Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 700 Interrogation and Silencing

Jiang Hongli was taken aback at first, then inexplicably smiled. "No, I didn't leave anyone's connections."

“You’re lying!” Luo Yangxing said. “I’ve read the ‘Border Defense Office Transcription.’ If no one had strongly recommended you, how could you, a mere patrol inspector of the Xian and Jiang circuits and a fake imperial edict official in the capital, possibly suppress people like Liu Xifen, Li Erzhan, Zhao Ting, Zhang Wan, and Jin Jinguo?”

Like the Ming Dynasty, when selecting high-ranking officials, the Joseon Dynasty also had each ministry first compile a list of candidates, and then the king personally made the final selection. Ryu Hee-bun, Lee Er-chan, Jo Ting, Jang Man, Kim Jin-guk, and others were candidates for Grand Marshal in the Northern Expedition.

“I don’t know either!” Jiang Hongli shook his head repeatedly. “I remember it very clearly. I officially received the appointment as Grand Marshal on the ninth day of the sixth month. I was also shocked at the time. I never expected that the King would appoint me.”

"At first, I stayed at home and waited for the censors to object so I could resign. But I waited for several days and no one came forward to criticize my lack of qualifications and inability to take on the responsibility. So I had no choice but to submit a memorial to resign and request His Majesty to replace me, but His Majesty refused to allow me to resign. I could not disobey the king's order, so I had to bite the bullet and go on. Since you have already read the 'Records of the Border Defense Office,' you might as well look for the memorial from that year and see if it is as I said!"

"I've already looked!" Luo Yangxing sneered as he picked up several memorials from the table, tossing them aside as he said, "This is Park Seung-jong's, this is Ki Ja-hyun's, this is Lee Chong's, this is Jeong Kyung-se's, and this is Yoo Hee-bun's. These memorials all have official recommendation letters issued by the Seungjeongwon. Don't tell me you didn't know about these things!"

“I know. I know! I know!! From the very beginning, I knew this hasty battle was unwinnable! And I didn’t want to lead the army!” Jiang Hongli suddenly became agitated, but quickly calmed down. “In my eyes, this was a doomed task, so why would I contact others and actively seek it out? They are not my allies; their joint recommendation is forcing me to my death.”

"Force you?" Luo Yangxing said.

"Sending troops is the duty of a vassal state. If the Celestial Empire wants to fight this war, Korea must send troops, and someone must lead the troops to their deaths. Aren't they all submitting their recommendations to force me to be that sacrificial lamb?" Jiang Hongli shrugged with a bitter smile, his words unusually blunt. "If I could, I would also like someone else to suffer this misfortune for me. It's just that I am alone and powerless, and I have no say in His Highness's affairs."

"Hmm," Luo Yangxing's lips twitched, and he beckoned to a Jinyiwei guard standing in the sunlight, then pointed to the memorials.

The Imperial Guard understood and immediately came over to collect the memorials and put them back on Luo Yangxing's desk.

“Marshal Jiang,” Luo Yangxing continued, “I can give you a chance. A chance to drown those who pushed you into the water as well.”

"You want me to frame them?" Jiang Hongli's pupils contracted.

“Of course not. My Imperial Guards are upright and honest, we never engage in such crooked practices,” Luo Yangxing said shamelessly. “You just need to tell the truth.”

“I’m not lying, this is the truth. They are not my accomplices.” Jiang Hongli took a deep breath, the resentment in his eyes gradually fading.

"Hehehe," Luo Yangxing turned to the side, tilted his head, his eyes scrutinizing, and a smile playing on his lips. "Who exactly are you going to protect?"

"What do you mean?" Jiang Hongli's breath hitched.

“You just said that they all submitted their recommendation letters to force you to your death. But in your resentment, you kept emphasizing that they weren't your accomplices and had nothing to do with you. Besides, we've interrogated you six times.” Luo Yangxing clenched his fist and lightly slammed it on the latest confession. “Your confessions are almost identical every time, as if you memorized them beforehand. Tell me, who taught you to say these things?”

"Nobody taught me! Is it strange that we get the same testimony about the same thing?" Jiang Hongli actually retorted.

“Not surprising.” Luo Yangxing paused for a while before saying, “If that’s all there is to it.”

Jiang Hongli's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't respond.

Luo Yangxing didn't care and continued, "You're all too eager and too proactive, making it hard not to be suspicious. On the day we arrived in the capital, Changde Palace handed you and Jin Jingrui, along with that confession, to us. And in the past few days, the whole capital has been spreading the word that the confession has been revealed and that you and Jiang Hongli have confessed and accepted punishment. It gives the impression that someone is eager to get to the bottom of this."

"Isn't it good that you understand?" Jiang Hongli lowered his head and let out a long sigh.

"Heh." Luo Yangxing chuckled sinisterly. "We've traveled all this way to Korea. If we only arrest you and Kim Gyeong-seo, wouldn't we lose face? Or, if we just send your confession of 'no accomplices, no backers' to the capital, wouldn't the court think we've taken bribes from you and are preparing to hastily close the case and protect your accomplices?"

"No accomplices, absolutely no accomplices! I was secretly receiving esoteric teachings in the rear garden of Changdeokgung Palace that day."

"Enough!" Luo Yangxing slammed his fist on the table. "Stop spouting those same old nonsense. I want you to tell me right now, who made you take all this responsibility by yourself!"

"There's no one here." Jiang Hongli gasped for breath, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"This is the last time I'll ask you. Who ordered you to take all this blame on your own?" Luo Yangxing stared intently at Jiang Hongli, even as Jiang Hongli kept his head down. "I advise you to answer honestly. Otherwise, I'll send someone to kill your entire family right now!"

"You!" Jiang Hongli raised his head, his face pale with fright.

"Your ancestral home is Jinzhou, but you were born in Jinchuan. Your legal wife's surname is Huang, your concubine's surname is Li, and you currently have three sons and three daughters." Luo Yangxing spoke haltingly, each word like a stab in the back. "I think the person who made you take the blame must have promised to protect your family afterward. But I can arrange a 'theft' right now and wipe your entire family out."

"You...you..." Jiang Hongli gasped for breath, feeling dizzy in waves.

"Do you think I wouldn't dare, or do you think the Embroidered Uniform Guard doesn't have the ability?" Luo Yangxing's expression changed, and he smiled brightly. "I assure you, if I give the order now, you'll see your son's head on his neck tomorrow morning."

Jiang Hongli wanted to speak, but felt a lump in his throat.

"Someone come here!" Luo Yangxing shouted.

"Yes, sir!" Two Imperial Guards immediately stepped forward and clasped their hands in greeting.

"No, no!" Jiang Hongli slid off the chair and knelt heavily on the ground. "I'll talk, I'll talk!" "Step back." Luo Yangxing waved away the Imperial Guards, then leisurely picked up his tea and took a large gulp. He was also a little thirsty after saying so much. "Speak, Marshal Jiang, while I still have the patience to listen to you."

"Jin Yong." Jiang Hongli closed his eyes in anguish. "It was Jin Yong who spoke to me, telling me not to implicate anyone."

"Jin Yong? Who is that?"

"The Chief Supervisor of the Inner Palace."

--------

Around noon, Lu Wenzhao led Lu Jianxing into the main hall of the Yijin Prefecture. Not long ago, Luo Yangxing had interrogated Jin Jingrui in a similar manner.

"Your humble servants Lu Wenzhao and Lu Jianxing pay their respects to Vice Commissioner Luo." The two men clasped their hands in a salute.

Luo Yangxing's gaze swept over the two of them, lingering briefly on Lu Jianxing, before he raised his hand and said, "No need for formalities. Please sit." He gestured to the chair below him.

"Thank you, sir." Lu and Lu took their seats as instructed.

Luo Yangxing leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Lu Wenzhao, his tone steady yet imposing: "What's the situation on the ground? Is the fire under control?"

Lu Wenzhao immediately bowed and replied, "Reporting to Vice Commissioner Luo, the fire has been completely extinguished, but the losses are extremely heavy. Zuiyue Tower is completely destroyed, and the fire spread, burning down a total of thirty-six shops and residences in the surrounding area. Most of Yinchunfang has been reduced to rubble. The Hancheng Prefecture has initially estimated that no fewer than sixty people perished in the fire, and more than one hundred were injured. Currently, forty-seven bodies have been recovered," he paused, his voice becoming even more somber, "among them, four are the remains of our soldiers."

Luo Yangxing's fingers twitched slightly on the table, his eyes instantly sharpening like an eagle's: "Four? Who are they? Have their identities been confirmed?"

Lu Wenzhao gestured to Lu Jianxing. Lu Jianxing immediately took out four metal waist tokens from his pocket, which were simply wrapped in cloth and wiped with soot but still had traces of it. He got up, walked to the table, and carefully spread them out.

Lu Wenzhao pointed to the waist badges one by one, explaining: "Upon verification of the waist badges, it was confirmed that three people were Zhang Deyong, the battalion commander of the Guardian Battalion; Liang Shi, the battalion commander of the Fourth Divine Machine Battalion; and Li Luosheng, the commander of the Central Army under the Admiral. The bodies of Zhang Deyong and Liang Shi were found in the ruins of Zuiyue Tower, while Li Luosheng's body was found in a nearby burned-down house. And this last one..." Lu Wenzhao's voice took on a barely perceptible solemn tone as he pointed to the slightly intricately patterned iron badge, "...is Gao Su's waist badge. His body was also found under the ruins of Zuiyue Tower."

Luo Yangxing's gaze was fixed on the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) waist tag bearing the name "Gao Su," his face so dark it could drip water. A captain dying in a brothel fire—this was a disgrace to the Jinyiwei! He remained silent for a moment, forcefully suppressing his surging anger, then his gaze flashed like lightning as he turned to Lu Jianxing: "Lu Jianxing!"

"Your humble servant is here!" Lu Jianxing replied sternly.

"Were you there last night?" Luo Yangxing stared intently at him.

"Yes, I was indeed at Zuiyue Tower last night."

"I heard from Lu Wenzhao that before the fire, there was a fight and disturbance between Ming army officers at Zuiyue Tower?" Luo Yangxing spoke slowly, each word carrying weight. "What exactly happened? Is that fight related to this fire?"

Lu Jianxing reported clearly, "Reporting to Vice Commissioner Luo, I was in the private room on the second floor when I personally heard a fierce argument and fight coming from the main hall downstairs. Looking over, I saw two of our officers fighting with a pimp, during which wine and an oil lamp were knocked over. The lamp oil mixed with the wine ignited the gauze curtain. I immediately rushed downstairs to put out the fire in time." His tone became more certain, "But just as the flames were about to be extinguished, a much larger fire and thick smoke suddenly erupted deep in the backyard, and several places caught fire simultaneously! The fire spread extremely quickly and was out of control in an instant. Therefore, I believe that although the fight in the front hall caused the fire, it was by no means the main cause of the burning of the building. The fires that broke out simultaneously in the backyard were the real culprit."

Luo Yangxing pressed further: "Do you know those two officers who caused the trouble? Did they go with you?"

Lu Jianxing said frankly, "I don't know those two people. I only know that they speak with a Shandong accent. Last night, I went to Zuiyue Tower alone and had no dealings with them."

After listening to Lu Jianxing's account, Luo Yangxing's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, seemingly judging its veracity. He leaned back slightly, his fingers unconsciously tapping twice on the table, before his gaze returned to Lu Wenzhao: "Have you informed Minister Yuan and General Shen?"

Lu Wenzhao immediately replied, "No. After taking over the scene, I have strictly ordered a news blackout. The main officials of the Anti-Theft Bureau and the Seoul Metropolitan Government are all under my control. The eyewitnesses at the scene are also all under my control. At present, the news that our personnel have been killed should be suppressed at the scene and has not yet spread."

Luo Yangxing's expression softened slightly, and he nodded a little. Just as he was about to speak, Lu Wenzhao added, "Minister, I believe there are still some suspicious aspects to this case."

Luo Yangxing's brows furrowed again: "What's strange?"

Lu Wenzhao leaned forward, his voice low, carrying the solemnity of revealing a secret: "At the temporary morgue, when the coroner examined the remains of the other victims, he found two bodies with unusual circumstances. Although these two had been burned, the coroner found obvious sharp-insertion wounds in their vital areas, reaching their hearts! The wounds were deep, with clear edges, and were definitely not caused by an accident in the fire. According to the survivors' preliminary identification, these two were the owners of Zuiyue Tower, the madam Lin Jinhua, and the pimp Li Kejing."

A glint flashed in Luo Yangxing's eyes, his body tensed instantly, and he made a judgment almost immediately: "Kill them to silence them, then destroy the evidence?"

Lu Wenzhao nodded: "That's what I think too. The timing of those fires that broke out simultaneously in the backyard was too coincidental, and the method too swift; it was definitely not an ordinary fire. Its purpose was most likely to cover up these two murders!"

Luo Yangxing remained silent for a moment, then stood up solemnly. He looked at Lu Wenzhao, his tone resolute: "You will continue to oversee this case. I want you to dig deep into the Zuiyue Tower and uncover the secrets hidden on those two people as soon as possible! During the investigation, the scene must be strictly sealed off. All those who have any knowledge of the case, especially those involving our personnel and those two unusual corpses, must be kept under tight control! This includes the North Korean officials present. Before I receive your explicit orders, not a single word is allowed to leak out!"

"Your humble servant obeys!" Lu Wenzhao solemnly accepted the order.

Luo Yangxing said no more, straightened his official robes, and strode out of the hall, leaving only the words: "You all continue with your duties. I'm going to see Supervisor Yuan and Admiral Shen now. Send someone to report any new information immediately!"

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)