The Beacon of Kyushu

Ying Fei sighed, "Alas, it would have been fine if I hadn't encountered this matter. Now that I have encountered it, how can I not help? But I am carrying a golden mace on my back, which is too conspicuous. I must find a place to hide it first. I think Xue Juzheng's son is such a bastard, so it is better to hide the golden mace in his house. Even if you search every house and really find the golden mace, this evil man will have to suffer the consequences. It can be regarded as justice for the heaven. After I hid the golden mace, I begged for alms in those drugstores that refused to diagnose the two of us until daybreak. Then I prepared all the herbs and secretly placed them at his doorstep. After the matter was settled, I wanted to leave the capital to avoid the limelight. Anyway, the warehouse has been abandoned for a long time. I can wait for a month or two to go back to get the golden mace without any mistakes. But Zhao Defang alarmed Gao, so the four gates were guarded more strictly. If I rashly leave the city, I will be caught. I have to stay in the capital with courage."

Zhao Tingmei believed what he said, and thought to himself, "No wonder the nephew didn't let me kill this villain. It seems that he has a chivalrous heart. If I were not the prefect of Kaifeng, I would really like to make friends with him."

Seeing Zhao Tingmei's stunned voice, Lu Duan reminded him in a low voice: "Your Highness, this thief is very cunning, and his words cannot be trusted. How about sending people to visit Xue's house, the stolen medicine shop, and the old man separately? If it is true, Your Highness can make a decision."

Zhao Tingmei nodded slightly and said, "Okay, I still have some other questions to ask the prisoner, so you can take people to investigate everywhere." Lu Duan bowed, put down the brush and the book of recording the confession in his hand, and led several yamen runners out of the second hall in a hurry.

Ying Fei saw the men leave without any panic on his face. "Mr. Zhao, how should we interrogate him next? I don't need to teach you, do I?"

Zhao Tingmei tried his best to control his emotions and ignored the sarcasm in his words. He said solemnly: "Ying Fei, if what I guessed is correct, you stole my seal and pretended to be a guard in order to stir up discord with Chai and Zhao. You should take this opportunity to leave the city."

Ying Fei said: "That's right, but unfortunately even though you guys started fighting, the imperial guards at the gate didn't withdraw at all. My original plan went down the drain. Otherwise, would I still be here now?"

Zhao Tingmei sorted out his thoughts and asked, "Now everything is clear, except why you stole the golden mace. I really can't figure it out. Can you tell me?"

Ying Fei rolled his eyes and said, "I have always stolen from the rich and helped the poor. I heard that the richest people in the world, besides the official Zhao Guangyi, are the Eighth Prince Zhao Defang. I happened to be near Tokyo a few days ago to do ticket business. How can I go to a mountain of treasures and return empty-handed?"

Zhao Tingmei heard this and slammed the gavel, saying, "Nonsense! You still dare to deceive me after all this. You are so abominable!"

Ying Fei looked at Zhao Tingmei and said with an aggrieved face: "What nonsense? This is the fact. You can't let me make up another reason to fool you."

Zhao Tingmei said, "It is true that the Eighth Prince is as rich as a country, but why did you steal the golden mace instead of gold ingots or silver treasures? I have interrogated many thieves and know that if the stolen items are money, you can sell them on the spot. If the stolen items are articles, you need to take them to a distant place and try to sell them. Just imagine, the Eighth Prince's golden mace is famous throughout the country. How can you sell it for real gold and silver to help the people? This is nonsense!"

Ying Fei said, "Mr. Zhao, that's the Eighth Prince's home, not mine. Do you think I can find whatever I say I'm looking for? I originally planned to steal some gold ingots, but I couldn't find any after searching for a long time, so I had to climb through the window into the bedroom. It was late at night, and by the moonlight I saw a glowing object in the Eighth Prince's arms. I thought it must be valuable, so I stole it."

Zhao Tingmei shook his head and said, "Impossible, don't try to deceive me, just tell the truth!"

Seeing that Zhao Tingmei was not as easy to fool as he thought, Ying Fei could only smile and said, "Okay, okay, you are smart. Since you have seen through my lie, I have no choice but to tell you the truth in order to suffer less." Zhao Tingmei said impatiently, "Hurry up and tell me!"

Ying Fei said slowly, "Okay, let me tell you. Two days ago, I went to the capital to do some ticket trading. I hadn't been to the capital for many years, so I just came in to take a look. It happened that when I was strolling on Bianhe Street, I ran into the Eighth Prince. I saw that he was holding a golden mace wherever he went, so I guessed that this thing must be valuable, so I stole his treasure that night."

Zhao Tingmei questioned, "Ying Fei, the golden mace has the privilege of striking down tyrants and traitors. Haven't you heard of it? If you have heard of it, how dare you think of striking it!"

"Strike the tyrant emperor and the corrupt officials? Pah!" Ying Fei spat indignantly, and said bitterly: "The emperor of the Song Dynasty is a tyrant emperor, and the officials are corrupt officials. They all deserve to die! If the Eighth Prince really has the vision to distinguish good from evil, and has the courage to eliminate traitors for the country, why do they indulge them so arrogantly until now? I think that either the Eighth Prince is ignorant or the golden mace is useless. Since it is useless, I can steal it and sell it for money, so what! Besides, don't think that what you know, others must know it. I have never heard of the golden mace since I was a child, believe it or not!"

Zhao Tingmei was furious. He raised the gavel high for the third time and banged it loudly, "Nonsense! Now the whole court is full of loyal officials, and the emperor is a wise and wise ruler. How can you be allowed to hurt him with your words! Come on, give Ying Fei thirty lashes, and see if he tells the truth!" The two yamen runners responded, and immediately pushed Ying Fei to the ground, stripped his pants, swung the ruthless sticks in their hands, and hit Ying Fei's butt fiercely. At first, Ying Fei was still smiling and pretending to be a hero. However, the yamen runners beat him harder and harder. At first, they only beat his butt red and swollen, but later, every stick blew blood. His butt was instantly bloody, and every time he was beaten, he almost cried out in pain.

Ying Fei was hit with more than 20 sticks. He could not bear the pain any more. He shouted, "I confess... I confess. I confess everything!"

Zhao Tingmei waved his hand and the yamen runners stopped immediately. Ying Fei staggered to his feet and knelt down, gritting his teeth and saying, "The reason I stole the golden mace was to exchange it for the Yunya Sword at the Wanghai Hall of the Liao Kingdom and give it to my lifesaver."

"Lifesaver?" Zhao Tingmei's doubts grew even more serious, and she asked in a deep voice, "Who is your lifesaver? Where is he now?"

Ying Fei hesitated for a long time before saying, "My savior is the master of Yuntai Temple, Chen Tuan Chen Xiyi. He saved me and my life belongs to him. In order to help him realize his wish, I am willing to sacrifice this little fame."

Zhao Tingmei smiled coldly and said, "Nonsense! What kind of person is Chen Tuan? Not to mention the common people, even the Emperor Taizu and the current officials would show him some courtesy. If he really has a wish, there will naturally be someone to help him realize it. How could he care about a scoundrel like you! Yamen runners, keep beating him!"

The yamen runner followed his instructions and pinned Ying Fei down again, holding up the merciless stick and hitting him on the buttocks. Ying Fei screamed in pain and pounded the ground with his hands, shouting, "Zhao Tingmei, you bastard! I lied to you, so you hit me, but why did you hit me when I told the truth! If you have any personal grudge against me, just take this opportunity to chop me with a knife!"
Zhao Tingmei looked at Ying Fei coldly. The good impression he had just had on him had now mostly disappeared. He thought, "This Ying Fei is full of nonsense. I'm sure the heroic act he just mentioned was probably just something he made up. I might as well beat him to death today to prevent him from causing trouble for me again!"

But just as he made up his mind, he heard a heroic voice outside the hall, saying loudly: "Uncle Wang, spare his life!" Then Zhao Yuanzuo came quickly with the golden mace and seal in his arms. Lu Duan and several yamen runners followed closely behind and came to the hall together. When the yamen runners in the hall saw that His Royal Highness the King of Chu had spoken, they immediately stopped and waited for the next order.

Zhao Yuanzuo walked up to Zhao Tingmei and said, "Uncle Wang, Judge Lu has already led his men to investigate, and everything Ying Fei said is true. Although this man has become a thief, he has never lost his chivalrous heart. If you beat him to death today, how will you explain to the world!"

Zhao Tingmei sighed and said, "Alas, you just went to the palace to see your father. You don't know how hateful this guy is! Not only did he deny it during the day, but he even used the highly respected ancestor Chen Tuan as a shield, trying to use the ancestor's name to suppress the laws of the Song Dynasty. His crime is unforgivable!"

Zhao Yuanzuo was stunned and asked, "Ying Rufeng, you just said that this matter is related to Master Chen Tuan, are you serious?" Ying Fei glared at Zhao Yuanzuo, closed his mouth tightly, and refused to say another word.

Zhao Tingmei pointed at Ying Fei's nose and shouted, "Ying Fei, weren't you speaking so confidently just now? Why did you become mute as soon as you saw the King of Chu? I guess you were just trying to deceive me because I am not as well-versed in martial arts as the King of Chu!"

Ying Fei stiffened his neck and said disdainfully, "Mr. Zhao, you are really inexplicable! You hit me even if I didn't say anything, and you still hit me after I said it, so what difference does it make whether I say it or not! If you really want me to speak, then you can invite the people from Yuntai Temple to come to me. If you don't have enough face and can't invite them, then any of the four major sects' leaders or first disciples will do. Otherwise, you can beat me to death and I won't say anything!"

Zhao Tingmei was about to order the fight to continue, but Zhao Yuanzuo stopped him and said, "Uncle Wang, now that the ancestor Chen Tuan is in the capital, why not really invite him to confront us in court? This way, whether it is true or false, and the reason behind it will be clear."

Ying Fei laughed loudly upon hearing this and said, "Hahaha, that's great! Invite him here quickly, invite him here quickly! He is the most sensible person, as long as he comes, you will understand everything."

"This..." Zhao Tingmei hesitated for a moment, then said to Lu Duan: "Yi Zhi, please go and ask the old ancestor to come and confront me. I will definitely get to the bottom of this today!" (End of this chapter)