Chapter 321: Chapter 276 He Said You Seek Fame and Fish for Praise_2
Zhe Yu lowered his head upon hearing this.
Xu Yin coldly asked, "Who are they? Have you ever colluded with them?"
"What qualifications do I have to collude with them?" Zhe Yu suddenly raised his head, "Someone as useless as me—if you look down on me, who else would even bother?"
Xu Yin said, "Are you suggesting that these people have an even greater background than mine, is that it?"
Zhe Yu pressed his lips tightly and remained silent.
Xu Yin continued, "They were ambushed here. If they sincerely didn’t want you to know, then you naturally might not know. But I heard that during the earlier fight, you went out leaning on a cane.
"General Zhe, you are a seasoned general. In the battle just now, surely you must have seen some clues?"
Zhe Yu took a deep breath, "What exactly do you want to do?"
"I want to hear directly from you—who are those people? Were they the ones who brought a doctor for you and wanted to catch the assassin?"
"What if they were? What if they weren’t?"
"If they were, I might start treating you a bit better. If not, you might have to suffer a bit next."
Xu Yin spoke slower and slower, his tone growing increasingly cold.
Zhe Yu lowered his head as if deep in thought.
After a moment, he raised his head, "I’m not even sure if they’re the same person or not. Even if you drive me to death, I cannot give you a definite answer!"
"There’s no need for you to give me an exact answer. Just tell me everything you know!"
Xu Yin stood up and quickly walked to the bedside, "Or is it that last time I asked you, you were already lying to me?"
"Why would I lie to you?" There seemed to be sparks in Zhe Yu’s eyes, "Whether you believe it or not, I still insist that I genuinely don’t know who that person is."
"If I had known at the time who he was, why would I fear you? Xu Yin, you’re not invincible in the court; if I had that strong backing you mentioned, would I really need to fear you?"
Xu Yin stared coldly at him in the lamplight, speaking slowly, "Don’t talk nonsense with me, I just want an answer!"
Even as a civil servant, he exuded a faint sense of authority at this moment.
Zhe Yu pressed his lips together, his chest heaving slightly, then blurted out, "Those people tonight were indeed more formidable than yours! They must have official backgrounds and extensive battle experience. Not just any household could train such subordinates."
Xu Yin stared at him intently, "Like who?"
Zhe Yu’s chest heaved more violently, "For example, the few General’s Mansions in court!"
"Be more specific!"
"I’m talking about the Pei family!" Zhe Yu’s bright eyes locked on him, "How much more specific do you want? I’m just a cripple, how many clues can I discern? How many leads can I catch? I might not even know as much as you!"
Xu Yin’s eyes flickered. After a pause, he said, "Then why do you think it was the Pei family?"
"The day I was injured, General Pei was at the scene! I think since I told you about the incident when I got hurt, you must have gone to learn about the whereabouts of some people at the scene afterward, right?"
This rebuttal from Zhe Yu caused Xu Yin to avert his gaze.
Indeed, since he got the information about the masked person from him last time, he had ordered another inquiry.
He remembered very clearly that after Zhe Yu was injured, due to the suddenness of the event, the personnel changed quickly, and Pei Zhan was one of those who left his position.
"If this isn’t enough, I can tell you that the doctor who treated my injuries was skilled in external trauma, clearly a military doctor with long-standing service. Didn’t General Pei just return from the battlefield? Wouldn’t it be easy for him to command a military doctor?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Yin instinctively cast his eyes toward his injury, his gaze deepening.
Not to mention commanding one military doctor, Pei Zhan could easily command ten.
"How long have you suspected it was him?"
"Earlier, I only suspected it was a high-ranking general. Guessing it was General Pei, however, is only from tonight."
"Is that so?"
"And what if it isn’t?" Zhe Yu’s gaze did not show any weakness, "If I had guessed it was Pei Zhan long ago, don’t you think, given my current situation, I would’ve already reached out to him and pledged allegiance?"
Xu Yin raised his eyebrows slightly but did not speak.
These words were enough to prove that the people ambushed here were indeed from Pei Zhan.
His guards were not mistaken.
He crossed his arms and continued to ask, "Then why would he save you? After so much time has passed, why would he ambush here again?"