Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 158 Successful Interrogation (First Update)
"We checked, and there were no poison sacs hidden in his mouth."

Are there any other methods of suicide?

"Don't worry about him biting his tongue. Just remove the broken piece in time to prevent it from getting stuck in his throat. He can still write!"

"Okay! Let's begin!"

Lu Yuan's limbs were dislocated, his eyes were covered with a cloth, and his mouth was checked several times. Every tooth was broken to make sure there were no poison pills hidden inside. Only then was he tied to a pillar.

Judging from the location, this is not the Northern Garrison Command, but a private residence in Xuanbei Ward, where the interrogation will take place immediately.

The blindfold remained on, and Lu Bing's voice came from in front of him: "Lu Yuan, you are originally one of my Embroidered Uniform Guards. You know the methods of the Guards much better than outsiders, so I don't need to repeat them, right?"

Lu Yuan remained silent.

Lu Bing continued, "Since Princess Yongchun's incident, the three traitors have been arrested and interrogated day and night. I don't need to explain how you were exposed, right?"

Lu Yuan frowned, revealing his anger.

Lu Bing said calmly, "Hong Niangzi, Jiao Bai, and Lu Cangzhou, the three illusionists of the Yunyin Society, committed the heinous crime of attempting to assassinate the Empress Dowager. Do you know what they regret most?"

"You didn't explain earlier!"

“If you people could really hold on to the end and never yield, then I would admire you and call you true men! But in the end, no one could make it to the end. All the grand words at the beginning turned into cries of despair! What was the point of suffering for months and becoming neither human nor ghost?”

Lu Yuan's body finally began to tremble.

Lu Bing exchanged a glance with Hai Yue, who was standing next to him, trying hard to suppress his anticipation.

Compared to the three women, including Hong Niangzi, who died in prison without confessing, Lu Yuan's psychological defenses were much weaker.

Actually, you can find clues by looking at the other person's lifestyle.

Lu Yuan's greatest hobby is to choose a private room with a wide view in a teahouse, brew a cup of pre-rain Longjing tea, serve some fresh fruits and snacks, and enjoy an hour of leisure.

Compared to those high-ranking figures who are always busy, even the two Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, whose health is deteriorating, still have to stand on the front line of the new policies. This lowly captain lives a very leisurely life!

Precisely because of this, such people are unlikely to have a very firm will.

Therefore, after discussing it, Lu Bing and Hai Yue agreed that they should not send Lu Yuan back to the Northern Garrison Command, but instead find a place to interrogate him.

Once brought back to the Northern Garrison, it will inevitably alarm the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard. If the secret society has more than one informant within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the news leaks out, those directly related to Lu Yuan may quickly evacuate.

Therefore, the news of Lu Yuan's arrest should be concealed first, and a surprise interrogation should be conducted to extract a confession and crucial intelligence in a short period of time, so as to further expand the results of the operation.

The more anxious he was, the less he could show it. Lu Bing crossed his arms and waited for the other party to speak.

After a deathly silence, Lu Yuan raised his head and slowly spoke: "If I were to speak, would Lord Lu be so magnanimous towards me?"

Lu Bing immediately said, "You should have heard about my character. Even during interrogation, I would never stoop to lying to you. You want leniency and to atone for your crimes... that's difficult! After all, those people have already confessed!"

Lu Yuan immediately lowered his head, his face full of disappointment.

But Lu Bing continued, "However, I can also promise you! As long as you confess, I will give you a quick death and spare you from the many tortures and torments of the guard! Even if you die and your family is implicated and exiled to the frontier, I will take care of them! This is the limit of what I can promise; don't even think about anything more!"

Lu Yuan, who had been in despair, raised his head again upon hearing this: "I...I believe in Lord Lu! That's good enough! That's good enough!"

Lu Bing's pupils dilated, but he tried to keep his tone calm: "Let's start from the beginning. I need to verify the testimonies of those people. What's the name of the secret society you're loyal to?"

"Liyuan Society".

Why was this name chosen?

“‘Li’ means the common people, and ‘Yuan’ means the people are suffering and living in misery. The original intention of founding this company was to save the people from their suffering.”

"So, your company even has a slogan?"

"Suppress the power of the monarch, rectify the laws and regulations, and seek the well-being of all people!"

'fart!'

Upon hearing this, Lu Bing could no longer contain his anger. Hai Yue reached out and pressed his arm, causing him to swallow his words. He then asked, "How is the Li Yuan Society divided?"

"It is divided into the Three Enclosures Hall and the Twenty-Eight Mansions."

Lu Yuan said in a low voice, "I only know that the Three Enclosures Hall consists of the Purple Palace Enclosure, the Supreme Palace Enclosure, and the Heavenly Market Enclosure. The Twenty-Eight Mansions are those that carry out the orders of the Three Enclosures Hall and each has its own subordinates."

'A secret society with such a clear structure—it truly is a major threat. No wonder His Majesty and the Master are so wary!' Lu Bing's gaze darkened: 'Where do you belong?'

Lu Yuan said, "I am under the command of 'Jingmu Han' and am his subordinate, specializing in delivering crucial letters for him."

Lu Bingdao: "Who is 'Jingmu Han'?"

Lu Yuan paused for a moment, but didn't struggle: "He was a clerk in the Ministry of Justice, named Zhou Shi'an, and he passed away last year."

'Zhou Shi'an, a veteran official of the Ministry of Justice! One of the Twenty-Eight Heroes of the secret society 'Liyuan Society'!'

Lu Bing and Hai Yue exchanged a glance and deliberately said, "Lu Yuan, I'm giving you a chance, don't waste it! We already know about the 'Li Yuan Society,' and what we want is the specific identities of these members. You just mentioned 'Jing Mu'an,' who's already dead. What's the difference between that and not saying anything at all?"

Lu Yuan became excited: "Lord Lu, everything I said is true. Zhou Shi'an is no small figure in the Ministry of Justice. He also has a nickname, known as 'Mr. Iron Pen'! This man has a photographic memory. He can memorize a case file after reading it once. He is also well-versed in criminal law and methods. No matter how perfectly the case files are whitewashed, he can see through them at a glance. As long as a case is marked 'Where is justice?' and is sent out through me, it will become the focus of the 'Liyuan Society'!"

Lu Bing gasped.

The An is the god of prison. In the Book of Changes, the An is in charge of lawsuits. The An of Well Wood is the first of the seven constellations of the Vermilion Bird in the south. I thought that a small clerk could not bear such a title, but now I think that Zhou Shi'an can distinguish between wrongful and false cases by reading the files from all over the country, and the Liyuan Society can recruit members from them. His position is very important!

Thinking of this, Lu Bing immediately asked, "If that's the case, what about Zhou Shi'an's successor after his death? Is he still in the Ministry of Justice?"

Lu Yuan said, "Originally, after Zhou Shi'an fell seriously ill, the organization arranged for someone to impersonate his relative to fill the position. However, that person was murdered midway, and the position of 'Jingmu Han' is now unfilled..."

Lu Bing sneered: "Do you even believe these words yourself? The successor arranged by your 'Liyuan Society' was actually murdered on his way to the capital? And such an important position was just left vacant so easily?"

Lu Yuan hesitated for a moment, then explained, "I heard it's because there's a traitor within the organization..."

"traitor?"

Lu Bing frowned: "Explain yourself!"

"Lu Sheren, I truly have nothing to hide from you. I am merely a subordinate of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, and I have no right to know many matters within the society!"

Lu Yuan said bitterly, "Some people say that the traitor is the most powerful 'Kang Jinlong' among the Twenty-Eight Mansions, while others say that the traitor is simply from the Sanyuan Hall. I don't know if it's true or not, but since this news came out, there has been less and less work in the company. In the year after Zhou Shi'an died, I did nothing at all, just did my normal duties as a detective!"

Lu Bing was skeptical, but looked at Hai Yue beside him with a questioning expression.

Haiyue listened silently the whole time.

He secretly shook his head at the name and platform of the Liyuan Society.

The company was perhaps founded out of a genuine desire to change the miserable lives of the people after witnessing their suffering. However, the truth is that throughout history, there has never been a force hidden in the shadows that could bring happiness to the people. They either become tools of ambitious individuals or cradles of secret religions.

Judging from the structure and slogans of the Liyuan Society, they differ from secret religions with clear beliefs such as the White Lotus Sect, Mingzun Sect, Manichaeism, and Luo Sect, and are more geared towards the upper echelons of society.

Perhaps for him and Lu Bing, being trusted by the emperor and interacting with important officials in the court on a daily basis meant that veteran officials like Zhou Shi'an from the Ministry of Justice and military officers like Lu Yuan from the Embroidered Uniform Guard were nothing special. But for ordinary people, they were already big shots.

In contrast, secret religions first spread among the common people, gathered faith, occupied a region, and gradually grew stronger.

The Liyuan Society, on the other hand, takes an elite route, with a clear structure and plan, and is able to infiltrate the Embroidered Uniform Guard. No wonder it has remained so secretive for so many years, always staying out of the sight of the imperial power.

Seizing on this characteristic, Haiyue temporarily disregarded the successor of "Jingmu Han" and the identity of the traitor within the Liyuan Society. She gestured to Lu Bing and mouthed, "Hundred Flower Brew!"

Lu Bing understood immediately and then asked, "The list of 'Hundred Flowers Wine' that Zhou Shi'an sold through Zhao Wenhua, the head of the Ministry of Justice, was leaked by you, wasn't it?"

"Yes... um?"

Lu Yuan nodded at first, then suddenly froze: "You... how did you know?"

Lu Bing sneered: "What do you think?"

"You...you didn't find me through those three traitors? Was it Zhou Shi'an who exposed me?"

Lu Yuan was not stupid. He was so nervous because he knew that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had arrested three suspected members of the Liyuan Society and was interrogating them day and night, and he was worried that they would reveal his identity.

If that's the case, denying it in every way will be useless. The Imperial Guards will definitely not let him go. It's better to admit it outright and protect his family.

But what if Zhou Shi'an's connection is exposed...?

Zhou Shi'an died last year! With no way to verify the truth, all relevant clues have long been erased. He will definitely keep quiet and insist that he has nothing to do with it!
"Ugh!"

Lu Yuan gave a wry smile.

Unfortunately, he has already confessed too much. If he goes back on his word, he will lose even the care his family might have received. So he simply decided to go all out: "The list of 'Hundred Flowers Brew' has been passed on to 'Winged Fire Serpent.' It is said that this person is the one who formulated the recipe. With this, one can control the powerful and wealthy in the capital without anyone noticing and do whatever one wants!"

(End of this chapter)