Loyal and Patriotic

"Those are the Li family's people; Old Liu, you've got to pull out your best stuff!"

Zhou Yi opened the food box, revealing eight dishes, four cold and four hot, all with excellent color, aroma, and taste.

The wine jug also contained century-old vintage. To find such fine wine overnight, the Warden must have put some thought into it.

"Of course."

Chef Liu curled his lip. "I've used every trick in the book, going back eighteen generations. I wouldn't want to upset such an important person."

The Heavenly Prison's small kitchen also had many unspoken rules, especially for Cell Block Nine. Chef Liu had to tailor the meals according to the prisoner's family's rank, official position, and closeness of kinship.

There was no way to treat everyone the same. If the Duke's family and the Vice Minister's family ate the same dishes, there would definitely be trouble afterward!

These idle young masters had nothing better to do than compete over face. If I could eat four cold and four hot dishes and drink century-old wine in the Heavenly Prison, that meant I had more face than you with your four hot dishes!

The reasons for these noble scions' jealousy and squabbles seemed like a waste of time to ordinary people, but the officials in the Heavenly Prison had to play along.

The Long family held the most power in the Chongming Dynasty, but now Young Master Long's treatment had been transferred to the Li family.

Li Wu had quelled the internal troubles in the north and south of the Fengyang Kingdom. After a year of recuperation, he led a million-strong army north to fight the Great Yong Dynasty, vowing to reclaim the lost three states.

His current power was even greater than that of the Long family in the Chongming Dynasty!

Zhou Yi carried the food box to Cell Block Nine first, where he met Zhu Xiaowei, who was on duty during the day.

Zhu Xiaowei repeatedly instructed, "Old Zhou, be sure to serve him carefully. That lord is a fierce man; if he goes crazy, I won't dare to save you!"

Zhou Yi was surprised. "Captain, I'm just delivering food..."

"Do you know why that lord is in the Heavenly Prison?"

Zhu Xiaowei whispered, "He looted merchant routes and then falsely claimed to be suppressing bandits, slaughtering several villages to take credit!"

"..."

Zhou Yi was silent for a long time before asking, "Who dared to expose such a shocking thing?"

Looting with soldiers and killing innocent people to claim credit!

Each of these was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations, which would certainly include General Li Wu of the Li family. He was currently leading a million-strong army north. If this matter was not handled properly, it would cause a cataclysmic upheaval!

Now that even Zhu Xiaowei knew about it, it was clear that it could no longer be concealed, effectively announcing the Li family's crimes to the world.

Zhou Yi did not believe that the court, or rather the Hongchang Emperor, had the courage to do this!

Zhu Xiaowei said, "Who else could it be but Chancellor Zhang!"

After the Hongchang Emperor ascended the throne, he purged the remnants of Chancellor Long, and all four Grand Secretaries were implicated. Now, the one who held the position of Grand Secretary was Zhang Zhengyang, his teacher from his time as a prince.

"No wonder."

Zhou Yi had never met Zhang Zhengyang, but from the rumors in the streets, he felt that this person was a pillar of the state.

Rumor had it that after Zhang Zhengyang became Grand Secretary, his first memorial to the throne resolved the Fengyang Kingdom's internal and external difficulties.

Settle internal affairs before resisting external threats, north first and then south!

The Hongchang Emperor's exemption of all taxes for five years was also a strategy proposed by Zhang Zhengyang, to win over the hearts of the people under the rebels' rule and completely cut off the rebels' problem of failing to be destroyed and making a comeback.

In his seven years as Grand Secretary, Zhang Zhengyang was the only one who could be compared to Li Wu.

Cell Block Nine.

Zhou Yi opened the cell door and took the dishes out of the food box, placing them on the table.

"Sir, it's time to eat."

"Mm."

The prisoner sat cross-legged on the soft couch in the inner room, not even opening his eyes, letting out a hum from his nose.

Zhou Yi bowed and retreated. The feeling this person gave him was not the feigned arrogance of ordinary noble scions, meant to show their superiority, but a contempt for everyone from the bottom of his heart.

"He has nothing to fear!"

Several days later.

Zhou Yi came to the small kitchen to get the meal and found that Chef Liu was not there.

"What's wrong with this guy?"

Rumors about the prisoner Li Xiong's crimes had spread like wildfire in the market. In the past few days, many people had beaten the imperial drum to appeal for justice, claiming to be relatives of the people from those villages.

The court turned a deaf ear, pretending not to hear.

In the end, the constables of the capital's yamen took the petitioners away one by one, imprisoning them on the grounds of gathering to cause trouble.

As soon as this happened, the capital's yamen became a place for the people to vent their anger, and the gate was covered with all kinds of filth every day.

Censors submitted memorials impeaching the Shenjing Prefect, listing his crimes of mistreating the people, failing to investigate and fulfill his duties, and shielding criminals, but not a single word was related to the Li family.

The Shenjing Prefect had no choice but to submit a memorial to plead guilty and then ended up in the Heavenly Prison.

In a short period of time, Shenjing could be said to have undergone a change of events, and the center of all the storms was in Cell Block Nine.

Chef Liu must have gone crazy. Zhou Yi quickly went to find Zhu Xiaowei to ask how to deliver the meal today.

Zhu Xiaowei's face was full of righteous indignation: "They're all prisoners of the Heavenly Prison. He eats what everyone else eats. No special treatment!"

Zhou Yi frowned slightly, then suddenly realized, "News from the north?"

"You rascal..."

Zhu Xiaowei didn't hide it, as it couldn't be kept secret for much longer anyway: "Tomorrow at noon, all the Li family members from Li Xiong's branch will have their homes confiscated and be executed. I reckon the Brocade Guard will be sending people over soon!"

Zhou Yi asked, "The General's request?"

"It's true what they say, old things become monsters, old people become cunning! Old Zhou, how can someone as shrewd as you be stuck delivering meals your whole life?"

Zhu Xiaowei whispered, "I heard from Warden that the General personally wrote a petition in blood, saying that the Li family should have been punished with the extermination of nine generations. He begged His Majesty for leniency and to show mercy outside the law, only executing Li Xiong's branch!"

"The General is upright!"

"The General is wise!"

Zhou Yi and Zhu Xiaowei looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock, sensing that a storm a hundred times greater was about to sweep through Shenjing.

Cell Block Nine.

Zhou Yi poured the thin porridge into a bowl, tapped the bars with the spoon, and called out.

"Time to eat!"

Li Xiong glanced at the swill, a look of shock flashing in his eyes, which he quickly replaced with calm: "Looks like that dear cousin of mine is willing to sacrifice his own uncle's family for the sake of his reputation!"

In this era, clan ethics emphasized protecting one's relatives, so Li Wu's actions were despised by aristocratic families.

Zhou Yi was surprised: "You know already?"

Li Xiong said coldly, "I can guess the changing situation outside just by watching you sycophants sucking up to those in power."

"Tomorrow at noon, your whole family will be executed."

Zhou Yi said, "Your parents, wives, concubines, and children have all paid with their lives because of your greed!"

Li Xiong was expressionless, glancing at Zhou Yi as if mocking and despising him.

"Do you have a son? How old is he this year? Is he very cute? In the future, he might practice martial arts and join the army, or he might study literature and take the imperial examinations, marry a virtuous wife, and then you'll have grandchildren. Or maybe a daughter, who will marry..."

Zhou Yi described slowly and deliberately, a happy scene of family reunion with children and grandchildren surrounding him.

Li Xiong's expression gradually changed. When he heard the last sentence, "Your ten-year-old son, crack, his head falls to the ground, spraying blood several feet high," his eyes turned red with anger.

"...At the age of ten, he probably doesn't understand anything. He'll ask you why he's being beheaded, and whether it will hurt?"

Zhou Yi said with a smile, "I'll teach you a trick. Get your son drunk before the execution, so he doesn't encounter a dull executioner's blade, which would make the cutting of flesh clumsy and painful a hundred times over!"

"Get out!"

Li Xiong roared, "What do you know? That cousin of mine only cares about leaving a mark in history, so he keeps a close eye on all the relatives and clansmen, not even allowing us to do business!"

"I followed him in battle for several years, spilling gallons of blood on the battlefield, but when I returned to Shenjing, I didn't have the money to host banquets, so I was laughed at as a country bumpkin!"

"Military pay can't be embezzled, merchants can't be made, so I could only rob!"

Li Xiong said coldly, "I was risking my life fighting on the front lines, while those damned nobles were selling military equipment to the Great Yong. It's all treason, so why couldn't I rob them?"

Zhou Yi asked in confusion, "How do you explain killing innocent people and claiming their achievements?"

Li Xiong vented his anger, and the resentment in his heart dissipated a lot, his expression returning to calm: "Someone has to take the blame for robbing merchants. Those people were just unlucky enough to be chosen by me!"

"If you had led your troops into the nobles' mansions and beheaded those traitors who were smuggling military equipment on the spot, perhaps General Li would have spared your life. But you didn't dare, and instead chose to slaughter ordinary people!"

Zhou Yi shook his head and said, "With such a nature of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, how are you any different from a sycophant like me who sucks up to those in power?"

Li Xiong slowly turned his head, finally looking Zhou Yi in the eye.

"Sharp-tongued!"

Zhou Yi shrugged, picked up the bucket, and left.

"When your family arrives later, I'll arrange for you to be in the same cell as your children, so you can cherish your last night together!"

Hall of Heavenly Mandate.

Silence reigned.

The Hongchang Emperor dismissed all the inner attendants around him, leaving only the Grand Secretary Zhang Zhengyang in the hall.

"Teacher, this storm is too dangerous."

The Hongchang Emperor walked down from the throne, personally carrying two brocade stools, sitting face to face with Zhang Zhengyang.

"Your Majesty, this subject is also helpless."

Zhang Zhengyang bowed and sat down, saying, "Civil officials harbor rebellious intentions, and even if their power is like Long Ni's, they can be overthrown overnight. Military officials like Li Wu, with courage and strategy that intimidate the ruler, and achievements that surpass all others..."

He paused here, seemingly considering his words, and after a moment said, "Are already capable of deposing and establishing a new emperor!"

The Hongchang Emperor frowned: "Teacher, Li Qing is diligent in serving the country externally and strict with his clansmen internally. How can he be compared to the likes of Long Ni?"

"That is precisely what makes him so frightening and terrifying. It would be one thing if Li Wu were as greedy and tyrannical as Long Ni, but he is strict with his clansmen and wins the hearts of the people, clearly harboring great ambitions! This time, when Li Xiong committed the crime, this old minister sent people to make it public, intending to force Li Wu to submit a memorial, so that the court would be forced to spare Li Xiong's family."

Zhang Zhengyang said, "How could this old minister have imagined that Li Wu would be so ruthless as to harm even his own uncle and cousins? How can such a ruthless, unrighteous, and decisive person be said to have any loyalty?"

The Hongchang Emperor asked, puzzled, "Li Xiong's crimes are unforgivable. Teacher, what is the meaning of this?"

"It is to shatter Li Wu's reputation, turning it from gold to lead. He can command troops, he can fight in the north and south, but he must never have a reputation for virtue that fills the world!"

Zhang Zhengyang said, "The people will never allow someone who shields his relatives for slaughtering them to rule the world. In this way, Your Majesty can rest easy."

The Hongchang Emperor shook his head. "Teacher, history tells us that the world belongs to those with strong armies and horses. If my dear Li truly has rebellious intentions, given his prestige in the military, I am not confident..."

"History speaks true, but it cannot be fully trusted."

Zhang Zhengyang said, "After the chaos of the Dragon Rebellion during the late Emperor's reign, the people have only had a few years of stability. They absolutely do not want turmoil to arise again. The hearts of hundreds of millions of people are like this, which can be called the general trend, and cannot be forced by soldiers and horses!"

The Hongchang Emperor was silent for a long time, still slowly shaking his head.

"My dear Li is loyal to the country. He followed the late Emperor's edict in those years, and pacified the north and swept the south, which is why I am here today!"

"Li will not let me down, and I will not let him down either!"