Leaving the Prime Minister's manor, Lu Qingwan sighed, "Wen Rusong was so nervous, I thought something had happened in the imperial court, but it turns out it was still our personal business.
By the way, although Wen Yay's nominal mother was not much, Prime Minister Wen, as her maternal grandfather, is more than qualified. Are you sure you won't call him grandfather again?"
From the time Emperor Jingyou was alive until now, Prime Minister Wen had taken great care of Si Fengwu.
After Emperor Jingyou's sacrifice, Prime Minister Wen, to protect Si Fengwu, did not hesitate to withstand Feng Qingheng's pressure and help Si Fengwu retain the Xuanjia Army.
Except for the time when Si Fengwu concealed his identity and forcibly married Lu Qingwan for the sake of the Great Gan people, Prime Minister Wen had been more than benevolent to them.
Even Lu Qingwan, an unrelated person, was moved. How could Si Fengwu, the person involved, be unmoved?
He simply asked very seriously, "Have you ever thought about how much less danger you would have experienced if you were not this king's consort?"
Lu Qingwan subconsciously explained, "If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight. Without you, I wouldn't be able to do what I want by myself!"
She indicated that she did not feel at all that the dangers and troubles she had experienced were brought about by Si Fengwu.
After speaking, she only then belatedly realized that Si Fengwu was telling her that maintaining a clear master-servant relationship with Prime Minister Wen was actually to protect Prime Minister Wen.
Lu Qingwan herself was so powerful that she was still struggling to cope with being targeted by various forces.
How could Prime Minister Wen, who was completely defenseless and only possessed a pure heart, withstand the repeated provocations and difficulties?
Upon realizing this, Lu Qingwan sighed and shook her head, "Forget it. Prime Minister Wen does these things without expecting any repayment from us. If Great Gan is better than before, he should be content.
Let's focus on resolving the current matter. The specific situation is still unclear. I will interrogate them and then come to discuss with you how to proceed."
Since no truth serum was used, no one dared to be certain of the veracity of the confession.
Lu Qingwan and Si Fengwu could not make hasty decisions and could only proceed one step at a time.
The two parted ways, one entering the palace and the other going to the Imperial Prison to interrogate.
Thanks to Tuo Li Su, Tang Xiao was already waiting when Lu Qingwan arrived at the Imperial Prison.
Seeing Lu Qingwan, his expression contorted slightly as he said, "Before the Consort arrived, this subordinate met with that person again. He insists that he was a sworn friend of the Prince and Consort's parents.
Other than that, he hasn't said a single useful word.
If the Consort wishes to extract useful intelligence from him, I'm afraid you'll still need to use truth serum."
Lu Qingwan said noncommittally, "Take me to see him first."
Tang Xiao personally led the way. Throughout the Imperial Prison, within earshot of their conversation, not a single living person was visible.
One could imagine how cautious Tang Xiao was about this person.
The thought that these people were so cautious just because it involved the parents of herself and Si Fengwu made Lu Qingwan feel that all the troubles she and Si Fengwu faced were worth it.
However, when she saw the unfortunate man whose mouth was sometimes tight and sometimes loose, making him utterly unfathomable, she regretted the high praise she had given Tang Xiao earlier.
"This place... are you sure this is the Imperial Prison, not an inn?"
In the past, whenever she had come to the Imperial Prison, be it the cells or the solitary confinement rooms, they were always dark, damp, filled with snakes, insects, and rodents, and left one with psychological shadows after a visit.
Yet, here, besides the cold stone walls, there were beds, tables, chairs, lamps, and teacups. It looked nothing like a prison cell!
Tang Xiao shook his head with a wry smile, "This is not. This subordinate cannot ascertain this person's identity in a short time, so I dare not confront him directly..."
Lu Qingwan was helpless. Indeed, even if she and Si Fengwu did not take their parents, who were absent at crucial moments and caused trouble when things were resolved, seriously.
Someone would always remind them that they had two unreliable sets of parents whose purpose was unknown.
It was no wonder Tang Xiao was not handling this properly. After all, besides him and Si Fengwu, everyone else probably believed that they could not completely disregard their parents.
Pushing open the door, she saw a thin man in a gray Daoist robe engrossed in reading a book.
Hearing the movement, the man looked up.
Unexpectedly, he was not an ordinary person like the messengers and secret guards who would disappear in a crowd, as she had imagined.
Although thin and with somewhat graying hair, his face was not ordinary; it was even rather striking.
With sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a high-bridged nose, and skin so fair it would make women jealous, his already outstanding features were enhanced by a harmless charm.
However, Lu Qingwan, uncharacteristically, was not swayed by his handsome appearance. She calmly said, "I heard that you were a sworn friend of my parents, and of Crown Prince Cheng'an and the Crown Princess?"
The man nodded, "Indeed.
I have been waiting for you for a long time. What, your royal husband did not come?"
Lu Qingwan ignored his question and, taking his previously recorded confession, flipped to the list page and held it up to him. "Since you are a friend of my parents, please tell me, which one of you is on this list?"
The man looked up with surprise. Without any warning, Lu Qingwan raised her hand and inserted a needle into his neck.
The man's eyes widened in shock, and he instinctively tried to resist.
A trace of formidable and potent spiritual energy began to manifest, but Lu Qingwan struck his Dantian from a distance with a palm. "If you don't want to become crippled, don't play tricks. Stay put obediently."
With that, she forced a Spirit-Scattering Pill into the man's mouth.
Without the support of his internal energy, the man's consciousness rapidly dispersed.
Lu Qingwan called out to Tang Xiao, "I will interrogate, you will record."
Seeing Tang Xiao nod, she resolutely began, "Since you claim to be a sworn friend of my parents, Crown Prince Cheng'an, and the Crown Princess, first tell me, who are you?"
"I am Ye Jinchen, Governor-General of the Turkic Han Court."
After these few words, he fell silent.
Lu Qingwan frowned, "Ye Jinchen, Governor-General of the Han Court, what does that entail?
What was your relationship with my parents, Crown Prince Cheng'an, and the Crown Princess?
What was your purpose in coming to Shangjing this time?
..."
Lu Qingwan asked a string of questions. Tang Xiao looked up at her in surprise. He remembered Lu Qingwan reminding him when she taught him how to use truth serum.
When using truth serum for interrogation, one should not ask too many questions at once.
Truth serum makes the subject's thoughts confused, and asking one question at a time elicits the most accurate answers. Asking too many questions can lead to missing important intelligence.
But Lu Qingwan was now making the most basic mistake she had warned against.
Ye Jinchen showed no unusual reaction.
Upon hearing Lu Qingwan's questions, his pupils moved, and he spoke mechanically.