Miao Zhen licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "Didn't I answer this question just now? It has been a long time, and I really can't remember it. Besides, some of them were just traveling and staying overnight, so I have no way of knowing their background..."
What Miaozhen said does make some sense.
However, Yin Chengliang was not convinced by her words. He slammed the gavel again and said, "What a devil! You still won't give in under torture! Do you want to experience the power of the stick again?"
Miao Zhen suddenly smiled and said, "My Lord, if you don't believe me, there is nothing I can do. I just hope you can put yourself in my shoes and ask yourself, can you remember which concubine slept with you on this night a year ago?"
Yin Chengliang was stunned when he heard this. He couldn't even remember who he slept with a year ago or what he had for dinner ten days ago. He really couldn't answer. Just as he was dumbfounded, there was a whisper and laughter in the hall.
Yin Chengliang usually attached great importance to the dignity of an official, so how could he tolerate others mocking him? He was immediately furious and slammed the gavel three times, saying "OK" three times, then stood up and cursed: "You are such an ignorant thief! You dare to tease an official appointed by the court even when you are about to die."
After saying this, Yin Chengliang was about to order the yamen runners to torture him, but then he remembered that the soldiers in the hall did not listen to his orders. However, sitting down like this would make him look a little discouraged. For a moment, he was neither standing nor sitting, and the situation was very embarrassing.
Qiu Yizhi chimed in, "Miaozhen, let's not ask about the identities of these twelve people. However, they are all Han people, and they all died because of your harm. Do you have any objection to this?"
This was the first time that Yin Chengliang thanked Qiu Yizi from the bottom of his heart, and he quickly said, "Yes... yes, this is all written in black and white on the complaint, and you confessed it yourself. Do you want to change your confession in court?"
Miao Zhen replied, "Master Yin, are you talking about the confession I recorded in the Shanyin County jail? It has my signature and fingerprints, so of course it is the standard. But if you read the confession carefully, what is written there is the same as what I said today - these twelve people are no different from Bi Xiaolian, they all lost their lives because they failed to cultivate Taoism, so it cannot be said that I killed them."
"Humph!" Yin Chengliang sneered, "You are eloquent. But how can you expect to escape punishment by making such specious arguments?"
As he spoke, Yin Chengliang coughed twice, and then spoke loudly to Yang Ying'er who was kneeling in the hall: "Plaintiff, I have found out in front of the hall that the murderer who killed your husband is the demon Taoist Miao Zhen who is kneeling in front of you, and she has confessed to the crime. However, this case is serious, and I have to discuss with His Highness and several other adults before I can convict her. However, I can guarantee that this demon Taoist Miao Zhen will inevitably be stabbed in the head. Are you satisfied?"
Yang Ying'er had originally given up the idea of filing a complaint to seek justice, but today she was almost forced to go to Jinling City for a trial. She was very satisfied with the current result, so she nodded while crying, as a sign of agreement.
Yin Chengliang was just about to end the interrogation, but when he saw this, he immediately sat down and said, "If that's the case, you can go back now. Once Miao Zhen's crime is determined, there will be another explanation." After that, Yin Chengliang slammed the gavel and said, "Adjourn!"
The officials who were listening to the trial in the hall, except for His Majesty Zheng Xin and Shanyin County Magistrate Qiu Yizhi, all thought that the trial was over after hearing these two words, and all breathed a sigh of relief. However, none of the soldiers standing guard in the hall dared to move.
Zheng Xin said, "Master Yin, it seems that this case has not been concluded yet?"
Yin Chengliang was shocked when he heard this. He quickly turned around and bowed to Zheng Xin, saying, "Your Highness, the main culprit, the demon Miao Zhen, has confessed. The witnesses and material evidence that Lord Qiu has prepared in advance are also quite complete. I think the case can be closed. As for how to convict, Your Highness will have to make the final decision."
Zheng Xin knew that Yin Chengliang was trying to avoid the main point, so he sneered and said, "The complaint submitted by Yang Ying'er is not just about Miaozhen's case, but also about another person. The complaint is on Governor Yin's desk, so you might as well take a closer look."
Yin Chengliang was afraid that His Highness Zheng Xin would implicate officials from the Jiangnan Province in the "Thirteen Lives Case". He thought that since he was the presiding judge, he should quickly settle the case so that he would not be able to investigate further.
However, how could Yin Chengliang have imagined that Zheng Xin was ordered to go south to Jiangnan not to seek justice for Yang Ying'er, but to deliberately punish the officials in Jiangnan. How could this fulfill Yin Chengliang's wish
So Yin Chengliang picked up the petition tremblingly and read it over and over again, thinking quickly in his mind how to cover up the matter.
Zheng Xin was impatient and said, "This petition is just a straightforward document written by someone else on the street. It has no literary talent and no introduction or development. Lord Yin is a Jinshi and a leader in the Jiangnan literary world. How can such crude writing be appreciated by Lord Yin? How can it be worthy of Lord Yin's repeated scrutiny?"
Yin Chengliang felt that Zheng Xin's words were very shrewd and harsh, full of hostility, and completely different from the elegant and friendly demeanor he had when he first came to Jiangnan. He was sweating all over when he heard this, and hesitantly said, "Your Highness, you are... too kind. Oh... no, I am not very knowledgeable... Let me take a look... and take a look..."
Zheng Xin sneered again, "Humph! No need for that. This petition is just a copy. If Lord Yin wants to read it, just take it back and read it carefully, top to bottom!" He changed the subject and said, "Yang Ying'er also sued the former Shanyin County Magistrate Li Shenshi for dereliction of duty and failure to investigate the case. Lord Cai Min, you are Li Shenshi's immediate superior, why don't you be the presiding judge?"
Cai Min sat aside in silence for a long time. When Zheng Xin called her name, she trembled all over and immediately stood up and said, "Your Highness, I don't know anything about judicial prosecution. I can't be the presiding judge!"
"Just do it when I tell you to. I am the imperial envoy now, issuing orders on behalf of the emperor. So? Do you dare to disobey my order?" Zheng Xin said.
How could Cai Min bear the words "disobeying the imperial order"
Cai Min pondered for a while, and finally made up his mind. He shook his head and said to Zheng Xin, "I will obey the order of the imperial envoy!" Then he turned around and said in a slightly higher voice, "Bring Li Shenshi to the classroom!"
As soon as he finished speaking, there were voices of orders coming from all over the hall. Not long after, Li Shenshi was carried into the hall like a chicken by several imperial guards.
Cai Min was about the same age as Li Shenshi. Seeing that Li Shenshi was an official appointed by the imperial court less than a hundred days ago, but now he was reduced to a prisoner at the mercy of others, he could not help but feel a sense of sympathy. So he said in a friendly manner, "Sir Li, I am bringing you to the court for questioning today. Do you admit your guilt?"
Li Shenshi did not have the backbone that Miaozhen had just had, and upon hearing Cai Min's question, he quickly agreed, "The offender is guilty, and the offender's crime cannot be punished, the crime cannot be punished..." As he spoke, he choked up.
Cai Min felt relieved when he heard what Li Shenshi said. He heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Zheng Xin and said, "Your Highness, Li Shenshi has already pleaded guilty. How about signing it now?"
Zheng Xin sneered and said, "Lord Cai is also an experienced official. Is this his first time to try a case? How can we close the case if we haven't figured out the criminal's motives and whether there is someone behind it?"
Isn’t the mastermind behind Li Shenshi Cai Min
Cai Min didn't want to ask about the case in detail, but the Grand Prince's strict order was still ringing in his ears, so how could he dare to disobey? He just hoped that Li Shenshi, who was kneeling in front of him, would be confused and not reveal the whole thing.
Therefore, Cai Min asked tremblingly, "Li Shenshi, did you hear what the prince said? You are delaying and unwilling to seek justice for Yang Ying'er. What is the reason? Think carefully and give me a detailed answer!"
Although Li Shenshi did not hold a high position, he was an experienced official. He had understood the underlying meaning of Cai Min's words and felt that if he could evade the issue or take the responsibility, perhaps Cai Min and Yin Chengliang could help to alleviate some of his guilt.
So Li Shenshi blew his nose and said, "This is all because I am lazy as an official. I think it is better to have less trouble than more. I also feel that it is embarrassing to have such a big case happen under my jurisdiction. That's why I suppressed the case and just hoped that the plaintiff Yang Ying'er would withdraw the lawsuit voluntarily, and the case would be over. I am guilty, I deserve to die..." As he said this, he began to enumerate his crimes by citing scriptures.
Cai Min and Yin Chengliang who was sitting next to him felt satisfied and relieved when they heard Li Shenshi say this. It was like listening to a beautiful music performance as he eloquently quoted from the classics of saints to the sayings of the late emperor.
Qiu Yizi on the other side smiled and said, "Lord Li is really well-educated and knows so many anecdotes. I just don't understand one thing. Why did Lord Li bring the yamen runners I fired to embarrass Yang Ying'er and Yang Qiao'er that night? I hope Lord Li can enlighten me!"
As soon as Qiu Yizhi said this, Li Shenshi immediately stopped his endless confession and stared at the judges sitting in the hall in a daze. Sweat formed streams on his mottled face and kept flowing down.
After a long silence, Qiu Yizi saw that Li Shenshi refused to confess, so he smiled and said, "It seems that Lord Li has a bad memory. He can't remember things that happened only 50 or 60 days ago. But I know that the killing stick in the hall has the effect of refreshing the mind. Why don't you try it first? I'm sure you will remember it."
Li Shenshi shuddered when he heard this. He thought that Miao Zhen, who was skilled in martial arts, had been beaten to pieces, and he, a weak scholar, would be beaten to death in public. So he looked at the governor Yin Chengliang and the governor Cai Min with an almost pleading look, hoping that they would speak for him because of their past friendship.
Yin Chengliang was also extremely anxious, fearing that Li Shenshi would betray Cai Min under torture, and that Cai Min would confess under torture. He suddenly had an idea and said, "Oh? Lord Li has done such a rebellious act? Why didn't Lord Qiu mention it to me when he came to Nanjing several times?"
This is just lying with blatant eyes. Qiu Yizi, Cai Min and Yin Chengliang have all said more than once that Li Shenshi murdered the victim in the middle of the night, but they just didn't leave any evidence, which is why Yin Chengliang could deny it in court.
Although these words were shameless, they were the last straw for officials at three levels: Yin Chengliang, Cai Min, and Li Shenshi.
Therefore, Cai Min quickly followed up after hearing this: "Yes, yes, I have no idea what happened that night, Lord Li, please answer truthfully."
Li Shenshi felt bolder when he heard his two superiors backing him up. He immediately asked, "That night? Which night? Please explain clearly, Master Qiu."
Qiu Yizi said very calmly: "It was the night when I first arrived in Shanyin County, the night when I received the petition from Yang Qiaoer and Yang Yinger. Why? It was that day that I imprisoned Lord Li. Have you forgotten it?"
Li Shenshi blushed upon hearing this, and then denied it, "Of course I remember. It's just that I was detained by Lord Qiu that night for dereliction of duty, and I didn't do anything else!" (To be continued)