Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 10 If you don’t enter the tiger’s den, how can you catch the tiger’s cubs?
"Tell me! How did you poison the Annan envoy?"

"..."

"Tell me! Are there any students in Dongpo Academy who are your accomplices?"

"..."

"Alright! Still dare to be stubborn? Come here! Punish me severely!"

"..."

In the torture chamber of the government office, Gu Shanjie looked at the woman kneeling on the ground with her head lowered, and raised a series of questions in a high voice.

Compared to the prefect's excitement, the prosecutor Shao Jing had an ugly expression on his face.

Having one more suspect was a good thing, as it could lead to a breakthrough in the case, but what worried him was that this woman was captured by a member of the Hai family.

It was reported that this woman was peeping outside the academy and inquiring about the diplomatic mission. She was most likely an assassin sent by Annan's traitor Mo Dengyong. The government was requested to conduct a detailed interrogation.

Shao Jing couldn't help but wonder whether this move was to protect Haiyue and push out a scapegoat?
If they really wanted to find someone to take the blame, then all the previous maintenance would have been in vain.

I thought Haiyue was a sincere gentleman, and that all this time was just a way to delay time...

He will not be polite to the Hai family of Qiongshan!
Just as he was thinking this, a clerk walked in and said, "Your Excellency Gu, Magistrate Shao, there's Hai Rui, a student from Dongpo Academy, outside. He says the arrest of the thieves is related to him. I have something to report..."

"Oh?"

Gu Shanjie couldn't wait to solve the case and resolve this troublesome matter, so he immediately said, "What clues does he have? Tell us quickly!"

The clerk paused and whispered, "He said that although this woman was spying outside the courtyard and was from Annan, we can't conclude that she is the murderer. According to Ming Dynasty law... uh, we shouldn't rashly impose severe punishment..."

Gu Shanjie was stunned: "Ming Dynasty Law?"

At this moment, Master Ji Hua also walked in. Compared to the uneducated clerk, he was obviously more educated. He repeated Hai Rui's words word for word: "In our Ming Dynasty, there is a law that states, 'All criminal officials, both inside and outside the court, shall only torture those convicted of capital crimes and serious thefts. Otherwise, only flogging and other ordinary punishments shall be used.' Hai Rui's meaning is that this woman's guilt has not yet been determined, so he cannot arbitrarily use severe punishment..."

There was silence in the hall.

Is there such a clause in the Ming Dynasty Law?
How could a local government office not use Sanmu for interrogation?

In other words, if you don't impose severe punishment, how can you know whether the other party has committed a serious crime?
Shao Jing's eyes lit up, and he spoke first: "This case is of great importance, and we will not torture or force a confession!"

Gu Shanjie paused, leaned forward slightly, and whispered, "What's the relationship between Hai Rui and Hai Yue?"

"brother."

"Uh... kiss?"

"Dear."

"So... a quarrel between brothers?"

"The relationship is very good."

Gu Shanjie repeatedly confirmed this, and at this point, a strange look appeared in his eyes. He couldn't help but ask, "If that's the case... why did he stop the yamen from interrogating him? Doesn't he know that if they convict this thief, Haiyue will be cleared of suspicion and be freed?"

Shao Jing's expression brightened. "I believe this is a man of integrity. Hai Rui firmly believes his brother was wrongly accused, and he cannot allow another innocent person to be implicated!"

'Pedantic!'

Gu Shanjie cursed inwardly, then glared at the female prisoner who had been keeping her head down and remained silent. He waved his hand irritably, "Take this female prisoner away! Watch her carefully!"

Although he could not even recite the first chapter of the "Great Ming Code", as a prefect of a state, he could not violate the laws promulgated by Taizu in public.

But this woman was not like ordinary people. She panicked and cried loudly when she entered the yamen. It was difficult to pry open her mouth without torture, so he could only give up in disappointment.

Shao Jing was also thinking about how to interrogate the other party. He suspected that this woman might not be the real murderer, but he also saw that she was not an ordinary woman. If she was really from Annan, it might be of great help in solving the case.

However, before he could think of a breakthrough, Lin Xiaoliu came in and reported: "Hai Shisanlang wants to see you."

Shao Jing raised his eyebrows, and Gu Shanjie also became interested: "Let him in!"

Haiyue entered and bowed, "I greet Mr. Gu and Mr. Shao."

In theory, among the scholars of the Ming Dynasty, only those who had achieved the title of scholar had the privilege of not bowing when meeting officials, not being punished, and reporting official matters to the local magistrate. But in reality, generally speaking, once one became a student, one could bow to officials.

Haiyue is not even a student now. A normal commoner would bend his knees when seeing an official, let alone a prefect who is the chief official of a place. Even in Hainan, he is still a fourth-rank official.

But if he could meet Jiajing, he would want to find an opportunity to look the old Taoist priest straight in the eye... Oh, he was still in the appearance of a young Taoist priest now, and he treated the local prefect who was scared away by his martial arts practice not long ago with neither arrogance nor servility.

'what? '

Gu Shanjie had previously seen this boy wielding a sword and a spear from afar, looking very impressive, but he hadn't observed him closely. Now, seeing him up close, he realized that he had handsome features and an imposing demeanor, and his aversion to him was somewhat less pronounced: "What a handsome man! What a shame he was born in this wild place!"

Shao Jing was paying close attention to the case and asked directly, "Hai Shisanlang, did you know that another suspect has just been arrested?"

"The students know! The idea for capturing this person was provided by the students!"

Haiyue was very calm and repeated her analysis of motivation.

"I see!" Gu Shanjie's eyes flickered, and he immediately agreed: "The assassin poisoned the prince and tried to sow discord. Fortunately, our government office did not fall for this treacherous plot and was able to see through it calmly!"

He took the credit without hesitation, then thought of the interrogation that had just been interrupted. He said in a deep voice, "However, your brother Hai Rui insisted that this woman was not the murderer and obstructed the interrogation at the government office. Are you aware of this?"

As soon as he said this, he waited to see the young man's expression of shock and anger, so that he could vent the anger that had been scared away earlier. However, Hai Yue raised her eyebrows and said decisively: "That's how it should be!"

Gu Shanjie was stunned, and Shao Jing immediately asked, "Why?"

Hai Yue said, "As a student under suspicion, I naturally hope that the case will be solved as soon as possible. However, haste makes waste, and small gains lead to the loss of big things! If I can't wait to pin the crime on this Annan woman just to get away with it, and if the case is reversed in the future, won't I be unable to defend myself? Because the person who arrested the Annan woman is a member of my Hai family, the world will think that I wrongly accused the innocent in order to get away with it! Therefore, this case must be thoroughly investigated and everything must be cleared up!"

"Tsk!"

Gu Shanjie couldn't help but mutter, "You brothers are really weird..."

"it is good!"

Shao Jing's frown relaxed completely as he promised, "Don't worry, Shisanlang. The Qiongzhou government will never force anyone to confess, and will not allow innocent people to be wrongly accused!"

Haiyue believed in the judge's sense of responsibility, but he trusted himself even more, so he took the initiative and said, "I have a humble request!"

Shao Jing said: "Speak."

Haiyue explained her intention: "Can you arrange for me to be imprisoned in the same cell with this suspect?"

"what?"

Everyone in the torture chamber was shocked: "Imprisonment?"

How could someone actually go into a place that ordinary people avoid?

Haiyue had previously been very reluctant to go to jail, as he might never get out, but now he had made up his mind: "If I don't go to jail, how can I contact the other party?"

Shao Jing's eyes flickered: "You want to get something out of her?"

"Not bad!"

Hai Yue nodded. "If this Annan woman is the murderer, then I am being wronged. Now we are in the same prison together. She must be nervous, worried, and even afraid. There will be some flaws in her words..."

"If this Annan woman was wrongly accused, then we share a common sympathy, both implicated in the crime. This identity will facilitate communication..."

"If this Annan woman isn't the murderer, but is indeed connected to the diplomatic mission, I hope to gain clues that will open up new avenues for further investigation..."

At this point, Haiyue added: "Please ask the prison guards to supervise us from outside to prevent us from being suspected of collusion."

Gu Shanjie was very interested when he heard this: "It's worth a try!"

Shao Jing also nodded slightly, but still reminded: "Going to jail is no small matter. We need to think carefully and not act rashly!"

Hai Yue smiled and replied in a resounding voice: "No venture, no gain. I am willing to take this risk!"

……

The Qiongzhou Prefecture Prison is an earthen building located in the corner of the government office.

The surface is simple and the walls are covered with cracks.

Once you get inside, even in a hot place like Hainan, you can still feel a gloomy atmosphere.

This is not an illusion. Any prison is a collection of many unbearable things in the world. It is not an exaggeration to call it a purgatory on earth.

Not to mention the foul smell lingering around the nostrils, the ubiquitous moans, which whizzed into the gaps between bones, made people shudder.

Of course, the most terrifying thing is that in ancient local prisons, men and women were always imprisoned together.

Even though the Qing Dynasty had specially set up a women's prison, the management was in chaos and it was even turned into a semi-brothel. The humiliation that women suffered in prison was often no different from the humiliation suffered by officials whose female relatives were demoted to the Jiaofangsi after they committed crimes.

Inside the cell, the Annan woman was sitting alone on the ground, hugging her knees. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching. As they reached the door, the jailer's cold voice rang out, "This is the cell! Go in!"

The woman's body trembled, and she looked up suddenly. Seeing that a criminal was about to come in, her face changed drastically and she quickly shrank into the corner.

Being locked in a cell with other prisoners, what happened next was unimaginable!
No one can hear you even if you scream at the top of your lungs!

But this is obviously not the worst.

Then, the young man's voice rang out, filled with indignation: "I was wrongly accused! I didn't poison that Prince Annan at all!"

"Everyone who comes here, one or two, says so!"

The jailer sneered disdainfully, then added, "If you want to protest your innocence, go to the guy inside! He's also the one who murdered the prince. Let's face off and see who's the real culprit!"

The prison door opened and a tall figure walked in, just in time to meet the woman who looked up.

Eyes facing each other.

(End of this chapter)