Secretary Sun glanced coldly at the scene.
Physician Huang felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He lowered his head and walked past hurriedly.
“Your Excellency, this happened suddenly. I didn’t have time to obtain an arrest warrant. Mainly because this person is a martial artist and the nephew of Xu Pingzhi from the Imperial Knife Guard. He can flee if guilty,” Physician Huang thought to himself, “The Secretary’s big slap is only six feet away from me, but I can shift the blame in 0.01 seconds.”
“Young Master Zhou sent his attendants to deliver a complaint, saying that a thief beat him on the street and threatened to make him bleed within five steps…”
“Given the urgency, I decided to apprehend the person first to prevent his escape.”
With officials from the Court of Judicial Astronomy and scholars from the Yunlu Academy present, he dared not lie, nor was there a need to.
A street brawl between two parties was typically punishable by fifty lashes each.
Aside from not having an arrest warrant, everything else was done according to procedure. In the Ministry of Justice, it was common practice to supplement arrest warrants afterward.
The white-robed officials from the Court of Judicial Astronomy frowned.
Li Mubai and Zhang Shen exchanged glances. The former stepped forward and said in a deep voice, “The sage says: A gentleman should be honest.”
Thump, thump, thump…
Physician Huang felt his heart pounding violently, blood rushing to his face. He felt ashamed and mortified for lying.
He despised his dishonest self, his spirit protesting fiercely against his despicable behavior.
His mouth, angered, broke free from his will and spoke uncontrollably: “Young Master Zhou wants to get Xu Qi An killed, to let him die in the prison of the Ministry of Justice, to vent his anger! I… I wanted to curry favor with Young Master Zhou.”
Feeling relieved… Physician Huang sat down on the ground, his forehead breaking out in sweat.
Murmurs arose from the surroundings. Among the more than ten officials from the Ministry of Justice present, some looked at Physician Huang with disdain, some with contempt, some with schadenfreude, and some shook their heads and sighed.
“Despicable and shameless, I will write a memorial to impeach you tomorrow,” the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Justice immediately became energized.
Fifth-rank Moral Realm… Secretary Sun remained expressionless, glancing at the pale-faced, blank-eyed Physician Huang, and ordered his subordinate officials, “Pass on my words, release the person.”
…
Amidst the clanking of shackles, Xu Qi An was brought to the interrogation room. Young Master Zhou had changed into an indigo robe, thick yet not unsightly.
He sat with one leg propped up on the chair, his ear that Xu Qi An had stepped on wrapped in white fine cloth.
A thin old man wearing a blue robe with gold trim on the collar and cuffs stood beside him, his sharp pupils fixed on Xu Qi An, making no effort to conceal his killing intent.
Additionally, two jailers stood next to a pile of torture instruments, examining Xu Qi An with schadenfreude.
The brocade-clad young master waved his hand, and one of the jailers took out a piece of paper from his bosom, tossing it in front of Xu Qi An.
“You now have two paths to choose from,” Young Master Zhou said with a contemptuous look, “Either confess and sign, or try all the torture instruments here, and then confess and sign.”
Xu Qi An glanced at the confession. Its content roughly stated: Xu Qi An, a constable from Langle County, had a verbal altercation with Zhou Li on the street, harbored murderous intentions, and relying on his martial prowess, attacked and severely injured Zhou Li. Subsequently, when the constables arrived, Xu Qi An was apprehended…
Assaulting someone on the street, and the victim being the son of the Vice Minister of Revenue… If I sign this confession, the lightest punishment would be exile. If Zhou manipulates things, I could even face execution in the vegetable market… He’s not leaving me a way out.
Xu Qi An looked up from the paper and gazed at the brocade-clad young master. “Sign and confess to suffer less physical pain?”
Young Master Zhou’s lips curled up as if toying with an ant, and he said mockingly, “No, the choice I’m giving you is: sign first and then be tortured, or be tortured first and then sign.”
The jailers burst into laughter.
Xu Qi An’s face darkened.
The more he reacted this way, the more delighted Young Master Zhou became. He enjoyed seeing others despise him yet being utterly helpless.
“Tsk, tsk, frightening, truly frightening,” Zhou Li chuckled. “Uncle Chen, are the shackles secure? What if this thief suddenly lashes out to kill?”
The thin old man smiled and said, “Young Master, rest assured. He’s but an ant. This old servant could crush him with one slap.”
“Then I can set my mind at ease,” Zhou Li stood up and walked to the pile of torture instruments, speaking eloquently. “There are twenty-four types of torture instruments here. Each one can inflict extreme pain without endangering life. They are the ultimate tools for extracting confessions.
“I won’t kill you. Wouldn’t that be too easy on you?
“I’ve heard that in the Night Watchman’s prison, there are a full one hundred and eight types of torture instruments. No one who’s been locked in there has ever come out alive.
“It’s a pity you won’t have the fortune to experience that. Tsk, tsk, what a shame.”
Xu Qi An couldn’t help but look at the torture instruments. There was a chair covered in iron spikes, rusty steel needles, iron saws stained dark red from years of blood… Each item exuded cruelty and bloodshed.
Xu Qi An’s throat bobbed, and his face turned pale.
By now, Miss Caiwei from the Court of Judicial Astronomy should have received Wang Constable’s notice… Why hasn’t she arrived yet… Is she unwilling to save me?
No, that’s not right. The book I wrote was very enticing. Any alchemist who read it would be itching to know what comes next, eager to see the continuation.
If they don’t come to save me soon, even if I survive in the end, after enduring this set of torture instruments, I’ll be ruined… Beads of sweat began to form on Xu Qi An’s forehead.
He was a normal person and also felt fear.
Young Master Zhou had been observing his expression while speaking, and seeing this, he was very satisfied.
This game of toying with a mouse immersed him completely, giving him immense pleasure. He continued, “I heard you were raised by your second uncle, Xu Pingzhi, since childhood. Your relationship must be very close.
“Hmm, I have reason to suspect that this incident was planned by you and your second uncle.”
He’s investigated me… The veins on Xu Qi An’s temples bulged.
“This… Young Master Zhou, that’s not written in the confession,” one of the yamen runners said with difficulty.
“Fool, just write a new one,” another jailer scolded.
“Then what are we waiting for? Write it right here, in front of him,” Young Master Zhou laughed wildly.
As his laughter echoed in the interrogation room, suddenly, the locked iron door was opened. A jailer led by an official in a green robe.
The green-robed official scanned the room, and seeing that Xu Qi An was unharmed and without blood stains, silently breathed a sigh of relief.
“Take this person away for me.”
Finally, finally, they’ve come… Xu Qi An felt immensely relieved.
The jailers in the interrogation room instinctively looked towards Young Master Zhou.
“Sir, we are interrogating a criminal,” Young Master Zhou’s gaze moved from the green robe symbolizing the fifth rank to the official’s face, his expression somewhat displeased.
The green-robed official laughed sarcastically, “This is the Ministry of Justice, not the Ministry of Revenue. If Young Master Zhou wants to interrogate criminals, go back to the Ministry of Revenue—that is if the Ministry of Revenue also handles criminal cases.”
He then shouted, “You bunch of dogs, didn’t you hear what I said? Take this person away for me.”