Chapter 712: It turned out to be a golden cicada coming out of its shell

Although the Pearl River in front of Haizhu Island is wide and the current is not too turbulent, but starting from the shore, the water depth ranges from tens of feet to hundreds of feet, and it is difficult to find people when they fall, so although the government has given a high reward, and the people flock into the water to save people with that little money, they have been busy until the evening, and more than half of the oarmen and drummers on the dragon boat have been rescued, but four people are missing, and Qin Huaijin is still missing. Faced with this predicament, the officials of the prefect's yamen from top to bottom were naturally frightened and frightened, and the prefect Li ordered the fishing boat to continue to search and rescue people, and then turned his head and found the official who was responsible for the punishment.

"Did the Assassins speak?"

"My lord, these guys are all stubborn, and there are no torture tools on this Haizhu Island, and they haven't confessed yet."

"Haven't confessed yet? Do you know that the one who fell into the water was the admiral eunuch of the Qin faction, and he was also a close minister of the emperor, and he was wearing a unicorn suit! When this man fell into the water, such a group of assassins appeared, and there must be something related to this! Also, the oarsmen and drummers who escaped on the dragon boat have all been arrested, and how the dragon boat broke and capsized must be tried. Master Zhang just passed the word that he wants to see the official in charge of this matter, you are the official who is responsible for the punishment, come with me to meet people! ”

The prefect's yamen set up the same knowledge to judge the magistrate and so on, among which the magistrate is in charge of the punishment, although it is the seventh grade, but due to the need to be proficient in the court regulations and many precedents, the person who can sit firmly on this son is often at least forty miles away. Lu Tuiguan of the Guangzhou Mansion is nearly fifty years old, two years older than Li Zhifu, but there is a difference between the upper and lower dignity, and he was scolded by Li Zhifu at this time, although he bowed his head and listened, but he didn't care in his heart - when the magistrate often encountered this kind of deed, he would have resigned a long time ago and stopped doing it-and when he heard that he was going to see Zhang Yue, he was a little up and down in his heart.

Because of such a big case, Zhang Yue thought twice about it, and simply took his family to borrow a night in Cidu Temple on Haizhu Island. He was in charge of the civil affairs of a place, and the temple did not dare to slack off, so he immediately cleaned up a few of the best houses, and instructed the fire-headed monks to prepare exquisite fasting meals and so on. At this time, the two of them arrived in the backyard under the leadership of the Zhike monk, and they heard the faint voice of a woman talking inside, so they didn't dare to enter the door casually, and they both stood outside.

After a while, Zhang Yue, who learned that the two of them had come together, went out of the courtyard. Facing two subordinates who were at least one round older than him, he asked a few words with a pleasant face, and heard Lu Tuiguan say with an embarrassed face that he couldn't be tortured now that he was out of the house, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, and then said lightly: "The so-called torture is just the way to attack the heart, and the rest is to make people physically painful, so there is a trick to torture, and you must not be careful." In our view, if we don't use those bloody methods, we may not be able to make them confess. ”

Governor Li has been tossing and turning in the position of foreign officials for many years since he was appointed as a jinshi, and he has long lost any compassion for the prisoners. Comprehending the look of his boss, Lu Tuiguan said nemesly: "The lower official is dull, please give me advice." ”

"Now that he is outside, the torture instrument is not in his hands, and the punishment of beating cannot be used lightly, otherwise he will not be able to confess if he dies, but it will hurt the shadow, so it is better to use kneeling punishment. The prisoners were to be rolled up and kneeling on the brick floor, and the officers were asked to hold their hair on their heads, so that they knelt upright, and then sent the officers to tie their arms to the bars. Don't be afraid to waste time, ask them over and over again, and wait until they confess before helping them to sit down to prevent them from fainting. The division saw that the prisoners were all strong men, and they were not afraid of being beaten with big sticks, but they were afraid of the grinding work. ”

At first, the two of them just pretended to listen submissively, but after Zhang Yue's detailed explanation, they couldn't help but gradually admire, especially Lu Tuiguan, who secretly regretted it, secretly thinking that he had done the old punishment, but he even forgot about this, and he had to be reminded. When Zhang Yue confessed a few more words, he didn't want to stay longer, so he immediately retreated, his heart was already ruthless, even if he stayed up late, he had to ask for a confession. And the prefect Li who was left behind was worried in his heart, secretly thinking that this top boss was not only killing people, but also using torture, and he must not do anything in his hands in the future.

"Governor Li has been in Guangzhou Mansion for more than three years, and you must have heard the words shouted by those assassins when they rushed out, can you tell us what dialect this division is?"

Governor Li was originally worried that Zhang Yue had left him alone to ask the teacher for the crime, but when he heard that he was asking this, he was immediately relieved. It's just that although he has been the prefect of Guangzhou for more than three years, he has never been out of Guangzhou City, and after racking his brains and thinking about it, he can only answer uncertainly: "Xia Guan didn't dare to speak full words, but it didn't sound like the Han dialect, as if it was the native language of the Li people." ”

"Li people?"

Zhang Yue couldn't help frowning, then thought carefully for a while, and then ordered: "Okay, wait for the meeting Lu Tuiguan to ask for a confession." Now that the city's father-in-law Qin has fallen into the water and disappeared, you will leave one member of the Tongzhitong Judgment tomorrow to preside over the search of the river and fishing, and the rest will follow you back to Guangzhou City, after all, the civil affairs cannot be delayed. The Dragon Boat Festival dragon boat race was originally an annual practice, and no one could stop Gonggong Qin if he wanted to participate in person, but now that this incident has happened, the blame is not yours. ”

When such a big thing happened, Governor Li naturally knew that the three divisions of Guangdong should be able to play, but the matter was caused by him, and he was afraid that when he came to the door to report in person, those officials who were several levels higher than him would not give a good face. When Zhang Yue said this, he undoubtedly took on the responsibility of playing and the responsibility of the title for him, plus the sentence that the sin is not yours, he only felt that his heart was abnormally ironed, and he bowed down and thanked him busily.

As Zhang Yue expected, the heroes in this world can withstand the beating of the cane, the whipping, but the seemingly simple act of raising his hands and kneeling on the bricks is indeed not so good. The four strong men supported it for two hours, and they were already like people fished out of the water, sweating profusely and trembling all over, and in the end, one of them, who seemed to be the bravest, couldn't stand it anymore, and couldn't help shouting: "Dog officer, you kill me!" ”

"Kill you? You don't need a knife to kill you, just use these green bricks! ”

Seeing that these men were all in a hysterical posture, Lu Tuiguan knew that it was not far from the water, so he simply waved his hand and changed a few errand servants to step forward to carry out the execution, while he leaned on the Taishi chair and closed his eyes to recuperate. Sure enough, after another quarter of an hour, someone finally shouted in a hoarse voice, "Help ...... Help me up, I ...... I'm recruiting! ”

Hearing these two words, Lu Tuiguan opened his eyes almost excitedly, but did not ask questions immediately, but stared at the man with a face for a long time, and then slowly ordered the two messengers to step forward and bring the person to the next room. Seeing that the rest of the men were pale and sweating profusely, no matter how hard they were at the beginning, he knew that it was only a matter of time before he got up and left. When he got to the next door, he was interrogated in a deep voice, but the result of the question surprised him, and then he couldn't help but feel numb on his scalp, and he hurriedly asked people to write a confession and order him to draw a confession. As soon as the toss was over, there was a sound of someone shouting for a confession outside.

One of the eight views of Yangcheng in the Song Dynasty has the moonlight of the Pearl River, and one of the eight views of Yangcheng in the Ming Dynasty has become the clear blue of the Pearl River, in fact, all of them are beautiful scenery in front of Cidu Temple on Pearl Island. At this time, although it is only the night of the new moon, overlooking the Pearl River at the height behind the temple, but only to see the water and the sky, the crescent moon is bright, the surging river water beats the shore for a while, mixed with the sound of the wind blowing the bamboo forest, the dry heat of the day all recedes, replaced by a kind of refreshing heart. Looking at the looming green fields in the north and south, Zhang Yue couldn't help but think that it would be a good choice to bring his wife and children to this Cidu Temple for vacation when he was fine the next day.

"Your Excellency."

Although it was unusual to hear this sound when he was clear and pleasant, Zhang Yue knew that he wanted to have a good night's sleep tonight, so he simply ordered someone to move a rattan chair out to enjoy the coolness. At this time, when he looked back, he saw that it was Lu Tuiguan, who had two slightly white temples, standing there alone, so he nodded, and a small servant who was waiting next to him immediately moved a small stool and asked him to sit down, and immediately retreated far away.

"There was an assassin during the day, and the adults were still enjoying the shade behind the temple at night, in the end, they were born in the gate, not as good as us people." After a sentence of flattery, Lu Tuiguan saw that Zhang Yue was just smiling slightly, so he submitted a stack of confessions in a sloppy manner, and then said in a low voice, "Although I have repeatedly checked the confessions of these people, I still feel that this matter is strange." Although the Qiongzhou Mansion is of the Duoli nationality, it has been restrained by the head system since the Hongwu Dynasty, and now the number of Li is greatly reduced, and the difference between the Shu Li and the Han people is not big. Moreover, the Li people are not a monolith, and those Li Tong have their own grievances and kinship, which is difficult to connect together, not to mention that it also involves the rebellion of Datengxia. Therefore, despite this confession, I hope that the adults will not believe their words. ”

Only then did Zhang Yue understand the reason why Lu Tuiguan came alone, and couldn't help but read these confessions seriously, and when he saw the confession above that the Li people of Qiongzhou Mansion colluded with the Yao people of Datengxia to prepare for rebellion, he couldn't help but sneer. Since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, there have not been one or two rebellions in Guangdong, but they have not occurred since the Yongle Year, and none of them involved the Li people. Although Datengxia in Guangxi is now fighting, according to the military report when he left Beijing, Gu Xingzu, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, was already leading his troops to quell the rebellion. As Lu Tuiguan said, the Yao people are the Yao people, the Li people are the Li people, and the Li people have been divided step by step by the imperial court, and collusion with the Yao people is definitely a joke.

"You're a good reminder, I'll consider it. You sent someone to watch those people to see if they died, although since they were captured, and after the kneeling execution, they also said that they only knew this, but maybe they could find some clues. Keep them first, and wait until they return to Guangzhou City, and then discuss with the capital division. ”

"Obedience. However, my lord, with all due respect, a craftsman has just gone to inspect the fragment of the dragon boat, saying that the dragon boat is broken strangely, and most of the people who fell into the water survived, only one Qin Gonggong and four other people are missing, which is really unreasonable. If Gonggong Qin really doesn't know the nature of water, and there are always accidents in dragon boat racing every year, why should he insist on getting on the boat, you must know that dragon boats are taboo after all......

"It's good that you know these words, you don't have to say them."

was interrupted by Zhang Yue suddenly, Lu Tuiguan was stunned at first, and even when he thought of the rumors outside, he suddenly felt extremely remorseful. It was clear that he vaguely heard that Qin Huaijin had lost power, not only could he step down at any time, but he might not even be able to save his life, why did he ask more? When he was annoyed, he saw a fan pat his right hand, and hurriedly raised his head and sat upright.

"Now that you have made your confession clear, you don't have to stay here tomorrow, and you will rush back to Guangzhou City immediately. Since you are a magistrate who has been in charge of punishment and an old man for many years, I might as well make a clear statement and notify the Inspection Department to strictly investigate all roads. Since it involves the rebellion of Datengxia, you have to make preparations, and if there is anything, it will be easy to solve. ”

This is...... Does this mean that Father-in-law Qin actually took advantage of this to escape quietly? But even if he loses power, he should always gamble on the possibility, and run away desperately, Qin Huaijin, the old eunuch who has been covering the sky for several years in the city, will take this road, don't you know that the land of the whole world is not the king's land, and the shore of the land is not the king's minister? Lu Tuiguan still couldn't figure it out when he thought about it, so he simply decided to do what he said, so he stood up and bowed and immediately retired, never daring to stay in this place for too long.

As soon as Lu Tuiguan left, Zhang Yue couldn't help but stand up and stretch. Since this person has come to report the incident, he can finally sleep peacefully in the second half of the night, thinking that this day was originally a good Dragon Boat Festival to enjoy the dragon boat, but in the end it turned into such a hectic business, he couldn't help but squint his eyes, thinking that the method that Qin Huaijin came up with was not unexpected. There is a kind of person who jumps over the wall in a hurry, and there is another kind of person who is a dog who is in a hurry and hits the wall.

It's just that when he has made enough, he wants to use the word trick, he has seen a lot of this drama before, how can he not guard against it. After all, as long as Wang Jin in Beijing adheres to the holy will, Qin Huaijin will not be able to get rid of the water route, and the most worrying thing is the sea route. After all, it used to be Qin Huaijin's own territory. It's just that, according to the direction of the wind on the sea today, there are only ships entering the port from overseas these days, but there are no ships going to sea from here to return to Fanguo, so it is much easier to keep an eye on that end!

I slept for more than two hours one night, and early in the morning, Zhang Yue was awakened by a banging knock on the door. Because all his wives and concubines were closed last night, he could only sleep alone, and he was sweating profusely when he slept until this time, and he angrily ordered him to come in, he sat there and yawned a lot, but he saw Peng Shisan rushing in like a gust of wind on one side.

"The yamen sent people to Haizhu Island early in the morning, saying that it was the imperial court that issued an edict. Due to the repeated earthquakes in Nanjing, the edict begged to speak out! ”

"Nanjing earthquake?"

"That is Nanjing, as the imperial capital, the fundamental place of the Taizu Emperor's Mausoleum!" Peng 13 saw that Zhang Yue hadn't woken up yet, so he had to add, "In June last year, there was an earthquake in Nanjing, and no one cared about it at that time." But the edict said that Nanjing had many earthquakes from March to April, which was naturally very different! In the event of such a major event, just like the three major halls were struck by lightning and fire in the past, the emperor will issue an edict to ask for bluntness, and it is estimated that there will be other turmoil in the court! ”

Zhang Yue, who was half-asleep and half-awake, woke up in shock. This is an era when solar eclipses and earthquakes have to involve the emperor's immorality, not to mention the repeated earthquakes in Nanjing, the former imperial capital. Thinking of Zhu Zhanji's anxiety at this moment, he could only sigh.