Chapter 54: What Crime Has Qin Hao Committed?!-Três Anos Fingindo Ser Ingênuo: De Primeiro Colocado a Príncipe de Outro Sobrenome(Renascido das cinzas)

Qin Hao and his companions were once again sent into the dungeon, exactly as they desired.

"Can we be locked up in the same cell?" Qin Hao stared at Qin Kaizhi and asked the jailer.

Ma Yingze's eyes gleamed. "Right, lock us up together."

Qin Kaizhi shuddered. "No, don't lock us together."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi panicked as well and hastily chimed in, "No, please, do not put us in the same cell."

"You have demands even when coming to prison? Do you think this is your own home?" the jailer scolded them.

The chief jailer turned ashen when he saw how bold his subordinate was.

He slapped the back of the jailer's head. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Go settle the young masters properly."

The jailer was utterly bewildered.

What was going on here?

This was the capital's grand prison, after all. Even if it wasn't the celestial dungeon meant for hardened criminals, it was certainly no place where just anyone could act so presumptuously.

Ignoring his subordinate, the chief jailer smiled at Qin Hao and the other two, who clearly held the upper hand. "You may choose your cells, but opposing parties must still be separated; that's the rule of the prison."

"I'm just a lowly servant, so I beg the young masters not to make things difficult for me."

Qin Hao looked the old man up and down.

Quite a sensible fellow.

Right then, he reached into his robe and pulled out a leather wineskin, shaking it slightly. It clearly contained liquid.

Generously, he said, "You've all had a hard time. Inside this is the renowned Baixi wine, less than three catties of it. Don't disdain it; take it and enjoy."

The chief jailer's eyes lit up.

The famous Baixi wine!

It was a renowned vintage whose single flagon cost more than they could earn in several years of work.

The old man still remembered passing by the Pleasure Pavilion a couple of days ago, where just catching a whiff of the wine's aroma had left him intoxicated.

Yet, the chief jailer possessed a good sense of self-awareness and hastily refused.

"Young Master, such precious wine would be entirely wasted on the likes of us."

However, his bobbing Adam's apple betrayed his intense desire to drink it.

Qin Hao shoved the leather wineskin straight into the chief jailer's arms. "Why stand on ceremony? I have plenty of this stuff, drink all you want."

"Just do me a favor, Chief: arrange a dry, clean cell for the three of us brothers, and bring us some food. We're a bit hungry."

"Don't worry, I won't have you do it for free. I'll give you silver when I get out."

Hearing that Qin Hao had a request, the chief jailer stopped declining altogether, his face blooming with smiles. "To speak of silver is to treat me as an outsider! The young master is hungry, so naturally, I will arrange the food."

"Furthermore, I will personally cover all the meals for you three young masters until you leave."

Qin Hao nodded with satisfaction and said no more.

Qin Kaizhi and Zhang Yi were completely dumbfounded watching Qin Hao pull off this stunt.

Especially Qin Kaizhi, whose gaze toward Qin Hao was as if he had just seen a ghost.

Was this really the Qin Hao he knew?

After the chief jailer had settled Qin Hao and his group, the beaten jailer finally couldn't help but ask, "Chief, what are the backgrounds of these few?"

The chief jailer glared at him. "Keep your eyes peeled in the future. Didn't you see they were escorted here by the Grand Princess's personal guards?"

"The young master who just gave us the wine was brought in for a fight just a few days ago, and that very night, people from the Grand Princess came to bail him out."

"The other two are descendants of Dukes. How on earth did you dare to scold them?"

The jailer shuddered so violently he almost dropped to his knees, trembling as he asked, "Chief, then... what should I do?"

"Listen to me. When the food comes later, you'll be the one to deliver it, and your attitude better be good."

Then he added, "You'll pay for the food out of pocket. I'm going to go sell these two-plus catties of Baixi."

"Baixi is currently fetching four hundred taels a flagon. These two-plus catties are easily worth a thousand taels."

"Once we exchange it for silver, us brothers will split it. But remember, keep your mouths shut about this. Let it rot in your stomachs."

Another jailer asked, "Chief, aren't we going to drink any?"

The chief jailer immediately slapped the back of his head. "What status do we have? Are we worthy of drinking such expensive wine? Turning it into silver so you lads can take a wife—isn't that much more comfortable?"

The jailers' eyes lit up, and they all broke into grins.

Imperial Palace.
The Imperial Study.

Grand Duke Yang and Li Qingyao requested an audience with the Emperor of Xuanze.

And it wasn't just Grand Duke Yang.

No one knew who had leaked the news.

Zhao Rufeng, Yan Shifan, Duke Zheng, Duke Yi, Baron Kaiyang, and two aristocratic officials in charge of the Ministry of Punishments had all arrived.

As for the heads of the other three major clans, they held no official titles and lacked the qualifications to face the Emperor.

However, they could still exert influence from the outside.

They immediately contacted the officials belonging to their respective factions, preparing to impeach the Grand Princess for shielding Qin Hao, Ma Yingze, and Zhao Guangnian.

Because it involved three prominent figures—the Grand Princess, the Chancellor, and Duke Zheng—a simple impeachment certainly wouldn't suffice; the three clans had to join forces.

"Your Majesty, please grant this humble subject justice."

The moment Grand Duke Yang saw the Emperor, he collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his withered face.

"Beloved subject, why are you weeping so bitterly?" the Emperor asked, feigning ignorance.

In truth, before the Grand Princess arrived at the Imperial Study, one of Qin Hao's secret guards had returned a step early to report.

The Emperor didn't know all the specific details yet.

He only knew that Qin Hao's winery had been exposed and a brawl had broken out.

Grand Duke Yang was seeking an audience to pursue the matter to the end and saddle Qin Hao with the heavy crime of illicit private brewing.

"Your Majesty, my maternal grandson Qin Kaizhi, in order to uphold the laws of the Great Jing Dynasty, sought to apprehend criminals who violated the ban on private mass-brewing of alcohol, yet he was beaten in return and suffered severe injuries."

"Yet Her Highness the Grand Princess has actually thrown my grandson into the dungeon, attempting to bend the law to shield the culprits. I beg Your Majesty to investigate and grant this humble subject justice."

"Such a thing actually happened?" the Emperor asked in a deep voice. "Qingyao, is what Grand Duke Yang said true?"

Li Qingyao nodded. "Imperial Father, the incidents of brewing and fighting are indeed true."

"However, what Grand Duke Yang says is incomplete."

"It was actually Baron Kaiyang's son, Qin Kaizhi, and this year's imperial scholar, Zhang Yi, who attempted to sabotage vital military equipment and met with resistance, which is why the beating occurred."

Baron Kaiyang immediately spoke up, "Your Highness the Grand Princess, how could a winery possibly be considered vital military equipment?"

"Although the person who established that winery is my eldest son..."

"Still, anyone who violates the laws of Great Jing, even if it is my own son, must be held accountable to the end."

"Could it be that because Qin Hao's accomplices are the Chancellor's son and Duke Zheng's grandson, they are to be sheltered?"

"As far as I know, the quantities of the renowned Baixi and Hero's Blood wines they privately brewed and sold are enormous. That is a severe violation of Great Jing's laws."

Zhao Rufeng and Duke Zheng had originally come to support the Grand Princess and help Qin Hao escape punishment.

Never did they expect to find themselves caught up in the gossip.

They had been wondering these past few days why they hadn't seen their sons and grandson.

To their horror, the two of them had actually been helping Qin Hao brew wine.

This was disastrous.

They had become involved parties; the moment they opened their mouths to plead for mercy, they would arouse suspicion of corruption and malpractice.

At that moment, they were cursing their unfilial descendants in their hearts.

Did they really think their families were almighty?

Daring to ignore even the prohibition on alcohol.

Qin Hao had the Emperor backing him, so he would certainly be safe.

And the two of you went along courting death!

You might actually have killed yourselves!

The two aristocratic officials from the Ministry of Punishments immediately stepped forward. "According to the laws of Great Jing, privately brewing alcohol using grain under ten catties carries a punishment of thirty heavy board strokes and parading through the streets as a public spectacle."

"Privately brewing alcohol exceeding ten catties carries immediate execution."

Hearing this, Zhao Rufeng and Duke Zheng furrowed their brows even more deeply.

The Emperor asked calmly, "Qingyao, does this mean the ones privately brewing alcohol are your retainer Qin Hao, along with Zhao Guangnian and Ma Yingze?"

"Are you aware that the alcohol ban was personally promulgated by Us, and that princes and nobles are included? Openly violating it is a capital offense punishable by death."

Li Qingyao straightened her posture and said in a clear voice, "Imperial Father, your daughter is well aware of the alcohol prohibition and naturally would never dare to violate it."

"The actual situation is that Baixi wine and Hero's Blood are merely byproducts of a certain medicinal formulation."

"In truth, Qin Hao, Ma Yingze, and Zhao Guangnian were researching a medicine capable of increasing the survival rate of wounded soldiers by thirty percent."

"Now, the medicine has been successfully developed."

"I ask you, three individuals who have contributed so much to the country and its people—"

"What crime have they committed?!"

As soon as these words fell,

Duke Yi and Duke Zheng widened their eyes.

The other senior ministers were likewise struck with utter disbelief.

Even the Emperor's expression turned solemn at this news.

A medicine capable of increasing the survival rate of wounded soldiers by thirty percent.

If such a medicine truly existed, it would quite literally be a divine weapon of war.

Then, forget about any alcohol prohibition; even if the three of them went out to sell iron and salt, no one would dare interfere.

Duke Yi was the first to speak, his tone urgent and his face flushed with excitement as he asked, "Your Highness the Grand Princess, is this statement true?!"