My father, during the Jiajing era, ensured that every household was clean and tidy.

The passageway was dark, damp, and cold.

After walking for a while and passing through two iron gates, a solitary cell finally appeared.

The jailer held a torch, and the prison officer stepped forward to open the door.

crunch--

As the firelight drew near, the darkness was driven away.

What was hidden in the stench of decay was revealed: three humanoid figures, one tied to the ground, lifeless, and another leaning against the wall, its pupils unfocused.

The other one was locked in a cage, its limbs curled up. Only this one was now struggling to raise its head, its eyes fixed on Zhu Zaizhen through the cage. Perhaps it was the light from the torch that made Zhu Zaizhen feel as if two flames were watching him.

It was exceptionally stern.

The jailer pointed at the man and said, "Your Highness, this is Yang Jisheng, the Assistant Director of the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War."

Zhu Zaizhen frowned. "Killing someone is just a matter of beheading them, why subject them to such humiliation? Release them."

The jailer hesitated for a moment, but after a few breaths he waved his hand and ordered the jailers to come forward, open the cage, and carry the person out. At the same time, he ordered the two corpses to be carried away and a round-backed chair to be brought over.

Inside the passageway.

Soldiers stood at a distance, holding torches, while the jailer stood guard with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Wu Yingfeng stood to the side, remaining silent throughout.

Zhu Zaizhen did not sit in the center. That chair was originally meant for him, but after seeing that Yang Jisheng was unsupported, unable to stand steadily, with his legs swollen and festering, and a tendon protruding from his right leg... Zhu Zaizhen stood still and gestured for the other to sit.

Yang Jisheng did not sit down.

He forced a bow, his voice hoarse, and said, "Thank you, Your Highness. I have been beaten and cannot sit." He braced himself against the back of the chair, struggling to stand upright. "Forgive my poor eyesight, but I do not know which prince is before me?"

Wu Yingfeng: "King Jing."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man who had suffered torture was momentarily stunned.

King Jing...

Yang Jisheng had previously served in local positions, and the two princes had rarely left the palace. He had never seen the faces of Prince Yu and Prince Jing before, and he hadn't recognized them at all. He had thought that the person who came to see him would be Prince Yu, but unexpectedly it was Prince Jing.

It refreshed me.

Yang Jisheng said weakly, "I wonder if King Jing has something to ask me?"

Zhu Zaizhen nodded. "Yes, I want to ask who instructed you to impeach Grand Secretary Yan, and who is attacking you behind the scenes. But seeing your appearance, I'm afraid even torture couldn't get you to confess?"

"I couldn't."

Yang Jisheng had anticipated this problem. Ever since he was first imprisoned in the Imperial Guard prison and then in the Ministry of Justice prison, many people had asked him similar questions. Some used threats and inducements, while others used torture to extract confessions.

until now.

King Jing came to inquire in person.

In response, Yang Jisheng only said one thing: "I impeached Yan Song for five treacherous crimes and ten major offenses. Every word is true, not a single fabrication, and no one instigated him."

Zhu Zaizhen remained expressionless. "So, you were really wrongly imprisoned?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Jisheng did not immediately defend himself. Instead, he carefully looked at King Jing and then at the scholar beside him.

After a while.

The middle-aged man said hoarsely, "Your Highness must have just left the palace not long ago. Why not ask the one next to you who has been keeping silent about these matters?"

Wu Yingfeng, who had remained silent, sighed inwardly. This scholar from the Ming Dynasty, who had only recently entered officialdom, still held the words of the sages in his heart and could not yet blend in with the world and ignore everything like many of his colleagues.

Seeing Prince Jing looking at him, he said bitterly, "Your Highness, I thought you were going to find the officials of the Ministry of Justice to retrieve the case files. I did not expect you to come directly to the prison to see the prisoners."

Zhu Zaizhen: "And then?"

Wu Yingfeng: "Your Highness is of noble birth; why should you offend your ears with such matters?"

Zhu Zaizhen didn't speak, but just looked at his teachers. He had two teachers, both surnamed Wu, one named Wu Ang and the other Wu Yingfeng.

They had been appointed as lecturers at the Prince's residence for less than half a year, and had been officially teaching Zhu Zaizhen for less than a month. But no matter what their names were or how short their teacher-student relationship was, from the moment they were chosen as Prince Jing's teachers, the two Wus were firmly bound to Zhu Zaizhen!

One glory and one glory.

and so.

Zhu Zaizhen did not press the matter, but simply watched silently. Wu Yingfeng did not persist for long, and asked Zhu Zaizhen to speak privately. He said, "Yang Jisheng's case was tried by the Ministry of Justice, and the charges were finalized by Minister He and Vice Minister Wang."

"Was there a problem with the review?"

"In Yang Jisheng's impeachment memorial, the false accusations of usurping power and seizing the country could not be verified. However, there was one accusation that Grand Secretary Yan had allowed his grandson to falsely claim military merits. The Ministry of War was ordered to conduct an internal investigation. Afterwards, the Vice Minister of War submitted a memorial stating that the Grand Secretary had written a memorial stating that no such matter had been found and instructed him to copy it and submit it again."

Zhu Zaizhen's eyelids twitched suddenly.

Wu Yingfeng continued, speaking in a measured tone: "After the matter was exposed, the Ministry of War official was imprisoned and tortured. A few days later, the Minister of War submitted a new draft based on the Grand Secretary's original draft, stating that there was no such matter."

Zhu Zaizhen turned to look at him. "So, there really is a grievance?"

Wu Yingfeng was speechless...

Now let's talk about it.

Was the emphasis on the first half of Zhu Zaizhen's earlier statement on the street, "Injustices must be redressed, and those without injustice will not be let off lightly"? No, it was on the second half.

He didn't know Yang Jisheng, nor did he intend to. Zhu Zaizhen originally came with the intention of retaliating and cutting off the claw that the Prince Yu's Mansion was extending!

But who would have thought that after only two questions, our side would reveal themselves, saying that we were the bad guys and the other side was truly innocent!

I don't know why.

Zhu Zaizhen recalled the scene in Wanshou Palace, where with Yan Dang as a strong ally, everything was truly dark.

After a bout of stomach pain, Zhu Zaizhen made a final attempt to explain, "I remember my teacher saying that Yang Jisheng was Xu Jie's student, so this matter must be related to him?"

"yes!"

"I absolutely do not believe that Xu Jie had no influence on this matter," Wu Yingfeng said, knowing what the prince wanted to ask. "However, it is not entirely true that Yang Jisheng was entirely instructed by Xu Jie to attack him."

"Your Highness is unaware of..."

In Yang Jisheng's "Memorial Requesting the Execution of Traitorous Officials," the main target of his impeachment was Yan Song, but the people implicated were all incredibly alarming. The first to be implicated was Lu Bing, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, whom no one dared to offend. Yang Jisheng claimed that Lu Bing had a marriage alliance with the Yan family, secretly colluded with them, and deceived the emperor.

Secondly, there was Huang Jin, the Grand Eunuch Huang, who was in charge of the Directorate of Ceremonial and concurrently the Director of the Eastern Depot. Yang Jisheng claimed that Huang Jin was bribed by Yan Song and was Yan Song's spy in the palace, monitoring the emperor.

The other cabinet ministers were similarly accused of "obeying Yan Song, daring not to disobey, and failing the emperor's favor."

Let's not even talk about others.

Even if Xu Jie secretly instructed Lu Bing and Huang Jin, these two alone would not dare to be the ones to be targeted.

Yang Jisheng wrote it mostly out of his own heart.

and this.

That's precisely what's most deadly!

"With one part falsehood and nine parts truth, it's indistinguishable from complete truth," Wu Yingfeng whispered. "The more Yang Jisheng appears to have no connection with the Prince Yu's residence, the purer his motives seem, and the greater the sensation he'll cause in the court!"

"Recently, many prominent figures have been traveling around pleading for Yang Jisheng, but due to Grand Secretary Yan's power, all their efforts have been suppressed..."

Zhu Zaizhen remained silent for a long time.

In the dimly lit corridor, the torchlight cast flickering shadows on his face. After a while, he concluded, "So, Yang Jisheng is now a good man who has been wronged, and Yan's faction are the villains?"

Wu Yingfeng's expression was somewhat unnatural. "Young Grand Secretary, you've acted too hastily and blatantly. I'm afraid that's the case."

Zhu Zaizhen asked again, "I am the banner of Yan's party, doesn't that mean I am now a great villain?"

Wu Yingfeng felt somewhat apprehensive and uneasy.

He didn't know where the young Prince Jing, who had just left the palace, got such profound thoughts, but as a lecturer in the Prince's residence, Wu Yingfeng was both a teacher and a subject, and he knew the principle that a subject should die for his master's humiliation! He then tried to persuade him with difficulty: "Your Highness, why humiliate yourself like this? Even if some people are dissatisfied, they would never dare to resent Your Highness."

"They wouldn't dare to do it openly, but they'd probably be cursing the heavens in their hearts."

"Your Highness!"

Zhu Zaizhen waved his hand to stop the teacher from speaking. He exhaled a breath of stale air, paused, and asked softly, "Teacher, tell me, if I were to fight for something, what would be the most important thing?"

He didn't say what they were arguing about, but Wu Yingfeng immediately understood, and his expression turned stern!

The lecturer from the Prince's residence said uneasily, "The so-called struggle for the throne is nothing more than a struggle for a name, a title, a reputation. Your Highness asked what is most important, and of course, it is reputation..."

As they talked...

Wu Yingfeng suddenly looked up and saw that her prince was looking at Yang Jisheng, who was struggling to stand up straight in the distance!

this!?

Zhu Zaizhen did not go to see him.

They had already walked towards the middle-aged man.