jdhmnovel Chapter 446 At what age did you stop wetting the bed?
Chapter 446 At what age did you stop wetting the bed?
Crows flew about in a jumble, and clouds obscured the bright moon.
The Ministry of Justice prison in the twelfth lunar month was damp and cold to the bone.
The first person to be brought up was the troupe leader, who had been protesting his innocence ever since he was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice, claiming that the martial arts actors were not the original performers in his troupe.
It was because he was concerned about his image and worried that he wouldn't do a good job handling the duties assigned to the prince's residence that he accepted the help of several other opera troupes.
These people performed exceptionally well during their auditions and didn't ask for high prices, so the troupe leader, driven by greed, accepted them all.
The officials in the Ministry of Justice have interrogated me several times, and they've given me the same explanation over and over again.
Judging from this person's condition, he has been tortured before. He is either stubborn and determined, or he is truly innocent and has been used by others.
"Stop tying him up, put him down and give him a chair."
Jiang Xiaoqi calmly gave the instructions to the jailer, who was somewhat conflicted, but seeing Jiang Xiaoqi's insistence, he complied.
The troupe leader's surname was Zhao, and his given name was Zhao Biao. In his youth, he was also a martial arts performer. Later, he married a merchant's daughter and, with the help of his father-in-law, started his own opera troupe and became its leader.
Zhao, the troupe leader, was lifted up by several jailers and placed on an elmwood chair. Ignoring the pain all over his body, he struggled to open his eyelids.
He wanted to see what tricks the adults who came this time would come up with to torment him.
If it weren't for his foundation as a martial arts performer in his youth, he would have really died here these past few days.
But he couldn't die; his wife and children were still waiting for him!
Besides, Zhao Biao is truly innocent! Why should he admit to something he didn't do?
Those adults wanted to finish their tasks quickly, but they couldn't risk the life of this nobody!
Do insignificant people not have the right to live? Must insignificant people willingly become cannon fodder and stepping stones?
No! Zhao Biao refused to accept it! Even if he had only one breath left, he would not be forced to confess under torture!
Zhao Biao glared at the excessively young adult in front of him.
Is this adult... really eighteen years old?
With rosy lips and white teeth, and a face as handsome as jade, even the servants accompanying him were excessively delicate, clearly having never done any rough work.
Jiang Xiaoqi ignored Zhao Biao's unfriendly gaze and calmly said, "Master Zhao, I am not here today to force you to confess any crime."
Tell me the details of the person who asked you to audition the other day, including their appearance and accent, without missing a single detail.
"I will make my own judgment on right and wrong."
Zhao Biao looked at the young official in front of him with some suspicion, and after a long while, he slowly spoke.
Wenbin had already prepared his pen and ink and sat down at the table to take notes.
There were also officials on duty in the Ministry of Justice prison, who were present to take notes, which could be considered as witnessing the event.
As he recalled the events of that day, Master Zhao recounted them in detail.
It turned out that those people were dressed plainly, spoke with mixed accents, and looked like ordinary martial arts actors who traveled all over the country performing. Moreover, these martial arts actors had solid basic skills and looked quite good.
However, it's normal for martial arts performers to be skilled; those who aren't skilled won't have the chance to perform on stage.
Master Zhao didn't think much of it; at that time, he was only thinking about making his troupe even more presentable.
"My lord, those people all look like they have years of training. Alas... who would have thought they didn't have the skills of martial arts performers, but rather..."
Sigh... It's too late to say anything now. It was indeed the opera troupe that did that, and I was the troupe leader.
I only hope that you, sir, will see through this. The old men under my command are not in cahoots with them.
We're all honest people. We may not have any great skills, but our families depend on us for food. Why would we do something so foolish as to risk our lives?
"Master Zhao, please rest assured. If what you say is true, I will definitely clear your name."
Jiang Xiaoqi gave "Wenbin" a look, and "Wenbin" understood immediately. Avoiding the gazes of the jailers and officials, he directly fed the truth water into Zhao Banzhu's mouth.
Master Zhao was also a bit confused. Huh? How did they suddenly start pouring water on him? What kind of new punishment is this?
“Master Zhao, I am not here today to force you to confess any crime.”
Tell me the details of the person who asked you to audition the other day, including their appearance and accent, without missing a single detail.
"I will make my own judgment on right and wrong."
Jiang Xiaoqi repeated what he had just said. The jailer was a little confused. Was this Lord Jiang out of his mind?
The officials were also confused; why was it the same old routine again?
As if he hadn't noticed, Master Zhao simply repeated his long speech again, slightly out of order, but the general content remained largely the same.
This proved that Master Zhao was not lying. Wenbin then wrote down the second statement on another piece of paper for comparison.
The official didn't just stand by and watch; he ground ink, turned the page again, and began recording once more.
Before the effects of the medicine wore off, Jiang Xiaoqi asked a few more very direct questions.
For example: "You really didn't participate in the assassination?"
"You really have no connection with those actors who have completely faded into obscurity?"
"Did you really become wealthy only because of your father-in-law's help?"
Even, "At what age did you stop wetting the bed?"
"Have you been cheating on your wife with someone else?"
The faces of the jailers, the prison wardens, and the officials were a mix of emotions; they had no idea what this young man was up to.
Of course, these seemingly nonsensical questions were all answered by Master Zhao.
There was no other way; it was the first time Jiang Xiaoqi had used the "truth-telling water," and she didn't know how effective it would be. So, she decided to test its true effects by asking some "private" questions.
The result is obvious: anything produced by the system is guaranteed to be of high quality.
Zhao, who only stopped wetting the bed at the age of nine, never cheated on his wife. He was a devoted husband and a filial son-in-law.
His father-in-law's "angel investment" in him was not in vain, as he founded a theatrical troupe.
Of course, he had never participated in the assassination plot, and he was not an old acquaintance of those fierce fake actors.
Master Zhao, a complete scapegoat, a real scumbag! _(:D)∠)_
If the eldest prince is considered the most wronged, then Master Zhao would definitely be in the top three.
Look at how bloody and mangled his body is! He's suffered terribly!
Jiang Xiaoqi felt that he had developed a bit of a saintly heart, mainly because the troupe leader's half-white hair was too eye-catching, which aroused his pity.
Reluctantly, I spent one point to exchange for a healing potion from the system.
There are no miraculous pills or anything like that; it can only help him heal his wounds slowly, prevent them from becoming inflamed and oozing pus, and of course, prevent high fever caused by external injuries.
The task of administering the medicine still had to be done by "Wenbin." Master Zhao felt a lump in his throat, but then someone patted his back, and the feeling of choking disappeared.