Had it been anyone else, the Imperial Envoy would have left the matter to his subordinates. But he decided to deal with Zheng Yiming, the original Provincial First Laureate, himself, to ensure nothing went wrong.
There was no hearing in court, no assembly of witnesses and material evidence, only an interrogation inside the Prison. Clearly, none of it followed proper procedure, yet it happened all the same.
While the Imperial Envoy conducted the interrogation, the Pingzhou Prefect, the Examination Hall examiners, and the other officials remained around a corner among the cells nearby. They watched and listened from a distance, keeping out of Zheng Yiming's sight.
When they heard Zheng Yiming's cries and realized he actually knew his examination paper had been switched, both the Imperial Envoy and the local Pingzhou officials felt their hearts leap.
"Utter nonsense! You're asking for a beating-"
As the Imperial Envoy roared in fury, soldiers had already opened the cell door and gone inside.
How could Zheng Yiming possibly confess to something that turned black into white? But they, too, knew no one would willingly confess to such a thing.
Extracting a confession through torture was always worth a try. Zheng Yiming might have done farmwork at home, but he was still only a scholar. How could he withstand the officers' beatings? Under their fists, feet, and whips, he fainted. Then someone held his hand and pressed his mark onto the confession, and that counted as an admission.
Splash!
A basin of cold water came down. Zheng Yiming shuddered as they splashed him awake again. He curled up slightly, looking at the soldiers around him, then through the bars at those outside. He tried to rise, but someone planted a foot on him.
"Zheng Yiming, you've already signed and affixed your handprint!"
Alarm struck