manynovel Chapter 650: Personal Punishment
Chapter 650: Personal Punishment
"How is it? Did you gain anything?" Zhu Zhimin asked.
He observed Jiang Youzhen's expression carefully, trying to find some clues from her face.
Jiang Youzhen shook his head. "Perhaps we can start with the clue of the Northern Ming Dynasty's high priest. Even if we don't find any remnants of the previous dynasty, there is solid evidence that he collaborated with the enemy and betrayed his country."
"Jiang Xiuzhuan, the interrogation will be handed over to you. I will go to the emperor in person to report to him."
Zhu Zhimin's eyes flickered. Now that he had found so much evidence, he couldn't wait to go to the emperor to take credit.
Ah? Jiang Youzhen glanced at the half-dead Huang Mintao in the inner room. Did he just leave him to himself?
"Wait a minute! Lord Zhu, the criminals are also important. However, the Huang family, who are currently blocking Jin Province, is also the top priority. The Huang family used to be engaged in business for generations, and they are also engaged in graphite. I believe they are very wealthy. Maybe those rebels rely on the Huang family's supply to make a comeback. Search them as soon as possible to prevent the news from leaking out and letting them escape."
Zhu Zhimin agreed deeply with what he said and wanted to fly to the palace immediately to report to the emperor.
He left in a hurry, but Jiang Youzhen cast his gaze at Huang Mintao who had already fainted, and couldn't help but smile.
Walking into the inner room, the jailer saw Jiang Youzhen coming and stood there respectfully.
"Throw water on him to wake him up!" Jiang Youzhen said coldly.
The jailer hesitated for a moment, "Master Jiang, do you want to keep beating him? He seems unable to hold on any longer. If he dies, we..."
These little yamen runners can't afford to take on this responsibility! This is an important prisoner.
"Before Lord Zhu left, he asked me to interrogate you. What? Can't I order you around?" Jiang Youzhen's face turned cold.
The jailer shuddered when he saw Jiang Youzhen's sudden change of expression.
He kept saying he didn't dare, and then asked someone to pour water on Huang Mintao to wake him up.
Huang Mintao woke up slowly, opened his blurry eyes, and when he saw that it was Jiang Youzhen, he smiled silently.
"Just convict me like this! Don't you just want me to be convicted of colluding with the remnants of the previous dynasty? Torturing me into confessing is exactly what you want. Anyway, it doesn't matter whether I am a remnant of the previous dynasty or not, as long as the result is good."
He coughed a few times and said, "Use my life to get promoted and make money! The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. I lose, I admit it!"
"So what you mean is that you really attacked me because you were jealous of me?" Jiang Youzhen sneered.
Huang Mintao snorted, "I can see that the emperor and the princes value you. If they don't take action against you, then the next person to be promoted will definitely not be me. I'd better plot against you as soon as possible, otherwise, when you have established your foothold, what will I have to do with you?"
Jiang Youzhen smiled and shook his head, "Do you think I believe you? If so, then isn't the previous incident with Master Zong Heng an opportunity? Why didn't you do it?"
Huang Mintao coughed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "How do you know I didn't do it? I planned to do it for him, but it's a pity that I ended up doing it for someone else. Kong Chengling has a backer, and I was surprised when the Ministry of Personnel appointed him. All my previous efforts have gone down the drain."
He said with some difficulty, "If you don't believe me, go investigate and you will know whether what I said is true or not."
"Do you know what the highest level of lies is?" Jiang Youzhen suddenly asked.
Huang Mintao was stunned, and then heard Jiang Youzhen say: "It's a mixture of truth and falsehood. What you said should be true, but your purpose is not just that. It can also be said that you are not doing it for yourself, but under the instructions of others."
"We found the family emblem of the Northern Ming High Priest family in your mansion, as well as the military tokens of the previous dynasty, and even the correspondence between you and the rebels. You said you were just jealous of me, but who do you think would believe it? Lord Zhu? Or the Emperor? Or the civil and military officials?"
Huang Mintao's eyes widened in astonishment. "What military token? What clan emblem?"
"Are you still going to resist?" Jiang Youzhen observed his expression carefully and found that his shock did not seem fake.
"I don't know!" He lowered his head, but a storm of emotions surged in his heart.
"That is to say, your accomplices put these things in your house, and you didn't know about it. They are going to abandon you. Do you still want to work for them?"
Jiang Youzhen and Huang Mintao both understood that the letters should have appeared in Jiang Youzhen's house, and Huang Mintao quickly figured out the whole story.
He took a deep breath and said, "I only know about the letter. It was written to frame you. As for why it appeared in my house, I have to ask you."
"Then what are you still resisting? They have hurt you so much."
Jiang Youzhen was surprised that the other party was still resisting until now. She believed that Huang Mintao really didn't know about the military token and the command token.
Huang Mintao's official position is not that important. Although she is a close minister to the emperor, there are so many officials in the Hanlin Academy. She thinks the emperor doesn't treat Huang Mintao any differently and doesn't summon her often. What's the use of it?
"I don't know. You can kill me or chop me up, it's all up to you!" Unexpectedly, after the initial shock, Huang Mintao actually closed his eyes tightly, his expression even more resolute than before.
"If you have any concerns, you can tell me." Jiang Youzhen asked unwillingly.
However, Huang Mintao had chosen to remain silent. Jiang Youzhen sighed, "Put him down!"
"Ah? This?" The prison boss was very confused and a little hesitant.
"Put it down!"
When the jailer heard Jiang Youzhen say this, he had no choice but to do as he was told.
"Put it on the bench and tie it up."
The prison bosses didn't know what Jiang Youzhen was going to do, but it was obvious that they didn't want to let Huang Mintao go.
"It's useless. Don't waste your energy. I won't tell you." Huang Mintao was lying on the bench, taking a rare moment to catch his breath.
"Do you know that sometimes it is not the physical pain that destroys a person, but the collapse of his will?"
Jiang Youzhen smiled and said, "Take a deep breath now! You won't have the chance later."
"Go get some mulberry paper!"
The jailers were completely confused, but they did as they were told and soon the mulberry paper was brought.
"Put the paper on his face one by one. Sprinkle a layer of water on each piece. Make sure the water soaks the paper thoroughly. Repeat this process."
Because Huang Mintao's body could no longer withstand the torture and he would really die if he continued to be beaten, Jiang Youzhen could only try this method reluctantly.
However, judging from what the jailers said, it seems that this dynasty had not yet developed such a punishment.
The jailers immediately did as they were told and covered the first sheet first. After sprinkling water on it, it was obvious that Huang Mintao's breathing became heavier.
The jailer's eyes lit up and he understood Jiang Youzhen's intention.
Without Jiang Youzhen's instructions, Huang Mintao covered three sheets in a row. At this time, his breathing was already very heavy.
Seeing that Jiang Youzhen still had no intention of saying anything, the jailer ordered him to continue.
Huang Mintao was already feeling very uncomfortable, and by the fifth picture, his head was shaking all over the place. Seeing this, the jailer immediately sent another person to hold his head down.
Until the sixth floor, Huang Mintao felt dizzy and terrified, and his consciousness gradually became blurred.