Chapter 437

The assassin thought it was over, but then Ma Yiyang ordered Zhu Qianyi to step forward and personally blindfold him.

The sound of sizzling filled his ears again, and Ma Yiyang’s voice was as cold as a killing machine: "I’ll only ask you three questions, and you only have three chances to live. If you can’t answer or refuse to answer, your colleague’s fate will be yours."

The two assassins were partners, so it wasn’t wrong to call them colleagues.

"What’s your name?"

"Sizzle—sizzle—sizzle—"

Wh…what?

The assassin hesitated for a moment, and an unbearable wave of heat rushed toward him.

If he could see, he might not be so terrified, but fear of the unknown always multiplies.

"Lin Bo! My name is Lin Bo!"

It was just a name, after all. It didn’t matter much. Assassins never used their real names, fearing it would implicate their families.

The searing heat on his face disappeared, and Lin Bo let out a sigh of relief. But Ma Yiyang gave him no time to think, immediately asking, "Are you from the capital?"

Why is he asking this? What does it have to do with the case?

Lin Bo’s expression changed, and he clenched his teeth, refusing to speak.

"Sizzle—"

"Ahhhh…"

Just a moment of hesitation, and the branding iron was pressed hard against his chest.

The pain was so intense that he couldn’t even scream. Saliva mixed with tears streamed down his face, making his head spin.

But fainting wasn’t an option. The ruthless, merciless Minister Ma Yiyang wouldn’t allow it.

"Splash!"

A bucket of icy water was thrown over Lin Bo’s face, jolting him back to consciousness.

And with consciousness came the sharp, unbearable pain in his chest. He struggled violently against the wooden post.

"Kill me! Please, just kill me!"

He had endured enough, truly enough.

He had been captured for three days, and for three days he hadn’t slept. Ma Yiyang was inhuman, interrogating them nonstop for three days and nights.

No food, only sips of water or tasteless broth. No bathroom breaks, forced to relieve himself in his pants. No rest—the moment he closed his eyes, he was whipped.

Ma Yiyang, that monster, had been watching them for three days without a moment’s respite.

"I’ll ask you one last time. Are you from the capital?"

"No…no…I’m not…"

He feared Ma Yiyang was tricking him, already knowing he wasn’t from the capital but asking anyway. If he lied, the branding iron would come down again.

The heat was already closing in, leaving him no time to think.

"One last question. Answer immediately, or I can’t guarantee where this will land on your body next."

The heat near his groin was terrifying. He really was a monster, threatening to turn a man into a eunuch.

But there was no time to curse. Ma Yiyang was already approaching with the branding iron. He thought it would be something like whether he was married or if he had family.

After ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‍all, he was alone and had nothing to fear.

"Who ordered you to assassinate Her Majesty the Empress?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Of course, it was our most wise and mighty King of Goguryeo…"

Wait!

What had he just said?

"So you’re a spy from Goguryeo!"

Zhu Qianyi’s chest heaved with anger. "Goguryeo has always been up to no good. I never liked that so-called princess of theirs when she arrived."

Now there were Goguryeo spies disguised as members of the Zhu family, trying to assassinate Her Majesty the Empress. How despicable.

"Minister, Her Majesty the Empress has sent someone. What should we do…?"

Ma Yiyang shoved the branding iron into Zhu Qianyi’s hands. "Don’t let him die. The Emperor will want to interrogate him when he returns."

Zhu Qianyi snorted coldly. "Don’t worry, he won’t die."

Wasn’t he just arrogantly cursing me?

He planned to keep the man alive and play with him slowly. There was no way he’d let him die so easily.

The news that Noble Consort Jin had been killed spread like wildfire, stirring up rumors among the people.

"Rumor has it that Her Majesty the Empress killed Noble Consort Jin."

"What? That can’t be! Her Majesty is already the most powerful in the palace. Why would she kill the princess of Goguryeo for no reason?"

"If the princess was favored, it might make sense, but she wasn’t. Her Majesty wouldn’t stoop to that."

"You don’t understand. Not long ago, the Emperor was assassinated while visiting the Eastern Mountains. The assassin killed the wrong person—a new favorite of the Emperor named Qianqian. And here’s the shocking part: her face was fake. It was said Noble Consort Jin gave her a human skin mask. Her Majesty found out and took her anger out on Noble Consort Jin."

"Brother, you seem to know a lot. Where did you hear this?"

"Of course! My aunt is a palace official in Qingyang Palace. She knows all the inside stories!"

As soon as the man finished speaking, officers from the Ministry of Justice slammed their hands on the table. "Minister Ma sent us here to catch rumor-mongers like you. Men, seize them! We’ll interrogate them thoroughly to find out who’s behind these slanders against Her Majesty!"

The surrounding crowd, who had been listening intently, scattered in panic. "What’s going on? Why is the Ministry of Justice arresting people?"

Zhu Qianyi removed his civilian clothes, revealing his official Ministry of Justice uniform, and declared solemnly, "These people are all spies from Goguryeo, trying to stir up conflict between our nations and give them an excuse to attack Great Yan. They’re deliberately slandering Her Majesty the Empress. The Ministry of Justice is here to root out these traitors who seek to harm and divide our nation. If any citizens of Great Yan have useful information, the government will reward you handsomely. Stay vigilant, protect your homeland, and don’t let these schemers succeed."

"Isn’t this the duty of every citizen of Great Yan?"

Other officers disguised as commoners loudly echoed his words. "Well said! We can’t let Goguryeo pull the same tricks as Fusang, fabricating lies to wage war against us. We must keep our eyes open and identify who among us is a friend and who is an enemy."

"Isn’t it obvious? Anyone who speaks ill of Her Majesty or tries to pin Noble Consort Jin’s death on her is likely a Goguryeo spy. We just need to be more vigilant."

The impassioned speech and the orchestrated cheers from the "commoners" quickly whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

The people shouted in unison, "We must find those spies! We won’t let a small, scheming nation use us as pawns to harm our Empress!"

"Exactly! I hate being used. Let’s catch them all and send them to the Ministry of Justice to rot in jail. That’ll teach them!"

For a time, the capital was on edge, with everyone fearing they might be the next to be dragged into the Ministry of Justice.

After all, no one wanted to experience a trip to the Ministry of Justice.