Chapter 15: Loyalty to One’s Country
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“So, it’s someone from the Li family. Mr. Liu, you have to use your trump card!”
Zhou Yi opened the food box. There were four cold and four hot dishes. They looked and smelled good. The wine pot was also a hundred years old. To be able to find such good wine in one night, the warden must have put in a lot of effort.
“But of course.” Head Chef Liu pursed his lips. “I’ve used all the skills of my ancestors for fear of angering her.”
There were also many unspoken rules in the small kitchen of Sky Prison, especially for cell C-9. Chef Liu had to customize meals according to the prisoner’s title, official position, and close relatives. They could not be generalized. If the Duke’s family ate the same dishes as the Assistant Minister’s family member, it would definitely cause trouble!
These profligate young masters were extremely bored. All that’s left is to compete for face. One could eat cold food and drink hundred-year-old wine in the Sky Prisonand be better off than those eating four hot dishes!
In the eyes of ordinary people, the reason why noble young masters were jealous of each other was that they had nothing to do and were bored to death. However, they had to follow the orders of the officials in the Sky Prison.
The most powerful family in the Chongming Dynasty was the Long family. Now, the treatment that had been reserved for Young Master Long had been transferred to the Li family.
Li Wu razed the Fengyang Kingdom to the north and south. After resting for a year, he led a million troops to fight with Great Yong in the north and vowed to take back the lost three states. Now, their power was even greater than the Long family of the Chongming Dynasty!
Zhou Yi carried the food box to Prison C9 and met Lieutenant Zhu, who was in charge of day-time duty.
Commandant Zhu repeatedly reminded him, “Zhou Yi, you must be careful. That master is a fierce person. If he goes crazy, I won’t dare to save you!”
Zhou Yi said in surprise, “Commander, we’re just delivering food…”
“Do you know why he was sentenced to the Sky Prison?” Lieutenant Zhu reminded him in a low voice, “He sent troops to plunder the trade route and pretended to suppress the bandits. Instead, he slaughtered a few villages and claimed the job was done!”
…
Zhou Yi was silent for a long time before asking, “Who would dare to expose such a shocking matter?”
To plunder and kill the innocent!
Who among the nine clans of the Li family wasn’t a criminal? That included Great General Li Wu. He could lead an army of a million troops to attack the north. If this matter wasn’t handled properly, the world would be overturned!
Now that even Commandant Zhu knew, it was obvious that he could no longer hide it. It was equivalent to announcing the Li family’s crimes to the world.
Zhou Yi did not think that the imperial court, or Emperor Hongchang, had the guts!
Commandant Zhu said, “Who else could it be? It was Prime Minister Zhang!”
After Emperor Hongchang ascended the throne, he massacred the remaining members of Long’s court. The four ministers were all implicated. Now, the person ranked as the Grand Secretary was his teacher, Zhang Zhengyang.
“No wonder.”
Zhou Yi had never seen Zhang Zhengyang before, but from the rumors in the city, he only felt that this person was an important person in the empire. It was rumored that after Zhang Zhengyang became the Grand Secretary, the first time he penned a statement, he resolved a major crisis in Fengyang.
It was better to be safe than sorry!
who proposed the strategy of exempting all taxes for five years to win over the hearts of the rebel
only person who could compare to Li
Cell C-9.
the dishes from the food box and placed them on the
to eat, my
“Yeah.”
couch in the inner room without opening his
was not merely the arrogance of
“How fearless!”
…
Several days passed.
the small room to get food
wrong with
like wildfire in the market. A few days prior, many
court pretended not
capital government who invited the innocent to leave one by one, then began locking them up on the grounds that they had gathered to
became a place for the people to vent their anger. Every day, the gate was stained with all kinds of
the governor of the Divine Capital, stating that he had treated the people harshly, neglected his duty, and protected criminals. However, He didn’t mention
In a short period of time, the Divine Capital could be said to have changed drastically. The center of
went to
prisoner in Sky Prison. He’ll eat whatever others eat. There’s no need to treat
frowned slightly, then said in
days’ time. “At noon tomorrow, all the members of the Li Clan under Li Xiong’s command will
asked, “The general requested
Zhou Yi, if you’re so smart, why have you been delivering food
the Li family should have implicated all nine sects of the family. He knelt and asked for Your Majesty’s understanding. He said that the law would
“General, you’re right!”
“You are wise, General!”
filled with shock. They felt that the full power of the capital
Cell C-9.
He knocked on the cell bars
then he calmed down. “It seems that my cousin wants to send
ethics of this era emphasized intimacy. Li Wu’s
Yi said in
people trying to curry favor. You can easily
“Your parents,
Xiong was expressionless. He glanced at
a son? How old is he? Is he very cute? In the future, he might have practiced martial arts and joined the army, or taken the liberal arts exam. He might have married a virtuous wife, and you will
described the happy scene of
last sentence, “Your ten-year-old son’s head will fall to the ground and spit blood for the last time,” his eyes turned red with anger. “…
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