Answer: C

Reasoning: The cervical (upper) esophagus empties into the inferior thyroid veins, which in turn reach the right and/or left brachiocephalic veins—i.e., drainage is indirect, not a direct channel into the right brachiocephalic vein, making option C incorrect [Oszukowski 1997, PMID 9529759; Dalip 2018, PMID 30131919]. In contrast, thoracic esophageal veins do enter the azygos system (A), all esophageal veins arise from a rich sub-mucosal plexus (B), and the distal esophageal veins communicate with the left gastric (coronary) vein forming a portosystemic anastomosis (D).