In the afternoon, Cheng Zheng and Yang Shu, the secretary of the Criminal Department, were questioning the Imperial Forest Army who participated in the arrest, Cheng Zheng and Yang Shu sat in the two main seats, and two masters sat on the right side to make records. After the preparation was completed, Yao Luo, the commander of the forbidden army, was first transmitted, and after seeing the ceremony and entering the seat, he entered the main topic.

Yang Shufu looked old and asked straight to the point, "Please tell me about the process of catching the thieves last night." ”

Yao Luo told the truth, "At about three o'clock last night, I took people to patrol the road from Chongxuanmen to Hexuanmen, and suddenly heard something unusual in the Dust Washing Palace, and then I took people to rush there. When I walked to Tong Zuomen, I saw a man in black flying out of the roof of the Dust Washing Palace, and I sent someone to inform the surroundings to be on guard, and followed the man in black all the way. When I arrived near the Rite Gym, the man in black disappeared, so I ordered people to surround the Rite Gym and strictly investigate it up and down. The man in black couldn't hide, and was captured by me when he fled from the Rite Music Hall. ”

Yang Shu nodded, "Did you recognize who the man in black was after you caught him, and what did you find on him?" ”

Yao Luo replied, "After the man in black was captured, I took off his mask, it was Yonghou Cheng Yuanxin, and I didn't find anything on him, and then I personally led someone to take him under surveillance and wait for his whereabouts." Later, the emperor personally inquired, and I was ordered to transfer the Marquis Yong to the prison of the Criminal Department. ”

Yang Shu nodded again, and then asked, "After catching Yonghou, have you searched nearby?" ”

"Yes, I was afraid that I still had accomplices at that time, and the Dust Washing Palace reported that I had lost three treasures and pearls, but I didn't find them on Yonghou, so I immediately ordered someone to investigate in detail in the area of the Lile Pavilion, but I didn't find anything."

Yang Shu asked, "Have you checked inside and outside the Lile Hall?" ”

"No, outsiders have always been strictly forbidden to enter and leave the backyard of the Rite Gym, so I just told the head of the Rite Gym and asked him to investigate on my behalf. At that time, the lord in charge said that it was too late to disturb, and he would wait until dawn to talk about it. Today, the lord in charge came back and forth, and there was nothing abnormal in the backyard. ”

"From last night to today, can there be someone guarding the Rite Music Hall?"

"Yes, until the return of the lord in charge, the troops have not been withdrawn, and the people who have entered and exited have also been strictly investigated, and no abnormalities have been found."

Yang Shu knew the ins and outs, and said to Cheng Zheng: "Does Master Duanhou have any questions? ”

After all, Yang Shu is the secretary of the Criminal Department, and his experience is far more experienced than Cheng Zheng, Cheng Zheng had been listening to him quietly, until he was asked, he finally spoke, and asked Yao Luo, "Did you fight the man in black when you captured him?" ”

"Before the Men in Black infiltrated the Rite Hall, I kept a distance from the Men in Black and didn't fight. After the Lile Hall was surrounded by four corners, the man in black fled again, and I got close to him, and his kung fu was very poor, and he was captured alive in two or three moves. ”

Cheng Zheng asked again, "Before the man in black disappeared into the Lile Pavilion, you were chasing him with all your might, and you didn't pay attention to anything else, right?" ”

"Yes."

"In other words, the man in black's light skills are on par with yours, can you think so?"

"Yes."

Cheng Zheng nodded, "I'm done." ”

Yang Shu asked, "Does Master Yao have anything to do with the retrospective?" ”

"Nope."

The master took out the inquiry record and pen to Yao Luo, and Yao Luo hurriedly glanced at it and wrote on the last page.

"There's Lord Lao Yao."

Yao Luo got up, "Don't dare, Master Hou and Lord are ordered to investigate the case, and the officials should cooperate." ”

After sending Yao Luo away, Cheng Zheng and Yang Shu went on to ask twenty or thirty Yulin soldiers, and the rhetoric was all the same, nothing special, until dusk, when the two ended their questioning. Since the emperor only gave a three-day deadline and the time was pressing, the two made an appointment to go to the Dust Washing Palace at night to inquire about the incident.

Cheng Zheng went home for dinner, and when he was resting in the study, Jin Feng came over, and Cheng Zheng asked, "Does Menghan have any news?" ”

Jin Feng shook his head, "No." ”

Cheng Zheng took a deep breath, "Go to the backyard of the Lile Pavilion at night to see if there are any clues." ”

"Yes. Does the second young master need to take care of it? ”

Cheng Zheng raised his hand to stop it, "No need, it's not him who committed the crime, it's not the right and wrong that goes to many lives." ”

"Is the young master already decided?"

Cheng Zheng asserted, "The light skills of the man in black are similar to Yao Luo's, and he is obviously not far believed." ”

Jin Feng nodded and agreed, "Yes, although the second young master's fist and foot skills are a little worse, few people can match his light skills, and it is not a problem to win Yao Luo." It's just that how did you catch the second young master later? ”

"I can't figure this out either, I'll go to the Dust Washing Palace in a while to see if I can find any clues. You just have to go all out to find Menghan, you can't see Yuanxin now, only when you find Menghan can you know what happened last night. ”

On the morning of the second day, Cheng Zheng and Yang Shu came to the prison of the Criminal Department to interrogate Yuanxin, and as soon as they entered the door, they saw Yuanxin tied to the cross, covered with bruises, covered with blood, and whip marks. Cheng Zheng suppressed his anger and asked in a low voice, "Who let the movement be punished?" ”

Yang Shu replied reasonably, "This is the practice of the Criminal Department, before the interrogation, the torture is used first, and the prisoner is given a dismissal, so that the prisoner knows that it is powerful." ”

Yuanxin originally drooped his head and looked half-dead, but when he heard Cheng Zheng's voice, he suddenly became energetic, haha The savior is here, and he can't care about the pain anymore.

Yang Shu politely invited Cheng Zheng to take a seat and asked the jailer, "Is the prisoner still sober?" ”

The jailer didn't reply, but turned around and picked up the basin and poured a basin of water on Yuanxin, who gritted his teeth and screamed a few times, shook his head, and shook off the dirty water on his face. Cheng Zheng knew that it was salt water, but he didn't want to say anything.

Yang Shu knew the relationship between Cheng Zheng and Yuanxin, and was interested in seeing Cheng Zheng's attitude, so he said, "Master Hou, please ask first." ”

Cheng Zheng has this intention, he doesn't know if Yuanxin knows the current situation, and he doesn't know why Yuanxin was arrested as a thief. Cheng Zheng asked, "I ask you, and you explain honestly." ”

Seeing Yuanxin nodded, Cheng Zheng spoke, "The emperor attaches great importance to the case of the theft of the tributes of the envoys of the Northern Kingdom, and ordered the Criminal Department and the Yun Clan to jointly try it, do you know?" ”

A tribute to the North? Wouldn't I, I wasn't caught peeping into the alchemy room? That's right, if the emperor had arranged for people to be strictly guarded on all four hands, I should have been arrested as soon as I entered, why wait until I stay with Menghan for so long. At least I can make sure that they didn't arrest me because I broke into the alchemy room, and there is still a possibility of living after this hurdle. Then I won't be treated as a thief, I haven't even seen any northern tribute, how can I be caught, no one will get the stolen goods, there is hope to get away. I didn't steal any crime, and I will be given justice according to the law.

Cheng Zheng's question was obviously showing Yuanxin the way, Yuanxin turned his head a few times, saw hope, and nodded in response to Cheng Zheng's question.

Cheng Zheng continued to ask, "I tried this case with Master Cha, can you trust us?" ”

"Of course." Believe in the letter of course believe in it, I will always believe in my own brother, but what is the problem of you, Yuanxin seems to have taken a reassuring pill, and he has no fear, the corners of his mouth raised, and he smiled slyly: "Lord Duanhou, your third question will not be to ask me what my name is, right?" ”

Cheng Zheng saw that he was still thinking about laughing at the moment, and his heart was also a little calmer, presumably he already had an idea in his heart, "Where are you on the evening of May 24?" What was done? ”

What shall I say? I definitely can't tell the truth, I'm looking for death, the theft has nothing to do with me, and don't provoke it lightly. Make it up, make it up, how far you can pull it. The Yun clan and the criminal department are tried together, it's not easy to fool, it has to be round and seamless, but I'm not a liar. Yuanxin complained bitterly, because Cheng Zheng hates being deceived the most, so Yuanxin never dares to deceive Cheng Zheng, and his ability to lie when he grows up is not as good as a child. Heavens, for the sake of my honesty, give me a way out.

Yuanxin racked his brains and began to think about what to say. Seeing that Yuanxin was silent for a long time, Cheng Zheng scolded, "Recruit from the truth!" ”

Yuanxin's body trembled, and his soul was half frightened, and he said, "That night, I went to Juxianglou for dinner, and ordered braised pork ribs, braised shrimp, brine tofu, steamed osmanthus fish or something, which cost me a few taels of silver." After eating, I went to Yulin Zhai......"

Cheng Zheng interrupted him sharply, "It's full of nonsense, you want to be beaten, right?" ”

"Don't don't, I haven't gotten to the point yet, you have a little patience, okay? After eating, at the beginning of the night, I went to the roof of Yulinzhai to sit for a while, watched the moon for a while, and arrived at ......"

Cheng Zheng interrupted him again, "What moon do you see on May 24?" Come! ”

"Don't, look at the stars, look at the stars." Yuanxin smiled, he was indeed a little flustered, he didn't know where to say, I won't lie, what should I do? Yuanxin analyzed anxiously, I was arrested in the Lile Hall, where is the Lile Hall closer? Mingyue Xuan? Pool-by-pool? Ninghedian? That's right, the Temple of Tranquility. Kyaukrong, for the sake of the love we played together when we were children, you will also block the sword for me today. Yuan Xin had an idea and spoke again, "I looked at the stars in Yulin Zhai for a while, and I went to Yulin Zhai to get something around the time. ”

"What's that?"

"Jewelry."

"What jewelry?"

"This, it's hard to say," Yuanxin looked embarrassed, "I promised people not to say it." ”

Cheng Zhengyan said, "Stir up nonsense, flickering words, come to people, and be punished!" ”

"Don't don't don't, don't scare me with torture at every turn, I'm afraid of this. Okay, I've told you, I'm going to be a villain today, and I'll sell everyone to save my life. "Yuanxin is full of apologies, pretending to be quite similar," it is Feng Han Jiuzhu 1. ”

Cheng Zheng couldn't help but sweat for him, where are you going to pull, there is no way, so he can only ask down the line, "What do you want to make Fenghan Jiuzhu privately?" ”

Yuanxin tried his best to pretend that he couldn't speak, "Here's the thing, about a month ago, it was the banquet of the emperor's eldest grandson, before the banquet, I was playing in the imperial garden, and I met Princess Jiaorong passing by, she asked me to build it, as for what to do, I don't know." By the way, Kyaukrong also instructed me to give it to her before the first day of June. ”

Yuanxin really pushed it clean, leaving the mess to others to clean up, and secretly prayed in his heart, Jiaorong, we have a tacit understanding for many years, you should know how to do it, your lying and deceptive skills are hundreds of years higher than mine, such a small thing should be able to be completed in your hands.

Cheng Zheng didn't know if what he said was true or false at the moment," he continued. ”

"The night before yesterday I took my jewellery and went home, changed into my night clothes, slipped into the palace while it was dark, gave her my things, and left. On the way out, he was arrested by Yao Luo with a large number of royal forest soldiers, and then he was first put in a large inner cell, and was escorted here early yesterday morning, and after coming in, his butt was tied up by the jailer before he could sit hot, and it was a chain and a whip......" Yuan Xin Shun complained about his grievances, and Cheng Zheng interrupted, "Enough!" ”

Yuanxin was still unfinished, "I haven't finished talking yet, I'm ......" Seeing Cheng Zhengyan's expression, his two eyes were like a lion about to be provoked and couldn't withstand the slightest teasing, Yuanxin obediently shut up, this guy is not easy to mess with, let's follow you.

Then Yang Shu asked a lot of things about the thief, and Yuanxin said that he didn't know, anyway, you didn't find anything on me, what can you do with me. After a few more torture instruments, Yuanxin was tortured half to death, and he still didn't change his words.

Cheng Zheng listened to Yuanxin's mournful cry and secretly worried about himself, and didn't say much. The imperial court allowed the trial of cases and punishment, and Yang Shu was also measured, and all the torture tools on it were small torture tools.

Cheng Zheng lowered his eyelashes and just picked up the teacup, Yuanxin raised his head and shouted to Cheng Zheng, "I want to pee!" ”

Cheng Zheng frowned, swallowed the tea in his mouth, and put down the teacup, "If you put it down, it is estimated that you will not even be able to walk steadily, so you are convenient here, anyway, it is not a clean place in the prison." ”

Yuanxin smiled, as if it wasn't him who was tortured just now, "Can you still drink tea even after I pee?" ”

Yang Shu said, "We're tired after asking for a long time, why don't we take a break first?" ”

"It's fine." Cheng Zheng nodded.

Yang Shu waved his hand and asked people to take the letter from afar.

Note: 1 Fenghan Nine Beads is a symbol of the Emperor and the Zun, and only the Queen Mother, the Queen and the Elder Empress from the main palace are eligible to wear them.