The interrogators glanced around in astonishment. The lamplight quickly steadied, as though nothing had happened.
Their gazes soon returned to Dong Wenshu. Though they did not know what he was doing, they could all tell something was wrong.
The lead interrogator waved a hand. "Restrain him."
Two men immediately rushed over, pinned Dong Wenshu down, and bound him to the torture rack again.
The lead interrogator stepped forward and picked up several fragments of the shattered jade plaque. After inspecting them, he held them beneath his nose and sniffed, then rose and brought them before Dong Wenshu. "Mr. Dong, what is this? What were you doing just now? Sending someone a message?"
Dong Wenshu raised his head slightly toward the ceiling, his throat bobbing. He sighed. "Wang Ping was merely a worker I hired for my Book Hall. If he didn't want me to know something, how could I know it? I told you I knew nothing about what lay behind him, but you refused to believe me. You insisted on forcing every last detail out of me. Where is the justice in that? I upheld benevolence, righteousness, and morality, while you spoke only of butcher's knives and fish on the chopping block. Only now do I see how laughable I was. I've brought calamity upon my family. In the end, I was wrong."
The interrogator raised the fragments in his palm and said heavily, "You said you would confess just so you could do this? Mr. Dong, we're old acquaintances. I respected your character, and you pull this on me? Speak. Who did you tip off? If you cannot give me an explanation today, the suffering you endure will exceed anything you can imagine. Better to confess sooner than later!"
He was growing angry. If the jade plaque really