Torture Interrogation, Refusal to Admit

Lin Hu finished these tasks before he finally spoke.

"Sun Tai, the Governor of Xu Province, has been acting abnormally. It is highly probable that he is secretly colluding with the Holy Demon God Sect."

"This Seat suspects that he has been maintaining illicit dealings with the demon sect behind our backs."

He turned his gaze toward Han Meng and Sun Zhengyang, his tone brooking no doubt.

"General Han, Commissioner Sun. Both of you are to immediately escort Sun Tai and his confidants to the Demon Suppressing Division dungeons and interrogate them strictly."

"This Seat believes that we should be able to pry quite a bit of valuable information from his mouth."

"Perhaps we can use this to quickly break through the difficult situation currently facing the clearing operations in Xu Province."

Sun Tai, his mouth sealed by Spiritual Power, heard these words and his eyes widened abruptly.

He shook his head desperately, a series of muffled wails emanating from his throat.

He wanted to say that he was being framed, that Lin Hu was abusing his power to persecute a loyal official, but he could not utter a single word, only producing indistinct whimpers.

Han Meng and Sun Zhengyang watched this scene, their expressions turning somewhat complex.

Sun Tai had served as the Governor of Xu Province for several years.

Although he was usually a bit arrogant, he was considered capable in his duties.

To suggest he was secretly colluding with the Holy Demon God Sect was something both men found hard to believe.

Sun Zhengyang hesitated for a moment before speaking cautiously.

"Lord Envoy, this matter... could there be some misunderstanding?"

He weighed his words, his tone as respectful as possible.

"Governor Sun has served in Xu Province for many years. While he may be a bit headstrong, I truly find it hard to believe he would commit such a grave act as colluding with the demon sect."

"I wonder if you have any concrete evidence, my lord? If we rashly seize a provincial governor for interrogation, I fear it will cause quite a stir..."

Han Meng chimed in as well, his voice gruff but equally cautious.

"Indeed, Lord Envoy. Governor Sun is, after all, the chief official of a province. If we take him into custody without solid proof and it turns out he was innocent, I fear it will be difficult to resolve."

"Why not place Governor Sun under house arrest for now while we conduct a thorough investigation? If there is truly a problem, it won't be too late to take him then, will it?"

Lin Hu turned to look at them after hearing their words.

His gaze was calm, yet the aura of authority that required no anger to command made both men hold their breath simultaneously.

"Do as this Seat commands."

His voice was not loud, yet it carried an overbearing dominance that allowed for no rebuttal.

"If it turns out he is innocent, this Seat will personally plead guilty before His Majesty."

"But for now—"

"Do as this Seat says."

Han Meng and Sun Zhengyang exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in the other's eyes.

The man before them was a Ninth-Rank Martial Saint, a trusted aide to Prince Wu'an, and he held the Purple Gold Token.

In terms of strength, status, and authority, he was far above them.

Since he had spoken, what else could they do but obey?

"We obey your command."

The two men bit the bullet and cupped their hands in submission.

Han Meng turned and waved his hand at the soldiers behind him.

"Men, seize Governor Sun and all his personal guards! Escort them to the Demon Suppressing Division dungeons!"

A squad of fierce, wolf-like soldiers rushed forward, binding Sun Tai and his dozen or so guards.

As Sun Tai was dragged away, he struggled desperately, muffled wails still erupting from his throat.

He looked at Han Meng and Sun Zhengyang with pleading eyes, hoping they would speak up for him.

But both men avoided his gaze.

They were officials of the imperial court, not Sun Tai's personal guards.

The Lord Envoy held the imperial decree and the token; they had no choice but to act on his orders.

As for whether Sun Tai had actually colluded with the demon sect... they would know once they interrogated him in the dungeons.

Soon, Sun Tai and his guards were escorted to the prison of the Demon Suppressing Division's Xu Province branch.

The interrogation began at dusk and lasted until the following dawn.

The interrogation methods of the Demon Suppressing Division were nothing if not ruthless.

Floggings, brandings, water torture—all manner of cruel punishments were used in turn.

Yet, Sun Tai's bones were unexpectedly hard.

No matter how they beat him, branded him, or soaked him, he stuck to one statement.

"This official is innocent! This official is loyal to the court and has never colluded with any demon cult!"

"I've heard about your torture methods for extracting confessions long ago! You want me to confess under duress? Dream on!"

"This official will memorialize His Majesty! To accuse Lin Hu of abusing his power and persecuting loyal officials!"

His roars echoed in the prison cell, his throat hoarse.

Every time he fainted and was splashed awake with cold water, he repeated the same few sentences.

And he had been contemplating one thing in his heart.

His dealings with the Holy Demon God Sect were extremely secretive.

All secret letters were exchanged in person, never leaving written evidence.

All Spirit Crystals and resources were transferred through third parties, leaving the accounts clean.

Even if the Demon Suppressing Division investigated, they wouldn't find anything substantial.

As long as he held his ground and refused to speak, this imprisonment would only be temporary.

But once he confessed... that would be eternal damnation.

He would never forget the scene of Qian Youde being sliced into a thousand pieces.

At that time, Emperor Yu, in order to deter all officials in the court.

Not only did he order all officials in the capital to personally witness the execution, not a single one was allowed to be absent.

He also ordered the entire process of the execution to be clearly recorded on an Image Recording Stone and sent by express horse to various prefectures and counties, requiring the local chief officials to gather all their subordinates to watch it together...

Moreover, the methods the Holy Demon God Sect used against traitors were ten times more terrifying than the court's torture.

If he revealed information about the Branch Sect, even if the court spared his life, the demon cult would not let him go.

At that time, not only would he die, but his entire nine generations of relatives would not escape.

Therefore, he had to hold on.

As long as he could hold on until someone in the court spoke up for him, or Lin Hu couldn't get evidence and was forced to release him.

He would still have a way to live!

At dawn.

Sun Zhengyang, dragging his exhausted body, entered a study in the Xu Province Branch Yamen.

Lin Hu was sitting behind the desk, looking through a stack of account books and documents seized from the Prefectural Governor's Mansion.

He read quickly, turning pages one by one, his gaze like lightning.

"Envoy."

Sun Zhengyang cupped his fists in salute, his expression somewhat troubled.

"We've been interrogating him all night, but Sun Tai won't say anything."

He shook his head, his tone laced with helplessness.

"We've used all sorts of methods, but he insists he's innocent and even said... said he wants to memorialize His Majesty to accuse you."

Lin Hu didn't look up, continuing to flip through the account books.

"Useless."

Sun Zhengyang's face stiffened, a flicker of displeasure in his eyes.

He had worked in the Demon Suppressing Division for most of his life, interrogating no less than eight hundred, if not a thousand, prisoners.

Being called useless to his face, anyone would feel uncomfortable.

But the other party was a ninth-rank Martial Saint and a trusted subordinate of Prince Wu'an; he couldn't afford to offend him.

Sun Zhengyang suppressed his displeasure and spoke again.

"Envoy, this subordinate still believes that there might be some misunderstanding in this matter."

"This subordinate has also briefly reviewed Sun Tai's account books and documents before and found nothing unusual."

"Although his performance in Xu Province over the years has been mediocre, he hasn't made any major mistakes."

"Now, simply because he blocked your entry into the mansion, you've labeled him an accomplice of the demon cult. Isn't that a bit... too hasty?"

His tone was as tactful as possible, but the meaning was clear.

Arresting someone without conclusive evidence meant Lin Hu was in the wrong.

Lin Hu finally looked up, closing the account book in his hand.

He looked at Sun Zhengyang, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips: "You think this Seat is framing him?"

Sun Zhengyang quickly lowered his head.

"This subordinate wouldn't dare, this subordinate just thinks..."

"Enough."

Lin Hu interrupted him and stood up.

"Since you can't get anything out of them, This Seat will interrogate them personally."

He casually tossed the ledger onto the desk and strode towards the prison cells.

Sun Zhengyang quickly followed.

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