Meng Shuping couldn't help but retort, "You're an interrogator, yet I haven't seen you get anything useful out of anyone!"
Fan Yu choked, then snorted in exasperation. "Then, I'd like to see what brilliant tricks you have up your sleeve!"
Meng Shuping ignored Fan Yu, placed the documents on the table, and began questioning Li Bao with an air of authority. "Li Bao, I see you're from Wanshui County in Lizhou. Do you have any grievances against the local government?"
[Did the authorities drive him to ruin? Or did local bullies seize his family's property? Perhaps he was falsely accused of murder?]
Jiang Cihe's expression turned stern. If Li Bao had indeed become a spy due to such circumstances, the local government there would warrant a thorough investigation.
Li Bao glared indignantly at Meng Shuping. *How dare you say my family was ruined!* But when he saw that Meng Shuping hadn't actually spoken, he frowned in confusion. *What's going on?*
Unable to make sense of it, he turned his head away and curled his lips sarcastically. *Save your breath—I won't say a word!*
Fan Yu sat to the side with his arms crossed, a look of disdain on his face. *And I thought this rookie was something special. Is this all he's got?*
Seeing that Li Bao remained silent, Meng Shuping continued guessing, "Then was your life difficult before?"
[Perhaps his whole family died when he was young, his wife ran off with someone when he grew up, and his only son died because he couldn't afford medical treatment?]
Li Bao's expression turned fierce as he glared viciously at Meng Shuping. *Is this kid cursing my entire family to die?*
He rolled his eyes contemptuously. *Thinking you can provoke me like this? Dream on!*
Now Meng Shuping was genuinely annoyed. "So you did it purely for profit?"
[Not to be harsh, but traitors like this are the most despicable. For their own selfish desires, they'd lick others' boots like dogs—how can they stomach such shame?]
[Then again, people like this don't care about dignity. As long as they're given enough benefits, they'd treat others like fathers, and being a dog is nothing to them. Ugh! Traitor! Scum! A spineless lackey who sells out the country for glory!]
He turned to Jiang Cihe sincerely. "Your Highness, maybe we should just stop the interrogation?"
Fan Yu sneered. "Tch, are you giving up just because you can't get anything out of him? Some people shouldn't boast so much—it's embarrassing when they end up eating their words!"
"Not exactly," Meng Shuping sighed. "I just think there's no need to interrogate a traitor and scum of our people. We should just chop his head off!"
The clerk nearby stared at Meng Shuping in horror. This young man seems mild-mannered, so why is he so brutal with his words?
Hearing Meng Shuping call him a "lackey" and "traitor" repeatedly, Li Bao's chest heaved with rage. He took a deep breath and finally couldn't hold back anymore, roaring, "I'm from Beixiang!"
"Huh?" Meng Shuping looked at him in surprise. "But the documents say you're a local. Are you lying because you're afraid to die?"
Li Bao shot him a contemptuous look. "Hmph, what if I stole someone else's identity?"
Meng Shuping eyed him skeptically. "I don't believe it. Then tell me, what's your original name?"
Realizing he'd said too much, Li Bao turned his head away and fell silent again.
Meng Shuping thought disdainfully, [Tsk, tsk, can't come up with a name, can you? I knew he was just a traitor scared of death—no whitewashing that!]
Li Bao glared angrily at Meng Shuping. *I already said I'm not a traitor! This kid doesn't seem as tough as the others, so why are his words so irritating?*
*But if they think this will make me talk, they're too naive!*
Meng Shuping thought quietly, [He's so uncooperative—maybe we should just finish him off. What's the point of interrogating him anymore?]
Fan Yu scoffed mockingly. "And I thought you were something special. Is this all you've got? If you can't get anything out of him, just say so. Let those of us who specialize in interrogation take over!"
Meng Shuping muttered under his breath, "But you professionals didn't even figure out which country he's from?"
Fan Yu was stunned for a moment, then retorted stubbornly, "Just because he says he's from Beixiang doesn't mean he is. Without any proof, how can you be sure he's not from our country? I think he's just fooling you—only someone as naive and foolish as you would believe him!"
Meng Shuping looked at him suspiciously. "Are you jealous I made him talk?"
Fan Yu stared at him in disbelief. "Jealous of you? Hmph, let me tell you, there's no way this guy is from Beixiang. If he really is, I'll write a two-thousand-word self-criticism!"
Li Bao glared furiously at Meng Shuping and Fan Yu. *Aren't they supposed to be interrogating me? Why are they arguing? Don't they have any respect for me?*
Meng Shuping asked doubtfully, "How can you be so sure he's not from Beixiang?"
Fan Yu snorted arrogantly. "Isn't it easy to tell? Don't be fooled by their fierceness in battle—they're all as stupid as pigs and don't know how to use their brains! If he were really from Beixiang, how could he have stayed undercover in the capital for over a decade without being discovered? And how could he speak our language so fluently?"
Li Bao was fuming at these words. *You're the one who's as stupid as a pig!*
Meng Shuping didn't agree. "I don't think so. Every place has its clever people."
Fan Yu said haughtily, "But not Beixiang. They're just a bunch of uncivilized savages! And look at him—he's not even physically strong. Do Beixiang people have weaklings like him?"
Just as Meng Shuping was about to speak, he suddenly heard an angry shout: "Enough!"
Startled, he quickly turned to Li Bao, who was glaring with wide, furious eyes. "Why couldn't I possibly be from Beixiang? Listen up, my name is Lu Namu!"
Fan Yu said incredulously, "Impossible! If you're from Beixiang, why don't you look the part at all?"
Lu Namu smirked triumphantly. "To successfully infiltrate your ranks, I spent years learning your official language and imitating the behavior of you Great Chu people. Of course you couldn't tell!"
Fan Yu still refused to believe it. "Then tell me, what happened to the original Li Bao?"
Lu Namu said indifferently, "He's dead, of course!"
Hearing this, Meng Shuping grew angry. "Did you kill him?"
"Not exactly," Lu Namu denied, not wanting to take blame for something he didn't do. "Hmph, I just happened to find his travel pass."
Meng Shuping let out a sigh of relief. Even though he knew the man named Li Bao was likely dead, it was somewhat comforting to hear he hadn't been murdered.
Fan Yu's face darkened. *This rookie must have just gotten lucky, right? But since Lu Namu's started talking, it's time for the rookie to step aside.*
He stood up and walked over to Lu Namu, raising his hand to lash him. "Confess! Who are your accomplices in the capital?"
Meng Shuping looked at him speechlessly. [How can he go back on his word? Didn't he agree to let me handle the interrogation? Now that I've finally gotten something out of him, he's butting in. Is he deliberately trying to sabotage this?]
Fan Yu sneered mockingly. *Tch, is this rookie really that naive? Now that the spy is talking, does he really think I'd hand over the credit? At times like this, it's every man for himself! If he's slow, that's his own fault!*
But to his surprise, Lu Namu lifted his head again and refused to speak.
Enraged, Fan Yu lashed Lu Namu again. "I'm asking you a question—can't you hear me?"
Unexpectedly, after being whipped again, Lu Namu became even more resolute and refused to say another word. Fan Yu was furious at Lu Namu's attitude. *Is this guy deliberately trying to mess with me?*
As he raised his whip to strike again, Meng Shuping said irritably, "I said, Lord Fan, could you please stop whipping him? He's already injured—any more and you'll kill him!"
[See? He only knows how to use brute force. And he has the nerve to call the Beixiang people stupid? I think he's even worse than them. He ruined a perfectly good situation—utterly useless!]
Fan Yu turned to him arrogantly. "Little brother, he's a spy. It wouldn't be excessive even if we beat him to death. Don't tell me you're feeling sorry for him? If you can't handle this, then don't stick around! Interrogation is rough work. A pampered young master like you shouldn't be watching if you can't take it."
*It would be just fine if this rookie left. What if he manages to extract more information? That would make me look incompetent!*
No matter what, he couldn't let Meng Shuping conduct the interrogation any further. If Meng Shuping managed to get a full confession, how could Fan Yu possibly keep his position in the Military Hall Department?
As for Lu Namu, since he had started talking, he would eventually reveal more. When that happened, the credit would naturally go to Fan Yu.
Meng Shuping studied Fan Yu. [Why does he always want to use severe torture?]
[Hiss...]
[Could he be in cahoots with this spy? Is he afraid that Lu Namu might expose him, so he's trying to silence him quickly?]
[Thinking about it, that actually makes a lot of sense. Otherwise, how could someone specialized in interrogation fail to get any useful information after so long, while I managed to get something just after arriving? And as soon as he showed up, Lu Namu stopped talking. He even tried to stop me from interrogating—he's highly suspect!]
At this thought, Meng Shuping's expression became very alert. [No, I can't let him continue to mess things up.]
Meng Shuping immediately turned to Jiang Cihe. "Your Highness..."
"Your Highness!" Fan Yu's voice nearly cracked from fright. "It was only because I was too angry that I couldn't resist hitting him. Please forgive me, Your Highness! I will step back immediately and let this young man continue the interrogation!"
After saying this, he quickly returned to his seat. This little rookie was always pinning such serious accusations on him—cold sweat was practically soaking through his clothes.
Jiang Cihe said displeasedly, "Lord Fan, if you interrupt the interrogation again without permission, get out of here immediately!"
If it weren't for the fact that Lu Namu's confession was partly due to Fan Yu, he wouldn't have wanted Fan Yu to stay any longer.
Fan Yu didn't dare say another word. He hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, yes."
Jiang Cihe turned back to Meng Shuping. "Alright, continue asking."
Meng Shuping nodded. "Okay."
He looked back at Lu Namu. [Sigh, I really don't know how to interrogate. What should I ask him?]
Lu Namu was baffled all over again. No wonder something felt off—this masked person seemed completely out of place here. Moreover, as someone responsible for interrogation, he didn't even know how to ask questions and even ended up arguing with others during the process.
Now he realized that this masked guy was just a young master here for fun!
Lu Namu felt extremely angry. What was wrong with these people? He was a spy! Sending Fan Yu to interrogate him was one thing, but sending someone who didn't even know how to interrogate? Did they have any respect for him at all?
Over there, after thinking for a while, Meng Shuping finally figured out what to ask. Curiously, he asked Lu Namu, "I want to ask, how much does your superior pay you every month?"
[I really want to know if his superior is generous. After all, this is espionage—risking your neck work. They should pay quite a bit, right?]
Jiang Cihe couldn't help but laugh. Indeed, such a question could only come from a little moneygrubber.
Fan Yu couldn't help but glance at him disdainfully. This was an interrogation of a spy—did this little rookie have to be so polite? Being so soft-hearted, how could he possibly get anything out of the spy?
Sure enough, Lu Namu disdainfully turned his face away, refusing to answer the question.
Seeing that he wouldn't answer, Meng Shuping quietly began looking around. [Where's the knife? Where's the knife? I told you, people who become spies have tough bones—they won't answer honestly. Let's just chop his head off and be done with it!]