ATPnovel Chapter 81 One and a Half Pieces of Good News
Chapter 81 One and a Half Pieces of Good News
Chapter 81 A Piece of Good News
The Ministry of Justice of the Great Qian Dynasty was not located at the foot of the Imperial City, but was built together with the Censorate and the Court of Judicial Review on the west side of Xuanwumen Inner Street, collectively known as the Three Judicial Offices.
If the Ministry of Justice's prison were truly located near the capital, even if Shui Rong had a hundred and twenty thousand times the courage, he wouldn't dare to take action there.
Late October and early November in the lunar calendar are the days for the imperial court's autumn executions, and the Ministry of Justice's prison is already packed to the brim. There are both serious death row inmates reported from local areas and important criminals detained in the capital.
At this crucial moment, the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion sent a large group of military dependents. Where was there any place to detain them?
In addition, neither the Minister of Justice nor the Vice Minister wanted to get involved in this unlucky matter, so the people below simply wanted to save trouble. They found an empty storeroom and stuffed everything in there, out of sight, out of mind.
"What are you dawdling for? It's your turn to play!"
"This hand... eight of coins. Fine, I'll take it."
"Bang! I have a pair right now... two of them."
"Let me think about it for a moment... then I'll pass."
The backyard of the Ministry of Justice was dark, with only the duty room lit up. Through the paper window, several people could be seen playing mahjong around a table.
"Clap clap clap!"
"Clap clap clap!"
"Damn it! They can't even let people have some peace and quiet this late."
"You guys keep fighting, I'll go check it out."
The door to the guardhouse creaked open, and a young prison guard came out with a bunch of keys. He walked to the back door and deliberately asked loudly, "Who is it?"
A voice came from outside the door: "The Northern Garrison Commander has come to take the prisoner."
The Northern Garrison Command? Why are they the ones here?!
The jailer's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't dare to delay. He shakily unlocked the door and opened it.
A beam of lantern light shone in, making him squint. A dozen or so guards from the Northern Garrison, their hands on their swords, entered.
"Where are those military dependents being held?"
"In the warehouse over there..."
""
"lead the way!"
"yes!"
The jailer prayed silently: "Please, please don't come, Chief Executive..." He locked the door and led the guards toward the storeroom.
Soon, only the sound of mahjong tiles remained in the backyard.
"Three of a kind. You're ready to win, be careful."
"Four. Who are you trying to scare? I heard it too."
"Don't move—I won! I won by raiding everyone's house!"
"Clap clap clap!"
"Damn it! When will this end? Who is it now?!"
The door knocker on the back door was being fumbled loudly.
An elderly jailer came out cursing, opened the door, and yanked it shut.
Who is it...?
'
Before he could finish speaking, a pair of hands had already gripped his neck. With a snap, he fell silent.
"How...how could you kill someone?"
The executive was stunned; his hand, which had been knocking on the door, remained frozen in mid-air.
The burly man bent down and half-carried, half-lifted the body into the room, placing it against the wall. "Either he dies, or you die. The choice is yours."
The executive swallowed hard, his mind finally processing the information: "No... that Liu An..."
1
The man frowned: "Not this old man?"
"Old Song! Who's outside?" came a shout from the duty room.
The man gave the senior officer a wink, drew his knife, and waved to the men in black outside the door. The men crouched down and silently approached the door of the guardhouse.
The senior executive swallowed hard, trying to make his voice sound normal: "I am a senior executive of the Yong Prince's Mansion."
There was a moment of silence in the duty room, followed by fawning laughter: "Oh my goodness! It's Senior Management! What brings you here, sir? What a rare guest!"
The door creaked open, and the jailer came out beaming, followed by three jailers.
The four had barely peeked out and hadn't even seen what was happening outside when the men in black made their move.
One cut, one kill; clean and efficient.
The four men collapsed without uttering a sound.
The senior executive walked over, holding a lantern and shining it around. His expression changed slightly: "No, no Liu An..."
'
The man strode into the guardhouse, looked around, and came out saying, "Six people. The key on the wall isn't there. They probably went out on business."
He turned to stare at the senior management officer: "Do you know where they're being held?"
"This..." The executive hesitated.
The man said, "After it's done, I'll give you another five hundred taels."
Upon hearing this, the executive's eyes lit up as if they had been lit: "I know this place like the back of my hand, come with me!"
Just after rounding two corners, the man pulled the executive back against the wall and whispered, "Someone's coming!"
Only then did the senior official notice a lantern light drifting over and recognize the leading jailer: "That's Liu An..."
""
The man's attention, however, was focused on the spies from the Northern Garrison.
A man in black whispered, "They're from the Northern Garrison Command. What do we do?"
Upon hearing the words "Northern Garrison Command," the senior official didn't hesitate; he grabbed his lantern and ran away.
"Who goes there?!"
The man greeted the mother of the high-ranking official, saying that while the woman surnamed Gao could run away, they couldn't. If Liu An were to expose this matter, the Northern Garrison Command would follow the trail of the high-ranking official, and the Prince's Mansion would inevitably be exposed.
They had no choice but to bite the bullet and kill Liu An, buying time for the man surnamed Gao to escape.
The senior executive ran wildly out of the Ministry of Justice's backyard, and the lantern was lost at some point.
I didn't dare go home and hid in a big tree for the night.
The next day at daybreak, the senior executives still dared not go back and hid directly in the Prince's mansion.
Shui Rong, who had been sitting idly all night, did not receive the good news he had been hoping for. Instead, he was met with a bolt from the blue: the Ministry of Justice had been surrounded by the Northern Garrison.
In the study, Shui Rong paced back and forth in a fit of rage.
A gentle voice suddenly sounded from outside the door: "Your Highness..."
"7
"How dare you! Who gave you permission to approach the study?"
Shui Rong's anger had not subsided, and he did not hear clearly who the person was. When he turned around, the fierce light in his eyes gradually faded. "It's the Princess."
'
The second daughter of the Zhen family had never seen Shui Rong look so fierce and was terrified.
Shui Rong's gaze fell on the porcelain bowl on the tray in her hand, and she forced a smile: "What delicious food did you make?"
The second daughter of the Zhen family finally came to her senses. All the words she had prepared beforehand vanished in shock, and only three words remained on her lips: "Jujube seed porridge."
"Come in." Shui Rong stepped forward, took the tray, turned and placed it on the table. She lifted the lid, and a fragrant aroma wafted out. "It smells so good!"
Shui Rong picked up the spoon and took a sip. "Good, it tastes very good." Then she ate it in big bites.
The second daughter of the Zhen family then smiled and said softly, "Your Highness, drink slowly, be careful not to burn your mouth."
Shui Rong suddenly realized, "This doesn't taste like something made in a kitchen?"
The second daughter of the Zhen family answered softly, "I did it."
Shui Rong swallowed the porridge in her mouth, glanced at her, and remained silent for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry to have troubled you..." Then she picked up the porcelain bowl and began to eat heartily.
"Your Highness! Your Highness..."
'
The butler rushed in like a whirlwind, only to find the princess was also there. He swallowed the words he was about to say and hurriedly lowered his head, saying, "Your Highness."
The second daughter of the Zhen family nodded slightly and said to Shui Rong, "Your Highness, please enjoy your meal. I'll head back now."
Shui Rong nodded, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke: "In the future... unless it's something important, try not to come to the study."
The second daughter of the Zhen family turned pale instantly, gave a slight curtsy, and turned to leave.
Shui Rong sighed softly, put down the porcelain cup, took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, and looked at the butler: "How is it?"
The steward leaned closer and lowered his voice: "A bit of good news. The Northern Garrison Command didn't capture anyone alive, only drew a portrait, and is searching everywhere for clues."
Shui Rong breathed a sigh of relief.
"The man surnamed Gao has hidden in the Prince Yong's mansion. We've already sent people to keep a close watch on him. If he dares to come out, we'll arrest him immediately."
"And what's the good news?"
"The entire Cheng'en Duke's mansion has been wiped out."
Shui Rong's expression changed: "The Duke of Cheng'en's mansion has heavy armor. Who has the capability to do that?"
The butler uttered two words: "Poison."