After taking the man back to Dongchang, Cao Huachun interrogated him overnight. Chen Luqian and Zhang Hanru, relying on Wen Tiren's backing, gritted their teeth and refused to confess.
Seeing this, Cao Huachun sneered. Knowing that there was no need to be cruel, the two men refused to fight, so he shouted: "How dare you speak harshly when you get here, and I won't let you learn how to punish me? How can I be willing to spit? Come here, give me a real beating!"
Four lieutenants wearing tight-sleeved clothes came up from the hall, each holding a wooden stick as thick as a wrist. They were majestic and murderous. They first took off Chen Luqian's clothes, pushed them to the ground, and put on a linen bag. The arms and back were tied tightly together, unable to move at all. Only the mouth and nose were exposed to breathe, and then the feet were tied. Two Jinyi guards held them down, one Jinyi guard held down both arms, and another Jin Yiwei was riding on his neck, his head held between his legs.
The two Jinyi guards each had a wooden stick, saluted upward and said: "Master Governor, how many blows can you give me?"
"Forty more strikes."
With a shout, two big sticks were swung down alternately, and the three of them couldn't help but scream in unison.
"Bit on the chew!"
Jin Yiwei each inserted a leather strip about two fingers wide into the mouths of the three of them and tied it tightly behind their heads. No matter how much the three of them shouted, they could not make any sound.
"Change the stick!"
According to the rules, if you change people every ten sticks, you are afraid that your strength will be insufficient and the sticks will be damaged. After more than ten sticks, the skin and flesh of the three people have been torn, and the blood has stained the cloth pants red.
Chen Luqian watched his son and himself being tortured. He was half a century old and had only one son under his knees. Once the attack was severe, the Chen family's incense would be cut off. He shook his head desperately and wanted to say goodbye. The Jin Yiwei sitting on his neck thought that He struggled hard and clamped his head hard with his legs. Chen Luqian fainted immediately.
After forty beatings with sticks, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and all three of them fainted. Jin Yiwei sprayed cold water on the three of them to wake them up, and Cao Huachun asked: "Do you want to attack?"
Chen Luqian begged: "I'll recruit him, I'll recruit him! Please let me know God's grace. It's all done by Zhang Hanru and I. It has nothing to do with my son. Please let me go!"
"Wu Gan? We clearly saw the three of you conspiring together, how can we say it's Wu Gan!" Cao Huachun slapped the table with a stern expression.
Zhang Hanru opened his eyes and cursed viciously: "Old Chen, don't talk nonsense. After so much hard work, now that something big is about to happen, you mustn't let your bones soften and see that your wealth has been wasted."
Wang Zhixin left his seat, walked up to Zhang Hanru, and ordered: "Pull up!"
Two Jin Yi guards took Zhang Hanru's arms and pulled him to sit on the ground. They had just beaten his buttocks to a pulp. How could he sit down? Zhang Hanru wailed, and cold sweat rolled down his forehead. He gritted his teeth to support himself. Wang Zhixin nodded and said: "Okay. You are a tough man! But you have wasted your efforts. Dongchang always arrests people under secret orders. When Mr. Wen Ge finds out, he may not come to save you. Even if he does, I'm afraid it will be too late. If there is any wealth and wealth, it will be too late. , how can three dead people enjoy it? You'd better be smarter!"
Cao Huachun raised the manuscript paper in his hand, patted the piece of Gebu on the table, and said: "Now that everyone has obtained the stolen goods, even if you don't recruit, we can still finalize the case. We don't need any other method, we will just combine this draft with Gebu As soon as you send them to Wen Mansion, Mr. Wen Ge will definitely want to be exonerated, why should we take action, he will definitely not spare you."
The two sang in harmony, making Zhang Hanru's face turned pale and silent. Wang Zhixin shouted: "Mr. Factory, there is no need to talk to these people. Just beat them to death with a stick. A person who dies in the East Factory is not as dead as an ant." .Put him down and see how long he lasts?"
The two Jinyi guards let go of Zhang Hanru's arms. Zhang Hanru leaned on the ground, blood dripping from his buttocks. He breathed for a moment, closed his eyes and said, "I'm sorry, Chen Luqian and I did this together. We didn't think about it." To impeach Qian Qianyi, the first person to sue was Chen Luqian's cousin, the governor of Henan, Chen Biqian. He thought that the memorial would have to be sent to the cabinet through the General Affairs Department, and it would pass through the hands of Mr. Wen Ge. He also had deep grudges with Qian Qianyi and Qu Shichu. Chen Luqian I also had some issues with them, so I added them. When Mr. Wen Ge saw it, he actually checked Chen Biqian off, and only gave away the money for participating in the performance, and Qu and two others."
"Why sue Chen Biqian?"
Chen Luqian replied: "He is my cousin. I used his name to do some things. Unexpectedly, when he heard about it, he became very angry and posted a notice saying that he had nothing to do with what I did. I went to ask for a meeting, and he also ordered The concierge is not allowed to report it, and the relatives are not recognized. It is so hateful!"
Cao Huachun thought to himself: They are brothers of the same family. They have a deep blood relationship. They don't get along with each other. They come to Beijing to file a complaint. How vicious-hearted they are. Such a villain must not be allowed to live! He made up his mind and asked: "What about the anonymous posting?" What's going on?"
"That was my idea. I wrote an anonymous post and asked a friend, Wang Fan, to send it to the General Administration Department, saying that Qian Qianyi used 40,000 taels of silver to ask Zhou Yingbi to ask for help from my father-in-law. Wen Ge Lao got the post and wrote it overnight. I folded it secretly and presented it to the emperor together."
"So, this matter was controlled by Mr. Wen Ge from beginning to end?"
"Without his support, how could we have such courage!" Chen Luqian signed his monogram on the confession.
Cao Huachun and other sons of Zhang Hanru and Chen Luqian all drew monograms and shouted: "Strike another sixty sticks and put up the yoke!"
The three of them were stunned after hearing this. It was lucky to be able to survive with a hundred sticks. If they were put on a yoke weighing two to three hundred kilograms, they would have no health.
The standing yoke was created during the Wanli period of Shenzong and was a torture instrument exclusively used by Dongchang and Jinyiwei. When Wei Zhongxian was the admiral of Dongchang, Li Yongzhen heard that Lai Junchen, a famous ruthless official in the Tang Dynasty, had made ten kinds of big yongs with extremely unique names: One said: " The second one is "cannot breathe", the third one is "sudden roar", the fourth one is "it is inherited", the fifth one is "lost soul and courage", the sixth one is "the same but the opposite is true", the seventh one is "the reverse is true" , the eighth said "dead pig sorrow", the ninth said "ask for death", and the tenth said "ask for broken family". He found the images of these ten kinds of big shackles in the inner palace collection, and made one hundred, two hundred and three hundred copies. It is a third-class standing yoke that weighs 100 kilograms. This kind of yoke is long in front and short in back. The long end touches the ground. The prisoner's neck is shackled, and the body can only stand there for support. It is impossible to kneel or sit.
If the yoke is used, most prisoners will die within a day. If they are lucky enough to survive, the prison captain will lower the yoke three inches. The prisoner can only slightly bend his legs and barely support himself. His legs are weak and he will be strangled to death. No matter what. What an arrogant and cruel traitor, his expression changed when he heard the name of the yoke. The three of them had been beaten until their legs were about to break, and they still had the strength to stand. As soon as the yoke was lifted, they died immediately. Cao Huachun snorted coldly. , put the confession in his sleeve and hurried into the palace.
........
Wen Mansion, at noon, Wen Tiren sat alone and had a drink, leisurely. On the table were several famous dishes just delivered by Longshengxuan. He tasted them slowly and drank the amber Huadiao wine. The aroma of the wine and food filled the room. .Suddenly, the servant came in and reported: "Someone is coming from the palace."
"Please come quickly!" Before Wen Tiren could stand up, Ma Yuancheng stepped in and said with cupped hands: "Is Prime Minister Wen in good health? Congratulations to Mr. Prime Minister."
"What am I happy about? Is it considered happy that the emperor's order is to retain him?" Wen Tiren was so surprised that he couldn't figure out what he meant. He sat blankly on the chair with his chopsticks and watched Ma Yuancheng unroll a roll of paper. He recognized it at a glance. It was the begging note that he wrote in his own hand to avoid suspicion.
Ma Yuancheng said with a smile: "Long live the Lord's approval of the Prime Minister's plan, and the Prime Minister can return to his hometown to take care of himself. Isn't this a joy?"
"What, did the emperor approve it, or did Zhang Zhifa make it up on his own?" Wen Tiren's hands were trembling, his face was panicked, and a pair of chopsticks fell to the ground. Zhang Zhifa was recommended to the cabinet by himself. He was a coward by nature and would never take the opportunity to add insult to injury. .
"The prime minister has a look at his house. The seals from Mr. Long Live and Mr. Zhang Ge's draft are all on them. They are all clear. Mr. Long Live told the Prime Minister to take a look at them and then take them back."
Wen Tiren picked up the folder and looked at it hurriedly. He glanced at the hundreds of words of flattery and praise drafted by Zhang Zhifa. Finally, his eyes fell on the three large vermilion characters: "Let him go." The ink was dripping, the writing was smooth, and it was written in one go. Wen Tiren seemed to see Chongzhen's angry face and disdainful expression, and knew that his love was irreversible. He murmured to himself: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." He fell to the ground with tears streaming down his face.