Jiang Chen looked at their arrogant appearances, and anger surged in his heart.

He sneered, "You have quite the airs!"

"To dare to spout nonsense even after being thrown into the zhaoyu (imperial prison), truly opens my eyes!"

Upon hearing this, the fat men immediately froze. After a long moment, one of them cried out in horror, "Zhaoyu... the zhaoyu?!"

"Impossible! We... we are law-abiding citizens! How could we be thrown into the zhaoyu?!"

As he spoke, the others nodded frantically, seemingly unwilling to face the truth.

One of them even questioned, "Don't... don't think you can scare us with the zhaoyu! That's not a place ordinary nobles can enter!"

With that, he gained some confidence and tempted him, "You kidnapped us to extort money, right? I can promise, as long as you let me go, I'll..."

"Ah!"

*Crack!*

Before he could finish speaking, the jailer, at Jiang Chen's signal, lashed out with a whip.

Instantly, the man's heart-wrenching screams echoed throughout the prison cell.

The men who hadn't been whipped saw their companion's miserable state and didn't dare make a sound, trembling as they shut their mouths.

This whip made them completely aware of their situation, and they didn't dare to be arrogant again.

This was the effect Jiang Chen wanted. He didn't want to waste time on these insignificant characters.

Walking closer, he said calmly, "Do you know what this place is now?"

The men looked terrified and nodded with pale faces.

Jiang Chen nodded, a playful smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Then do you know why I locked you up here?"

I?

Upon hearing this, the men's pupils constricted violently, and their hairs stood on end.

Their teeth chattered as they said, "Your... Your Majesty!"

Realizing what they had said earlier, they were filled with regret.

"What? Are you surprised to see me?" Jiang Chen's tone was indifferent, but his eyes revealed a murderous intent that sent chills down their spines.

The leading merchant from Dongshi in the Imperial Capital, barely managing to remain calm, said in fear, "This... this humble subject greets Your Majesty."

"May I ask Your Majesty, what crime have I committed to be imprisoned in the zhaoyu?"

"What crime?" Jiang Chen said, a playful smile on his face.

Then, his face suddenly darkened, and he said coldly, "Since you can't remember your crimes, then I will take action and help you recall them!"

As soon as he finished speaking,

Several executioners from the zhaoyu immediately pushed a cart of torture devices forward.

Following instructions, they stopped in front of the men and lifted the white cloth covering the cart.

Instantly, the dazzling array of terrifyingly cold torture devices entered everyone's eyes, causing their backs to tingle uncontrollably.

Looking at the grotesque shapes of the torture devices, the men tied to the racks swallowed hard, terrified to the point of almost losing control of their bowels.

They absolutely couldn't let those things touch them!

They didn't dare to be stubborn any longer and cried out in tears, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, spare us!"

"I confess! I'll confess now!"

"Your Majesty, this humble subject was threatened by others and didn't intentionally commit any wrong!"

Under the threat of severe torture, they surrendered, confessing without reservation and revealing everything that had happened.

Jiang Chen was very satisfied with their cooperation and said calmly, "Good. You know yourselves well, which saves me the effort."

The landlord from the outskirts of the Imperial Capital said, "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, 'A county magistrate can ruin a family, a prefect can destroy a clan.'"

"It wasn't our idea to instigate and threaten the tenants and farmers to cause trouble at Yingtian Gate!"

"We are just slightly wealthier commoners without any connections in the court. When those officials threatened us, we had no choice but to obey!"

Jiang Chen frowned and repeated, "Officials?"

"Which official threatened you?"

The men exchanged glances, hesitating before saying, "It... it was Official Zhang from the Market Trade Department!"

"Market Trade Department, Official Zhang?"

Upon hearing this, Jing Yue stepped forward and whispered in Jiang Chen's ear, "Your Majesty, this Official Zhang was originally a street thug."

"Later, he somehow got involved with Mei Kang and was brought into the Market Trade Department, where he is in charge of the Imperial Capital's buying and selling trade. He relies on his power to exploit the people and has amassed a considerable fortune."

"Many businessmen in the Imperial Capital are afraid of him. In addition, it is said that he manages many shady businesses for Mei Kang."

A gleam flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes. "Send people to investigate!"

"Be sure to uncover the relationship between this man and Mei Kang, as well as the illegal industries they operate."

"Yes!" Jing Yue accepted the order and signaled to the dark guards behind him.

"As for you eight, how do you want me to deal with you?"

"Although you were forced to instigate the people to cause trouble, a mistake is still a mistake. I will not lightly forgive such a crime that warrants the confiscation of your property and the extermination of your families!" Jiang Chen said with a majestic gaze.

The eight men turned pale with fright. With the emperor speaking personally, who would dare to plead for them?

"Your Majesty, this humble subject knows his crime and will never dare to do it again! Please have mercy!"

"Your Majesty, this humble subject is willing to atone for his crime!"

"Yes, yes, we will go back and explain to the tenants and farmers that the court has not said anything about increasing taxes, nor will it increase the levy of grain!"

*Clang, clang!*

As they spoke, the men struggled, causing the chains on their bodies to shake constantly.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen smiled in satisfaction. He had no intention of killing these men at all.

They were just small characters. Killing them would not affect the overall situation, but keeping them alive could be useful.

"Well, I can give you a chance to redeem yourselves, but I don't know if you can handle it."

Upon hearing this, a brilliant light burst forth in the eyes of the eight men, and they said one after another, "Your Majesty, this humble subject will definitely handle it well!"

Jiang Chen examined the men, seeing the expectation in their expressions, as if they couldn't wait to help him.

Only then did he say calmly, "Alright, then I will believe you once."

"After you return home, in addition to clarifying the tax issue to the people, you must also help me with another matter!"

"This matter is..."

At yin shi (3-5 AM), the night was thick.

Under the cover of darkness, the eight wealthy merchants and gentry were secretly escorted out of the zhaoyu by the dark guards. No one knew they had been there.

At this time, the dark guards who had been sent to investigate Official Zhang and Mei Kang had also returned.

"Your Majesty, this subordinate has found out that Official Zhang is a subordinate of Mei Kang."

"The two met in a brothel and shared a common ground. Because this man has some quick wit, Mei Kang took a fancy to him and brought him into the Market Trade Department to collect money for him and handle some shady matters!"

"Many people in the Imperial Capital have been harmed by this man, but because of the Mei family's protection, they are afraid to speak out!"

Jiang Chen sneered and said angrily, "For a mere Vice Minister of Revenue to associate with such a villain, it is truly a disgrace to the court!"

"What exactly are the dirty things this Official Zhang is helping him do?"

The dark guard kowtowed and said, "Extorting the people, seizing the property of merchants, and also, raping good women, forcing them into prostitution... also embezzling government funds, intercepting tributes from various places, and stealing treasures from the national treasury, etc."

As soon as he finished speaking, the air in the room became silent!

No one had imagined that Mei Kang's audacity would be so great!

These crimes were punishable by death...