The two women exchanged a glance, each seeing the unease in the other's heart. With Song Qingshu staring at them, it was as though they were being watched by a prehistoric beast. They were so frightened they scarcely dared breathe.
Song Qingshu flicked out a strand of finger wind and struck Pei'er's Sleep Acupoint, then looked at Ruan Xingzhu. "Speak. When did you make your move?" He had sealed Pei'er's acupoint mainly in accordance with the later principle of isolating suspects during interrogation, lest the two coordinate their stories.
Ruan Xingzhu opened her mouth, but in the end she did not try any more tricks. She honestly recounted the entire matter.
"No wonder you wanted to switch rooms with us back then." Song Qingshu snorted. "Why did you attack us?"
Ruan Xingzhu sighed. At this point, further denial was useless. She could only try to move him with honesty and see if she might luckily preserve her life. "Because not long ago, the Golden Snake Camp did not attack the Jin Dynasty from both sides as agreed when Great Song launched its northern campaign. Prime Minister Han suspected you had ulterior motives. And then Linghu Chong suddenly ran into trouble in Sichuan..."
"Wait!" Song Qingshu interrupted her. "You know his true identity?"
"As the head of the civil officials, what difficulty would Prime Minister Han have in investigating someone's background?" When speaking of the lord she served so devotedly, Ruan Xingzhu's tone was filled with respect and pride.
"Since you knew who he was, why did you still send him to Sichuan?" Song Qingshu asked, puzzled.
Ruan Xingzhu replied, "His true identity was uncovered after the Contest for Command. Exposing him then would have caused too much of an impact. Instead, it could easily have become ammunition for Jia Sidao's