books44 Chapter 303 Interrogation
Chapter 303 Interrogation
Shen Lan felt that for prisoners like suicide squads, physical torture alone would hardly achieve the desired result; psychological warfare would be the better approach.
But the assassins were almost all orphans, with no ties to them, so even if they had someone they cared about, they couldn't find out who it was.
Therefore, the only thing we can try is a mental attack.
She knew of several types of mental torture, but due to limited resources here, she only tried one of them.
Xiao Ji entered the backyard and saw that the room where the assassins were imprisoned was surrounded by a large black cloth, making it airtight and not letting in any light.
He asked in confusion, "What is this?"
Shen Lan calmly replied, "Wait until he goes crazy. When a person is too calm, they are invincible."
Suiying brought over chairs, and the three of them sat outside and waited patiently.
The house had been surrounded for most of the day, but Shen Lan felt that the time was too short and might not be effective. Perhaps they should come back in three days.
With this assassin's willpower, it's impossible to get him to open his mouth unless he's emotionally broken.
But she overlooked the fact that this was a prisoner who had already been tortured for several days.
His body was in pain every moment, and his nerves were constantly on edge. When he realized there was no light around him, he initially thought he had gone blind.
This is not surprising, as he himself does not know which of his organs are still functioning normally.
After an unknown amount of time, he found himself unable to breathe, his chest felt tight, and he even felt hot.
The wound seemed to be starting to itch, and the pain became more noticeable.
There was no time, no sound; every breath he took was torture, and time seemed to stretch out infinitely.
He thought he had lived for several days and nights, but in reality only a few hours had passed.
He gripped the chain and roared desperately, like a trapped beast making its last struggle.
Xiao Ji hadn't eaten anything at the table; he was now drooling over Shen Lan's roast chicken.
The person inside has been starving for three whole days. If he smells this, he'll go crazy.
Shen Lan made a few slits in the chicken skin, sprinkled on the seasoning, and the aroma became even stronger.
Besides the roasted chicken, a pot of duck soup was hanging over the fire.
In the early hours of the morning, Xiao Ji left the villa, exhausted but excited.
"Bury the body in the back mountain. People will definitely look for us if someone goes missing in Jiufeng Mountain. We went to Yishan Academy that day, so we'll definitely be suspected. We need to speed things up."
On their return journey, Xiao Ji changed his appearance, dressed in plain clothes, and pretended to be a young couple from the countryside selling vegetables in the city with Shen Lan, riding in an oxcart.
"That's Tong family territory, protected by the Crown Prince and the Empress. How could you possibly touch it?"
"Let's try sending the message to the Imperial City Guard first. They've just finished showing off their power and are at their most arrogant. I also want to know if they dare to tell the Emperor after receiving this message."
"What if they dare not? Or what if the Emperor doesn't care?"
"Then we'll have no choice but to make a big deal out of the imperial examination cheating scandal."
Shen Lan didn't quite agree.
"The imperial examination fraud case goes back too far, and countless officials in the court are involved, some of whom may have already held high positions. You've put yourself in the eye of the storm."
Shen Lan pondered, “The Emperor doesn’t care whether his ministers are good or not; what he cares about is who these ministers came to him through.”
A case of cheating is more likely to arouse the Emperor's suspicion of the Tong family than a case of assassination.
Therefore, Shen Lan suggested that these two matters could be revealed to the Emperor at the same time.
However, whether or not to go through the Imperial City Guard depends on one thing: the extent of Commander Zhao's loyalty to the Emperor.
"What if he's one of the Crown Prince's men? If we do this, we'll just be walking into a trap."
Xiao Ji wholeheartedly agreed, "Then we'll have to ask him out for a proper chat."
Perfect timing! He had a perfect excuse to meet with Commander Zhao.
Xiao Ji entered the city smoothly, strolled around the market, sold half of his fruits and vegetables, and then drove his oxcart to the back gate of the Xiao residence.
After a while, a different couple came out and drove the oxcart away.
After a while, Xiao Ji, dressed in his new official robes, walked out of the Xiao family home and got into a sedan chair.
All the officials of the Judicial Commissioner arrived early today.
"I knew this kid was no ordinary person, but I never expected him to surpass us in less than a year after returning to the capital."
"Don't you even know his surname? Even if he's incompetent, the Xiao family can still promote someone if they want to."
"That's different. He was personally promoted by the Emperor, so he has a long road ahead of him."
"I originally thought that he had offended Minister Zhao and would definitely be severely suppressed in the short term, but I didn't expect that he would be fine and even have a smooth career."
"So there's no need to be jealous. Lord Chu also said that no one in our Criminal Investigation Department can outshine him."
Rather than going against the newly appointed leader, we might as well cooperate; we might even benefit from it.
Everyone glanced at Magistrate Xu, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Before Xiao Ji returned, the Chief Justice was mainly led by Magistrate Xu, and he had been working hard to get that position, but unfortunately, no amount of effort could compare to talent.
"coming."
When an official saw Xiao Ji alight from his sedan chair outside the yamen, he hurriedly straightened his official robes and hat and ran to the door to greet him.
"Your humble servant greets Chief Judge Xiao. Your cell has been prepared. Please see if there is anything missing."
"Lord Xiao, the Jingzhao Prefecture just sent over two cases, but I thought they were not under the jurisdiction of our Criminal Investigation Department, so I returned them."
"My lord, would you prefer Longjing or Tieguanyin? I'll brew you some."
A group of officials escorted Xiao Ji inside, while Magistrate Xu walked behind, looking sullen.
An official who was on good terms with him whispered his advice: "Brother Xu, don't be sad. It's hard to predict a person's fortune. Today you may be riding high, but tomorrow you may fall from grace."
Judge Xu calmly said, "He deserves it. Do you think I'm not satisfied?"
He followed the crowd inside, though he couldn't help feeling worried.
He and Xiao Ji were not on good terms. Now that he has taken office, will he take this opportunity to sideline Xiao Ji?
"Gentlemen, I am young and still unfamiliar with many things in officialdom. I would appreciate your guidance."
Everyone quickly replied, "You're too kind, sir."
"Then I urge everyone to perform their duties. If anyone is found to be a licentious official, neglecting their post, or engaging in embezzlement, I will not tolerate it!"
"I will heed your teachings!"
"Judge Xu," Xiao Ji called out.
Xu Yingwen sensed something was wrong and walked over with a sullen face.
"You are a veteran of the Criminal Investigation Department and are most familiar with the case files from the past ten years. Please assist me in reviewing the cult case files from fifteen years ago and find all the people involved in the cult."
Magistrate Xu was displeased, feeling that such a trivial matter could be handled by any minor official, while he was, after all, the chief official in charge of major cases.
"If you are looking for the files, you should ask Lord Chen. He is in charge of guarding the storeroom."
Xiao Ji waved to the others, "Everyone, please go out first. I have something to say to Lord Xu."
"Yes, I am resigning."