Wang Ling in Prison

Outside a government office in Shouchun, a man in black official robes approached.

His steps were slow, and the years had long since left their marks on him.

"General Man." Seeing Man Chong approach, the armored guard on duty immediately saluted.

Man Chong said nothing, merely lifting his head slightly. Understanding, the guard turned away. A moment later came a clatter of metal, followed by the opening of the heavy iron door.

Man Chong entered alone, and the iron door closed behind him. Just as the light from outside was about to vanish, a faint flame lit up beside him.

Carrying an oil lamp, Man Chong descended the steps. Only the echoes of his footsteps could be heard in the dark, empty passage.

At last, he reached the bottom of the stairs and arrived on the first underground level. Quite a few candles burned here. Though it was still dim, at least he no longer needed the oil lamp.

He continued forward, and a mingled stench of urine, filth, and bloody water assailed him. He had not smelled it in a long time; he even found it somewhat familiar and comforting.

Man Chong stopped before a specially constructed cell. At some point, Zhang Zhong had appeared beside him, but he said nothing either, merely nodding to Man Chong.

"Go attend to your work. I'll speak to him alone," Man Chong said.

"Yes," Zhang Zhong replied, then left.

Taking the key, Man Chong unlocked the cell door and walked inside.

The man in the cell wore white prison clothes, his hair hanging loose and disheveled, the bloody marks on his body plainly visible.

"How have you been, Yanyun?" Man Chong asked.

Wang Ling leaned against the corner, glaring viciously at Man Chong. Then he spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and shouted, "Man Chong! What exactly are you trying to do?!"

"I don't understand what you mean, Yanyun." Man Chong sat down cross-legged. "Surely I should be asking you that."

Wang Ling snorted coldly. "I've already told you everything there is to tell. Falling into your hands was my bad luck."

Man Chong reached out and picked up a few strands of dry grass from the floor. He toyed with them between his fingertips, then scattered them with a breath. "It really is better here."

Wang Ling sneered. "Don't tell me you like cold, gloomy places like this?"

"Yes," Man Chong said. "Only cold places get my thoughts moving. Let me guess. Did you learn from the people of Wu State that their forces were gathering toward Jing Province, Yanyun, and decide to use the opportunity to march into Wu territory?"

Wang Ling froze for a moment, then suddenly understood. "That Wu scoundrel told you, didn't he?"

"Yes. Governor Wang, you're far more tight-lipped than that Wu scoundrel," Man Chong said with a hint of mockery.

Somewhat angered, Wang Ling said, "Since that Wu scoundrel has confessed everything, you must already know all the details. Why come here, then? Have you come to humiliate me?"

"Quite the opposite," Man Chong said in a low voice. "I'm here to help restore you to your post, Governor Wang."

"What did you say?" Wang Ling wondered whether he had misheard. He certainly did not believe Man Chong could be so kind.

Man Chong sighed and decided to stop keeping him in suspense. "You're a clever man, Yanyun. You should know whose orders brought me here to investigate. Of course, I wouldn't maliciously frame you with things that never happened, either. Now that the matter has been cleared up, naturally, you should return to your duties."

At those words, Wang Ling fell silent for quite some time.

Yes, the moment he saw Zhang Zhong from the Office of Investigations, he had known it was the emperor who wanted him investigated.

He had concealed nothing, either. At this point, there was nothing left worth concealing.

It had begun when Elder Gu, who traded in rare goods, introduced him to another traveling merchant from Wu State. At first, the merchant had seemed quite ordinary, but gradually, he had bared his fangs.

But Wang Ling had an extensive network of connections in Wei State and held high office himself. There was no possibility of him abandoning his bright prospects to defect to Wu State.

So he had decided to use this Wu spy, attempting to squeeze some confidential intelligence about Wu State out of him.

The other man had seemed quite willing as well, and so the two sides had reached a certain arrangement.

Yet Man Chong's arrival had thrown his entire plan into disarray. Before he could use the secret intelligence to organize a great, thunderous campaign, Man Chong had turned his blade inward and cut apart everything he had planned.

At the thought, fierce flames of anger blazed in Wang Ling's eyes once more. "You're still pretending, even now! If you truly wanted to employ me, why go to such lengths to stage all this?"

Man Chong sidestepped the question and merely asked, "Yanyun, have you considered that the intelligence you obtained was only what someone else wanted you to obtain? Just like the intelligence the Grand Marshal received last year. That was more detailed than yours, more convincing, and even included specific marching routes."

Wang Ling was immediately struck speechless.

Indeed, Cao Xiu's defeat and death had occurred only recently, but people were always willing to believe they would be the one who was different.

"By the way, how long have you been in contact with that man?" Man Chong abruptly posed a new question.

"A year, I suppose." Wang Ling concealed nothing.

Stroking his beard, Man Chong said, "Hmm... the Office of Investigations has had eyes in Lujiang for more than a day or two. Zhang Zhong told me today that before your latest visit to Lujiang, they had never found a single lead on that man."

"Why did he let his tail show this time?"

Question after question was laid before Wang Ling, leaving him rather bewildered for a moment. But at this point, he no longer wanted to think about any of it.

Wang Ling raised his head and looked at Man Chong. "General, you said just now that I could be restored to my post? But this was, after all..."

Man Chong knew what Wang Ling wanted to say. He meant that he had, after all, sold some intelligence about his own country. Strictly speaking, that counted as a form of colluding with the enemy.

Yet Man Chong gave him an unexpected answer. "Before I came to Huainan, His Majesty specifically gave me a handwritten letter. His Majesty said, 'In a special place, one must act in special ways.' He was afraid I would enforce the law too impartially and have you beheaded, Yanyun."

There was something of a joke in Man Chong's words, but Wang Ling did not find them funny at all.

Man Chong suddenly rose. "Rest assured. His Majesty still knows where to draw the line. Frankly, frontier commanderies are different from Luoyang. Letting a little information slip in moderation is a common tactic in the intelligence war between two states. Thus, your culpability has already been reduced as far as possible."

At those words, the stone hanging over Wang Ling's heart finally dropped. The barest hint of a smile had just appeared on his face when the other man doused him with a bucket of cold water.

Man Chong's gaze abruptly turned fierce. "But this is the last time! A commander who is too foolish will plunge his entire army into eternal damnation!"

"You!" Wang Ling could not stand that overbearing look on his face. He was just about to erupt, but Man Chong turned and left, giving his anger nowhere to vent.

Before leaving, however, Man Chong did toss back one last remark.

"Oh, and His Majesty said you are to atone for your crimes through meritorious service."