Volume One: The Overseer and the Candidate Chapter Seven: Is It Possible...

Within the stark and solemn hall, three officials from different magistracies sat high above, while Huang Ming was held below under guard.

If not for the fact that his father held a post within the palace, he would have been forced to kneel to receive judgment.

Illuminated by the thick candles that lined the room, Huang Ming appeared remarkably calm. “I dare not claim that the testimony of the two esteemed officials is false.

“It is true that it was my carriage which suddenly lost control and caused the calamity. But have you considered that I, too, am a victim?

“At the time, I was inside the carriage, unaware of what was happening outside. Shouldn’t the one truly in command of the carriage be the driver, or perhaps those nearby?

“Surely you cannot declare that I am the mastermind behind this incident based on such evidence?”

His defense gave the assembled men pause. Especially Feng Yanping, who could not help but nod slightly. “There is some sense in what you say…”

“Master Feng,” Censor Zhou interjected at once, wary of Feng’s agreement.

Only then did Principal Feng recollect himself, snorting, “Even so, suspicion remains upon you. Most damning is your unauthorized escape from the Southern City Garrison’s prison…”

“That was not an escape,” Huang Ming quickly interjected, glancing at Huang Bingkun, who stood nearby with head bowed. “I was brought out by Captain Huang of the Embroidered Guards, to be interrogated at the Commandant’s Office.”

After a moment's hesitation, Huang Bingkun spoke up to support him: “Indeed, the Embroidered Guards have authority in this matter as well.”

“And my actions were for my own safety. Master Zhou, you must not forget what happened at the time, nor why you permitted my release.” As he spoke, Huang Ming raised his neck, revealing the clearly visible, fearsome bruises left by strangling hands.

Zhou Huang snorted, unwilling to revisit that topic. “Even so, such a grave case should fall under the Ministry of Justice’s jurisdiction. Now that Master Feng is here, you will come with us.”

“I will not!” Huang Ming shook his head emphatically.

“That is not for you to decide…”

“I do not trust you,” Huang Ming interrupted. “If I go, I will surely die—not only dying unjustly, but implicating my father and the Embroidered Guards as well. Who’s to say you won’t pin the crime of collusion with the White Lotus Sect upon them?”

His words gave Liu Botao, who had hesitated to speak in his favor, sudden pause.

Indeed, the Embroidered Guards were already entangled in this affair, and after what had just been said, it was impossible to trust these men in office.

More importantly, Huang Ming had the powerful Eunuch Huang Jin behind him; it would be wise to forge a favorable connection.

With these thoughts, Commandant Liu spoke up, “The Embroidered Guards are also authorized to investigate this case. Since the suspect is here, we should conduct the interrogation ourselves!”

“We cannot trust your secret police!” came an immediate, like-minded retort.

“Then let us continue this joint inquiry. Do you possess any evidence that proves this man has ties with the White Lotus Sect?” Liu Botao followed up smoothly.

The two officials were left speechless.

Censor Zhou knew little of criminal affairs. As for Principal Feng, he was wholly unprepared in this regard.

Huang Ming seized the opportunity to speak again, “Esteemed officials, have you not missed the point?”

“Oh?”

“The key to this case should be to find the true mastermind, to capture the White Lotus traitor who was rescued. Why focus your efforts on someone only tangentially related to the crime?”

Indeed, why not pursue the chief White Lotus criminals themselves? Was it for lack of desire?

No, it was because they were powerless to do so.

The three officials’ faces darkened, unsure how to reply.

Huang Ming, oblivious to their discomfort, continued, “Earlier, Captain Huang and I reviewed the events and I have some views to offer.”

“Go on,” Liu Botao nodded quickly.

“I heard that the prisoner, being a key traitor of the White Lotus Sect, was severely punished after capture. During transport, he was shackled heavily—is that true?”

“Correct,” Feng Yanping affirmed.

“Then, when the disturbance occurred, the prisoner and the cart plunged into the river. The soldiers responded at once, cordoned off three miles of the river, and quickly dispatched boats to search. How much time passed in all?”

“Less than a quarter of an hour,” Commandant Liu replied after some thought.

Somehow, the balance in the hall had shifted.

The one who should have been interrogated, Huang Ming, had seized the initiative; he questioned relentlessly, and the three above answered.

What was more astonishing was that none of them seemed to notice anything amiss.

“Reason dictates that, in so short a time, a severely wounded man falling into the water could not possibly escape—he could scarcely even break free from his shackles. And yet, what was found at the scene?”

Huang Ming looked at the three officials. “Only the intact iron shackles were recovered. Does that not strike you as highly improbable, a glaring flaw in the narrative?”

Liu Botao, prompted by his words, quickly grasped the implication. “There is indeed something suspicious in this.”

“But the White Lotus fiends are known for their sorcery. We cannot judge by common logic,” Feng Yanping insisted.

Huang Ming shook his head. “They are not truly supernatural. If they were, how could the authorities have captured the prisoner in the first place?”

“Then what do you think happened?”

Huang Ming’s expression grew grave. His voice dropped, and his gaze swept over the three men. “Esteemed officials, have you considered that before the so-called rescue even occurred, the person inside the prisoner’s cart was no longer the real convict?

“That is why, though grievously wounded, he could suddenly vanish beneath the water. That is why the shackles, which should have been impossible to remove, were found unlocked and abandoned in the river.

“Because everyone’s attention was fixed on whom they believed to be the prisoner, it was easy to overlook someone entirely uninjured, who—once rid of the convict’s garb—could mingle with the other people in the water and wait calmly for rescue.

“Indeed, perhaps even the boat that came to his aid was prearranged by the traitors, lying in wait on the river.

“As for the true White Lotus ringleader, he was likely spirited away by other means long before reaching the capital.”

As Huang Ming slowly laid out his conjecture, the three officials, along with Huang Bingkun and several others inside and outside the hall, all fell into deep thought. Some were struck with sudden realization, others looked on in utter shock.

It all made sense. In fact, it seemed—beyond any doubt—to be the only explanation for the bizarre case before them.