Chapter 98 Severe Torture
His Highness the Prince of Ming has always been feared because of his status.
This is a well-known fact.
Another fact is that he never got close to women; in his heart, women were far less attractive than prisoners.
Every time the emperor wanted to bestow a marriage upon him, Prince Ming would refuse with various reasons. When he was twenty-three years old, the emperor really didn't want to see him still single at such an advanced age, so he tried to forcefully bestow a marriage upon him.
Unexpectedly, the Ming Emperor directly invited the daughter of the official who had been betrothed to him to visit the imperial prison. It is said that after returning home, the daughter was so frightened that she was haunted by nightmares every night. Her father urgently went to the emperor to beg him to rescind the decree.
His Majesty the Emperor was so angry that he summoned the Prince Ming and made him kneel for half a day as punishment.
But it was of no use.
The Ming king continued to do as he pleased.
Even when the emperor threatened to remove him from his post in charge of the Zhenfu Division, the Ming Prince did not care. He said, "Then I will become a monk to cultivate myself and cleanse myself of the sins I have committed in the imperial prison over the years."
The Ming King's mother died early, leaving him all alone, without children or relatives, and with no ties to him. He was truly a fearless and indomitable man.
These words infuriated the emperor, but he was powerless to do anything about it.
Fortunately, with his eldest son's homosexuality as a precedent, the emperor had a strong mental fortitude. Even if Prince Ming temporarily refrained from indulging in women, at least he didn't go astray. The emperor could only console himself that Prince Ming's time hadn't come yet, and then let him continue to manage the Zhenfu Division.
In any case, entrusting the town government office to a son who has no desires, neither loves money nor beauty, and is not worried about being bribed, will ensure that the judgments are fair and that there are fewer wrongful convictions.
But today.
King Ming actually brought a woman to the imperial prison.
And he brought two with him.
One on the left, one on the right.
Tan Xiaoxian, the deputy commander of the town government, bowed to Yan Jinyue, then glanced at Xue Ziying, and finally leaned close to Yan Yang and asked in a low voice, "Has His Majesty bestowed another marriage upon His Highness?"
If it weren't for an imperial marriage decree, King Ming would never bring a woman to the imperial prison.
The sixth princess is an exception; she is the Ming King's sister, so she definitely doesn't count.
But who is the other woman?
It's no wonder they didn't recognize Xue Ziying.
When Xue Ziying came last time, she was nestled in Yan Yang's arms, her face completely covered, her hair disheveled, and her body covered in messy scars.
Of course, the most important thing is that Tan Xiao was not in the imperial prison last time.
Today was the first time he had met Xue Ziying, and he couldn't help but feel a strong sense of curiosity.
Yan Yang slapped him away: "Lead the way."
Tan Xiao led the people to the innermost part of the imperial prison.
The road was quite long, and screams could be heard one after another. Prisoners were being whipped on one side and roasted on an iron plate on the other. The painful screams were almost deafening.
Yan Jinyue's face turned a little pale.
Looking at Xue Ziying, however, she remained calm, as if she hadn't heard anything at all, her expression completely composed without a trace of abnormality.
Tan Xiao was surprised and couldn't help but move closer to Yan Yang again: "Your Highness, this trick doesn't seem to be working very well anymore."
Yan Yang raised an eyebrow slightly: "Are you asking for trouble?"
Tan Xiao's expression hardened, and he dared not speak again.
Pei Yi'an had changed into prison clothes and was sitting unharmed in a corner of the cell. Upon seeing Yan Yang, he stood up excitedly and said, "Your Highness, I am innocent! You cannot bring me here based solely on the Prince of Yan's word!"
Yan Yang raised an eyebrow slightly: "Did I order you to be brought here?"
Pei Yi'an paused.
“If it’s the Prince of Yan’s order, go find the Prince of Yan. If it’s the Emperor’s order, you can go find the Emperor,” Yan Yang said with a smile. “I’m only responsible for the interrogation.”
Pei Yi'an was about to say something when his gaze suddenly shifted, landing on Xue Ziying's face, and his expression changed slightly: "You..."
"Take General Pei out and give him fifty lashes as a warm-up," Yan Yang ordered in a calm tone. "After fifty lashes, put bamboo skewers on all ten of his fingers."
Pei Yi'an's face turned deathly pale: "Prince Ming, I am still a general! You cannot use torture on me! I want to see the Emperor! I want to see the Emperor—"
“Pei Yi’an.” Yan Yang smiled casually. “Although there are many cruel tortures in the imperial prison, I am not the same as the previous commanders of the town government. I do not like to torture people into confessing. Whenever I think that torture is necessary, it is only when I have solid evidence of a crime, but the person keeps their mouth shut as tight as a clam. Only then do I need to use severe torture.”
He paused, then added, "You could also argue that these tortures were meant to punish you, not to extract a confession."
Having said that, he waved his hand, signaling the jailer to arrest the person.
Two jailers entered the cell and grabbed Pei Yi'an.
Pei Yi'an was a military general, so he was naturally unwilling to surrender. Before the two jailers could even grab his shoulders, he threw them to the ground.
Yan Yang narrowed his eyes and pushed the two women aside.
Then he went into the cell and closed the door.
As Yan Yang and Pei Yi'an were exchanging blows, Yan Jinyue turned around and shouted, "Deputy Commander Tan! Bring over the shackles!"
Bang!
The sound of knees hitting the ground was clearly audible.
Yan Jinyue was startled and quickly turned her head to look. She saw that Pei Yi'an was being held down by Yan Yang's shoulders and forced to kneel on the ground. His violent struggles caused the veins on his forehead to bulge, but he still could not break free from Yan Yang's control.
“If you’re in my line of work and don’t have some skills, you’d be dead eight hundred times over.” Yan Yang pressed a knee against Pei Yi’an’s back, forcing him to bend over and bow his head, almost crawling on the ground.
Tan Xiao came in with shackles and locked his hands and feet.
Once the heavy shackles were on his body, no matter how much temper Pei Yi'an still had, he had no power to resist.
"To reward his courage, give him a hundred lashes." Yan Yang released him, straightened his robe, and turned to leave the cell. "Add a few more bamboo skewers as well. Call me over whenever he's willing to properly explain his cooperation with the Crown Prince of Nanzhao."
As Yan Yang spoke, he turned to look at Yan Jin Yue: "Is there anything you want to say to him?"
Yan Jinyue turned her head and watched as Pei Yi'an was dragged out and tied to the rack. His hands and feet were tied separately and securely, posing no danger whatsoever.
Yan Jinyue stepped forward and looked coldly at Pei Yi'an: "Although you can't escape the hundred lashes and that bamboo splinting torture, I still have to tell you that Tang Beixuan has already admitted her identity. No matter how stubborn you are, it's meaningless. The evidence of treason is conclusive, and you have a ready-made bastard child... Pei Yi'an, it's not that Yongchao has wronged you, but that you yourself have committed treason."
Pei Yi'an struggled violently: "Sixth Princess, the only person I love is you—"
"Bullshit." Yan Jinyue scoffed, "Keep your affections to the dogs, I can't afford to take that responsibility."
After saying that, she turned to Xue Ziying and said, "Let's go out first."
Xue Ziying slowly shook her head.
Yan Jinyue asked in surprise, "You want to stay and watch?"
Xue Ziying nodded.
Yan Jinyue hesitated for a moment, then said, "Then you stay here, I'll go out first."
"Sixth Princess," Pei Yi'an said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on Yan Jinyue, "I know I've hurt you, but for the sake of our years of relationship, you..."
It's better if he doesn't mention their years-long relationship.
When the topic of relationships came up, Yan Jinyue became furious. She turned around, snatched the whip from the jailer's hand, and lashed him several times.
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