The mind-reading coroner drove the court crazy

"hehe!"

As Shi Xinzhe spoke, he couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth when he thought of those people crying and shouting to reveal the mastermind behind the scenes.

Cui Zhibao secretly observed the other party's expression. Even the emperor could see his pride and asked curiously, "Lord Shi, what are you laughing at?"

"Your Majesty, I was thinking of the assassins who were interrogated. They refused to confess at first, but after the execution, they couldn't wait to mention Lord Cui Zhibao."

Shi Xinzhe glanced at Cui Zhibao with a triumphant look, his contempt mixed with a hint of gloating. "Old man! You never thought of that!"

Cui Zhibao immediately retorted, his voice filled with anxiety and anger: "Master Shi, please don't lie in front of His Majesty! If this is true, why don't you bring the person here for a face-to-face confrontation? Then we'll know the truth!"

Upon hearing this, the emperor frowned slightly, then winked at Eunuch Wu beside him, signaling him to bring the person over.

Eunuch Wu bowed and accepted the order, then quickly retreated.

The emperor turned to look at Shi Xinzhe, his tone filled with curiosity and authority: "My dear Shi, what interrogation method did you use to make the killer speak?"

Shi Xinzhe bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, this method was suggested by the Marquis' wife and is called 'Laughing Punishment'."

"Laughing Punishment?" The emperor raised his eyebrows slightly, obviously unfamiliar with the name. "What is Laughing Punishment?"

Shi Xinzhe explained, "Your Majesty, this method involves fixing a person's feet to a wooden frame, exposing the soles of the feet, and applying honey or salt water. Then, goats are brought in and have them lick the soles of the feet."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor's face showed a trace of confusion: "Is it that simple? Licking the soles of feet a few times can make people confess?"

Shi Xinzhe smiled faintly, glancing at Cui Zhibao with a half-smile, and said, "Your Majesty, you may not know that a goat's tongue is covered with tiny barbs. Licking it is both itchy and painful, like thousands of tiny needles piercing the skin at the same time. Even a determined warrior wouldn't be able to withstand it for more than half an hour before the pain and itchiness become unbearable and they would suffer a mental breakdown."

When the emperor heard this, a deep look flashed across his eyes. He nodded slightly and said slowly, "So that's how it is. It's really an ingenious method."

Cui Zhibao's face turned pale as he listened, and a fine layer of cold sweat oozed from his forehead. Although he had not experienced it personally, just imagining the scene made him feel a chill running up from the soles of his feet.

Just then, Eunuch Wu walked in with several guards and a man in black.

Those people had one thing in common: they were pale and had unsteady steps, and it was obvious that they had been subjected to the "laughing punishment".

The emperor looked at the man with a stern gaze. Before he could say anything, he just snorted coldly. The men trembled with fear and fell to their knees with a thud. Their voices were hoarse and trembling: "I confess! Everything was ordered by Lord Cui. I was only ordered to assassinate Qin the Coroner, Zhao the Editor, and Zhao the Judge."

Upon hearing this, Cui Zhibao's face instantly turned pale as paper, and he felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave. He opened his mouth and trembled as he cursed: "How dare you, little thief, talk nonsense in front of His Majesty."

"Your Majesty, we have evidence." Then they said to Shi Xinzhe, "Master Shi, we have a letter written by Master Cui that proves everything we said is true."

Shi Xinzhe raised his brows, not expecting such a pleasant surprise. After obtaining the emperor's permission, he immediately came to the few people and quickly found the blood-stained letters from them.

"Your Majesty, please review this."

The emperor took a look at it, then angrily slammed the letter on the table. He stared coldly at Cui Zhibao, his tone filled with disappointment and anger: "Mr. Cui, what else do you have to say?"

Cui Zhibao knelt dejectedly, with an indescribable look in his eyes. After a while, his voice was weak: "Your Majesty...Your Majesty knows your guilt..."

The hall was silent, with only Cui Zhibao's breathing echoing in the air.

The emperor looked at him coldly, his tone tinged with disappointment and anger. "Mr. Cui, as an important official of the imperial court, you have committed such a heartless act. It truly pains me! Come, take Cui Zhibao to the Heavenly Prison and interrogate him strictly! No one implicated in this case shall be spared!"

The guards immediately stepped forward, held Cui Zhibao down firmly, and dragged him out of the hall.

Cui Zhibao did not struggle anymore, but just lowered his head, as if he had aged ten years in an instant, and was taken away staggeringly.

The palace was completely silent. The emperor took a deep breath and turned to look at Shi Xinzhe, his tone filled with approval. "My dear Shi, you have handled this case very well. If it weren't for you and the Marquis' wife's careful investigation, I'm afraid I would still be in the dark."

Shi Xinzhe bowed and said, "I dare not take credit for this. The case was solved entirely thanks to Madam Hou's extraordinary wit. I was just trying my best to help."

The emperor nodded, his eyes filled with satisfaction. "The Marquis' wife is indeed exceptionally talented. Pass on my decree to reward her with a thousand taels of gold and a hundred pieces of brocade as a token of my appreciation."

Shi Xinzhe quickly thanked the emperor: "I thank the emperor on behalf of the Marquis' wife."

The emperor waved his hand, his tone a little tired, "Alright, let's put this matter to an end for now. You all can leave. I need some quiet time."

Shi Xinzhe and Eunuch Wu bowed and left, leaving the emperor alone in the hall.

He sat on the dragon throne with a deep look in his eyes, as if he was thinking about something.

Outside the palace, Qin Miaoxi stood at the gate of the Cui Mansion, coldly looking at the Cui family members who were causing trouble. Her eyes were like knives, and her tone was cold: "Listen up, people of the Cui family, Cui Zhibao has been executed. If you dare to cause trouble again, don't blame me for being rude!"

Upon hearing this, the Cui family members suddenly fell silent and looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

Seeing this, Qin Miaoxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

From a distance, she saw Shi Xinzhe walking towards her triumphantly, with an unconcealable joy on his face.

"Master Shi, how is it?" She immediately went up to him, her tone somewhat anxious.

Shi Xinzhe smiled and nodded, his tone relaxed: "Cui Zhibao has been imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, and the emperor has ordered a thorough investigation of his accomplices. This time, he can't escape even if he has wings."

Qin Miaoxi's brows furrowed as she heard this, a flicker of anger in her eyes: "That's it? Shouldn't he be beheaded in public? The crimes he committed are worthy of being cut into pieces!"

Seeing her emotional, Shi Xinzhe quickly comforted her, "The emperor has his own considerations. Cui Zhibao is an important official of the court after all, and a hasty execution would cause a stir in the court and the country. But don't worry, he will definitely not survive, it's just a matter of time."

Qin Miaoxi remained silent, but she was worried in her heart. She always felt that things would not end so easily.

At noon that day, the Imperial Guards rushed into the residences of several ministers, arrested seven or eight people, and paraded them through the streets.

Qin Miaoxi was eating at a street stall at the moment. Seeing this, she couldn't help but take a few more glances out of curiosity.

The diners at the next table murmured, "Did you see that? Those are the high-ranking officials who specifically deceived and murdered scholars."

The other man scoffed and lowered his voice, "What?! I heard they specialize in eating young and strong men. Otherwise, how could they still be alive at such an old age? I heard they practiced some kind of evil magic and relied on cannibalism to prolong their lives!"

Soon, everyone started discussing the case. Qin Miaoxi looked at them in surprise. How could these people's claims be so accurate? But how did they know so much? How could the details of the case spread so quickly when the person hadn't even been sentenced?

Thinking that it might have been leaked by the Jingzhao Yin gang, she cursed in her heart: What a gossip, what is he for?

Qin Miaoxi's eyes flashed with coldness. She looked up at the people being escorted, and thought to herself: Could these people be Cui Zhibao's accomplices? But...

She quickly put down her chopsticks, stood up and chased after him.

As far as she knew, several of the ministers were honest officials. Could it be that the court had arrested the wrong people?