Transmigrated into a seven-year-old child, my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens.

Upon hearing that the Third Prince and the General wanted to see Lord Song, the guard looked troubled.

Lord Tu has already instructed them that no matter who they are, they are not allowed to see Lord Song.

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes: "What? Even a lowly guard like you looks down on me? Can't I even see someone?"

Another guard spoke his mind: "Your Highness, please forgive me, but Lord Tu instructed that no one is allowed to see Lord Song."

When they questioned him earlier, the guard didn't give a direct answer. Now, he blurted out these words, which proves that Lord Song is indeed being held here.

Song Wenjie drew his sword, his tone icy: "Your Highness, don't waste words with them. If they won't let us in, I'll have to force my way in."

Liu Yu was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat: "General, you mustn't!"

"General Song, I'm just following orders. Please don't make things difficult for me. If you force your way in, you'll only harm Lord Song," one of the guards said, forcing himself to speak.

He hadn't thought of that before, but hearing him say that made Song Wenjie feel like he'd been hit hard with a stick, waking him up.

Yes, I was so eager to see my father that I forgot that if I forced my way into the Dali Temple, it would only confirm my father's crime and make his punishment even more severe!

"General, please don't act rashly!"

Suddenly a shout came from outside. It was Guan Zhiwen, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who was rushing out with his guards by his side.

While they were talking, a guard quickly and quietly went into the room to report.

"Greetings, Third Prince, General!" Guan Zhiwen arrived in a hurry and immediately clasped his hands in greeting.

Zhu Yuanzhang raised an eyebrow: "Where is Lord Tu? Why hasn't he come out? Am I not worthy of his presence?"

Guan Zhiwen bowed and said, "Your Highness, please calm down. Lord Tu is speaking with Lord Song right now!"

"That's perfect. We have something to say to Lord Tu. It concerns the fate of the Hanjiang Dynasty, and we must speak to him personally. You should go and inform him as soon as possible; it's a matter of great importance, and neither of us can afford the responsibility."

Seeing the Third Prince's solemn expression, Guan Zhiwen felt a sense of foreboding.

"Third Prince, General, please~" Guan Zhiwen gestured for them to enter.

Liu Yu followed closely behind, wanting to go in with Song Wenjie, but Guan Zhiwen stopped him with a gesture: "Liu Lijiang, you should wait outside."

Without waiting for Liu Yu's reply, he hurriedly followed her inside.

The Dali Temple was the highest-ranking judicial organ in the Han Dynasty, handling cases concerning all officials in the capital. It rarely intervened in ordinary cases. However, any case the Dali Temple did get involved in was invariably a major one.

Guan Zhiwen led the two to a side hall: "Third Prince, General Song, please have some tea here first. I will go and announce your arrival."

As they were talking, a guard brought in tea.

Dali Temple Prison

Because the Dali Temple prison held officials who served in the imperial court, it was a much more advanced and cleaner prison than ordinary prisons.

Each cell contained a table and a bed. Prefect Song, dressed in prison clothes, was sitting cross-legged on the bed, resting with his eyes closed.

Tu Guoqiang was sitting at the prison gate. Tu Guoqiang had white hair and beard and was 56 years old this year. In ancient times, he would have been considered a highly respected person.

He had just asked several questions, but Prefect Song remained silent, and Tu Guoqiang began to get impatient.

This Prefect Song is too arrogant. He looks down on me, a high-ranking official of the Court of Judicial Review, so much.

Back in the day, even when the late emperor was alive, he would never have looked down on me so much.

Tu Guoqiang said coldly, "Lord Song, silence is tacit agreement. If you don't speak, I will take it as a confession. With natural disasters and man-made calamities, and the rampant epidemic, it is inevitable that there will be casualties due to inadequate management. If you confess, you can be treated leniently."

Haha~

Prefect Song sneered: "Lord Tu, I'll say it again, this is not a natural disaster, but man-made."

"Whom would you believe, my words or the Empress Dowager's? If you believe the Empress Dowager, then no matter how much I say, it won't make a difference."

"Since we can't change the facts, we might as well shut up, don't you think?"

Tu Guoqiang stood up and paced back and forth at the prison gate with his hands behind his back: "Lord Song, what I hate most in my life is the abuse of power to oppress people. No matter who it is, as long as they commit a crime, I will punish them."

Prefect Song stared intently at Tu Guoqiang: "What if the Empress Dowager commits a crime? Would you be willing to punish her, Lord Tu?"

Uh~

Tu Guoqiang was speechless for a moment. After a while, he came to his senses and said with a cold face, "Lord Song, the Empress Dowager is the mother of the nation. Why do you slander her again and again?"

"I have no patience. If you continue like this, it will be very disadvantageous for you."

Hahaha……

Prefect Song burst into laughter: "Everyone says that Lord Tu is upright and incorruptible, but it seems he is nothing more than that."

you!

Tu Guoqiang was furious: "You keep saying that something is wrong with the Empress Dowager, but what exactly is it?"

Prefect Song asked, "I'll speak, and you'll listen?"

Tu Guoqiang, his beard bristling and eyes wide, raised his voice: "Speak! You must speak!"

He wanted to see what Prefect Song had to say.

Prefect Song got out of bed, walked to the prison gate, and stared straight at Tu Guoqiang: "Lord Tu, you'd better listen carefully, what I'm about to say concerns the Hanjiang Dynasty and the fate of the nation!"

"If word gets out beforehand, we could lose our lives in no time."

Seeing the solemn expression on Prefect Song's face, Tu Guoqiang suddenly felt his mouth go dry and his heart leap into his throat.

Prefect Song raised an eyebrow: "Lord Tu, don't you suspect why the Empress Dowager is so eager to punish me?"

Tu Guoqiang sat back down on the stool, crossed his legs, and said, "Lord Song, don't beat around the bush. Just say what you have to say!"

Prefect Song suddenly looked mysterious: "Lord Tu, there are too many people here. Please come over. I'm afraid the walls may be overhearing!"

Many people?

Tu Guoqiang looked around. There were six cells in total, three of which were empty. Moreover, those three cells were quite far apart, so if the two of them didn't speak loudly, the other side wouldn't be able to hear them at all.

The only person in the room is Prefect Song; both rooms are empty, and there are two jailers guarding outside.

Lord Tu immediately understood and quickly went over to dismiss the jailer.

"Alright, there's hardly anyone around now, so just say what you need to say!"

Prefect Song slowly raised his head, his eyes clear: "Lord Tu, if I were to say that the current emperor is not of royal blood, but rather the offspring of the Empress Dowager and another man, what would you think of that?"

"Be bold!"

Tu Guoqiang immediately rebuked, "Lord Song, I have always respected you, but I never expected that you would actually try to frame the Empress Dowager in order to exonerate yourself, and even dare to say such insubordinate things. It would not be an exaggeration to execute your entire family!"

"Heh, I knew it! You wouldn't believe me anyway! So I'd better shut up!" Prefect Song sat back down on the bed.

Before Tu Guoqiang could say anything more, Guan Zhiwen came in and whispered a few words in his ear. Tu Guoqiang's expression immediately turned strange, and he stood up and walked out.