Chapter 105

Seeing this scene, the surrounding "fellow prisoners" immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

But soon, someone looked reluctant at Su Qiao and said,

"My lord Su, I didn't expect this day to come so quickly."

"Let's not talk about anything else, my lord Su; we respect you as a man. If there is a next life, we will listen to your stories again!"

"..."

Hearing the farewell-like voices of the "fellow prisoners,"

Su Qiao suddenly came to his senses.

He looked at Jiang Huan excitedly and asked,

"Commandant Jiang, this food is...?"

After Jiang Huan grunted twice, thinking, 'Old Zhu bestowed food, so he bestowed food; why is he still so tsundere and refusing to admit it? How am I supposed to make up an excuse?!'

How am I supposed to make up an excuse?!

Jiang Huan couldn't help but sigh,

"Why ask so much? Just eat quickly."

Jiang Huan had a Solemn expression, while the surrounding "fellow prisoners" kindly began introducing things to Su Qiao.

"Brother Su, you are just leaving a few days early; wait for old brother on the road, and in a few days we will go together with you."

Hearing this, Su Qiao's face immediately showed a hint of joy.

"Hahaha, then let us borrow the auspicious words of everyone."

"Old Su will go first!"

Thinking he could soon return, Su Qiao immediately became excited.

His eyes kept scanning the wine and dishes before him as he clicked his tongue and said,

"Oh my, Commandant Jiang, you say so much; even I cannot finish it all alone."

"If any brothers don't mind me, shall we eat a meal together?"

Hearing this, the surrounding "fellow prisoners" were also stunned.

They had heard of treating others to a meal, but this was the first time anyone had treated others to a "last meal before execution."

The surrounding "fellow prisoners" looked at the large table of wine and dishes before Su Qiao and swallowed hard.

Some of these people had already been locked in the Imperial Prison for over half a year.

They did not have Su Qiao's "special care."

Moreover, most of them had long since seen through life and death.

In an instant, the gaze of everyone inside the Imperial Prison focused on Jiang Huan.

Jiang Huan hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping.

This food was bestowed upon Su Qiao by Old Zhu.

There is no room for me to speak here!

Seeing Su Qiao's determined expression, Jiang Huan could only helplessly wave his hand.

Immediately, the Imperial Prison became a sea of joy.

Su Qiao looked at Jiang Huan standing aside and couldn't help but smile,

"Commandant Jiang, don't just stand there. If you stand here watching me eat, I won't be able to eat."

"Come over and eat a bit with us."

Jiang Huan looked at Su Qiao with a helpless face and could only personally step forward to open the Lao Sect.

Su Qiao was not the kind of person who talked too much.

After all, there were no entertainment activities in this era.

The only thing one could do to find some fun was to chat.

Especially for someone like Su Qiao who was locked up in prison.

Not having talked to the bars in the Imperial Prison was already considered mentally normal.

Jiang Huan picked up a wine cup and helplessly toasted Su Qiao with a cup of wine.

"My lord Su, I, Jiang Huan, am a rough man."

"Your far-sightedness, I truly admire, but I simply do not understand why you oppose Your Majesty again and again."

"To be honest, with your talents and learning, if you sincerely assisted in governance, you would surely not fail to attain the position of a regent in the future."

Su Qiao picked up his wine, smiled, and waved his hand, saying,

"Enough, enough, what do you call that far-sightedness?"

"Isn't it just accompanying Your Majesty to have some fun?"

"Do you really think that having the imperial clan die on the battlefield and then killing a few civil and military officials can turn Great Ming from danger to safety?"

From beginning to end, Su Qiao had treated these things as stories imagined by Old Zhu, who was idle behind the palace walls.

He never thought that in Great Ming two hundred years later, the imperial clan had already died out in one generation.

Similarly, Su Qiao, with the wine already down his throat, also did not notice

that the Jiang Huan before him had already stood there stunned.

"No... is it not possible?"

As soon as the words fell,

the entire Imperial Prison immediately fell into a dead silence.

Especially Zhu Yuanzhang, who was hiding outside the Imperial Prison, crouching by the wall roots.

Our Zhu family's more than two hundred thousand descendants have all died on the battlefield.

"You told us that all of this was just you making things up to amuse us?!"

"Where is our blade?!"

With that, Zhu Yuanzhang rose, intending to rush into the Imperial Prison to fight Su Qiao to the death.

Yet, a moment later, he thought again.

"That's not right!"

Zhu Youjian had indeed already spoken on that matter.

The situation in Liaodong had truly and certainly stabilized!

Jiang Huan glanced casually at the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the distance.

With merely that expression, Jiang Huan sat back down, frowning as he looked at Su Qiao and asked,

"Lord Su, that's not right. The key is that your move truly sounds flawless."

Su Qiao could not help but hold his wine cup and smile, saying,

"Yes, it truly is flawless."

"But you must continue thinking further."

"After the royal family members die fighting beyond the pass, then what?"

"Governing a great state is like cooking a small fish."

"Surely the Great Ming cannot be certain of eternal unity just because the powerful enemies beyond the pass are gone?"

Hearing this, Jiang Huan shook his head and said in a low voice,

"I do not understand."

Su Qiao held his wine cup, clicked his tongue, and said,

"Let's state the simplest question."

"Commandant Jiang, think about it: suppose all of this truly happens."

"Do you think the powerful enemies beyond the pass, whether the Northern Yuan or the Jurchens, will be able to withstand the thunderous strike of all the Han people under heaven?"

Jiang Huan stated with absolute certainty,

"Naturally, they would not be able to withstand it."

Su Qiao nodded slightly and said,

"Then that settles it."

"And after the external threats are pacified, then what?"

"The shame is avenged, and everything returns to the starting point."

"The civil and military officials of the Great Ming can return to singing and dancing in prosperity; they will still embezzle as they please. What difference does it make if you replace one batch of officials with another?"

"They are merely a layer floating on the surface."