Crown Prince's Rebellion

The harm caused by aristocratic families is even worse than that of rebels.

The latter may seem as fierce as fire, but there's always a way to extinguish it.

The former has existed since ancient times. Everyone can see that aristocratic families are undermining the dynasty's foundation, yet there are few means to control them.

Zhou Yi slowly shook his head, "You're not the first to say that, nor will you be the last. The evil of aristocratic families is profound, but it's not a reason to become a corrupt official."

"Cough, cough, cough, easy for you to say!"

After revealing the Lu Family, the prisoner seemed to have completely let go.

"This official... my parents starved to death because officials embezzled disaster relief grain. I vowed back then to pass the imperial examination and cleanse the court, purifying the realm!"

Zhou Yi became slightly more interested, "Tell me about your self-proclaimed bitter and deeply-rooted, yet clichéd experience?"

"..."

The prisoner was quite helpless, but with death not far off, this was probably his last words to someone before execution.

"After ten years of hard study, I passed the imperial examination and became a local official, thinking I could display my ambitions. However, the officials in the yamen were all occupied by local powerful families. Orders couldn't leave the yamen, and decrees couldn't reach the villages."

The prisoner glanced at Zhou Yi, "The most difficult to deal with were petty officials like you."

Zhou Yi nodded slightly. The emperor and petty officials shared the world, wasn't that just talk?

"After moving through several counties, not only was I unable to accomplish anything, but I became a laughingstock among my peers, receiving a 'D' evaluation every year!"

The prisoner murmured, "Living like this, where would I find any ambition? So I simply let them do as they pleased, reading books and writing, ignoring all yamen affairs."

Ideals and future were worn away by reality, turning him into a muddleheaded official.

Zhou Yi asked, "What does this have to do with the Lu Family?"

"In Hongchang six or seven, I went to Changfeng County, just in time for floods... rivers overflowing, turning people into fish and turtles."

The prisoner recalled, "As usual, I submitted a memorial, requesting the Ministry of Revenue to allocate silver and grain for disaster relief. According to the procedure, the court had to first inspect the disaster situation, and then formulate a disaster relief plan, which took a long time to go back and forth."

"If the disaster was big enough, most people would die, and less silver would be needed. If the disaster was small, it would pass on its own, and there would be no need for rescue."

"Who would have thought that the court would quickly issue an order to transport grain from several surrounding counties, and allocate 300,000 taels of silver for disaster relief."

"With such disaster relief efforts, Changfeng County would definitely be able to easily overcome the floods. I couldn't sleep at night, having wasted ten years, I could finally do something for the people, to fulfill my parents' last wish!"

The prisoner paused here, "During the famine that year, my parents warned me before their death: In the future, be a good official and save the people from fire and water!"

Zhou Yi straightened his posture. This corrupt official was indeed somewhat different from the previous ones.

The Heavenly Prison was full of corrupt officials. Zhou Yi listened to their reasons for making money, which seemed strange and varied, but ultimately stemmed from the desire for pleasure.

"Just as I was overjoyed and preparing for disaster relief, people from the Lu Family came."

The prisoner said resentfully, "A lowly gatekeeper pointed at a student of the emperor and scolded him, saying that the grain and silver were requested from the court by the Lu Family. Why should it be distributed to the people?"

"However, this also made me realize why the court allocated money and grain, which had nothing to do with the memorial!"

Zhou Yi said, "In the end, the disaster relief money and grain were sent to the Lu Family?"

"What else could I do?"

The prisoner said, "Changfeng County belongs to Luyang Prefecture, and the Lu Family has been entrenched there for thousands of years. If I said no, I would embezzle the money and grain and commit suicide out of fear of punishment that very day!"

"What happened after that?"

Zhou Yi didn't actually need to ask, he could guess the subsequent development.

"The money and grain were sent to the Lu Family, and the people of Changfeng County suffered heavy casualties, and had to sell their sons and daughters to survive..."

The prisoner sighed, "That year, I was rated as A+, and the inspecting censor praised me for loving the people like a son and for my meritorious disaster relief efforts. A year later, I was transferred to Luyang Prefecture as a judge!"

The prefectural judge was also a seventh-rank official, but stepping from the county to the province was a promotion.

In a natural disaster, the Lu Family earned silver and land, the prisoner was promoted, everyone was happy!

"From then on, I became an official of the Lu Family, and I got A+ in the annual assessment. In more than ten years, I was promoted to the Prefect of Luzhou, governing one side."

The prisoner sneered, "Those peers who laughed at me back then became close friends one by one. In order to curry favor with me, they sent silver, gifted courtesans, wrote poems, and flattered me to the extreme!"

"From then on, I would embezzle money whenever I had it, sell official positions, and be unrestrained..."

"And lawless!"

Zhou Yi snorted coldly. This person had experienced setbacks and despair, and completely fallen into the fear of death.

The prisoner's eyes were deep, and his voice was ethereal, "What is law? It is the art of the court to govern and restrain the people! What is heaven? His Majesty is heaven, the court is heaven, and the scholars are heaven!"

Zhou Yi said, "However, you are about to die now."

"The moment I became a lackey of the Lu Family, I was already dead."

The prisoner's eyes were empty and lifeless, "What can killing me do? No one can change the officialdom, and no one can save the court!"

Zhou Yi said coldly, "Every corrupt official will be caught and skinned."

The prisoner said, "Then the ones who replace them will be another batch of corrupt officials!"

Zhou Yi asked, "So the court is completely rotten?"

The prisoner gently shook his head, pointed to his face and said, "It's not the court that's rotten, nor the aristocratic families, but the scholars who are completely rotten!"

Zhou Yi paused slightly. This one was indeed a bit different from the corrupt officials he'd seen before. He asked curiously, "You're a dog of the Lu Family, and you were an official in Luyang, so how did you end up in the Heavenly Prison?"

"The master fattens up the dog so he can kill it and eat it, lest the dog one day turn around and become the master."

The prisoner said, "This way, the Lu Family not only seizes the silver but also wins people's hearts. The Lu Family's incorruptible officials arrest corrupt officials who plague the region, and the people applaud!"

"So, you're not the first dog."

"Nor will I be the last."

"Didn't you ever think about resisting?"

"Would it have done any good?"

The prisoner's question left Zhou Yi speechless for a long time.

A family that has been passed down for thousands of years... just thinking about it is terrifying. Without a cheat or some kind of advantage, there's really no way to deal with them.

He left the prison.

Zhou Yi told Zhu Xiaowei the results of the interrogation in detail.

"The Lu Family!"

Zhu Xiaowei's eyes widened. "Doesn't that mean the money is gone for good?"

Zhou Yi asked suspiciously, "Old Zhu, what's wrong with you? Why are you so concerned about this matter?"

"Nothing, nothing! Old Zhou, you're busy. I have something to go out and do."

Zhu Xiaowei denied it repeatedly, cupped his hands, and slipped away.

Zhou Yi frowned slightly. "This fellow, Old Zhu... could he have gotten involved with some big shot and is doing things for them? Several million taels of silver is enough to support an army. There are only a few people in the entire Fengyang Kingdom who could use that!"

It wasn't that he was worried about Zhu Xiaowei's safety; everyone had to bear the consequences of the path they chose.

Zhou Yi was worried about being caught in the crossfire. If Zhu Xiaowei was involved in a major case, he, as a friend, would inevitably be affected.

A prophecy fulfilled.

The first month of Hongchang 18.

The joy of the New Year hadn't completely faded away when a shocking case occurred in the Fengyang Kingdom, causing turmoil in the court.

The Regent Crown Prince, Zhao Chi, intended to assassinate the king!

The Brocade Guard caught the imperial chef who was trying to administer poison on the spot. After interrogating him overnight, they found dragon robes and a jade seal in the Eastern Palace.

According to the eunuchs of the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince had ordered them to address him as "Your Majesty" and the Crown Princess as "Empress," with the other consorts and concubines corresponding to the inner palace hierarchy.

Faced with the irrefutable evidence, Zhao Chi had no choice but to admit that he had colluded with the Duke Who Pacifies the Nation's estate in an attempt to rebel.

Hongchang was furious!

The Imperial Guards surrounded the Duke Who Pacifies the Nation's estate, and the Brocade Guard searched the entire city for related members of the Crown Prince's faction.

Zhu Xiaowei was a mere pawn who had recently joined the Crown Prince's ranks!