1:45 AM.
In over an hour, dawn would break, and the Ministry of Justice would beat the drum to convene court, opening the gates for Xu Quan and the citizens of the Imperial Capital to witness the trial.
First to try the prisoner robbery case, second to try the prison siege case.
At this moment, the Ministry of Justice Prison was brightly lit, torches inserted into copper brackets on the walls, illuminating the accumulated moss and grime over the years, stirring waves of heat.
In the innermost Prison Hall, Chen Ji and West Wind were bound side by side on the torture rack, their clothes stripped open from the chest, coarse hemp ropes tied even around their necks.
Qi Zhong stood by the stove, focusing intently on the branding iron slowly turning red, the firelight casting his face into a bright hue.
