Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Chapter 541 The prison sentence is ruthless
At this time, there was a wailing in the guard prisons and imperial prisons of the northern and southern divisions, and many prisoners, officials, and housekeepers were being tortured.

Zhou Wei, who is in charge of the torture of thousands of households in the Nan Division, has always had a philosophy. To get the prisoners to say what they want to hear, the priority is to attack the heart, then to verify, then to torture again, and the last is to forge confessions.

If a person in prison can enjoy his life without hearing the screams of pain, then he will be considered to have reached the pinnacle of success.

At this time, Zhou Weizheng was interrogating Tong Yu, a fellow examiner from Guangdong and a doctor in the Literature and Selection Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

"Master Tong, I won't explain the truth, you all know it. The emperor was furious because of the cheating in the exam. It's such a shocking case. Is there any reason not to investigate it thoroughly?

It doesn't matter to me whether you recruit them or not. If you have strong bones, there will always be weak ones, and the case will be handled the same.

But for you old man, the ending is very different.

If you admit it, you must admit your guilt and accept the law. If you know your faults, you can correct them. There is no great thing that can be done well. I am responsible for defending myself.

Not recruiting, stubbornly resisting in the corner, being stubborn and ineffective, is a great sin, and the only thing you can do is fear that the head on your neck will not be saved. Please make your own decision. "

Tong Yu had not been punished yet, but he had already been frightened by the wails and screams coming from everywhere. He said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, please be aware that I have always obeyed the law and abided by the law. I will never engage in malpractice for personal gain. Please be aware of this."

Zhou Wei smiled and said: "You must be aware of it, otherwise you will not live up to the Holy Grace and the trust of our Lord Admiral?
Forget it, let me ask you a few questions. If the adults can explain it clearly, I will let you go home immediately. How about that? "

Tong Yu was overjoyed and said hurriedly: "My lord, please give me your instructions. I will tell you everything I know."

He thought he was an official for many years and was good at wrangling, so he should be able to get through it, but he forgot that this was a royal guard, not a court.

The man in front of me had tried many extremely vicious and cunning habitual criminals, how could he be allowed to escape?

"Okay, cool. May I ask, sir, why are there the most people from Guangdong, Hunan, and Fujian on the list for this subject?" Zhou Weidao said.

"My lord, these three provinces are all major provinces of culture and education, with prosperous literary styles. There were quite a few people on the list in previous years, but there are slightly more this year. It should be accidental.

There are also cases where some students, thinking that their talents have not been recognized, spread rumors and create rumors in order to disrupt the current science and fish in troubled waters. "Tong Yu said.

"This statement makes sense. I have checked the apricot lists of several subjects and can indeed confirm the first half of your words.

However, the writing style in these three provinces this year is a bit too "prosperous". Haha, it is more prosperous than Jinling and Shenjing. Why can you teach me? " Zhou Wei said with a smile.

Cold sweat broke out on Tong Yu's face. He deeply felt the coldness behind Zhou Wei's smiling face. Besides, there was something wrong in his heart, and his momentum suddenly declined.

He reluctantly explained: "My lord, maybe these three provinces have always studied knowledge, and they have the same blood and culture as my fellow countrymen, so they took advantage.

Although it is not intentional, we, the reviewers, always make admissions based on personal preferences, which may be unfair. "

Zhou Wei said: "Your Excellency's explanation is not unreasonable. Inadvertent mistakes happen all the time and are nothing. In this case, the crime will be much lighter."

Tong Yuqian smiled and said: "It all depends on your kindness and judgment."

"Of course I have to make a clear decision. I, Old Zhou, am a rough man and don't understand the affairs of your examination room. However, according to my own opinion, the candidates' ink scrolls have been sealed and transcribed, and the examiner does not recognize the handwriting. How can I promote a fellow countryman..."

"Your Excellency is wise, that's why." Tong Yu said hurriedly.

Zhou Wei raised his hand and said: "Don't worry, I haven't finished speaking yet.

If I were the chief executive, I would first place close followers among the sealing and recording officials and secretly mark the matter in advance. When Master Tong sees the mark, he will know that it is one of my own. Is there any reason to fail? "

Tong Yu's face turned pale and he said, "What do you mean by this, sir? I don't understand."

Zhou Wei smiled faintly and said: "Before interrogating Your Excellency, I have already interrogated several officials who were sealed and recorded. They have low-level positions and obey orders. They only want to reduce their guilt. However, they do not have the character of Mr. Tong. They have already been recruited. Yes. I followed the diagram and found something."

Tong Yu almost collapsed and said, "I don't know what your Majesty means."

"Haha, come here, bring up those ink scrolls and red scrolls for Mr. Tong to read and grade again."

Several school captains placed seven or eight ink scrolls and red scrolls around Tong Yu.

During the Provincial Examination and the General Examination, the test papers that candidates answer by hand are called ink scrolls. After they are sealed, the copying officials copy them intact with an ink pen and send them to the marking officer, which is called ink scrolls.

Looking at the seven or eight test papers that he had picked up in front of him, Tong Yu was like a trapped animal and said: "This is indeed the paper that the official has read, and there are comments from the official at the back."

Zhou Wei said with a smile: "I have seen this article by a scholar from Hunan. Lord Tong criticized it as 'Being able to grasp the situation, obeying the heart, and the more wonderful thing is to get the fullness of the book, instead of describing the head and corners'."

This article by a scholar from Guangdong has been criticized by the adults for its "brilliant wit, round and smooth lines, beautiful paths, and refreshing writing skills."

Your Excellency criticizes this article by a scholar from Fujian as "principles, principles, and imaginary spirits are combined in two, and the spirit of agility barely adds to the vitality."

I can't understand the article, but the comments are all good and I know a little bit about them. "

Tong Yu could only hope that Zhou Wei was an outsider, and said hurriedly: "These articles are indeed outstanding. Sir, please ask an expert to take a look at them. If the subordinates make criticisms against their will, I will accept the blame."

"It's not necessary. I don't read the articles, I only look at the selfishness of people's hearts. Didn't you find that these papers are a little weird?" Zhou Wei sneered.

"What's... weird? I don't know."

"The seals used to seal the ink scrolls were all scratched by someone's fingernails. Correspondingly, the first zigzag and the last stroke of each ink scroll were slightly thicker.

This situation only appears in some records of scholars from Guangdong, Hunan, and Fujian, and these people are all on the list without exception.

The people who have sealed the transcripts have been recruited. Do you still want to turn the tide? "Zhou Wei said with a smile, like a cat catching a mouse, destroying Tong Yu's psychological defense step by step.

Tong Yu's whole body went limp, he sat on the ground, his face turned pale, and he said, "I'll do it, I'll do it, sir, please have mercy."

The situation in Beisi Prison was much more brutal. Jia Congcai promoted Tang Zhan, who was responsible for the punishment of thousands of households, to finally catch a major case. He was eager to achieve results and showed his talents to Jia Cong.

Because he personally stayed in the imperial prison, he stayed there day and night, strictly ordered his subordinates to torture him, and even did it himself, torturing all the prisoners until they regretted their lives.

Tang Zhan's style was different from Zhou Wei's. He had always been taciturn and was too lazy to talk to the prisoners. He just pulled the prisoners to the execution chamber and stood in a row to watch the execution.

"My lords, this is a rare visit, and it cannot be in vain. I am a young official who must fulfill my duties as a landlord. The ancients said that punishment cannot be as good as a doctor. So I would like to ask you to watch first."

Ah... But the water mist in the room was steaming, and the naked prisoner on the iron bed screamed repeatedly.

"Tell me, my lords, what kind of fame is this?" Tang Zhan said.

The executioner glanced at everyone and said with a cruel smile: "My lords, you are polite, this punishment is called 'scrubbing'.

First pour boiling water on the prisoner, like this...and then brush it with an iron brush. Make sure that after several times, the blood and flesh will be blurred and the bones will be exposed. "

The officials trembled and their teeth chattered.

(End of this chapter)