nucmednet Chapter 945: The Death of a Sinner Is Not Worthy
Chapter 945: The Death of a Sinner Is Not Worthy
Three hundred and seventy-seven thousand six hundred taels! According to the law, such a huge amount of corruption should be sentenced to death by slow slicing or immediate execution, with absolutely no possibility of pardon.
Confiscation of property was inevitable. If the Northern Wing court had not abolished the law of collective responsibility long ago, the entire Song family would have been implicated, with no one spared.
Thinking of this, Shi Anxia couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
After all, Song Shenzhi and Song Xizhi were both pillars of the country during the reign of Emperor Zhaowu. It would be a pity if the entire family was brought to justice because of the crime of one person.
Shi Anxia personally interrogated Jiang Zhongxin, trying to pry out from him the reason why Song Yuanjiu took bribes.
She didn't believe that someone who had no greed for money would accept bribes for no reason.
At the same time, Xiao Yunde also found the name "Song Yuanjiu" in the corner of the little notebook.
His memory of the dream had become increasingly faint. Even after seeing the words "Song Yuanjiu", he could no longer remember what achievements he had made in his previous life.
But he knew one thing: this person could not die and had to be saved.
When Xiao Yunde was interrogating Song Yuanjiu, the other party was relaxed and calm in the prison.
The man sat cross-legged and asked the jailer for paper and pen, and wrote down in detail the unfinished government affairs in his hands, his handwriting neat and clear.
After writing, he raised his hand and handed the paper over, saying calmly, "Please pass it on to Mr. Li, the Junior Secretary of the Imperial Clan, Mr. Dong, the Minister of Rites, and Mr. Wang, the Junior Secretary of the Imperial Ministry of Rites. They are familiar with the follow-up matters and can handle them accordingly."
How could the jailer dare to act on his own? He was about to report it when he suddenly heard footsteps outside the prison. It turned out to be the retired Emperor Xiao Yunde.
The paper fell into Xiao Yunde's hands in an instant.
He lowered his eyes and scanned it, and saw that the handwriting was smooth and neat, and it was actually the handwriting of Japanese calligraphy, which was obviously due to daily practice. He looked at the content in detail, and it was all about the arrangements for unfinished court affairs, without a single word about his own sins.
Xiao Yunde signaled to the jailer to open the cell door.
The iron lock clicked open and the cell door creaked harshly in the dank air.
Xiao Yunde stepped into the prison, stood with his hands behind his back, the hem of his black dragon-patterned uniform remained motionless, and looked solemnly at the Minister of Zongzheng Temple who was once known for his "diligence".
Song Yuanjiu had already stood up to greet him, his eyes slightly lowered, and he bowed respectfully, "I, your humble servant, pay my respects to the Supreme Emperor."
His voice was calm, without any fear or resentment, as if it was just an ordinary official greeting.
Xiao Yunde glanced at the ink in front of him that had not yet dried, and said lightly, "Song Qing has always been diligent. He still remembers government affairs even when he is in prison."
Song Yuanjiu did not dare to look up, and only replied, "It is my duty, and I dare not slack off."
Xiao Yunde was silent for a moment, then sat on the stool carried in by the jailer, looking gloomy, "Do you have any difficulty with the 377,600 taels of silver?"
Song Yuanjiu knelt on the rammed earth floor, and rough dirt flew up with his trembling breathing.
His nails dug into the cracks in the ground had already cracked, but he didn't feel any pain at all. "I am a guilty subject... I deserve the punishment, and there is no excuse for it. It is not a pity for me to die..."
"Your death is not a pity!" Xiao Yunde sneered with a hint of dissatisfaction, leaning forward slightly, "But your two sons were implicated by you. They could have brought honor to the family, but now they can't even enter the examination hall. They were originally going to be the pillars of the country, but because of your words 'the death of a guilty minister is not a pity', they were thrown into the mud."
A drop of cold sweat slid down Song Yuanjiu's temple, leaving a dark mark on the rammed earth ground.
He recalled how Shenzhi would always copy ten pages of Yiwen Zhangju in the study room at dawn before he would have breakfast. When Xizhi was practicing calligraphy, he didn't even notice that his sleeves were being burned by the candle.
Those days and nights of studying hard, those worn-out brushes and torn ink scrolls... after ten years of hard work, without any achievement, he had to give up his official career forever.
After all, he was too selfish.
"Now," Xiao Yunde stood up, "I'll ask you again - do you have any difficulties?"
Song Yuanjiu looked up in astonishment, his dim eyes flashing with a gleam of disbelief, "The emperor means that my son..."
"I don't mean it!" Xiao Yunde was angry at him for not fighting back and didn't give him a good look, "Tell the truth quickly!"
……
In the cold prison cell of Gongcheng.
Jiang Zhongxin was hung on the rack by iron chains, black blood constantly oozing from his mouth and nose, and his whole body was convulsing like a dying fish.
The specially made medicine powder was burning in his blood. The poison would not be fatal, but it made every inch of his flesh feel as if it was being gnawed by poisonous ants. Thousands of red-hot steel needles were piercing his heart along his meridians.
“Please… please…” He squeezed out a few words from his broken throat. Saliva mixed with blood dripped to the ground, forming a small pool of dirt on the blue bricks.
He asked for death, but was denied.
Just like the girls he had brought back, they only wanted to die. But if he didn't let them die, they couldn't die, and could only live in humiliation.
Now, he was the same. This was the third time he was given the powder.
Qiu Zhiyan watched coldly, playing with the white porcelain medicine bottle, the bottle reflecting the flickering firelight, "Don't worry, General Jiang, there is still a lot of this medicine powder. From now on, you can eat three meals a day and be full every time."
"Ah..." A desperate scream echoed through the cage. The iron chain rattled as Jiang Zhongxin struggled, and his wrist bones had already been worn out.
The torches on the wall cast his shadow into a twisted monster. He was dying and didn't even have the strength to bite his tongue to commit suicide.
Suddenly, there was a sound of rings and bracelets outside the prison door.
Princess Haiyan has arrived.
She was wearing a black fox cloak, and the circle of snow-white fur on her collar glowed coldly in the dark prison, as if bringing in the wind and snow outside.
Her coat revealed a moon-white brocade skirt, the hem of which was embroidered with fine ice cracks in silver thread, creating frost-like ripples with every step she took.
The cell was filled with a pungent stench, with the smell of blood mixed with the sour smell of feces and urine swirling in the air.
Shi Anxia didn't even frown as he walked in slowly, stepping on the filth on the ground, as if he was walking on the jade steps in the back garden instead of the damp bricks of a prison.
She stopped just three inches away from the pool of blood, sat on the shabby chair that Bei Hui brought in, and admired Jiang Zhongxin's miserable condition as if she were appreciating flowers.
"You deserve to die." This was Shi Anxia's first sentence. His voice was very faint, as if he was commenting on a withering crabapple.
The second sentence was, "I heard you wanted to see me."
After Jiang Zhongxin was imprisoned, he kept asking to see Princess Haiyan.
She hadn't originally planned to meet him.
He embezzled relief grain and used it to earn money on the black market; he imprisoned girls from decent families and used them as prostitutes for pleasure; he colluded with officials of the imperial court and formed a clique for personal gain. In addition, there were many other charges, all of which were serious crimes punishable by lingchi, and the Ministry of Justice would deal with them according to the law.
A dying person is not worthy of the princess's carriage.
But this was not the main reason. The most important thing was that Jiang Zhongxin made her very embarrassed. It was not because of those girls who looked like her, but because Jiang Zhongxin had deceived her in her previous life, making her mistakenly believe that he was a loyal minister and a good general.
It was not until the name "Song Yuanjiu" appeared that Shi Anxia changed his mind.
Jiang Zhongxin knew this was his last chance. He panted, "Princess, I have, I have very important news, I have to report it to you..."
Shi Anxia looked at him coldly without any frown.
Jiang Zhongxin tried his best but could only speak hoarsely, "Princess, Princess, you will definitely be interested..."