Ming Dynasty: A hundred-year-old immortal cultivator, Zhu Yuanzhang’s biological father

No one paid any attention to Wang Shihong.

Gradually, Wang Shihong felt his mouth dry and his voice became hoarse at the end of shouting.

Time passed minute by minute.

The prison was filled with stagnant water, and the jailers looked as if they were dead.

No one said a word.

Wang Shihong's heartbeat gradually accelerated, and he was still screaming hysterically.

The sound of water dripping from the funnel is still there.

Wang Shihong suddenly felt some pain in his wrist. He didn't know if it was real pain or just a conscious thought.

He felt his mouth becoming increasingly dry, and his eyes gradually filled with fear.

Especially the vague pain in his wrist, which gradually made him feel scared, terrified, and panicked...

This is actually a method used in later centuries!
In the 20th century, a scientist named Cannon from a certain country conducted a very famous experiment called "Voodoo Death".

The so-called voodoo death, also known as "voodoo death", is a sudden death caused by psychological suggestion and emotional impact.

This kind of fear of death usually manifests itself in manifestations related to the environment, things one comes into contact with, and psychological expectations.

Fortunately, Magistrate Wang was able to participate in this psychological experiment five hundred years before humans.

In a dim cell.

The sound of heavy rain outside was cut off, the cell became eerily quiet, and the lights began to dim.

There was only the sound of dripping water.

This feeling of fear continued to spread throughout County Magistrate Wang's body. The spontaneous fear made Wang Shihong increasingly restless.

He felt his blood draining away from his back bit by bit.

Although at the beginning, he could still judge that someone was deceiving him, there was no wound on his wrist at all, and everything was fake.

But at some point.

When he produced blood, after the thought of flowing away, this thought gradually grew and became more and more crazy.

Various suggestions in his mind continued to impact Wang Shihong.

His lips were a little dry, and he felt that the water in his body was being lost faster and faster.

I don't know when my heartbeat started, but it has been accelerating and my whole body is shaking slightly.

"Come...someone."

Wang Shihong swallowed.

He began to speak weakly, and the defenses in his heart finally began to break.

"Someone come here." Magistrate Wang's voice had begun to become hoarse, and even the jailer outside was startled.

The jailer walked in indifferently and still didn't speak.

Wang Shihong said hoarsely, "Let, let Lord Yang come. I...I will say it all."

The jailer widened his eyes, looked at Wang Shihong in disbelief, and then left in a hurry.

Ministry of Justice.

Yang Jing was still reviewing the criminal files sent from Yingtian Prefecture.

As the highest criminal law department in the world, Yingtian Prefecture can spontaneously try many minor criminal cases.

Really difficult and major cases need to be handed over to the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate and the Dali Temple.

It was already dark, and because of the heavy rain, the Ministry of Justice had already lit the coal lamps.

Yang Jing reviewed some documents step by step, then stood up, rubbed his forehead, and sat down to drink the last pot of strong tea.

Then he would blow out the lights and prepare to go to sleep.

Just at this moment, the sound of footsteps was heard outside the door.

Looking closely, I saw that the person outside the door was the warden of the Ministry of Justice prison.

Yang Jing smiled and asked, "It's so late, is there anything else?"

The jailer hurriedly said, "Sir, Wang Shihong wants to see you."

Yang Jing sneered and said, "How can I have the time to talk to him? Let's talk about it tomorrow."

The jailer hurriedly said, "No, Magistrate Wang, it's...he confessed."

Just as Yang Jing was bending over to blow out the candle, his body suddenly became stiff. He remained in this strange bending position, motionless, and he felt a buzzing sensation in his head.

He looked up in astonishment, looked at the prison boss, and said in shock: "What did you say?"

The jailer nodded again with certainty and said, "Wang Shihong has confessed. He wants to ask you to confess, sir."

what!
Yang Jing opened his eyes wide and breathed heavily, and the sound of his long exhalations echoed in the quiet duty room of the Minister of Justice.

Yang Jing gasped in shock, his eyes widened and his face showed disbelief.

"Did you lynch anyone?"

The jailer said quickly, "Your Excellency, we followed your instructions and did nothing else after that."

"And...and"

Yang Jing frowned: "And what?"

The head of the prison said, "Wang Shihong doesn't seem to be in good spirits. His voice is hoarse, but strangely, he was very quiet this afternoon. Anyway, you will know if you go and take a look, sir."

Yang Jing was so shocked. He never expected that Zhu Xiongying's seemingly insignificant interrogation would be so powerful!
He really couldn't figure out the key to this problem.

"Come on, take me there!"

The jailer nodded, hurriedly put on his raincoat again, and led the way towards the cell.

When Yang Jing walked into the cell, the sky had become darker.

"Lights, turn on all the lights."

A bright light suddenly lit up in Wang Shihong's dim cell.

Yang Jing stared at Wang Shihong carefully.

In the afternoon, he was still full of energy and even challenged the emperor's grandson.

It's only been an afternoon!
At this time, Wang Shihong looked like a wilted chick, with his head hanging down, cold sweat all over his forehead, and his mouth dry and flaky.

The whole person gives people the feeling that...it seems like he is severely dehydrated.

But it’s only one afternoon!
Yang Jing felt his scalp tingling and looked behind Wang Shihong again.

I was shocked to find that his wrists were already scabby and there was nothing unusual at all.

The bright light suddenly came on, Wang Shihong just squinted his eyes and said weakly: "Master Yang, you are finally here, I want water."

Yang Jing waved his hand, "Give it to him!"

The water was brought.

Gurgle gurgle.

After drinking two sips, Wang Shihong was still in low spirits. He looked at Yang Jing and said, "Master Yang, I confess. I confess everything."

Yang Jing was stunned and said, "Someone come here! Remember this!"

The clerk came over with a pen and paper.

Yang Jing said to Wang Shihong again, "Speak!"

Wang Shihong said in a dead voice: "Left Counselor of the Zhejiang Provincial Government, Prefect of Hangzhou Prefecture, Commander of the Xin'an River Channel Office..."

Mr. Wang mentioned each person's name and position one by one.

Yang Jing frowned tightly.

Every name he mentioned was a high-ranking official of rank five or above, in charge of a confidential government office!
Eyes, face becoming more and more angry!
After Wang Shihong finished speaking feebly, he hung his head. He smiled bitterly and said, "Master Yang, why don't you just give me a quick death? Why torture me like this?"

Yang Jing glanced at him and said calmly: "It was the Emperor's grandson who did this."

Wang Shihong's listless eyes suddenly widened, and he looked extremely shocked.

"Impressed."

Wang Shihong said, "I am half dead now, Lord Yang, please give me a quick death."

Yang Jing ignored him, or rather, he didn't have so much time to pay attention to Wang Shihong.

"Untie Lord Wang."

After saying this coldly, Yang Jing hurriedly left with the papers obtained during the interrogation.

Wang Shihong was untied, and then he looked at the bucket and funnel behind him in a daze. He then rolled up his sleeves and saw his scab-covered wrists, and suddenly laughed out loud.

"What a good trick! What a good trick!"

"I didn't do anything, but you forced me to confess everything!"

"Haha, an official who has served for decades is now convinced by a sharp-tongued boy."

Yang Jing could no longer hear the sounds of frustration, remorse, self-mockery and laughter in the prison.

……

Out of prison.

He looked at the night and suddenly shuddered.

Even though it's raining.

It wasn't cold, but Lord Yang couldn't help shivering.

To be honest, he still didn't understand how Zhu Xiongying made Wang Shihong speak.

Why can it have such a great power when it has done nothing?
Yang Jing walked out of the Ministry of Justice with an umbrella in his hand, trembling in his heart.

There is a long corridor outside the imperial city, which leads to the Imperial Palace on the left and the East Palace on the right.

Zhu Xiongying said that once the list of names is reviewed, we should find him first.

After all, the old man is still in power, and he is still the ruler of the Ming Dynasty!
If he really went to find Zhu Xiongying first, it would undoubtedly mean harming Zhu Xiongying.

There is no room for two tigers in one mountain, even if they are grandfather and grandson. Over time, when the ministers forget Zhu Yuanzhang and only know Zhu Xiongying.

That means a rift between Zhu Xiongying and Zhu Yuanzhang is about to arise.

Yang Jing was so smart and had such an accurate grasp of officialdom and power. He naturally knew how to judge and what to do to benefit Zhu Xiongying the most!
Late at night in the Jinshen Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang reviewed memorials for a while and then prepared to rest.

Just then, a eunuch tiptoed in from outside the door and whispered, "Your Majesty, Minister Yang wants to see you."

"Yang Jing?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was a little confused, and then he remembered that he had asked Zhu Xiongying to interrogate the magistrates of Jiaxing and Haiyan today, and he thought that he came for this matter.

It was a tough nut to crack, and Zhu Yuanzhang did not expect Zhu Xiongying to find out anything quickly during the interrogation.

Judging people is also a science, a science of understanding people's hearts.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also doing this for Zhu Xiongying's own good.

"Oh, let him come."

Zhu Yuanzhang sat upright on the dragon throne, holding a cup of tea and drinking it casually.

Not long after, Yang Jing came hurriedly.

"Your servant Yang Jing pays homage to the Emperor."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "It's so late, what's the matter, Lord Yang?"

Yang Jing's expression changed slightly, and he said, "Your Majesty, the results of the investigation have been revealed."

"What?"

Tang Jing said, "Wang Shihong, the magistrate of Jiaxing, was pried open."

Finished.

There was silence at the scene!
Jinshen Hall fell into silence.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at Yang Jing with complicated eyes.

"What did you say?"

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke almost subconsciously, and his burning gaze fixed on Yang Jing again.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked in disbelief: "How come it's so fast?"

A few days ago, the Ministry of Justice said that there was no progress at all. This morning, Zhu Yuanzhang told Zhu Xiongying that the magistrates of Jiaxing and Haiyan counties were a tough nut to crack.

How come this...was suddenly interrogated?
Zhu Yuanzhang was full of curiosity. He looked at Yang Jing and asked hurriedly, "How did you do that?"

Yang Jing told Zhu Yuanzhang about Zhu Xiongying's methods in vivid detail.

Zhu Yuanzhang gasped when he heard this.

When Yang Jing finished speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang was already sitting on the chair.

His expression was very complicated, with a strange light flashing in his eyes.

The old man muttered, "More cruel than us!"

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his head again and looked at Yang Jing: "What's the reason for this?"

Yang Jing smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "Your Highness the Grandson is very capable, and I can only follow behind him. If the Emperor wants to ask what the rules are, I can't tell you anything. I'm afraid the Emperor will have to ask the Grandson himself."

Zhu Yuanzhang hummed, glanced at Yang Jing, and said with a knowing smile: "It's normal that you don't know. After all, he is our eldest grandson."

Yang Jing was not angry, he just smiled bitterly.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "Okay, he asked you to inform him as soon as the results are revealed, so go quickly."

"Don't worry about me. I won't be unhappy about such a small matter. You know what I mean."

Why did Yang Jing come to inform Zhu Yuanzhang first?
This is because they are afraid of us. They are looking for a new master while we are still in power, fearing that we will bear a grudge against them.

Zhu Yuanzhang understood it better than anyone else.

Yang Jing smiled awkwardly and said quickly: "I obey your order!"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "Go ahead, my great grandson. This will save us a lot of worries."

……

Eastern Palace, Duanjing Hall.

The night is as cold as water.

A man in a straw raincoat arrived at the Duanjing Hall, exhausted. When he took off the raincoat, his Feiyu robe and Embroidered Spring Sword were exposed.

Zhu Xiongying was sitting in the Duanjing Hall drinking tea. He raised his eyes slightly to glance at He Guangyi outside and spoke expressionlessly.

"He Guangyi..."

He Guangyi heard this and walked towards the house in two steps. He knelt on one knee and kowtowed, saying, "I am He Guangyi, your humble servant, and I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Grandson of the Emperor."

Zhu Xiongying nodded and said, "Stand up and talk."

He Guangyi hurried over and handed over a list.

Then he said, "Your Highness, those who know the route of the tax silver escort are the Minister of War Ru Taisu, the Left Vice Minister of War Zhong Zhu, and the Right Vice Minister of War Li Guangbi. At the Mu Palace, the three brothers of the Mu family and a personal army commander know about it."

Zhu Xiongying's eyes were somewhat deep, and his fingers tapped rhythmically on the documents beside him.

It seems that not many people know the marching route for this tax escort, only seven people in total.

Ministry of War. Involving a Shangshu.

The two assistant ministers are both powerful officials above the third rank. Without absolute evidence, they naturally cannot act arbitrarily.

As for the Mu Yu Mansion, Zhu Xiongying had reason to believe that there would be no problem with the Mu brothers.

There is no need to doubt their loyalty to Zhu Yuanzhang. Even if we take a step back, they had no motive to intercept the tax silver from Jiaozhi.

Zhu Xiongying looked at He Guangyi and asked calmly, "What's the name of the commander of the personal army of Prince Mu's mansion?"

He Guangyi said, "Your Highness, this man is called Ma Quan. He has been following Prince Mu in his campaigns since the 13th year of Hongwu. Prince Mu's mansion in Yunnan is also interrogating him, but there is no result yet."

Zhu Xiongying said, "Go to the Ministry of Personnel tomorrow and find Zhan Hui, and get this person's resume for me."

"According to the order!"

Zhu Xiongying's face slowly darkened and he said, "It's okay, go down."

"I resign from my humble position!"

After He Guangyi left, Zhu Xiongying's eyes began to become dark and unclear.

Apart from the commander of the personal army of Prince Mu's palace, the three people in the Ministry of War are all suspicious.

Ru Taisu, Zhong Xu, and Li Guangbi.

All three of them are above the third rank of the military department and hold real power.

Although the people from the Ministry of War gave three transportation routes.

But among the three routes, they don't need to determine which one is the only way for the escort.

They just need to place troops on all three routes, that's enough!
(End of this chapter)