The lights were dim, and Shi Kefa woke up faintly, feeling burning pain all over his body, and couldn't help but moan softly.

He looked up at the dark roof beams and felt that the pain all over his body was far less than the sadness in his heart.

This year, I passed the Jinshi exam and made the leap to Longmen. It was so glorious. I studied hard in a cold window just to be able to be in the imperial court and contribute to the livelihood of the people. However, I searched for evidence and resisted the temptation. In the end, I was imprisoned and was unexpectedly killed by a group of Dongchang.

Being beaten by Fanzi is such a humiliation.

Thinking of this, the bright-eyed scholar finally bit his mouth and shed tears.

Li Yi sat opposite, looking at Shi Kefa who was crying silently, and could only sigh in a low voice.

Young people are all about ideals, but sometimes in the face of cruel reality, these ideals can only become a joke in the end.

"How are you? Are you awake?" Li Yi shouted in a low voice.

Shi Kefa wiped his tears, sat up, looked at Li Yi as if nothing had happened, and said: "It's nothing serious."

Haha, although the cell was very dark, Li Yi's eyesight was different from ordinary people, and he still saw Shi Kefa's beaten and swollen face and the blood stains on his clothes.

Obviously, he was not only slapped in the mouth by Dongchang Fanzi, but also flogged.

This kind of flogging involves tying the most flexible branches together, sometimes with iron thorns mixed in. Once they are beaten on the body, the iron thorns will hang down tiny strands of flesh. Many prisoners were scraped off by force.

Most of his flesh was so painful that he fainted.

Fortunately, Shi Kefa was also a Jinshi and an official in the Ministry of Household Affairs, so these officials did not dare to use such cruel instruments of torture.

"Master Shi, go ahead." Li Yi walked to the cell door and threw a medicine bag in his hand over.

Shi Kefa looked at the medicine bag on the ground and raised his head to look at Li Yi.

Li Yi said helplessly: "I just got this from the jailer. It is specially designed to treat trauma like yours."

Shi Kefa silently picked up the medicine bag, untied it and began to apply medicine to his wounds.

While applying the medicinal powder, he asked: "There is no shortage of everything in this cell. Not only are there good food and wine, but there are also medicinal uses."

Li Yi listened and laughed and said: "When I came in, the cell leader once said that money can make ghosts grind. This cell is a hell on earth, and their group of jailers are imps. So, money is the rule here."

After hearing this, Shi Kefa sneered and said: "The Ming Dynasty Prison is so messed up by them that they still have the nerve to say that."

Li Yi shook his head when he heard this and said: "The chaos of the Ming Dynasty is that the legal system is nothing more than child's play. The emperor can override the laws and regulations, and the ministers can interpret the laws at will. It is not surprising that they do this."

Hearing these words, Shi Kefa was slightly startled.

The people around him all thought the same as him, believing that the decline of national power was due to too many traitorous officials and constant corruption, but they did not expect it to have anything to do with the law.

Of course Li Yi understood what he was thinking and continued: "According to Ming law, we have not violated the law, and there is no evidence in Dongchang, but they can bring us directly without mentioning our names. You are a court official, and they actually

They also dare to use lynching indiscriminately. These are the rights given to them by the emperor."

"The Emperor is the Son of Heaven, and of course he is supreme for the people and the herdsmen. You have no king or father, and you dare to criticize the Emperor. It's so bold." Shi Kefa said sternly.

Well, Li Yi felt that what he just said was in vain, so he sat back.

Shi Kefa applied the powder, looked at the dim cells around him, and swallowed with some depression.

Thinking of the punishment he had just received, Shi Kefa curled up and said, "Li Yi, can we still go out?"

Li Yi could feel Shi Kefa's fear. This scholar who only knew how to read sages' books probably never thought that he would enter Dongchang's cell.

"I can go out, but you may not." Li Yi told the truth.

"Why?" Shi Kefa asked.

Li Yi said softly: "They can't catch me. Whether it's the account books or the Taicang fire case, they have no definite evidence in their hands."

"Haha, you underestimate Dongchang. Do you think they can't convict you without evidence?" Shi Kefa sneered.

Li Yi laughed, looked at Shi Kefa like a fool, and said: "But I have people. My master is Sun Chengzong, and my eldest brother is Qianhu of Jinyiwei. They are all trying to save me now. Looking at Dongchang

, they dare to frame me in front of so many eyes without evidence?"

Shi Kefa remained silent.

The cell fell into silence again. Li Yi looked at the lost Shi Kefa and said: "They won't let you go easily. You have so many people's evidence of corruption. If you go out and talk nonsense, many people will suffer. Of course.

, if you can keep the evidence you have found in your heart and say no, they can let you go."

Compromising may lead to a release, but if he doesn't compromise, he will continue to be detained in Dongchang and tortured. This is the choice Shi Kefa faces.

Li Yi believed that others would definitely choose the latter. You should know that after you return, you can still be your own official and enjoy the power and glory. Why do you have to do thankless things for the sake of clearing out the evil in the court?

But for the idealistic Shi Kefa, justice is more important in this world than his own life, and more important than glory and wealth. They are the sound of reading, and they are Jinshi who leap over the dragon gate.

One night passed, and the next day someone came to interrogate them.

Li Yi looked at Shi Kefa, who was pale but had firm eyes, and shook his head.

When we went to court, it was still the same Qianhu interrogation as yesterday.

Li Yi naturally claimed that the account book was obtained by Capt. Liu and had nothing to do with him. Moreover, he did not know about the Taicang fire case.

Li Qianhu had no choice but to let him go for such a slippery old man.

Li Yi returned to the cell, and it took an hour for Shi Kefa to be carried back.

The two gangsters threw him directly into the cell and left.

Li Yi stood up and looked over, and found that Shi Kefa was covered in bruises and his tattered clothes were covered in blood. It seemed that he had been tortured again.

Why so?

Li Yi really couldn't understand Shi Kefa's perseverance. You must know that those corrupt officials have no enemies of their own, so why should they suffer so much torture for the sake of illusory justice.

If you compromise directly and then go back and continue to be the head of your household department, you will definitely be attracted by Nan Juyi and others as one of your own. You will be promoted and have power in the future. Wouldn't it be good?

In this way, Li Yi and Shi Kefa were questioned three times in one day, and sometimes they were interrogated late at night.

Of course, Li Yi insisted that both cases had nothing to do with him, but similarly, every time Shi Kefa came back, he was covered in bruises.

In the evening, Shi Kefa was again covered in injuries and was thrown to the ground like garbage.

Li Yi looked at him and did not take out the medicine bag from his body to give him.

The money on him has also been used up. Unless Sun Cerium is notified to deliver the money, there is nothing he can do.

But the jailer didn't want to report it. They couldn't see the light of day, so they couldn't take risks.

Because of the pain, Shi Kefa's body was stiff, but his hands and feet were trembling.

He stretched out his blood-stained arms to support his body and moved it to the straw. The distance of only half a foot was like a natural chasm for him. He used all his strength to lie forward, and finally dragged out a blood-stained trace, and his body lay on the straw.

Don't move any more.

A few squeaking mice crawled out and greedily licked the blood on the ground. Then they looked at Shi Kefa, who looked like a dead corpse, for a long time, and his small dark eyes started to glow with blood.

Li Yi picked up a stone and threw it, hitting the mouse on the head. The mouse screamed and ran to the corner of the wall and turned into the hole.

Li Yi stood quietly, listening to Shi Kefa's whisper.

He suddenly felt that this kind of person was really pitiful.

It took a long time for Shi Kefa to wake up and said to Li Yi: "I want to help you get out of here."

Li Yi looked at him confused.

Shi Kefa said: "I will admit that the Taicang fire case was handled by my instigators because I embezzled money from the Ministry of Revenue and wanted to destroy the evidence."

"No ghost would believe this statement." Li Yi sneered.

"But Dongchang's fan replied." Shi Kefa said firmly.

Li Yi looked at him, was silent for a long time and asked: "Now that you understand, why do you still suffer so much?"

Shi Kefa had a miserable smile on his face, but he smiled very sincerely. He looked at the lights and said with bright eyes: "Dongchang is afraid, they don't dare to investigate further, and they casually regard what I said as false accusation. In fact, they all

Understand that what I said is true. Maybe they have more evidence than I have. But it is my principle to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, and to die rather than surrender. If I do it, I will suffer some physical pain at most, but if I don’t do it, I will suffer.

I will feel uncomfortable for the rest of my life, so in this way I did the right thing."

Li Yi listened to Shi Kefa's words and opened his mouth wide.

He really couldn't understand a person who valued moral principles more important than his life. It turned out that in Shi Kefa's view, the most important thing in his life was his innocence. As for the pain of his flesh and blood, it was just his skin.

This idea was so sensational that Li Yi was a little scared.

People who are cruel to themselves are the most terrifying people.

"You want me to help you publicize this case, right?" Li Yi stared at Shi Kefa's expression and said, "But you know this is impossible. Anyone who does this will offend half of the court officials.

No one can bear the wrath of an official whose disguise is revealed, unless he is worried about his life."

Shi Kefa said firmly: "But you can get out, do you want to be trapped in this dark cell for the rest of your life?"

Li Yi shook his head and said: "I can get out without you taking the blame. It's just a matter of time."

Shi Kefa didn't speak, and that was all he could do.

At this time, the jailer led a man in, whom Li Yi was familiar with. It was Lu Qianhu.

Lu Qianhu waved to the jailer to open the cell, then walked in, looked Li Yi up and down, and said with a smile: "You look good, I don't think you have suffered much."

Li Yi saw Lu Qianhu's relaxed expression and asked quickly: "Is there any good news for Brother Lu this time?"
To be continued...