Shangguan Tianlin had been whipped twice and was in unbearable pain.
The whip was thin and long, covered with sharp spikes and soaked in salt water. It lashed him with excruciating pain! He was covered in cold sweat, clenched his teeth, and endured the pain until his veins bulged, before swallowing the words of pleading for mercy that were escaping his throat.
"You've got a tough bone." The short man scoffed coldly, flicking his face with the handle of his soft whip, his tone all talk and no action: "All I want is for you to obediently confess your crimes, write down the prescription, and swear that you will never sell it again."
Why have we come to this? Isn't that right?
Although Shangguan Tianlin is a scoundrel who can't stand trouble, he can still be clear-headed when it matters. Confessing is the same as admitting guilt, which would not only make him bear the burden of a life, but would also implicate his father's career!
He wouldn't do something so incredibly stupid.
He made up his mind and refused to utter a word no matter what.
This infuriated the short man. The two lashes he had just delivered were intended to intimidate him, but he had only used half his strength. After all, he was a pampered young master, and if he had been struck with all his might, he might have fainted from the pain.
"You really won't confess? I have plenty of ways to make you talk." With that, he ordered his men to bring over a square box made of black iron.
Once the box was opened, nearly a hundred steel needles were neatly stacked inside. Each needle was about a finger's length long and emitted a strong, foul, bloody odor, suggesting that this was not the first time they had been taken out and used!
"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences." The short man said angrily, his eyes flashing with malice: "Men, pry his mouth open and make him swallow it all. Let's see if his mouth is harder, or this steel needle!"
The hard steel spikes were arranged densely, and Shangguan Tianlin's heart stopped beating as he looked at them; he subconsciously stopped breathing. Two constables stood on either side, forcefully gripping and pulling his jaw apart.
Several steel needles approached him and pierced his throat, their sharp tips gleaming with a cold, eerie light!
Shangguan Tianlin's eyes widened in fury as he struggled violently, forcefully tilting his head back!
"Wait!" Just at this critical moment, a junior jailer ran over, panting: "The prefect has ordered that the man be taken to the court for trial."
The prisoner stared in terror, about to sign his confession, when he was suddenly interrupted. The short man clicked his tongue in annoyance: "What kind of bird shit is this waiting for interrogation? Can't you see I'm at a crucial moment? Let him wait a quarter of an hour."
The jailer's expression changed slightly, and he said in a panic, "I'm afraid it's impossible. The witness who died from poisoning, Yu Xiaozuo, has already been brought to court. The prefect ordered me to bring Shangguan Tianlin to confront him. If we use torture again now, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public!"
This is bad!
The short man slapped his forehead. How come Yu Xiaozuo isn't dead?
Seeing the jailer untie him, Shangguan Tianlin's chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath, secretly rejoicing that he had survived a close call.
Xiao Ziwu left the man at the entrance of the yamen, but did not go in himself; it was not the time to reveal his martial arts skills. However, he did not go far either, as he needed to make sure Yu Xiaozuo went in obediently.
In the courtroom, Yu Xiaozuo, the witness who had supposedly died from poisoning, knelt unharmed below the court. He tearfully confessed to his crimes of slandering others and accepting one hundred taels of silver.
"I am a magician in a troupe of acrobats. A few days ago, a masked man in black approached me and asked me to fake my death. He promised me five hundred taels of silver if I succeeded. I was blinded by greed and couldn't resist the temptation, so I agreed. As a result, Young Master Shangguan was unjustly imprisoned. I truly regret my actions!" As soon as he finished speaking, he crawled on his knees to Shangguan Tianlin and kowtowed three times.
The Prefect of Kaifeng slammed his gavel: "Do you recognize the person who is looking for you?"
"He was wearing a mask, so the little man couldn't see him clearly."
Where is the physical evidence?
"Physical evidence...can the five hundred taels of silver be counted?"
This morning, I squandered it all. You are welcome to send someone to the Ruyi Gambling House to inquire; I would never dare to deceive or cheat you, sir!
At this point, Yu Xiaozuo started slapping himself again, filled with regret. He had almost lost his life for that money!
"Did you get a good look at the person who paid you the fee?"
“I was careful and had the man put the silver in a designated bank. I disguised myself before I went to the bank to retrieve it, but I didn’t see him.”
If I had shown my face then, I would probably be a corpse by now.
“After I received the silver, I moved my family to Jing County. I did not expect them to be so fast. They found me in just a few days.”
The truth came to light, and Shangguan Tianlin, who had been an innocent victim and suffered some hardship while on the sidelines, was released in court.
The Shangguan couple were already waiting at the door. When they saw him stagger out, their eyes turned red. Tianyun was also filled with guilt and lowered her eyes to hide the tears in them, but Tianlin still keenly sensed her emotions.
He weakly reached out and touched her head to comfort her.
"Brother is alright." The bitter cold of the past few days had left him extremely haggard, his lips were chapped and peeling, and his voice was slightly weak. Fortunately, he had escaped from the jaws of death.
If it were the younger sister inside, she probably wouldn't have been able to endure it.
※
"Changwang, have you seen the fish tank next to my desk?" Xiao Ziwu tapped the table with his taut fingers.
Now, every time he returns to his bedchamber, he makes it a habit to check on the three little fish fry that wag their tails and blow bubbles. Today is the day for changing the water, and he guesses that Changwang should take the water away to change it, hence his question.
Unexpectedly, Chang stammered for a while and then avoided eye contact.
"Hmm?" Xiao Ziwu noticed that his expression was off.
"Your Highness... Your Highness, yesterday when I was cleaning the study, I clumsily knocked over the fish tank, and the fish couldn't withstand the force... they all... they all died." He shuddered at the sight of His Highness's cold gaze and stammered a lie.
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