After the fat eunuch surnamed Liu persuaded Fang Minzhong to persuade his daughter, he thought that everything was solved, and the fat eunuch also overheard when their father and daughter were talking just now, and Fang Minzhong had indeed successfully persuaded his daughter to cooperate with Dongchang.

But as soon as Fang Minzhong left, the fat eunuch was dumbfounded again, and he asked Fang Suwan for the third time: "Are you willing to do what our family says?" ”

Fang Suwan hesitated for a long time and then shook his head.

The fat eunuch was already mad and shouted, "Are you sick in the brain!" Didn't you promise your father to cooperate with our family just now? ”

Fang Suwan said in her heart, my father was not forced by you, and it didn't hurt my father if I didn't cooperate, and she didn't want to hurt anyone, what Fang just said to her father was just to comfort him, she did that kind of thing, even if she survived, it would only become a shame for the family. So she just fell silent.

"You ......" The fat eunuch thought that this was a naked provocation, he felt that he was humiliated, despised, and his dignity was trampled on, he laughed angrily, gave a cold thumbs up, and said with a dry smile: "Okay, very good, it seems that you have no fear, thinking that our family will not dare to do anything to you." Don't forget what we said to you earlier! Toast without eating and drinking, we will let you see what kind of place the East Factory is! Come! ”

The door was pushed open, and the two eunuchs bowed down and said, "What does Gong Liu command?" ”

"Send her to our family to the women's prison, and our family will personally interrogate this girl!"

When the eunuchs heard this, they immediately walked up, but they didn't move Fang Suwan, and only said gloomily: "Miss Fang, come with us." ”

A group of people went down the stone staircase, the more they walked, the more cold they became, and when they finished walking the stone staircase, the light had become very dim, and the light inside was impermeable to the wind and light, and the lamps with torches in the extremely dark space seemed to be green and faint cold light, weird and terrifying. A faint stench that could not be eliminated suddenly rushed towards the face, like the smell of dead rats in a corner. There was an occasional scream in the air, and then it fell silent again, is this hell on earth? Fang Suwan had naturally never seen such a place, her heart was fluttering, and her fear was emerging little by little.

The cells in Dongchang are different from ordinary cells, there are no wooden railings, no large prisons, all small and individual cells, closed on all sides, and you can't see the inside at all. In fact, those who can enter here are not ordinary people, and ordinary people are not qualified at all.

Along the narrow and dark corridor, the group walked to the innermost, only to see a relatively large cell in front, there are two large pots of fiery red charcoal, the iron tools placed in the charcoal have been burned red, chilling, there are all kinds of torture instruments hanging on the wall, there are also some large torture instruments placed in the cell, there are unclean blood stains on the wall and on the ground, if there are really ghosts in this world, then how many unjust souls should be here.

The fat eunuch paid attention to Fang Suwan's expression, only to see that she was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she immediately smiled with satisfaction: "Don't blame our family for not reminding you, this is not a place for people to stay, our family has been in Dongchang for so many years, and it is rarely willing to interrogate criminals in person." You promise that it's still too late for our family to suffer from flesh and skin, but in fact you don't need to insist on it at all. ”

Fang Suwan observed the various torture instruments, guessing their respective uses, but her face was expressionless.

Seeing that Fang Suwan didn't respond, the fat eunuch said, "Our family is suddenly very interested, how long can you hold on!" ”

"Let's do it. Let her taste the hanging first. The fat eunuch said very familiarly. The little eunuch next to her immediately grabbed Fang Suwan and first shackled her hands and feet, and then the eunuchs suspended Fang Suwan's body, only letting her two toes barely touch the ground, and the ground was sharp nails.

In less than half a burnt of incense, Fang Suwan was sweating profusely, trembling all over, and in pain. A woman's delicate feet are sensitive and fragile, how long can she support her whole body with only her toes, but she does not dare to relax herself, because there are only two thin hemp ropes hanging from her, and as soon as her body falls, she suffers unbearable pain.

Fang Suwan's teeth were chattering, her forehead was sweating, she couldn't hold on a little, and her legs trembled as if they were about to fall apart. This kind of criminal law also saves time, and it will not take long for the prisoner to endure it.

"How's it going?" Gonggong Liu sneered and gave the eunuch next to him a look. The eunuchs quietly walked up to her, ready to watch out for her body to be scrapped, and their purpose was not to hurt the prisoner to any extent, but to get her to agree to cooperate.

When Fang Suwan endured it to the limit, she already felt light and fluttering, as if her soul had gone out of her body. The veins in her neck swelled, she was sweating profusely, and the pain caused her to scream in order to relieve the pressure on her toes......

After enduring several cruel criminal laws, after tossing for a long time, Fang Suwan was already covered in bruises. However, Liu Gonggong is still merciful, and most of these injuries can be recovered, such as when using whipping, it is to draw specific parts, which is the most painful criminal law, and there is no worry about leaving scars and causing obvious damage.

Fang Suwan lay on the ground half-dead, except for the remaining breath, she was completely unconscious, even if she took cold water to flush, it was useless, and she had more air out and less air intake, so she probably wouldn't survive.

Gonggong Liu has gained a lot of knowledge today, this woman can endure more than any martyr, and she would rather die than the most upright minister. There are no surprises in this world, and there really is such a kind of person.

The eunuch next to him looked at Gonggong Liu depressedly: "Gonggong Liu, what should I do, touch her again, it is estimated that she will die immediately." ”

"What else can I do? Even if you are tortured again, will she still be able to speak? Father-in-law Liu was very angry, "I took the confession and pressed it with her hand." ”

"That's all there is to it."

Gonggong Liu took the confession to the celebrant and found Wei Zhongxian. When Wei Zhongxian saw him, he half-squinted his eyes and muttered an indistinct sentence from his throat: "Is the matter done?" ”

Gonggong Liu fell to his knees with a thud, and said with a sad face: "There is no problem with anything, but Fang Suwan's woman is unwilling to cooperate with us, both soft and hard are used, and only one confession is obtained, please take a look at it." ”

Wei Zhongxian took the confession in amazement, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it twice: "What is the use of this thing?" It's not a public confession in the public court, and you can press it by catching the prisoner's hand, what's the use, ah? You can't do that? ”

"Gong Wei, the slave maid first found Fang Minzhong and persuaded her with the love of father and daughter, she agreed at first, but she immediately regretted it after turning her back! As long as the slave maid tortures her, the slave maid has worked in Dongchang Prison for more than ten years, and torture criminals is the best job, but I didn't expect to meet such a person, and now she has one breath left, and she will probably have to finish playing with her life, and she refuses to agree to cooperate. The slave has thought about everything, it's really ......"

Wei Zhongxian pulled the horse's face and said, "I don't let go of my mouth when I have one breath left, why?" What's going on in the court, what's her business! Why didn't she let go? ”

Gonggong Liu knelt on the ground and cried with a sad face: "The slave and maid don't know, Fang Suwan neither begs for mercy, nor lets go, and is not afraid of death, what else can the slave and maid do, the slave and maid are really dumb and eat Coptis chinensis, and they can't say anything about their suffering, Fang Minzhong, this old guy is very knowledgeable about current affairs, and if the slave and maid go down in a few words, he will almost not call his father...... Could it be that this little girl was in Zhang Wen's mansion that night, moved her spring heart, and died to Zhang Wen? Zhang asked this guy who has grown a good skin and read a lot of scriptures, where can a little girl who has no experience in personnel can withstand it......"

"Fart!" Wei Zhongxian said angrily.

"Yes, yes, the slave farts, the slave should be beaten...... Wei Gong, there is only one way to do it now. ”

"Then you don't want to say it quickly?"

Gonggong Liu thought for a while and said, "Wouldn't it be okay to revise the confession and let Fang Minzhong be a witness?" That little girl has been tortured by the slave and maid and bruised all over her body, those injuries are evidence, just say that Zhang Wen did it, and Fang Minzhong is a witness, and the human and material evidence is there, so he can still be convicted of Zhang Wen! ”

Wei Zhongxian said: "Zhang Wen is a third-grade official, if he wants to be convicted, he has to go through all the scenes, and he doesn't need to be tried by three judicial parties, can he be justified?" ”

"The person involved is now half-dead, I'm afraid he will have to talk for a long time, let's arrange a good person, finalize the case as soon as possible, and still disgust him for a while."

Wei Zhongxian thought about it and said, "This is okay, you can try." ”

At this moment, a eunuch said cautiously at the door: "Old Ancestor, Gu Ge Lao asks to see." ”

"Let him in."

After a while, the cabinet assistant Gu Bingyi hurriedly walked in, in front of Wei Zhongxian, this minister is indeed more dignified than those eunuchs, Gu Bingyao is holding his head high, his spirit is magnificent, and a serious face full of justice makes him look very personable, although he also has to listen to Wei Zhongxian, but there is no need to lower his voice on the scene, let alone kneel like Gonggong Liu. Gu Bingyao only cares about the emperor, which is also the dignity of the first minister. I think that in the Ming Dynasty, the highest goal of a scholar was to be the first assistant of the cabinet and show his ambitions, but now at this time, many ministers who really have such a mind and qualifications are not willing to sit in this position at all. This is probably one of the signs of the decline of the Ming Empire.

"Duke Wei, the old man just heard that Duke Wei is going to use Fang Minzhong's matter to move Zhang to ask?"

Wei Zhongxian said: "Yes, the horse has a hoof, and the man has made a mistake, and this question is not a sage, he actually left an official's daughter at home, and it was forcibly taken away from Fang Minzhong's eyes!" This kind of thing, don't let him go around without eating, how long will he stay? ”

Gu Bingyao hurriedly said: "Duke Wei, you must stop!" We want Zhang Wen to be in charge of the military department, and his age has already made the world criticized! At this time, you poured dirty water on Zhang Wen's head, and he was criticized by the courtiers, can you still let him sit in the position of the secretary of the military department? Even if we let him sit on it, our intentions are not too obvious! ”

Wei Zhongxian sneered: "Elder Gu Ge, do you really want him to be a scholar?" It's too risky! Jianyu is still thousands of miles away, who knows if they will come, and when? Let's wait for the collusion with Wang Tiqian, surnamed Zhang, to argue with us? ”

Gu Bingyao scolded in his heart, illiteracy is illiterate, he has no vision at all, Lao Tzu is really bad for eighteen lifetimes with you.

But Gu Bingyao can't show it, he is called the first assistant of the cabinet, but if it weren't for Wei Zhongxian's contribution from it, how could he be qualified to be the first assistant? Besides, with Wei Zhongxian's henchmen, do you have the capital to argue with him? The current cabinet chief assistant is not comparable to the previous cabinet chief assistant, the former cabinet chief assistant, who is fully qualified to compete with the internal minister, that is, the eunuch who holds the seal of the master of ceremonies, and now at this moment, after a turmoil in the court, it is no longer what it used to be.

Gu Bingyao had to persuade bitterly: "The old man thinks that Zhang Wen's move is simply a temptation, if you continue to do this, all the chess moves in our hands will be guessed by others, and we will be passive everywhere, how can this game be broken?" ”

Wei Zhongxian shook his head: "Elder Gu Ge, what you said is too mysterious, Zhang Wen will not discredit himself like this unless he has a problem with his brain, isn't being an official just pursuing a reputation and waiting for a position?" ”

Gu Bingyao said in his heart, who is an official, who is not thicker than the city wall, he won't care about these messy plantings at all, if he really wants to be so cheeky, his political enemies are disgusting, so why don't he go to find a place to die?

But Gu Bingyao can't say that, because he is also an official, and he said that he was not a gentleman.

"Alas......" Gu Bingyao sighed helplessly and said, "What is Gong Wei going to do with this?" Even if there is evidence, what crime can you ask him? In the end, it's not for the emperor to make a decision, an official like him who has just returned from a victory, and it's such a trivial matter, most of the emperor will be gracious and fall lightly, and it is very difficult to be demoted. ”

Wei Zhongxian said coldly: "Whoever makes our family unhappy, our family will definitely make him unhappy all the time!" Go to the sharpness and limelight of this guy first, and then let people make a big splash and become notorious, so that everyone can see what the surname Zhang is! ”

Gu Bingyi glanced at Wei Zhongxian, and felt that persuasion could not come back, so he said: "Since Duke Wei is determined to do so, we have to think of another way...... In short, this black cauldron has to be shaken out, otherwise we won't be able to account to the emperor, to the relatives of the Beijing Master, and the people of the city! At that time, everyone was not just watching jokes! ”

Wei Zhongxian said: "Cheng, it's not impossible for this to happen, we have to plan early." ”