Feng Bao looked at Liu Shouyou. He was not surprised by his answer at all.
Liu Shouyou was the son of a famous official, so he had the habits of a scholar. However, Liu Shouyou was not a fool. He would not get involved before he figured out the truth.
Feng Bao stood up and said with a smile, "In that case, let the children of Dongchang show their incompetence."
The two of them went out of the house and went straight to the torture chamber in Dongchang. When they arrived at the torture chamber, it had already been set up.
The Minister Of The Crown was tied to a cross-shaped pillar. His head was lowered, and his hair was disheveled. There were no wounds on his body.
There were two tables on the opposite side, and the tea on them had already been prepared. It was for Feng Bao and Liu Shouyou to sit at.
The scribe next to them was also ready to record the interrogation process. Everything looked very formal.
Feng Bao nodded at Xu Jue and said, "Okay, let's begin!"
Xu Jue nodded and walked to the side of the Minister Of The Crown. He began to question the Minister Of The Crown.
"What's your name?"
"Minister Of The Crown!"
"Where are you from?"
"Wujin County, Changzhou!"
"What do you do for a living?"
"I used to be a soldier of Ji Liao. I escaped from the army!"
These questions were not out of Liu Shouyou's expectation. Hearing the mention of Ji Liao, Liu Shouyou became alert.
Although Liu Shouyou had guessed that Feng Bao would not dig deeper into Qi Jiguang, he was still a little nervous when it came to the matter.
Glancing at Feng Bao, Liu Shouyou found that Feng Bao looked calm. He could not see anything. He could not help but curse in his heart, "Old fox!"
Xu Jue continued to ask, "Why did you come to Beijing?"
"I'm a deserter. I don't dare to return to my hometown. I thought of the riches in Beijing, so I came here to make a living!" The Minister Of The Crown said with a sad face.
A deserter was a deserter. According to military law, he should be beheaded. This was reasonable.
"Then why did you bring a dagger into the inner palace to assassinate His Majesty?" Xu Jue's face was gloomy as he loudly asked.
This question immediately made the atmosphere tense up. Liu Shouyou's heart was also in his throat. He knew that the real critical moment had arrived.
He stared at the Minister Of The Crown, waiting to see what he had to say.
"Sir, I was forced to do this!"
The Minister Of The Crown said as if he was begging for mercy, "How could I have the guts to do that? I had no choice!"
"Who is forcing you?" Xu Jue seemed to be anxious, and he asked again.
The Minister Of The Crown swallowed his saliva and said quickly, "It was Gao Gong. Gao Gong was dismissed and went home, but he was resentful. He found me and threatened me with deserter. If I didn't obey, he would report me to the government."
"I really had no choice. Sir, please investigate clearly. I was wronged!"
Hearing the words of the Minister Of The Crown, Liu Shouyou was shocked. Feng Bao actually targeted Gao Gong again.
Originally, when Gao Gong was driven away, everyone in the court thought that this matter was over.
Who would have thought that Feng Bao would come out at this time? He was going to kill Gao Gong!
Glancing at Feng Bao, Liu Shouyou thought to himself, "This old eunuch is really ruthless!"
No, that's not right. This wasn't just targeted at Gao Gong. There were definitely other arrangements.
After thinking for a while, Liu Shouyou understood that Feng Bao was going to burn the fire in the court.
If it was true that Gao Gong assassinated the emperor, it would be a major case of rebellion. Once it was brought up, it would be a monstrous case.
The court would be in chaos in an instant. At that time, the Factory Guards would launch an unjust prosecution. Daming the court would be a bloody storm.
No, it was Dongchang that would launch an unjust prosecution. The Imperial Bodyguard was innocent.
This Feng Bao's plan was really big and ruthless.
If Feng Bao really did it, then Dongchang would be famous and Feng Bao's power would overturn the world.
Thinking of this, Liu Shouyou took a deep breath. This was much more than the plot against Qi Jiguang.
Now it seemed that Feng Bao mentioning Qi Jiguang was just a warning and a deterrent. The target was naturally the current Cabinet Secretary, Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng.
Thinking of this, Liu Shouyou secretly complained. If the two sides fought, the Imperial Bodyguard in the middle would be roasted on the fire.
At that time, as the Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard, he was afraid that he would be roasted directly.
"Nonsense, you sneaked into the palace because Gao Gong forced you. How did you get in?
The palace is heavily guarded. Do you think anyone can get in? "Xu Jue said loudly again with a sullen face.
"They said that there would be an Eunuch Chen to receive me. I was brought into the palace by that Eunuch Chen!"
Eunuch Chen?
Hearing this name, Liu Shouyou was stunned. Then, he realized who this person was. This person was Chen Hong!
He couldn't help but look at Feng Bao. Chen Hong almost forgot about him. This Feng Bao was really vengeful!
When Gao Gong was the Cabinet Secretary, any Chen Hong directly blocked Feng Bao's path. Now, Feng Bao wanted to take revenge!
Looking at his posture, he wanted to put Gao Gong and Chen Hong to death.
It had been so many years, and he still had this idea. This old eunuch was really sinister.
"Is what you said true?" Xu Jue looked at the Minister Of The Crown and asked seriously.
"Everything I said is true. Please investigate it clearly, Your Excellency!"
The Minister Of The Crown nodded repeatedly. His face was full of pleading. "Your Excellency, I said everything. I didn't hide anything, right?"
"If that's the case, then sign it!" Feng Bao said lightly when the interrogation was over.
Liu Shouyou was speechless, but he wouldn't open his mouth at this time. Not only would it be useless, but it would also be used against him. Maybe Feng Bao would turn around and run to the Empress Dowager to complain. At that time, Liu Shouyou would have to bear the consequences.
After coming out of Dongchang, Liu Shouyou was in a gloomy mood. Feng Bao's methods were really despicable.
However, Liu Shouyou had to admit that Feng Bao's methods were useful even though they were not honorable.
Liu Shouyou was well aware of the impression the Empress Dowager had of Gao Gong.
If the results of the interrogation were sent to the Imperial Court, the Empress Dowager would be furious!
After returning to the North Discipline Commission, Liu Shouyou called for Lu Zhengsheng as soon as possible.
"Has Scholar Zhang made any reply?" Liu Shouyou asked solemnly while looking at Lu Zhengsheng.
"Yes!"
Lu Zhengsheng nodded. "Master Zhang asked me to tell Your Excellency that it's enough to deal with the changing situation by sticking to the status quo. It's better to take it slow; don't act too hastily."
Liu Shouyou smiled bitterly. This Grand Scholar Zhang was indeed able to keep his composure, but he himself couldn't.
Liu Shouyou believed that Zhang Juzheng wouldn't be able to keep his composure if he knew the results of the interrogation. This was much more insidious than targeting Qi Jiguang.
"You go to the Zhang Manor and tell You Chi that the result of the interrogation in Dongchang has been obtained."
Liu Shouyou didn't hesitate at all. Though the news would come out sooner or later, it was better to know the result earlier so that Scholar Zhang could know the details earlier and not panic.