minister He, the court has a question for you. At the time of Mother Empress's rebellion, it was already late in the summer. In that season, what time do you usually get up from bed?” His question was really extremely nonsensical, and more importantly, he couldn't see how it had any correlation to the matter at hand --- the exoneration of Su Yi. But when He Jian looked at this little Crown Prince, he saw that his expression was dead serious, there was a shrewd glint in his eyes, and also, he had a bearing that was intimidating even without having to demonstrate temper. He Jian couldn't help but be a bit overawed and he said, careful not to neglect any detail: “Reporting to Your Highness, this old minister is of an advanced age so he usually gets up around the third quarter of the fourth night watch, so as to be ready to attend court at the fifth watch.” 

Wanyan Shuo nodded his head and said: “Do you still remember what the temperature would be like when you got out of bed? Was it cold or hot?”

He Jian smiled and said: “Why would Your Highness ask that? The scorching heat of summer is at its most extreme in late summer, just as autumn approaches. When this old minister rises at the fourth watch, there is already light perspiration on his body. Upon entering the court hall at the fifth watch, because the court robes are thick and multi-layered, naturally it would be stiflingly hot.”

With that, Wanyan Shuo gave an unreserved smile, nodding his head, he said: “It is just as Honourable Minister He says.” Looking around at the gathered ministers again, he said: “What do all of the Honourable Ministers think? Is there half a word of falsehood in what Honourable Minister He said?”

Although everybody was still puzzled over this turn of events, they still smiled and said in unison: “Honourable Minister He is telling the truth, when summer comes, the lands of the former Qi Empire is even hotter than the Jin Liao home country. We would be covered in beads of perspiration every day.” 

Wanyan Shuo seemed to be greatly satisfied with their answer, unfolding that piece of paper again, he looked at Wanyan Xu and said: “Imperial Father, herein lies the problem. Look at the first three phrases, they are: ‘A few beats of the night-watch drum, I am startled awake in the room, the candles have gone out, the dawn is cold’. My question is, if this poem was indeed penned by Mother Empress at the moment he escaped to start a rebellion as his parting words to Imperial Father, then how could there be a slight chill at the fifth watch? Does the scene not fit the timing? Mother Empress has been blessed with literary talent and has great facility with crafting prose, no matter what I cannot imagine that he would resort to writing an inferior poem where his words do not match the scene.”

Wanyan Xu "hmmm" for a long time as he was lost in thought. Suddenly he hastily got off the Dragon Throne and walked towards Wanyan Shuo. Seizing that piece of paper and examining it closely, his face gradually began to reveal excitement and he loudly exclaimed: “That’s right, if this was really written at the time of Su Su’s rebellion, why would he use the three words ‘dawn is cold’ in the late summer? He is not a crude person who would need to make up prose at random just so as to make a poem rhyme. From this, we can see that there is indeed something queer about this.”

So saying, he looked at his son, and patted him a few times before saying loudly: “Shuo Er, you... you have really grown up. You can even notice such a minute discrepancy, it shows that you really have your Mother Empress in your heart. Unlike your Imperial Father, who only set aside that document and wasted half a year... and actually... actually failed to see through the mystery in that poem... Very good, very good, Shuo Er, to know that you have become like this... Imperial Father... Imperial Father is very delighted.” His emotions were turbulent, to the point that even in front of all the gathered ministers, he made no secret of his regret and self-censure. Wanyan Shuo’s face turned red, and he sneaked a look at Zi Yan, who was still stationed behind the Dragon Throne and saw that her face was devoid of any expression. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he decided to swallow the words that he desired to say.

Wanyan Xu's face was once again impassive, and all of the courtiers could not make a guess as to the notions he was harbouring in his heart. Suddenly, they heard him say coldly: “Court is dismissed. He Jian stay behind, go to the South Study and await my instructions.” With that said, he strode off with a flick of his sleeves. 

He Jian followed him to the South Study, and saw him pace for a few steps before suddenly stopping. With a sombre expression, he said: “He Jian, I order you to conduct a thorough investigation of this matter, it is imperative that you uncover who it was that had framed the Empress. Humph, that person's scheme was sophisticated; he must have had a secret weapon that could force the Empress to make a false confession to the court against his will. You must pursue this affair until you get to the bottom of it.” He pondered over his options for a little while before continuing: “The Empress has strength of character and he has always been straightforward and upright in his ways. It cannot be that it was his personal affairs that gave someone the ammunition to use against him. The most likely scenario is that that person had some hostages on hand or something of that sort. You have to be careful and you are not to divulge even the slightest bit of information to anybody else. You must ensure that not even a single person is injured or killed in the course of your investigation. Do you understand?”

He Jian knelt down and said solemnly: “Your Majesty need not worry, this old minister will definitely bend to the task and spare no effort. I will be sure to uncover the identity of this most malevolent villain so that he can be punished according to the laws of our land.” After saying that, he got up and retired. At this time, Wanyan Xu thought of how he had wronged Su Yi, and caused him to endure so much suffering. He couldn't help but to feel ashamed and his heart felt like it was being stirred with a knife. He hesitated for a long time, before finally heaving a sigh and with a face coloured by shame, he went to see Su Yi.