Chapter 582: The Death of Wang Jingchong

Sensing the threat in Wang Jingchong's tone, the jailer chuckled darkly: "This is the real you, Wang Jingchong! Arrogant, conceited, overbearing! With your black heart and poisonous hand, even if I helped you, would I dare hope for repayment? What's more, I offended you so deeply back then—with your character, would you ever let bygones be bygones? I'm not that stupid!"

Sitting cross-legged, Wang Jingchong looked at him with cold eyes, his expression turning even uglier. After a moment of silence: "You come before me, making such a racket—what do you have to rely on?"

The jailer took another sip of wine, as if to bolster his courage, and said: "I'm nothing but a lowly clerk now, utterly base—what could I possibly rely on? Just a worthless life, like a snake or ant, hiding in the dark corners of a ditch. All of this, I owe to you. How could I not come and express my gratitude?"

Narrowing his eyes, Wang Jingchong sneered twice: "A fool and simpleton like you actually dared to scheme against me—ending up like this is hardly surprising! Now, instead of lying low and avoiding my vengeance, you dare come before me, trying to humiliate me? You think that because I'm in prison, I can't turn things around? Say whatever you like—I'll just watch you like a monkey show!"

"A petty jailer, short-sighted, ignorant and foolish!" At this moment, Wang Jingchong seemed not to be in a prison cell but seated in the main hall of the Wude Office, looking at him with contempt: "I gave you a chance, and since you don't cherish it, then we'll wait for another day!"

Hearing this, the jailer couldn't help but laugh, asking calmly: "Wang Jingchong, oh Wang Jingchong! Are you still waiting for the Son of Heaven to summon you, clear your name and release you, so you can plot your revenge afterward?"

Wang Jingchong clenched his fist, staring back at him coldly, saying nothing.

The jailer's interest was piqued, and he smiled slightly: "During this time, you, Wang Jingchong, have run rampant through the prefectures, harming officials and commoners alike—your name is known far and wide! Don't you know the situation at court? The hundred officials have submitted memorials, and the cries of condemnation are rising to a fever pitch. How the Son of Heaven decides, whether you'll come out unscathed—none of it is certain. Yet here you are, deep in prison, still throwing around the authority of the Commissioner of the Wude Office in this very jail?"

"As for how His Majesty will deal with you—whether he convicts you or pardons you—it's none of my concern. What I want to tell you is this: you, Wang Jingchong, are nothing but a prisoner now, in the hands of this lowly jailer."

"No matter your high office and noble rank, no matter how your power once blotted out the sky, right now you're meat on my chopping block, your life and death in the hands of this insignificant little man. A snake that doesn't fear its belly bursting can swallow an elephant! I just wonder—if this rat of an ant takes a bite out of you, will Commissioner Wang be able to take it?" As he said this, the jailer's voice dropped lower, and his expression turned sinister.

"What do you mean?" A hint of wariness surfaced on Wang Jingchong's aged face as he stared intently.

"Sending you some wine! The weather is cold—warm yourself up. Don't mind that it's what I've left over..." The jailer placed the wine jug on the ground before the iron bars, then sneered twice and, limping on his crippled leg, slowly walked away.

Watching his retreating figure, Wang Jingchong's expression darkened to the extreme, and a sense of unease rose in his heart.

"Hahaha..." At that moment, from the shadows across the way, laughter emerged from his "cellmate"—quite unrestrained.

"Delightful! Delightful!" The man mocked: "Watching you two dogs biting each other is like drinking fine wine—I'm utterly intoxicated! This jailer, true to his Wude Office origins, repays every grudge—no less than you, Commissioner of the Wude Office!"

For the first time, a look of tension appeared on Wang Jingchong's face, along with a flash of ferocity: "He wouldn't dare!"

"I think he certainly would!" The man's hoarse voice carried obvious anticipation: "I'm rather curious—how will the jailer strike back at you? With all the torture instruments in the Wude Office prison, I wonder how many you can endure? They say the cruelest punishments you once designed never fell on me—I wonder if you'll have the fortune to experience them yourself! To say something Commissioner Wang doesn't want to hear—perhaps you'll die right before my eyes, and I look forward to it greatly!"

Wang Jingchong didn't respond.

Fixing his gaze on the wine jug, the man crawled out of his cowering corner and reached out his hand: "Haven't drunk in a long time. If Commissioner Wang has no use for it, give it to me!"

"You brute!" Wang Jingchong, unable to bear the disturbance any longer, finally exploded. He grabbed the wine jug and hurled it directly at the man across the way: "When I get out of here, I'll grind your bones to dust!"

The jug was made of pottery—it shattered into pieces upon impact, and the man repeatedly lamented the waste. Reaching out his thin, scar-covered hand, he quickly picked up the nearby shards, which still held a bit of wine, and licked them clean like a starving dog...

The prison cells gradually fell silent—deathly still. After a long while, that voice that disturbed one's peace of mind sounded again, still with the same mockery: "That jailer is no good man. On the road to the Yellow Springs, Commissioner Wang won't be alone—this worthless life of mine will keep you company. Still, before I die, if I can witness your downfall, Commissioner Wang, I'll have no regrets..."

"Hahaha..."

It was probably Liu Chengyou's "compromise" that confused the court officials, making them think they had moved His Majesty to accept their loyal counsel. Seeing Wang Jingchong directly thrown into prison, Censor-in-Chief Bian Guidang once again entered the palace to face the Emperor, lavishly praising Liu Chengyou's wisdom and suggesting that the relevant authorities be ordered to try his crimes and punish him according to law!

Then he was dismissed by Liu Chengyou quite flatly. Meanwhile, in the Han palace, Liu Chengyou was considering how to deal with Wang Jingchong.

Though he had never shown it, Liu Chengyou despised Wang Jingchong from the bottom of his heart. The man was too utilitarian, too cruel and vicious, and not a trace of loyalty could be sensed from him—he was an extreme egoist.

Of course, Liu Chengyou didn't care about his loyalty. For a man like Wang Jingchong, those two words were far too cheap.

What Liu Chengyou wanted was his ability to get things done. He was a sharp blade, very useful. Over the years, he had handled many matters for Liu Chengyou, earned many merits, and fully displayed his talent and function in the Wude Office.

Inevitably, however, over the years, he had also accumulated much dissatisfaction in Liu Chengyou's eyes. This man's desire for power was too great, and his conduct too unrestrained. Many times he overstepped his authority and acted on his own, and in Liu Chengyou's secret files, his misdeeds were recorded in abundance.

When Li Shaoyou was Commissioner of the Wude Office, there might have been some criticism at court and among the people, but it never reached the current level. After Wang Jingchong took office, within just half a year, he had nearly become a public enemy.

This time, sent out of the capital on official business, the results truly disappointed Liu Chengyou. In the past, he had inevitably used public office for private gain on occasion, but he still had a bottom line—the mission and task were always carried out properly.

But this time was different. His selfish motives were too heavy—he wielded the authority of the Son of Heaven and the court to run rampant through the prefectures, throwing around his own power as Wang Jingchong. From Liu Zhu to Wang Yan, not a single outcome satisfied Liu Chengyou. Especially Wang Yan—acting on his own initiative, taking unauthorized action, going too far, stirring up trouble, and nearly causing disastrous consequences.

Additionally, on Liu Chengyou's imperial desk at this moment lay a record: the wealth Wang Jingchong had amassed during this inspection tour of the prefectures—gold, jade, precious goods, money and silk—valued at over a hundred thousand strings of cash...

One thing was certain: Liu Chengyou had developed the intent to kill!

Wang Jingchong was not easy to control. His conduct had no bottom line, and entrusting such a heavy instrument as the Wude Office to his hands, letting him wield it—Liu Chengyou was already uneasy about that.

And another point, to put it bluntly: regarding Wang Jingchong, Liu Chengyou had long harbored the idea of casting him out and killing him to appease public anger—it was only a matter of time.

This time, it seemed the moment had come. However, on one hand, Liu Chengyou was still somewhat reluctant to part with this blade; on the other, he was unwilling to kill Wang Jingchong under the current circumstances. After all, the root cause of this storm lay ultimately with Liu Chengyou himself—his misjudgment, his improper appointment—and he didn't want to compromise his own authority.

The wisdom of the Son of Heaven truly wasn't like what those courtiers such as Bian Guidang claimed—just because they flattered you as wise didn't mean you were...

"Zhang Dejun!" After considering for a long time, Liu Chengyou called out.

"This humble one is here!"

"Go to the Wude Office and bring Wang Jingchong out. I will see him first," Liu Chengyou instructed.

"Yes!"

The Wude Office prison was right beside the imperial city, so it didn't take long. Zhang Dejun returned, hastily reporting back, and brought Liu Chengyou news that surprised him: "His Majesty, Wang Jingchong has died in prison!"