Volume 1, Chapter 65: Classified Security Password-Grande Ming: Um tael de prata por minuto, uma velocidade de colonização inimaginável(Aquele que vende pernas de cordeiro no norte)

Deep within the Imperial Prison, the sound of dripping water echoed against the cold stone walls. Luo Yangxing stood in the center of the interrogation chamber, his gaze sweeping over the state prisoners kneeling before him.

"Bring him up!" With a wave of Luo Yangxing's hand, two guards dragged in a figure covered in blood.

The man was none other than Zhao Shijie, the trusted confidant of the Ministry of War's supervising secretary Yang Jiamao. Both of his legs had already been broken, leaving him unable to walk and forced to be dragged forward.

"Lord Zhao," Luo Yangxing paced slowly toward him, "your master has already confessed. Why subject yourself to this unnecessary flesh-and-blood torture?"

Zhao Shijie raised his blood-stained face and rasped hoarsely, "I... I truly know nothing..."

"Nothing?" Luo Yangxing said coldly. "Guards! Prepare the water torture!"

The prison guards moved instantly, pinning Zhao Shijie onto a wooden bench and covering his face with a damp cloth.

The sound of dripping water became distinctly audible. Zhao Shijie began to struggle violently, emitting muffled, incoherent whimpers.

"Speak! Just how deep are the connections between the Eastern Forest Party and Later Jin?" Luo Yangxing demanded sternly.

Zhao Shijie's body convulsed, his hands clawing wildly at the air. The guards continued to pour water over his face until he was on the verge of suffocation.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" Zhao Shijie finally broke down. "Later Jin... Later Jin sends massive amounts of silver every single year..."

Luo Yangxing signaled for the guards to halt. "Go on."

"The silver... the silver was all laundered through... through the Zhou family, merchants of Shanxi..." Zhao Shijie gasped for breath, "and then distributed to local militias..."

"Militias?" Luo Yangxing narrowed his eyes. "What are these militias for?"

Zhao Shijie suddenly fell silent.

"Refusing to speak?" Luo Yangxing sneered. "Men! Prepare the bamboo spikes!"

Several sharp bamboo spikes were held over the flickering candlelight, crackling softly. Upon seeing this, Zhao Shijie trembled all over.

"Spare my life, My Lord!" Zhao Shijie wept and cried out. "The militias... the militias were meant... meant for an uprising!"

Dead silence filled the interrogation chamber.

"Continue!" Luo Yangxing ordered harshly.

"The Eastern Forest Party... the Eastern Forest Party wanted to... wanted to..." Zhao Shijie stammered.

"Wanted what?" Luo Yangxing kicked him fiercely in the chest.

Zhao Shijie spat out a mouthful of blood. "They wanted to... enthrone a new sovereign..."

Luo Yangxing's pupils contracted. "Who?"

"The... The Prince of Fu..." Before Zhao Shijie could finish his sentence, white foam suddenly bubbled from his lips. He convulsed a few times and went entirely still.

"Damn it!" Luo Yangxing roared. "He swallowed poison! Quick! Fetch the imperial physician!"

The guards scrambled in panic, but it was already too late. Zhao Shijie had bitten open the poison capsule concealed within his teeth.

Luo Yangxing turned to the remaining prisoners. "Bring in the next one!"

Shortly after, Zhang Shize, a secretary of the Ministry of Rites, was dragged forward. Seeing Zhao Shijie's corpse, his face turned deathly pale.

"Lord Zhang," Luo Yangxing paced toward him, "you should know how to make your choice."

Zhang Shize knelt on the cold ground, trembling violently. "My Lord... My Lord, please examine the facts..."

"How much do you know about the Prince of Fu?" Luo Yangxing asked bluntly.

Zhang Shize jerked his head up. "This... this..."

"It seems you also need to taste some hardship." Luo Yangxing waved his hand. "Apply the finger vices!"

Zhang Shize's agonizing screams soon rang through the prison cells. The sickening sound of snapping bones was clearly audible.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" Zhang Shize finally cracked under the agony. "The Prince of Fu... the Prince of Fu indeed has ties to the Eastern Forest Party..."

A sharp gleam flashed in Luo Yangxing's eyes. "Make it clear!"

"Last August... Qian Qianyi secretly traveled to Nanjing..." Zhang Shize panted heavily, "and met with people from the Prince of Fu's estate..."

"Who did he meet?" Luo Yangxing pressed further.

"It was... it was..." Zhang Shize suddenly clenched his teeth, a look of resolute defiance flashing in his eyes.

Sensing something amiss, Luo Yangxing strode forward quickly, but he was too late. Zhang Shize, too, had bitten down on the poison hidden inside his tooth.

"Damn it!" Luo Yangxing kicked over the bench in fury. "Why do all of these people..."

At that exact moment, a brocade-uniformed guard rushed over hurriedly. "My Lord! We found this inside Zhang Shize's boot!"

Luo Yangxing took the item and unfolded it. It was a letter bearing the inscription: "To be personally opened by Palace Administrator So-and-so of the Prince of Fu's estate."

"Interesting." Luo Yangxing perused the letter. "So that's how it is..."

He spun around instantly. "Pass down the order: thoroughly check the boots and teeth of every single state prisoner! They must not be allowed to commit suicide by poison!"

The guards immediately sprang into action, beginning a meticulous search of the remaining captives.

Before long, another list was discovered hidden within the inner lining of a prisoner's boot.

Luo Yangxing examined it closely, his expression growing increasingly grave. The document clearly detailed the exact troop numbers and locations of the various militias.

"Send men to investigate immediately!" Luo Yangxing commanded. "We must strike before they can make a move—"

Before he could finish, another guard came running. "My Lord! This is bad! Zhou Yanru... Zhou Yanru is inside his cell..."

Luo Yangxing's expression shifted drastically as he sprinted toward the cell block.

Inside the cell, Zhou Yanru lay slumped on the floor, an eerie smile lingering at the corners of his mouth. Scattered around him were several scraps of paper.

Luo Yangxing picked up the notes and read them, his pupils violently shrinking. They read: "The date for the Prince of Fu's uprising has been set, precisely on..." The remaining characters were stained with blood and illegible.

"Quick!" Luo Yangxing ordered sternly. "Search! Turn this entire prison upside down!"

The guards moved instantly, initiating a carpet search of the premises.

At that moment, a guard discovered a wax pellet hidden within Zhou Yanru's topknot.

Luo Yangxing carefully cracked open the wax pellet to reveal a slip of paper as thin as a cicada's wing.

Written on it were only a few simple characters: "March fifteenth, at the hour of Zi."

"March fifteenth..." Luo Yangxing muttered to himself. "That's just ten days from now..."

He whirled around. "Sound the alarm! Immediately heighten the security and defense of the capital! Every city gate—"

"My Lord, wait!" a guard suddenly cried out. "Look at this!"

Beneath Zhou Yanru's corpse, yet another piece of paper had been pinned down. It bore the inscription: "To be personally opened by Yang Huan, Palace Administrator of the Prince of Fu's estate."

"Yang Huan?" A cold light flickered in Luo Yangxing's eyes. "That name..."

At that very moment, a commotion erupted outside the Imperial Prison.

"My Lord!" a guard burst in. "Someone outside requests an audience, claiming they wish to expose a major conspiracy by the Eastern Forest Party!"

Luo Yangxing frowned. "Who is it?"

"It is... it is a domestic servant from the Prince of Fu's estate!" the guard gasped for air.

A piercing glint shone in Luo Yangxing's eyes. "Bring him in!"

Shortly thereafter, a tattered, elderly man was led into the chamber. He knelt on the floor and trembled as he spoke, "This humble servant... this humble servant has an urgent and vital secret report..."