Chapter 554: Chapter 309: Warden of the Heavenly Prison_3

“As he spoke, he produced a stack of testimonies from his sleeve and held them high above his head to present them.”

Eunuch Yuan glanced at the first page, where words like ‘Military Governor’s Office’ and ‘Commander of a Thousand Households’ were written, instantly understanding who would foot the bill for the one hundred thousand taels of silver.”

A Jinyiwei Commander’s mansion, when searched, could always recoup its costs.”

The Orthodox Emperor took the testimonies and flipped through them page by page, his expression visibly darkening to the naked eye.”

According to the testimonies, the Military Governor’s Office, wielding the power to supervise officials, colluded with local officials and clans, forming an extensive network from the top down.”

They took advantage of the Imperial Court’s land measurement initiative, deliberately oppressing the commoners and provoking them to create disturbances.”

Afterward, the Military Governor’s Office was responsible for arresting and suppressing the disruptors; the commoners accused of rebellion had their heads chopped off and their homes raided, with their lands taken and sold to the local gentry.”

The Military Governor’s Office not only earned merits but also grabbed silver, killing two birds with one stone!”

The Orthodox Emperor asked, “Is there any fabrication in these testimonies?”

The prisoners from the Inspectorate who had come out of the Military Governor’s Office had undergone who knew how many cruel tortures; their testimonies were more or less exaggerated.”

The Orthodox Emperor, of course, was aware of this, but he turned a blind eye as the prisoners maligned and entrapped by the two offices were precisely the officials he intended to deal with.”

“Your Majesty,”

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Zhou Yi spoke the truth directly, “These testimonies were not the result of investigations by your servant; instead, they were brought to the Inspectorate by Lu Wei, the Co-Controller of the Military Governor’s Office, and after careful examination and verification, not a single one was false!”

“Such evil acts are utterly devoid of conscience!”

The Orthodox Emperor looked at the last page of the testimonies, where the land involved added up to over a million mu, and the last bit of affection in his heart was worn away. He immediately ordered, ”

“Refer this case to the joint hearing of the Three Departments, with the Inspectorate assisting in the verification. Execute all those involved immediately!”

“Your Majesty is wise!”

A hint of satisfaction flashed in Zhou Yi’s eyes; the grievances of his six adopted sons were finally avenged.”

…

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.”

The Heavenly Prison.

Dark and eerie, filled with non-stop screams of pain and cries of injustice.”

Zhou Yi, having changed into his regular clothes, followed the lead of the jailer to the innermost cell.”

“Why does the Heavenly Prison feel so eerily familiar to me? There seems to be no difference from the earthly prison, yet there’s a sense of strangeness shrouded in the hazy air…”

Cell number thirty-nine.”

The jailer unlocked the door, bowed obsequiously, and said, “My lord, please enter.”

Zhou Yi stepped inside and saw a person nailed to a torture rack, disheveled and filthy, his flesh indiscernible; he took a long time to confirm it was Ji Yue.”

“Heh heh heh!”

The jarring, mad laughter echoed in the cell, “Oh, Minister Ji, I’ve missed you so dearly.”

Ji Yue shakily raised his head, his face marked by branding irons, with few teeth remaining in his mouth, he spoke in an unclear voice.”

“Eunuch dog, you will not die well!”

“How I die, Minister Ji won’t get to see, but…”

Zhou Yi said with a smile, “I will see Minister Ji’s parents, children, and relatives die out one by one, so none of your family will be left. They’ll all be neatly gathered in the underworld, so no one feels lonely!”

Ji Yue’s eyes were bloodshot, spitting out all manner of curses.”

Zhou Yi’s smile remained unchanged; since the whole family was dead, a few curses didn’t matter.”

At that moment,

a Green-robed Official came rushing over, about to kneel and salute.”

“Brother, there’s no need for such formalities.”

Zhou Yi helped Zhou Xiong up and after looking him over for a moment, said, “The green robe is a bit jarring to the eye, go to the Inspectorate tomorrow, take up a chief position, and change to a red robe!”

“Thank you for the assistance, little brother.”

Zhou Xiong, who had been assigned to the Heavenly Prison as the supervisor, was soon promoted to a clerk.”

Zhou Xiong, who had never read a book and could hardly recognize big characters, paid a destitute scholar to copy the prisoner files for him.”

Last year, when Zhou Yi established the Inspectorate, Zhou Xiong rode the coattails to the position of warden, taking charge of the Heavenly Prison.”

The rate at which an official is promoted depends entirely on how powerful the backer is!