The prince is more stable

Chapter 968 A Lucky Survival
The Imperial City Guards are very sharp in investigating civil uprisings; after all, it's their traditional skill.

After leaving Bianjing, Zhen Qing immediately set his destination as Xiayi County, and his goal was very clear: to find Chen Su, the magistrate of Xiayi County.

The uprising broke out in Xiayi County, and Xiayi County became one of the two counties occupied by the rioters. If the magistrate of Xiayi County had died among the rioters, the Imperial City Guard would have naturally looked for someone else. But the magistrate of Xiayi County was lucky and actually escaped. So there was no need to be polite.

This house belongs to a landlord in Huiting Town. Judging from the size of the house, the landlord had made a considerable fortune. The mansion was even larger than some of the powerful officials in Bianjing, and the furnishings inside were more luxurious.

After fleeing the county town following the peasant uprising, Chen Su, the magistrate of Xiayi County, chose this landlord's mansion as his first refuge, which clearly indicates that the magistrate had an unusual relationship with the landlord.

At this moment, Chen Su stood in front of Zhen Qing, looking anxious and nervous.

For a mere county magistrate to have the chance to meet the infamous Imperial City Guard in his lifetime, and the very head of it at that, is something he can't quite say whether it's good luck or bad luck.

Zhen Qing's face was ashen, his sharp eyes like a hawk eyeing its prey, ready to swoop down from mid-air.

In the quiet front hall, an indescribable sense of oppression was gradually spreading.

Chen Su's body trembled more and more violently, and her face was paler than a dead person's.

Chen Su had a general idea of ​​why the Imperial City Guard had approached her.

The peasant uprising broke out in Xiayi County. For this reason alone, Chen Su, as the county magistrate, could not escape blame. When the imperial court questioned him, he, as the county magistrate, was the person primarily responsible.

The quiet atmosphere didn't last long; Zhen Qing was already getting impatient.

In the past, the major cases handled by the Imperial City Guard targeted high-ranking officials or princes and dukes. For this minor county magistrate to be personally interrogated by the Imperial City Guard was simply an incredible stroke of luck.

"Chen Su, you'd better tell the truth about how the popular uprising happened. You may not have experienced the methods of the Imperial City Guard firsthand, but you must have heard of them. I don't want to make things bloody, so let's cooperate. I'll ask, you answer, and you're not allowed to lie. Is that alright?"

Zhen Qing remained amiable at this moment. This person was too insignificant and humble, and Zhen Qing was afraid that he would frighten him to death if he spoke too harshly.

Chen Su immediately nodded in fear, and then said without hesitation, "Your Excellency is wise, the peasant uprising really has nothing to do with me. It was an official from the Supervisory Office named Liu Zening who came to Xiayi County, and then the peasant uprising broke out."

Zhen Qing narrowed his eyes.

Chen Su may not have realized that in just one sentence, he had revealed too much information.

First, the tone of the accusation was exactly the same as that of Li Huai, the garrison commander of Nanjing, as if the two had rehearsed their statements in advance.

Secondly, the officials of Yingtian Prefecture and its seven counties seem to have reached some kind of tacit understanding. It is believed that even if the Imperial City Guard found other county magistrates to interrogate them, their testimonies would be exactly the same, which is obviously not right.

Looking at Chen Su, who appeared nervous and flustered, Zhen Qing slowly said, "I am very dissatisfied with your answer. I will take it as a slip of the tongue and we will go through it again."

"Chen Su, what exactly caused the peasant uprising in Xiayi County? Remember, this happened under your jurisdiction. If you still refuse to tell the truth, the court will punish you, and your entire family will be exterminated. I advise you to think carefully before you speak, lest you harm the lives of your parents and relatives."

Zhen Qing spoke slowly and clearly, and Chen Su's expression finally changed. Especially when she heard "extermination of three clans," she trembled violently and her expression became increasingly desperate.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Su suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "I have not broken my word. The popular uprising was indeed caused by Liu Zening. I have governed Xiayi County for many years without any incident. As soon as Liu Zening arrived, the popular uprising broke out. If the court wants to wrong me, I have nothing to say!"

Zhen Qing laughed, but there was no smile in his eyes: "Good! Although I don't know what leverage the Nanjing garrison has over you that makes you risk your life to cover for him, your refusal to confess and your unyielding spirit have aroused my interest a little."

"Since things can't be resolved peacefully, I don't have time to deal with you. It's time to show you the methods of the Imperial City Guard."

As he spoke, Zhen Qing clapped his hands, and a group of people slowly walked into the courtyard outside the front hall.

Chen Su couldn't help but turn his head to look. He saw that the group of people were all wearing crimson official robes. They should be a group of eunuchs. However, the group of eunuchs was a bit strange. Their faces were pale, as if they had never seen the sun for many years. Their walking posture was also very effeminate, and their bodies seemed to be boneless, fluttering in the wind.

The leading eunuch was about forty years old, slightly overweight, with a warm smile on his face, but the smile had an eerie and sinister feel to it.

As the group of eunuchs slowly entered the front hall, a chilly wind inexplicably blew into the hall.

Whether it was an illusion or not, in the cold, damp wind, Chen Su seemed to hear a series of shrill screams and agonizing wails, accompanying the group of eunuchs' footsteps, as if countless wronged souls were swirling around them, following them as they entered.

The scene was horrifying; Chen Su's face turned even paler, and she trembled uncontrollably.

Zhen Qing smiled slightly, pointed to the slightly plump eunuch at the head, and introduced him enthusiastically: "This gentleman is named Liu Dan. He is in charge of the Ice Well Affairs of the Imperial City Bureau. In order to get you to talk, I personally invited him out of Bianjing for a long-distance business trip."

"This Prefect Liu hasn't left the capital for many years. He came here specifically for you. I must say, the feng shui of your family's ancestral graves must have been misjudged when it was located."

As they were talking, Liu Dan led a group of eunuchs to Zhen Qing and glared at him with annoyance.

"It's freezing cold, and you insisted on making me make the trip. Don't you know how difficult the journey is? The carriage almost shook me to pieces!"

Zhen Qing pointed to Chen Su, whose face was ashen, and laughed, "There's no time to lose. I'll trouble you, Chief Liu, to get to work quickly. The Emperor is waiting for news." Mentioning the Emperor, Liu Dan dared not complain. He turned to look at Chen Su, like an experienced butcher examining half a pig, pondering where to begin cutting it.

"Is this the magistrate of Xiayi County? Zhen Gou Dang, give me an answer: after the trial, will he live or die?" Liu Dan asked directly.

Zhen Qing said, "It's best to leave him alive. The matter isn't over yet; we can't let him die without any evidence."

"Understood. Keep an eye on him. He'll definitely survive, but I don't care how badly he's been tortured."

Before Zhen Qing could speak, Liu Dan suddenly struck, delivering a sharp slap to Chen Su's face.

Caught off guard, Chen Su's face was slapped to the side, and she instinctively screamed in pain.

Liu Dan squinted at Chen Su's terrified and angry expression as he screamed, then nodded: "We can get some information out of him. This guy isn't the kind of person who would rather die than confess. With a few tricks, he can confess anything."

Zhen Qing was stunned for a long time before he realized that the slap was just a test, a test of Chen Su's character and resilience, to see if he would confess the truth.

Clearly, Chen Su's expression and reaction after being slapped gave Liu Dan a satisfactory answer.

Bingjing Wu truly lived up to his reputation; in the field of criminal trial, he was an expert among experts.

"Is an hour enough? We still have a lot to do and many people to interrogate." Zhen Qing looked at the sky with a somewhat anxious expression.

Liu Dan glanced at the sky and nodded, saying, "That's enough. We'll resolve this within an hour. Let's wait for news."

With that, Liu Dan waved his hand and said, "Take the man to the backyard. Bring out your tools of the trade. Give it your all today. The officials are waiting."

The eunuchs behind him remained silent, taking out all sorts of strangely shaped instruments of torture from their leather pouches. Two eunuchs then lifted Chen Su up on either side and headed towards the backyard.

As Liu Dan and the others disappeared into the front hall, Zhen Qing's cheeks twitched slightly.

As the head of the Imperial City Guard, Zhen Qing usually didn't dare to go to the Ice Well Office because it was too perverse; even he, the notorious head of the secret service, couldn't stay there.

"Your ancestral graves must have some problems now that they've fallen into the hands of this living devil, but... it's probably too late to relocate them," Zhen Qing murmured.

…………

The wind and snow at night seemed even colder, and the cold wind penetrated through the thin clothes, slowly seeping into the bones.

In an abandoned mountain god temple less than ten miles outside Xiayi County, Liu Zening was covered in blood, his arms tightly wrapped around himself. He hadn't eaten a single grain of rice in three days, and his lips were dry, his face was pale, and his body was trembling uncontrollably.

Yes, Liu Zening is not dead.

When he arrived at a village under the jurisdiction of Xiayi County with dozens of imperial guards, he noticed that the people around him looked strange.

The dozens of imperial guards he brought with him naturally noticed it as well. After reporting to them in hushed tones, Liu Zening realized that something was amiss and was about to quietly leave the village, but it was too late.

The village landlords, along with their tenants and servants, had surrounded him and the Imperial Guards.

Looking at the crowd that had gathered around him, Liu Zening knew with a casual glance that he had fallen into a trap.

The number of tenant farmers and farmhands who surrounded them was far too large, exceeding all common sense.

The village clearly had fewer than a hundred houses, yet at least five hundred able-bodied tenant farmers surrounded him, clearly indicating that this was an ambush set against him.

The landlord in charge was very arrogant and didn't reason with him at all. Without waiting for Liu Zening to warn him with words of imperial law, the landlord brazenly ordered the arrest of people.

The dozens of imperial guards around him, on a mission, naturally wouldn't stand idly by, and a conflict immediately broke out between the two sides.

Amidst the chaos of swords and fists, there was no way to stop or pay attention to the force used. Several young men were immediately cut down by the Imperial Guards, and then the landlord roared in anguish, "The inspectors have killed people! They've driven us to the brink of death!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zening's heart sank to the bottom. He knew that a storm centered on him had already broken out.

Incited by the landlord's words, the hundreds of able-bodied tenants around them seemed to be set ablaze, rushing towards Liu Zening and the Imperial Guards without regard for their lives.

A chaotic battle ensued, and the situation eventually spiraled out of control.

The peasant uprising in Xiayi County also broke out because of this.

(End of this chapter)