"Your Majesty, I have something to report." Wei Ya's voice was steady, revealing no emotion. "I was ordered to investigate the unrest caused by the Japanese Pirates in the southeast. Yesterday, I captured their leader, 'Ghost Face,' and found... a ledger at his hideout."
He took a small book wrapped in oilcloth from inside his robes and raised it above his head with both hands.
The elderly eunuch standing nearby stepped forward quietly, took the book, and gently presented it to the emperor.
The old emperor did not move.
His gaze, like two rusted awls, was fixed on the feather in Wei Ya's official hat.
"Ghost Face?" He slowly rolled the name around in his mouth. "I recall the reports from the southeastern coast all said this man was as sly as a fox, appearing and disappearing without a trace. How did you capture him?"
The question was expected.
Wei Ya had prepared his answer long ago. "Your Majesty, it was... it was Prince Yan's informants in the southeast who provided intelligence at a critical moment. That allowed us to follow the clues and succeed in one fell swoop."
He had skillfully given Liu Yan half the credit.
This was both Gu Shen's instruction and his own way of protecting himself. Claiming he had caught the man himself would make him seem too capable and invite needless suspicion. Giving Prince Yan the credit, on the other hand, made perfect sense. After all, the southeast was Prince Yan's territory; it was only natural for him to have informants there.
Sure enough, a faint ripple passed through the old emperor's eyes, which had seemed on the verge of going dark.
"Oh? The sixth?" His voice gave no hint of whether he was pleased or angry. "He certainly... put some thought into this."