As a result, when the one-eyed jailer was asked to reveal who was behind the scenes, the other party showed hesitation. It seemed that there was some difficulty?
Seeing the one-eyed jailer like this made Zhang Jiujiu angry, so Zhang Jiujiu slapped the one-eyed jailer twice on the face and cursed: "What the hell is going on with you little guy?
The adults are asking you something, if you know anything, tell me immediately!"
No wonder Zhang Jiujiu was so excited. The jailer under his jurisdiction actually teamed up with others to do something detrimental to Muchuan.
Zhang Jiujiu was afraid that he would be implicated by the one-eyed jailer, so he showed a loyal and indignant look.
Muchuan could naturally see what Zhang Jiujiu was thinking, but even if Zhang Jiujiu wanted to behave, he had to behave normally, right?
But you must know that although Zhang Jiujiu is thin, he can strike very hard. He just kicked the one-eyed jailer a few times, which caused his internal organs to rupture and the corners of his mouth to bleed.
Muchuan waved his hand to ask Zhang Jiujiu to calm down. Even if he wanted to interrogate the one-eyed jailer, he had to be careful, otherwise the one-eyed jailer would die if the information was not revealed.
The one-eyed jailer was lying on the ground like a maggot, his face was pale and his strength was weak. At this time, he opened his mouth and said with sincerity and fear: "Sir... I deserve to die. I don't know who that person is."
"you do not know?"
"My subordinates really don't know!"
According to the one-eyed jailer, the person he was trading with was a man wearing linen clothes that could be seen everywhere on the street, with a hat and a veil, and his identity was mysterious. For this reason, he didn't know who the other person was or what he looked like.
As for the reason why the one-eyed jailer poisoned the other party, it was also simple. The other party was very brave and gave him a full twenty taels of gold, and the person he was poisoning this time was a death row inmate. For this reason, he agreed without any worries.
Helpful.
Now kneeling on the ground, the one-eyed jailer kowtowed to Muchuan repeatedly, with blood dripping from his forehead.
"My lord, have mercy on me, my lord, please have mercy on me... I was so obsessed with this villain that I could do such a ridiculous thing! I hope you will spare my life, my lord!"
Although the one-eyed jailer said so, Muchuan could not spare the other party. After all, if the other party had not poisoned the three prisoners, he might have been able to find clues and follow the clues to find out the mastermind behind the scenes.
Muchuan waved his sleeves and snorted coldly: "Master Zhang, act according to the law."
"Yes, Lord Muchuan."
Zhang Jiujiu puffed out his chest and shouted majestically, "Someone, pull this guy down and chop him down."
The one-eyed jailer knelt down and begged for mercy, struggling and wailing, his voice sounding like a mourning heir.
Muchuan himself was also shocked. Is this law so heavy?
Just behead him?
Although Muchuan knew that Li Shimin promulgated severe punishment laws in the early Tang Dynasty in order to ensure the stability of the country, it was not so severe, right?
He thought that he would be fine just by beating up the one-eyed jailer and imprisoning him for a few years.
"Hey, Master Zhang, are you sure you are acting in accordance with the law?"
"Yes, Master Mu, I act in accordance with the laws of this dynasty. Public officials who accept bribes and do illegal things should be beheaded if they are not compensated by their merits."
"It's so serious..." Muchuan's face turned stiff.
As for the one-eyed jailer, he has been dragged out by other officials and is sharpening his knife at pigs and sheep. Now he is like a pig and sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
Muchuan knew that the law was strict, but he did not want anyone to suffer because of him. With a wave of his hand, he canceled the one-eyed jailer's death sentence and instead commuted the sentence to one year in prison and thirty battles.
Zhang Jiujiu was shocked when he heard Muchuan's change of sentence: "Sir... Sir, I'm afraid this is inappropriate."
Although Muchuan is the third-rank Minister of Household Affairs and has very high authority, he cannot act in violation of the law at will.
But the one-eyed jailer was very grateful, his eyes were shining, and he knelt on the ground and kept shouting: "Thank you, Sir, thank you, Sir Muchuan!"
In fact, how could Muchuan not know that the law cannot be changed easily, even if he has the right, so Muchuan put a condition to the one-eyed jailer.
If you want to avoid the death penalty, you have to perform meritorious service. Now the one-eyed jailer is searching to find out the identity of the "mastermind behind the scenes". If he can provide clues, the sentence can be changed. If he can directly catch the mastermind behind the scenes, the punishment will be waived.
.
It turned out that Muchuan's "change of sentence" was conditional, and everyone around him was convinced. His change suddenly became reasonable and reasonable.
But it was Zhang Jiujiu who reminded him, "Sir, according to your statement, doesn't it mean that the jailer should be released?
It would be bad if he ran away."
"It's okay. I'll use my family as a guarantee. If I run away, I'll be attacked."
It is actually the most shameful thing to threaten one's family members, but ancient people were most fond of this method. After all, the ancients emphasized loyalty and filial piety, and would rather die than have their family members implicated. For this reason, making family members "sitting together" is the most effective punishment.
The one-eyed jailer did not dare to do evil. Although he committed adultery and criminal acts, he was also a person who upheld filial piety. He nodded in fear and assured: "The villain will definitely fulfill his mission and make amends for his mistakes."
"very good."
As the sun sets in the evening, wisps of golden light cast down from the sky. The number of people on the streets of Chang'an City gradually dwindles, and the people are all walking home.
A carriage was passing slowly on the street, and the sound of horse hooves was "tapping".
Muchuan was sitting in the carriage, leaning on the wooden board at the back and taking a nap. After all, he had gotten up early to investigate the case thoroughly, but he had been busy all day.
However, a flash of inspiration suddenly flashed in his mind. Muchuan seemed to have remembered something, and he said vigorously to Temujin who was driving: "But you still remember the girl in the prison, Xiaorou."
Temujin Dali turned around and said: "Remember...what happened to me, sir?"
"Help me thoroughly investigate Xiaorou's family background. I suspect she is being coerced."
Today, Muchuan went to the female prison to interrogate Xiaorou, but no amount of coercion or inducement was of any use. The only possibility was that the other party's family was being held hostage.
Because she feared for her family's life, she kept silent and was unwilling to tell the truth.
Although Muchuan has sent a one-eyed jailer to investigate, the probability of finding out the mastermind behind the scenes is low. In this case, Xiaorou has to be targeted.
After Temujin Dali understood Muchuan's words, he nodded and responded: "I understand, sir. I will immediately lead people to investigate thoroughly after I return!"
At noon the next day, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. In the main lobby of the residence of the Minister of Revenue, there were many bamboo slips of books placed in front of the square table.
Every ten days Ouyang Bufan will bring the corresponding account books of the household department to Muchuan for review. Today is one such day.
Taking advantage of the sunshine outside the mansion, Muchuan was looking through the account books with a stern look, and then took a brush and circled several places in it to raise doubts.
