In the night watchman's office, the person in charge of interrogation was Nangong Qianrou. This damned ladyboy was very vicious. He created hundreds of inhumane interrogation methods and ordered the craftsmen to create hundreds of new instruments of torture.
He added bricks and tiles to Daibun's interrogation methods.
One of them was called standing punishment. A big iron bar was hung on the prisoner's neck. After a long time, the prisoner's neck would slowly swell and ache, unable to support it.
However, the prisoner was not allowed to rest and was forced to stand. It could be said that the pain was unbearable. In less than two days, the prisoner would die in endless pain.
There were also torture methods like Xu Qi 'an's. It was said that he got the inspiration when he was advancing to the Deity Ascension state. This kind of torture was painful. Xu Qi' an could feel it.
He relied on meditation and meditation, but he was already in unbearable pain. It was easy to imagine the pain of ordinary people.
In the 《Penal Code》 written by Nangong Qianrou, there were more than a hundred such punishments for cutting flesh with a blunt knife.
Although Jiang Lvzhong was not an interrogation maniac like Nangong Qianrou, who was proficient in all 108 postures, he was still familiar with some of the torture methods after being influenced by what he saw and heard.
Liang Youping and Jiang Lvzhong looked at each other in silence. Both of their gazes were as sharp as an eagle. However, Liang Youping who did not have much cultivation was quickly defeated.
He moved his gaze away and laughed at himself, "Looks like I have no other choice."
Inspector Zhang and Jiang Lvzhong did not speak. They stared at him expressionlessly. Since this person was in their hands, even if he was a stone, they could make him talk.
Liang Youping looked at Xu Qi 'an and patted his lame leg. He said slowly, "I didn't lie to you. This leg was indeed broken by someone. However, the person who saved me was not Zhou Min.
"I was born in Yunzhou. Ever since I could remember, I knew that Yunzhou was plagued by bandits and the common people suffered greatly. When I was young, my dream was to learn martial arts and become a swordsman in Jianghu, specializing in killing mountain bandits.
"However, the poor learned martial arts while the rich learned martial arts. My poor family could not support me to learn martial arts, so I could only study. After failing the Juren examination twice, I threw away my pen and joined the army. "
The dream was defeated by reality before it even started … Fortunately, I had Second Uncle to feed me with hundreds of taels of silver every year. Otherwise, I would only be studying like Erlang … Aunt should hate me.
Xu Qi 'an sighed in his heart.
With Xu Qi 'an's qualifications, what could he achieve by studying? He was probably not much better than Xu Lingyin.
"One year, in White Emperor City, I saw an official bullying a commoner girl on the street. In my anger, I attacked, but I was outnumbered and his retainer broke my leg. The Yamen officials felt disappointed and didn't want to let me go. They ordered people to take me out of the city and bury me alive.
"Lord" appeared. Yue of "Yue" Yue. Yue Yue Master "Er" Yue "Liang.
Xu Qi 'an and the others realized that this person was the person whom Liang Youping was loyal to. He was most likely the mastermind behind the scenes.
Liang Youping raised his head and met Inspector Zhang's gaze. He said word by word, "Yunzhou's Chief Secretary, Song Changfu."
The room was silent.
Yue Zheng's expression was strange. He was surprised, but not surprised.
In White Emperor, officials of fourth rank and above could be the mastermind. After all, within White Emperor City, any official of the fourth rank or above could be the mastermind.
The Imperial Inspector was already mentally prepared, so he would not have a 'shocked' reaction.
"It's him …"
But Yue Zheng's heart was still heavy. Yang Chuannan was involved. Now there was another Ling "Ling" Yue Zheng.
"Who caught you?" Xu Qi 'an asked.
"Who caught you?" Xu Qi 'an asked.
Liang Youping shook his head. "That day, not long after you left, I chased away the prostitutes in the shop, locked the door and left. Liang Youping shook his head, a blank look on his face. "Not long after you left that day, I drove away the prostitutes in the shop, locked the door, and left. As soon as I walked out of Huangbo Street, someone knocked me unconscious.
"When I woke up, I found myself locked in a small dark room with a gunny sack over my head. I couldn't even call for help … I ate, drank, and went to the toilet in the small dark room. Someone delivered meals to me regularly. After that, I was taken to an escort agency and sent to you. "
"You didn't see the man's face?" Xu Qi 'an asked.
Liang Youping shook his head.
"Liang Youping disappeared after we left. Three days later, the Witchcraft Cult came to Liang Youping's dream to interrogate him. They wanted to know if Liang Youping had fallen into the hands of the night watchman … During those three days, Minister Song accompanied Yue Zheng on an inspection, so he didn't notice Liang Youping's disappearance. It was not until he returned to White Emperor that he knew he had lost contact with his little brother … That's right."
Xu Qi 'an suddenly understood.
Yue Zheng tapped the table with his fingers. "Go on."
"From then on, I followed Minister Song. At that time, he wasn't even the minister of a province …" When he spoke of the past, Liang Youping's eyes were filled with nostalgia.
"As Song Zheng's official position grew, I, a cripple, also rose to the top. I became an official in the Department of Records and became a sixth rank official.
"I joined the Qi party under Song Zheng's recommendation. But this identity was hidden. Zhou Min was a spy of the night watchman's yamen, and I was a spy of the Qi party.
"The Qi party sent military supplies to the mountain bandits, so they had to go through the Department of Records. All these years, I've been working for Minister Song, secretly changing the account books and embezzling military supplies … "
"You used to say that you dreamed of becoming a hero and killing all the mountain bandits. But now, you've become a villain who helps the wicked. "Xu Qi 'an couldn't help but ridicule.
Liang Youping had become the kind of person he hated the most.
Liang Youping chose to remain silent in response to Xu Qi 'an's ridicule.
Yue Zheng narrowed his eyes and asked, "What's the matter with Yang Chuannan? He's also a member of the Qi party. Why do you want to frame him? "
Liang Youping shook his head. "I don't know about this. I only know that he's not close to the Qi party. Minister Song had revealed that Yang Chuannan was a chess piece that the Qi party had placed on the surface. He could be discarded at any time.
A scapegoat … Xu Qi 'an defined Yang Chuannan in his heart.
"If it wasn't for Zhou Min, the conspiracy in Yunzhou would have continued." Liang Youping shook his head and laughed. "Maybe this is the saying, 'justice has a long arm, but nothing escapes'. Speaking of which, Zhou Min and I have a good relationship. We often drink together after our shift ends.
"But I didn't expect him to be a spy of the night watchman, and I'm a spy of the Qi party. Otherwise, why is there a saying that a man's heart is hard to read."
Liang Youping seemed to be a chatterbox. He didn't need Yue Zheng to interrogate him. He blurted out everything he knew.
"Zhou Min is a very smart person. He's very sensitive to numbers. After we noticed that there was something wrong with the account books, I tried to rope him in and promised him a heavy promise …"
Jiang Lvzhong leaned comfortably on the chair. "Did he refuse?"
"No." Liang Youping said, "He agreed right away and was willing to join in the evil. But he didn't expect that the so-called rope was just a superficial effort. In fact, it was a test to see what he had discovered.
"Zhou Min also used a delaying tactic. He turned around and wrote a secret report to expose the matter."
"This is the operation of a spy with a high IQ … If it was a plot in a TV series, Zhou Min would definitely refuse it …" Xu Qi'an ridiculed to keep his brain active. He couldn't help but say,
"In fact, he had a premonition that you were going to kill him."
"A smart person naturally has a smart person's awareness. He could have escaped, although he couldn't." Liang Youping raised his chin.
This sentence seemed to be referring to himself. He was also a smart person who had a premonition of his own fate. Since he couldn't escape, he was too lazy to escape.
"After the incident was exposed, Minister Song followed the established plan and pushed Yang Chuannan to be the scapegoat. He secretly made arrangements while waiting for the arrival of Yue Zheng. "
Hearing this, Yue Zheng questioned, "Then, why did you stay in No.15 Dog Meat Shop? There should be criminal evidence against Minister Song in the account books, right? "
"Yes, in the account books, there were several military supplies that were transferred from the administrative office to the Governor's Office. As for why I stayed in No.15 Dog Meat Shop, this was the order I received. "Liang Youping answered.
… This doesn't make sense!
Xu Qi 'an frowned and looked at the three warlocks in white, "Can his words be trusted?"
The three warlocks in white shook their heads, "I can't see through him. His fate is covered, and the Qi Observation Technique can't see through him."
The Qi Observation Technique can't see through him … Xu Qi 'an was shocked at first, then he realized that someone had done something to Liang Youping. Someone had covered up his fate.
Number Four said that warlocks had a way to restrain wizards. It was because of this shield that Liang Youping was able to avoid the curse and divination.
"Ning Yan, what do you want to say?"
Although Xu Qi 'an's intelligence had seriously declined, Yue Zheng still wanted to listen to his opinion.
"Letting Liang Youping wait in the dog meat shop was a wrong decision. I think that with Minister Song's wily foresight, he wouldn't make such a low-level mistake. "Xu Qi 'an said with fervor and assurance,
"Of course, we can't rule out that this is a provocation. After all, if the mysterious master hadn't kidnapped Liang Youping, even if we knew something was wrong, we wouldn't have been able to find out anything.
"In the end, we can only bring Yang Chuannan back to the capital with concrete evidence."
Whether it was a provocation or some other reason, it couldn't be determined for the time being, unless he confronted Song Zhangfu face to face.
As for the mysterious master, Xu Qi 'an had a suspect, and that was Yang Qianhuan, the Act Tough King. First of all, he only knew one high-ranked warlock. Second, although there were rogue warlocks outside, to be able to hide their fate and hide from Jiang Lvzhong's perception, this kind of strength was not something an ordinary rogue warlock could achieve.
This was just like in his previous life, those who could enter the Chinese Academy of Sciences were definitely highly educated people. It was impossible to have a self-taught wild scholar.
As for why it was Yang Qianhuan, it was because Xu Qi 'an only thought that he was the one.
Well, this guess still needed to be confirmed …
"If you want to know the reason, it's easy." Yue Zheng sneered, "Immediately send out the order, dispatch all personnel to arrest Minister Song Zhangfu. Remember, speed is the most important thing in war! "
It was still the same way he dealt with Yang Chuannan, but it was very effective. A surprise attack could catch the enemy off guard and make them unable to respond.
Not long after, all the members of the Stalwart Tiger Guards were dispatched. Yue Zheng only brought Jiang Lvzhong and a few night watchmen. The rest of the Yin Gong and Copper Gong stayed at the courier station to watch over Yang Chuannan.
Xu Qi 'an also stayed at the courier station, the reason being that he needed to recuperate.
He had just activated Peerless outside the city, and his body was weak at the moment, not suitable for movement.
…
Bang!
The main door of the minister's mansion was broken open, and Jiang Lvzhong led the Stalwart Tiger Guards into the mansion, subduing the resisting guards one by one.
Unexpectedly, Minister Song did not appear like Yang Chuannan. The Stalwart Tiger Guards found him in his bedroom, but he was already dead.
Minister Song was lying on the ground, with a dagger in his chest. Blood flowed all over the ground, staining his clothes and half of his face.
"Yue Zheng, he's dead."
The Stalwart Tiger Guards reported respectfully after checking.
"Did he commit suicide to escape punishment?" Yue Zheng walked to the corpse, his face solemn.
Song Zhangfu died just like that?
He pondered for a moment, then ordered, "Send someone to the magistrate's office, and summon an experienced coroner to examine the corpse."
…
The coroner quickly rushed over, accompanied by the magistrate of Yunzhou. The magistrate's face was full of fear. After seeing Minister Song's corpse in the bedroom, he was so scared that he fell to the ground.
"Yue Zheng, this, this …" The magistrate's face was pale, his lips trembling, and he could not say a complete sentence.
"What are you panicking for?" Yue Zheng glanced at Song Zhangfu's corpse, then brought the magistrate out of the bedroom, to the study, and told him about the twist of the case.
It turned out that Minister Song was the culprit who colluded with the Witchcraft Cult to transport military supplies for the mountain bandits?
The magistrate's eyes were dull, and he could not digest this shocking news for a long time.
"This matter should be announced as soon as possible, lest the officials of Yunzhou become restless."
The position determined the train of thought, and Yue Zheng was thinking about how to appease the officials and maintain stability.
If it were Xu Qi 'an here, the first thing he would do would be to nitpick the corpse and the case until there was no omission.
Just as he was speaking, the Stalwart Tiger Guard came in and reported, "Yue Zheng, the coroner has finished the autopsy."
"Call him in," Yue Zheng said.
The coroner hurried in with his head lowered.
"Report it."
"Yes!" The coroner then said, "The deceased Song Zhangfu, forty-five years old, six feet one inch tall, the head, skin, and bones of the corpse are all undamaged. His limbs and torso have no other injuries except for the stab wound on his chest.
"There is no odor in his mouth and throat, he did not die of poisoning. After examination, the cause of death was a stab wound on his chest, it was suicide. "
Yue Zheng nodded and said, "Properly preserve the corpse." Then he turned to the magistrate and said, "Summon all the officials of White Emperor City above the sixth rank to the Minister's Office. I have something to say. "
After making the arrangements, Yue Zheng frowned and pondered for a long time, then he called a gong and ordered,
"You go back to the courier station quickly and tell Xu Qi 'an everything that happened here, listen to his opinion, and report back to me. Oh yes, including the coroner's autopsy report. "
…
At the courier station.
"What, Minister Song is dead?!"
When Xu Qi 'an heard the news, he was so shocked that his eyes widened.
"The Yue Zheng wants to ask for your opinion." The messenger gong sat on the table casually with his feet on the bench. He held a teacup in his hand and took a sip, then he said,
"The one surnamed Song was quite tactful. When he heard the commotion of us breaking in, he knew that he could not escape and committed suicide to escape punishment. The Yue Zheng asked me to come back and ask you, what do you think of this matter. "
"Yuan Fang, what do you think …" This line appeared in Xu Qi 'an's mind subconsciously.
He did not expect Song Zhangfu to commit suicide to escape punishment. He thought that there was a chance for Liang Youping and Song Zhangfu to go against each other in court.
Xu Qi 'an was very tired, he had to think of things one by one.
Was it the Yue Zheng's strategy of 'speed in war' that worked, making Song Zhangfu feel that the situation was hopeless and chose to commit suicide?
But under normal circumstances, shouldn't he not shed tears until he saw the coffin? This was not a game, where he felt that he was at a disadvantage and decided to give up … He died a little too impulsively. Hmm, it could also be that the dream witch who had never shown up had killed him.
That's not right, the prerequisite for a dream witch to kill someone was that the matter was exposed … But how did he know that the matter had been exposed?
In that instant, it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck his mind.
"There must be Song Zhangfu's informant near the courier station, constantly monitoring the situation here. It could be that fourth grade dream witch. When the Fu Shun Escort Agency escorted Liang Youping in, although he was wearing a gunny sack, it was obvious that he was a cripple. "
"Song Zhangfu already knew that Liang Youping had been caught …" Xu Qi 'an made a judgment in his heart. He finally realized what was wrong.
They interrogated Liang Youping in the courier station for more than half an hour, then the Yue Zheng led the troops into the administrative envoy's mansion. Even with the speed of the Stalwart Tiger Guards, it would take at least forty minutes to travel from the courier station to the administrative envoy's mansion. Would Song Zhangfu sit at home and wait for death in such a long time?
But Song Zhangfu was indeed dead, the coroner had already verified his identity … Shit!
"Oh no, we've fallen into a trap!"
Xu Qi 'an blurted out.
