The Jinyiwei Prison is the highest-level prison in the world. It is said to be high-level not only because it is heavily guarded, but also because those who are qualified to be imprisoned are either extremely vicious or high-ranking officials. They are definitely not suitable for ordinary prisoners.
The place.
And over the years, none of the prisoners who came in have been able to get out alive...
This is a real hell on earth, cold, damp, dark and dirty, with mosquitoes and rats running around everywhere, and the air is filled with a disgusting putrid smell, just like the prisoners waiting to die in the cells behind the iron gates.
There are usually no lights in the prison, and it is completely dark day or night. Only when a jailer comes in, the torches in the passage will be lit, and the fire will be so bright that the prisoners will cover their eyes because they have been in darkness for a long time.
Their vision deteriorates rapidly and they cannot withstand the stimulation of light.
The conditions of those prisoners who had just come in were naturally much better. They were only slightly uncomfortable and could regain their sight.
By the light of the torch, it was possible to see Zhou Xin, who was shackled and chained in a single cell at the end, sitting on a pile of straw and looking at several people approaching him.
Those people also looked at him, and then heard the Jin Yiwei jailer leading the way whisper softly: "Eunuch Huang, this is it."
"Open the door." A male duck's voice sounded, which sounded like a eunuch.
"Didn't you hear what Eunuch Huang said?" Qianhu, the Jin Yiwei who accompanied him, ordered: "Open the door quickly."
The jailer opened the cell door and brought in a chair and a table.
"Put it here, you all can avoid it." The man took off his cloak, and it turned out to be a eunuch.
"What about my father-in-law's safety?" Jin Yiwei Qianhu asked worriedly.
"Everyone is locked up, what are you afraid of?" The eunuch said calmly: "Go out and ask questions alone according to the order."
"Yes." Qianhu didn't dare to say anything, led the people out of the cell, and walked away far away.
The eunuch then sat down with his sword and golden horse, looked at Zhou Xin who closed his eyes again and said: "Master Zhou, our surname is Huang, we are the steward of Yitian Palace, and I have come to ask you a few words."
Zhou Xin then opened his eyes and saw the face of the middle-aged eunuch.
Eunuch Huang also looked at Zhou Xin closely and said, "I'm here to ask questions. You can't salute like this, so just sit down and answer."
"Excuse me, father-in-law." Zhou Xin nodded.
"Okay." Eunuch Huang cleared his throat and said, "The emperor said that you, Zhou Xin, should be compared to Yu, but where do you put the king? Are you King Zhou?"
Zhou Xin thought for a while and replied: "The Ming Dynasty was not the Shang Dynasty, there was no Biyu, and there was no King Zhou."
"What you said is good, I will interpret it truthfully." Eunuch Huang was stunned for a moment, then continued: "Listen, the emperor said again, what's more, you, Zhou Xin, are not as good as Yu.
Are you speculating on your Majesty with malicious intentions and forging military orders? Aren’t all loyal ministers supposed to be loyal to Yao and Shun? Are you not seeking a good name for yourself and infamy for your Majesty by speculating on your Majesty with unbenevolence, unrighteousness and unbelief?"
"I have absolutely no such intention." Zhou Xin was stunned for a moment and shook his head with difficulty, feeling unspeakably uncomfortable. He took the emperor's face into consideration and voluntarily took the blame, but the emperor asked him like this. It would be uncomfortable for anyone else.
"Whether you have this intention or not, the ministers have already thought so. Do you think you are hateful or not?" Huang Eunuch said in a dull voice: "But the emperor also said that Zhou Xin was not such a person in the past. He has worked hard for more than ten years, which can be considered
Loyalty, this time you are so obsessed that you can't kill him with a stick." As he said this, he glanced at Zhou Xin, but did not see the expected excitement, so he cursed secretly, and then said: "As long as you write a confession to the emperor.
If you make a mistake, apologize to Jinyiwei and say that you framed Xu Yingxian first to protect yourself, and the emperor will spare your life and let you go home to reunite with your wife and children."
In the firelight, Zhou Xin's brows furrowed tightly, his throat trembled a few times, and he held the iron chain tightly with both hands to hold back the curse. He never expected that the emperor would protect the Jin Yiwei in front of mountains of ironclad evidence.
"You don't want to drink wine as a penalty." Seeing him like this, the yellow eunuch stood up irritably and walked around the cell: "You don't understand the principle of beating a dog to deceive the master, right? Jin Yiwei is the emperor's dog.
, although this dog is fierce, it is a good helper for the emperor to control the house, but now you have beaten it. If the emperor does not punish you severely, and the officials in the central and local governments follow suit, how can the emperor's decree be carried out? How can the world be carried out?
Isn’t it a big mess? Now the emperor doesn’t have the heart to punish you. As long as you admit your mistake, it will be a great mercy. As long as you still have a trace of humanity, just agree to it. Otherwise, a rebellious minister like you is worse than a pig or a dog.”
After listening to Eunuch Huang's ridiculous words, Zhou Xin could not believe that such naked and shameless words were actually spoken by Emperor Yongle. A sad look appeared on his face, and he pursed his lips tightly and remained silent.
Because he really didn't know how to talk about it. He was so disappointed by such a selfish emperor who treated his subjects like trivial matters.
"Even if you are tired of life, you should think about your two sons, one daughter, and your wife, right?" Seeing that he was unmoved, Eunuch Huang threatened: "Tiqi, who was ordered to take them to Beijing, is already on the way.
Well, even if you don’t think about yourself, you should think about your family, right? Your mother is eighty, can she survive from Guangzhou to Beijing?"
Hearing him talk about my mother, the pain on Zhou Xin's face became even worse, and there were tears faintly shining in the corners of his eyes. If he is not a filial son and a loyal minister, this is more painful for him than being executed by Lingchi.
"Even if you don't care about the life and death of your family, you can't care about the life and death of others, right? Hu Wei, who helped you file the complaint, and your subordinate named Wang Xian are now imprisoned by you. If you don't admit your mistake, they will
Everyone must die, do you know this?"
A twenty-one history, I don’t know where to start. Zhou Xin pursed his lips tightly, closed his eyes tightly, and let the boundless guilt tear his heart into pieces.
"I know that you have been biting Jin Yiwei for a long time, and now the whole world has heard about it. It must be hard for you to admit your mistake all of a sudden." Eunuch Huang said: "The emperor doesn't want you to figure it out right away, so I'll give it to you.
Time..." He raised three fingers and said: "Three days, I will pick up the memorial in three days, you can think about it yourself."
After finishing speaking, Eunuch Huang shook his head, as if he was very angry at this man's stubbornness. He turned around and shouted outside: "Open the door."
The Jin Yiwei at the end of the passage quickly ran over, opened the door, and Eunuch Huang came out and ordered: "Leave the tables and chairs here. We will bring a bed later, as well as pens, inks, paper, inkstones, lampstands, etc., and give Master Zhou the torture tools."
, I have been serving delicious food and drinks these past few days. We will come back in three days.
"Here." Jin Yiwei responded and asked Eunuch Huang to go out: "My father-in-law is too delicate to stay in prison for a long time. Please hurry up and change your breath."
"That's fine." As they spoke, the group of people walked away, the torches were extinguished, and silence gradually returned to the cell.
Zhou Xin then opened his eyes and stared at the dark corridor, but his eyes were burning with blazing fire...
Eunuch Huang came out of the imperial prison and was invited to the commanding officer's room.
After sitting down, he took a few breaths of fresh air, ate several bowls of tea, and cursed: "It's like a living hell in there."
"Haha." Ji Gang said with a smile, "Don't worry, with my brother here, you won't go to hell."
"So, Ji Gong is the King of Yama?" Eunuch Huang said with a flattering smile: "I have followed your instructions."
"What a coincidence, the emperor actually asked you to ask him questions. This is really a blessing from heaven." Ji Gang said with a smile.
"Yes," Eunuch Huang also said with a smile: "The emperor must have been very angry when he saw that he answered the question incorrectly, but Ji Gong, what I said next will not really frighten him, right?"
"It's possible." Ji Gang nodded.
"Ah, that would be self-defeating." Eunuch Huang said awkwardly.
"Hahaha..." Ji Gang laughed loudly: "How is it possible? In the past ten years, I have taken care of not only three thousand but also two thousand civil servants. You can know the tempers of these people with your eyes closed. Don't worry, people like Zhou Xin
, the more you force him like this, the more he refuses to admit his mistake, and is the same as that Fang Xiaoru."
Hearing him say that Zhou Xin looked like Fang Xiaoru, Eunuch Huang's heart brightened and he smiled and said, "I'll be relieved then." He stood up and said, "It's been a long time since we've been out of the house, so we have to go back to the palace to resume our duties."
"Yes." Ji Gang nodded, but had no intention of getting up to say goodbye. Eunuch Huang knew that he was always arrogant, so he didn't take it seriously. When he went out the door, he saw Fourth Master Zhu waiting there and gave him a golden ticket.
Send him out of Zhenfusi Yamen.
After leaving Zhenfusi, Eunuch Huang's sedan did not return to the palace, but went to Xuanwu Lake. Because the emperor did not live in the palace...
The Qianqing Palace in the Forbidden City is the emperor's palace, but Zhu Di has not slept in it for the past ten years, because the palace was built on land filled in from a lake. Over the past 30 years since it was built, the foundation has suffered severe settlement and has become damp.
It was so powerful that it was disliked by the emperor. There is another unspeakable reason, which is that Qianqing Palace is Zhu Yuanzhang's bedroom. As soon as Zhu Di closes his eyes, he will see his father's cold face. How can he sleep soundly?
Therefore, he ordered people to build a new palace garden by the Xuanwu Lake in the Royal Forbidden Garden, called the Garden. After the completion, he moved in from the palace and would only return to the palace when he went to court.
At this time, the willows are hanging lightly by the lake, the water is green with lotus flowers, and the pink lotus buds are just blooming. The lake is filled with fragrance and the scenery is charming.
Zhu Di's palace, Yitian Hall, was built by the lake. The palace is majestic, surrounded by greenery, with brackets and cornices appearing and disappearing. It really looks like a fairy palace. Looking out from the hall, you can see the clear blue waves of Xuanwu Lake and a gentle breeze.
Come, let the water vapor in the pool mixed with the fragrance of the exotic flowers on the mountain be sent into the palace, which is refreshing and refreshing. Facing this gorgeous scenery, Emperor Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty felt a little irritable, because he thought of Zhou Xin's case again.
Since the Wenhua Palace trial, Zhu Di has issued an order to bring in all the case files related to Zhou Xin and read them carefully. He has basically determined that Zhou Xin has nothing to do with Zhu Yunkang. On the contrary, he has always been very dedicated.
The pursuit of this person made Zhu Di feel relieved a lot.
Moreover, the emperor also realized that it was true that the Jin Yiwei had committed misdeeds in Hangzhou in the name of investigating crimes, causing a mess.