RPAGF Chapter 1434
Chapter 1434
"This time, the big wave is really coming..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Feng's expression suddenly turned serious—whether it was the Prince of Yan's arrival in the capital or Zhan Hui's role as the catalyst for tax reform, both would inevitably shake the entire Ming Dynasty, and it was impossible for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to remain unaffected.
ponder for a moment.
Zhao Feng then headed straight for the imperial prison.
……
The prison cells were as dark and damp as ever, with a faint smell of blood always permeating the air.
Upon seeing Zhao Feng rushing over, the jailers immediately clasped their hands in greeting: "Greetings, Lord Zhao!"
Zhao Feng nodded slightly, then said in a solemn and cold voice, "Several men, bring out and escort out Zhan Hui, the Minister of Personnel and Inspector-General of the Left Censorate, as well as Zhang Yi, the Marquis of Heqing, Zhu Shou, the Marquis of Zhulu, and Cao Xing, the Marquis of Huaiyuan, and bring them to the Ministry of Justice to hand them over."
Zhu Yunwen's idea was that this group of people should go through the normal procedures, and not be decided unilaterally by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. So they should be sent to the Ministry of Justice first.
As for Zhang Yi, Zhu Shou, and Cao Xing...
While it served as a catalyst to unleash the evil forces of Huaixi, at the same time, one of the charges against them was the encroachment on farmland, abuse of power, and tax evasion. Therefore, Zhu Yunwen kept them as a pretext for tax reform.
Zhao Feng had consulted Zhu Yunwen about the handling of these three men long ago, so he naturally knew that dealing with Zhan Hui now was also the time to deal with these three men.
He received instructions from Zhao Feng.
The jailer, of course, obeyed without question and immediately replied, "Yes! Please wait a moment, sir."
Not long after.
Covered in wounds, dressed in rags, and with disheveled hair, Zhan Hui was the first to be brought out. In just over half a month, this former head of civil officials had become unrecognizable, and his hair had turned noticeably whiter.
Clearly, life in the imperial prison was not easy.
He raised his eyes with some difficulty, and said in a weak voice, "What? This time... this time it's you, Zhao Qianshi, who have come to interrogate me personally? I... I've already said that I'm innocent and have nothing to explain!"
Zhao Feng sneered, "Ha! Lord Zhan thinks that once you're in the imperial prison, all you have to do is endure it and everything will be fine?... You're not still waiting for your disciples, students, and friends outside... to find a way to drag you out of the imperial prison, are you?"
Having his thoughts exposed by Zhao Feng, Zhan Hui looked away guiltily and even let out a cold snort to cover up his unease.
He did indeed have this intention—after all, Zhu Yunwen had just returned to the palace from outside the city when he threw him in. Zhan Hui was in the imperial prison and knew nothing about many other things. He only thought that the nobles of Huaixi had rebelled and that Yingtian Prefecture was not peaceful. At the same time, Zhu Yunwen, the emperor, was going against the will of all scholars in the world by investigating the privileges of the gentry—there must be an opportunity in this!
This was also the belief that Zhan Hui held onto for half a month in prison!
Zhao Feng was well aware of his intentions, and couldn't help but shake his head and smile, saying, "Lord Zhan, do you know... I'm not here to interrogate you today, but to send you to the Ministry of Justice?"
Upon hearing this, Zhan Hui's expression changed drastically: "What? Go to the Ministry of Justice?! How much... have you found out?!"
He has been in and out of power in the imperial court for many years.
How could Zhan Hui not know that those who entered the imperial prison were either directly convicted and punished by the prison authorities—usually for violating the emperor's taboos or displeasing him, but for whom there was no compelling evidence on the surface?
Those who are sent back to the Ministry of Justice are basically those who already have enough evidence to convict and sentence them, and can be tried in a fair and square manner by the three judicial departments!
To put it bluntly, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Imperial Prison are nothing more than a sword belonging exclusively to the reigning emperor.
Seeing that Zhan Hui was somewhat defensive, Zhao Feng raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh? Didn't Lord Zhan just say he was completely innocent?"
"You..." Zhan Hui realized he had let something slip and immediately looked embarrassed. He could only pretend he hadn't said anything and remained silent.
But in reality, his heart was in his throat, and he was secretly anxious, cursing inwardly, "It's been so long, and they still haven't found a chance to help me escape? A bunch of useless fools! None of them seem like the kind of people who would willingly relinquish their privileges. With His Majesty acting like this...aren't any of them worried at all?"
"I was punished by His Majesty for these matters; do you think they can escape unscathed?"
"At worst... at worst, we can try to get in touch with those rebellious nobles from Huaixi, and with their help from within, we might have a chance to get out of this predicament!"
Clearly, Zhan Hui, who was slow to get information from the outside world, and his students had the same idea. However, he didn't realize that his students hadn't failed to consider this plan; rather, it was aborted as soon as it was conceived.
And that’s what I’m saying.
The other prison guards also brought over Marquis Zhang Yi of Heqing, Marquis Zhu Shou of Zhulu, and Marquis Cao Xing of Huaiyuan.
The three men were already extremely arrogant and outspoken, and Zhao Feng held a grudge against them, instructing the jailers to treat them well. Naturally, they looked quite disheveled, with only dejection on their faces.
Moreover, after waiting for so many days in this dark and gloomy prison, their initial enthusiasm had gradually faded, leaving them only with constant anxiety.
Thinking back to the day they were arrested, when they spoke so disrespectfully to His Majesty, Zhao Feng felt a surge of anger upon seeing the three of them. Naturally, he couldn't help but mock them, saying, "Hey, you guys haven't even seen the Duke of Liang's army arrive yet?"
Zhang Yi, Zhu Shou, and Cao Xing exchanged glances and remained silent.
Two weeks ago, they were full of confidence, thinking that perhaps Lan Yu and the others were held back by something.
But half a month has passed...
Even if they didn't believe it, they had to admit one fact: Lan Yu and his men had indeed been unable to deal with that brat Zhu Yunwen for half a month!