Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 112: Imprisoned

The two yamen runners immediately stepped forward, pulling out cold iron chains to shackle Su Ming.

Reader Guo's face darkened, and he instantly blocked Su Ming's path. "Censor, what is the meaning of this? Su Ming is a Hanlin Compiler. Even if he has erred, he should be dealt with by the Hanlin Academy or the Ministry of Personnel. For the Censorate to act in this manner, does it not overstep its authority?"

Although he had given Su Ming a hard time, Su Ming was, after all, one of his own men. Having someone taken from his own office was a blow to his face.

"Reader Guo, this matter involves a grave crime concerning the military and the state. Do not interfere!" The censor swept him a cold glance, pulling out an official document stamped with the Censorate's great seal from his robe.

"By order of the Censorate, Hanlin Academy Compiler Su Ming, disregarding military affairs, colluding with unscrupulous merchants, substituting inferior goods for quality ones, delaying military plans, causing heavy casualties among the Northern Frontier soldiers. He is to be apprehended immediately and await judgment!"

"Colluding with merchants? Delaying military plans?" Reader Guo was so frightened by these sudden accusations that his face turned deathly pale.

"The evidence is irrefutable!" The censor snorted coldly, looking at Su Ming. "Su Ming! Do you admit your guilt!"

Su Ming's body trembled slightly. He did not resist, allowing the cold iron chains to lock around his wrists.

He raised his head, his face etched with innocence and fear.

"My lord, I... I am wronged! I do nothing but copy books in the academy every day, I have never left the capital. How could I possibly commit the crime of delaying military plans?""Hmph, on the brink of death, and you still dare to quibble!" The censor harshly reprimanded him, taking an object wrapped in oilcloth from a yamen runner.

He tore open the oilcloth with a jerk, revealing a piece of broken leather armor inside.

The chest area of the leather armor was torn open by a hard object, exposing the rotten inner lining, the edges still stained with shocking traces of blood.

"Look at this!" The censor threw the leather armor onto the desk in front of Su Ming. "Northern Frontier soldiers, because they wore the leather armor you colluded with unscrupulous merchants to supply to the Armaments Bureau, substituting inferior goods, the armor cracked and they were hacked to death by the Black Rong's curved blades! Dozens of lives, all dead because of you!"

Su Ming looked at the piece of armor, his face displaying a perfectly measured shock and terror.

"My lord! This... what does this have to do with me? I have never been involved in military equipment procurement!"

"Still pretending!" The censor sneered. "Your fellow jinshi from the same examination year, Ministry of Revenue junior clerk Xu Qing, submitted a memorial titled 'Memorial on Stabilizing Paper Prices, Opening New Revenue Sources and Reducing Expenditures to Augment Military Funds,' intending to shake up the existing structure of military procurement. Do you dare say you knew nothing of this?"

"Brother... Brother Xu..." Su Ming's lips trembled slightly, as if struck in a vulnerable spot.

"His petition directly pointed out the flaws in military supply. And you! You have been consulting a vast number of Northern Frontier battle archives in the Hanlin Academy! You, in pursuit of political achievement, disregarded military affairs, intending to replace the existing military supply system with your immature 'new methods'! You are deluding court officials, plotting sedition!"

The censor's accusations, like a mountain collapsing and a tidal wave surging, pinned Su Ming firmly under the dual shackles of morality and law.

Su Ming's body swayed unsteadily, as if he might collapse at any moment.

"I... I was only..." He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a complete sentence. That appearance of being utterly terrified and heartbroken by the sudden heavy accusations made everyone in the Wenyuan Pavilion believe the censor's charges.

Qian Bin watched Su Ming's wretched state, a flash of satisfaction and schadenfreude passing through his eyes.

"Take him away!" The censor said no more, waving his hand sharply.

The yamen runners roughly shoved Su Ming, leading him out of the Wenyuan Pavilion.

However, in a corner of the crowd, a figure suddenly clenched his fist tightly.

It was Zhang Yiming.

He watched as Su Ming was shackled with iron chains. The contempt in his heart, that feeling of 'rotten wood cannot be carved,' was replaced by a more complex emotion.

But when this cowardly colleague truly faced catastrophic disaster, he realized that in this game of power, they, these

chains dragged across the bluestone floor, emitting

and fell on the ground, his

underground in the capital, was a place specifically for interrogating serious

cold, darkness, blood, and rot hit

was roughly pushed into a narrow cell. Stone walls, stone floor, stone bed. Water dripped from all

the chains from his body, only

the Imperial Prison, no one cares about Hanlin Academy rules!" The yamen runner sneered, slamming the heavy iron door shut with

"Clang—"

was like a giant hammer smashing

onto the cold stone bed, his body trembling slightly

stop acting. There's no audience here." Lin Yu's voice sounded, carrying a hint

The spiritual

the yin energy in this place...

blood energy over many years. An ordinary person staying here long would either die or go mad." Lin Yu's tone was grave. "You might as well take the opportunity to absorb

out the serious criminal Su

door opened again. Su Ming

yamen runners stood on both sides. In the

interrogator was a clean-shaven middle-aged man with a pale face,

do you admit your guilt?" The chief interrogator's voice was like

lord! This student is wronged! Since entering the capital, this student has only known copying books daily, never involved in military or state affairs. What crime have I

the desk and slamming them heavily on the floor

"Look! What is this!"

Ming's hands trembling, he picked up those few

hinting that he had successfully persuaded Ministry of Revenue officials to be "flexible" in military procurement. The signature at the end was clearly

"leather armor procurement," with his "suggestion" to adopt a certain batch of cheap,

verification report. It stated: On the Northern Frontier front, due to the inferior quality of military leather armor, dozens of soldiers were

The evidence was irrefutable!

his eyes wide open as if seeing the image of himself

these letters, nor had the authority to suggest procurement! This student is only a seventh-rank compiler, I even

slammed the table hard, making the teacup

this point, you still dare to quibble! I ask you, what dealings do you have with the merchant Li Fugui from Qingshi Town? Is your new paper-making method related to your

not know him!" Su Ming shouted. "The paper-making method is a local method from my hometown, what does it have to do with military supply? My lord, this student

primal wails and pleas for mercy. He cried until snot and

passed through

won't admit it until you see the coffin! Men,

yamen runners immediately stepped forward, holding whips soaked

deputy interrogator who had been silent beside the chief interrogator suddenly spoke, his voice icy. "Su Ming, do you know what a grave crime delaying military plans is according to the Great Xing Code? Light punishment is immediate execution by beheading. Heavy

didn't want to execute him directly, but to force him to implicate more people. Exile three thousand li,

reached its climax. He cried out in terror, "This student truly doesn't know! This student only...

the Yongchang Marquis Manor hoped to

chief interrogator watched Su Ming's "breakdown"

who conspired with you.

one conspired with me!" Su Ming wailed, shaking his head like a rattle drum. "This student is just a book copier! It was them! They saw this student was easy

documents on the floor, his

lasted a full

he was innocent, that he had been framed. But the fear and helplessness he displayed made the interrogators believe he

away! Continue

chief interrogator waved his hand, a flash of impatience in his eyes. He had already

thrown back into his cell. He was