The prison of the Ministry of Punishment and the official prison.
The official prison was empty. After Zhu Di ascended the throne, it was once full of prisoners and their families. Now, those who deserve to be killed are killed, those who deserve to be released are released, and those who deserve to be exiled are exiled. The fate of the family members is generally the same.
Either become an official wife, official lady, or young master again, or become an official slave, a craftsman, a miscellaneous servant, or a singer in the studio.
Of course, there are still some people who were assigned as slaves to the hero's family because the hero's mansion has not yet been built and are still in prison. For example, they were assigned to more than 200 people in Xia Xun's family, but they have been moved from official prisons to ordinary prisons.
.
The only difference is that there are more graffiti on the cell wall, which bored prisoners can read to relieve their boredom. Although the poems and paintings are messy, they are masterpieces by different prisoners in different periods from the early years of Hongwu to the present. Some of them are
People have long since passed away, some are still high-ranking officials, and some have retired and returned home to spoil their grandchildren...
But when they were locked up here, no one knew their fate tomorrow, so even if those poems were a limerick, they also contained their reflections on looking back on their lives and their experiences at the critical moment of life and death. Each poem is a reflection of a person's life.
The portrayal of these people, and the lives of these people are all wonderful and colorful, enough for you to spend a lot of time tasting and feeling each one.
Zhou Zewen, the doctor in the examination department of the Ministry of official affairs, Zhang Antai, the right general administration officer in the general administration department, and Sun Guanghe, the prefect of Guide, were killing their time by looking at the messy poems and songs on the wall, because they had nothing else to do. They were not
They were political prisoners, but corruption prisoners. In order to prevent them from colluding in confession and affecting the investigation of the case, the cells of the three people were far enough apart that they could not see each other and could not talk to each other at all.
But not long after, there was a person in front of Zhang Antai's cell. He was dressed like a jailer, but his expression and temperament were not that of a jailer. He and Zhang Antai were separated by the fence, and they were talking to each other quietly.
Zhang Antai's face turned pale, and he grasped the fence tightly with both hands. The veins on the back of his palms were stretched. It was unknown how much strength he used.
The person standing opposite had his face hidden in the dim light, and his voice was faint, like a hypnotic song: "Master Zhang, if you think clearly, where to go is all in your mind!"
Zhang Antai said hoarsely: "Is there really no other way?"
"No! The prince-in-law can only protect himself now. You know, we are not just dealing with Chen Ying, there is also Yang Xu and Duke Fu Guo standing behind him."
"But……"
"Master Zhang! You have been an official all your life, why don't you understand? Either you are willing to be mediocre and don't make a choice. Since you have chosen to be attached and gained glory and wealth, you must bear the possible consequences. Success is the king and defeat is the enemy.
We’ve already reached this point, why bother saying some useless words?”
Zhang Antai slowly lowered his head and said nothing.
The people outside the cell seemed to understand his thoughts, smiled coldly, and said: "Master Zhang, don't take any chances. Taizu's legacy is that you have been greedy for sixty sticks of ink, peeling skin and pulling grass. How many benefits have you gained? You are not only greedy for ink, you are also greedy for ink.
That memorial was suppressed for two months. This is something no emperor can tolerate. If you let you do this, wouldn't the emperor become a deaf and blind man, a puppet at the mercy of his ministers?"
Zhang Antai hissed: "I have lived and died for my prince-in-law, who makes me go east and dare not go west. Without merit, there is hard work. Can't the prince-in-law reach out and rescue me?"
The person outside the cell said solemnly: "What happened to you this time has nothing to do with the consort! Mr. Zhang, this is because you are greedy and have brought disaster on yourself!
Zhang Antai was speechless. He wanted to defend himself. If he hadn't followed the orders of his consort and dealt with Yang Xu, the auxiliary prince, his matter would not have been exposed. However, he was so desperate that he didn't even have the strength to defend himself.
The person outside the cell said: "Mr. Zhang, life is short, and it lasts only a hundred years. You will die early, die late, and die eventually. If you are willing to die happily, your family can be saved and will be taken care of by your consort, who will ensure that they
You have no worries about food and clothing, and after ten or eight years, this matter has been forgotten, and they will still find ways to arrange for your heirs to become officials.
If you don't want to die, you will die in the end, and the death will be miserable, but you drag the prince-in-law into the water, hum! The prince-in-law may not be able to die. In any case, he is the brother-in-law of the current emperor after all, but by then,
Who cares about your family? Mr. Zhang, your life is no longer guaranteed, why don’t you think about what happens after your death?"
Zhang Antai's face was distorted, and his cheek flesh twitched from time to time. After a long time, he slowly raised his eyes, staring at the man outside with a pair of red eyes, and said hoarsely: "I... can die! Prince Consort, he...
…”
The man outside happily said: "Don't worry! Not only will the prince-in-law promise to take care of your family, but... when the time is right, he will also kill Yang Xu and avenge you!"
Zhang Antai smiled miserably and said: "Okay! Please remember his promise, Prince Consort!"
"Don't worry, a person cannot stand without trust! You died for your consort, how could your consort not take proper care of your family? Even if he doesn't care whether you rest in peace, he can't make the living people feel cold, right?"
Zhang Antai nodded, slowly returned to the prison bed and sat down, staring at the wall in a daze.
The person standing outside the fence hadn't left yet. After a while, Zhang Antai said coldly: "Do you have to watch me commit suicide with your own eyes before you can rest assured?"
The man outside laughed dryly, hugged his fists, turned and left. His steps were very light, and the soles of his boots lightly scraped the ground, making a rustling sound, like a snake swimming by. His next target was the official.
Zhou Zewen, a doctor in the Ministry of Examination and Gong Division.
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Chen Ying stayed up all night again. Even the people under him admired this very much. His slender body seemed to be made of iron. Once he had a case at hand, he could forget about food and sleep and work all night long.
, staying energetic all morning is something that many people cannot do.
But since Chen Ying was so capable, his subordinates suffered a lot and had to stay up all night with them busy.
Early in the morning, Chen Ying drank a cup of tea and ate two snacks. She was about to go to the Ministry of Punishment to interrogate the prisoner. A police officer wearing the official uniform of the Ministry of Punishment hurried in. When he saw him, he bowed and saluted: "Everyone.
Sir, the Royal Envoy, I have been asked by Mr. Luo, the main hall of the Ministry of Punishment, to go to the execution hall immediately."
Chen Ying laughed and said: "Haha, Master Luo is even more impatient than me..."
The messenger smiled bitterly and said: "Master Du Yuzhang, Master Luo, don't be in a hurry. Last night, Zhang Antai and Zhou Zewen both committed suicide in prison!"
"What did you say?"
Chen Ying's face suddenly turned red. She stood up fiercely and stared at the policeman like a hungry wolf. The policeman was so frightened that he took two steps back.
Chen Ying composed herself and immediately waved her hand: "Prepare the sedan, prepare the sedan, go to the Criminal Department immediately!"
In the lobby of the Ministry of Punishments, a row of jailers were lying on the ground, their bodies covered with bruises from whippings. Luo Qian, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishments, shouted angrily: "How could two people commit suicide at the same time? I asked you to take good care of them, but why was it that no one was patrolling, and it wasn't until dawn that they were discovered?" Weird! Did anyone break into the cell without permission? Did anyone touch them? Call me! Call me!"
Outside the lobby, Chen Ying and Jiang Linjie, the minister of Dali Temple who had arrived in a hurry, bumped into each other. The two of them bowed their hands to each other. Obviously, Jiang Linjie also knew about Zhou Zewen and Zhang Antai's suicide. His expression was very solemn. The two of them said nothing and immediately Walking into the lobby side by side.
"Master Chen, Master Jiang!"
As soon as he saw the two people coming in, Luo Shangshu hurriedly left the public case and came forward: "Last night, Zhou Zewen and Zhang Antai committed suicide."
"Suicide?"
Chen Ying's eyes glanced coldly at the bruised jailers, and Luo Shangshu said: "Yes, judging from the current investigation situation, it is undoubtedly suicide. The key to the cell is jointly held by two jailers, one guarding the In the prison, one is outside the prison. Without them opening it together, no one can get in. Zhou Zewen and Zhou Zewen committed suicide in the prison with their clothes belts..."
Luo Shangshu let the two people into the hall, watched the people sit, and said: "I am in the process of interrogating, and the jailers were lazy and rested in the middle of the night, so they did not find out. The only thing that is fortunate is that Sun, the prefect of Guide, Guanghe is still alive..."
Chen Ying sighed with a stiff expression and said in disappointment: "A small fish, what's the use of living..."
The news spread quickly. When many officials heard the news that Zhou Zewen and Zhang Antai had committed suicide, their first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief. They may not have been involved in any conspiracy of these two people against the auxiliary Duke Yang Xu, and they may even have nothing to do with it. As we all know, they have cooperated with Zhou Zewen and Zhang Antai in various other aspects, or helped each other, and those may not be glorious things that can be brought to the table.
These two people committed suicide, thus cutting off all future troubles. Their uneasy moods relaxed, and their gratitude emerged spontaneously. Now that the situation was tense, it was inconvenient for them to pay homage or go to the homes of these two people to express their condolences, but it was foreseeable. Yes, when the rumors calm down, as long as the families of these two officials find them, they will try their best to help. Reciprocating kindness is not the exclusive privilege of gentlemen. They still have to uphold basic morality.
"Zhou Zewen, Zhang Antai committed suicide?"
After hearing the news, Xia Xun smiled lightly and said disapprovingly: "Their use value has disappeared. Whether they die or not has nothing to do with me. It is Chen Ying who has the headache. Now all we have to do is keep an eye on Mei Yin. What is Mei Yin doing?"
Zuo Dan replied: "I just got the news that Mei Yin is at Juxian Tower today to entertain Prince Xu, the second son of the emperor."
Xia Xun was startled after hearing this, and his face slowly became serious: "A banquet for Prince Xu?"
"Yes, the Duke thinks there is something wrong?"
Xia Xun was silent for a moment and suddenly asked: "Is the cleanup of Ci'en Temple almost done?"
Zuo Dan was startled. He didn't know why he suddenly asked about this matter. He really didn't pay much attention to it. After thinking about it, he said: "It should be almost the same. More than 10,000 laborers were recruited from the vicinity of Jinling. It will take more than ten people in total." Thousands of people are being transferred from all over the place, and if we clean it up, it should be done very quickly."
Xia Xun nodded and said: "You continue to send people to keep an eye on him, but you don't need to report his whereabouts at any time. I will look for you when needed."
"Yes!" Zuo Dan slowly retreated.
Xia Xun touched his chin and smiled softly: "Use the situation to your advantage, turn a flower into a sword, this prince-in-law is not an easy person. Okay! Then let's just ride on the donkey and read the songbook, we'll see!"