ITF Chapter49

Damasen is not a country that worships military might; the last time a celebration was held in the arena dates back to the crown prince’s coming-of-age ceremony.

The king did not seem to be in high spirits today. After his brief opening speech, a grand knightly tournament commenced.

To display royal majesty, such public celebrations had always been open to the common people, though no weapons of any kind were allowed upon entry. Meanwhile, members of the royal family and the nobility sat upon a high platform guarded heavily by troops; they could watch the tournament performances while enjoying a luxurious royal feast with their respective retinues of bodyguards standing behind them.

The kingdom’s senior ministers were all seated in positions closest to the king and queen. Beside the queen was the crown prince, and the protagonist of this victory banquet—Shao Yixiao, who was dressed in a lavish crimson robe, was seated right next to the crown prince.

Next to him was Bai Heting.

Quite rarely, Bai Jiashu treated Bai Heting with cold indifference, but Bai Heting did not find it surprising. No matter how severe the warnings Su Xingchuan had given the domestic servants, a romantic scandal of that magnitude between him and Luo Congye could not possibly be concealed. Presumably, Bai Jiashu had already heard some of the gossip.

However, Shao Yixiao seemed completely unconcerned by this and perhaps had even forgotten Luo Congye’s rudeness from last time, not casting so much as a single glance at the two of them.

“So, how exactly did you capture him?” Bai Jiashu asked in a flat tone.

Shao Yixiao had consistently kept silent about the details of capturing the rebel commander. How he was caught, and what was interrogated out of him after the capture, was known only to the king and a few ministers. But at this moment, his mood was exceptionally excited, and it appeared he was not prepared to keep hiding it.

“It was nothing short of a miracle.” He said to Bai Jiashu.

After speaking, he turned his head, looking at Bai Heting for the first time today, “Speaking of which, General Bai really ought to thank me properly.”

Bai Heting’s expression tightened, but he remained silent.

Since he did not respond, Shao Yixiao turned back around, “Your Highness, do you know where that thief was hiding?”

Bai Jiashu did not understand what trick he had up his sleeve and asked, “Where?”

“In…” Shao Yixiao said slowly, “General Bai’s mansion.”

Bai Heting frowned slightly.

It was impossible, and moreover forbidden, for Shao Yixiao’s men to trespass into his estate without authorization, let alone capture someone inside it.

“Of course, I wouldn’t be so impolite as to break into General Bai’s territory to make an arrest.” Shao Yixiao seemed to guess his thoughts. He smiled faintly, omitting many details, and merely said, “That thief is extremely alert; we caught him on his escape route.”

Bai Jiashu’s focus, however, was not on that, “Where did you say he was hiding?”

“In General Bai’s mansion.” Shao Yixiao raised an eyebrow, his tone playful and teasing. “And moreover, he is General Bai’s physician.”

“What did you say?” Bai Jiashu’s eyes widened in sheer astonishment.

His naturally expressed surprise was clearly not out of suspicion toward Bai Heting’s loyalty, but Shao Yixiao feigned ignorance of his meaning. “Of course, General Bai wouldn’t collude with the rebels, but…” He paused briefly, turning to face Bai Heting before continuing, “Since he infiltrated your residence under the guise of a physician, he must have been brewing some sort of conspiracy. Perhaps he even wanted to poison you.” Having said that, he hypocritically raised his wine glass toward Bai Heting. “General, tell us yourself, shouldn’t you thank me properly?”

Bai Heting held the silver cup in his hand, his expression unchanged.

Through his peripheral vision, he could clearly feel that the king, who was sitting upright and rigid, was watching him in absolute silence.

He could also feel the oppressive pressure of Bai Yi’s pheromones.

He swirled the wine in his cup, his thumb gently brushing against the carved grooves of the cup’s wall. Only after a moment did he say softly, “I do have to thank you.”

His demeanor was perfectly composed, causing the smile on Shao Yixiao’s face to slowly fade.

“Qiu Chen,” Bai Heting said calmly. “Tell Young General Shao what Physician Zhou used to do before he became my physician.”

Qiu Chen understood Bai Heting’s intent almost instantly and replied immediately, “Before entering the General’s Mansion, Zhou Chengbei worked among His Majesty’s royal physicians.”

His voice was loud and resonant as he answered, causing the surrounding nobles to turn their heads toward them one after another.

Bai Yi naturally heard it crystal clear as well.

However, his royal physicians numbered over a hundred; it was fundamentally impossible for him to remember every single face.

Qiu Chen continued, “The General had already discovered this man’s suspicious behavior during the autumn hunt. He specifically ordered me to bring him into the estate without leaving a trace. First, to protect His Majesty from being harmed by him, and second, to keep him under surveillance so we could use him as a springboard to wipe out Urdan’s rebel forces in one fell swoop.”

His reply left no room for criticism. Bai Heting picked up where he left off, saying, “The reason I never arrested him was because I hadn’t yet obtained what I wanted. Furthermore, his age clearly doesn’t match that of the illegitimate son who narrowly escaped.” He raised his cup toward Shao Yixiao and said to him, “Since Young General Shao took him down one step ahead of me, you must be fully confident and know the exact whereabouts of that illegitimate son. Am I correct?”

He kept his eyes fixed intently on Shao Yixiao the entire time he spoke these words.

This was a massive gamble.

If Shao Yixiao truly possessed evidence of Luo Congye’s real identity, everything would be irreversible.

But the other party’s expression, which verged on flying into a rage from humiliation, gave him the answer—

Shao Yixiao had no evidence.

Seeing that the other party delayed his response, Bai Heting asked, “Could it be that I am mistaken?”

He shook his head in mock regret. “Then I must take back my thanks. Young General Shao, you have effectively ruined the grand counter-espionage strategy I’ve been laying down since last autumn.”

He placed his wine glass on the table, stood up from his seat, smoothed out the creases of his long robe, and performed a standard formal bow toward Bai Yi. “Your Majesty, the reason I did not report this matter earlier at the imperial council was because I couldn’t be certain whether there were other spies in the palace. I was worried that leaking the news would ruin the grand plan. Please forgive my offense, Your Majesty.”

Bai Yi watched him quietly for a moment, then smiled. “Silly child, what offense have you committed?”

He did not judge the matter too heavily, nor did he blame Shao Yixiao for being reckless. He merely raised his wine glass to everyone and said loudly, “Come, let us also propose a toast to the far-sighted General Bai.”

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