The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

As soon as Meng Yi walked out of the palace, he saw Meng Xin, his face full of excitement, jogging towards him.

Meng Xin couldn't contain his excitement and said, "Sir, you don't know, this old fellow Miyamoto is simply a toast and a punishment! He insisted that our brothers use torture instruments on him. He tried only one of the ten tortures you instructed him to use, and he was completely unable to withstand it!"

Meng Yi thought to himself that this was only to be expected.

After all, the Ten Cruel Tortures of the Qing Dynasty were the essence of interrogations during more than two thousand years of feudal dynasties.

There are many kinds of punishments, including the five punishments, quartering, beheading, skinning, boiling, slow slicing, disembowelment, playing the pipa, castration, and combing, etc. Each one is extremely cruel and ruthless, causing the victim unbearable pain, and even making life worse than death.

Especially the last punishment, called combing, is extremely cruel. The person being punished will eventually be left with only an empty skeleton, with no possibility of survival in the world.

We have to admit that these punishments are indeed extremely cruel and inhumane, but fortunately, with the continuous development and progress of human society, these terrible punishments have finally gradually withdrawn from the stage of history.

"So, what did he confess?" Meng Yi asked casually as he continued to move forward.

"At first, this old guy was quite stubborn, but under our tactics, he finally gave in. He admitted that he was instructed by Master Zi Hai to murder His Majesty under the pretext of presenting elixirs to His Majesty, and that he was also in collusion with Lord Feng Jie." Meng Xin said angrily.

A cold murderous intent flashed in Meng Yi's eyes. "I never thought this Miyamoto would be so bold as to attempt to murder Your Majesty. So, did the man who escaped confess?"

Meng Xin replied, "Miyamoto said it was Feng Jie's son Feng Yu!"

The corners of Meng Yi's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile. He said, "Well, that's quite interesting. It seems that even at this point, Miyamoto still refuses to give in easily and must taste the harsh punishment!"

Meng Xin nodded in agreement and said, "Sir, you are right. However, I still have one thing that puzzles me. The Master Zihai we met a few days ago was clearly just a wealthy dandy who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun. How could he have such deep thoughts and schemes?"

The corners of Meng Yi's mouth curled up slightly again, and he chuckled softly, "In my opinion, there's probably something else going on here. Nine out of ten times, this Young Master Zi Hai was actually framed by someone else!"

Not only that, he also gave out the names of other accomplices. Meng Xin carefully handed the note to Meng Yi with a very respectful attitude.

Meng Yi took the note and quickly glanced at the names on it. It read: "Meng Tian, ​​Wang Ben, Li Si, Feng Quji..."

Seeing these names, Meng Yi couldn't help but laugh inwardly. These people were the best among the civil and military officials in the court! They had already reached the highest positions in the government. How could they possibly follow a fallen prince into rebellion? This was pure nonsense!

However, Meng Yi remained calm on the surface and said, "Well, Brother Xin, it seems that Miyamoto has started to make random accusations. In that case, it's time to let him have a taste of the legendary ten tortures!"

After hearing this, Meng Xin quickly nodded in agreement, with an excited look on his face.

Then, the two of them spurred their horses and galloped towards the Lieutenant's Office like the wind. The sound of horse hooves echoed through the long street, as if foreshadowing the coming storm.

When they arrived at the Lieutenant's Office, Meng Yi ordered Miyamoto to be brought in for personal interrogation. Miyamoto had been tortured beyond recognition, but he still gritted his teeth and refused to reveal any more of the truth.

Seeing this, Meng Yi decided to use his ultimate move. He ordered someone to bring a bowl of black liquid with a pungent smell.

"This is our latest poison. If you don't tell the truth, you will die." Meng Yi said coldly.

A hint of fear flashed across Miyamoto's eyes, but then he regained his determination.

"I'd rather die than surrender!" he hissed.

Meng Yi sneered and waved his hand to force the poison down his throat. Miyamoto struggled violently, but soon collapsed to the ground, his face darkening.

"Now, are you willing to tell me?" Meng Yi squatted down and looked directly into Miyamoto's eyes.

Miyamoto panted and said with difficulty: "I...said..."

Then Meng Yi asked everyone to leave, leaving only Meng Xin.

He revealed a shocking secret. It turned out that the real mastermind behind the incident was...

Meng Xin was shocked and said in a trembling voice, "Sir, I'm afraid we can't afford this!"

Meng Yi waved his hand, sat down steadily in front of the desk, and said in a deep voice, "Xin'er, please write down what he just said." Meng Yi sat in front of the desk with a gloomy face and cold eyes. He raised his hand slightly, signaling Meng Xin to hand the written interrogation record to Xiao He.

Xiao He hurried over. When he read the interrogation record, he was stunned and stunned. His body trembled uncontrollably, and his voice trembled. "My Lord, this matter unexpectedly involves Wei Ran, Marquis of Rang, Lü Buwei, Marquis of Wenxin, Feng Xiang, and Imperial Censor Feng Jie. I never thought that the descendants of the Wei and Lü families would be connected to Master Zihai and the Feng family. However, there is one thing I am confused about."

Meng Yi's expression darkened even further. His eyes were like ice, and he spoke in a cold tone, "Are you trying to say that the Feng family, two generations of which have reached high positions, are still suspected of treason?"

Xiao He and Meng Xin both nodded, with puzzled expressions on their faces.

Meng Yi raised the corner of his mouth slightly and chuckled, as if he had already understood all this: "This Feng family is just a pawn in your majesty's game."

Xiao He was so surprised that his mouth was wide open. He stammered, "My Lord, are you saying that the Feng family, under Your Majesty's orders, are secretly contacting them in order to lure them out and finally capture them all in one fell swoop?"

Meng Yi nodded, a trace of regret flashing in his eyes. "What a pity that Lu Liang escaped. Now I'm puzzled as to what role Yan Le and Lu Sheng played in this matter."

Xiao He's expression grew serious. He frowned and said in a heavy voice, "My Lord, could it be that Zhao Gao is also one of the masterminds behind this? He's just more secretive, and only Yan Le has revealed it, while others don't know about it."

Meng Yi nodded secretly in his heart. He had heard about Zhao Gao's methods a long time ago. Now it seems that Zhao Gao is indeed worthy of his reputation. He is manipulating everything behind the scenes and finally overthrowing Li Si and Feng Quji, father and son. He can be called the number one conspirator in China.

Xiao He continued, "Wei Ran, Marquis of Rang, was once a high-ranking official in Qin! He was expelled from the country by King Zhaoxiang and ultimately persecuted to death. Then there's Lü Buwei, Marquis of Wenxin, who was dismissed from his position as prime minister by Your Majesty and sent to live in Luoyang. Yet, he remained unrestrained, even recklessly maintaining retainers and ultimately committing suicide by drinking poison! And then there's Cheng Jiao, the Lord of Chang'an. He even dared to plot treason and was ultimately murdered. These three families, whether it's Your Majesty or the late King Xiang, have treated their descendants well! So why would they still plot to murder Your Majesty?"

Meng Yi listened, smiled, and said, "This is what they call 'the greed of the people is like a snake swallowing an elephant'! Some people are always greedy and never satisfied with what they have, always wanting more. Such people, no matter how good others are to them, will not be grateful, but will repay kindness with hatred."

Xiao He and Meng Xin both seemed to be thinking about something and nodded slightly, as if they understood the reason.

Meng Yi sighed and continued, "Our most urgent task now is to find Lu Liang to prevent any further complications. We must also secretly investigate Zhao Gao to see if he is involved in this matter and to find the most direct evidence."

Xiao He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, what you said is very true. I will make the arrangements right away."

Meng Xin hesitated for a moment, then said, "Sir, if this matter really involves Zhao Gao, how should we respond? He is a favorite of Your Majesty..."

A glint of determination flashed in Meng Yi's eyes. "No matter who is involved, we will get to the bottom of this. If Zhao Gao is truly involved, I will report this to Your Majesty."

After saying that, he turned and looked out the window, secretly vowing in his heart that he must find out the truth.

At this moment, the sunlight outside the window was just right, shining on Meng Yi, reflecting his firm and resolute figure.