Chapter 106 Interrogation

Chapter 106: The Interrogation

Cheng Ge approached the Petition Drum, took a deep breath, gripped the drumstick with both hands, and struck it with force.

This Petition Drum had been a fixture in every dynasty, serving as a channel for the common people to voice their grievances, appeal directly for justice, and deter corruption.

From high officials and nobles to common folk and peasants, anyone could beat the drum to lodge a complaint.

At the beginning of the Great Zhou dynasty, when the nation was recovering from chaos and the people's livelihood was unstable, the drum rang out constantly.

But for some reason, after a hundred years, few people ever beat the drum anymore.

The thunderous sound of the drum echoed through the Chengtian Gate, as if trying to force open the vermilion doors.

After ten strikes, there was a crack, and the drumstick in his hand snapped in half.

Cheng Ge: "???" Damn it, what a piece of junk!

Furious, he threw the broken stick aside and pounded the drum twice more with his fists.

Soon, guards rushed over and seized Cheng Ge.

"How dare you, a reckless man, beat the Petition Drum!" the leading guard shouted, glaring.

Cheng Ge straightened his back and shouted, "I have a grievance to report. Why shouldn't I be allowed to beat the drum?"

The guards exchanged glances, their faces grim.

Passing citizens began to point and whisper. Reluctantly, the guards called him inside.

"Did you write your petition? Fill this out first!" The man slammed an old register book onto the table.

Cheng Ge: "!!!"

Forget it, he wouldn't stoop to argue with these snobbish bastards. He picked up the brush and scribbled away.

After a while, Cheng Ge set down the brush. "I'm done!"

But the man didn't even glance at it. Instead, he sized up Cheng Ge and extended his hand, palm up.

Cheng Ge nodded and handed over the already written complaint.

But the man's expression changed. He slapped the complaint onto the table and scolded, "Don't play dumb with me!"

Cheng Ge was bewildered. "What is this for?"

"Petition fee! Don't you know the rules?" The man raised an eyebrow, looking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Cheng Ge froze, then realized this was a bribe request. He exploded with rage.

"I'm here to lodge a direct appeal to the emperor, not to ask you for a favor. What petition fee?"

The guard sneered. "No fee, no petition."

Cheng Ge laughed bitterly. This guy thought that since I had no official rank and was just a commoner, he could shake me down.

"And how much were you thinking?"

The guard held up five fingers and waggled them. "At least that much."

"Five taels?" Cheng Ge asked tentatively.

The guard snorted contemptuously. "Five hundred! Not a single coin less."

Cheng Ge laughed in anger. He had come to expose corruption, and here this guard dared to ask for a bribe.

No wonder nobody beat the drum anymore—they simply couldn't afford to.

"Outrageous!" Cheng Ge slammed his palm on the table, glaring. "Right under the emperor's nose, you dare to so blatantly demand a bribe? Do you really think I won't write your misconduct into the complaint?"

The guard's face changed, but he still talked tough. "A mere commoner—are you threatening me?"

"I am the Crown Prince's former tutor, a personal disciple of Grand Tutor Lin Zhufeng, and an honored guest at Prince Zhenbei's mansion!

How dare you demand a bribe from me? You wouldn't even know how you died!"

The guard was cowed by Cheng Ge's presence and started to panic.

He had assumed Cheng Ge was an ordinary citizen and thought to extort some money, never expecting to have provoked someone with that kind of backing.

Swallowing hard, he picked up the complaint, read it, and nearly fainted. He stared at Cheng Ge in disbelief.

This man was actually accusing Liu Xianyue!!! Who gave him the courage?

Every single charge was a capital crime that could get his whole family executed.

The guard looked at Cheng Ge, his hands trembling as he held the complaint. He swallowed instinctively.

"I can't handle this. I'll go get the person in charge."

With that, he gestured to two nearby men, then hurried out. The door was closed.

The light dimmed, and Cheng Ge heard the sound of a lock clicking.

Cheng Ge sensed something wrong and cursed, "A pack of dogs!"

He rushed to the door and tugged hard—it was indeed locked.

Cheng Ge realized his mistake: these men were in league with Liu Xianyue.

They were probably going to tip off Liu Xianyue. He couldn't stay here!

His eyes scanned the room. In two quick strides, he grabbed a chair and smashed it against the window.

With a loud crash, wooden debris scattered across the floor.

Just as Cheng Ge was about to climb out the window, he heard a commotion outside. "Don't let him escape!"

"After him!" A group of guards charged straight at him.

Cheng Ge's heart tightened. Without a second thought, he leaped out the window.

Landing on the ground, he sprinted away, the guards hot on his heels.

If they caught him, they would surely hand him over to Liu Xianyue.

Then it wouldn't just be about punishing corrupt officials—his life would be at stake.

The rules of escape: make a big scene, stay calm, and most importantly, always run toward crowds.

Cheng Ge sprinted toward Donghua Gate, just as the court session was ending.

A stream of officials in official robes emerged from the gate.

Thinking fast, Cheng Ge shouted, "Honorable ministers, save me! Someone is trying to silence me!"

The officials were startled by the sudden cry and stopped in their tracks.

The guards pursuing him, seeing the crowd of officials, did not dare to act rashly.

Seizing the opportunity, Cheng Ge dashed into the crowd of officials, shouting his grievances as he ran.

Upon hearing he was accusing Liu Xianyue, the officials began murmuring among themselves.

Some showed shock, while others exchanged uneasy glances, as if harboring secrets.

Just then, a purple-robed official stepped forward—Wu Zhongzi, Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

He was the fighting cock among remonstrating officials; if you could think of it, he dared to impeach it.

Whether the emperor was late to court, a fifth-rank official bumped into a pedestrian, or a stray dog barked twice—he would impeach it all.

Moreover, he was unyielding, defying the powerful, and considered dying for remonstration the highest honor.

It was said his father, Wu Zhi, had died the same way—it was a family tradition.

The moment Wu Zhongzi heard this young man wanted to accuse Liu Xianyue, his eyes lit up.

He had previously impeached Liu Xianyue, but the man covered his tracks too well, and Wu Zhongzi could never get a handle on him.

After the scandal with Liu Yuanqian erupted, Wu Zhongzi had indeed impeached him before the emperor, which led to Zhou Mingqi giving Liu Xianyue a reprimand.

But it was a mere slap on the wrist, causing no real harm to Liu Xianyue.

He quickly stepped forward and asked, "You wish to accuse Liu Xianyue?"

Cheng Ge was panting heavily, but seeing someone to back him up, he straightened his back and held out his petition with both hands.

"I am Cheng Muyu, a Hanlin Bachelor personally appointed by His Majesty in the thirteenth year of Longde.

I now accuse the Minister of Personnel, Liu Xianyue; the Left Vice Minister of Personnel, Zhang Hong; the Right Vice Minister, Wu Yuanji; and the Director of the Ministry of Revenue...

Of corruption, forming cliques, buying and selling official posts, cheating in imperial examinations, persecuting loyal ministers, slaughtering commoners, forcing women into prostitution... a total of over twenty charges."

As Cheng Ge rattled off a string of familiar names, the assembled officials exchanged bewildered glances.

"Preposterous! Imperial officials—how dare a mere scholar like you slander them recklessly!" someone suddenly shouted from the crowd.

The speaker was none other than Wu Yuanji, Right Vice Minister of Personnel. His face was livid, his beard bristling with rage.

Cheng Ge showed no fear; he stared straight at Wu Yuanji and stepped closer step by step.

"Wu Yuanji, Right Vice Minister of Personnel: In the seventh year of Longde, you accepted a bribe of one thousand taels of silver from the wealthy merchant Wang San, and secretly rigged the appointment of his nephew as a seventh-rank county magistrate.

In the ninth year of Longde, you conspired with Hanlin Academician Yao Yi and others in examination fraud, accepting bribes totaling thirty-five thousand taels from candidates..."

Cheng Ge advanced relentlessly, like the King of Hell wielding instruments of torture; every word he uttered seemed to nail his target to death.

Wu Yuanji’s face turned ashen instantly, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he instinctively retreated, "I... you're talking nonsense!"

Cheng Ge sneered and turned to look at the man beside him, his eyes icy with disdain.

"Chen Buqu, Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review: In the tenth year of Longde, your son Wu Shouli forcibly seized over thirty acres of farmland from Squire Wang in the capital vicinity.

When Wang refused, you had his wife and children thrown into the Ministry of Justice's prison, forcing him to pay a five-thousand-tael confession fee.

In the eleventh year of Longde, you colluded with Yang Jingwen, a subordinate in the Ministry of Justice, and accepted thirteen thousand taels of silver from the Wang family.

And you exiled the Liu family a thousand li—their fate remains unknown to this day..." Chen Buqu's legs gave way, and he nearly fell to the ground.

Cheng Ge swept his gaze over the crowd, his authority undiminished: "These charges, each and every one—do you confess or not!"

The surrounding officials' faces also changed; they stepped back several paces, afraid of being publicly interrogated by Cheng Ge.