I'll steal Gao Qiu's life and lead the Song Dynasty to prosperity.

The room deep inside the Prince Duan's mansion where Yang San was temporarily imprisoned was even darker than before.

Yang San was still tied to the chair, but the ropes had been loosened, allowing him to move his numb hands and feet slightly.

The bloodstains on his face were wiped haphazardly, leaving streaks of dirt. His eye sockets and cheeks were swollen, making him look even more miserable.

He hung his head, staring blankly at a spot on the ground, looking as if his soul had left his body. He felt that his death was imminent.

The door hinges creaked slightly as Liang Shicheng walked in, carrying a food box.

Behind him followed a meek young eunuch carrying a writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. The heavy wooden door closed silently behind him, separating the inside from the outside into two worlds.

Liang Shicheng placed the food box on a dilapidated table next to him and opened it. Inside was a bowl of steaming meat porridge, two steamed buns, and a dish of pickles.

The aroma of food filled the stale air, bringing a touch of life to the lifeless, confined room.

"Gurgle"

Yang San smelled the aroma and couldn't help but swallow hard, but he didn't dare to look up.

Liang Shicheng didn't speak, but first gestured to the young eunuch to place the brush, ink, paper and inkstone on the table and grind the ink.

Then he walked up to Yang San, looked down at him, his face expressionless, neither fierce nor pitying.

"Yang San," Liang Shicheng spoke, breaking the silence, "your time is running out."

Yang San trembled, abruptly raising his head, his eyes filled with unfathomable fear.

"The incident involving the royal family was witnessed by many, and there are witnesses everywhere," Liang Shicheng said slowly, as if stating a fact that had nothing to do with him.

"To put it mildly, it was an accidental slip-up, punishable by caning and exile. To put it more seriously... it was an attempt to harm a member of the imperial family, a crime deserving of death. According to the laws of the Song Dynasty, you should have a good idea of ​​what the consequences would be."

"No, offerings... I didn't... I really didn't mean to..." Yang San hoarsely protested, but his voice was dry and weak.

Whether it was intentional or not is no longer important.

Liang Shicheng interrupted him, his gaze icy.

"The important thing is that the Crown Prince is injured, the scene is chaotic, and the Prince is furious. This matter must be explained. And you are that explanation."

The last trace of color drained from Yang San's face; his lips trembled, and tears streamed down his face silently.

He knew that Liang Shicheng was telling the truth. In the eyes of the prince and the nobles, a nobody like him could live or die, and his honor or disgrace was often determined by the whim of those in power.

"However," Liang Shicheng changed the subject, his tone still calm, but it suddenly made a faint glimmer of hope burst forth in Yang San's lifeless eyes.

"His Highness is sentimental. Considering your years of playing football in the manor, even if you haven't achieved anything, you've still put in the effort. He'll point you to another path. Whether you take it or not is up to you."

"May I ask... what path is this offering?"

Yang San, as if grasping at a straw, asked anxiously, his bound body leaning forward.

Liang Shicheng did not answer immediately. He walked to the table and stirred the bowl of meat porridge with a spoon. Steam rose from the bowl.

His back was to Yang San, but his voice came through clearly:

"From now on, forget about what happened on the field. What you did wasn't just offending the royal family, it was stealing."

Yang San was stunned, completely bewildered.

Liang Shicheng turned around, looked at him, and said, word by word, "You, Yang San, are addicted to gambling and owe Baoshun Company a huge debt. Manager Wang has a handle on you and is using threats and inducements to make you steal a valuable item from the Wang Mansion to pay off the debt, so that you can continue gambling."

After that, you became obsessed and stole a piece of imperial white jade "Fu Shou Ru Yi" (a type of auspicious symbolizing good fortune and longevity) from the prince's treasury the day before yesterday. Then you went to Baoshun Store to sell the stolen goods to Manager Wang.

The Prince's mansion discovered the theft, followed the clues, and caught the thief red-handed. You were an accomplice, a fool instigated by the gambling den. Manager Wang was the instigator, the ringleader who received the stolen goods. Do you understand?

Yang San opened his mouth wide, his mind a complete mess.

This...this is a completely different matter!

Stealing a jade ruyi bestowed by the emperor? That's no small crime, but...

"Instigation, theft, receiving stolen goods," Liang Shicheng took a few steps closer, his voice lowered, yet carrying a strange persuasive power.

"This is a criminal case, a matter of theft. According to the law, you are an accomplice and were coerced. At most, you will be sentenced to exile and serve a few years of hard labor in a remote military prefecture. Don't you understand which is more serious, this or your crime of plotting against a member of the imperial family?"

Yang San's heart began to pound.

Hard labor is much better than losing your head!

"But, the offering... that jade ruyi... I really didn't steal it..." Yang San murmured, this was his last instinctive struggle.

"Whether you stole it or not is not important." Liang Shicheng's lips curled into a very faint, cold smile.

"The important thing is that if you admit to stealing, you can live, and your sick mother and your brother who works at the docks can also live, and live peacefully."

The Prince's Mansion has already sent people to escort your mother and younger brother out of the city and settled them in a safe place. They have been given money, and you have confessed and signed the confession. They are safe and happy now. If you don't confess...

Liang Shicheng paused, looked at Yang San's wide, fear-filled eyes, and softly uttered the rest of his words.

"If you don't acknowledge it, the creditors will come knocking on their door the next moment, or they'll encounter an accident on the road. Yang San, you're a smart man, you should know what to choose. This isn't a discussion with you. His Highness has always been merciful; this is your, and your family's, last chance to live."

Survival...family...money...peace...

These words struck Yang San's already crumbling mental defenses like a heavy hammer.

He recalled his mother's heart-wrenching cough and his younger brother's dark, lean, and taciturn figure as he carried bags at the dock.

He was just a worthless man, so he could die and that would be the end of him. But what did they do wrong?

At this moment, Yang San regretted gambling more than ever before. He regretted why he had given up a perfectly good job in Cuju (ancient Chinese football) to gamble away that damn money.

In the past, I only lost money gambling; this time, I'm about to lose my life.

Liang Shicheng, observing the expressions on the face, knew that the time was right, so he added the last sweet date.

"The prince also said that as long as you obediently follow these words and sign them in court, he will give your family an extra sum of money as a way of buying out the favors you have shown us over the years."

Yang San, this is the only thing you can do for your mother and your brother right now.

Are you planning to be a fool and drag them down with you, or admit you're a petty thief and let them live a peaceful life in return?

Silence, a deathly silence.

Yang San closed his eyes, and soon after, tears welled up again.

But this time, it wasn't pure fear, but a complex mix of resignation and hope for the future of his family.

His body trembled violently before he managed to squeeze out a sob from deep in his throat.

"Farewell, I...I confess...I stole...the jade ruyi...it was Manager Wang...who forced me to..."

Liang Shicheng's face remained expressionless; he had long anticipated this outcome.

He nodded to the young eunuch, who immediately spread out paper, picked up a brush, and dipped it in ink.

"Next, I'll help you understand the whole story. Listen carefully..."

Liang Shicheng's voice was steady and clear, guiding Yang San to gradually weave together the fictional story that was about to become an "ironclad case."

Yang San, blankly and haltingly, followed Liang Shicheng's questions and hints, recounting the crime he had just "learned".

The young eunuch beside him wrote down the notes with great speed and fluency.

After the statement was recorded, Liang Shicheng took it, carefully read it through in the dim light, and nodded. He then handed the statement paper and inkpad to Yang San.

"Paint."

Yang San looked at the densely packed characters, then at the blank space at the end. His fingers trembled as he reached for the inkpad. He closed his eyes and pressed his fingerprint heavily next to his name.

Liang Shicheng picked up the statement paper, blew on the still-wet ink, carefully folded it, and put it into his sleeve.

He gave instructions to the young eunuch.

"Make sure Yang San finishes his meal and doesn't cause any trouble."

"Yes, make offerings."

Liang Shicheng stopped looking at Yang San, who was slumped in the chair, and turned to leave the secret room.

Months later, when facing the soldiers who were monitoring his hard labor, Yang San would remember the afternoon he made that decision.

……

Meanwhile, a solemn atmosphere prevailed in front of the Kaifeng Prefectural Government Office.

Zhao Mingcheng had already arrived. After he handed over the document bearing the private seal of Prince Duan, the gatekeeper dared not delay and immediately informed him.

Before long, he was led to the second hall and met the Left Hall Judge on duty that day.

The judge, surnamed Cao, was about forty years old, with fair skin, three long strands of beard, and looked quite capable.

Judge Cao carefully examined the documents of Prince Duan's residence and listened to Zhao Mingcheng briefly recount the case of "the theft of the imperial jade ruyi from the Prince's residence, the thief Yang San confessing and identifying 'Baoshunhao' as the place to sell the stolen goods," especially mentioning that "the Prince was very displeased."

Judge Cao paused slightly as he stroked his beard, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

He pondered for a moment, then spoke politely to Zhao Mingcheng.

"Young Master Zhao, please have a moment. The case is of great importance and involves the Prince's residence. I need to discuss it briefly with my colleagues and immediately dispatch personnel."

"Thank you for your trouble, Magistrate Cao." Zhao Mingcheng bowed and sat down comfortably in the guest seat.

Two guards from the Prince's residence who accompanied him stood behind him like door gods, their backs straight and their eyes fixed straight ahead.

Judge Cao, carrying the documents, hurriedly went into the back hall.

Inside the inner hall, Wang Zhijie, the judge of Kaifeng Prefecture, along with two other senior clerks and clerks, were handling their daily official duties.

"Judge Wang, gentlemen, please look at this." Magistrate Cao handed over the document and quickly explained the situation in a low voice.

As the group passed the documents around, their expressions subtly changed when they heard the words "Baoshunhao".

"It was a mature-looking clerk who said in a low voice."

(Kongmu: A clerk in a government office who is in charge of core documents)

"Baoshunhao? The one in the south of the city? I remember there was a minor dispute a couple of years ago that seemed to involve...that place?"

Kong Mu pointed in the direction of the imperial city, implying that he might be involved with high-ranking officials.

Judge Wang, a dark-faced official in his fifties, frowned upon hearing this and tapped his fingers on the table.

"Involvement? What could be more involved than the Prince? The documents are here, the witnesses have confessed, the stolen goods are in that gambling den, the perpetrators and the evidence are irrefutable, the case is clear and straightforward, the culprits and the ringleader are identified. The Prince's people have come to report in person; this is like handing us a ready-made victory!"

Magistrate Cao nodded in agreement.

"Judge Wang is absolutely right. If Bao Shun Hao really had something to rely on, it should have cut its losses and survived by now. Why would it stand up to the Prince's Mansion for the sake of a gambling den? It is our duty to arrest thieves, investigate stolen goods, and recover imperial gifts in accordance with the law. No one can say anything against it."

Another bailiff also said.

"Exactly! The culprit has been caught red-handed, and the evidence is irrefutable. Even if someone has some connections, they should know the gravity of the situation by now. We have upheld the law impartially, solved the theft case at the Prince's mansion, and recovered the imperial treasures. This is a great achievement."

If we hesitate and delay, allowing the thieves to escape or the stolen goods to be transferred, who among us will bear the blame when the Prince's Mansion accuses us?"

Judge Wang understood the situation after listening to his subordinate's analysis.

Faced with irrefutable "evidence" and pressure from the prince, a gambling den that might have powerful backers was simply not worth mentioning.

Moreover, this case was handled brilliantly, a genuine achievement for the government.

As for the possible backer, as long as you strictly follow the procedures, don't dig too deep, and don't implicate anyone, the other party can only suffer in silence.

"Very well!" Judge Wang slammed his hand on the table, making up his mind. "Judge Cao, immediately gather three shifts of constables and skilled officers, those who can handle the situation! I will personally lead the team to Bao Shun's shop to arrest the culprits and recover the stolen goods! It must be done swiftly and efficiently, with both the culprits and the stolen goods caught, without any mistakes!"

"Yes! Your humble servant obeys!" Magistrate Cao perked up and left to carry out the order.

Within a quarter of an hour, a group of dozens of people had gathered in front of the Kaifeng government office.

The yamen runners carried black and red fire-and-water sticks, while the constables carried chains and iron rulers; each of them had a solemn expression.

Judge Wang had changed into his formal official robes and was wearing a turban with upturned corners. He walked out surrounded by a group of his subordinates.

Zhao Mingcheng also got up to greet him.

"Young Master Zhao, you've kept us waiting." Judge Wang was quite polite to Zhao Mingcheng. "The men are all assembled, and the case is urgent. Shall we depart now?"

"Thank you for your help, Judge Wang, and thank you all," Zhao Mingcheng said, cupping his hands in greeting. "The guards of the Prince's Palace are familiar with the route and can lead the way."

"It's my duty, I dare not complain," Judge Wang said solemnly. He then turned and shouted to the assembled troops, "Move out! Destination: Baoshun Ship in the south of the city! Move quickly!"

"Yes!" The constables and yamen runners responded in unison, their voices echoing through the streets.

The team set off.

The guards of the Prince's Palace led the way, followed closely by the constables and runners of Kaifeng Prefecture. Zhao Mingcheng and Judge Wang each rode in a carriage, positioned at the back of the procession.

The grand procession passed through the streets of Kaifeng, attracting crowds of onlookers who whispered among themselves, wondering which wealthy family had committed a crime that had prompted such a large-scale mobilization by the government.

The wheels rolled on, and the footsteps thundered.

Meanwhile, at Baoshun, Gao Qiu was doing what he was supposed to do.