Chapter 123

Chapter 123

[After the Transmigrated Man Broke Off His Engagement to the Princess – 6]

Ying Zheng had ordered men to watch Jiang Yingchen so he could see what other useful things the man might produce. Who could have guessed that before the idiot finished emptying his pockets, his disguise would fall apart and Su Zhong would rush into the palace drenched in cold sweat to report him?

“The Jiang woman who denounced him is Jiang Yingchen’s own younger sister. The siblings depended on one another for many years and shared a deep bond. Since she says this man is an impostor, she is unlikely to be mistaken…”

Su Zhong had already accepted that conclusion. When he reconsidered the Jiang Yingchen he had met that day, flaws appeared everywhere. “This subject met the child before and understood his character. His talents were not outstanding, but he was steady and reliable. The man this subject saw today was flamboyant and aggressive. This subject originally assumed some upheaval had changed his nature. Now, if the person inside him has changed, everything makes perfect sense!”

Ying Zheng felt rather conflicted. After several moments of silence, he said, “His face and body remain unchanged, but the soul within has become someone else? Truly absurd and bizarre.”

“We understand.” Ying Zheng smiled faintly. “The way of Heaven has changed, and every demon and monster is leaping into the world. It was so with the successive violent deaths of the Princess Consorts of Chu, and it is the same with the true and false Jiang Yingchen.”

The case of the dead Princess Consorts had caused an enormous uproar in the imperial capital. Although the Emperor had placed justice above family afterward and won praise throughout the realm, officials and commoners had privately debated the matter without end.

It had possessed no internal logic whatsoever!

Only when the Emperor equated that case with Jiang Yingchen’s did Su Zhong suddenly awaken.

The way of Heaven had changed. Demons had entered the world.

He contemplated those words for a long time, then said in alarm, “Your Majesty, if that is true, we must be even more cautious! That demon is determined to meet you. What exactly is he plotting?!”

Su Zhong’s imagination ran wild, and the more he thought, the more frightened he became. “He killed Jiang Yingchen without a sound and took his place in the Jiang household. If Weier had not been so vigilant, no one might ever have detected anything wrong. If he repeats the same trick and replaces Your Majesty, would our ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers not fall into a demon’s hands?!”

…He was not quite that powerful.

Ying Zheng was amused, but did not wish to reveal too much. “We are the Son of Heaven and enjoy Heaven’s protection. How could demons and monsters approach Us? As for this Jiang Yingchen, he is nothing more than a ridiculous clown!”

With that, Ying Zheng personally wrote an imperial decree and stamped it with the imperial seal. In the name of the mortal Son of Heaven, he commanded the Imperial Guards to seize the demon at the Jiang residence.

Ying Zheng knew the fellow was an unkillable cockroach and might return yet again after death. He therefore asked, “The person who told you all this was Jiang Yingchen’s younger sister, Jiang Weier?”

Su Zhong answered, “Yes. Weier is intelligent and cautious. After recognizing that something was wrong, she waited until the demon became drunk and fell asleep, then came to this subject’s residence with the warning. Only then could this subject react in time and enter the palace to report.”

“She is remarkably quick-witted.” Ying Zheng praised her, then instructed gently, “To be safe, once the demon has been seized, do not mention in his presence that Jiang Weier denounced him. Otherwise, he may use some sinister method to harm her.”

Su Zhong bowed with heartfelt admiration. “Your Majesty’s caution is meticulous and your heart profoundly benevolent. This subject cannot compare.”

Regret appeared on Ying Zheng’s face. He shook his head. “We never met the real Jiang Yingchen, but judging from Minister Su’s description and Jiang Weier’s conduct, he truly was an honest and unpretentious young man. He would have been suitable as a Prince Consort. In choosing a husband for Our princess, We do not fear a lack of talent, only a lack of virtue. What a pity.”

Su Zhong also became sorrowful. “Yingchen was not the kind of brilliant, romantic talent admired by the world, but he truly was a good child. Heaven showed him no mercy…”

Ying Zheng said, “Once the demon has been captured and the matter confirmed, grant Jiang Weier additional favor and enfeoff her as a Commandery Lady.”

Su Zhong thanked him on Jiang Weier’s behalf, then said, “Our families have been connected for generations. This subject wishes to adopt Weier as a daughter so she will not be left alone and without support.”

Ying Zheng had always known Su Zhong’s character and had no doubts. He nodded his approval, then ordered the Imperial Guards to leave the palace and seize the man immediately.

Jiang Yingchen believed he had accomplished something tremendous. He had drunk far too much at the Su residence and fallen asleep the moment he returned home. He knew nothing of Jiang Weier’s departure after their return, nor that the shadow of death had already covered most of his body.

The Office of the Governor of Jingzhao had sealed the streets around the Jiang residence long ago. When the Imperial Guards arrived, they immediately stormed the estate and secured every servant and bystander. Several guards whose birth charts possessed especially strong yang energy rushed into the main chambers to seize Jiang Yingchen.
Jiang Yingchen was still half asleep, but the Imperial Guards did not relax in the slightest. They bound him tightly with iron chains, took every possible precaution, covered his head and face, and carried him away.

Jiang Yingchen was drunk, not dead. When they dragged him upright and marched him unsteadily outside, he woke halfway. But black cloth covered his head, drink had turned his mind to paste, and his feet felt as though they were treading clouds. He had no idea what was happening.

The Imperial Guards did not care. They took him directly to the cells for serious criminals at the Court of Judicial Review. The walls were as thick as a grown man’s leg, with another iron barrier outside. Security was so strict that not even a mosquito could easily fly out.

Ying Zheng saw no reason to involve a second person after the first had handled the matter. Since he did not wish news to spread, he appointed Su Zhong to preside over the interrogation. Su Zhong knew the real Jiang Yingchen well enough to evaluate what he heard and quickly compare it with Jiang Weier’s testimony.

The cell was dim, but even from a distance, Su Zhong could see the young face within.

He remembered the Jiang Yingchen he had known, gentle yet stubborn, and sorrow rose in his heart. The boy was his benefactor’s descendant, and Jiang Weier would eventually have to gather her brother’s remains. If torture mangled the body beyond recognition, it would only compound her grief.

Su Zhong had once governed a province and understood the methods used in prisons. He summoned a man and instructed mildly, “The demon deserves death, but the body belongs to my late friend’s son. Do not damage it. Find a way to make him confess everything he should confess.”

The torturer earned his livelihood through such work and possessed true skill. He could beat someone into a bloody mass that recovered after a few days, or leave a prisoner looking perfectly intact while his insides rotted until he died soon afterward.

There were far too many ways to inflict agony without damaging a person’s limbs.

“This lowly one understands, Chancellor. Rest in the room next door. This lowly one guarantees that so long as he is still made of mortal flesh, he will spill everything within two hours!”

Su Zhong nodded with satisfaction and went to wait in the adjoining room.

The torturer pasted several talismans around his waist to ward off ill fortune, washed his hands, and slowly approached with the tools of his trade.

Jiang Yingchen had slept for more than an hour, and his consciousness had begun to clear. While he remained groggy, he heard the damned System call, “Hey, little brother! Wake up. Something wonderful has come to your door!”

“Whenever you speak, nothing wonderful ever happens!”

Jiang Yingchen muttered a reply and opened his bleary eyes. The chamber was dark, its walls gray, with terror seemingly embedded in every corner.

A row of candles as thick as arms burned in niches carved into the wall. Their dim yellow flames flickered, making the room appear even more distorted and sinister.

Most of Jiang Yingchen’s drunkenness vanished instantly. “What the hell is this place?!”

Bound to a chair, he trembled as he looked up at the torturer looming over him. “Who are you?!”

The torturer sneered, took a silver needle as long as a middle finger from a nearby box, and drove it viciously into one of Jiang Yingchen’s acupoints. “First, let us wake you up, demon, so you understand where you are!”

Agony that seemed to strike his very soul exploded through him. Jiang Yingchen screamed and arched upward uncontrollably. Iron chains held his limbs and abdomen fast, leaving him unable to break free.

By the time the pain subsided, fine beads of sweat covered his forehead and his palms were trembling violently. The last trace of drunkenness had vanished.

The torturer chose that moment to demand sternly, “Who are you, demon? After murdering Young Master Jiang and attempting to approach His Majesty, did you intend to seize the opportunity to assassinate him and overthrow Great Qin?!”

“…” Jiang Yingchen: “!!!!”

Two thunderbolts struck Jiang Yingchen’s head in succession, both perfectly accurate.

His first thought regarding the first accusation was Su Zhong.

There could be no other explanation. He had met Su Zhong that very day and been dragged here for interrogation immediately afterward. How could the Chancellor have nothing to do with it?

As for the second accusation, that might truly have been an unfortunate misunderstanding. Jiang Yingchen had stubbornly insisted on seeing the Emperor and displaying his great talent before him.

He could not admit it. He absolutely could not admit it!

This was ancient society, Jiang Yingchen thought, where people were extraordinarily superstitious. They knew nothing of transmigration, only ghosts and demons. If they discovered that the original Jiang Yingchen was gone and he was an impostor, would they not drag him out and burn him immediately?
Having made up his mind, Jiang Yingchen gritted his teeth and denied everything. “I have no idea what you’re talking about! I don’t understand a single word!”

The torturer laughed loudly and drove two more needles into him. Jiang Yingchen understood immediately.

In his previous life, Jiang Yingchen had been an ordinary man. He had never received training in tolerating pain, much less possessed a martyr’s willpower and endurance. How could he withstand tortures specifically developed by experts?

The torturer used several needles to wake him fully, then began the paper-mask torture. Whenever Jiang Yingchen approached his limit, the man stopped quickly, allowed him to recover, then continued.

The torturer had promised results within two hours. In reality, Jiang Yingchen did not last two minutes. For an untrained ordinary man to endure suffocation by layered paper masks would have been the true fantasy.

By the third sheet, Jiang Yingchen felt himself dying. The torturer had no intention of letting him die, however. He ripped the papers away, allowed him several breaths, then started again from the beginning. Jiang Yingchen did not even have the opportunity to plead.

After three rounds, Jiang Yingchen lay limp against the torture frame like a dead dog. When the torturer finally granted him a slightly longer rest, he caught his breath as tears and mucus streamed down his face. “I’ll confess! I’ll confess everything!”

Waiting next door, Su Zhong’s expression sharpened. He waved for the investigating officer from the Ministry of Justice to enter.

“What is your name?”

“Jiang-cough-Jiang Yingchen.”

“It’s true. My name really is Jiang Yingchen!”

The officer asked one question after another, and Jiang Yingchen answered each. At one point, he attempted to put on airs and demand the officer’s superior. After his head was held underwater for several minutes, he immediately became obedient.

“This demon actually comes from a later age?” Standing outside the cell, Su Zhong read the interrogation record in disbelief.

His gaze turned cold. “Only severe torture will make him reveal the truth!”

By this stage, Jiang Yingchen was unquestionably doomed.

After observing for a long time, Su Zhong realized the demon did not seem especially frightening and possessed no supernatural abilities. Perhaps His Majesty’s decree, stamped with the imperial seal, had suppressed his powers?

Very likely!

As a result, Su Zhong felt no taboo about discussing the case with the stern officer in front of Jiang Yingchen, who lay coughing weakly inside the cell.

Jiang Yingchen strained to eavesdrop on their conversation. When he heard the iron-faced officer claim that his story was false and more torture was needed, his legs began trembling uncontrollably. He wailed, “I didn’t lie! Everything I said was true! It was all true!!!”

The Ministry of Justice officer’s eyes flashed like lightning. “Even now, you refuse to confess. Truly incorrigible!”

Jiang Yingchen was both terrified and furious. His body shook like chaff in a sieve, tears pouring down his face.

Su Zhong believed him a little more after seeing this. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “You said you prepared several poems to present before His Majesty so you could amaze everyone?”

Jiang Yingchen gazed at him through tearful eyes as though grabbing his last lifeline. “Yes!”

“I will believe you once,” Su Zhong said. “Recite them.”

The iron-faced officer had already turned to retrieve more paper for the mask torture. He looked back with an unfriendly gaze.

Summoning the memory of a student on the eve of the national college entrance examination, Jiang Yingchen launched into fluent recitation. “Sailors speak of the isle of Yingzhou, hidden in misty waves and almost impossible to find… Dark clouds gather, threatening rain; tranquil waters rise in smoke…”

Jiang Yingchen recited with measured cadence. Su Zhong listened intently, and even the Ministry of Justice officer’s expression softened slightly.

Jiang Yingchen knew he had grasped the final straw keeping him from being crushed. How could he abandon such an opportunity? His voice grew more impassioned and his enunciation clearer. “When shall I return after leaving you? For now, I let my white deer roam among green cliffs; when I wish to travel, I will ride it to visit famous mountains! How can I bow and scrape before men of power, keeping me from ever smiling freely?”

The Ministry of Justice officer: “…”

Su Zhong: “…”

The officer: “???? What was that about refusing to bow before men of power?”

Su Zhong: “???? You seriously intended to present this poem publicly to His Majesty?”

Jiang Yingchen: “…”

“A mouthful of lies! Not one word you say is true!”

The officer’s face turned livid. He shouted, “Use the most severe torture! I refuse to believe we cannot pry open his mouth!!!”