Great Ming: My County Magistrate Is a Living King of Hell

In the fifteenth year of Hongwu, Su Bai, magistrate of Jiangning, strikes fear into the court and country with “scientific torture.” Silver needles snap spines and amplify pain a hundredfold, as corrupt officials wail and spill every secret. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, traveling incognito, witnesses his methods and sighs, “A divine detective of the Ming!” When the Ministry of Revenue's deficit case comes up, Su Bai uses a “big data” model to untangle thirty years of crooked accounts in just three days, leaving the entire court trembling. Crown Prince Zhu Biao rebukes him for his cruelty. Su Bai smiles and says, “Benevolent rule is for good people. Tyranny is for beasts.” Zhu Yuanzhang slams the table: “Hang lanterns in the Hall of Heavenly Favor, so every corrupt official in the land can see!”