Chapter 666 A Dream of Youth 198
If Xie Qi could see this, then the official in charge of the interrogation would naturally be able to see it as well.
Eight assassins escaped, but five were captured alive and sent directly to the Dali Temple for interrogation. The manager of the horse farm was also thrown into prison.
The steward who accepted the bribe still insisted that he knew nothing about it.
"Sir, shall we use torture directly?"
"No need."
The middle-aged man in the crimson robe toyed with the horse-slaying sword in his hand, then looked at the temple master beside him and said, "If we use severe torture from the very beginning of the interrogation, what's the difference between that and getting a confession through coercion?"
When the temple official recalled that the two of them had gone to the side to talk when Prince Duan brought the person over, he wondered if his junior minister had accepted a bribe or was being forced by powerful figures to exonerate Prince Duan.
Although Prince Duan brought the person directly to be interrogated, appearing innocent and composed, the fact remains that Princess De'an was assassinated, and the horse farm was under Prince Duan's name. Even if Prince Duan didn't have the intention, His Majesty will certainly be harsh in his criticism.
By throwing out a few people to take the blame, they can shield the emperor from his wrath.
Feng Shaoqing put down his knife and ordered his men to interrogate the managers separately.
Prince Duan did indeed approach him, but not to ask him to help fabricate evidence to exonerate the stewards, nor to force confessions to make innocent people take the blame. Instead, he wanted these stewards to confess all the dirty work they had done in private.
This was a way to clean house through his hands, and also to send a warning to the other retainers and managers.
Feng Shaoqing naturally wouldn't refuse, since it wouldn't interfere with his investigation anyway.
Those in charge are easy to interrogate. Just lay out some bait and let them implicate each other. In order to reduce their sentences, they will confess everything.
By integrating and sorting through the reports of illegal activities from the various managers, it was quickly discovered that one of the managers had accepted a bribe from a wealthy merchant and sent in a batch of stable boys.
These stable boys were actually assassins lurking in the horse farm.
Normally, buying stable boys for the horse farm is a routine activity that is difficult to detect. However, the stable boy that the manager bought was too strong. Usually, the stable boys they buy are very thin and need to be raised for a period of time before they are put to work in the open.
It was this unusual detail that led to the discovery that the steward had accepted bribes from a wealthy merchant.
But that wealthy businessman can't be found at all now.
"Let the government assist in the investigation. If he enters the capital, he will surely leave some clues." Feng Shaoqing glanced at the steward, who was covered in blood and had been whipped, and then turned and left the torture chamber.
He only said that he wouldn't use severe punishment at first; once someone goes to prison, no one leaves unscathed.
"Did those assassins confess?"
"They've made two moves, but there's very little useful information. They're not the leaders, so their knowledge is limited. They're all uniformly trained assassins, but there is one thing that matches that different horse-slaying sword."
These people came from the border region between the Great Zhou and the Northern Jin.
"My lord! My lord!"
The jailer rushed over in a panic, shouting, "Those assassins have all committed suicide!"
The group of people who were discussing the matter suddenly looked grim; this meant there were even fewer clues left.
Feng Shaoqing pointed at the long sword on the table, "Send this sword to the Armory and have them investigate where it was made."
If it really is true that a certain academy has ties with Northern Jin and is secretly supplying weapons to Northern Jin... Feng Shaoqing breathed heavily; they are really courting death.
The night was not yet fully over, and everyone's heart was heavy.
Feng Shaoqing was neither close to the old guard nor a member of the new faction, but like the vast majority of scholar-officials, he did not want to start another war.
The Great Zhou and Northern Jin are still negotiating the redrawing of the borders. At this critical juncture, an assassination attempt has occurred. I wonder what His Majesty will think, whether he will swallow this insult or take this opportunity to cause trouble.
As autumn clouds gather and raindrops fall softly, a chill creeps in.
Xie Ning, clutching the brocade quilt, sat up in a daze. She had gone to bed too early today, and it was still dark when she woke up.
Hearing Xie Ning get up, Xueqiu glanced at him warily, but seeing nothing amiss, she curled up and went back to sleep peacefully.
There was no one outside. Since Xie Ning didn't want any maids to keep watch for her, she put on a coat, lit a lamp herself, and walked to the table with a small candle in her hand.
Since I can't sleep, I'll just keep studying.
If she were to take the imperial examination with Xie Qi, she would have a lot to learn, because she not only wanted to be on the list, but also to rank high.
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