Hu Chao sneered and said: "Everyone in the world knows that it was the cruel official Qiu Shenji who forced the Crown Prince to death. Qiu Shenji is already dead, what does this have to do with me?"

  Shen Xingwen looked at him, such a fugitive, after knowing that he couldn't escape, would not care about anything and start climbing again, how could he easily confess.

  Shen Xingwen clicked his tongue and bent down: "Heaven knows, earth knows, you think what you're doing is unknown to anyone?"

  Hu Chao's eyes were cold and stern, he was already over forty years old, plus the past few years of hiding and fleeing, his temples were full of wrinkles, his appearance reflected his heart, now he looked very frightening.

  Shen Xingwen sat opposite him, tender and delicate, the two of them were as different as an old crone and a young noble.

  This is where Hu Chao's underestimation came from.

  However, he also underestimated Shen Temple, and Young Master Shen had never been easy to get along with.

  Shen Xingwen beckoned with his hand, and the yamen runner behind him handed him a volume of case files. Shen Xingwen slowly said: "In our Da Li Temple, we handle cases by examining motives, processes, and evidence. We never wrongfully accuse people, one item at a time..."

  Come on, let's start with the motive, how about it?

  Hu Chao stared at Shen Xingwen, "Deceive me?"

  Shen Xingwen sneered coldly: "You're not even worth being deceived."

  First destroy self-esteem, then plot afterwards.

  Hu Chao could see that he was extremely angry at Shen Xingwen. Shen Xingwen remained unmoved, and only then did Hu realize that this young man was not ordinary.

  "The empress, while in power, had always been a staunch believer in sorcerers, which gave you this third-rate swindler an opportunity to take advantage of."

  Shen Xingwen described Hu Chao as a swindler in the jianghu, obviously he looked down on Hu Chao extremely.

  Hu Chao's face was gloomy, even though he had been hiding in recent days. He used to be admired by many people, and many people didn't dare to speak in front of him.

  What he didn't know was that Shen Xingwen's birth mother was ostracized by the family because a wandering Taoist had said she would bring bad luck to the family when giving birth to him. All these years, his mother and daughter had been treated coldly. Shen Xingwen worked hard to study and take the imperial examination to gain a good reputation, so that his mother could have a place in the family, but God didn't give them this opportunity.

  Shen Xingwen stared coldly at Hu Chao: "You sorcerers always think that..."

  "With just a couple of words, you can manipulate the imperial court. At first, Ming Chongyan by the empress's side also said that the crown prince was not worthy of succession, and let the crown prince suffer unjustly. All of this is because of your kind of deceitful scholars who speak recklessly and intend to play with state politics. Therefore, Ming Chongyan also deserved to die."

  It was not long after Ming Shengyan said this that news of his sudden death spread.

  Hu Chao's eyes blazed with fury: "Master Ming is a heavenly being, you are just ordinary people... afraid of probing the secrets of heaven, and foolishly laid hands on Master Ming."

  Shen Xingwen said coldly: "Ming Chongyan himself did many evil deeds, I think he has committed too much sin and is being punished."

  Hu Chao blurted out: "The former crown prince was the one who got what was coming to him. He killed Ming Xiangshi, and he won't be able to escape his own fate..."

  Suddenly, Hu Chao realized something and tightly closed his mouth.

  Shen Xingwen looked at him coldly: "Go on, you joined forces with Qiu Shenyan and others to frame the former crown prince. Was it all just for Ming Chongyan's revenge?"

  The motive has come out like this.

  Hu Chao stared at Shen Xingwen: "I want to see His Majesty, you have no right to interrogate me."

  Shen Xingwen pointed behind him and said: "Take a good look around."

  "This is the prison of Dalit Temple, you think you've entered here, but can you still get out?"

  Hu Chao stared at Shen Xingwen.

  "You... a bastard of the Shen family, thinking you can rely on the Great Temple of Li, but a snake will never become a dragon."

  The temperature in the prison cell suddenly dropped a few degrees, and the nearest bailiff to Shen Xingwen looked at him with a frightened heart. Shen Xingwen's hand in his sleeve was clenched, revealing distinct knuckles, almost touching Hu Chao's nose bridge.

  Hu Chao suddenly sneered: "You don't look down on Taoist priests, do you? A Taoist priest can see through your old bottom. I know you are the real dragon and phoenix, or... just a worm in the mud."

  Shen Xingwen stared at him and suddenly smiled: "Have you seen your own face? Can you walk out of the Dalit Temple prison alive?"

  Hu Chao originally wanted to force Shen Xingwen into a rage, but his opponent's composure far exceeded what he had anticipated.

  Shen Xingwen said, "Now tell me how you drove a wedge between the Empress and the former Crown Prince. You can also reveal... your accomplices." The ancient principle of leniency for those who confess, Shen Xingwen stared at Hu Chao's face, these Taoist priests for their own selfish desires

  The number of people killed is not limited to the crown prince, it should be said that even the crown prince dares to secretly harm him, who else will they avoid, if Tian Hou still holds power and governs, would Hu Chao now become another Ming Chongyan.

  Unfortunately, there is no such assumption. Perhaps Hu Chao also had this idea in his heart, but the fact that he is now a prisoner of war cannot be changed.

  Hu Chao's face was full of disgust and fear, making him even more terrifying.

  ——

  "How did the adults think of Ming Chongyan?" Jing Wanyu blinked at Pei Tan, even though she had been looking for Hu Chao all along, but never thought that there was something behind Hu Chao.

  Pei Tan said: "Although these Taoist priests were favored by Empress Dowager, in the eyes of the ministers at that time, Ming Chongyan and his group were always just a group of Jianghu Taoist priests, so no one had ever really befriended this group of Taoist priests."

  Jing Wan'er's eyes moved: "But is there an exception?"

  Pei Tan slowly opened his mouth: "Zhong Chuke was demoted at that time and was thinking of ways to curry favor with the Empress, so Ming Chongyan, who had gained the Empress's favor, became an important person for him to get in touch with. In fact, it wasn't long before Zhong Chuke was reinstated to his original position. What makes me most suspicious is that after Ming Chongyan died, Zhong Chuke recommended Hu Chao to the Empress."

  Hu Chao also quickly gained the favor of Empress Wu, but at that time, among so many Taoist priests, why did Zong Chuke specifically recommend Hu Chao, and why did Hu Chao just gain the love of Empress Wu.

  Jing Wan'er muttered: "Heavens, these Taoist priests..."

  It seems that in history books, no matter how wise and sacred a ruler is, they will eventually become entangled with an inexplicable wizard.

  Why didn't Zhong Chuke kill Hu Chao directly after Tian Hou lost power and Hu Chao fled from Chang'an?

  "I guess that Zong Chuke has a secret in Hu Chao's hands, so although he wants to silence him, he dares not make a move and can only trap Hu Chao in Chang'an, neither of them can gain an advantage."

  So this is the reason why Hu Chao must be secretly arrested and tried, because if the secrets on his body can be obtained, it will be of great benefit to the Temple of Dali.

  Jing Wan'er looked at Pei Tan, biting her lip.

  But it also means that once Zong Chuke grasps the news of Hu Chao's leak, he will kill him mercilessly.

  Zong Chuke and Hu Chao are the kind of people who have killed too many, even Jing Yuanyuan wants to avenge her father by killing Hu Chao, others also

  They died without knowing how many ordinary people there were in this great Tang Dynasty.

  Jing Wanner suddenly had an epiphany: "Hu Chao must have thought that if he was killed by Zong Chuke, the things he knew would be buried forever?"

  "Are you saying that he might have left a back-up plan and hidden the secret somewhere?"

  Jing Wan'er and Pei Tan's eyes met: "If I were Hu Chao, able to hide in Chang'an for so many years, why wouldn't I have found a way out?"

  The two seemed to understand something in an instant.

  In prison, Shen Xingwen sipped his freshly brewed tea while staring at Hu Chao: "If you've thought it through, then hurry up and say it. My patience is limited."

  Hu Chao stared at Shen Xingwen and said: "Do you dare to kill me?"

  Shen Xingwen handed the teacup to the person next to him, walked from his chair to Hu Chao's face: "Your life is worthless, but the things on your body are more valuable than your life."

  Hu Chao glared at Shen Xingwen, "You won't get anything."

  Shen Xingwen nodded and ordered his men: "Lay out a bed outside the prison cell, I'll rest here tonight. Find a rope to hang Hu Chao up, every half an hour...

  Tonight, let him have a sleepless night after being beaten up by ten strokes of the cane at dawn.

  The yamen runners did not dare to speak, another one had already fetched the rope. They may have realized now who this "Temple Director" was.

  Shen Xingwen sat comfortably on the bed, "Go to Tianxiang Building and order a duck, have it delivered here."

  It's just a matter of who suffers more now that we've both eaten and slept.

  Hu Chao said fiercely: "The empress is not in charge of state affairs now, but she is still in the Daming Palace. You, the Supreme Court, dare to detain me privately. Even if I tell the truth, what can you do to me?"

  Shen Xingwen's face was cold as frost, he stared at Hu Chao, and after a long time, he said: "There is one thing you said right, the Empress Dowager now... does not care about state affairs. Just because of what you just said, I can have you killed, Hu Chao, do you dare to be disrespectful to the current Emperor?"

  Hu Chao's expression twisted.

  Shen Xingwen said: "Yesterday when I caught you, I seemed to have told you that there is only one great Tang emperor in this world. The empress you keep mentioning can't save you either."

  Hu Chao was suspended in the center of the cell, looking at Shen Xingwen, that kind of resentment can infect others.

  After Shen Xingwen gave a hint, the bailiffs started whipping Hu Chao with their whips.

  "This whip has been soaked in medicinal liquor and will not leave any red marks on human skin, rest assured that our temple will not use torture to extort confessions from prisoners."

  Shen Xingwen said this sentence leisurely, looking at Hu Chao's trembling expression.

  Jing Wanyi glanced at the sky outside, then looked at Pei Tan and said cautiously: "Shen Temple had requested that you not go to the prison while he was interrogating Hu Chao. Perhaps he didn't want you to see him questioning the prisoner, but... aren't you worried at all?"

  Shen Xingwen now represents the Temple of Dali. If he really overdid it, Pei Tan would also be implicated.

  But Pei Tan obviously knew Shen Xingwen's approach, but did not show any reaction. This is not like the usual Pei Temple Master who attaches great importance to the reputation of the temple.

  Pei Tan saw Jing Yuanner staring at him, and he couldn't help but turn his face away. After a while, "In extraordinary times, one must take extraordinary measures. Moreover, the principle of using people without suspicion is something I should understand."

  This shows that he will fully trust Shen Xingwen, and now is exactly what he said.

  Jing Wan'er looked at Pei Tan's gaze, which seemed slightly subtle, as if she had discovered something.

  Another side of Bit End's gentleman.

  Pei Tan turned his eyes away, covering up that hint of unease, "It's getting late, you should also go rest."