Hearing Lai Junchen's words, Wei Suizhong couldn't help but be startled: "Lieutenant Minister, he was just brought into the Censorate today and was still alive and kicking. Suddenly dying, isn't this a little too obvious?"
Lai Junchen snorted. "This person has a close relationship with King Liang and Xue Huaiyi, and Shangguan Daizhi is also very protective of him. If I'm too late, those people might interfere, and I won't be able to avoid some misgivings. I'll kill him before they even have the chance to say anything. What's done can't be undone. Do you think they'll fall out with me over a nobody like him? "
Wei Suizhong nodded. "Fine, I'll go strangle him right now and make it look like he's hung himself!"
Lai Junchen stopped him. "What an idiot! Is there a place for him to hang himself in that cell? Besides, he's shackled and tied up, unable to move at all. Do you think the emperor, King Liang, and Xue Huaiyi are that easy to fool? "
"Then …"
"Poison!"
Wei Suizhong hesitated. "Poison? Isn't it obvious that someone wants him dead? "
Lai Junchen smiled sinisterly. "How could that be? This person is an accomplice of the rebels, and his accomplices have been captured one after another. How could he not be afraid? He must have prepared poison just in case. Now that he's been captured, what's wrong with him committing suicide? "
Wei Suizhong smiled. "Since Deputy Minister says so, this lowly one understands!"
Lai Junchen said, "When he's dead, I'll do something to his collar, make a gap where he can hide something, and then I'll confirm that he committed suicide by taking poison. Even if other people are suspicious, what can they do to me?"
Wei Suizhong gave him a thumbs up. "Deputy Minister is truly wise. This lowly one will get to it right away!"
"Wait!" Lai Junchen called him back. "Find a reliable subordinate to take care of this first. Don't be in a rush to make a move. It's best if we aren't here when he dies. "
Wei Suizhong smiled knowingly. "Deputy Minister, you're a meticulous person. This lowly one understands!"
Wei Suizhong hurried out. Lai Junchen stroked his beard and pondered for a moment. A faint smile appeared on his face.
It had to be said that although Lai Junchen was a famous ruthless official, his appearance and temperament were truly handsome and extraordinary. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, carrying a somewhat demonic smile. It really had a different kind of charm.
…
Near dusk, the rain became lighter. The officials of the Censorate Hall left the yamen and went home. A short and stout middle-aged man in a black jailer's uniform stood under the dripping eaves of the long corridor. Seeing the last official leave, he ordered the servants to close the door.
The heavy mansion door closed with a "peng" sound. Two servants carried the thick and heavy door latch and put it on with a "peng" sound. The two sides of the door were then wrapped with iron chains, and a large iron lock weighing five to six catties was locked with a "kacha" sound.
The jailer watched them go through all the procedures meticulously, then turned around and limped away. The bunch of keys around his waist rattled as he moved.
This jailer's name was Zhang Lilei. He was originally a captain of the Imperial Guard.
In order to maintain the fighting strength of the Imperial Guard, the royal court had always maintained the tradition of rotating the Imperial Guard into battle. This Zhang Lilei had killed an enemy Helan official in the battle against the Turks and achieved a great merit. He originally had the opportunity to be promoted, but his injuries were too severe. By the time he recovered, he could no longer hold a position in the army. Thus, he was transferred to the Censorate Hall and became a jailer.
Wu Zetian took good care of her personal troops. She did her best to eliminate as many worries as possible so that they would be loyal to her.
Most of the people who were caught and sent to the Censorate Hall were officials. Even though they knew that once they were caught and sent to the Censorate Hall, they would still willingly bribe their family members to prevent their loved ones from being mistreated. Thus, the jailer's income was quite generous.
However, for a soldier who had the potential to become a general and bring glory to his family, coming here meant that his life would end here. Zhang Lilei, who had suffered a setback, had always been a man of few words. Even the jailers and servants who were close to him were somewhat fearful of him.
Rice was being cooked in the kitchen. There were two kitchens on the left and right. Smoke billowed from the kitchens. Even though the firewood was stored under the shed, because of the heavy rain, the firewood was damp and thick smoke was coming out. The cooks who were cooking were constantly coughing.
The kitchen on the left was used to prepare food for the jailers and jailers. Even though it was a big pot of food and not exquisite, it was still very sumptuous. The kitchen on the right was used to prepare food for the prisoners. There were three big pots, all of which were porridge cooked with aged rice. Inside were some vegetable stalks. This way, there would be food, rice, and water.
Zhang Lilei stood at the entrance of the kitchen and looked inside. He raised his voice and shouted, "Zheng Xiaobu!"
In the kitchen, a burly and fierce-looking chef was stirring the rice pot with a thick wooden stick. When he heard someone calling him, he quickly threw the stick away and grabbed the handkerchief on his shoulder to wipe the sweat off his face as he rushed to the door. When he saw Zhang Lilei, he quickly bowed and said, "Chief Zhang, what can I do for you?"
Zhang Lilei said with a poker face, "'Lin Seventh Prison' just caught a prisoner. We haven't had time to inform his family, so no one will send food today. When you send food to the prison, remember to prepare an extra basin!"
"Alright! Don't worry, Chief! "
While the two of them were talking, in the hallway opposite the kitchen, two servants quietly walked together. Through the thin curtain of rain, they glanced in this direction, whispered a few words, and then walked past each other. In the wind and rain, all of this faintly revealed a strange atmosphere …
…
"Clank!" With a click, the prison door opened. Zhang Lilei held the key in his hand as he limped in. There were eight cells in this prison, all of which were the trusted aides and subordinates of the high-ranking officials who had committed crimes. Their families were all in other places, so no one sent them meals. They could only be provided by the prison.
Above the passage in the middle of the cell, there was an oil lamp hanging at regular intervals. There were three lamps in total. As soon as the cell door opened, the bitter wind and bitter rain rushed in. The flame of the lamp flickered in the wind and rain, making Zhang Lilei's face look green.
Four prison guards carried a large bucket of vegetable porridge in and stopped at the first cell door. Behind them were a few helpers. One of them took out a bowl from the bucket of porridge, while another scooped out a spoonful of vegetable porridge from the porridge bucket and poured it into the rice bowl before handing it to Zheng Xiaobu. Zheng Xiaobu walked to the cell door and shoved the rice bowl into it.
Soon, the porridge was delivered to all eight cells. The metal door closed with a bang and was locked again. Then, they ran to the next cell.
When County Commandant Zhu Bin was brought to the Senate, the prison was already full. He was detained in a temporary cell against the wall in the west wing. This temporary cell was originally used to store coal. It was built with brick walls, unlike the regular cells that were separated by thick wooden pillars. From the gap in the middle, everything inside could be seen clearly.
The cell was not big. There were no windows or air vents. There were no lights inside, so it was dark. Because the door was not a regular cell door, there was no food door to pass things in. There was a spare torch on the wall outside the cell door. Someone lit the torch. Zhang Lilei opened the door, and the servant holding the torch bent over and walked into the cell first.
Zhu Bin was tied to a pillar in the middle. Because this cell was not a regular cell, the people outside could not see inside without opening the door. If they entered rashly, they might be attacked by the prisoners, so the prisoners inside could not move freely and were all tied to the pillar.
A bowl of vegetable porridge was scooped out. Zhang Lilei glanced at Zhu Bin, who was tied to the pillar. Zhu Bin hurriedly smiled fawningly at him and begged, "Chief Zhang, I want to relieve myself!"
Zhang Lilei asked with a straight face, "Urinate or urinate?"
"Urinate!"
"Then do it in your pants!" Zhang Lilei replied impatiently, then said to Zheng Xiaobu, "Hurry up!"
Without another word, Zheng Xiaobu brought the bowl of vegetable porridge to Zhu Bin's mouth and poured it down.
Zhu Bin hurriedly opened his mouth and tried his best to swallow. Be it the porridge or the vegetables, he could not be bothered with chewing at all. He only gulped down mouthfuls of food. Even so, he could not keep up with Zheng Xiaobu's speed.
By the time he finished the bowl of porridge, Zhu Bin's face was red and he was panting. Zhang Lilei turned around and walked away. The cell door slammed shut with a bang, and the cell was instantly plunged into darkness.
The next cell was where Yang Fan was imprisoned. Zhang Lilei walked up to the cell and took out a key to open it. The servant holding the torch walked in first.
This cell was built according to the terrain, with its back against the wall. It was originally used to store the various supplies of the Imperial Censorate. The cell that Yang Fan was in also had no windows, and it was pitch-black inside. However, his cell was much more comfortable than Zhu Bin's.
This cell was more orderly, twice as wide as Zhu Bin's cell. The frame was also higher, so there was no need to bend over to enter. This cell had originally been used to store paper, ink, brushes, inkstones, and various office tools, so it was very clean inside. Everything had not been cleared away, and there was a wooden frame against the wall. There were some papers scattered on the floor.
Yang Fan was tied to a pillar, and in the darkness, he was thinking hard about how to escape.
He knew that he had been bitten, but who could have bitten him? Yang Fan thought about it and quickly thought of Zhu Bin. Zhu Bin had never been on good terms with him, and after seeing him promoted, he had become jealous. Now that he had been captured and brought to the Senate, it was very possible that he had bitten him to vent his personal hatred.
When he thought of this, Yang Fan calmed down a little. Zhu Bin hadn't interacted much with him, so there was no way he would be able to produce any concrete evidence once he was interrogated and questioned. He was a commander of the Featherwood Guard, the most trusted military force of the emperor. His trial would definitely be more cautious. Moreover, he had a huge network of connections. Wan 'er was out of the question, and King Liang and Master Xue wouldn't just stand by and watch once they found out about his situation.
That was why he was quite optimistic about his chances of escaping. Yes, entering the Imperial Censorate was a perilous situation, but there were still exceptions. He hadn't participated in the rebellion, so even if Zhu Bin had bitten him, there would still be plenty of loopholes once he was interrogated.
Even if the various factions of the imperial court were fighting each other, given his current position, he shouldn't have caught the attention of those important figures. He shouldn't have become a target that they would want to eliminate. He believed that the people of the Imperial Censorate wouldn't risk offending people like Master Xue and King Liang just to put him to death.
At this moment, he would never have guessed that there was indeed an important person who wanted to put him to death, and that this person was actually the Censorate's main hall. Outside the prison, in the darkness of the night, the two jailers looked at each other, their eyes shining. One of them took out a rice bowl and tapped it lightly. The other nodded in understanding. He took the bowl, scooped up a spoonful of vegetable porridge, and passed it to Zheng Xiaobu.
When Zhang Lilei entered the cell, he still put on a stern face that seemed to indicate that strangers and acquaintances should not get close to him. He only said one sentence as if it were gold, "Hey!"
Zheng Xiaobu walked up to Yang Fan, who was tied to the pillar, and said in a bad mood, "Open your mouth!"
Yang Fan couldn't get used to the sudden brightness. He squinted his eyes, but before he could see the person in front of him clearly, the bowl was already at his lips, and a bowl of vegetable porridge was poured down his throat!
…
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