Chapter 552: Prisoner's Dilemma, Three-Day Game, Order to Release (5k)
Outside the imperial prison gate, two dark red lanterns fluttered in the darkness.
Zhao Duan stood up from his chair and looked curiously at Ma Yan and other colleagues who were walking towards him.
Ma Yan's thin face had a complicated expression, filled with unresolved worry:
"I heard that Lihuatang arrested a lot of people and put them in jail today, so I came to see how things are going."
He had not wanted to come in the first place. But Zhao Duan's lavish spending and his wanton arrests had made Ma Yan unable to sit still and had to slap himself in the face.
Not only him, but all the detectives from the eight branches behind Ma Yan had complicated expressions.
Normally, they were known as the living devils, and all officials in the capital were terrified of them, but now they seemed to be gentler.
Putting aside the downfall of the Li Party, the last large-scale arrests were last year, when "Zhao Shaobao" first took office as the Chief of Investigation.
But that time, although many people were arrested, the ranks of those involved were low, and they were all minor officials below the fifth rank.
But this time it's different.
Zhao Duan's sword slashed out and went straight to the main artery of the imperial court.
Who can not panic?
"Haha, don't worry, Governor, everything is going smoothly." Zhao Duan said with a smile.
At this time, Qian Kerou hurried out of the dungeon. Seeing Ma Yan and the others were stunned for a moment, she immediately reported under Zhao Duan's encouraging eyes:
"Sir, we've already fought a round. These people have been bitten to death. They are working for Yuan Li."
Ma Yan and others' faces turned green, thinking, is this what "progress is going well" means?
The chief eunuch could not help but say, "There is no rush to eliminate the traitors."
Zhao Duan glanced at him in surprise: "Is the Governor afraid?"
Seeing everyone hesitating, Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Just kidding. If it involves treason, how can these people confess without some trickery? I was just about to interrogate them, but now that the Governor is here, let's join in."
Trying a criminal?
Ma Yan nodded hesitantly.
Zhao Duan led the way and a group of people entered the "interrogation room" in the dungeon, which was used to interrogate prisoners.
Zheng Laojiu and others were waiting inside the room, and were stunned to see so many people coming in.
Zhao Duan remained calm and composed: "Have you arranged the order for the interrogation?"
Zheng Laojiu said "yes" and ignored Ma Yan. He handed over a handwritten list and whispered:
"According to your instructions, based on the first round of interrogation, these individuals will be ranked from lowest to highest in terms of their determination."
Zhao Duan nodded: "Let's start in order."
Then, he politely asked Ma Yan to sit down, and then he pulled a chair and sat behind the interrogation table openly.
As for Haitang and other detectives, there were no chairs, so they had to stand in a row at the back, curiously wanting to observe the actions of their white-faced colleague.
A moment later.
The iron gate opened, and Hou Renmeng and Shen Juan brought in a frail middle-aged official and pressed him down on a chair.
Zhao Duan flipped through the documents expressionlessly:
"Sun Honglin, Imperial Censor of the Ministry of Rites. According to investigations, he was secretly gathering intelligence in the city for the rebel king..."
When Sun Honglin entered, his legs went weak. When he saw ten "interrogators" in the room, including the eunuch Ma Yan, he was frightened to death and felt confused, thinking, "What have I done to deserve this?"
When he heard the words "Do you admit your guilt?", Sun Honglin came back to his senses with a start and said with a stiff upper lip:
"I...I didn't collaborate with the enemy...I was just following...Mr. Yuan's orders..."
Ma Yan frowned.
This group of officials had already reached a tacit understanding and pushed everything onto Yuan Li, which was extremely disgusting.
Zhao Duan said "Oh" and stretched out his tone:
"So, you're working for Yuan Li? Do you have any evidence?"
Sun Honglin hurriedly said, "Mr. Yuan said it was a confidential matter and that no evidence was allowed to remain..."
"The few people who did this with you..."
"It's also Mr. Yuan's office..."
Zhao Duan suddenly shouted, sternly:
"The truth has been exposed, yet you still dare to deny it!
Your classmate Wang Yong has already confessed. He said that it was you who colluded with the rebels and designed to drag him into the conspiracy. He also hinted that you were working for Yuan Li, but he knew nothing about it. The culprit of all this is you!
Sun Honglin's brain buzzed, and he subconsciously refuted:
"Impossible... How could he be like this..."
Zhao Duan sneered and pursued:
"Collaborating with the rebels is a grave crime punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the clan. Your Majesty is merciful and, to maintain the stability of the court, has only executed the ringleader, while the remaining accomplices will receive lenient sentences. He willingly betrayed you, the principal offender, to save his family. Why not?"
Sun Honglin was speechless.
Zhao Duan was light-hearted again and continued to list the names of several officials that Wang Yong confessed to having been dragged into the scandal by Sun Honglin.
Sun Honglin saw the evidence of his crimes piling up layer by layer, and he broke down in a cold sweat.
"He's lying! The wicked are the first to complain! He was the one who found me first! He said he was working for Mr. Yuan, but I was the one he dragged into this! Not only me, but also..."
Not long.
After completing his confession, Sun Honglin was taken away.
The next person to be brought in for questioning was Wang Yong.
Zhao Duan copied the same pattern, repeating the same routine again, first interrogating, then suddenly shouting:
"...You still dare to deny it! Sun Honglin and Wang Qinhe have already confessed. The accusation is that you falsely used Yuan Li's name to drag others into this..."
Wang Yong was so angry at the many detailed evidences provided by Sun Honglin that his eyes went dark. He knew he was going to die, so he gritted his teeth and said:
"My Lord, what they said is not true..."
soon.
Wang Yong was taken away, and the next one was Wang Qinhe...
Prisoners were brought in and out one after another, and Zhao Duan used the same routine over and over again. The evidence for each accusation was a mixture of true and false, implicating one person after another.
Ma Yan and others, who witnessed the prisoners' psychological defenses being broken one by one, fell into collective silence.
The look in his eyes when he looked at Zhao Duan changed.
During halftime.
Haitang, who had been holding it in for a long time, finally spoke. She stared at Zhao Duan and calmly analyzed:
"So Wang Yong didn't confess at all at the beginning. Are you trying to trick Sun Honglin? How can you be sure he will confess?"
Zhao Duan glanced at his female colleague and said with a smile, "It's just a prisoner's dilemma."
He briefly explained the concept and then added:
"So the purpose of the first round of torture and interrogation was, first, to make this group of people believe that others might shift the blame onto them in order to reduce their sentences. Another purpose..."
Haitang's eyes lit up and she spoke first:
"Another purpose is to use torture to identify those who are more vulnerable to attack. Sun Honglin is the most timid, so he is used as a breakthrough point.
As long as he opens his mouth and gives the evidence, you can use the mixed evidence to further convince others that they have been sold...
Just like a snowball, the more evidence you accumulate, the higher the probability of fraud success, resulting in more confession evidence in your hands..."
Zhang Han also took a deep breath:
"Even if someone refuses to speak during this process, we can temporarily skip it. Once we've extracted more evidence from other people, we can bring them back for a second interrogation..."
Ma Yan also said quietly:
"Most importantly, these people's confessions corroborate each other, so we can trace back to the source and determine whether Yuan Li was actually involved in this matter."
The other police officers understood the instructions and were all amazed. They looked at Zhao Duan with more surprise in their eyes:
This colleague who was acting as "Zhao Shaobao" was actually an expert in interrogation!
No wonder His Majesty sent this person to replace Zhao Shaobao.
What an amazing character!
Ma Yan was amazed, Zhang Han secretly admired him, and Haitang was eager to try and compete with him, but at the same time, he became suspicious.
I always feel that... this guy gives people a familiar feeling.
The interrogation continues.
Two hours later, Zhao Duan sorted out the confessions in his hand, took out a new list, and handed it to Qian Kerou:
"Let's catch these people tomorrow. Don't worry, they can't escape, or maybe it's just right that they escape."
Qian Kerou agreed.
Ma Yan hesitated for a long time before saying:
"Is this a bit too...big?"
Zhao Duan asked with a smile, "Do you think these people shouldn't be arrested?"
Ma Yan shook his head and said:
"They should be arrested. But the method is too brutal. Even if you have His Majesty's support and Yuan Li can't stop it, without solid evidence, arresting so many people today will definitely cause an uproar in the court, and His Majesty will also have a headache.
The others are fine, but the worst thing is that you illegally arrested Peng Wenliang, giving the officials something to talk about."
The other police officers also echoed: "This is too reckless."
Not only them, but the entire officialdom in the capital thought that this new investigation department was too reckless and arrogant.
Not going through legal procedures and forcibly going to the Censorate to arrest someone is too taboo. Wouldn't that give people a huge handle?
Ma Yan sighed inwardly, thinking that although this man was bold and good at interrogation, he was still far from being Zhao Shaobao.
If Zhao Shaobao were still alive, he would never have handled this matter so roughly.
In the end... lack of wisdom.
Zhao Duan smiled, stood up and stretched, yawning and saying:
"It's late today. I'll escort the Governor out. Since His Majesty has entrusted this matter to the Lihua Hall for supervision, no matter how much blood and gore there may be, I will bear it alone."
After saying that, he waved his hand and walked out.
Ma Yan and others looked at each other.
"Superintendent, what should we do?" asked a police officer.
Ma Yan rubbed his brow helplessly and said unhappily, "Let him do whatever he wants."
…
…
That night, Zhao Duan "fell asleep" in the bedroom behind Lihua Hall.
The next day, early morning.
It was a sunny day and the sunshine filled the courtyard.
As soon as the sun rose, Zhao Duan started practicing boxing in the center of the courtyard where the sun was the best.
This body cannot be used for cultivation, but as a puppet, the basic foundation is still there.
Zhao Duan estimated that it was roughly equivalent to the mortal realm.
However, the purpose of his boxing practice is not to strengthen his body, but to get even sun exposure.
"Solar charging is okay... I was busy for too long last night and almost ran out of energy this morning..."
Zhao Duan basked in the sun, feeling his cold and numb body warm up little by little, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
Soon, the Jinyi men arrived one after another, and then went out to arrest people according to his instructions.
At the same time, Qian Kerou also delivered the latest intelligence from the court:
Yesterday, a large group of censors headed by Yuan Li entered the palace to meet the emperor, but the empress avoided them on the pretext of practicing in seclusion.
At the morning court today, Yuan Li led nearly half of the court officials to put pressure on the empress in the Golden Palace. The memorials impeaching the Imperial Court and the New Investigation Department came in like snowflakes, almost drowning the desk in front of the emperor.
There’s more.
The scholars of the Imperial College, led by the students of the Imperial College, were in an uproar and were making crazy protests. They angrily accused the imperial court of arresting people without any evidence and that it was intended to destabilize the court.
Some people even believed that the purge of the Qingliu Party was a vicious plot by the rebels and that Your Majesty had been deceived and misled.
"Sir, many people outside are talking about us now. Some are calling us traitors to the country."
Zheng Laojiu came over and handed over the report, his face full of worry.
Zhao Duan was basking in the sun, waving his hands in dissatisfaction to ask Lao Zheng to move away a little so as not to block the sunlight, and then he said:
"It's just a little trouble. Don't pay any attention to it."
However, within an hour, Zheng Laojiu came back and said anxiously:
"Sir, this is bad. After the court was dismissed, dozens of officials and one or two hundred family members of the suspect came to the imperial court, demanding an explanation. The governor went into hiding, and now this group is coming for us."
Zhao Duan, who was lying in a chair sunbathing, opened his eyes and asked curiously:
"Are you all here empty-handed?"
"ah?"
"I mean, didn't you bring any gifts or something? Bribe me to release them?"
"..." Zheng Laojiu choked and smiled bitterly:
"Ever since what Lord Zhao did last year, they don't dare bribe anyone to release him."
Oh, yes, last time I arrested people and tricked them into giving bribes, and then detained them on the charge of bribery... Zhao Duan sighed, these people are not easy to trick.
What a sin.
What does it mean when we say that those who plant trees will enjoy the shade? This is exactly the truth...
"Then send someone to block them outside, and beat anyone who dares to break in." Zhao Duan waved his hand unhappily and changed his posture on the chair.
A group of officials waited outside for a whole morning, but the enemy refused to come in, so they had to retreat.
However, in the afternoon, Zhao Duan was awakened by noisy scolding outside the courtyard wall.
"Who's making so much noise outside?" Zhao Duan shouted unhappily.
This time it was Qian Kerou's turn to trot in. The secretary puffed out her cheeks and sulked:
"Sir, they are students from the Imperial College, as well as some scholars. Oh, and the prisoners' families haven't left either.
"These scholars are cursing us. There are many people watching. The noise is so loud that the governor has gone into hiding again, and no one dares to drive them away by force."
Everyone knew that now, countless eyes in the entire court and the entire capital were staring at the small Lihua Hall from afar.
Amidst the political infighting, even the living devils of the imperial court were frightened and dared not show their heads, fearing that they would be used as sacrifices to quell the turmoil after the dust settled.
"..." Zhao Duan sighed: "Forget it, don't pay attention to it. As usual, anyone who dares to break in will be beaten."
If it were normal times, he would simply send people out to drive them away violently.
But as the saying goes, people's words are scary. Zhao Duan's goal was to eliminate the traitors, not to push the scholar group to the side of the rebels.
It's easy to vent your anger and beat up a group of scholars.
But at this critical juncture, the empress's reputation will be damaged, which will be detrimental to suppressing the rebellion.
Zhao Duan felt that he could tolerate a little injustice for Zhenbao and ignore this group of clamoring scholars for the time being.
"Let him be strong, the breeze blows over the hills; let him be arrogant, the bright moon shines on the river."
…
However, seeing that he ignored them, the cursing outside the courtyard wall became louder and louder.
Zhao Duan couldn't sleep because of the noise, so he simply went out. He put on a hat and a scarf, and took a few confidants with him. He slipped out from the back door of another hall, walked out of the yamen, hid among the onlookers, and watched the excitement.
Outside the Pear Blossom Hall, a large group of scholars were seen cursing with red faces and ears, speaking in a romantic and dashing manner, with great passion and passion, competing with each other in eloquence and occasionally bursting out with beautiful sentences, which drew applause from the whole room.
"good!"
Zhao Duan hid in the crowd, clapping and cheering, and exclaimed in amazement:
"As expected of someone who has read the books of sages, you have so many different ways of cursing people, and they sound quite nice. But are these people cursing me, a traitor to the nation, or are they just showing off their literary talent in public?"
Qian Kerou followed beside her, changed into a silk dress, and said indignantly:
"These scholars are very clever. They keep saying they are fighting for the country and getting rid of thieves, but in reality, don't they know that the entire court is watching them, so they are taking this opportunity to make a name for themselves?
"Sir, the Qingliu Party is very close to the scholars, and they have many students and old friends among them. How respected is Mr. Yuan in the hearts of scholars? Now that you are fighting against the Qingliu Party, you have offended all the scholars in the city."
Zhao Duan muttered:
"You talk as if I've ever had their favor before... Eh? Why are these guys throwing bricks in?!"
One scholar was not satisfied with his cursing, so he picked up a brick from somewhere, swung it up, and threw it into the courtyard wall.
Then, everyone seemed to be awakened:
The police stopped me from entering, but they wouldn't be able to stop me from throwing things at them, right?
Soon, more and more people picked up bricks and threw them in. Some scholars even called on their classmates to pull a cart of bricks from somewhere, and the students rolled up their sleeves and started throwing.
Qian Kerou, Hou Renmeng and others' eyelids twitched when they saw this.
Zhao Duan, however, put his hands behind his back and said with a smile:
"I'll go clean it up later. The hanging flower gate in the yamen has fallen into disrepair, so I'll have bricks to repair it this time."
…
In the evening, the scholars, tired of cursing, finally dispersed. After this commotion, almost everyone in the capital knew:
A new official appeared in the imperial court to replace King Zhao Yan. Perhaps because he was afraid of being hated by others, he wore a mask on his face.
Within one day of taking office, he offended half of the court, clashed with Yuan Qingyi, and aroused the hatred of countless students.
Compared with the farcical folk entertainment, the atmosphere in the court was heavy and solemn.
The ministers in the court were not stupid, and they all understood that the white-faced police officer represented the will of the empress.
In essence, this is a game between the empress and the Qingliu Party headed by Yuan Li.
Do traitors exist? Of course they do.
But who are the traitors?
Does Yuan Li also have a problem? No one knows the answer.
The reason why no real big shot emerged on this day was because everyone was waiting.
Waiting for an answer.
Waiting for the confessions of the arrested officials in the imperial prison, and waiting for the empress's final attitude towards Yuan Li.
However, very few people knew that late at night, the final confession of the trial was quietly sent from the imperial prison to the deep palace.
That night, the imperial study was brightly lit.
…
Time came to the third day.
Zhao Duan showed up for work in the morning as usual, as if nothing had happened, and then moved a chair to the yard to bask in the sun.
It was unusually quiet outside the courtyard wall today.
No officials came to demand the release of the people, and no scholars came to curse the traitors.
Zhao Duan lay in the chair, tapping the armrest lightly with his fingers. The sunlight passed through the branches of the pear tree, and the light spot hit the corner of his robe.
Finally, today's court meeting in the palace was adjourned after being delayed for a full hour.
Zhao Duan, who was sitting in the Pear Blossom Hall, also waited for the empress's final answer.
"Sir, the White Horse Supervisor, Supervisor Sun, is here." Qian Kerou trotted over and whispered:
"From the palace. Supervisor Sun came into the palace today to preside over the morning court session."
Zhao Duan opened his eyes, sat up, and smiled:
"please."
After a while.
Outside the courtyard, an old man wearing a eunuch's dragon robe slowly came in, and the old eunuch Sun Lianying returned to his official attire as the eunuch in charge of the seal.
Following behind him were several eunuchs from the palace.
Mo Chou is not in the capital, and Sun Lianying, as one of the empress's most trusted subordinates, now represents the empress.
"Your subordinate respectfully welcomes Supervisor Sun." Zhao Duan bowed.
Sun Lianying came over and stood before him. Her wrinkled face, her wise eyes gazing deeply at him, said:
"Your Majesty's decree: All innocent officials in prison shall be released."
——
Change the layout first and then modify it
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
