Chapter 714: It Turns Out to Be a Feint

The Pearl River in front of Haizhu Island was wide, with seemingly gentle currents. Yet starting from the shore, the depth varied from dozens to hundreds of feet, making it extremely difficult to locate someone who fell in. Despite the high rewards offered by the authorities, few people rushed into the water to rescue them. By evening, the oarsmen and drummers on the dragon boats had rescued more than half of the victims, but four remained missing, and Qin Huaijin was still unaccounted for. Faced with this predicament, the officials from the prefecture office were naturally terrified. Prefect Li summoned the strength to order fishing boats to continue searching, then turned to the judicial officer in charge of criminal cases.

“Have those assassins spoken?”
“Sir, they’re all stubborn. There are no suitable torture devices on Haizhu Island, so they haven’t confessed yet.”
“Still not confessed? Do you realize the person who fell in was an imperial eunuch envoy, a close attendant to the emperor, even wearing a qilin robe! The appearance of those assassins at that moment must be connected! Also, all the oarsmen and drummers who escaped from the dragon boat have been captured. We must investigate how the boat broke apart and capsized. Lord Zhang just sent word asking to meet the official in charge of this case. As the judicial officer, come with me!”

The prefecture office had positions such as deputy prefects and judicial officers. The judicial officer was in charge of criminal matters. Although ranked seventh in the official hierarchy, the need to master court laws and precedents meant that only those in their forties or older could hold this position steadily. Lu, the judicial officer of Guangzhou Prefecture, was nearly fifty, two years older than Prefect Li. Yet due to hierarchical distinctions, he endured Prefect Li’s harsh rebukes silently. Though he listened with his head bowed, he didn’t take it to heart—judicial officers often encountered such matters, and if he cared about every detail, he would have resigned long ago. It wasn’t until he heard he needed to meet Zhang Yue that he became uneasy.

Due to this major incident, Zhang Yue, after much consideration, decided to stay at Cidu Temple on Haizhu Island with his family for the night. As the governor in charge of civil affairs, the temple couldn’t afford to neglect him and immediately prepared the best rooms, ordering the monks to prepare exquisite meals. At that moment, Prefect Li and Lu, guided by a monk, arrived in the back courtyard and heard faint voices of women inside. Not daring to enter casually, they stood outside.

Before long, upon learning that the two had come together, Zhang Yue left the courtyard. Facing two subordinates who were at least a generation older than him, he asked them a few questions in a kind tone. When he heard Judge Lu say with a troubled expression that they lacked the necessary torture instruments while outside and could thus not carry out torture, he raised his eyebrows slightly before calmly saying, “Torture is nothing but a means to strike at the heart; the rest is merely causing physical pain, which is why confessions are often forced under duress. One must be cautious. In our opinion, without those brutal methods, it’s not certain that confessions cannot still be obtained.”

Magistrate Li had been serving as an official for many years since passing the imperial examinations, and he no longer harbored any compassion for criminals. Hearing this, he disapproved and glanced at Judge Lu. Understanding his superior’s gaze, Judge Lu stammered, “I am foolish. Please enlighten me, sir.”

“Since we’re outside now and the torture instruments aren’t handy, physical punishment should not be used lightly. Otherwise, if someone dies but no confession is obtained, it would only be counterproductive. It’s better to use the kneeling punishment. Roll up the prisoners’ pants and make them kneel on the brick ground. Have guards press down on their heads and hold their hair, forcing them to kneel upright. Then tie their arms to poles—this way, they surely won’t be able to endure it for long. Don’t worry about wasting time; keep asking carefully. Once they confess, help them sit down to prevent them from fainting. In my view, those prisoners are strong men who aren’t afraid of being beaten with sticks; they’re only afraid of this slow, relentless pressure.”

At first, the two pretended to listen obediently, but after Zhang Yue explained in detail, they gradually began to admire him. Judge Lu, in particular, felt ashamed, realizing he had grown old in the field of law enforcement yet forgotten even this basic principle, needing someone else to remind him. After Zhang Yue gave a few more instructions, he didn’t want to stay any longer and immediately took his leave, determined to keep asking until confessions were obtained, even if it meant staying up all night. Meanwhile, Magistrate Li, who remained behind, felt uneasy, thinking that this superior was not only skilled at killing but also at torture. He vowed never to do anything that might get him into trouble.

“Magistrate Li, you’ve been in Guangzhou Prefecture for over three years. You must have heard the words those assassins shouted when they rushed out earlier. Could you tell us what dialect it was?”

Initially worried that Zhang Yue had kept him aside to accuse him, Magistrate Li was relieved upon hearing the question. However, although he had been the magistrate of Guangzhou for over three years, he had hardly left the city. After racking his brains, he could only answer uncertainly, “I dare not be absolute, but it doesn’t sound like a Han dialect; it seems to be the local language of the Li people.”

“The Li people?”

Zhang Yue couldn’t help but frown, then pondered carefully for a while before ordering again, “Very well, wait until Judge Lu has obtained their confessions. Now that Eunuch Qin from the Maritime Administration has disappeared after falling into the water, leave one deputy magistrate and one assistant magistrate here tomorrow to oversee the search and fishing operations in the river, while the rest return to Guangzhou City—after all, civil affairs cannot be delayed any longer. The Dragon Boat Festival races are an annual tradition, and no one can stop Eunuch Qin from attending in person. Since this incident has occurred, the fault lies not with you. Eventually, the provincial, military, and judicial authorities will jointly submit a report to the imperial court.”

Given such a serious incident, Magistrate Li naturally knew that the three provincial authorities in Guangdong would surely submit a joint report. But since it was he who caused the problem, he feared that his superiors, who were several ranks above him, might not treat him kindly when he went to report in person. With Zhang Yue taking on the responsibility of submitting the report and addressing the matter on his behalf, along with the words that the fault lay not with him, he felt greatly relieved and hurriedly bowed to express his gratitude.

As Zhang Yue had predicted, while many men in the world could endure beatings and torture, kneeling on blue bricks seemed to be an even harder task. Four strong men could only hold out for two hours before they looked like people pulled from the water—sweating profusely and trembling all over. Eventually, one of the seemingly bravest men could no longer bear it and shouted, “You bastard official, kill me!”

“Kill you? I don’t need a knife—just these blue bricks will do!”

Seeing that the men were becoming hysterical, Judge Lu knew success was near. He simply waved his hand to have more guards step forward to carry out the punishment, while he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest. Sure enough, after another fifteen minutes, someone finally cried out in a hoarse voice, “Help… help me up! I… I’ll confess!”

Hearing these words, Judge Lu snapped his eyes open in shock but didn’t ask questions right away. Instead, he stared at the man for a while before calmly ordering two guards to bring him to the next room. Seeing that the other men also had pale faces and were sweating heavily, no longer as tough as before, he knew it was only a matter of time. He then got up and left. After questioning them in the next room, the results surprised him greatly, leaving him uneasy. He quickly had someone write down their confessions and have them sign. Just as this ordeal was over, cries from outside came in again, demanding confessions.

One of the Eight Scenic Spots of Yangcheng during the Song Dynasty was the Moonlight over the Pearl River, while during the Ming Dynasty it became the Calm Waves of the Pearl River. In fact, both referred to the beautiful views in front of Cidu Temple on Mingzhu Island. Although it was just a new moon night, looking down at the Pearl River from a high place behind the temple, one could see only the seamless blend of water and sky, a bright crescent moon, and the river’s waves crashing against the shore. Along with the sound of wind rustling through the bamboo groves, the heat of the day vanished, replaced by a refreshing coolness. Gazing at the faintly visible green fields to the north and south, Zhang Yue thought to himself that taking his wife, children, and family here to Cidu Temple for a vacation when he had time would be a good idea.

“My lord.”

Though this voice was rather disruptive to this peaceful moment, Zhang Yue already knew he wouldn’t be able to get a good night’s sleep, so he simply ordered a rattan chair to be brought out for shade. Turning around, he saw Lu, the official with slightly grayed temples, standing there alone. He nodded, and a servant immediately brought over a small stool for him to sit on, then wisely stepped back.

“There were assassins involved during the day, yet still, my lord, you are here enjoying the coolness behind the temple at night. After all, you come from a military family—unlike us commoners.” After flattering him, seeing Zhang Yue merely smile, Lu awkwardly handed over a stack of confessions before whispering, “Although I have checked these confessions repeatedly, I still find this matter suspicious. Although Qiongzhou Prefecture is home to many Li people, the Dongshou system has been in use since the Hongwu era to control them. Nowadays, the number of wild Li people has greatly decreased, and the difference between them and the Han people is minimal. Moreover, the Li people are not monolithic; there are various grudges and kinship ties among their tribes, making it difficult to coordinate them, let alone considering the rebellion of the Yao people in Dateng Gorge. So, despite these confessions, I hope my lord won’t blindly believe their words.”

Only then did Zhang Yue understand why Lu had come alone. He carefully examined the confessions, which claimed that the Li people in Qiongzhou Prefecture were colluding with the Yao people in Dateng Gorge to stage a rebellion. He couldn’t help but sneer. Since the early Ming Dynasty, there had been several rebellions in Guangdong, but none since the Yongle era, and none involving the Li people. Although fighting was going on in Dateng Gorge in Guangxi, according to the military reports he had received before leaving the capital, Marquis Gu Xingzu was already leading troops to suppress the rebellion. As Lu said, the Yao were the Yao and the Li were the Li. The Li people had already been gradually divided by the imperial court, so colluding with the Yao was simply absurd.

“You’ve given a good reminder; I’ll consider this matter carefully. Send someone to keep a close eye on those people. Though they’ve been captured and, after undergoing the kneeling punishment, all claim to know only what they know, it’s possible we might still find some clues. Keep them in custody for now and don’t take any action. Once we return to Guangzhou, I’ll discuss this with the military and judicial officials.”

“I shall follow your orders. But, sir, please forgive my boldness—just now, some craftsmen inspected the remains of the dragon boat and said it was broken in a strange way. Moreover, most of those who fell into the water survived; only Eunuch Qin and four others are missing. This really doesn’t make sense. If Eunuch Qin truly couldn’t swim, accidents do happen during dragon boat races every year. Why would he insist on boarding the boat? After all, dragon boats are considered inauspicious for those who are unlucky…”

“You’d better keep these thoughts to yourself; there’s no need to say them out loud.”

Interrupted abruptly by Zhang Yue, Judge Lu was initially stunned, then immediately thought of the rumors circulating outside and felt extremely regretful. He had vaguely heard that Qin Huaijin was in trouble—possibly facing dismissal at any moment and even risking his life and property. Why had he asked such a question? As he was frustrated, he felt a fan tap his right hand, so he quickly raised his head and sat upright.

“Since the confessions have been obtained, you don’t need to stay here tomorrow. Head back to Guangzhou right away. As a judicial official with years of experience, I’ll be straightforward: instruct the patrol officers to closely monitor all roads. Since this involves rebellion by the Yao people in Dateng Gorge, we must be prepared just in case.”

Is this… could it mean that Eunuch Qin is trying to escape secretly through this? Even if he’s in trouble, he might still take the chance to flee desperately. Would Qin Huaijin, who had held significant power in the Maritime Administration for years, choose such a path without realizing that every inch of land belongs to the emperor and everyone is his subject? Judge Lu racked his brains but couldn’t figure it out, so he decided to simply follow the instructions. He stood up, bowed, and left immediately, not daring to stay any longer.

With Judge Lu gone, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but stand up and stretch. Since this person had come to report the situation, he could finally get some rest at night. Thinking that the day had started as a normal Dragon Boat Festival celebration but turned into such a chaotic affair, he narrowed his eyes, thinking that Qin Huaijin’s tactics weren’t unexpected after all. Some people jump over walls when cornered, while others crash into them.

But once they’ve gained enough, they try to use the evasion tactic—this kind of trickery he’s seen many times before; how could he not be on guard? After all, as long as Wang Jin in the capital acts according to the emperor’s orders, Qin Huaijin won’t be able to escape by land or water, with the sea route being the most concerning. After all, that used to be Qin Huaijin’s territory. However, given the current sea winds, these days only ships arriving from overseas enter the port, with no ships leaving to return to Fan Country. This makes it much easier to keep an eye on them!

After finally getting more than two hours of sleep that night, Zhang Yue was awakened early in the morning by loud knocking at the door. Since all his wives and concubines had locked themselves out last night, he had to sleep alone. Sweaty and irritable, he ordered someone to enter. As he sat there yawning widely, he turned his head and saw Peng Shisan rushing in like the wind.

“The yamen sent people to Haizhu Island early this morning, saying it’s an imperial edict. Due to frequent earthquakes in Nanjing, the emperor is issuing an edict seeking honest advice!”

“Earthquakes in Nanjing?”

“That’s Nanjing, the imperial capital and the sacred site of the Taizu Emperor’s mausoleum!” Seeing that Zhang Yue wasn’t fully awake yet, Peng Shisan added, “There was an earthquake in Nanjing last June, but no one paid attention at the time. But the edict says there have been multiple earthquakes in Nanjing from March to April—this is clearly different! In such serious situations, just like when the three main halls were struck by lightning and fire in the past, the emperor issues an edict seeking honest advice. It seems there might be other upheavals in the court as well!”

Only then did Zhang Yue, still half-asleep, fully wake up. This was an era where even solar eclipses and earthquakes were seen as signs of the emperor’s moral failure, let alone frequent earthquakes in the former imperial capital of Nanjing. Thinking of Zhu Zhanji’s distress at this moment, he could only sigh.