I became a big shot in the quick transmigration world.

Chapter 24 There is a Reborn Person in the Mansion 23
After being reborn, Yan Qing felt insecure and took precautions. She buried some of the money she had accumulated outside in the courtyard without telling anyone.

In exchange for helping her escape the mansion, she bribed a guard in the Qin household with the money.

At midnight, when everyone is asleep and the guards are at their most relaxed.

Under the cover of night, with the help of the guards, Yan Qing escaped from the Qin residence and fled to the Pang residence, where she knocked on the gate.

This was Yu Muhuai's second time entering the Dali Temple, and her third time seeing Xu Yanong.

"Seeing this guy always means trouble," Yu Muhuai sighed inwardly.

"Miss Qin, we meet again."

Hearing this incredibly blunt greeting, Yu Muhuai's lips twitched.

"Lord Xu, hello. I never expected that I would see you again today."

Hearing these subtly sharp words, Xu Yanong couldn't help but chuckle.

“Miss Qin, if you had obeyed the law, you would not have been able to see me.”

"That's not necessarily true, Lord Xu. I am naturally a law-abiding citizen, but unfortunately there are always villains causing trouble, forcing me to come face to face with you."

Now it was Xu Yanong's turn to twitch his lips. Hearing these words, it sounded like he was being scolded.
“Miss Qin, I will not engage in banter with you. Do you know that someone has accused you of personally murdering Pang Yuan?”

"Before I came here, Lord Pang had already said that. But as I said before, if I didn't do it, I didn't do it. I have a clear conscience. Lord Xu, please proceed with the interrogation."

"Ha," Xu Yanong scoffed, "What a fine claim of having a clear conscience. Let me ask you, on that day at the Yue residence, did Pang Yuan intend to plot against you?"

Yu Muhuai cursed inwardly, "That's right! That's why I killed that beast!"

She feigned confusion, "Lord Xu, what do you mean by plotting something wicked?"

Stop pretending! Xu Yannong shouted in her heart.

But he could only patiently reply, "It was an intention to violate you."

Yu Muhuai gasped, "Lord Xu, you can't just say things like that! How could you slander my innocence like that?"

Xu Yanong frowned, somewhat impatiently saying, "These are witness testimonies. Someone claims that Pang Yuan bribed a servant in the Yue residence that day, and that servant took Pang Yuan to that courtyard to prepare..."

"Are you going to assault me?"

Xu Yanong nodded.

"My lord, please don't joke. When I saw Pang Yuan, he was already being chased by men in black and didn't do anything to me at all. There were so many people who could testify that day that, apart from being stabbed, I showed no signs of being disheveled or assaulted."

"This only proves that you escaped, not that you didn't know what Pang Yuan was planning to do to you. It was precisely because you knew Pang Yuan's purpose that you harbored resentment towards him and ruthlessly killed him."

"My lord, this is just your guess. Where is the evidence?"

Xu Yanong stared straight at Yu Muhuai, as if trying to find something on her face.

After a moment of silence, Xu Yanong said, "A hairpin is missing from your room."

Yu Muhuai's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly, but she managed to control herself and not show any abnormality.

Just as she had guessed, the hidden danger was indeed that hairpin.

Seeing that the other party did not speak, Xu Yanong continued.

"According to the witness's testimony, the maid who used to serve you discovered that a hairpin was missing from your room after the incident that day."

The manor's purchases are all meticulously recorded, which can be checked against the records, and even the size of the hairpin can be found. If the missing hairpin matches the size of the wound on Pang Yuan's throat, then you, Qin Shumeng, are a prime suspect.

Seeing that Yu Muhuai remained silent, Xu Yannong continued to press, "Qin Shumeng, you want evidence? This is the new evidence I have obtained. How will you, with your silver tongue, explain this?"

Yu Muhuai looked at the aggressive Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and calmly replied.

"My lord, it's just a hairpin, it's gone if it's lost. I, the second young lady of the Qin family, would never pay attention to such trivial things. I know nothing about it, you are free to investigate."

Xu Yanong sneered, "I will handle this official business and investigate. But Qin Shumeng, everything you do leaves evidence. If Pang Yuan was really killed by you, you will never be able to escape."

After saying that, Xu Yanong stood up, flicked his sleeves, and left.

Afterwards, officers and soldiers from the Dali Temple came forward and took Yu Muhuai to a prison cell.

Having obtained a witness, Pang Jiannan reported the matter directly to the Emperor. Yu Muhuai was a prime suspect, and since his injuries had healed, he naturally could not be allowed to return home.

Two months later, the case was brought up again. Recalling Consort Pang's tearful appearance in the palace, the Emperor felt a surge of irritation.

The emperor then ordered a thorough investigation into the matter, demanding that the case be concluded within a week.

Before the court session even ended, officials from the Dali Temple arrived at the Qin residence, demanding to see the purchasing records in the backyard.

They were told that a fire had broken out in the backyard in the early hours of the morning, and all the purchase records had been burned.

Xu Yanong's face was gloomy. He stood in front of Yu Muhuai, revealing an impatient expression.

"Qin Shumeng, even without purchasing records, I can still find the answer. Do you know what method I'm using?"

Yu Muhuai remained silent, simply looking at the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

"When the Dali Temple interrogates people, besides evidence, it also uses torture. Previously, because you were Miss Qin Er, the evidence was insufficient, so you were not tortured."

Now that the Emperor has ordered the case to be closed within a week, you are again a prime suspect.

"I'm giving you one last chance. If you confess sooner, you'll suffer less."

Yu Muhuai remained expressionless. "My lord, I have nothing to say about things I didn't do."

“Very good,” Xu Yanong nodded. “I’d like to see if you’ll still be so stubborn later.”

Then he turned to look at the people around him and uttered two words, "Torture."

The Dali Temple of Yuanchang Kingdom was in charge of adjudicating criminal cases and was the highest judicial organ of the state.

In recent years, the Dali Temple has achieved a case-solving rate as high as 70%.

This is not only due to the high efficiency of officials in handling cases, but also to the rigorous interrogation by prison staff.

When faced with incriminating evidence that is not conclusive enough to establish a conviction, the Dali Temple will resort to torture. Of course, some criminals who are highly suspected or have committed heinous crimes will be tortured even without evidence.

The punishments were varied, including whipping, caning, shaving the head, and tattooing the face.

There is also the torture of finger and toe clamping, which involves using a wooden stick or bamboo pole to clamp the fingers and toes of a prisoner. This punishment is more often used on women because the wounds are not obvious, but the pain is excruciating.

Amputation was the act of cutting off one's feet; kneecap removal was the act of removing the kneecap; and burning was the act of driving the prisoner to a red-hot copper pillar or pressing a small iron tool, which was red-hot, onto the prisoner's body to leave corresponding scars.

There are also countless other punishments.

When the warden of the Dali Temple introduced the case to Yu Muhuai, she felt a headache coming on and couldn't help but sigh, "Without electronic devices, movies, or games, is this how these people entertain themselves by researching all sorts of bizarre punishments?"

(End of this chapter)