Chapter 1914: Good People Deserve to Be Bullied?

The jailer opened a small door nearby. "Quickly, go in and hide," he urged. "No matter what happens later, don't make a sound. Otherwise, you and I will both be finished."

High-profile prisoners in the imperial prison were, by rule, not allowed visitors. Any visit required extremely complicated procedures with the imperial court, making success nearly impossible.

However, in the imperial capital, powerful families with immense resources always found ways around the rules. They secretly bribed the prison staff. The jailers, on one hand, earned substantial extra income, and on the other, didn't want to offend the influential figures in the capital. So, they would sometimes secretly bring people into the prison. If one paid enough and had a sufficiently powerful background, they could even arrange for meals as good as those from outside restaurants, or even have women brought in for service day and night.

Of course, all of this operated under unspoken rules, a tacit understanding that could never be openly acknowledged. Now, with high-ranking officials arriving for an inspection, discovery would lead to serious trouble if it escalated.

The jailers would certainly face severe punishment, and those who had entered the prison illegally would not escape lightly either. Qin Wanru understood this, and hastily pulled her two daughters' hands. "Quick, quick, let's hide there!" she urged.

The Chu family from Brightmoon City had always been disfavored by the imperial court. If someone with ill intent seized this opportunity to arrest her, it would be disastrous. Not only would she fail to rescue her family, but she and her daughters would also be imprisoned. What would happen to Zhongtian in Brightmoon City then? They couldn't possibly revolt on the spot, could they?

Having just entered the imperial prison and witnessed the miserable state of the inmates along the way, Qin Wanru was still shaken. If she and her two daughters were imprisoned in such a place, it would truly be worse than death.

The crucial point was that they were all women, and very beautiful ones at that. If those vicious jailers or some official decided to harm them, they would be utterly defenseless. A look of determination suddenly appeared on her face. If those people tried to bully Xiao Zhao and the others, she would definitely stand in front of them, taking the brunt of it herself. "I'm a woman who has given birth anyway, I should be able to bear it," she thought. "I can't let Xiao Zhao and the others' delicate bodies be defiled."

She could probably handle one person, but what if many came? "Oh no, that's terrifying..." In an instant, she imagined countless tragic scenarios, and her face turned incredibly pale.

At that moment, a hand gently pressed on her shoulder. "There's no need to hide," a voice said. "In this capital, there's no one I need to hide from anymore." For some reason, feeling the steady presence of that large hand, Qin Wanru's panicked heart gradually calmed down.

"That's right," she realized. "My son-in-law is the Regent King of the Monster Race, the Human Race's Libationer, a concubine-born son in the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess's favored official, and a popular marquis... Why should I be afraid?" With this thought, her posture instantly straightened a little.

Chu Huanzhao and Chu Youzhao's eyes immediately lit up with admiration. "Big brother-in-law is amazing," they thought. "Being with him always brings a strange sense of security." Soon, the two girls' gazes met. Seeing the way the other looked at Zu An, they both let out a hmph and turned their heads away.

"Second Sister definitely lusts after brother-in-law," one thought. "Oh dear, you can guard against outsiders, but not against a thief in your own house." "Third Sister's eyes look strange," the other mused. "Could it be that she also likes brother-in-law? Hmm, why did I use 'also'?"

Murong Qinghe hastily put her mask back on, not wanting to cause trouble for Zu An because of her. At the same time, she felt a little worried. Would it really be alright for everyone to just stand there?

If it led to the Murong family being treated even worse, that would be unfortunate. Jiang Luofu, beside her, patted her trembling body. "Don't worry," she said. "With him and... here, it will be fine."

Originally, she had intended to say that with Zu An and herself present, nothing major would happen. After all, she was the daughter of the Grand Judge, and her father was, strictly speaking, the top superior of everyone in the imperial judiciary. However, compared to Zu An, she felt a little embarrassed to put herself on the same level.

Thinking of the somewhat shy and timid young man who had first arrived at Brightmoon Academy years ago, she couldn't help but smile faintly. How much time had passed for the power dynamic between them to have completely inverted? It was truly a cause for much reflection.

Murong Qinghe, on the other hand, looked at Zu An with a complicated expression. She thought, "No wonder Brother Chu loves sticking to his brother-in-law. Big Brother Zu indeed has great charisma; Brother Chu must also admire him."

With everyone's thoughts diverging, the jailer became anxious. "Hey, why aren't you moving?" he exclaimed. "Oh no, it's really too late!" He couldn't worry about anything else and stood respectfully, hands clasped at his sides.

At that moment, a line of over ten people entered one after another. Each wore an official robe embroidered with fierce beast patterns. Jiang Luofu's voice sounded in Zu An's ear: "They're from the Ministry of Justice."

Zu An nodded. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, there were Five Chancellors who handled daily affairs in various fields. For example, Sang Hong was the Chancellor of Revenue, overseeing the allocation of money and provisions. Later, to dilute the power of the Grand Judge, the court added the Three Ducal Ministries to preside over judicial matters. Although officially called the Three Ducal Ministries, people privately preferred to refer to it as the Ministry of Justice.

The group from the Ministry of Justice paused in surprise when they saw such a large crowd gathered there. "When did the imperial prison have so many unauthorized people, and so many beautiful women at that?"

There were gorgeous mature women, energetic young girls, and long legs clad in black stockings! As members of the Ministry of Justice, they naturally knew about some of the unsavory practices of those in the imperial prison. Could it be that some powerful figure was in the mood, and his subordinates had brought women for him?

The crucial thing was there were so many, and of such varied styles. Were they planning an orgy in the imperial prison? The leader reluctantly tore his gaze away from Jiang Luofu's captivating legs in black stockings, then glared at the jailer. "Who are they? Why are they in the imperial prison?"

The jailer secretly nursed a headache. It was all these people's fault for not listening to him and hiding. Since they hadn't, he wouldn't take the blame alone. So, he forced a smile and replied, "Replying to Lord Ye, they must have bribed some subordinate official to come in and visit their relatives."

"Visiting?" The official breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed they weren't people brought by some powerful figure, which meant they would be easy to deal with. He then turned to the group. "The imperial prison is a heavily guarded place; how can you enter and exit so casually? Furthermore, you are suspected of bribing imperial officials, which is an even more serious crime. Guards, seize them! We'll interrogate them slowly later."

He cast a greedy glance at the fullness of Qin Wanru's chest and Jiang Luofu's outstanding legs. A mature woman and a dominant lady—that was truly appealing. In comparison, the young girls were far too green. Once they were inside this imperial prison, even the King of Heaven would be at his mercy. After enjoying them for a few days, their families would come begging with huge sums of money, and he would reluctantly release them. They wouldn't blame him; instead, they would be grateful.

As for the abused women, they wouldn't dare tell their families for the sake of their reputation. It would be as if nothing had happened. This wasn't the first time he'd done such things; he was well-practiced. Hearing this, Qin Wanru's face turned pale. Something had indeed gone wrong. They should have hidden earlier.

She felt his malicious gaze. As a woman, she instinctively understood the lust in a man's heart, and thought, "Oh no, oh no, we're really walking into a trap now." At this moment, Jiang Luofu frowned, and said coldly, "By what Great Zhou law do you act? How can you directly imprison someone in the imperial prison without a trial by the relevant departments?"

At this point, one of the officials suddenly remembered something and hastily whispered a few words into the ear of the leader, who was surnamed Ye. Lord Ye was startled. He scrutinized Jiang Luofu, then looked at her distinctive black stockings. "Are you the daughter of Grand Judge Jiang?" he asked.

"Yes, it is I," Jiang Luofu replied, her face growing cold. "However, my identity is irrelevant. Even if I were an ordinary person, you still couldn't openly violate the law like this." Having spent her life studying law, she naturally detested such behavior. "Judging by your official robe and your surname Ye, you must be Ye Ping, the Vice Minister of Justice."

Zu An couldn't help but glance at the man again. Surnamed Ye? In his previous life, many novel protagonists seemed to be surnamed Ye. Wasn't there a saying circulating online: those surnamed Ye, Xiao, or Chu... often shouldn't be provoked. However, this person opposite him looked quite ordinary and lacked any domineering aura; he probably didn't have the destiny of a protagonist.

"I'm surprised Miss Jiang knows me," the official surnamed Ye sneered. "It's easy for Miss Jiang to scold me, but isn't bringing people into the imperial prison yourself also a violation of the law? I'm not trying to be rude, but someone like you who only does theoretical research in an academy wouldn't understand the hardships we face on the front lines."

"What you just said sounds nice, but have those from the Murong family behind you undergone any departmental trial? Weren't they directly thrown into the imperial prison with just a single word from above?"

The Ministry of Justice was originally established to counterbalance the Grand Judge, so relations between the two departments were already strained. Therefore, knowing Jiang Luofu's identity, he showed no respect whatsoever. Upon hearing his words, the Murong family members erupted in angry curses, clearly having accumulated an extraordinary amount of resentment over the matter.

Hearing their curses, Ye Ping's expression turned cold, and his eyes narrowed. Jiang Luofu remained silent for a moment, then finally said, "Indeed, there are many shortcomings in the Great Zhou Dynasty. It is precisely for this reason that legal professionals like us should strive for change, instead of using these flaws to arbitrarily fabricate charges and imprison people."

"Naive!" Ye Ping scoffed. "Since Miss Jiang wants to talk about law, then let's discuss the law properly. Haven't you violated the law by visiting prisoners privately without applying to the imperial court?"

"Didn't you commit bribery by paying off the jailers here just now? Moreover, with so many of you, your identities are highly suspicious. I have reason to believe that some of you are accomplices of the prisoners, here to exchange information, and perhaps even to stage a prison break."

"Therefore, detaining you and interrogating you one by one to clear suspicions is entirely reasonable and conforms to proper procedures. Even if you report me to the Golden Imperial Hall, I am not afraid."

Jiang Luofu's delicate eyebrows rose, and her expression grew even colder. "The court established these rules and laws to deal with wicked and evil people," she said. "But in practice, it's often the good people who are constrained by rules and laws, while the wicked can use these very rules to bully the good."

"Should good people be bullied? Such rules and laws ought to be changed!" She slowly bent down, grabbed the hem of her bodycon dress, and tugged it, making one side of the dress instantly resemble a qipao. Ye Ping opposite her was startled, thinking, "Is this woman trying to seduce me? That's rather interesting." At that moment, Jiang Luofu suddenly kicked off her high heels and, to everyone's astonishment, charged directly towards the group of officials opposite her.