Chapter 16: Imperial Examination Cheating Case "Wangshu, no, sir, it's really great...
Investigating the cheating case and identifying the criminals, dozens of people were arrested in just half a day. Three days later, Minister Lu, who was selling the answers privately, was found out. It seemed that the case should be closed at this point, but it was not the case.
Under severe torture, Minister Lu confessed near dawn, saying only that there was another mastermind and that he would not speak until he met the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince arrived, and the journey took about two or three incense sticks of time. However, Minister Lu suddenly overturned his previous statement, pleaded guilty and signed his name.
By this time, the sky was bright, and the morning sun fell on the wooden plaque hanging high in the sky, which had shown the traces of time and looked like a mirror. The mighty sound of wooden sticks hitting the ground echoed in the room, until the sound gradually died down, and the Fourth Prince sat down and clapped his hands on the table.
The prisoner was dragged to the front of the hall.
"Prisoner here, do you admit your guilt?"
The man kneeling in the hall was trembling, his white prison uniform was covered in dried blood. When there was a breeze in front of the hall, there was a smell of urine mixed with a damp and rotten stench. The smell was even stronger when the warm sun shone on it.
The Fourth Prince frowned slightly, covered his mouth and nose, and showed disgust on his face.
"speak!"
The prisoner in the hall was shocked again, but he hesitated.
The Sixth Prince, who had taken a step ahead of the Fourth Prince, sat on the left side of the desk, holding a folding fan, with his eyes lightly closed, standing still as a mountain.
The prisoner shouted:
"Your Majesty, I plead guilty!"
His voice was hoarse. The former Minister Lu, now a prisoner, raised his wrinkled face with snot and tears, and he looked like he had aged by decades.
"Think carefully! This is a capital crime, you really have to admit to being the mastermind!"
The Fourth Prince's teeth chattered, his eyes drooping, a hint of anger on his face. He couldn't figure it out, but within a few minutes, the man had signed and changed his story.
Thinking of this, he looked at the Sixth Prince viciously, and just wanted to throw the wooden stick in his hand at his good brother's head!
He really underestimated the other party!
"Yes, Lord Lu should also make more plans for his wife and children!"
The Sixth Prince opened his eyes and smiled gently, waving his folding fan lightly, with his hair flying at the temples, looking like a gentleman.
"Bang!"
There was a crisp wooden sound. The square wooden stick fell in front of the Sixth Prince and then bounced high up, hitting Lord Lu's calf. He shuddered and fell off the couch.
With his eyebrows slightly furrowed, the Sixth Prince looked towards the Fourth Prince on the high platform. He felt that the sound of the wood was directed at him, but the Fourth Prince calmed down again and did not look at him, but shouted fiercely:
"According to the laws of this dynasty, since you are the mastermind, your wife and children cannot escape blame as well. If you reveal the mastermind, you will have a chance of survival."
Minister Lu shuddered, and the two circles of fat on his belly also trembled. He raised his head, and his eyes, beneath his dry hair that was as messy as weeds, revealed a desire for life.
Or if he caught someone's eye, he would suddenly lower his head, his body shaking like a dustpan. The smell became stronger, and he shouted again:
"Your Highness, please forgive me. I plead guilty!"
It was not until the sun rose high that the exhausted Fourth Prince left the Dali Temple.
Outside the carriage, Xiao Wangshu, who had been waiting here for a long time, bowed, but the Fourth Prince waved his hand to excuse him.
"Get in the car."
The Fourth Prince spoke briefly and entered the carriage with a flick of his sleeves.
"Fourth Prince, you..."
Before he could finish his words, the angry Fourth Prince interrupted and cursed:
"My sixth brother is truly capable. He was able to sneak into the impenetrable Dali Temple.
"That's right. He's been pretending to be the same as before for the past ten years. How can he be a good person? Now that I can't get anything to do with him, it's really a useless effort!"
Sitting in the main seat, the Fourth Prince pressed his eyebrows, full of impatience.
"Your Highness, don't worry about it. Since the Sixth Prince actually took action, he is the one who cannot escape responsibility for this matter.
The prisoner changed his statement. If Your Majesty knew about this, he would surely understand the trick.
Besides, since Your Highness knows that he is insidious and cunning, he can be more cautious."
Kneeling sideways, Xiao Wangshu looked frank, without any sense of sowing discord.
"So? That's not bad!"
With one hand forward, the Fourth Prince's pupils slightly widened, his brows raised with joy, and he nodded repeatedly.
"Your Highness, the most important thing now is the students. If you propose to His Majesty to retake the exam, wouldn't that win over the people?
Your Majesty is aware of the problem and will definitely hand this matter over to Your Highness. Such talents will fall into Your Highness's pocket."
"Wangshu, no, sir, you are truly a genius!"
The joy made the Fourth Prince stand up straight, not caring that his crown hit the sedan chair. He held it with one hand and reached forward with the other to help Xiao Wangshu sit on the right, his face full of an unconcealable smile.
"Your Highness, thank you for your kind words. I am deeply grateful for your generous use of me, despite my lack of talent and knowledge. I will do my utmost to serve you."
Sitting down, Xiao Wangshu looked calm, but he did not forget to compliment.
"Hahahaha, sir, there's no need to belittle yourself."
The spring breeze was gentle and the carriage was filled with a harmonious scene. However, at this time, the Tianlao of Zhongshan Kingdom was filled with a gloomy and desolate silence.
The candlelight flickered, and even at noon, no sunlight could penetrate here. In the darkness, liquid dripped along the low beam, and there was a slight noise under the withered, sticky and black haystack. Occasionally, a "squeaking" sound came from the dark corner.
The further in, the more numb the expression on the prisoner's face became.
Suddenly, screams came from deep in the dungeon, accompanied by the sound of whips breaking through the air.
Every time he shouted, the prisoners nearby would shudder.
As I continued to go deeper, I was hit by the lingering smell of blood mixed with a slight stench, as if there was a pile of rotten food mixed with a few animal corpses, and my stomach churned.
If it were his first time, he would have to vomit until he had vomited everything. The Fourth Prince had only come once, and he only went so far and refused to go any further.
At the end of the dungeon corridor, the Sixth Prince stood calmly on the blood that had turned into a small river. This time he did not wave the folding fan, but instead stopped the tragedy that had lasted for quite a long time.
"Lord Lu, I am very unhappy with your cleverness."
Opposite him was Minister Lu, who was tied to a rack. He looked like an animal slaughtered during the New Year, with no dignity at all.
There was not a single good spot on his body. Before the old wounds had healed, dozens of new crisscrossing whip marks appeared. The skin and flesh were turned inside out, and flies were buzzing around the wounds.
Blood, sweat, mixed with snot and tears blurred his hair and facial features together. I wonder what expression he has now.
He was dying, as if he had lost all life. Suddenly, he heard the Sixth Prince's voice, still trembling. He opened his mouth and gasped for mercy:
"Your Highness! Your Highness, I know I was wrong. Please have mercy and spare my family!"
There was a smell emanating from his struggle, and the Sixth Prince frowned and took two steps back.
"I have always been fair. Those who make mistakes must be punished. As for your family, don't worry, they will survive."
He half covered his nose and spoke in a steady tone, as if he was talking about tonight's meal rather than the lives of his family.
"Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness!"
Minister Lu, who was tied to the rack, tried hard to force a flattering smile. He moved his body and wanted to say something.
But, he had no chance.
"But unfortunately, you probably won't survive today."
Minister Lu froze on the rack for a moment, then heard the Sixth Prince say:
"I'm curious. The imperial physician once said that applying salt to wounds can disinfect them, but it's inevitable that there will be a stinging sensation."
He smiled and stretched out his hand, and the jailer who had been waiting on the right took the salt shaker.
Minister Lu suddenly became mute until the salt grains came into contact with the wound.
The heartbreaking wails from the depths of the prison that day became a lifelong nightmare for the criminals who survived in the Sky Prison.
However, the Sixth Prince was not satisfied. Judging from the result, it was a pity for the jar of fine salt.
The author has something to say:
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Lao Liu is also very cruel, but at least he is the kind of person who really does not involve his family, and he always does what he says. Otherwise, if Ah Shu had chosen him in the previous life, it can only be said that he was the tallest among the short ones. At least he is a rare normal person among the smart people.
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