Chapter 2325 - Going to Wuzhou (IV)

"Next is this Jiang Suo." Chen Baibin picked up the interrogation record. "Doesn't look like there's much to squeeze out of him—just a reckless soldier."

"Jiang Suo..." Ji Xin murmured. "Such a familiar name. I keep feeling I've seen it somewhere."

"It's a generic name," Chen Baibin said. "You can meet several in a month at the purification camp."

"Jiang Suo! Get up—a Lord wants to interrogate you." The retained jailer shook the shackles in his hand listlessly.

Jiang Suo climbed up from the straw mat. He had sustained quite a few injuries during the fierce battle, but they were mostly superficial flesh wounds, nothing serious. He hadn't been tortured in the cell either, and had already recovered considerably.

This was his second time being a captive of the Australians. Knowing the Australians didn't abuse captives, and having already reconciled himself to death, he ate well and slept soundly in prison, feeling quite at peace.

Hearing he was to be arraigned, Jiang Suo remained calm, asking casually: "Wasn't I already interrogated?"

"New Australian Lords have been sent from Guangzhou," the jailer replied. He knew this one was tough and spoke politely. "You've got big face this time. When you go to the execution ground, it'll be enough to shout a few times." He cupped his hands. "Hero, pardon the offense." Then he fitted the shackles and handcuffs.

Unlike Yi Haoran, Jiang Suo came from a military background and was young and strong. Zheng Ergen couldn't help but be wary.

Jiang Suo was detained in the county prison, just a few steps from the county yamen's rear hall. Dragging his leg irons and handcuffs, he arrived in minutes. The moment he stepped into the rear hall, his eyes suddenly widened.

The bandit chief he had thought about day and night for years, who appeared in his nightmares every night, was actually sitting in the hall.

Though many years had passed, Jiang Suo still remembered this man's appearance when he had interrogated everyone in the troupe back then: a fair-skinned, elegant-mannered, middle-aged man with a compassionate expression. Every time he asked questions, he let them finish speaking, neither interrupting nor scolding them. Only at the end of the interrogation did he say they were "muddled."

Everyone in the troupe had originally thought that with such an attitude, the worst outcome would probably be a few dozen strokes of the board each and wearing a cangue for ten days or half a month. But the judgment waiting for them turned out to be execution for Senior Sister, and exile for the rest.

Jiang Suo would never forget the scene when Senior Sister was taken from the cell by two bandit soldiers that day: Master crying out his daughter's name in sorrowful anguish. Senior Sister's eyes were clenched shut, but tears streamed down in strings. Only when she was about to leave the cell did she scream, heartbreakingly: "Dad!"

That single word "Dad" woke him from nightmares every midnight. He knew Senior Sister had died unjustly, had died wrongfully. All her longing and reluctance for the human world had condensed into that one word.

He had never imagined that this man with kind eyebrows and pleasant eyes, who spoke so gently and reasonably, was actually so ruthless and cruel.

What fault had Senior Sister committed? Just to survive, she had eaten Master Luo's rice for a few days. When he was in Hainan, the bandits said every day they were "the direction of the people's hearts" and that the campaign against the Great Ming was to "console the people and punish the guilty." But what did common people count for? It was still the same old story—using common people's heads to kill the chicken and scare the monkey.

"What are you standing there dazing for? Quick, go in!" The bailiff behind pushed him.

Ji Xin didn't recognize him. He and Jiang Suo had only met once or twice in the public hall. And as a judge at that time, examining anywhere from a hundred down to dozens of captives and criminals every day, it was impossible to remember every face. Furthermore, Jiang Suo had been just an unripe young lad back then. After years of exile and labor, his appearance had changed greatly.

"You are Jiang Suo?"

"I am."

Chen Baibin asked a few more questions about the content of the confession. Jiang Suo answered each one correctly. What Chen Baibin cared about most was how he had mobilized the troops. Jiang Suo didn't hide this point either, telling how he had contacted Song Ming and others, and how he had met "Mr. Gou" and other details one by one.

"Mr. Gou?" Ji Xin suddenly interrupted. "You mean Gou Xunli?"

"Seems to be called that." Jiang Suo was somewhat surprised. Could this surnamed Gou also be an old acquaintance of the bandits?

"Alright, so he's still alive." Chen Baibin certainly knew of Second Master Gou, famous throughout the Senate. "He really can bounce around."

"Don't mention it—he almost succeeded this time." Ji Xin looked at this young man with disheveled hair and untidy clothes before him, feeling somewhat familiar but unable to place why. He noticed the other party's gaze staring straight at him, completely without the flinching and avoidant eyes of typical captives and indigenous commoners.

This person has considerable guts—seems to be a desperado. Ji Xin thought.

Judging from the summary of confessions from all sides, the civil leader of this riot was Yi Haoran, and the military leader was Song Ming—prisoners said this person had escaped—but this Jiang Suo was an out-and-out number two figure. More useful information should be obtainable from his mouth.

Ji Xin opened his mouth and asked: "According to the confession, you said you were one of Xiong Wencan's family retainers. Xiong Wencan is from Guizhou, you are from Henan—how did you come to serve under his door as a retainer?"

"My hometown suffered flood and drought. Nothing to eat. A few years ago, I followed people to Guangdong to make a living performing arts."

"Since you were performing arts, how did you become a soldier?"

Jiang Suo smiled strangely. "That year, running around the docks in Guangzhou selling performances, I happened to encounter you people landing and harassing. The troupe suffered military disaster—some died, some fled, only I was left alone. With no way out, I became a soldier to get a mouthful of rice. Later I gained Governor Xiong's appreciation, first became a retainer, then was promoted to squad leader..."

"When Wuzhou city fell, Xiong Wencan's retainers mostly routed at Bangshan. How did you collect the remnants, and how did you lie low?" Ji Xin asked. "And how did Yi Haoran contact you?"

"There's naturally inside information about this matter." Jiang Suo said. "If this lowly person tells you, will you spare my life?"

"If you provide meritorious information, naturally the punishment can be reduced by one degree," Ji Xin said.

"Give me paper and pen. I'll write it out."

"You're literate?"

"When this lowly person was young, I read a few years of private school. I recognize some characters."

Chen Baibin scolded: "Cut the mysterious act! Just speak if you have something to say!"

"This lowly one has a clumsy tongue—speaking up, I'm afraid of making mistakes. Better to write it out." Jiang Suo said. "Besides, this matter concerns the Senate Standing Committee. There are too many ears and eyes here. If spoken aloud and overheard, I fear this lowly person's life cannot be preserved."

Hearing this, both Ji Xin and Chen Baibin were shocked. This Jiang Suo had opened with heavy news. "Concerns the Senate Standing Committee"—the weight of those words was immense. Though they hung the word "Senate" on their lips every day, the indigenous people of the Ming State mostly had no concept of it. Many people only knew "bandit thieves" or "bandit people," at most "Australians." Those who formally knew "Senate" numbered perhaps one in ten thousand. Let alone "Standing Committee"—even among naturalized citizens in Lingao, few knew this term. Yet this person had spoken it immediately.

Thinking further that captives had confessed Jiang Suo, though merely a trivial squad leader, had commanded Xiong Wencan's most elite retainer team—obviously one of Xiong's trusted aides...

Could it be this Wuzhou Incident has invisible hands manipulating it from behind? Both men instantly grew tense. Speaking of which, this Wuzhou Incident did indeed feel somewhat fishy. Ji Xin and Chen Baibin knew that Wuzhou having an incident might not be a bad thing for certain people in the Senate.

Could it be...

Neither dared voice the thought. Chen Baibin said: "Since that's the case, we'll give you paper and pen." He ordered someone to bring the Four Treasures of the Study and instructed the bailiff to remove Jiang Suo's handcuffs.

The chest board in front of the interrogation chair was quite wide and could serve as a small table. With handcuffs removed, writing was possible.

Seeing Jiang Suo pick up the brush and begin writing, Ji Xin ordered the bailiffs and jailers in the rear hall to temporarily retreat to the courtyard, to prevent them from seeing what Jiang Suo was writing.

"Wait under the eaves for instructions."

"Director Ji, what will this Jiang Suo write?" Chen Baibin was young after all, somewhat unable to contain his anticipation.

"Hard to say. But he's just a mere squad leader—what can he possibly know? More likely he's bluffing, wanting to live by writing nonsense." Ji Xin said. "Ignore it. Just let him write. At worst, we waste a few pages of paper."

Seeing Jiang Suo writing swiftly, he soon filled a page. After blowing it dry, he folded it and sighed: "Finished writing."

Ji Xin was concerned there might be something critical in this confession. If it really involved secrets within the Senate, that wouldn't be a matter of internal strife—the nature would be a hundred times more serious.

He didn't summon the bailiffs under the eaves to retrieve it, but rose directly and walked over, personally picking up the confession.

Jiang Suo suddenly exploded. One hand seized Ji Xin, while the other gripped the brush shaft and drove it fiercely toward Ji Xin's eyes.

Ji Xin was shocked and tried to dodge, but his arm was clamped tight by Jiang Suo's grip, immobile as an iron hoop. Seeing the black brush tip hurtling toward his eyes, Ji Xin in desperation could only jerk his head back to avoid its thrust.

Fortunately, Jiang Suo had only had his hands uncuffed; below the waist, he was still restrained by leg irons. The chair was fixed to the ground. Relying only on the sudden thrust of both hands, his range was extremely limited. Ji Xin dodged the brush shaft by tilting backward, but it still stabbed heavily into the corner of his mouth. A burst of sharp pain, salty and sweet in his mouth—he was bleeding immediately.

Chen Baibin was stunned for a moment. Seeing blood covering Ji Xin's face, he reacted, shouting "Someone come!" as he himself leaped up, grabbed a bench, and rushed forward, smashing it against Jiang Suo's arm. Only then did he rescue Ji Xin from Jiang Suo's grip.

Ji Xin fell to the ground on his backside, face covered in blood, looking extremely disheveled. By now the bailiffs and guards outside had all rushed in. Seeing this scene, they were greatly shocked. Immediately, water and fire sticks fell together, beating Jiang Suo until his head split and blood flowed, then shackling him again.

Ji Xin only felt his cheek and mouth burning, blood gushing continuously. He touched his cheek—there seemed to be a wound there too, with flesh rolled up.

(End of Chapter)