Hou Wenji stepped out of his room and slowly walked along the pebbled path to the torture chamber. Although the Qingya wasn't technically part of the Sui Dynasty's penal authorities, the methods used there were arguably even more terrifying than those of the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice . While prisoners in the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice might have a chance to see the light of day again, it seemed that no one who entered the Qingya's torture chambers survived. However, there were exceptions; it all depended on whether Hou Wenji needed them.
The centurion on duty in the torture chamber saw Hou Wenji approaching from afar and quickly stepped forward to pay his respects. Hou Wenji casually waved his hand, asked which room the suspect was in, and then slowly walked over.
The centurion leading the way opened the door, and Hou Wenji gestured for him not to follow. The centurion nodded quickly and stood guard at the door, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
The torture chamber was dark and extremely damp.
Although the candle flames on the walls were not small, the room remained uncomfortably dark. The torture chamber had only one iron door, no windows, and was perpetually devoid of sunlight; even a breath of fresh air was a luxury for the prisoners inside. The room was narrow but deep, with various instruments of torture hanging on the walls, sending chills down one's spine.
Hou Wenji rarely came to the torture chamber, disliking its deathly atmosphere and, even more so, its stench of decay.
There was a chair in the room, the seat of the presiding judge. Directly opposite the chair, chained to the wall by his collarbone, lay the prisoner, his face almost unrecognizable. That night, Zhuo Buyi had used his mental techniques to control the eagle and subdue this prisoner.
That seemingly simple battle that night, only upon closer examination, revealed the profound mystery of Zhuo Buyi's methods. Since the eagle was Yu Donglai's confidant, its cultivation level was naturally not low. His elusive, bat-like movements and serpentine swordsmanship were commendable, yet this highly skilled martial artist was completely controlled by Zhuo Buyi, who was dozens of meters away, turning him into a veritable puppet. This demonstrated the terrifying nature of Zhuo Buyi.
The suspect, nailed to the wall, hung his head, his hair dripping a liquid that was difficult to decipher—a mixture of water and blood.
Hou Wenji sat down in a chair, frowning slightly as he looked at the suspect, who was barely recognizable as human. He slowly raised his left hand and flicked his finger at the suspect. Silently, the person hanging on the wall jolted violently, letting out a painful groan. A bloody hole appeared in his shoulder.
"Do you even know how stupid you are?"
Hou Wenji picked up a boning knife from a nearby table and began trimming his nails. Looking at his long, slender, white fingers, he said calmly, "Since your master entrusted this task to you, it means he trusts your abilities. It's said that none of Luo Yao's men in Yongzhou have any spines, but today they've certainly disappointed us."
"I...don't want to die."
The person hanging on the wall answered with a hoarse, strained voice. "Your name is Luo Erlang?"
Hou Wenji didn't look up, continuing, "Have you ever considered that because you betrayed your master, you might ruin his future? Yesterday, His Majesty issued an edict promoting your master to the rank of Fourth-Rank General, transferring him to the Right Valiant Guard in the Northwest. That's a good place; before long, your master might be able to make a name for himself and rise to prominence. But because of you, he might not even have a chance to don his general's armor and show off before being locked up and thrown into the Dali Temple for questioning. Nine times out of ten, his life will be ruined."
"I...don't want to die."
Luo Erlang repeated what he had just said, paused for a moment, and then added, "Although...although I'm just a servant, I...don't think...my life is worthless."
Hearing this, Hou Wenji couldn't help but laugh. He put down the boning knife, clapped his hands, and smiled, "I like people who don't want to die, especially prisoners in my 'Secret Service.' As long as someone doesn't want to die, they'll spill any secret they're holding."
"Although you've said almost everything you should and shouldn't have, I won't convict you and kill you."
Hou Wenji laughed, "You can rest assured, at least for a long time, I won't kill you, because I still have a use for you, a considerable one. If you hadn't confessed today, I might not have let you live. The person locked up in the room next to you was captured with you; he's basically confessed everything he should have, and everything he shouldn't have." "He didn't confess a single word, that's a good servant, but... you live, but he dies."
"There's another difference between your fate and his..."
Hou Wenji stood up, slowly walked to a spot a short distance in front of Luo Erlang, and stopped. Looking at the blood-soaked man, he said gently, "Not only will you live, but I won't reveal anything you confessed today. With me here, the secret is sealed. The man next door didn't confess to his master, but his master will inevitably be implicated. You confessed to your master, so I'll pretend I saw and heard nothing."
"Thank you...thank you!"
Luo Erlang struggled to raise his head, trying to see who was in front of him.
"You're welcome."
Hou Wenji said with a smile, "I'm keeping you alive because you're useful. I'm not implicating your master because your master is useful. As long as you're alive, I can make your master suffer whenever I want. Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after, or maybe before he leaves the capital. If I show him your testimony, what do you think his reaction will be?"
A look of fear flashed in Luo Erlang's eyes, his gaze pleading as he looked at Hou Wenji.
...
...
Before Luo Erlang could say anything, Hou Wenji reached out and patted his shoulder, continuing, "He'll definitely hate you, wishing he could skin you alive, eat your flesh, and drink your blood. I've heard that General Luo is half as ruthless as his father, which is quite impressive. I think if I tell General Luo, won't he beg me not to expose him? No matter how ruthless he is, he wouldn't dare do anything to me; he could only beg me."
"If I show your testimony to General Luo in Yongzhou City, what do you think he'll do? Will he repeat the scene from twenty years ago?" "He'll personally kill your master, and then come back to apologize with a bundle of thorns on his back? Maybe, but before he even reaches the capital, he'll definitely wipe out your entire family first."
"So,"
Hou Wenji said, "I have your signed confession. Needless to say, not only you, but Luo Yao and his son will be wary of me, will try to curry favor with me, and might even spend a fortune to bribe me. They might even go bankrupt for it. What I just asked you to guess, you probably think Luo Yao is still capable of killing his own son. Right?"
Luo Erlang nodded tremblingly, not daring to speak. Hou Wenji shook his head: "You're wrong. Luo Yao can't do it now. Twenty years ago, he could, because he could have another son. He was lucky; after seven daughters, he finally had a son who wasn't too stupid. Now… he's old. Even if he could still have children, could he possibly support a third son until he's an adult? He's not the Luo Yao of yesteryear… As people age, they have more and more worries, and they become more and more timid."
"To avoid losing his son, to avoid losing all the status and glory he currently possesses, even if I asked Luo Yao to do something for me, he probably wouldn't refuse."
"If Luo Yao wouldn't refuse, Luo Wenji certainly wouldn't refuse either."
"Because of a lowly person like you, because of this confession, I've essentially seized the lives of two great figures, General Luo the Elder and General Luo the Younger. It's truly worth it. Don't you think you're amazing? A mere servant has the opportunity to bring down two masters, one big and one small."
Luo Erlang's lips twitched as he asked, "You… you want to blackmail my young master and master into doing things for you!"
"I can…" "I don't have the guts."
Hou Wenji smiled and said, "We're all working for His Majesty. However, my Imperial Guard is very interested in making some private agreements with the generals of the military—a mutually beneficial agreement. Especially with a great general like General Luo Yao, whose martial prowess is unparalleled and whose military prestige is illustrious, and a rising star like Luo Wen, whose future is bright and promising. I'm willing to cooperate with them. And you should be proud, because you're more important than both of them. If they don't obey, I'll send you to the Taiji Hall and let you speak in front of His Majesty the Emperor, okay?"
"Don't even think about it." "Even if you bite your tongue, don't think about killing yourself."
Hou Wenji looked at Luo Erlang with contempt: "Your life is nothing more than icing on the cake. A confession is enough. And if I wanted to, although Yongzhou is located in the southwestern border region, it wouldn't be a month before the heads of your parents and your sister were delivered to you. Live well. Before, it was for the Luo family; now it's for yourself. You foolishly betrayed your master. I hope this time you'll be smart and think carefully about what you should do."
Luo Erlang's eyes were lifeless, devoid of any vitality.
He was afraid, truly afraid.
His previous will to live had led him to confess; now he regretted not dying.
Just then, Liu Duxiu, one of the seven commanders of the Imperial Guard, walked in from outside, carrying a stack of files.
"Commander, the entire file on the Eagle and Vulture case is ready."
Hou Wenji grunted, took it, glanced at it, and then tucked it under his arm. He glanced at Luo Erlang and instructed Liu Duxiu, "Heal his wounds, give him food and wine, and if he wants women, give them to him too. Let him live well; we'll need Luo Erlang's help in the future."
"Yes, sir."
Liu Duxiu replied.
Hou Wenji turned to leave, but stopped at the door and instructed, "Tomorrow morning, invite the newly promoted fourth-rank general Luo Wen to a proper banquet at Keshengju. Tell him I have important matters to discuss with him."
"Yes, sir."
Upon hearing this, Luo Erlang trembled violently and fainted from fright.
"Don't tell anyone that this person is still alive."
Hou Wenji whispered to Liu Duxiu, "Commander Luo, don't tell him either."
...
...
The only shop without a sign on East Twenty Street was Fang Jie's. He had rented it for about ten days, but he didn't seem to be in a hurry to do any business to supplement his expenses. Although he didn't have much silver left from Fan Gu, it wasn't even enough to bribe a minor official of the sixth or seventh rank.
To take care of the large dog, he had hired two servants: a young page and a young maid.
These two servants didn't have much to do except clean the house and take care of the large dog, who couldn't get out of bed, feeding, watering, and putting it to bed. One of their must-do tasks was to cook meat for the dog.
Recently, Fang Jie had taken a liking to the hot noodle soup at the door, paired with a basket of steamed buns. A delicious meal like this warmed his stomach and made him feel very comfortable.
The evening air was much cooler, and Fang Jie seemed to be in a good mood as well. Fang Jie, Mu Xiaoyao, and Chen Qingshan found a place to sit at a food stall near the entrance. They ordered a few cold dishes but no alcohol. Mu Xiaoyao was trying to abstain from alcohol, and Fang Jie didn't want to tempt her.
Before the food arrived, an uninvited guest rudely plopped down next to Fang Jie.
"Damn it, it's so hot!"
The man unceremoniously unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a patch of white, fatty flesh.
"Xiang Qingniu, why aren't you enjoying a life of luxury at Qingxu Temple? What are you doing here? I don't have anything good to offer you," Fang Jie asked with a smile.
"Hey, you heartless bastard!"
Xiang Qingniu glared at Fang Jie, slightly angry. "I saved your life, and instead of being grateful, you're so stingy you won't even feed me! Have you no humanity?"
"I will!"
Fang Jie nodded. "Hot noodle soup, steamed buns."
"Three bowls of noodles, five baskets of buns!"
Xiang Qingniu rudely called out to the owner, "Do you have any wine? Bring me two or three jin!"
"Wine..."
Mu Xiaoyao repeated softly, her eyes flashing with an alarming light.
"Do you want to die?"
Fang Jie asked Xiang Qingniu.
Xiang Qingniu was always afraid of women, especially beautiful women. Seeing Mu Xiaoyao's frightening expression, he immediately shook his head. "I don't want to die!"
"Don't mention wine if you don't want to die!"
Fang Jie said with a smile.
Xiang Qingniu looked at Mu Xiaoyao with a wronged expression, then turned to the owner and said, "I don't want the wine... give me two jugs of spicy water, you know..."