"Dog, dog officer!"

"Mr. Pei, you——"

"How dare you insult an official of the imperial court? Do you want to die?"

The jailer swung his arm and whipped the prisoner hard. With a crisp "crack", a bloody wound appeared on the prisoner's chest.

The prisoner was chained to the rack, unable to move his limbs. He could only turn his head to avoid the whip and scream at the top of his lungs: "Injustice! I am innocent!"

"I didn't kill anyone—ah!"

Several jailers were waiting for orders, shouting and cheering. Two of them, carrying whips, stepped back to rest when their arms ached from fatigue, dipped their whips in salt water, and another took over the flogging.

Pei Wenfeng sat calmly opposite the rack, his back three feet to the wall where a lantern hung, its dim light illuminating his face like a jade, elegant and graceful. He took a sip of tea, looked up, and indifferently surveyed the torn prisoner. He said slowly, "Whether he'll be executed or not won't be known until we capture your accomplices and interrogate them. We now have irrefutable evidence that, even if you weren't the mastermind, you were at least an accomplice."

"If you know what's good for you, immediately reveal the whereabouts of your accomplices. If you continue to resist and conceal the truth, you will be subjected to the dozens of torture instruments in the prison, and you will be forced to taste them one by one."

The prisoner's voice cracked and trembling as he shouted, "I'm not the mastermind, nor am I an accomplice!"

Pei Wenfeng raised his head and asked coldly, "Oh? Why was the body of the murdered Widow Jin buried in your backyard? Where did your father and eldest brother hide? If you were innocent after the crime, why did you run away?"

"I, I don't know, really, I don't know anything." The prisoner's eyes shifted and shifted. "I didn't run away. I just went out to visit my relatives."

Pei Wenfeng said unhappily, "He's full of lies! Beat him until he confesses."

"yes!"

The whip dipped in salt water was used to repeatedly whip the wound. The prisoner trembled violently with pain, and blood mixed with sweat and salt water kept dripping, forming a small pool of blood at his feet.

Some of the jailers were responsible for carrying out the torture, while others were responsible for shouting, "Confess or not?"

"Quick move!"

"Stupid, do you think you can get away with it just by talking tough? Don't you even look at where you are?" @Infinite good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City

"Hmph, today is not the Mid-Autumn Festival for us. I will accompany you to the end. Let's see how many torture instruments you can withstand!"

During the interrogation, the prisoner screamed and struggled, his veins bulging, and the iron rack made a "clanging" sound, which was sharp, piercing and extremely noisy.

The cell was narrow and low, without sunlight. Although the walls and floors were devoid of black bloodstains, the stench of blood was pervasive. Over the years, the blood of countless prisoners seemed to have soaked everything around it, leaving it filthy, messy, and stinking, a nauseating sight.

At the beginning of the year, Pei Wenfeng, a newly appointed official, approached the prison cell for the first time. As soon as he reached the door, he was overcome by an indescribable stench. Unable to cower in fear and cover his mouth and nose, he resorted to wearing a sachet—unexpectedly, the combined fragrance and stench made the odor even more unpleasant! After the interrogation that day, he was so exhausted from vomiting that his face and lips turned pale, and he couldn't eat for several meals.

But now, he has experienced more and is used to it. He carefully distinguishes the aroma of tea, takes a sip, and savors the taste.

Trusted servants Wu Liang and Cai Chun stood behind him, accustomed to the situation. Cai Chun yawned, fished out a few oil-paper-wrapped cakes from his bosom, and leaned over to ask, "This prisoner is stubborn. I doubt we'll be able to pry him open anytime soon. It's Mid-Autumn Festival today, sir. Would you like some mooncakes? They're not bought from outside, but made and sent here by the county magistrate's family. They're clean and taste good."

Pei Wenfeng was a man of cleanliness by nature. He frowned, waved the food away and said, "How can we eat in a place like this? You two can eat by yourselves."

"Oh." After watching the interrogation for a long time, the two servants were hungry. They didn't care that they were in prison and ate mooncakes to fill their stomachs.

After a while, Pei Wenfeng was annoyed by the scolding and wailing. He put the teacup on the small table and shouted, "Bring the iron!"

"Yes!" The jailers followed the order and stuffed a piece of wood into the prisoner's mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue to commit suicide. Then they took out a red-hot iron from the charcoal basin, which was half the size of a palm, and pressed it against the bloody chest. The iron and flesh stuck together with a "hissing" sound and smoke came out.

@Unlimited good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City

“Hmm—”

"Sir, please spare me, spare my life--" The prisoner's eyes widened instantly, he cried miserably, and struggled desperately, but he couldn't move the iron rack at all. He stood up straight, biting the wood and begging for mercy incoherently. His head tilted and he suddenly fell into a coma.

Pei Wenfeng remained calm and gave a look. The jailer understood and picked up a basin of cold water and poured it over the prisoner's head.

After the sound of water splashing, the prisoner with a bruised face and nose shuddered, gasping for breath and losing consciousness.

The jailer took out a piece of wood and cursed: "Confess or not? If you don't, I'll use bamboo sticks to nail your fingers through!"

The prisoner trembled, not daring to continue to be stubborn. He begged for mercy with a sad face, trembling, "Stop beating me, please, sir, spare my life, spare my life."

Pei Wenfeng asked sternly, "Tell me! Widow Jin, who killed her?"

"Me, my eldest brother, and my father. My Lord, I swear I had nothing to do with it. I only helped bury the bodies."

The prisoner, tears streaming down his face, confessed, "That day, I wasn't home. My father and my eldest brother were drunk and called Sao Jin, the widow, into the house. They were old lovers and had always been willing to have sex. But afterward, she suddenly asked for fifty taels of silver. A quarrel ensued, and my brother, in a rage, got angry and started fighting. My father was also in a rage, and they strangled her with a rope, accidentally killing her."

"careless?"

Pei Wenfeng sneered, "Widow Jin had more than just strangulation wounds on her body. She also had five stab wounds, each fatal. Tell me! Where are your father and brother now? And where is the murder weapon?"

Unable to withstand the torture, the prisoner, covered in wounds and incoherent, tremblingly replied, "My eldest brother is in Liangang Town. He has a sworn brother named Baoshan. Perhaps, perhaps they've gone to seek refuge there. I threw the kitchen knife into the well under the locust tree at the entrance of the alley."

Pei Wenfeng had no expression on his face and said indifferently, "If you had confessed honestly earlier, you would have avoided a lot of beatings."

The prisoner cried and spoke incoherently, "What could I do? When we buried the body, my father actually knelt down, and my eldest brother even kowtowed, begging me to cover up the matter, saying that □□ had been a widow for more than ten years, had no relatives or friends, and no one would care if she died. I, I am innocent, I didn't kill anyone!"

It turns out that the suspect fled to Liangang Town?

Pei Wenfeng tilted his head in thought and told his clerk, "Write down the confession carefully."

"Yes." The clerk picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote quickly at his desk.

Then a detailed interrogation began, which lasted until late at night. With a clanging sound, the jailer untied the chains, and the prisoner immediately fell off the rack and was dragged into the cell. His legs went limp, and as he slid across the ground, he left a long, glaring trail of blood.

Pei Wenfeng stood up, rubbing his brows tiredly, and said gently, "Thank you for your hard work, everyone. It's a big holiday, and we should have taken a break, but unfortunately, a murder has occurred, and we have to rush to solve the case."

The jailer, the constable, and the petty officials all smiled apologetically and shook their heads, saying, "Your Excellency toils day and night, and is even more tired."

"My job is just helping out, it can't be called 'hard work'."

"This is my duty as a villain. It's what I should do."

Pei Wenfeng led the crowd out, stepping on the dirty bloodstains, and promised, "We'll reward you all after the verdict of this case. It's getting late, everyone go back and rest for a while. Tomorrow we'll go to Liangang Town to arrest the suspect."

The subordinates agreed in succession, followed him in a crowded and respectful manner. On the one hand, they were afraid of Pei Wenfeng's iron-fisted method of "solving cases like a god", and on the other hand, they were greedy for his generous rewards.

After a while, the master and his two servants returned to their residence in the back yamen.

It was late in the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, a full moon hung high in the sky, the moonlight was like water, the silver light was bright and soft, illuminating the courtyard. The night wind blew, and the shadows of flowers and trees swayed.

Pei Wenfeng stopped, looked up at the bright moon, and was stunned.

"Sir?" The two servants yawned and urged:

"It's late, hurry up and wash up and get some rest."

Pei Wenfeng came back to his senses, sighed deeply, and murmured, "I wonder what Sister Shu is doing?"

Here we go again!

Cai Chun and Wu Liang looked at each other helplessly, unable to persuade her any more, and said, "My cousin must have gone to bed by now."

Pei Wenfeng paced back to his room. "It's Mid-Autumn Festival again. I wonder if she's doing well now?"

The servant consoled her, "Although farming is tough, Guo and her family are quite large and treat Miss Cousin with great respect. With Cuimei by her side day and night, she shouldn't have a hard time."

Every time Pei Wenfeng heard the word "Guo", he would be filled with uncontrollable anger. He would go back to his room with a sullen face, and without saying a word, he would take a shower and change clothes to wash away the dirty and foul smell of the cell.

"Have you taken a rest?" Cai Chun asked with a bow.

Pei Wenfeng nodded and walked towards the bed, holding a blue sachet in his hand as usual. The embroidery was exquisite and depicted a scene of winning the first prize in the imperial examination. Inside the sachet were a small packet of spices, a jade pendant, and a peace amulet - all of which were gifts from Miss Jiang in the past, embroidered by her own hands and the amulets she had personally requested.

Cai Chun lowered the curtains, Wu Liang blew out the candles, closed the door, and the two of them rested in the next room.

In the darkness, Pei Wenfeng silently toyed with the sachet, deeply inhaling its delicate aroma. He closed his eyes, and for the umpteenth time, he first lost himself in fond memories, then resented his wicked stepmother's treacherous and despicable behavior, resented Guo Honglei's intrusiveness in stealing his love, and resented himself for not being able to salvage the situation in time... Over and over again, exhausted, he fell asleep with the token of love as his pillow.

Under the same full moon, Liu Village, Yuehu Town.

It was late at night, everything was quiet, and the sound of pine trees in the back mountain could be clearly heard.

The night breeze in the courtyard was refreshing, and after enjoying the moon, the three of them moved into the main room, sat around the round table, and continued chatting. The others, such as Cuimei, Peng Changrong, and others, continued to chat in the courtyard.

There were melons, moon cakes and some snacks and dried fruits on the table. The fragrance of fruit was mixed with the aroma of tea, and life in the countryside was peaceful.

Jiang Yushu was stunned and exclaimed in a low voice, "Eleven princes? Five princesses? The emperor is truly blessed to have so many children."

Guo Honglei nodded, "Indeed. But among all the princes, only two were granted the title of prince: the eldest prince, Prince Li, and the second prince, Prince Ning."

"Prince Li is born of a legitimate wife, and Prince Ning is born of a royal concubine." Guo Hongzhe yawned, feeling sleepy, but because it was a rare reunion, he forced himself to chat.

Jiang Yushu thought for a moment and whispered, "Then, according to the rule of 'establishing the heir based on seniority rather than merit,' shouldn't Prince Li—" She paused and whispered, "inherit the throne?"

"Although the rules are like this, the emperor's will is unpredictable." Guo Honglei said.

Jiang Yushu held her teacup and sighed, "The emperor is over sixty years old, and he still hasn't appointed a crown prince. The entire court must be worried and curious. We've been hoping for a general amnesty from the royal family due to a happy event or important matter, but now it seems we'll have to wait patiently for a while."

Guo Honglei fought bravely on the battlefield, hoping to rid himself of the infamy that plagued his family. However, he was unable to influence the emperor's will and could only offer comfort: "It is always right to be diligent and obedient, and to atone for your sins with merit. Let's wait and see."

"Actually," Guo Hongzhe said with a smile as he slowly peeled roasted chestnuts, content and content with being a respected gentleman among the villagers, "even though my whole family is now exiled and working hard as a soldier, life isn't too difficult. We just have to be patient and wait. I hope that one day I can be freed of the charges and become a commoner. That would be great."

When my brother and sister-in-law heard this, they felt relieved.

Jiang Yushu and Guo Honglei smiled at the same time, peeled the chestnuts and handed them to their younger brother. The older brother praised him, "It's rare that you understand this."

"Perhaps by this time next year, our exile will be over." The sister-in-law's eyes were firm. "There are tens of thousands of exiles in the world, divided into different classes. We should all be diligent and conscientious in fulfilling our duties, not only for ourselves but also for future generations. Whether we are ultimately pardoned or not, we will have no regrets."

Guo Honglei agreed enthusiastically, "Right! Do your best and have no regrets." Noticing his brother yawning repeatedly, he said, "It's late, let's all rest."

"Oh." Guo Hongzhe stood up, stretched, glanced at the crowd in the yard, and muttered: "Oh? Everyone is still awake and full of energy. But I'm so sleepy, I'll go back to my room first." After speaking, he said goodbye to his brother and sister-in-law and went back to his room to sleep.

"Go ahead. You don't have to get up early tomorrow."

Jiang Yushu sat for a long time, stretched her muscles a little, and slowly stepped out of the doorway. The moon was already setting in the west. She looked up at the full moon and said with a cheerful smile, "This year's Mid-Autumn Festival moon is more beautiful than last year!"

"Really?" Guo Honglei approached, and as they admired the moon together, he sighed, "This time last year, we were on the bank of the Cang River, escorting prisoners back to the camp."

Jiang Yushu turned her head and asked worriedly, "General Dou issued a military order, requiring the court to recapture Yongzhou within this year. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are only three months left. How is the war going lately?"

Guo Honglei put his arm around his wife's shoulders and replied calmly, "Don't worry, it will go smoothly. You can't bear the strain now, so it's time to rest."

The couple left the others chatting and laughing in the yard and went back to their room to rest.

The next afternoon, it was time to say goodbye again.

A group of people stood by the roadside to see them off. Jiang Yushu nodded repeatedly and replied, "Okay, I know. I'll remember that."

"I don't know anything about horse training, so I won't try it for now."

Guo Honglei held his sword and repeatedly reminded him, "Zou Gui and the others know a little bit more. Tell them to tame the snake. Even if they get it crooked, it doesn't matter. I'll find a way to fix it when I get home."

Jiang Yushu nodded vigorously and said seriously, "Don't worry, even if it goes astray, I won't care!"

"Very good, that's right." Guo Honglei smiled, mounted his sturdy warhorse, shook the reins, looked down at his family and said, "Take care of yourselves. I have to go back to the camp."

Guo Hongzhe said loudly: "Brother, please take care of yourself!"

Everyone said "take care" to each other. In a moment, whips were swung in the air, crackling, and Guo Honglei was the first to hit his horse: "Gee!"

The four horses stomped their hooves on the ground, and rode away with a "clack clack" sound. Their figures disappeared around the bend in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Yushu watched them go for a long time, then came to her senses and cheered up, saying loudly: "After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Double Ninth Festival is coming soon. Everyone should work hard for a while. After the autumn harvest is over, I think we will have some free time after the snow falls. Then we can rest!"

"Let's go, it's time to go to the fields."

Everyone obeyed the orders and dispersed to pack up their farm tools, looking forward to the cold winter months so that they could have a peaceful rest during the New Year.

Unexpectedly, a few days later, someone from Tongyou Village in Liangang Town suddenly came to ask for help. In a hurry, they found Zhuang Song first. Zhuang Song was helpless, so he hurriedly called Jiang Yushu and rushed to the local area to investigate.

The wheels rumbled, and besides six or seven horses, there were three mules.

The village head of Tung Oil Village rode his mule, grumbling as he hurried along: "That field was fine. The villagers worked hard from dawn to dusk, and the potatoes were growing well. But five or six days ago, the leaves suddenly wilted. At first, we scolded them for being lazy and not watering them. But after we watered them regularly, the leaves have wilted even more!"

"Alas, after three or four days, the crops all died. All my hard work was in vain. The strange thing is, the leaves didn't turn yellow, but remained green. It was puzzling."

Zhuang Song frowned and pressed on, "How many acres have been affected? Can't you figure it out?"

"No, there's no way to calculate. A few acres might look healthy today and wither tomorrow. It's impossible to tell." The old village head and his companions sighed, their brows drooping in frustration and worry. They asked nervously, "This is the first time this village is planting crops. We're so anxious. Can the government help?"

Zhuang Song was well-read and a skilled writer of eight-legged essays, but he had no experience in agriculture. He forced himself to remain calm and replied calmly, "Why rush? Let's see for ourselves, then we'll understand what's going on, and then we can make a long-term plan."

Jiang Yushu sat in the carriage, her heart sinking. She sighed, "I'm sick. Bacterial wilt."

"Then, do you have any way to cure it?" Zhuang Song rode his horse around to the window on the other side of the carriage and asked, avoiding the villagers.

The fundamental reason was that the potatoes had not been decontaminated. The fundamental problem was that the dynasty's technological capabilities were limited, and the government was constantly pressing them, leaving them no time for dedicated research... so they could only gamble and plant seeds that had not been decontaminated.

The most frustrating thing about military farming is that you know the crops may carry diseases, but you cannot solve the problem immediately and have to plant them anyway.

Jiang Yushu knew what was going on, sighed inwardly, and said frankly, "I'm sorry, but no one can cure those who are already sick. We must eradicate that crop as soon as possible to prevent it from spreading to the surrounding areas."

"Alas, alas," Zhuang Song said, gripping the reins tightly. He sighed and said, "What a shame! A large area of ​​crops has suddenly been wiped out. I'm really worried about the disease spreading. What will happen to our 15 million kilograms of grain then?"

Jiang Yushu looked solemn, forcing herself to cheer up. She instructed, "So you have to prepare a large amount of quicklime. After eradicating the diseased crops, immediately spread the quicklime to control the disease and prevent it from spreading."

"Okay!" Zhuang Song, who has always been conscientious and responsible, had to cheer up, steer his horse back to the original place, and immediately discuss with the villagers.

Two days later, a large group of people stood in the fields of Tongyou Village, talking among themselves, all expressing regret.

"quick!"

"If you want to keep the rest, you must hurry!"

"Hurry up and dig up all these diseased crops, take them away and burn them." Zhuang Song had no choice but to run around, sometimes directing the removal of withered plants, sometimes urging the spreading of quicklime.

Jiang Yushu, pregnant and unable to move, stood by, offering occasional reminders. She wore a veiled hat and, when she went out, took Zou Gui and Cui Mei with her. She surveyed the ridges and said, "These ridges are a bit short. It's been cloudy for a while now, with several heavy rains. Even if there's nothing wrong with it, potatoes can't stay submerged in water for long. They're drought-tolerant and thrive in the elements."

Cuimei supported the man and comforted him, "Don't be sad. With thousands of acres of crops, accidents are inevitable."

"Yeah, it's inevitable. As long as the rest is alright, it's fine."

Jiang Yushu glanced around, feeling distressed. "Nearly ten acres destroyed in one go, what a shame!"

Zou Gui and Cui Mei were by her side, trying their best to comfort her.

After several days of hard work and making sure that the disease had not spread, the group dared to leave Tongyou Village and return to Yuehu Town.

On the return journey, you need to pass through Liangang Town.

Cuimei opened the curtain and looked out, then suddenly raised her hand and pointed, "Look, girl! It's the monkey trainer!"

"Oh?" Jiang Yushu was pondering disease prevention and control, and glanced at the crowded crowd with little interest. "Liangang Town is more lively than our place."

"Haha, monkeys can bow, how interesting—" Cuimei hadn't finished her words when the carriage suddenly stopped. She leaned against the window and fell awkwardly, "Ah!"

Ahead, another team of carriages stopped. Pei Wenfeng frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

The author has something to say:

Today is only a drop away from Saturday... Tomorrow is Saturday, it has to be Saturday! [clench fist]