The cell was located at the deepest part of the prison, cold and damp, with only a small sliver of light letting in through a tiny window high up.
The number of jailers had doubled, and torches illuminated the narrow passageway.
However, under this seemingly impenetrable guard, a shocking change suddenly occurred!
Just two days later, in the dead of night, less than two hours remained before the Three Judicial Offices interrogated Cao Zu again.
A jailer on duty, carrying a food box and a water jug, arrived at Cao Zu's cell door as usual.
He knocked on the thick wooden fence: "Old Cao, dinner's ready!"
There was no response from inside.
The jailer frowned and peered through the gap in the bars.
By the light of the torches in the passageway, he could vaguely see Cao Zu with his back to the door, curled up motionless on a pile of hay in the corner.
"Hey, old man Cao, wake up!"
The jailer raised his voice, a sense of foreboding creeping into his mind.
He hurriedly pulled out his key, clattered open the heavy iron lock, pushed open the cell door, and rushed inside.
The sight before him terrified him!
Cao Zu's body was stiffly curled up in an extremely contorted position, his face was bluish-purple, his eyes were wide open, filled with extreme fear and pain, and his tongue was slightly sticking out.
A rough strip of cloth, clearly torn from his tattered prison clothes, was tightly bound around his neck and tied in a knot at the back of his neck!
The straw beneath him was disheveled, suggesting a violent struggle.
"Someone's dead! Someone's dead!"
The jailer was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, the food box and water jug in his hands shattering with a loud crash.
"Help! Cao Zu has hanged himself!"
A scream shattered the deathly silence of the Ministry of Justice prison.
"Suicide?"
The news swept through the entire court like the coldest wind, and reached Xiaoyuan at top speed.
Lu Xingjian's hand, which was reviewing memorials, suddenly stopped. A drop of thick ink slammed onto the bright yellow silk, quickly spreading into a glaring stain.
He slowly raised his head, his face expressionless.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
Xiao Jing, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial who came to report, was a seasoned veteran of many storms. Yet, he was still shaken by the almost tangible chill emanating from Lu Xingjian, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.
"The Ministry of Justice reported that... he hanged himself in the cell with his belt at night... there were indeed signs of struggle at the scene... when the prison guards found him, he had already been dead for some time..."
"Hanging?"
Lu Xingjian's voice was very soft, yet it was like a poisoned icicle, echoing with a chilling force.
"Would an old man, who would crawl to the gates of my palace with his last breath to plead his case against his own son for treason, possess crucial evidence, and be on the verge of identifying the mastermind, actually hang himself in the Ministry of Justice's prison, where he would be tried by the three judicial departments and heavily guarded?"
He suddenly stood up, and with a sweep of his arm, the memorials on the table scattered all over the floor.
Without even glancing at Xiao Jing, he walked step by step to the window, his back to Xiao Jing.
Outside the window, the palace city is still shrouded in the shadow of the ruins of the Qianqing Palace, oppressive and heavy.
"What a fine Ministry of Justice! What a fine Zhang Zilin!"
Lu Xingjian's voice suddenly rose, filled with thunderous rage and scathing sarcasm, echoing loudly in the empty hall.
"I entrusted them with witnesses in such a sensational case, and this is how they guard them?!"
"Two days! Only two days! And he committed suicide?!"
"Are they trying to fool me like a three-year-old child?!"
He turned abruptly, his eyes burning with a fury that seemed to set the palace ablaze.
"I want to see if the walls of the Ministry of Justice's prison are too high, or if Zhang Zilin's neck is too stiff! Is the reach of the person behind the scenes too long, or if my blade isn't sharp enough!"
"Xiao Jing!"
"This old servant is here!"
Xiao Jing knelt down with a thud, his whole body trembling.
"Issue the decree!" Lu Xingjian's voice was as cold as ice from the deepest hell, carrying an unwavering and decisive tone.
"Minister of Justice Zhang Zilin has neglected his duties and is incompetent, resulting in the death of a serious treasoner in prison. There are many suspicious points, and he cannot escape responsibility! He is hereby stripped of his official hat and peacock feather and imprisoned!"
"Arrest all the prison guards and officials in charge of the Ministry of Justice's prison who were on duty last night! Hand them over to the Northern Garrison Command's Imperial Prison for strict interrogation!"
"The joint trial by the three judicial departments is suspended. I hereby order the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to take over this case personally! Investigate it thoroughly!"
"Look at how many demons and monsters are hiding in this Ministry of Justice prison! Look who dares to play this trick right under my nose!"
"Draft another decree!"
Lu Xingjian's gaze was like a sharp blade, piercing towards the direction of the Marquis of Shouning's residence.
"Marquis Shouning, Zhang Heling, has a steward named Cao Ding who is involved in a major treason case. Although there is no conclusive evidence yet pointing to him as the mastermind, his lax management of his subordinates makes it difficult for him to escape responsibility!"
"Effective immediately, his brother, Marquis Jianchang Zhang Yanling, is hereby suspended from attending court! He shall be confined to his residence for reflection and is not permitted to leave the Marquis's residence without imperial decree!"
"All personnel in the mansion are to be placed under strict guard! They will be dealt with after the Cao Ding case is thoroughly investigated!"
"This old servant obeys the decree!"
Xiao Jing kowtowed deeply, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
He knew that His Majesty the Emperor was already furious, and a purge storm even more severe than the fire at the Qianqing Palace was about to begin.
The Ministry of Justice was the first to be affected.
Zhang Heling is in grave danger, like a pile of eggs.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Ning of Jiangxi, who was hiding behind the scenes, must be feeling quite uneasy right now!
The heavy footsteps, accompanied by the screeching sound of chains dragging on the ground, broke the deathly silence unique to the imperial prison, a silence mixed with the stench of blood and decay.
Zhang Zilin, the Minister of Justice who once wore a scarlet robe and ranked among the Nine Ministers, now had his official robes stripped off, wearing only a white prison uniform. His hair was disheveled, and his face was ashen. He was being roughly pushed and shoved by two fierce-looking Jinyiwei officers, staggering through the dark and damp passageway.
Zhang Zilin's body trembled violently involuntarily, and his legs almost gave way. He knew what lay behind that door.
He had seen the names of the instruments of torture in the imperial prison countless times in the case files, and had even tacitly approved or ordered their use against others.
He never imagined that one day he would walk into this place in this way.
"This official...this official requests to see His Majesty!"
Zhang Zilin cried out hoarsely, struggling in vain.
"I am innocent! I had no knowledge of Cao Zu's death. This is a frame-up, a frame-up!"
"Framed?"
A cold voice came from the shadows deep within the interrogation room.
Qian Ning, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, slowly walked out, his flying fish robe looking particularly sinister in the dim light.
He toyed with a jet-black iron ruler that gleamed with a cold, eerie light in his hand. His eyes were sharp as knives, yet a chilling, almost cruel smile played on his lips.
"Lord Zhang, this is the Imperial Prison."
Qian Ning's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the coldness of the interrogation room. Every word was like a cold iron nail, striking Zhang Zilin's heart.
"We only care about evidence, not personal feelings. You have no idea how Cao Zu died?"
"On the roster of guards in the Ministry of Justice prison, two of the jailers on duty last night were distant cousins of your concubine, and another was recommended by your fellow villager. You were unaware of this?"
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