The prison of Dali Temple is very clean, this is Zhen Shiyuan's own habit, no matter which yamen he works in, this yamen or the prison is not clean, which makes him feel uncomfortable.

Didn't the sage have a cloud that "if you don't sweep a house, how can you sweep the world"? Just sweep the world, at least this place is clean, and it is comfortable for people to do things or something.

The moment he walked in, several officials who had set up tables and chairs in the empty corner of the prison and dozed off were immediately woken up by the jailer, thinking that they had been reminded by the jailer early in the morning.

However, even the jailer himself did not expect that Zhen Shiyuan would come to the prison without saying a word.

After glancing at the few officials who got up from the table and chair in a hurry, Zhen Shiyuan frowned, and said, "Let Tang Zhongyuan bring a few people over to change shifts, why didn't you go back after being on duty yesterday?" ”

and it is not included in the clerk's pen, how can it be called a night watch?

Several officials were stunned when they heard this, but then they realized that the adults were going to let them rest, and they were immediately overjoyed, and soon there was a jagged voice of "Thank you, sir".

As I said earlier, adults are still considerate of their subordinates, so instead of sitting here, it's better to go home and have a good rest!

Tang Zhongyuan and several officials rushed to change shifts when they heard the news, and only after the handover was over, did they hear that Zhen Shiyuan was going to interrogate that Xue Huai, and several people were stunned when they heard it, and after looking at each other, Tang Zhongyuan stood up and said: "My lord, I am not good at torture." ”

There is no need to teach people to beat and arrest people, but torture sounds simple, but in fact it is troublesome, and if the scale is not well controlled, the prisoner is killed, and he will be dismissed from his post at least and imprisoned at worst.

How dare a novice who has never been tortured in such a matter be presumptuous?

Not to mention that Xue Huai was like "I won't say what you can do with me" before, this time, if he is not punished, can this person really speak?

Tang Zhongyuan hesitated.

"No problem." Compared with the apprehension of several officials, Zhen Shiyuan disagreed, he waved his hand and said, "Then I won't be punished." ”

"If Xue Huai insists on not speaking, he will be thrown to the criminal department to see if he says it." Zhen Shiyuan twisted his beard and walked towards the prison as he spoke.

The suspect imprisoned in Dali Temple is not murder but also other felonies, and Xue Huaiyu, the suspect suspected of killing a small guy Kunzhi, is obviously not conspicuous among them, of course, he is not qualified to be put in a special cell, only locked up in an ordinary cell on the side.

When he entered, Xue Huai was sitting on the stone bed in a daze.

Zhen Shiyuan didn't talk nonsense, and immediately asked people to open the door of the cell, and then walked in with a few officials.

"Do what?" Seeing a few people coming, Xue Huai was stunned, and then smiled disapprerovingly, "I won't speak." ”

"On the third day of the first month of this month, on the eve of Guozijian's holiday, you borrowed a crossbow arrow from Guozijian, didn't you?" Zhen Shiyuan didn't get entangled with him about opening his mouth, but said something else as soon as he opened his mouth, he stretched out his hand, and even if there was an official messenger on the side, he held the record book of the Guozijian.

Zhen Shiyuan pointed to the contents of the record book and said, "This is the record of the treasury, showing that you have not returned it." ”

Xue Huai glanced up at him and said, "Guozijian has opened the Six Arts, what's wrong with me borrowing crossbow arrows to learn?" ”

"There's nothing wrong with that." Zhen Shiyuan asked people to close the record book, stood with his hands and looked down at Xue Huai, who was sitting on the stone bed without speaking, "You previously mentioned that you had not left Guozijian for half a month before this trip to Lishan, and every day except for class, you went back to the school, and your little scholar also proved it, yes or no?" ”

"So what?" Xue Huai lowered his head and didn't look at Zhen Shiyuan at all, "Lord Zhen, should you suspect that it was me who did it because that little guy was killed by an arrow, and then go to find evidence that I borrowed a crossbow arrow!" ”

"I might as well say bluntly, I did borrow a crossbow bolt and lost it, but that doesn't prove that it was the person I killed!" Xue Huai sneered as he spoke, raised his eyes and looked at Zhen Shiyuan calmly, "Lord Zhen, I have been studying in Guozijian for so many years, although my homework is mediocre, I also know the laws and criminal laws of Dachu, and those deceitful words are useless to me." It's that I lost face because of Kunzhi's incident, such a little thing, just say that I killed someone, it's true that I'm a suspect, but I'm not an important suspect. ”

There are also many kinds of suspects, such as him, there is no indirect or direct possible evidence pointing to him as a murderer, and he cannot be regarded as a serious suspect.

He is suspicious, but his suspicion is only a verbal dispute, and there is no evidence, how can he be regarded as a serious suspect? This kind of thorough reading of the law, the demagogic Dali Temple official is the best at that, fortunately he understands.

As long as he is not a serious suspect, he cannot be tortured and arraigned, so what can he do with him if he doesn't want to say it?

Zhen Shiyuan, who listened to such a clear and coherent defense, smiled, then raised his eyebrows, and said: "Earlier, some of your classmates also said that you were mediocre in Guozijian, so it seems that although you are not very good at learning the six arts, this criminal law can be read through, and you may be able to make a living by writing pleadings for others in the future." ”

Speaking of which, I remembered the one on Shanxi Road again. He remembered that he once said that the Da Chu investigation and conviction system was not perfect, there were arrests, investigations, and tortures, but there was still a lack of people to defend themselves. also said with a smile that if Dali Temple had nothing to do, she would learn to be a teacher to support her family or something.

As soon as Xue Huai opened his mouth, he thought of this stubble. This person is really mediocre, and it is very tight to defend himself or something.

Xue Huai didn't raise his eyelids: "My lord, you don't have to be sarcastic." I know, I didn't kill anyone, you can't help me. ”

Zhen Shiyuan snorted lightly, looked back at Tang Zhongyuan, Tang Zhongyuan immediately understood when he saw this, and soon went out, and walked in with a crossbow arrow in his hand.

"You're right, Zhen can't abuse lynching here, but if I don't have a single piece of evidence, how can I come to interrogate you today?" He said and pointed to the crossbow arrow machine on the side, "This was found by the official in the depths of the snow not far from the viewing platform, and it has been confirmed that such a machine can be loaded with crossbow arrows that shoot Kun Zhi, and it is within the range of Kun Zhi's death, so the official has reason to infer that this is very likely to be the murder weapon that shot Kun Zhi." ”

Xue Huai's face turned pale, and his eyes flashed slightly: "So what, what does it have to do with me?" ”

Zhen Shiyuan said: "Although the style of this crossbow arrow is simple and can be seen everywhere, the wood is three-year-old boxwood. Judging by the degree of deterioration, it should be a new machine that has only been used for a short time, and the official has asked the timber merchants and craftsmen in the city, and in the past year, there is only one box that has been customized for three years, and is used to make crossbow machines of this style. ”

Although the crossbow arrow machine is not as tight as the inspection of cinnabar and other things, it is very hurtful, and ordinary people can get started with only a little training, which can be described as a killing weapon, so it is not nowhere to find it.

In order to prevent unclear explanation, the shops of the folk will generally clearly indicate the sales destination, in order to find out that someone uses the crossbow arrow machine to cover the situation that it is unclear to investigate the person in the future.

However, in comparison, in addition to some powerful people buying things such as crossbow and arrow machines for self-defense, the people do not buy much, and there are only a few who purchase them in large quantities to make crossbow and arrow machines.

Only the barracks or the yamen government need to be customized in large quantities, so this is very easy to check.

"It's none other than Guozijian." Zhen Shiyuan said, "This official has already asked the craftsman to be the supervisor to check, and the crossbow arrow machine found belongs to the same batch as Guozijian's, and it also has the mark of Guozijian, which is definitely not an imitation, it should be Guozijian's crossbow arrow machine." ”

Xue Huai's face changed, and he suddenly stood up from the stone bed, and exclaimed, "It's not mine." ”

It was precisely because he had been silent through the law before, so when he heard that Zhen Shiyuan had found such a crossbow arrow, he hurriedly jumped out to defend himself.

With such clear physical evidence, he can almost be regarded as a significant suspect.

A general suspect is not the same as a significant suspect with a clear target. At this time, he will no longer have a chance to be silent, but must speak, otherwise he will be forced to speak.

"You said that you lost your crossbow machine, but you found the same crossbow machine bracket not far from the place where the crime occurred, and you still don't want to say it under such evidence?" Zhen Shiyuan looked at him unhurriedly.

The girl surnamed Qiao said it well, pushing the evidence in front of the prisoner, making people speechless, and it is really a pleasant thing to tell the truth obediently.

People like Xue Huai have no need to be punished.

"Or," Zhen Shiyuan looked at him in a long tone, "how are you going to prove that this crossbow bolt used to kill people is not yours?" ”

Xue Huai's lips trembled.

"Also, since you have already been notified by the little guy Kunzhi, why don't you go to the Xu family to report the news immediately?" Zhen Shiyuan was not ready to let him go and give him a chance to breathe, he said, "Today, the official of my Dali Temple torture is not here, because this official is not ready to torture you, if you don't say it, this official will hand you over to the Criminal Department, and I want to come to the Criminal Department to do it for me." ”

Anyway, the yamen of all ministries have been very idle recently, and they have a worry in Dali Temple that they are too idle to worry about being far away on Shanxi Road, and they are too idle to send cases over, and the general yamen does not have such subordinates.

If you are familiar with the laws and criminal laws of Dachu, you don't need to be scared or deceived, you must "know it with emotion and reason", and understand that people know the seriousness of it, and they will naturally explain it obediently.

Zhen Shiyuan raised his hand and yawned, then heard Xue Huai's trembling voice speak.

"I ...... I say. He said.

He said.

That's right!

Zhen Shiyuan nodded, and asked Xue Huai to be taken to the torture cell, if the prisoners were willing to cooperate well, his work in Dali Temple would really be much easier.

When Xue Huai was brought in, Zhen Shiyuan knocked on the table, looked at Xue Huai who was tied to the wooden frame, and said, "Xue Huai, did you kill Kunzhi?" ”

When you ask questions, you always have to ask a topic at the beginning.

The theme of a murder case is naturally whether the person was killed by him.

"It's not." Xue Huai shook his head, then subconsciously bit his lower lip, and after a while, he said, "However, I did hide some things. ”

Zhen Shiyuan crossed his arms, looked at him for a long time and said, "Say it!" ”

Xue Huai looked at him for a moment and lowered his eyes: "What I said before is right, but there are some things that I haven't said." It's true that I went and returned, the four treasures of the study I used fell in Lishan, and seeing that it was still early in the sky, I asked my little servant to go with me again. It's just that when I went, I brought the crossbow arrow of the Guozijian. ”

Of course, it is impossible to go up the mountain with a crossbow and arrow machine for the sake of viewing.

It is normal for people to be teased in public like this, and it is normal for people to have bad thoughts, and sometimes they will do some evil things when they are impulsive.

"I originally took him up the mountain to take advantage of the darkness to see the real thing, and secretly give Yu is Huan who laughed at me in the dark an arrow," Xue Huai said, "Of course, I'm not going to kill him, and I'm not going to shoot him in a critical place, I just want to let him take a shot on the leg and foot to teach him a lesson or something." ”

What is the ...... Zhen Shiyuan raised his eyes, of course he wouldn't believe it, but he wouldn't believe it all.

"Even if you want him to injure his legs and feet, but it's dark and you can't see it real, how can you be sure that you didn't shoot the wrong person? Or maybe it just happened to shoot in the legs and feet, but didn't shoot into the vital point? Zhen Shiyuan asked.

Xue Huai's face turned pale, and his lips trembled: "There is such a thing as face...... I was so angry that I didn't think about it that much at the time. ”

Of course, after taking the crossbow machine up the mountain, he also regretted it.

"After I went up the mountain, they were already in the Que Tower, and there was no one left." Xue Huai said, "I was in a hurry to go up the mountain but pounced, I was in a hurry, so I shot randomly, but I heard someone's 'ouch', I was startled, and I quickly stopped." ”

No matter how impulsive and angry he was, he was just an ordinary scholar, he had never killed anyone, and when he heard someone shouting, he instinctively stopped.

"That person jumped out of the snow, and I recognized that this was the Kun Zhi who indirectly made me lose face during the day, and naturally he didn't have a good face." Xue Huai's face also became ugly as he spoke, "He took a few arrows in his hand that I shot around, and said with a smile Let me help do something, otherwise he will say that I hurt people with crossbow arrows and send me to the government." ”

Zhen Shiyuan frowned when he heard this: "What does Kun Zhi want you to do?" ”

Xue Huai raised his eyes and looked at it, and his face turned pale for a moment.

"He asked me to bring a message to Xufu tomorrow during the day to say that the bridge was broken, and asked the people in Xufu to find someone to help repair the bridge."

What the? Zhen Shiyuan's face changed slightly, and he sat up straight unconsciously, but his years of trial experience made him keenly grasp a few key points: Bai Ri, go to Xu's mansion, and say that the bridge is broken.

This...... Isn't this what Xue Huai did later?

If what Xue Huai said was true, he really did what Kun Zhi asked him to do.

"I was angry when I heard it, he provoked me first, and then used this to threaten me." Xue Huai said, pursed his lips, lowered his eyes and said, "I can't let him report to the official, he is not a descendant of the Xue family, just a successor, if I really report to the official, I will definitely leave the country." ”

This...... Zhen Shiyuan nodded, after asking Lady Xue yesterday, it can be seen that Xue Huai's situation in the Xue family is not good. Once you get into trouble...... Tsk tsk.

Xue Huai, who said this, suddenly took a deep breath, and his expression became subtle about what he was about to say next: "I was angry and angry, and instinctively looked at the bridge, and saw that the bridge was still good and not broken, and he was this hippie smiling face, so he was sure that he was using the identity of the master to bully me, and turned his head and left in a hurry." ”

This was the first time he had gone up the mountain and returned, and obviously, this was not the end, otherwise there would be no follow-up.

He must have come back later.