📖 Record of Prison Investigation

Cangzhou is a place of exile. Throughout history, violent bandits have been imprisoned in this jail. I left Ministry of Justice and capital, and here I wrote Record of Prison Investigation, to record the deeds of bandits.

"Feng Xueya, a rogue from Hangzhou, is known for his violent nature. Uneducated in his youth, he survived through robbery and theft. As he grew older, he made a fortune by grave robbing and ghost marriage, expanding his influence to Jianghuai. His greed and depravity knew no bounds. He founded Gaunt Stallion Sect, engaging in human trafficking and mutilation of living bodies, coercing women into prostitution. Sixth year of Zhenghe, Feng Xueya was captured by Hangzhou Prefectural Office and imprisoned in Cangzhou."

Zhenghe Era, Year 6, March By season, it should be spring, but in the bitter cold of Cangzhou, there is little difference between spring, autumn, winter, and summer. This place seems like a desolate wasteland, with only the prisoners being escorted to jail providing any variation. After the verdict was confirmed, the clerk frowned and sighed, "Such a vicious criminal, not yet subjected to torture by slow slicing... what a pity." I was indifferent, for the Cangzhou prison never lacks those guilty of heinous crimes. Accompanying us were the Court Guards from Hangzhou. After greeting us, they offered hundreds of taels of gold and silver, saying with a smile, "This man is Feng Xueya, the master of the Gaunt Stallion Sect - brutal and wicked beyond measure. We ask for your care and attention, gentlemen." Once a prisoner enters this place, it's as good as death; gold and silver naturally lose their meaning. However, the jailers are flesh and blood, ordinary people, and can be persuaded. The phrase "care and attention" here has two meanings: one is to take good care, not necessarily pleasing him, but at least sparing him from brutal punishment and death; the other is also sparing him from death, yet leaving him in a state of "unable to live, unable to die." I nodded slightly and replied, "Is this from the victim?" The Court Guard shook his head and waved his hand, only laughing and saying, "I've heard there are over a hundred methods in the Cangzhou prison. This man is strong and fit, suitable for a trial."

There are many methods in Cangzhou prison; even I cannot know them all. But once the sequence of torture instruments passes over someone, they become no different from pigs or swine. The colleague who "entertained" Feng Xueya the most was said to have been a butcher in his early years. People like us don't accumulate good karma, but he lacked money and did all the things ordinary people avoided to support his two children. Thus, Feng Xueya fell into his hands. The documents didn't lie; Cangzhou prison is full of villains, and Feng Xueya was indeed the most troublesome and violent among them. Although on the day of imprisonment his collarbones were nailed and he wore a blood yoke, he remained extremely fierce, resembling a giant dog or ferocious mastiff. During torture, he roared madly, his voice echoing through the heavy prison. I was writing Record of Prison Investigation and often visited Feng Xueya for this reason. According to colleagues, when he first underwent torture, he shouted day and night, recounting his crimes, using them as a shield of madness, clearly intending to intimidate. This is common in Cangzhou prison, merely a facade of outward ferocity and inner weakness. I was unmoved and asked him, "How did you fall to this point?" Feng Xueya laughed maniacally, answering through gritted teeth, full of hatred, "Played with eagles all my life, only to have my eyes pecked out by a sparrow! A mere plaything dares to betray its master." Colleagues heard this and sneered, pouring half a bucket of chili water over him, leaving only the sound of gasping and shivering. After leaving the prison, a colleague told me, "This man is a rogue and hooligan. In his early years, he robbed graves and sold ghost marriages, later engaging in human trafficking. The person he mentioned should be the one who previously paid him off." I pondered briefly, smiled, and said nothing.

According to prison custom, newly arrived death row inmates are always subjected to a round of torment until they submit. However, Feng Xueya is quite a tough nut to crack without yielding. "What should we do?" I frowned and asked him. My colleague looked at me with a mocking gaze, and I suddenly realized, "Increase the punishment." Feng Xueya grew silent, his pitch-black eyes staring at people like dark abysses. My colleague was disturbed by it, while Feng Xueya became defiant. "Do you have children? Do you know the price of them?" Feng Xueya asked, not waiting for a response, he continued, "The child of a jailer is worth at most 10 grams of silver, and if they reach ten, not even a hundred pieces. Daughters... are more expensive." His words and demeanor were terrifying. My colleague raised his whip to strike. Feng Xueya laughed, "When I kidnapped Huang Mengtong, she was not much different from your daughter." "Her family thought they could fight me, so I slaughtered them all in front of her! It's laughable that she had to abandon her name and take the surname of her family's murderer, calling herself Feng Huanchao, hahaha!" "Old man, you'd better kill me, don't let me walk out alive!" When we finally stopped, Feng Xueya lay in a pool of blood and still had a faint breath. My colleague, still seething with anger, seemed to remember the money, and said, "Let him live, don't let him off so easily."

Feng Xueya was bedridden for several days, barely clinging to life. I was tasked with watching over him on behalf of my colleagues, and we occasionally exchanged a few words. "Gaunt Stallion Sect..." I pondered over the verdict, quite puzzled. "You engage in human trafficking, yet you don't even understand the rules of Prefect Cai of Hangzhou?" Feng Xueya spat out a mouthful of blood, his face twisted in rage. "Cai Yun... I never shorted him on gold and silver! All fed to the dogs! I don't know what tricks that wench Feng Huanchao used to make Cai Yun turn against me so easily." I remained silent, simply scooping a ladle of cold water and pouring it over him. He cried out in pain, unable to stop for a long time. "Watch your words. Prefect Cai is not someone you can criticize." I was accustomed to such matters: ruffians from humble beginnings, once successful, became overly arrogant, believing themselves to have risen from nothing with extraordinary abilities, looking down on the likes of Cai Yun, an official's son, let alone women who were once their playthings. Having endured the harsh punishments of Cangzhou, Feng Xueya's appearance had drastically changed. I looked down at him, suddenly feeling a sense of mockery. "The agony is unbearable, but rest assured. Our brothers have taken Feng Huanchao's money, so we'll ensure you stay alive." "Feng Huanchao..." he gritted his teeth, uttering a few deep sounds from his throat. "A mere seductress, just a plaything in my hand... Does she even deserve it?" I replied with a cold laugh, "In the Cangzhou prison, such things hold no weight."

After that day, Feng Xueya was like a spent arrow, repeatedly expressing a desire to die. But this is Cangzhou Prison, how could he have his wish fulfilled? The Court Guard escorting him came here, still not forgetting to bring gold for bribes. Seeing his miserable state, he was quite satisfied. I chatted with him, and the Court Guard laughed, "Just by torturing him, we get so much." "He has a strong will, enduring the torture. Even when he was nearly beaten to death, he never begged for mercy." The Court Guard frowned, "We must keep a close watch on him. Feng Huanchao is not easy to fool. If he dies, where will we get our money..." I sighed, "Once you enter Cangzhou Prison, death is inevitable." There were thugs who died under torture, and those outside who sent bribes remained unaware. But according to the Court Guard, Feng Xueya is difficult to follow this example. He drew a short blade. He gave each of us a silver ingot, sneering, "Since he's bound to die, I should take something first and go back to Feng Huanchao for reward. You just pretend not to know and consider it doing me a favor." My colleague and I left. After all, we accepted money. The snow in Cangzhou was cold, so we heated a pot of wine. After drinking, we soon fell asleep. The next day, I pushed open the cell door, and in the pool of blood lay a single corpse, its throat slit by a short blade it was the Court Guard from Hangzhou Prefectural Office. Feng Xueya had escaped with the short blade, his whereabouts unknown.