Top Scholar

Chapter 531 Because there's a stutterer here
Su Lu was so resolute for several reasons. First, as the teaching assistant of the Dragon Tiger Class, he had a responsibility to protect the students in his class. Second, the root cause of Lu Ying's accident was the investigation assignment he had given. Third, the matter had already escalated, and abandoning it halfway would only harm Lu Ying.

As long as the body hasn't been found, we have to assume he's still alive! So, both emotionally and logically, finding him is the most important thing, and everything else has to take a backseat!

Although the temple does enshrine the memorial tablet of the Duke of Changguo, even if the Zhang brothers received the news and rushed over, it would be enough time for the Imperial Guards to pry open the lama's mouth.

Besides, Su Lu wasn't going to smash his maternal grandfather's memorial tablet, so as long as he wasn't intimidated, the other party would be helpless for the time being... As for the more serious consequences, that was a matter for later.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were extremely efficient, and the interrogation began in no time. They didn't need any instruments of torture at all; their skilled methods were enough to put the pampered emperors through their torment.

Take, for example, shoulder dislocation and elbow lock. The captains don't use brute force; they simply grip the lama's arm, gently twist it along the bone joint, and then twist it behind his back. The movement seems gentle, but it precisely locks the force in the gap of the shoulder joint. It doesn't dislocate the shoulder, yet it causes excruciating pain, but the lama can't scream loudly, only trembling all over.

There was also the kneeling position. Two captains pressed down on the lama's knees, one on each side, and with a little force, forced his lower legs to bend in the opposite direction. The pain was different from a flesh wound; it was a dull ache that seeped out from between the kneecaps, making one feel as if they had been pulled out of water in the blink of an eye.

Moreover, as long as the captain doesn't let up, the lama will continue to suffer this boundless torment.

There were also methods like binding against a wall, hanging like an Arhat... These varied methods, though bloodless and non-mutilating, were just as torturous as using torture instruments. Those lamas who had been stubborn before suddenly confessed everything, crying and begging for mercy.

"Waaah..." The head lama, his crotch also wet, collapsed on the ground and confessed, "It was...it was us who detained that guy surnamed Lu yesterday."

"How dare you!" The scholars, who had initially been somewhat indignant, were enraged upon hearing this. All their sympathy vanished, replaced by boundless fury. "You dare to plot against the Emperor's students? Do you think your heads are too strong?!"

“We didn’t kill him! How could we dare to kill him!” The head lama hurriedly shook his head and said, “We would never dare to take his life! We just wanted him to write a guarantee so that the temple could protect itself. But he was very stubborn and refused to put pen to paper. We had no other choice but to put him in the coal mine to be locked up... We will release him when he changes his mind.”

"How dare you detain him? I wouldn't dare." Qian Ning said, slapping himself. Wasn't he just bringing up the very thing he didn't want to talk about?

The high lama's voice trembled uncontrollably: "We originally thought that as long as he wrote a guarantee, this matter would be settled and everyone could live in peace. But he just wouldn't back down, so we dared not let him go—who knows how much he's figured out about us lately? We can only throw him into that hell on earth to toughen him up first..."

As he spoke, his face fell, and he said, "We figured he'd chicken out before they even came knocking... but we never expected you to arrive so quickly, sirs!"

“That’s right.” Qian Ning couldn’t help but feel a little proud.

"Where is that coal mine?" Su Lu asked through gritted teeth, showing no sign of relaxation.

“Yes, in Mentougou…” the Grand Lama said.

"No wonder I couldn't find it; it was hidden so far away," Qian Ning said, suddenly realizing.

"Lead the way immediately!" Su Lu ordered in a deep voice, then instructed Qian Ning, "You and Xiao Qiang don't need to go. Send more people to continue the interrogation."

He lowered his voice and said, "We must dig out all their evil deeds!"

"Understood!" Qian Ning nodded emphatically. His godfather's "either don't do it at all, or do it thoroughly" attitude was exactly what he wanted. He whispered his assurance:
"Don't worry, Godfather, I guarantee I'll turn Guanghui Temple into a second Baolian Temple, so the Zhang brothers won't even have time to cut their hands!"

"Yes, I trust you to handle things." Su Lu nodded, and surrounded by the others, he rushed to Mentougou without stopping.

~~
The history of coal mining and burning by Beijing residents can be traced back to the Jin Dynasty. After Emperor Yongle moved the capital, coal mines in the Western Hills were temporarily banned due to feng shui concerns, and the excavation of dragon veins by the common people was strictly prohibited.

But the millions of people living in the capital needed wood for heating, cooking, and building houses. Relying solely on logging, the dense forests around the capital were completely cleared out in just a few years. Not only did this cause severe soil erosion, but it also deprived the capital of its natural barrier against the Mongol cavalry, forcing the city to frequently declare martial law and leaving it in a state of disarray.

Even ancestral laws and regulations could not withstand the harsh reality. After Emperor Yingzong returned from his studies abroad, the ban on coal mines became merely a formality. By the end of the Chenghua era, as Qiu Jun, the Minister of Revenue at the time, stated: "Now, in the capital, the military and civilians, millions of households, all use coal as firewood."

The capital city and its surrounding areas were the most populous in the world, relying entirely on the coal from the Western Hills for inexhaustible resources. Mentougou was the earliest and largest coal-producing area in the Western Hills.

When the group arrived at Mentougou, they saw that the road was blackened by coal, and abandoned coal mines of all sizes were scattered along the roadside, overgrown with weeds, making it look particularly desolate.

But in reality, these kilns were just severely flooded; very little coal was actually extracted from them before they were abandoned by incompetent mine owners who moved the kilns elsewhere to start new ones...

The group followed the high lama through winding mountain paths until they finally arrived at the coal mine controlled by Guanghui Temple. The mine's perimeter wall was extremely high, topped with thorns, and two large, snarling dogs were chained at the entrance—a scene as imposing as a prison!

Hearing the barking of the vicious dog, the gatekeeper came out and saw that the Grand Lama had personally led a group of people. He hurriedly bowed and opened the gate.

Upon entering the courtyard, a stench assaulted the senses, almost making one vomit. Two hundred slave laborers sat wearily inside and outside the shacks, their faces obscured by darkness, but without exception, they were all ragged and emaciated.

Many people had boils all over their bodies, and when they lay on the ground, they looked like they had been dead for a long time...

They went down into the kiln before dawn, and now it was already evening. They had just come out and were waiting for their second meal of the day. The cook was setting up a large pot to cook, and the porridge inside was black, looking almost identical to the charcoal piled up in the yard…

"What wind has blown the Buddha here?" The overseer came out of the house upon hearing the commotion. Seeing that it was the Grand Lama, he hurriedly went to greet him. "How could someone as precious as you come to such a lowly place?"

The head lama had no interest in wasting words with him and asked abruptly, "Where are the three people who were sent over yesterday?!"

The foreman bowed and scraped, saying, "Reporting to Your Excellency, we have already sent them down the well to work."

"You bastards!" The head lama was so angry that he kicked them and cursed, "Who gave you permission to let them go down the well?!"

The overseer was kicked so hard he fell flat on his face, which made the slaves snicker.

He lay on the ground, his face covered in coal dust, and said with a pitiful expression, "Didn't the Buddha say... that this kiln doesn't keep idle people? If you come here, you have to work."

"You remember what I said years ago so clearly! You told me to hide them, but you didn't understand?!" The head lama trembled with rage and roared, "Quick! Go down the well and bring them up!"

"No need!" Su Lu said coldly, his eyes growing even colder after seeing the horrific scene before him. "We'll go down and get them ourselves!"

“It’s dirty and dangerous down there…” The head lama shuddered.

"My brother is down there!" Su Lu said coldly, "Lead the way!"

"Yes, lead the way," the head lama replied helplessly, then kicked the overseer again.

~~
A group of people descended into the kiln carrying small, delicate miner's lamps. These lamps resembled newly hatched chicks, hence the name "chicken lamps." The rounded lamp casing served as the oil reservoir, and the wick protruded from the "chicken's beak," its dim yellow flame flickering steadily... This way, the lamps wouldn't tip over no matter where they were placed.

The dark alley was narrow and cramped, the air was stale and pungent, and only the faint light of a few oil lamps could barely illuminate the way ahead.

Deep in the alley, the slave laborers, their bodies hunched over and covered in thick coal dust, mechanically swung their picks, digging at the coal. If they hesitated even slightly, the eunuchs would stab them hard with their barbed iron rods, their screams echoing through the narrow alley, sending chills down one's spine.

Fortunately, the coal mines of that era were not deep, and soon the group found Lu Ying at a coal mining site.

In just one day, he was covered in coal soot, his hair was disheveled, and he looked neither human nor ghost.

"That's him." The foreman pointed to Lu Ying, who was digging coal. Lu Ying immediately jumped, swinging his pickaxe wildly, clearly terrified.

"Brother Binyang..." Seeing this scene, Su Lu and his fellow students had red eyes and choked up as they spoke:

"Binyang, quit."

Lu Ying was swinging his pickaxe with all his might when he heard the sound and froze. It took him a while to slowly turn his head...

Upon seeing who it was, his lifeless eyes suddenly lit up.

She could no longer hold back, her eyes instantly reddened, tears streamed down her face, washing over her soot-covered skin, and she burst into silent sobs...

Su Lu and the others were also moved to tears. They rushed forward, hugged him, and cried bitterly. Wang Kezhang even took the pickaxe that Su Lu was clutching tightly in his hand.

It wasn't that we were afraid he would continue working, but rather to prevent him from accidentally smashing the old bald monk's skull open with a pickaxe at any moment!
The crowd pulled the weeping Lu out of the coal mine, where the outside had already been taken over by the army brought by Zhu Shou... The spies of the West Depot were not just for show; fearing that Su Lu and his small group might encounter danger, they reported it immediately.

Upon hearing what had happened on Su Lu's side, Zhu Shou could no longer remain still. He immediately led a thousand cavalrymen and galloped from the Jingxi camp to the scene!

Subsequently, all the successful candidates from the Dragon and Tiger Class arrived... Upon hearing that Lu Ying had been sent to a black coal mine, who could bear to stay? They all came along.

Everyone was stunned by this hellish scene. If they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, who could have imagined that such large-scale enslavement and torture could exist right under the emperor's nose?
"We've already done a preliminary investigation. This place consistently maintains a workforce of three to four hundred. The reason the numbers fluctuate is because people die every day, sometimes many..." Su Lu sighed and said to Zhu Shou and his fellow graduates:

“Some of these workers were tricked into coming, some were arrested, but some came voluntarily.”

He paused, then said with endless sorrow, "Because there's something to eat here."

P.S. Posted first, edited later. Please vote with monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)