Inside Qianqinggong.
Lin Yuan tried her best to make herself inconspicuous.
Her arm still throbbed with a burning pain—it was probably bruised by now.
[Boss! This definitely counts as a work-related injury! Will medical expenses be reimbursed? How about compensation for emotional distress? Can we draft a labor law?]
[It’s been less than a month since I transmigrated, and I’ve already become a seventh-rank Dianzheng, exempt from regular duties, directly under the emperor. Even a rocket couldn’t match my promotion speed. But I really don’t want to cross paths with Wei Zhongxian!]
[Sigh… Now I’m completely tied to Chongzhen. If he dies, I die. I have no choice but to grit my teeth and work hard alongside him. I really have to thank his entire family for this!]
Chongzhen was resting with his eyes closed, trying to calm his anger, but Lin Yuan’s inner thoughts gave him no respite.
Work-related injury? Labor law?
At a time like this, why was she still using these incomprehensible terms? Wasn’t it just about money? Why couldn’t she just say it out loud? Why torment him in his mind like this?
Was it because she didn’t understand what the position of Dianzheng entailed?
Chongzhen slowly opened his eyes and glanced at Lin Yuan.
“Dianzheng is a seventh-rank official position with a monthly salary,” Chongzhen explained patiently, with a hint of resignation, as if thinking, “I chose this ‘ancestor’—can I really scold or beat her?”
“The monthly salary is 2 dan of rice and 3.9 taels of silver.”
Huh? Lin Yuan didn’t understand why Chongzhen suddenly mentioned this, but she quickly knelt down to express her gratitude.
“This humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your grace.”
[2 dan of rice and 3.9 taels of silver. As expected, as expected. After the Wanli era, the salary standards of the Ming Dynasty have plummeted, completely failing to keep up with inflation.]
The muscles in Chongzhen’s cheek twitched.
As the Son of Heaven, he had already made an exception to promote her, yet she still complained about the salary being too low!
“Wang Chengen.”
“Your servant is here.”
“Convey my oral decree: Lin Dianzheng has demonstrated exceptional loyalty. Award her ten thousand taels of silver, twenty bolts of brocade, and her accommodation and meals… shall be equivalent to those of a concubine.”
Wang Chengen was momentarily stunned. This reward—accommodation and meals equivalent to a concubine—was far too generous.
“As you command,” he replied, quickly accepting the decree.
Lin Yuan was also taken aback, not because she thought the reward was excessive—after all, she was risking her life for this job.
[Ten thousand taels of silver! Even during the Chongzhen era with its reduced salaries, this is enough for me to live comfortably for a long time! May the boss live forever!]
[And accommodation and meals equivalent to a concubine?! Does that mean I can have my own small courtyard with a private bathroom and kitchen? No more sleeping in a communal dormitory! Boss, I was too loud earlier. Let me kowtow to you now!]
One moment she was grumbling, the next she was kowtowing as if to a father.
Watching the previously dull gray emotional bar above Lin Yuan’s head instantly light up with [Current Emotion: Extremely Happy], Chongzhen felt it was worth it.
Spending a little money to secure a Tianji that could provide warnings at any time was a great deal!
Jinyiwei Northern Prison, Zhaoyu.
Just seeing the black plaque with red characters hanging above the entrance made Lin Yuan’s skin crawl.
[Is this the legendary Zhaoyu? I’ve heard that once you enter this place, don’t even think about leaving. Why did the boss bring me here? It can’t be to…]
Ignoring Lin Yuan’s muttering, Chongzhen strode inside.
The prison was perpetually shrouded in darkness, and the air was filled with a foul mixture of mildew, blood, and a hint of decay.
The walls were hung with various torture instruments of unknown names, some still dripping with blood.
In the deepest torture chamber, Liu Jiancheng had already been bound to the rack.
It was quite surprising.
This man, who had obtained his official position through purchasing it, turned out to be a tough nut to crack.
Despite being flayed by the Jinyiwei until his flesh was torn and bleeding, he still hadn’t revealed any useful information, his eyes gleaming with a fierce determination.
Lin Yuan had been ordered by Chongzhen to observe the interrogation here, feeling both excitement and fear.
She was excited to witness an ancient interrogation scene for the first time.
But she was also terrified because the scene was far too graphic—just watching it made her feel the pain.
However, this didn’t stop her from inwardly critiquing.
[Even so, the Jinyiwei’s professional skills aren’t up to par. All they know is whipping and beating. The blood is almost drained, the man is on the verge of shock, and they’re still asking questions?]
[Shouldn’t interrogation focus more on psychological tactics? What’s the use of just destroying the body? You need to break their will.]
Hearing this, Chongzhen’s already gloomy face darkened even further.
Hmph. A mere palace maid dares to say my Jinyiwei is useless? Still, it reminded him.
Continuing like this would indeed be pointless.
He raised his hand and waved, signaling the Jinyiwei to stop.
“Take him away and treat his wounds now. Don’t let him die,” Chongzhen’s voice was cold.
“I have a new method.”
He turned to look at Wang Chengen.
“Fetch a bucket of clean water and bring a long, high bench. Later, lay him flat, secure his head, hang the bucket up, drill a small hole, and let the water drip drop by drop onto his forehead.”
Wang Chengen was utterly confused. What kind of operation was this?
Though he had many questions, his master had spoken, so he would carry it out.
Lin Yuan, however, felt her scalp tingle.
[Oh my god. The boss is really ruthless! With this slow, steady dripping, not knowing when it will end, a person might even start to doubt—will the next drop still be water, or could it be something else? Under such conditions, even if they don’t go mad, they’ll surely break.]
Soon, the torture device was set up, and Liu Jiancheng was brought back, tightly secured to the long bench, unable to move.
And the water began to drip, drop by drop from above, landing on the center of his forehead.
At first, Liu Jiancheng didn’t understand what was happening.
Later, his face filled with a disdainful smile.
Heh, Chongzhen, this useless fool, could only play such pointless tricks.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity—Lin Yuan felt she was almost getting used to the smell of the Zhaoyu—Liu Jiancheng’s expression finally began to change.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
This unchanging, monotonous rhythm repeated endlessly, with no conclusion in sight.
It felt as if he were trapped in a crevice of time, unable to escape or return.
There was no end in sight.
He began to struggle, but he was bound so tightly he couldn’t even move his head.
Another half-hour passed.
Though only a small patch on Liu Jiancheng’s forehead had turned red, his eyes were no longer clear.
The fear of an endless ordeal overwhelmed his mind.
“I’ll talk… I’ll tell you everything…”
He finally broke.
“Please, stop it! I’ll talk!”
Chongzhen sneered and waved his hand, signaling for him to be released.
“Speak. Where is Wei Zhongxian?”
“Jiuqiansui… Jiuqiansui, he…” Liu Jiancheng gasped for breath.
“He should be in Jingcheng. But… but he is no longer the Jiuqiansui of old!”
No longer the Jiuqiansui of old?
What does that mean?
Chongzhen frowned deeply.
[What does that mean? Possessed? Had plastic surgery?]
Lin Yuan’s sarcastic inner voice chimed in at just the right moment, carrying a hint of gossipy excitement.
[Ah! Could it be like in those TV dramas, where a double is used to draw attention while the real one hides behind the scenes, pulling the strings? A classic villain move!]
Chongzhen was inwardly shocked.
A double!
This thought seemed to unravel some of the confusion in his mind.
No wonder his people had been unable to find Wei Zhongxian all this time. If the person out there wasn’t him, then it all made sense.
“You said he’s no longer the Jiuqiansui of old—what do you mean?” Chongzhen pressed.
“I don’t know. I only saw him once, but that time… Jiuqiansui’s voice sounded very young, different from before. Yet everyone still called him Jiuqiansui. And he wore Jiuqiansui’s thumb ring.”
Having gotten his answer, Chongzhen slowly let out a heavy breath.
What a cunning Wei Zhongxian, toying with me like a fool!
Without lingering any longer, Chongzhen stood up and prepared to leave the interrogation room.
As he passed by Lin Yuan, he didn’t forget to signal for her to follow.
“Lin Dianzheng, follow me. Starting tomorrow, you’ll accompany me to meet many people.”
With that, Chongzhen paid no further attention to anything behind him and strode away.
He refused to believe that, with the Tianji palace maid by his side, he couldn’t outmaneuver Wei Zhongxian.
He would have Lin Yuan help him see just how many among the court officials were Wei Zhongxian’s people.