The smile faded from Wen Chenghuan's face, but he refused to submit so easily. He said coldly, "What do you mean, Lord Zhou? Are you going to falsely accuse me of treason?"
Zhou Ruiyuan said, "If we charged you with treason and made the truth known to the world, we would actually secure your reputation as a loyal minister. After all you have done to harm Great Kang's interests, do you think we would still grant you the honor of a loyal minister after your death?"
Wen Chenghuan finally understood why Zhou Ruiyuan had accused him of embezzlement, corruption, and draining the treasury. There were certain charges Great Kang refused to bring against him, and others it intended to force upon him. The charges it refused to bring were supported by irrefutable evidence; it withheld them only because it would not help establish his reputation as a loyal minister of Great Yong. Clearly, the Great Kang Imperial Court had uncovered his true identity in full. Wen Chenghuan's first thought was not of himself, but of the Li Family. What effect would this have on his son?
A careful examination of the matter revealed something unusual. Zhou Ruiyuan had mentioned his correspondence with the Late Emperor. Even if such a letter existed, it should have remained solely in the possession of the Great Yong Imperial House. How had they learned of it? An inexplicable dread rose in Wen Chenghuan's heart. He hardly dared pursue the thought, hoping desperately that the truth was not what he suspected. How cruel that would be. Perhaps he had exposed himself by defending Great Yong's interests too zealously.
Wen Chenghuan asked, "Why did you suspect me?"
Zhou Ruiyuan said, "A single piece of calligraphy, 'Bodhisattva Barbarian,' naturally could not establish that you were the biological son