Li Wu Enters the Heavenly Prison

Hongchang Year 17.

Summer.

The Heavenly Prison received a special prisoner.

No one escorted him, and no one dared to, he walked into the prison cell on his own.

Li Wu!

The Heavenly Prison was built by the Fengyang Kingdom on the foundation of the previous dynasty's Heavenly Prison. Tracing its origins, it has a history of thousands of years, and has imprisoned countless princes and nobles. Today, it welcomes its second Innate Grandmaster as an inmate.

The Imperial Guards on duty, even combined, wouldn't be enough for Li Wu to slaughter!

"Truly unexpected..."

Zhou Yi prided himself on standing from an observer's perspective, understanding the overall situation of the Fengyang Kingdom, but he couldn't guess people's hearts.

"Bring the meal box, I'll deliver it myself."

"Master Zhou, you're working too hard."

The prison guard currently responsible for delivering meals, Zhang Yun, is the grandson of Zhang Zhou from back then. His son, Zhang Jin, died under a thief's blade after only two years in the Heavenly Prison.

Zhou Yi, remembering the old favor, recruited Zhang Yun into the Heavenly Prison last year after he came of age.

Cell Block Nine.

Li Wu closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. Suddenly, he sensed a dangerous aura and opened his eyes, watching the prison guard gradually approach.

"Who are you?"

"A mere nameless prison guard."

Zhou Yi replied through sound transmission, opened the prison door, and took out fine wine and delicacies from the food box, placing them one by one on the table.

After fifteen years, he finally saw this world-renowned General and Martial Grandmaster up close!

It's not that there weren't opportunities before, but Zhou Yi was always cautious and unwilling to get close to such a figure without a secure grasp of the situation, lest something unexpected happen.

For example, someone seeking revenge on Li Wu would also be a martial arts expert, and their fight might obliterate bystanders.

"Li didn't originally believe that there were hidden experts among the common people. After all, life is short, who can reach the pinnacle and willingly remain unknown?"

Li Wu's eyes were full of admiration, and he also used the secret art of sound transmission: "Only today do I realize that there are truly such extraordinary figures in the world. Li admits his inferiority!"

"General, you flatter me."

Zhou Yi asked the question in his heart: "Why did the General enter the Heavenly Prison today?"

Li Wu said: "Back then, Li Xiong led his troops to cause disaster, slaughtering thousands of civilians. As a general, Li is guilty of negligence and dereliction of duty, and as a clan brother, he is guilty of failing to discipline him properly."

"General, you jest. The entire Fengyang Kingdom knows how strict the General is in managing his family."

Zhou Yi said: "I've also been in this Heavenly Prison for decades. People from other families are constantly coming in, but only Li Xiong has come out of the Li family."

Moreover, Li Xiong's fault really had little to do with Li Wu, and the act of putting righteousness before family also gave the people an explanation.

Li Wu shook his head and said, "This is just what an official should do, it's not worth mentioning."

"The General knows what I want to ask..."

Zhou Yi said directly: "Why not learn from Dragon Rebellion?"

Li Wu said: "Since he is a rebel, how can Li be like him?"

"If it weren't for the General back then, perhaps it wouldn't be Dragon Rebellion, but... Emperor Long Taizu?"

Zhou Yi personally experienced Chongming's reign. The dog emperor had long lost the hearts of the people. After Chancellor Long successfully rebelled, it would have been easy for him to secure the throne.

"Dragon Rebellion only caused chaos in the capital, resulting in over sixty thousand casualties. If Li were disloyal, regardless of victory or defeat, it would definitely be a great chaos affecting all prefectures."

Li Wu murmured: "The country has only been at peace for a few years, Li cannot cause the people to suffer for his own selfish desires!"

Zhou Yi was silent for a moment: "The General can resign and retire."

If an Innate Grandmaster doesn't covet power, the imperial court will never deliberately make things difficult, and if pushed too hard, they can directly kill their way into the palace!

Li Wu said: "Li knows that his merits are too high and he is a threat to the ruler. If I don't die, the country will not be stable. The late Emperor was very kind to me, and he repeatedly urged me before his death to prioritize the country and its people!"

That dog emperor only knew how to teach others, when did he ever care about the country and its people?

Seeing Li Wu mention Emperor Chongming, with a look of deep affection on his face, Zhou Yi couldn't bring himself to scold him directly.

"Is the General's family settled?"

Li Wu nodded: "His Majesty promised that as long as Li is loyal to the country, the Li family will share the same fate as the country!"

Dead, then he is loyal to the country!

Do you believe this promise?

Zhou Yi ultimately didn't ask this question. Li Wu may or may not believe it, but he had already made a choice.

One is that he doesn't want to start another war, and the other is to repay Emperor Chongming's kindness.

"Regardless of why Li Wu imprisoned himself, he ultimately eliminated the conflict."

Zhou Yi thought that if he were in Li Wu's position, he would definitely not be able to do this. Most likely, he would receive a military order from the Ministry of War in five years and directly lead the Northern Frontier army back to Shenjing to remonstrate with the emperor.

As for how many people would die in a military coup, Zhou Yi didn't care, as long as he and his family didn't die!

How many people in the world would give up their lives and power for people they didn't even know?

Someone like Li Wu, when later generations read history, would most likely be called foolishly loyal.

"Li Wu is a natural-born hero, strict with himself and disciplined with his family, but alas... when the Li family is imprisoned, take good care of them."

Zhou Yi never hesitated to speculate about people's hearts with malice. He had previously guessed that Li Wu would rebel, but he was wrong.

Now he guessed that before Emperor Hongchang died, he would clean up the Li family and military forces, leaving a clean and untainted Fengyang Kingdom for his successor.

Times create heroes, and heroes change times!

Li Wu's imprisonment dissipated the haze that had enveloped Shenjing, and the previously suppressed court suddenly felt much lighter.

The officials submitted memorials one after another, saying that General Li had contributed to the country and begged His Majesty to forgive his crimes.

No one knew exactly what crimes Li Wu had committed, but everyone knew that Li Wu could not leave the Heavenly Prison alive.

"The Duke Who Pacifies the Nation is truly a pillar of the country!"

The officials used all sorts of flowery words to praise Li Wu's imprisonment, hoping to have him enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple as soon as possible.

In private, when speaking with confidants, they scorned Li Wu as a mere vulgar warrior, who had held a million soldiers in his hands for nothing, and ended up in the same situation as Dragon Rebellion!

This matter spread to the people, causing a great uproar!

Li Wu was ostracized by the officials in the court, and even the Ministry of War did not support him, but in the eyes of the people, he was like a savior sent from heaven.

At first, the crowd was excited, clamoring to ask the court for an explanation.

Later, rumors spread such as "Li Wu slaughtered the people at will during the southern expedition," "Li Xiong's looting of merchants was an act condoned by Li Wu," and "The death of the Duke of Wei was orchestrated by Li Wu"...

Once the mud was slung, and the Brocade Guard arrested many people, the public opinion quickly disappeared without a trace!

Just as Li Wu said, the people of Fengyang Kingdom had only had a few years of stability and were unwilling to have another turmoil, so they did not need a prestigious general who could sweep the world.

Remembering Li Wu's pacification of the rebellion in the past, they would build a temple and erect a monument, and that would be all...

"Those people think you're already dead, building temples and erecting monuments, offering incense and worship, and crying very sadly."

Zhou Yi asked, "Do you regret your choice?"

"Mr. Zhou doesn't need to persuade me. This was my own decision, and it has nothing to do with anyone else. It's not about leaving a name in history, but just not wanting so many people to die again!"

Li Wu picked up a chopstick of vegetables and drank another cup of wine, "What's more, there's no chance to regret it now."

Zhou Yi frowned slightly when he heard this, and waved his hand to take the wine pot.

The wine was called Nine Brew Spring, a tribute wine of the Fengyang Kingdom's royal family, aged for two hundred years.

Originally, the wine was a crystal-clear amber red, but because too much unknown medicinal powder was added, it turned pale white.

"This poison is too much. A good pot of fine wine has become wine mixed with poison!"

"The taste is not bad, rare in the world!"

Li Wu's expression was natural, taking a bite of vegetables and drinking a sip of wine, treating the poison as if it didn't exist.

"If the General has any last words, I can help with some small things."

Zhou Yi's nature made it difficult for him to be noble, but it didn't prevent him from paying respect to noble people.