The first day of November, in the courtyard of the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Wang Zhixin, the commander of the East Factory, knelt on the ground, his heart pounding. "Your Majesty, did I really go?"
"Go, if we can't figure this out, you'll have to come to me with your head." Chongzhen ordered expressionlessly.
"By the way, the palace is in need of people right now. Don't beat them. Use the water torture I mentioned before."
"I obey your command."
Wang Zhixin got up tremblingly, and then ran to the harem.
Outside Kunning Palace.
Queen Zhou was wearing a white dress on her thin body.
Against the backdrop of the snow, it feels like a fairy falling into the mortal world.
But the fairy was in a very bad mood.
From morning till now, she has had a cold and serious face.
After a moment of silence, Queen Zhou took a half step back and said to the more than 100 palace maids and eunuchs in front of her: "I will give you one last chance. If you take the initiative to admit that I can spare your life now."
"Otherwise...when the people from the East Factory take over this matter, I won't have the final say on whether he lives or dies."
More than a hundred eunuchs and palace maids lowered their heads and remained silent.
Seeing that no one came forward to admit it, Queen Zhou sighed and said to the palace maid beside her: "Go and inform Wang Zhixin."
Soon, Wang Zhixin lowered her head and walked to Queen Zhou, kneeling and bowing: "Your servant greets Her Majesty the Queen."
Empress Zhou sighed again: "Get up, I only have one request, don't let anyone die when I torture you later."
"I understand."
Queen Zhou gave a few more instructions and reluctantly left and returned to Kunning Palace.
As soon as Queen Zhou left, Wang Zhixin showed a ferocious expression.
“Hehehe…Hehehe…”
More than a hundred palace maids and eunuchs were immediately frightened and they stood there trembling.
"The eunuchs and palace maids should stand separately, the eunuchs on the left and the palace maids on the right." Wang Zhixin ordered.
After these people stood still, Wang Zhixin gave them numbers.
The first row is numbered 1, and from left to right are numbered 11 and 12.
The second row is numbered 2, and so on.
After the numbering was completed, Wang Zhixin asked someone to bring more than a hundred sheets of paper and some inkstones.
"Each of you take a piece of paper. Whoever you think killed the Queen's eunuch, write his number on the paper."
"Don't name it, just write whatever you want."
"No one is allowed to talk to each other. Hand in the papers after a quarter of an hour."
Following Wang Zhixin's order, the eunuchs and palace maids outside Kunning Palace immediately became busy.
The eunuchs and palace maids may not be able to write, but they can still write simple numbers.
This secret voting method completely let the eunuchs and palace maids let down their guard.
They are all people from Kunning Palace, and the relationships in the palace are more complicated than imagined.
Sometimes saying the wrong thing can lead to fatal consequences.
So without definite evidence, no one dares to speak nonsense.
Now it’s okay, since it’s anonymous, just write whatever you want.
Time flies.
A quarter of an hour later all the papers were handed in.
Wang Zhixin began to ask people to count.
After the statistics, a eunuch named Xiao Shunzi received the most votes, as many as five votes!
The second place was a eunuch named Xiao Kangzi, who got four votes.
The third place was Xiao Yongzi, who got three votes.
The rest are scattered, with a maximum of two votes and a minimum of one vote.
Wang Zhixin grinned and ordered: "Come here, capture Xiao Shunzi, Xiao Kangzi, and Xiao Yongzi for me!"
The dozen or so factory guards around immediately arrested the man without any explanation.
The rest is easy.
The three eunuchs took turns to be baptized by water torture.
They were first tied up with their feet higher than their heads, then their faces were covered with towels, and finally buckets of cold water were poured on the towels.
Over and over again.
Why did Chongzhen use water torture on Wang Zhixin?
Because waterboarding is efficient!
According to statistics, there is an 80% chance that people who are tortured by water torture will confess. The remaining 20% are tortured to death before they can confess...
really.
Before the third bucket of water was poured, Xiao Shunzi was the first to confess: "Ahem, cough, cough, don't...don't pour it, I...cough, cough, I confess!"
After dismissing the others, Wang Zhixin personally took out a pen and paper and asked: "I ask, you answer."
"Ahem, ahem, I know...I know everything."
"How many murderers are there?"
"Three, me, Xiao Kangzi and Xiao Yongzi."
"Who ordered you to do that?"
"It was Eunuch Gao who asked us to do it."
"Say your name."
"High rise and dive."
"Bullshit, Gao Qi is hiding in Shanhaiguan, how could he order you to kill people?"
"Someone asked us to kill people in his name."
"who?"
......
Chongzhen looked at the three words "Gao Qiquan" and felt a little dazed.
Gao Qiqian became one of Chongzhen's most trusted eunuchs because he was well versed in military tactics. (Referring to Chongzhen before the time travel.)
However, Gao Qiquan's actions were completely unworthy of Chongzhen's trust.
Not to mention his other crimes, just for the fact that he killed Lu Xiangsheng, Chongzhen had already cut him into pieces in his heart.
If Lu Xiangsheng had not died, the Tianxiong Army would not have been destroyed.
You know, the Tianxiong Army trained by Lu Xiangsheng was one of the strongest armies in the late Ming Dynasty.
Even if they were just a group of rabble, after being trained by Lu Xiangsheng, they could fight head-on against Li Zicheng's elite troops.
If Lu Xiangsheng had not died, Sun Chuanting would not have been arrested and imprisoned for the second time.
Li Zicheng would not take the opportunity to become powerful...
Unfortunately, there is no if.
Loyal ministers and righteous men are either dead or perished, but the treacherous villains are still alive and well.
Sad, so sad.
"Wang Chengen, where did Gao Qiquan go?" Chongzhen's memory was a little fuzzy.
"In reply to the emperor, before the bandits besieged the capital, the emperor ordered Gao Qiqian to be the military supervisor of Liaodong and go to Ningyuan. After arriving in Ningyuan, Gao Qiqian returned to Shanhaiguan with Wu Sangui."
Chongzhen frowned and asked, "Do you think Wu Sangui was involved in Xue Lian's case?"
"This..." Wang Chengen did not answer directly, "Shanhai Pass is 600 miles away from the capital. According to the current transportation capacity of the court, it will take at least two days to deliver the message."
Chongzhen thought about it and agreed. There was only one or two days between the start of the investigation into Xue Lian and the death of the eunuch who served as chef.
Wu Sangui had no time to participate.
What's more, Wu Sangui could not command Gao Qiqian.
The opposite is true.
Gao Qiqian was able to command Wu Sangui in the name of the emperor.
Chongzhen quickly glanced at the confession and pounded the dragon desk with his right hand: "In other words, Xue Lian took the token given to him by Gao Qiqian and asked the eunuchs in the palace to kill the eunuch who served the queen. Before the killing, they forced him to reveal the method of making fine salt and passed the method on."
"That's what's written in the confession."
Chongzhen snorted coldly.
It’s correct, all correct!
Okay, okay, let’s do this, okay?
Wait, wait for me.
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