"Who would have thought that even your Imperial City Bureau had already pledged yourselves to Qiu Yan and become his lackeys?"
In a dim room, Di Ai had his hands and feet bound, iron chains locking him in place against the wall.
Maintaining such a posture was a torment to one's will, an auxiliary means of interrogation. Normally, such methods were only used on criminals. A high-ranking court official like Di Ai, even if captured, ought to have been treated with courtesy. Yet here, he had been strung up.
The one with such audacity and authority was the Imperial City Bureau, which answered directly to the Emperor. Its commander was Eunuch Wei, the grand eunuch and Half-Body of the late Emperor Li Kun.
Now, the eunuch stood before Di Ai, listening to his accusations.
Though suspended and bound, Di Ai's expression did not change. His gaze at Eunuch Wei brimmed with contempt, while his face bore an unwavering resolve. At first glance, he looked every inch a man of righteous integrity, fit to be recorded in history.
If, in the future, court officials used their struggle against the eunuch faction for power to further restrain imperial authority, and succeeded afterward, then the history books would naturally denounce Eunuch Wei at length and lavish praise upon Di Ai's actions, setting him up as a moral exemplar, gathering Fortune and bestowing it upon the entire group.
However, Eunuch Wei clearly did not fall for that. He sneered and said directly, "Vice Minister Di, spare us these words and this posturing. Why we invited you here today—I imagine you know perfectly well."
"What business could you possibly have with me? Nothing more than your new master gaining power and deciding I threatened his position, so he sent dogs like you to harm me!"