At the Left Prime Minister's residence, the informant planted at the Dali Temple was kneeling on the ground reporting the situation.

"Someone attempted to do something wrong, but was scared away by Ms. Song's verbal threats and physical violence."

Xie Qianzhong paused for a moment as he wrote, smiled slightly, and nodded in satisfaction at the vigorous and powerful characters.

It's unclear whether it was satisfaction with the words or the person's overflowing satisfaction.

"You do have some skill." As the last stroke was finished, the servant next to him immediately stepped forward to collect the writing: "By the way, remember to take care of those thugs. Things are tense lately, so be careful with your hands."

How could Xie Qianzhong tolerate these filthy people coveting Song Tangxue?

"To the jail!" Xie Qianzhong washed his hands and followed the others out the door.

Looking at the wide-open prison door, Song Tangxue had a fleeting thought of escaping, but then thought, "I can escape for a day, but not forever."

A moment later, seeing the disappointed expressions on the faces of the prison guards who poured in, Song Tangxue forced a smile, bright and beautiful. How could such a delicate flower bloom in the dark prison?

The only flowers that can bloom are those that smell foul and repulsive, like blood.

"Miss Song, please." The jailer stopped wasting words with her. Song Tangxue, locked in the cell, remained as serene as a gentle breeze and a bright moon.

The jailer now realized that threatening and provoking her would be pointless.

He had to make her feel pain to realize that prison was nothing like the outside world, and that even a prison guard like him was above the prisoners.

Several jailers came forward and dragged Song Tangxue outside. Despite her disheveled appearance, Song Tangxue still straightened her back and said, "I don't need you guys. I have legs now and I can walk by myself."

The wound on her palm had become red and swollen due to inflammation and lack of timely treatment. When she was pulled, she inevitably rubbed against the wall, causing Song Tangxue to hiss and gasp in pain.

Song Tangxue was blindfolded and dragged in the dark to a warm and dry place.

The blindfold was removed, and looking around, one could see the chilling instruments of torture hanging on the wall.

Song Tangxue's pupils contracted slightly. This was a common tactic of the Dali Temple, as they were resorting to force when soft tactics failed.

There was another person sitting in front of him, his bright red official robes looking like a sharpened knife in the darkness.

Li Xing, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, was also one of Xie Qianzhong's political enemies.

“Miss Song, you’ve been here so long, and you still won’t confess?” Li Xing said, his voice heavy as he spoke.

Li Zong stood behind Li Xing, smiling maliciously in the dim light.

“I don’t want to make things difficult for Miss Song. As long as you confess today, my work will be easier.” Li Xing flipped through the files in front of him and casually threatened, “Miss Song has delicate skin and I’m afraid she can’t withstand these things.”

Song Tangxue raised her dark, cold eyes and stared at him intently.

Even the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review has been mobilized. It seems that I have become a bargaining chip for some people in their struggle for power, regardless of whether it is a scheme against Xie Qianzhong.

They couldn't even admit to this fabricated crime.

"Hurry up!" The jailer behind her kicked her in the knee. "Is the officer talking to you? Are you deaf?"

Stunned by the sudden force, Song Tangxue groaned and knelt on the ground. Her injured hand, which was braced against the ground, bled, and drops of dark blood fell onto the dark earth.

Li Xing chuckled and stopped the jailer: "Our Dali Temple has always governed people with virtue, and we must not use force."

Looking at the torture instruments covering the walls, some still covered in blood and foam, the warmth I felt came from the molten iron that was being heated in the pot for branding.

Warm, but deadly.

"What crime have I committed?" Song Tangxue propped herself up and stood up, facing Li Xing squarely with a cold look in her eyes, but a smile remained on her face.

Isn't this just a plan to torture her?

"Hmph, Miss Song, do you still want to struggle?" Li Xing waved his hand slightly, and the jailers beside him rushed forward and grabbed Song Tangxue's limbs.

Song Tangxue struggled desperately, her hair disheveled, and glared at Li Xing: "Even if His Majesty comes today, I am innocent!"

"Hold her down." Li Xing also dropped his fake smile and looked at Song Tangxue with a sinister look: "It seems we should invite Miss Song to see the special features of the Dali Temple outside."

"Stop!" A familiar voice came from outside the door.

Song Tangxue recognized him, but she couldn't believe that the person had actually come. The jailer beside her lowered his guard and stood to the side, watching the door.

Xie Qianzhong and his men approached from just a few steps from the entrance.

Li Xing and Li Zong stepped forward, bowed, and said, "May I ask what brings Lord Xie from so far away?"

"If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have known that this is how the Dali Temple handles cases," Xie Qianzhong's cold gaze swept across Li Xing's face.

Li Xing bowed his head respectfully: "Today we were just bringing a suspect in for questioning, but she defied the law, so we had no choice but to have her restrained. She deserves what she got for her crime. What's wrong with that?"

"Does that mean the suspects are supposed to be fed and cared for well outside the prison?" Li Xing's words were laced with sarcasm.

"Have you forgotten about your embezzlement before the New Year?" Xie Qianzhong unfolded the ledger in his hand, which contained a complete record of the bribes received by the Dali Temple.

The Dali Temple was the place where bribery was most likely to occur. On a small scale, prison guards would accept money to improve their meals, while on a larger scale, they would directly tamper with evidence and change the sentences of prisoners.

Li Xing clearly seized this lucrative position to rake in money, bringing considerable profits to his cronies as well.

Li Xing broke out in a cold sweat, and his back was soaked.

Wasn't the ledger kept close to the body? The jailers dared not speak; these kinds of matters were handled by the jailers, while the superiors only needed to stand behind and collect the money.

"Do I need to say anything more?" Xie Qianzhong put the ledger away again. With that ledger, he could keep Li Xing's pulse.

It contains not only accounts, but also the contact person.

Li Xing could no longer sit still. He knelt on the ground, his eyes vacant. This time, it was truly the end for him.

Li Zongyi was also pale, but fortunately his name was not on the account.

"Guards! Execute these filthy people immediately!" The men behind Xie Qianzhong stepped forward.

The jailers knelt on the ground, trembling: "Please spare our lives, Your Honor! Please spare our lives, Your Honor!"

"What are you standing there for?" Xie Qianzhong's words made those people feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, and then they were warmed by his own blood.

Without exception, all the jailers were beheaded, their eyes wide open in death.

Xie Qianzhong swept his gaze over these people. On the ground, blood formed a small, bloody stream, sticky and spreading silently.

Song Tangxue suppressed her nausea and stood at a distance, as if the blood could not stain her.

Like a small white flower blooming amidst bloodshed and carnage, resilient and eye-catching.

"Get out of here!" Xie Qianzhong glanced at Li Xing and Li Zong, who were kneeling on the ground. The two hurriedly scrambled out of the door.

I'm still shaken.

The blood had just flowed onto Li Xing's fingertips. The wet, fishy touch and smell made Li Xing tremble, and sweat poured down his face. He was terrified that his head would be the next to fall.