After my luck was stolen, I led my whole family to defy fate and change our destiny.

He knew how much Gu Xinyi cherished this niece, and she would be his niece in the future. Most importantly, he truly felt that Gu Linglong was suited to learn martial arts.

Although he was an only child, there were still many babies in the clan. He had never seen any baby with such good genes as Gu Linglong, who could grab flesh so quickly.

This little girl will surely become his most outstanding disciple in the future, making those barbarians from the Dali Temple quite envious and jealous.

Zhou Zhixing felt a little smug.

Gu Linglong was confused: "Dance practice? Zhou Zhixing can dance? I heard that dancing makes you more upright and elegant. Okay, I want to go, I want to go!"

If Gu Linglong knew that because she snatched a small piece of meat, she was forced to embark on the path of martial arts, practicing horse stance and swordsmanship like a dog every day, she would definitely regret snatching the meat today.

Chunhe wrapped the kitchen staff in red envelopes and then picked up Gu Linglong, marking the end of Gu Linglong's first taste of meat ceremony. Everyone then enjoyed their meal together.

Prime Minister's House.

The Prime Minister slammed the teacup to the ground, splashing hot water onto Gu Minghai's instep. He lifted his foot, wincing in pain from the burn, but quickly recovered.

At this moment, they dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction.

"This is the sure-fire, risk-free business you were talking about? This is the drought you were talking about?"

His tone was unfriendly; if it weren't for the Prime Minister's dignity, he would have yelled at him.

Gu Minghai bowed and said, "Prime Minister, my prediction and that of the Imperial Observatory were the same. Who knew it would start raining halfway through?"

The Prime Minister snorted: "But the fact is I lost two thousand taels. What do you suggest we do about it?"

Gu Minghai took out two thousand taels of silver from his pocket: "Prime Minister, this is two thousand taels. I'm giving it to you as compensation."

The Prime Minister smiled and said, "You're quite sensible."

Gu Minghai wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. Luckily, he was prepared, otherwise he would have been stuck here.

"It is my honor to be able to share your burdens, sir."

The Prime Minister smiled. "This is indeed a clever one."

"His Majesty will personally examine Gu Mingtang in the next two days; be prepared."

Gu Minghai froze for a moment: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty is personally conducting the trial?"

The Prime Minister nodded: "That's right. Think carefully about all the evidence and see if there are any loopholes. Most importantly, where did the stolen silver go?"

"This humble official will certainly conduct another thorough search."

"Well, let's go down."

Seeing that the other party did not move, the Prime Minister looked up at him: "Is there anything else?"

Gu Minghai: "Your Honor, when I was in the Minister's residence, my elder brother often beat and scolded me, and he didn't like the look of me. This time, he finally managed to get into the prison, and I want to avenge this humiliation."

The Prime Minister frowned slightly: "You intend to torture Gu Mingtang?"

Gu Minghai acquiesced.

The Prime Minister sighed slightly: "It's not that I don't want to help you with this matter, but Gu Mingtang is only a suspect, and the stolen silver hasn't been found. We can't use torture on a first-rank official without authorization. Besides, His Majesty is personally handling the case, and Gu Mingtang is a tough nut to crack. If he complains to the Emperor, it will delay the process and be counterproductive."

Gu Minghai pursed his lips; he really didn't want to miss this opportunity to torment Gu Mingtang.

The Prime Minister put down his teacup: "Alright, go now. Although I can't physically torture you, I still have other ways to torment you. It's normal for you to look haggard in prison; no one will suspect anything. Even if Gu Mingtang wants to file a complaint, he won't have any evidence."

Upon hearing this, Gu Minghai's mood brightened, and he smiled slightly, saying, "This humble official thanks you, sir."

The Prime Minister waved his hand: "You've been with me for so long, I can handle this little thing."

Gu Minghai immediately pledged his loyalty: "I would go through fire and water for Your Excellency the Prime Minister without hesitation."

Gu Minghai left the Prime Minister's residence in a good mood; he had heard about the methods used by the people in the Ministry of Justice.

He sang a little tune as he walked, eager to see the once high and mighty Minister of State, worn out and on the verge of death.

……

Inside the Ministry of Justice prison.

The prisoners stood in a row, and in front of them stood a huge stone mill.

The jailer lashed his whip at the prisoner at the front: "The higher-ups are showing mercy to the prisoners, so they're letting you grind beans instead of punishment. Anyone who doesn't confess will have to stay here grinding beans forever."

The jailer pointed at the person at the front: "You, go grind the beans. If you don't finish grinding a bucket of beans, you won't get any food."

The prisoner's vision blurred as he looked at the stone mill in front of him. It was so big! How much strength would it take?

"What are you dawdling for? If you don't finish, you won't get a single drop of water, let alone food."

The prisoner, wearing handcuffs, gripped the handle tightly and pushed hard, but it wouldn't budge. He pushed again, but still nothing.

"Sir, this is impossible to move!"

"It's fine if you don't want to push it, we're out of food for today, next one."

"No, no, sir, I'll push!"

The prisoner pushed the millstone handle again, and the millstone finally began to turn slowly. The prisoner was overjoyed, thinking that he must persevere so that he could have food to eat.

Standing at the back, Gu Mingtang frowned deeply: "The Ministry of Justice's laws do not contain a provision that requires grinding beans before giving food. You are bending the law for personal gain."

The jailer scoffed, "Then go ask them if they'd rather be beaten or grind beans?"

Upon hearing this, the others all expressed their willingness to grind the beans.

"Getting beaten won't do either; you're forcing a confession out of him. Look at this guy, his lips are already turning white."

The jailer was getting annoyed with him: "Oh, you feel sorry for him? Then go help him. And you, you're always dawdling and talking the most. Others grind one bucket, but you're grinding five today. If you don't finish, don't even think about eating or drinking."

The person next to him whispered, "Brother, grinding just one bucket of beans is already a struggle, let alone five. Why don't you go apologize to the official and plead with him to let you go?"

I can't soften my stance; five barrels it is.

The man pushing the millstone fainted with a thud due to long-term malnutrition and injuries. Upon seeing this, the jailer poured a basin of cold water on him, and he woke up.

The prisoner woke up, momentarily stunned, when the jailer lashed out with his whip: "Aren't you going to keep grinding?"

"Oh, oh!" The prisoner got up and continued pushing.

"He's already dizzy, and you're still letting him keep going?" Gu Mingtang knew he couldn't say anything because of his current status; the Ministry of Justice had its own rules, but he just couldn't help it.

The jailer sat down in the corner, with sunflower seeds and peanuts placed next to him. He crossed his legs, tossed a sunflower seed into his mouth, and started eating it.

"Tui~"

"He can quit, and if he doesn't work, he won't eat. It's the same for you; if you don't like it, you can help him."

Seeing the prisoner pushing the millstone looking so weak and about to collapse, Gu Mingtang ultimately couldn't bring himself to help.

The jailer in the corner tossed a peanut high into the air, caught it in his mouth, and kept shaking his leg: "Tch~ Just trying to gain fame."

Gu Mingtang stepped forward and pushed hard, almost wincing in pain. How could it be so heavy?

The two little devils on the side looked at each other, wondering what to do. The older one's father was going to do hard labor.

Isn't the eldest brother's father the eldest of the eldest brothers? Those two brats got praised last time, it's their turn now.

So the two little devils went forward to help push.