Chapter 26 After changing my boots, let's go check on those guys again. ...
Upon hearing that Zijing was busy in the dungeon, Yu Nie guessed that he must be interrogating He Renzhi, so he didn't ask any further questions.
After settling the four of them in, the guards did not linger and turned to leave.
Instead of continuing his duty at the main gate, the guard turned and went to the southwest corner.
In Feng Shui, the southwest is the Kun position, which is Yin in nature and governs a somber and gloomy atmosphere. Local government offices often set up black dungeons here to temporarily detain serious prisoners. Those convicted of treason, rebellion, corruption, collusion with the enemy, or banditry were imprisoned here to await trial.
As the guards approached the dungeon door, a damp and foul odor wafted towards them, faintly mixed with the smell of blood, sending chills down their spines.
At the door, Attendant Lu was already waiting. His expression was solemn, and his dark face was even more frightening when he didn't smile.
The guard reported Yu Nie and the others' actions to him. After listening, Lu Jinshi waved his hand, dismissing the guard. He then turned and entered the prison. After passing three cells, he walked to the fourth cell and stepped inside.
The dungeon was two meters underground, cold and damp, and shrouded in darkness. The skylight was just a narrow slit, about half a finger's width high and a foot long, through which only light could penetrate, making it impossible to see anything other than human faces.
But for the purpose of the interrogation, two intertwined candlesticks were lit in the cell, making it much brighter, and even the bloodstains on the water and fire sticks could be clearly seen.
As soon as Lu Jinshi entered, he walked toward the young man sitting in the armchair, bowed and whispered in his ear, "My lord, the group from Lingbao Temple has come looking for you. I have arranged for them to wait for you in the side hall."
The boy did not respond. He placed one hand on a dagger with a handle shaped like a coiled dragon, the tip of the dagger pointing downwards, deeply embedded in the wooden table, a thin stream of blood meandering down to the edge of his boot.
His gaze remained fixed on the gallows. The man on the gallows had his wrists chained, his wrist bones raw and bloody from struggling, and his prison clothes were soaked with blood. The water in the wooden bucket beside him was murky, with ash from the branding iron and half a fingernail floating on top, a testament to the cruelty of this interrogation.
His tone was nonchalant: "Lord He has been stubborn and silent for three days, but now... aren't you just admitting it?"
Perhaps unable to withstand the punishment, He Renzhi soon became weak and hoarse, saying, "I...I said...the things in those books...are all fabricated and have nothing to do with me."
I... I never accepted any so-called 'tribute' from those wealthy merchants in the city; it's all a fabrication. As for the Rouran people, those weapons and provisions were all coerced into giving me; I had no choice..."
"Oh?" The boy casually picked up the roster on the table and turned a page absentmindedly. He read aloud: "In the 56th year of Ningxi, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Rong family in the east of the city presented one hundred taels of gold, one hundred taels of silver, a pair of gold hairpins, a pair of tiger-riding human-shaped pendants, and a pair of peacock-blue lotus-shaped vases with door knockers and ring patterns. In the following month of the same year, the Wang family in the west of the city presented one thousand taels of gold, two pairs of celadon-glazed cloud-patterned ewers and warming bowls, and a bronze mirror with bird and animal patterns."
With each sentence he read, He Renzhi's face grew paler.
"In the same year and month, the Li family in the west of the city presented one hundred taels of gold, a gold seal with a tortoise-shaped knob, a white stone Buddha statue, a pair of jade beauties with phoenix crowns, and hundreds of bolts of brocade..."
The boy closed the booklet and clicked his tongue briefly: "The magistrate just said that he has never accepted tribute? Then how do you explain these..."
"The booklet was found in your secret room. The entrance was hidden behind the mahogany antique shelf in the study. How many people in Huaiyuan would know that the magistrate's house has a secret room, and where the entrance is?"
He said calmly, "I have checked the list of wealthy households one by one. They not only identified your forced tribute practices, but also kept a record of the number of times and the amount of tribute you paid each year, which corresponds exactly to the antiques displayed in your house. If you, the magistrate, still think it's a frame-up, could it be that these merchants from all over the city conspired to frame you alone?"
This register was originally a "tribute account" used by He Renzhi to blackmail merchants. Anyone who failed to pay tribute and was not on the register was likely to face imminent disaster.
Now that the iron book is in his hands, it has become evidence to condemn him.
The list of donors showed an enormous sum of money, equivalent to the annual revenue of two prefectures. This demonstrates just how much He Renzhi embezzled during his years in office.
As the saying goes, a dead duck is not afraid of boiling water. Even as he faced death, He Renzhi still argued: "It must have been the registrar who did it... He used my official title to force, force the merchants in the city to pay money."
"By the time I realized what had happened, a grave mistake had already been made. Although I ordered him to return the stolen goods, this fellow turned around and accused me, claiming that everyone knew it was my doing. He said he had already used some of the money for business and had nothing left to give. If I insisted on returning the goods, he would submit a memorial to the governor impeaching me."
Lu Jinshi couldn't stand it any longer and asked sternly, "He's just a registrar, how can you, a county magistrate, not have any authority over him?"
These words seemed to strike a chord with He Renzhi, who was filled with anguish: "This registrar... is actually the son of my father's concubine, and we are like brothers. Before this incident, we were considered brothers by others, inseparable. What he said, others would surely believe without a doubt. It was I... I was confused for a moment, and fearing that this would affect my career, I had no choice but to let it go."
At this point, He Renzhi said with deep emotion, "I never managed the portion of tribute he allocated to me; he handled it all. Now that the matter has come to light, I am truly unaware of the remaining portion. However, I am willing to confiscate all of it and hand it over to the national treasury."
Having traversed battlefields for many years and witnessed countless deaths, Zi Jing now enjoys watching people put on a show. The more flawed and ridiculous the performance, the more laughs he can muster, making the time well spent there worthwhile.
Zi Jing listened to his rebuttal, reached out and took a confession from Lu Jinshi's hand, and threw it at the person opposite him: "Lord He is indeed a master of writing, but what your brother said is exactly the opposite of what you said."
"You may argue your case regarding the embezzlement." With that, he patted the thick stack of petitions on the table: "Here are all the petitions filed against you by the people of Huaiyuan. I have examined each one. Although many years have passed and much of the physical evidence is no longer verifiable, there is one piece of evidence that is enough to sentence you to death."
Before he finished speaking, he had already pulled out another scroll of confession from his waist. The silk was covered with tiny characters, the ink still fresh. Turning to the last page, upon closer inspection, it was the name written in the handwriting of the Rouran general who had been captured a few days earlier.
"It's funny, that Tuli army commander wasn't as tough as you. He confessed everything without even being branded." The young man laughed freely. "I'm afraid the word 'life' is too tempting. You're an outsider, so he not only handed over the letters between you, but also confessed that as early as three years ago, you took the initiative to contact them and offered to sell them the weapons and provisions in the warehouse to help them through the crisis."
"They've weathered the storm, but how will our army survive?"
Zi Jing stood up with his hands behind his back and strode forward: "The secretly opened grain routes, the secret correspondence with the Rouran, the list of merchants coerced into donating money, the increased exploitation of taxes that were over-collected and under-paid... there are too many crimes, big and small. Magistrate He, from what angle do you want to refute this?"
The evidence is overwhelming, and the witnesses are numerous.
After a long pause, He Renzhi sneered: "If I had known that you, a captain, were secretly investigating me, I would have blamed myself for misunderstanding and acting too late to kill you sooner."
"Kill me?" Zi Jing smiled gently and stopped in front of him: "Lord He should thank me. Assassinating a second-rank official is an unforgivable crime. I didn't add this charge to your case. You should kneel down and beg for mercy, saying that I am merciful."
"Second rank..." He Renzhi's cloudy eyes suddenly widened: "You're not just a lowly captain, how could you be..."
As if he had thought of something, he suddenly stopped speaking.
An unbelievable thought suddenly sprouted in his mind.
After a long while, he couldn't believe it and said in astonishment, "So you...you are...Huan Xun."
Zi Jing remained unmoved, but Lu, the attendant standing behind him, couldn't stand it and stepped forward angrily, saying, "Shut up! How dare you call the commander by his name!"
Looking at the person before him, He Renzhi finally understood all his doubts. He had wondered how it could be that his surname was "Huan." Although it was just a coincidence, it was still too much of a coincidence. What was even stranger was that when Xie Cheng came to arrest him with his token, the commander's handwritten order arrived so quickly.
So... so it turns out that Huan Xun, whom he had been wary of, despised, and dismissed as nothing more than a rough soldier who had never even stepped into the Imperial Academy, had arrived long ago, and he only learned the truth at this moment.
How laughable, truly laughable. Faced with the stark reality of being fooled, He Renzhi let out a grating laugh, scoffing, "I thought the court had sent someone with great ambition, but it turns out to be just a greenhorn. Looks like there's really no one in power... cough!"
Before He Renzhi could finish speaking, Lu Jinshi stepped forward and struck him in the abdomen with the hilt of his sword, causing him to bend over in pain and unable to cough.
Lu Jinshi was furious and raised his sword hilt high again, but Zi Jing raised his hand to stop him.
He showed no anger on his face. After listening to He Renzhi's arrogant words, he just laughed and said, "I am ashamed to say that a noble person like the county magistrate, who has been to the Imperial Academy and is well-versed in poetry and literature, is making a fool of himself. We are from military backgrounds and are not like you scions of noble families. But it doesn't matter. You scholars will eventually die at the hands of us who wield swords and spears."
“Scholars kill with the intention of striking the heart without drawing blood. But I don’t care about such refined notions.” His smile deepened. “If it’s killing, of course there must be bloodshed. Magistrate, you should take a good look at the sun these next three days. After three days, you’ll be covered in blood and will never be able to enjoy such a beautiful sight again.”
After hearing his words, even as a prisoner, He Renzhi remained arrogant: "Hmph, my son-in-law is the son of the Prince of Yan, a member of the royal family. I am also considered half a member of the royal family. If you dare to kill me, he will certainly not let you go."
Zi Jing picked at his ear with a bored expression: "You mean Zhao Shuhuai, who's fifteen years older than you?"
He said leisurely, "I know what you're waiting for. You're just stalling for time so he can find a way to save you. Don't worry, it won't be long before I send him down to join you."
"On the road to the underworld, one must have a companion to avoid loneliness."
Having spent enough time in the prison, he grew impatient. After speaking, he turned to leave, but He Renzhi shouted after him, "A mere general dares to touch the son of a prince? The Prince of Yan is the late emperor's younger brother. If you offend the Prince of Yan's family, he will surely have your entire family executed one day!"
He paused, and as he turned around, the fire in the prison cast a dim light on his profile. "If the Prince of Yan truly has such courage, I would be more than happy to have him," he said coldly. "Originally, I had set up a trap to lure Zhao Shuhuai out of his hole, waiting for him to walk right into the snare. Unfortunately, our Guard Xie's moment of mercy allowed you to see through the scheme."
“However, now that the snake is startled, given the current situation, it would be more than enough to get your son-in-law to come out of his hole.” He suddenly smiled, his eyes darkening slightly: “Thanks to Magistrate He’s secret letter, using code words doesn’t mean it’s foolproof. You asked him for help, and as your superior, a prefect who knows that his subordinate has a large amount of money of unknown origin but does not investigate is dereliction of duty.”
"Lord He surely knows that according to the laws of Beiye, treason is the most serious crime. The severity of your crime proves how serious his dereliction of duty is. Whether he can keep his position as prefect is another matter, let alone save you."
He lowered his voice slightly and said, "Compared to saving you, I think he'd rather you shut up."
After speaking, he ignored He Renzhi's cries of agony behind him, coldly lowered his head and stepped out of the prison door, leaving the darkness of the room behind.
The damp passageway receded into the distance behind him. Zi Jing stepped over a dozen stone steps, and suddenly the sky brightened before him. He squinted slightly, letting the sunlight wash away the stale air of the prison.
Lu, the attendant, followed in quick steps and whispered, "My lord, shall we continue interrogating the others? Or shall we go to the side hall first?"
Zi Jing lowered his eyes and noticed the dark red bloodstains on the edge of his official boots. His brows furrowed, and his eyes revealed obvious disgust.
He flicked his sleeve and strode forward, his voice devoid of warmth: "After you change your boots, go check on that group of people."
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Author's Note: "行伍" means "to serve in the military".
The later chapters will focus more on the plot, while the next chapter will have more emphasis on romance. [Starry-eyed]
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