Actually, Shinji-no-Miya's words had made the clue obvious. Who had spread the false information back then? Since the question was "who," there could only be one slanderer.
Yet even Hongjiang, who had been through assassinations and the like, couldn't be sure. How could Shinji, who never even left the Seireitei, be so certain there was only one slanderer? Aside from saying the Soul King was watching over them, the only explanation was that the Five Great Noble Families had investigated the matter too and had hit a dead end.
Hongjiang looked at the names on the scroll, and his face twitched. Sure enough, it was just as he'd thought. He'd realized they'd already investigated, yet still asked such a question. He really was an idiot!
"Actually, I was targeted in an assassination in Fujiang District. I assume none of you here would be so bored as to toy with me?"
"Looks like you've figured it out," Yamamoto replied with a smile.
The list in Hongjiang's hands contained forty-four lower-ranking noble families and fifteen middle-ranking ones. It was a list of families connected to the slander incident, compiled by Yamamoto and the Five Great Noble Families.
To put the list together, the Seireitei had publicly investigated the families of those involved in relaying the message. But that was only for show. Yamamoto and the others never expected to untangle this mess.
The list had mainly been compiled according to three words: dividing the spoils!
No matter how many measures they took to conceal their tracks or what corner they hid in, when it came time to divide the spoils, they'd all scramble to get a piece.
The list had not been screened, either. Following the principle of killing the innocent rather than letting the guilty go, every family that had gotten its mouth on the cream was included. So compiling it hadn't taken much effort, but the cost had been considerable.
Even so, the list still missed the most crucial piece: the slanderer's family. Not one of the families of the seven suspects appeared on it!
There were two possible explanations. First, some poor fool had done the deed and taken the blame, only to get nothing in return. But that was highly unlikely. For one thing, no noble family head had died in the Seireitei in recent years. And for another, no one would want to take the blame for something like this, nor would they trust anyone else with it.
So the second explanation was the most likely, which was what Hongjiang's seemingly ridiculous question had been getting at: one of the ringleaders was missing from the list! The slanderer had most likely come from that ringleader's family!
And in the Seireitei, aside from the Five Great Noble Families, only the upper-ranking noble families could keep multiple middle-ranking nobles from turning on one another and get them to join forces in carrying out such a bold plan.
Hongjiang finally understood. So helping him collect a little interest was merely a side benefit. The real reason was that they hadn't found the mastermind? He really couldn't trust these people. Typical Shinji-no-Miya, typical Central 46! The old geezers were all rotten to the core!
"Think it through. This slander was actually the start of all the chaos. To keep the correct information under wraps as much as possible, only the slanderer could decide when to send back false information. Then the person in charge in the Seireitei would decide whether to act on it! The person in charge may have held the match, but the slanderer had to provide the fuse!"
"So?" Yamamoto asked, looking at Hongjiang.
"The slanderer had to be decisive, not someone who hesitated. More importantly, it came down to status—specifically, whether the person in charge had enough clout to make the others willing to entrust him with such a task!" Hongjiang drew a deep breath and looked at everyone across from him. "So the slanderer had to be the person in charge's absolute confidant. The other participants wouldn't have been convincing enough. And he had to come from an upper-ranking noble family."
"Very good, very good!" Shinji-no-Miya still didn't speak, but the lump in his throat visibly bobbed twice. His voice was extremely hoarse, the complete opposite of Tsunayashiro's childish voice. "Unfortunately, three people here belong to upper-ranking noble families. You'll still have to find the slanderer yourself. It won't be easy."
"Actually, it's not that hard. I just need a little cooperation from all of you."
"What kind of cooperation?" Tsunayashiro immediately grew interested.
Hongjiang didn't keep them in suspense. He laid out his idea in full. After a brief discussion, the six of them agreed on the spot to go ahead with it!
Of the seven people, three came from upper-ranking noble families: 4th Division member Kotetsu Isane, 5th Division member Azashiro Kozo, and 5th Division Fifth Seat Tsukikage Shunyi.
After the unconscious attendants and women had been cleared out of the hall, the first person to have his Kido released and wake up was Kotetsu Isane—the woman with long, pale-purple hair who had been carried away on Yamagata's back.
The first thing she saw upon waking was Hongjiang's face. It frightened her badly. Her memory was a little hazy, but the last thing she remembered was Hongjiang's fist!
"Kotetsu Isane, turn around!" Isane followed the voice and saw Captain-Commander Yamamoto. The heads of the Five Great Noble Families sat beside him. She immediately dropped to her knees, head lowered and body trembling slightly.
"Half a month ago, what happened to you in Zaraki District that led to the deaths of two Squad 11 members?!"
"W-we encountered a Gillian. Th-they didn't escape."
"Then how did you escape?!"
"Diezuka Hongjiang appeared in time and killed the Gillian. And the Quincy—they killed it together."
"Then why was the report sent to the Seireitei that Diezuka Hongjiang had caused their deaths?" Yamamoto slammed his wooden cane against the floor and barked, "Who ordered you to spread such a lie? What were your motives?"
Isane froze for a moment, then quickly understood. She raised her head and waved her hands as she explained, "N-no, it wasn't me! I never sent a report back. Besides, in the Plain of Slaughter, unless something special happens, reports are sent together after a temporary base has been established. We didn't send any report at the time! It's true, everything I said is true! Please believe me!"
"Then who sent the report?"
"I don't know. No one said anything about sending a report back. He did scold us, but he saved our lives. How could we do something like that to him?"
The answers from Azashiro Kozo and Tsukikage Shunyi, who were awakened next, were much the same, aside from a few details. No one pointed fingers at anyone else, and of course, none admitted to being the slanderer.
The investigation quickly hit a dead end, but Hongjiang and the others had expected that. Hoping a witness—or the slanderer—would step forward and confess was pure fantasy.
"One of you likes to smear me. Before, I didn't care. It was just childish squabbling." Hongjiang had watched the show long enough. With his hands behind his back, he paced in front of the three. "But this time, you went too far. You hate me so much you want me dead!"
"Why are you only suspecting us?" Tsukikage protested.
"Because of the way you looked at me at the end!" Hongjiang pointed to his own eyes and continued, "Everyone else looked at me with utter disgust, but you three were different. You looked surprised. That's understandable, though. Seeing me still alive must have been pretty annoying for you."
"Fabricating lies out of jealousy! You bastards!" Shihoin Dozo suddenly roared, smashing the armrest beneath his hand with a single blow. "You and your families don't deserve to exist!"
"Do it yourselves!" Hongjiang said, kicking the three Zanpakuto toward them. "I'm not hurt, after all. If you take responsibility in their place, I won't pursue the matter against your families. How about it?"
"What Hongjiang says goes for me as well!" Yamamoto added in a grave voice. "The Seireitei will never allow the same mistake to happen again. If you insist on this course, I have no objection to making an example of you!"
"Pay for your foolishness before tragedy strikes. We do not wish to see three families perish, but that does not mean we cannot bear to see it happen." Shinji-no-Miya was the last to speak, his voice utterly devoid of emotion.
It seemed they had no choice but to do as these people said. Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go. That had been the Seireitei's guiding principle since its founding.
Tsukikage trembled as he picked up his Zanpakuto with both hands. He seemed to have made up his mind. His right hand slowly moved to the hilt, then gripped it tightly. But truth be told, he was deeply unwilling.
While Tsukikage hesitated, Azashiro Kozo on the left had already moved. He raised his Zanpakuto high in both hands, blade pointed down, and shouted, "I can die, but my conscience is clear! The Azashiro Clan is innocent, too!" Then he drove the blade toward his own heart.
But just as the blade was about to pierce his body, Hongjiang suddenly moved. He kicked Kozo's hand, sending the blade skimming past his heart and diagonally through his body.
Kozo clenched his teeth, forehead pressed to the floor, both hands gripping the hilt. He knelt motionless, curled up like a cooked shrimp. But the short, labored breaths coming from his nostrils proved he was still alive.
Was this just a test? Just as Tsukikage was wondering, Hongjiang spoke again.
"Your name's Tsukikage, right? Your performance is as disappointing as ever." Hongjiang crouched in front of the three and patted Tsukikage's left shoulder with his left hand. Then he reached out with his right to Isane's right shoulder and turned to her. "As for you, I hope you weren't so scared you couldn't even pick up your sword."
"But now, congratulations! You're safe~"
Before you continue