The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 233 Ji Wen's Method

Liu Ji was shocked when he heard Ji Wen's words.

That's not what Ji Wen told him when he was in prison.

He wanted to retort, but when he thought about it, Ji Wen didn't seem to say anything.

Ji Wen simply tortured him and told him that if he had framed the prince, he would not be able to leave alive.

Therefore, in order to save his life, he not only insisted on making up the story, but also made up stories about Wang Zeng, Li Yong, Pei Dunfu and others.

But the situation did not get better because of his attack. Instead, it took a turn for the worse and he became an accomplice.

Liu Ji cried in fear, and fell to the ground, saying, "It's unfair. I have never colluded with them, let alone conspired with them. I am innocent. Please, Minister Ji, investigate!"

"Then how do you know the inside story so clearly?" asked Ji Wen.

"This..." Liu Ji was confused.

If the story was true, then he knew how to explain it, but this was a false accusation in the first place. How could he fill in the details for a false accusation?

Liu Ji hesitated for a long time and said, "I just heard it by chance."

"How was it accidental? What time? What place? Who testified? What was the situation at that time?" Ji Wenlian asked.

Liu Ji said: "I...can't remember clearly."

"You don't remember, I will recall it for you." Ji Wen said seriously, "On the seventh day of the second month of the second year of Tianbao, Du Youlin performed a ritual, and you participated in it... Li Yong gave you a good horse so that you could communicate with others. This is one of the evidences..."

Ji Wen told the story in a leisurely manner, making the true and false stories sound like real stories. The more Liu Ji listened, the more frightened he became.

After Ji Wen laid out the "facts", he continued, "If you can't remember, I'll call someone else up to confront you."

After that, he discussed with Yang Shenjin and Xiao Jiong for a few words, and asked Li Ying for his opinion. Li Ying nodded in agreement, and Ji Wen called in Du Youlin, Du Daniang, and Du Erniang one after another.

Among the three, Du Youlin was tortured the most severely. Du Daniang suffered less because Li Heng went to prison, while Du Erniang was unharmed.

Ji Wen said: "Du Youlin, on the seventh day of the second month of the second year of Tianbao, did your family perform a ritual? You only need to answer yes or no."

Du Youlin noticed something, but he didn't know the situation of the previous interrogation, so he could only answer truthfully: "Yes."

Ji Wen asked, "Was Liu Ji present at the time?"

"I'm here." Du Youlin replied.

When Liu Ji heard Du Youlin's affirmative answer, he knew that he was finished and started crying again.

Li Heng listened calmly from the side and gained a new understanding of Ji Wen's abilities.

In just a short interrogation, Ji Wen demonstrated his methods of inducing confessions, framing others, confusing the truth with lies, taking advantage of information gaps, and other tactics, combined with torture and forced confessions. Most people would not be able to withstand this process.

But Li Heng did not stop it, because first, he was just listening; second, the Tang Dynasty law did not prohibit methods such as inducement and torture; third, he did not want to interfere too much.

Although people like Li Yong are talented and have noble character, if he wants to protect Li Yong, he has to overturn the case.

If he wanted to overturn the verdict, he would have to intervene deeply. In this way, he would not only go against Li Longji's original intention and completely break up with Li Linfu, but also be accused of interfering in the affairs of the capital. Moreover, although Li Yong did nothing wrong and should be alive, others might not be.

For example, Liu Ji, who falsely accused others and betrayed his loyalty, deserved to die. Although Pei Dunfu was kind and generous, he protected his subordinates and could not distinguish right from wrong, so his death was not unjust.

As for Wei Jian and Wang Nande, Li Heng never asked about them.

Although Wei Jian reformed the grain transport system and made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty, he was ambitious and did what the emperor did to him. He was corrupt and accepted bribes. Wang Nandai had even falsely accused Li Heng and Gao Xianzhi of misdeeds before.

If Li Linfu didn't take action against these two people, Li Heng would find a way to kill them.

And these people have one thing in common, they all support Li Heng.

You are in me and I am in you, and Li Yong's life was lost because of this.

Li Heng was still thinking to himself. Ji Wen had already come up with the result of the interrogation. Liu Ji and Du Youlin said that the prophecy was "true". As for whether there was any collusion with the Eastern Palace, there was no evidence for the time being. It all depended on what Du Erniang said.

Ji Wen said, "Mrs. Du, did you know that Du Youlin claimed to have read the prophecy when he died?"

Du Erniang was so anxious that she shed tears because her father was accused of a crime out of thin air. After hearing Ji Wen's question, she cried and replied, "My grandfather did not die by claiming to be a prophet. This is slander."

"The three judges have held a joint trial. There is a court confession, written clearly in black and white. There is also evidence. Do you still want to deny it?" Ji Wen said righteously, "If you know what's good for you, you'd better summon him quickly to avoid physical pain."

Du Erniang didn’t know why things turned out like this. She wanted to argue, but Ji Wen was indeed “reasonable and well-founded”. She had no idea where to start and stood there in a daze for a moment.

Seeing that Du Erniang didn't say anything, Ji Wen said, "Well, since you don't confess, don't blame me for not being kind to women. Come on, bring the torture instruments."

When Du Youlin heard that his daughter was going to be tortured, he hurriedly said, "Second Mother has lived in the Eastern Palace for a long time and knows nothing about the Du family. Minister Ji, it would be fine if you imposed the crime on me, but why do you have to involve my daughter? Aren't you afraid of being punished by heaven for killing loyal people like this?"

Du Youlin originally wanted to beg for mercy, but as a scholar he was used to being arrogant, so when the words of plea came to his lips, they turned into accusations and threats.

Ji Wen was furious when he heard this and said, "Okay, okay, at this point, you are still so stubborn. It seems that the Dali Temple is very kind to you. Come, torture Du Youlin first."

At this time, the yamen runners had already brought the torture instruments. After hearing Ji Wen's words, one of the yamen runners asked, "Minister, which torture instrument should we use first?"

Ji Wen said, "Doesn't Du Youlin like reading? Then let him carry a bamboo book between his legs."

The so-called bamboo book clamp is to handcuff and fix the hands of the prisoner, and wrap a book jacket woven from bamboo boards around the prisoner's chest to abdomen. The yamen runners will turn the ropes connected to both sides of the book jacket to crush the prisoner's body with the contraction force. No trace can be seen after the punishment, but the prisoner will be made to live a life worse than death.

Du Erniang knew that Du Youlin's body could not withstand such punishment, so she bowed to Li Heng helplessly and said, "Your Highness, Prince Shou, please spare my grandfather's punishment."

In fact, even if Du Erniang didn't ask Li Heng for help, Li Heng would have stopped her, because Ji Wen was deliberately trying to implicate Li Heng.

Li Longji asked him to come because he wanted to clip Li Heng's wings but did not want to involve Li Heng.

Li Longji's biggest wish was to make Li Heng a prince without any support.

In addition, although Li Heng could not interfere too much, he could not really do nothing, otherwise Li Longji would suspect that he was taking advantage of the situation or even had ulterior motives, and his image as a wise king would be ruined.

Therefore, the best way for Li Ying to act is to show a "trying his best" attitude and make everyone feel that he has done everything he can.

Li Ying took a tour of the prison with the purpose of rescuing Du Erniang.

(End of this chapter)