A Cut Above the Law

Wang screamed as the nine serpents’ fangs sank into his exposed buttocks. The backs of his legs were already ravaged and the caustic venom coursed through his body.  He closed his eyes and dug his hands and feet deeper into the wooden post he was tied to. The creatures lingered to slither up his back until, with a jerk, the torturer retracted them back into the whip’s shaft.  

Chief magistrate Hsu tsked and stroked his long black beard. With a raised eyebrow, he turned to councilor Lin, top advisor to the emperor, who was sitting at the same table.

“Continue. He may be stubborn, but he’ll talk,” Lin said. “The emperor himself delivered another message today. He demands swift justice.”

              Such a daring crime, Hsu thought. He turned over a bronze knife in his hand that sparkled in the dim light of the imperial dungeon. He inspected its qualities again, comparing it to another knife sitting on the table. They were identical in length at about seven inches long, with an open ring for their handle and curved blade with six runes on one side of the blade and a single magic mint mark on the other.  When scried by sorcery, it would declare the date and mint location. The knife was a near perfect copy. But the mark was flawed. It was carved a fraction lower on the blade than normal, and referenced a mint that no longer existed. The Imperial Mint would never have kept such a mold and would have ordered it destroyed. So how did the suspect get hold of one?

 “Mr. Wang, make this easy on yourself,” Hsu said. “A confession will set you free. The emperor has decreed a maximum punishment of branding, if you tell us who paid you to make these knives.”

Wang grunted and wiggled in his restraints, but said nothing. Hsu twitched a finger, and the torturer flung the whip at the prisoner’s back. The serpents writhed and climbed down his spine, biting each vertebra. With a gurgle, he lurched forward to vomit onto the stone floor.

Lin stood up and walked to the prisoner. He grabbed him by the chin and looked him in the eyes, his face a severe scowl. “Speak, now!  Before the venom claims you!”

Wang’s eyes were wide and he jerked in the grip but stayed silent. His back tensed, now covered with a thick layer of sweat. Lin growled and let go of him, and turned away.

Hsu frowned. Did he just hear the prisoner sigh? The noted Wang’s body relaxed and his breathing softer than before.

Something was amiss with the suspect. The law dictated a confession must be obtained in 24 hours for justice to be served. This man was caught in the act. Why was he staying silent? He was so resilient that he stood a chance at going free. Most of the time prisoners either confessed or succumbed to the poison. Unless..

The judge motioned for the torturer to lift up the man’s head and turn it so he could see the side of his face. There was a small pink blot on his cheek that wasn’t there before.

“What are you doing?” Lin demanded, a faint quiver in his voice.

“Uncovering the truth,” Hsu said. With a raised finger, the torturer stepped up to the minister and dropped him with a fierce right hook to the chin.

Another gesture and the torturer dug through the official’s clothes. He deposited a tiny jade box onto the table. Hsu opened it and smiled without humor as he sniffed the acrid scent from the tiny needle inside.  As expected, an antidote.

He stood up and paced by the table. The emperor was right to be afraid. A great conspiracy was at play here if the advisor was hindering an interrogation. The emperor had many powerful enemies. The quality of the knife money was so suspicious that imperial and provincial mint officials had already been questioned.  And now a chief advisor was a suspect.

              “Mr. Wang, you can speak freely now, and I hope honestly. There’s no cure waiting for you this time. Tell me, do you know this man?”  

              Wang groaned. He looked up and lowered his head again.  “I cannot tell you,” he said. “They have spies. They will kill my family.”

              Hsu nodded. “I see. What if I could offer you permanent exile? With official court protection, of course. Both to watch you and to keep you from harm.”

              “How do I know you’ll keep your word?” Wang said.

              “You don’t have the luxury of choice,” Hsu said. “The crime is a serious one. Both you and the minister have committed serious crimes. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll order your family to be put on trial too. They will share your shame and punishment. Do you want that?”

              Wang jostled with his bindings. “I have never met this man before. I can’t give you names, only a description. A man came into my shop a month ago. said he had an imperial mold and offered gold and silver if I would cast the knives with no questions asked.”

“Of course, I refused. No matter how much money was at stake, my family and I could be sentenced to death,” he said. He was silent for a moment. “But then he showed me a fan, that was obviously my wife’s. He said he had associates who would harm my family unless I helped him.”

“He was young, maybe early twenties. He was dressed well, a clean blue robe like the imperial officials wear. About my height. The only thing..yes, he wore a ring on his right hand. When I looked at it, he quickly took it off and shouted at me. But I remember what it looked like, it was gold with a double dragon.

The judge coughed and turned white. Only official servants of the emperor himself had royal double dragon signet rings to sign documents. This man had been careless indeed. But he was likely only working for someone much more powerful. Like the advisor.

“Excellent. The court will show you mercy.”

The judge gestured and the torturer cut the man’s bonds. He produced more rope and tied the advisor to the post. He looked askance.

“No, leave him be for now,” Hsu said.  We will have plenty of time to vigorously question him. Take the prisoner to his cell and wait there for further instructions. No one is to see or touch him unless I am present, is that clear?”

Hu walked up to the advisor and inspected his face. A nasty bruise sprouted on his cheek but he was otherwise unharmed. A judge could be executed for harming an imperial servant. But a judge ultimately served the emperor about all else. An imperial advisor had a list of all servants with official signet rings and their daily schedules. He also had access to the treasury’s gold and silver. Who was in he league with?

It would be only a matter of time until the truth was beat out of him.