Dream of the Red Chamber: Rising from Refugees to Sweep Across the Land

Chapter 21 A Major Case Reaching the Heavens

Liu Feng was unaware that Aunt Xue held a grudge against him; he was currently busy interrogating the madam.

The brazier in the prison crackled and sparks flew, and the piercing screams sent chills down one's spine.

The madam was pinned to the ground by two hot and cold sticks, unable to move. Her ten fingers were bound with torture instruments, and blood was already dripping from between her fingers onto the cold ground.

This is the most common torture method used by the yamen to interrogate female prisoners. The ten fingers are connected to the heart, and the pain is excruciating, making it very easy to become disabled.

Liu Feng sat at the table, reviewing the madam's statement.

Since the abducted child was found, the woman has confessed, but she hasn't uttered a single word about the distinguished guest from the capital that he wanted to know.

Liu Feng had a premonition that this was definitely a major case.

"Sir, the prisoner has fainted," the jailer beside him whispered.

Liu Feng slammed the confession shut, looked at the unconscious madam, and completely lost his patience. He said coldly, "Use every single torture on her, one by one."

"Yes."

The jailer took off his coat and personally began stripping him down, yelling, "Strip him!"

Two jailers immediately grabbed the madam, and the others quickly stripped her naked.

The imperial law stipulated that ordinary female prisoners could not have their clothes removed, but serious offenders such as brothel madams were not exempt from leniency.

The men were tightly bound to the wooden frame. The jailer took the long whip that had been soaked in salt water, swung it in the air with a snap, and cracked it.

Immediately afterwards, a whip lashed down on the madam, and a piercing scream rang out, instantly waking her from her unconscious state.

Her once fair and delicate body was now covered with a long, bloody welt that stretched from her shoulder to her stomach, a shocking sight.

Liu Feng's eyelids twitched. This was too brutal!

With each lash, a bloodcurdling scream echoed from the prison, making Liu Feng's eyelids twitch.

Just as he was worried the jailer would beat the man to death, the madam suddenly shouted two words, "E...eunuch!"

"Stop!" Liu Feng roared, glaring at the madam. "What did you say?"

Madam: "I really don't know who they are, but I overheard them talking inside the house earlier, saying they wanted to choose handsome young boys to be castrated... I really don't know anything else!"

Cleansing?

Liu Feng's mind went blank for a second.

What else could they do after being castrated? They'd definitely be sent to the palace to become eunuchs!

The eunuchs in the Daqian Imperial Palace mainly came from two backgrounds:

One option was to be selected by the Imperial Household Department, where the eunuchs would be castrated by a specialized official agency before being sent to the palace. The other option was to castrate oneself first and then apply to become a eunuch; this was usually the path taken by impoverished people or vagrants who had no other way to survive.

Liu Feng had heard about this from government officials when he was a refugee.

The selection of personnel by the Imperial Household Department is always done openly and honestly. They are recommended by the Ministry of Rites, introduced by senior eunuchs, or introduced through formal brokers. It is never as secretive and furtive as those people.

Liu Feng suddenly became excited. As long as it was related to the palace, it would definitely be a major case that reached the highest levels of power!

"Quick! Apply the medicine and take good care of her!"

Liu Feng grabbed the confession and ran out like the wind.

......................

As dawn broke, the east corner gate creaked open.

The jailer, accompanied by a group of guards, emerged yawning.

"Boss, take care!"

"See you tonight, Boss Wang!"

Wang, the jailer, yawned widely, waved his hand impatiently, and turned to walk towards the alley diagonally opposite.

As he passed a teahouse, a person suddenly jumped out and blocked his way.

"Wang, the jailer!" It was the doorman.

Prison Chief Wang was startled and cursed, "You startled me so early in the morning! You should be at the yamen for your roll call, what are you doing hiding here?"

"Brother, calm down. Let's eat and talk slowly!" The doorman pulled Wang, the jailer, into the teahouse and shouted, "Boss, two bowls of tofu pudding, two baskets of soup dumplings, two tea eggs, and a plate of 'champion beans'!"

"Alright, please wait a moment, sir, it'll be right there!"

The two sat down at the wooden table in the corner. Wang, the jailer, didn't take the chopsticks offered by the doorman and said directly, "Let's get down to business first, otherwise I can't eat this meal, and I don't dare to eat anything else."

The doorman smiled ingratiatingly: "Look at what you're saying. We've been brothers for so many years, would I ever harm you?"

Wang, the jailer, looked at him.

The gatekeeper coughed awkwardly and said in a low voice, "As you know, when our Prefect has nothing to do, he likes to go to Shuyu Academy to learn Kunqu opera..."

Prison Chief Wang tapped the table: "You're also a government official, I don't need to repeat the rules, do I?"

"I understand, I understand! It's about the Prefectural Governor..."

The doorman glanced around, then quickly pulled a silver note from his sleeve and stuffed it into the hand of the jailer, Wang. "The madam of Shuyu Courtyard hasn't implicated our lord, has she?"

Prison Warden Wang glanced at the silver notes: "Just for this little thing?"

"This is no small matter, brother!" the doorman hurriedly explained. "Our Prefect has toiled for fifteen years in the position of county magistrate before finally becoming the Prefect of Jinling. This year is the crucial final year. As long as he remains safe and sound without making any mistakes, he can be promoted further. At this critical juncture, we absolutely cannot afford any slip-ups!"

Hearing this, Wang, the jailer, felt relieved and stuffed the silver note into his pocket: "You can rest assured about this matter. The yamen is not investigating any cases of prostitution."

"Is it really just a case of child trafficking?" the doorman pressed.

"Child trafficking is nothing! This is a huge, high-level operation..."

Realizing his slip of the tongue, the jailer coughed sharply and urged loudly, "Boss, are you done yet?!"

The doorman's eyes darted around, and he chuckled, "Looks like you're going to get promoted ahead of schedule thanks to this case, brother. Congratulations!"

"Promotion? Promotion my ass!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Knowing too much can kill you!"

Just then, the waiter brought over breakfast: "Here you are! Your tofu pudding, soup dumplings, tea eggs, and 'champion beans' are all ready!"

"Come on, eat it while it's hot!"

The gatekeeper greeted him with a smile, but his eyes darted around nervously. Having spent years in the government, he knew the ins and outs of the system. For the seasoned jailer Wang to utter words like "a case of earth-shattering importance" and "people will die," this case was definitely going to reach the imperial court...

As the morning light bathed the city of Jinling, a constable mounted his horse in front of the Provincial Surveillance Office and galloped south at full speed.

Almost simultaneously, a person emerged from the backyard of the Jinling government office and rode a fast horse toward the capital.

"Who let them leave?!"

When Liu Feng returned to the prison, he was completely dumbfounded. All the prison guards had gone home to sleep! Such a big case, didn't they even have any confidentiality measures?

The newly appointed cell boss asked cautiously, "Should I go and call everyone back?"

"Hurry up and go!" Liu Feng flicked his sleeves, turned around and left the cell.

Such a major case should have been reported to the palace immediately, but the assistant commissioner was not qualified to report directly to the emperor on his own. It had to be forwarded through the Office of Transmission, which posed a significant risk of leaks.

After discussing it with the assistant commissioner, Liu Feng decided to first notify Lin Ruhai so that Lin Ruhai could personally submit a memorial.

But now that this has happened, Liu Feng is a little panicked. If the news leaks out, he, as the prison warden, will definitely be in big trouble.

After thinking it over, Liu Feng decided to go to the back of the house to find Jia Min and ask her for advice.

As soon as they entered the third hall, they saw the steward standing at the back door talking to Granny Wang.

Liu Feng smiled and leaned closer: "Wang Mama, could you please inform the madam that I have something important to report?"

Granny Wang: "Is it urgent?"

"It's extremely urgent." Liu Feng.

Granny Wang: "I need to go to the small kitchen. You can go in directly. Oh, and please take this letter with you. It's from the Xue family in Jinling."

The Xue family? They're moving pretty fast.

Liu Feng took a look and exclaimed, "Wow, this handwriting isn't bad! It's elegant and graceful, yet possesses a strong inner strength; it's no less beautiful than Lin Daiyu's. Wait, could this be Xue Baochai's handwriting?"

That's quite possible. Xue the Fool can barely read, and Aunt Xue seems to be about the same...