RPAGF Chapter 107 Misfire
Chapter 107 Misfire
Just when Ren Baozhi was about to give up, the system's gnashing voice came: [On credit, this is truly the last time I'll agree to such an unreasonable request from you.]
The empty eyes finally regained some spirit, and Ren Baozhi said: "Ji Bao is the best."
[Ahem,] the system cleared its throat uncomfortably, [Alright, stop talking.]
Thoughts came back.
If Zhou Mi really had evidence of his crime, he would not have tortured himself so late.
Thinking of this, Ren Baozhi slowly raised his head and looked at Zhou Mi who was standing right in front of him: "I...I don't know what you mean by that, Shaoqing."
Every word that came out of her mouth was mixed with the smell of blood.
Zhou Mi grabbed Ren Baozhi's messy hair and lifted her entire upper body up: "You are lying!"
Ren Baozhi's scalp was torn raw, and the wound, due to her changed position, began to bleed. The pain made her tremble all over, but she still met Zhou Mi's gaze firmly, her voice hoarse and almost inaudible: "I did not... kill my father. I ask Mr. Zhou to help... find... the real culprit as soon as possible."
Zhou Mi loosened his grip on Ren Baozhi's hair, and Ren Baozhi fell heavily back onto the bench.
"Keep hitting me! I want to see how long she can keep her stubborn attitude!"
The bloody smell in the interrogation room became increasingly strong, and every breath felt like drinking blood.
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice frowned upon seeing this. "If we continue fighting, his life might be in danger. He was fine when he arrived. If he dies in the Dali Temple, we won't be able to explain to the Empress Dowager."
"Hmph," Zhou Mi snorted disdainfully, "She's just a woman, how could I be afraid of her?"
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice wanted to dissuade her, but Zhou Mi raised his hand to stop him: "I know my limits. I can't swallow her anger."
Although Zhou Mi claimed that he was not afraid, no one wanted to anger the Queen of Heaven for no reason.
If he were like Wu Yong, who was demoted for some random reason, wouldn't all his years of hard work be wasted?
Three days later, Ren Baozhi's clothes were stained scarlet with blood.
Her lungs were filled with blood foam. She wanted to cough and gasp for air, but she had completely lost the strength.
Even my breathing almost stopped.
Zhou Mi stared at her and said with a forced smile, "I'll give you one last chance. Did you kill Chen Gongzheng with your own hands?"
Ren Baozhi could no longer hear what Zhou Mi said. The buzzing sound in her ears grew louder and louder, as if it was going to explode her head.
There was only one thought that was still extremely clear, and that was - I must never let go.
"You're being stubborn, but I think you're still harboring evil intentions and won't repent!" Zhou Mi said angrily, "Today I'm going to show you what it means to live a life worse than death. Increase my sentence!"
The executioners had become more aggressive these days. Upon hearing the meticulous instructions, they all had ferocious glares in their eyes and swung their prison sticks again.
"Mr. Zhou, you have such great authority." Footsteps were heard at the door of the interrogation room, and the young man's voice suddenly turned cold. "As the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, you actually broke the law knowingly. What is your punishment?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the executioners put down their sticks and dared not move.
Ren Baozhi hung her head, still breathing, without even the strength to open her eyes. She only had the last bit of strength left to recognize the voice of the person coming.
When she recognized that it was Li Qixi's voice, the corners of her cracked lips curled up slightly, and she fainted, unable to hold on any longer.
In Zhou Mi's eyes, Li Qixi was a dandy fool. Although she was a princess, she was ignorant and could not even learn the most basic royal etiquette.
She ran outside the palace all day long and got involved with questionable people like Ren Baozhi.
He looked down upon Princess Qianqiu's behavior from the bottom of his heart.
But he still had to show proper etiquette, saying respectfully, "What brings Princess Qianqiu here? Such a distinguished guest has arrived at our Dali Temple, and these good-for-nothings didn't even inform us. I'll definitely teach them a lesson later."
"What style?" Li Qixi said with a hypocritical smile, "Of course it's Zhou Shaoqing's majesty."
Zhou Mi wanted to say something else, but when he saw the man appear behind Li Qixi, he turned off the engine and fell silent.
This person was none other than Hu Mingyang, the Chief Censor who was promoted by Wu Wencang not long ago.
It seems that this gust of wind not only brings Princess Qianqiu, but also Wu Wencang.
When Zhou Mi saw Hu Mingyang wearing a zhi crown and red clothes, he knew that they came prepared. He was too impatient and fell into their trap.
He put on a smile and flattered, "Hu Zhongcheng, why are you still staying in the palace so late? Your dedication to the country is truly a role model for us. Come, have a cup of tea to warm yourself up."
"I cannot afford Mr. Zhou's tea," Hu Mingyang said, waving his sleeves and standing with one hand behind his back. "The laws of this dynasty clearly stipulate that torture of prisoners shall not exceed three times, and the number of interrogations shall not exceed three times. This is one; the number of tortures shall not exceed 200 times. This is two; and there must be at least 20 days between each interrogation. This is three.
Our Dawu has always had a clear and honest legal system, yet you, as the Junior Minister of the Dali Temple, openly defy the law and intend to disrupt the prosperity and order of our times. What crime should you be punished for?
With a loud shout, Zhou Mi's legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground.
As the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, he knew best what crime he would be punished for such behavior. If a prisoner was tortured more than three times, he would be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane each time he exceeded the limit.
In the past few days, he saw that there was no movement from the Queen Mother and the Princess, and he thought that someone like Chen Baozhi, who had no one to rely on, was just a pawn of theirs and could be dealt with as they pleased.
It turned out that they were waiting for me here.
If it was any other official, he could still offer a small bribe with money, but the person in front of him was not only the Chief Censor Hu Mingyang, but also a new celebrity around the Empress, so he had no choice but to accept defeat.
Hu Mingyang's explanation was clear and coherent: "Interfering with the legal system is truly contrary to the will of Heaven and the people. Zhou Shaoqing neglected his duties and acted unilaterally, attempting to force an innocent person to confess. I witnessed this illegal act with my own eyes today, and I will report it to the Emperor tomorrow for an investigation."
"Central Minister Hu, this..." Zhou Mi was speechless and could only smile dryly.
The several doctors brought by Li Qixi were already treating Ren Baozhi, and were now cleaning her wounds and applying medicine to heal her.
It's not that Li Qixi hasn't seen bloody scenes before. On the contrary, she has seen bloodier scenes than this. But for some reason, when she saw the bloody wounds on Ren Baozhi, she felt horrified.
Princess Qianqiu said in a stern voice, "Shaoqing Zhou has neglected his duties and violated the rules. I don't think you should keep your official hat."
Zhou Mi fell to his knees with a thud: "Please have mercy, Princess! Please have mercy, Princess, I will never dare to do that again!"
"Central Minister Hu is here now. It's his duty to supervise all officials. By pleading for mercy, aren't you hoping that he will follow your example and pervert the law for personal gain, confuse public and private affairs, and neglect his duties?" Li Qixi said, "Central Minister Hu, draft a memorial tonight, and make sure you truthfully explain everything that Shaoqing Zhou did."
Hu Mingyang replied, "I obey your command."