The oxcart hurried forward. The prison was located in the northwest corner of the city. It was surrounded by walls and there were watchtowers at the four corners. From the watchtowers, the entire prison could be seen.
They stopped in front of the prison, and a constable got out of the car and entered.
The prison cell was very dark, and the foundation was made of large green stones. There was a passage in the middle, and on both sides of the passage, there were wooden fences that divided the cells into cells of different sizes, and each cell was separated by rough wood.
The first thing he felt upon entering the door was the stench. There was a toilet in every room, giving off a strong stench. Then there was the dampness. The straw inside was so wet that water was dripping out.
Ji Dan felt a wave of disgust wash over him. Although he had been a constable for so long, he still couldn't get used to the smell of prison. He then walked forward. The bailiff on duty saw Ji Dan and bowed, "Your excellency."
Hearing this, Ji Dan looked over and asked, "Where is Warden Tian Yu now?"
When the bailiff heard those words, his face immediately turned fearful. It was as if he had just mentioned a terrifying person.
"Constable, the warden is interrogating the prisoner in the interrogation room." The bailiff's face turned pale as he spoke. Ji Dan frowned and said, "Bring me there."
"Yes, Constable." The bailiff led Ji Dan to the entrance of the interrogation room. The bailiff then cupped his hands, "Your excellency, we've arrived."
Hearing the bailiff's words, Ji Dan pushed open the door, and the bailiff hurriedly left. He didn't want to stay for even a moment longer.
Ji Dan entered the interrogation room. There was a strong stench in the room. It was different from the stench of urine. This kind of stench made him want to vomit.
Two prisoners were lying unconscious on the straw mattress. Their clothes were stained with blood, and tiny white maggots were crawling on the pus and blood. In front of them, a man who was tied up was wailing, "I confess, I confess, Sir, please kill me, please kill me, I beg you, please kill me."
Hearing this, the man flicked his knife lightly, causing another scream to be heard. He then laughed, "I'm sorry, I've cut off another piece. You've finally confessed. I thought I could play with you for a while longer. What a pity."
Ji Dan looked at him and felt a little nauseous. The skin on the prisoner's thighs and arms had already been peeled off, and the red flesh was still oozing with blood. He was still being sliced, but he was not dead yet. His mouth was dripping with saliva as he begged for death.
"Note down the accomplices who confessed. If they are wrong, we can play with them slowly." This person looked to be in his twenties, and could be considered a young man. As he spoke to the bailiff who was taking notes, the bailiff's body trembled.
"Tian Hong!" Ji Dan said in a deep voice.
Ji Dan turned around and looked at the person in front of him, "So it's Lord Ji. I'll go wash my hands. Let's have some wine and meat, and have a chat."
Ji Dan looked at the person in front of him and sighed, "Go ahead, I'll wait for you outside."
He turned around and left. Even though he had seen this kind of cruel punishment countless times in prison, he still couldn't help but shiver. Ever since his old friend's family had met with such an accident, his entire person had changed, but he still managed to make a name for himself in prison.
In the resting room of the prison, food and wine had already been served. There was a pig's head meat, a pot of wine, and a stack of bowls on one side. An oil lamp was lit on the table, the flame was swaying gently.
Ji Dan didn't move his chopsticks. After a while, Tian Hong sat down at the table and picked up a piece of fatty pig head meat with his chopsticks.
Tian Hong looked as if he hadn't seen the sun for a long time, and his face was pale. His lips were thin, and his knuckles were bulging. He picked up the bowl and gulped down a mouthful of wine. He then laughed, "Awesome!"
"Brother Tian, why do you have to do this?" Looking at the cheap pig's head meat, Ji Dan asked.
Even officials and soldiers had to pay their taxes. The people in prison had to work under such conditions every day, and their salaries were low. Hence, they had to think of all sorts of ways to oppress the prisoners. If something were to happen to them, all they had to do was report a sudden illness.
However, Tian Hong's main motive was not money. Although he was only a prison warden and was just like Meng Chao, without any special achievements, he would never be able to become a prison warden (Prison Warden, County Minor Ninth Rank, County Major Ninth Rank). However, he had no interest in changing jobs.
As long as he could personally interrogate a prisoner, he would feel an indescribable excitement.
Ji Dan sighed, "Ever since my old friend's father was killed, he took over his father's position and vented his hatred on other prisoners."
"Are you sure he'll come?" Seeing that Tian Hong didn't reply, Ji Dan leaned forward and asked in a low voice. His face was filled with doubt.
At this point, Tian Hong picked up the wine jug and poured himself a bowl of wine. He then gulped it down and said, "I've checked on his targets, and they're all targeted. Ying Prefecture and Yong Prefecture have all been wiped out. The surrounding prefectures have all made preparations. Since he's here in Liang Prefecture, I'm sure he's here to kill me."
"Tian Hong, you should leave behind a descendant. It doesn't matter if you succeed or not. If not, the Tian family will cease to exist." Ji Dan looked at Tian Hong and spoke with concern.
"Hm, leaving behind a widow and orphan to be bullied. Is that the same as me not being a responsible father? People like us have no right to love anyone. What right do we have to leave someone to suffer for the rest of their lives? " Tian Hong spoke coldly, "As for you, when I saw you today, I felt that you were in a good mood. Did your second wife give birth to a son for you?"
"There's no such thing. You've been in prison for a long time, and you've become more and more vicious. If Uncle Tian were to see you …" Ji Dan laughed as he changed the topic. Before he could finish speaking, Tian Hong interrupted, "Brother Ji, let's drink."
Ji Dan's words were interrupted as he looked at Tian Hong's cold eyes. He sighed and raised his cup.
"Cheers!" Tian Hong spoke as the both of them drained their cups in one gulp.
Tian Hong drank some wine before his face regained some color. He then looked at Ji Dan and asked, "You're different from me. You're a righteous official. Why are you trying to capture him? The last time you sent a letter, you said that you liked his poems.
Now … "" I like his poems. But since he's broken the law, as a constable, I have to plead for the people and uphold the law. I have to capture him, regardless of whether he's dead or alive. This is my duty. "Ji Dan paused for sometime before he spoke out loudly.
Hearing Ji Dan's words, Tian Hong laughed coldly and said, "What justice? What justice? Just a moment ago, the Crown Prince requested for a reward, and the next moment, King Lu wanted to kill him. That's why you're trying to capture him. Is that your duty?"
Hearing Tian Hong's words, Ji Dan slammed the table, "Outrageous! Tian Hong, don't you know that this is disrespectful? That's right. Because of that incident, we had a falling out. But now, we're working for King Lu. Can you not argue with me? "
"How can people like us, who aren't even officials, comment on the matters of the higher ups? It's fine if we talk about it privately. But if word gets out, we won't be able to get anything out of it. Someone might even die. "
"That's right. Don't act like you're being fair and impartial. We're good friends!" Tian Hong's expression was ferocious.
Seeing the expression on Tian Hong's face, Ji Dan felt a wave of sadness wash over him. He then picked up the jug of wine and filled up the bowl in front of him. He then sighed, "Don't blame me. You know what happened back then. The criminal kidnapped Uncle Tian and broke out of prison. Once he broke out of prison, according to the laws of the Imperial Court, the Warden and his subordinates would be punished. The higher ups had no choice but to order the execution. Forget it, let's not talk about the past. Let's drink, let's drink."
"Cheers!" The both of them remained silent as they drained their cups of wine.
The night passed. Ji Dan sat on a bench as he heard the crowing of a rooster. He then opened his eyes and said, "Pei Zi Yun didn't come at night, and won't come during the day as well."
"Hm, the prison has become a den of tigers and dragons. Even if he had the guts to come, seeing that you've set up an ambush outside, I'm afraid he'd hide." Tian Hong's face was gloomy.
"I don't believe that I can't catch him." Ji Dan said fiercely.
"Don't even think about it. Let's rest in the prison today." Tian Hong said.
"In this dark prison of yours, I can't stand the stench. Forget it, I'll come again at night." Ji Dan turned around and left.
An oxcart was parked outside the prison. The driver of the cart was a bailiff. He was a disciple of the Ji family, and had handled many cases before.
This was how the Ji family worked. Not only did they have the ability to catch bandits and solve cases, they also had the ability to train their disciples. That was how their descendants were able to inherit their position.
As the oxcart started to move, Ji Dan fell into a deep sleep.
All of a sudden, Ji Dan felt a numbness around his waist. He knew that something was wrong. He wanted to move, but his body had already gone limp. This man was indeed a subordinate of his husband. He forced himself to remain calm as he spoke, "Top Scorer Pei?"
"It's me." Pei Zi Yun appeared and smiled at the constable in front of him.
"Even if you're Master Top Scorer, and have a good reputation, it's not right for you to kidnap a constable from a prefecture, right?" Ji Dan shouted out loudly.
Even though Ji Dan shouted out loud, nobody responded. At this point, Ji Dan was stumped, and couldn't believe what was happening. If it weren't for the fact that the oxcart was still moving, he would have thought that everyone outside had been killed.
Pei Zi Yun listened to the scolding in front of him, "You're a famous constable, and your nickname is Yan Zheng. How can I not be wary of you? Tian Hong was the bait, and so were you. But I'm here anyway. Don't think of shouting out loud, the people outside can't hear you. "
"Master Top Scorer, you're a Top Scorer, and have received the favor of the Imperial Court. You cannot break the law. I know that you've been wronged, but that's not a reason to break the law. If you've been wronged, I believe the Imperial Court will give you justice. You have to believe in my reputation as well." Ji Dan's expression was still calm as he looked at Pei Zi Yun. His words were sincere, as though he believed what he said.
"Your reputation is that you're fair and impartial, and you enforce the law with an iron face. However, both of us are smart people. There's no need to say such things. If you want to talk about the Imperial Court, the Imperial Court hasn't declared me guilty. You've set a trap for me, and the people outside are all acting on behalf of King Lu!" Pei Zi Yun looked at Ji Dan and spoke plainly.
"Pei Zi Yun, you're crazy, and have no regard for the laws of the country. You've killed a total of 134 people from Ying, Yong and Liang Prefectures. You've committed a heinous crime. Even if I've mobilized all the soldiers to arrest you, and even if King Lu was involved, you've still broken the laws of the country. I'm arresting you to uphold justice for the country, and to uphold the laws of the country." Ji Dan saw that nobody could hear him, and decided to throw caution to the wind.
"You're a traitor, and you're rebelling against the law. No wonder I shouldn't be arrested. Even if I die, there will be thousands and thousands of me. Do you think you can go against the Imperial Court? "
"Haha!" Pei Zi Yun was amused as he laughed out loud.
"Ji Dan, you've said so much. Do you have any orders from the Imperial Court? Do you have any official documents from the Yamen? Without these, what right do you have to represent the Imperial Court? What right do you have to represent justice?"
"Where did your laws go? Hahaha! " Pei Zi Yun laughed so hard that tears were about to come out of his eyes. He grabbed a towel and wiped his face.
Seeing this, Ji Dan's hair stood on end. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he revealed a look of fear.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
