Chapter 1585: I

It took the time it takes to brew a cup of tea for Yang De-guang to finish his questioning, after which he decisively led his subordinates away from the Heavenly Prison.

Chen Guanlou personally escorted them to the main gate, then descended into the Jia-grade prison to have a chat with Xiao Changsheng.

Xiao Changsheng was in low spirits.

The Ministry of Justice had already interrogated him twice. While they hadn't used torture, they couldn't avoid various forms of intimidation, and they had let him witness the horrors of the interrogation room. For an official like Xiao Changsheng, who had lived a life of luxury, this mental torture was even more devastating than physical pain.

"Official Xiao, you must not do anything foolish." Every time they met, Chen Guanlou couldn't help but offer this reminder.

Xiao Changsheng sobbed, then pulled himself together. "Many thanks, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen. If not for you blocking them, I would have already been sent to the Imperial Prison, where there is no hope of survival! I fear a fate worse than death even more."

"Did Yang De-guang threaten you?"

Xiao Changsheng shook his head slightly. "He didn't threaten me. I know everything; the Emperor can no longer restrain himself and wants to use me to test his blade. I fear that during the next interrogation, I won't be able to muddle through so easily."

Chen Guanlou offered the other man an idea: "Confess to some facts, so that the Ministry of Justice can at least close the case."

"I have confessed," Xiao Changsheng said, looking helpless. "It's just that I didn't confess according to their wishes. They want me to implicate Prince Ning and Imperial Consort Xiao. How could I submit to them! At worst, it's just death. They are, after all, my nephew and the late Emperor's own son. The Emperor is being far too impatient."

As he spoke, Xiao Changsheng was filled with indignation, his heart feeling stifled.

He hammered his chest; if things went on like this, he would suffocate to death before he even reached the executioner's block. His heart was in agony!

"If it really comes to that, why don't you take the initiative and end it yourself?"

It was rare for Chen Guanlou to show a moment of kindness.

In the past, he had always urged people to live well, to live until they reached the execution ground—at least that was how a real man should do it. Getting one's head chopped off was just a scar the size of a bowl!

Now, facing Xiao Changsheng, who was in a desperate situation and involved so many people behind him, he truly couldn't urge the man to endure it until he reached the execution ground. If he endured like this, who knew how many people would die later, or how many innocent people would be implicated.

He couldn't let the Emperor have an excuse to start a massacre.

At the very least, for now, the Secretariat could still keep Emperor Taixing in check. During this period, he absolutely could not give Emperor Taixing any chance to turn the tables.

Xiao Changsheng was the breakthrough point; everyone knew this.

The Ministry of Justice treasured the man surnamed Xiao, terrified that he might die in his cell, and had given repeated, strict instructions that there must be no mistakes.

Chen Guanlou had also agreed wholeheartedly.

However, he had no intention of following through to the end. His stance would change as the situation changed.

Xiao Changsheng's expression was one of shock; he was very surprised. "Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen, are you asking me to..."

"That's right, it's exactly as you understand it. I hope you go die! Everyone can be done with it. The Ministry of Justice will close your case, and the Emperor will have no reason to find fault. Isn't that a happy ending for everyone?"

Xiao Changsheng furrowed his brows. He wasn't angry; he was thinking. It seemed he was weighing the pros and cons of actively seeking death.

"You will definitely die! It's just a matter of whether it's sooner or later."

Chen Guanlou tempted him step by step, like a devil coaxing an innocent child, luring them to jump off a cliff.

Urging those who want to die to survive, and urging those who want to survive to hurry up and die!

It was just like:

Dragging a good woman into the mud, and urging a prostitute to turn over a new leaf!

These were all the base traits of men!

Not a good person!

Chen Guanlou admitted he wasn't a good person; from time to time, vicious thoughts would arise in his heart, though occasionally he was kind.

"Instead of letting the Emperor torture you to derive pleasure, it's better to end it cleanly and leave the Emperor furious!"

Xiao Changsheng suddenly laughed. "Listening to your tone, you really hate the Emperor."

"Not at all! I don't hate the Emperor himself; I just hate the person sitting in that position. If someone else were sitting in that position, I would still feel the same."

Chen Guanlou generously admitted his own little thoughts.

"That is a grave act of disrespect!" Xiao Changsheng kindly reminded him.

"It doesn't matter. The Emperor won't know anyway. Have you decided? Do you want to die?"

Matters of life and death, in his mouth, seemed as ordinary as eating or drinking.

Xiao Changsheng sighed. "I don't know! I seem to lack the courage to die to prove my integrity, yet I am unwilling to live on like this. I am so conflicted! I know I will die sooner or later, and I should end it early to avoid torture. But I am also very cowardly and lack the courage to die! I've let you see a joke."

He gave a self-deprecating laugh, looking slightly embarrassed.

Chen Guanlou didn't mock him; instead, he affirmed him. "That's very normal! You are a normal person, so you have the reactions of a normal person. Survival is every person's most primal desire. Being afraid of death is as it should be. It's only abnormal not to fear death."

People who don't fear death have, in essence, overcome the weaknesses of human nature and the primary instinct of survival inherent in all animals.

A person who can overcome their instincts and face death calmly is, in themselves, a rare breed among the masses—rare and precious. Hence, scholars never tire of writing articles praising such deeds.

The reason they are celebrated, the reason they are considered great, is precisely because they are rare.

Things that are too common have no value worth celebrating.

"I don't want to die, but I must die; it seems there is no other path to choose. What should I do?"

Chen Guanlou offered him an idea: "If you can't bring yourself to do it, as long as you nod, we can help you realize your wish for death. I guarantee that those above won't be able to find out; everything will be reasonable and logical. Even if those in the palace are suspicious, it will eventually be left unsettled."

"What method?" Xiao Changsheng was very curious.

Chen Guanlou whispered to him, "Take poison! A type of poison that the coroner cannot detect! It will make you fall gravely ill and eventually die of an incurable condition. Do you want it? A package deal is one thousand taels."

"I'm begging for death, and I still have to pay?" Xiao Changsheng was astonished and incredulous. It was as if he had heard the darkest joke in the world; he truly couldn't laugh.

There was only shock, and a rhetorical question.

In this day and age, you have to pay to seek death?

This world is crazy!

He cursed loudly, "You're obsessed with money! Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen, I beg you to act like a human being."

Chen Guanlou smiled, neither confirming nor denying. "You think the package is too expensive, right?"

Then he pointed to the wall. "For free, just slam into that hard enough, and you can be done with it. If you don't die from one hit, after we save you, you can hit it a second time. Don't worry, I guarantee no one will stop you."

Then he pointed to the top of the prison cell bars. "See that? Hang your belt up there, put your head in, and you can die for free. But the look of death will be a bit ugly, and, you will be in great pain before you die; you'll inevitably struggle a few times."

"Both of the above are free. Do you want to choose one?"

Xiao Changsheng was so angry his lips trembled and his face turned green.

"Poison is very expensive."

Chen Guanlou rambled on, explaining why he had to charge one thousand taels.

"Especially poison that even a coroner can't detect, making you perfectly fit the characteristics of dying from an incurable illness—do you know how much effort that takes? One thousand taels is a discounted price, only available in the Heavenly Prison. If you bought this package outside to kill someone, don't even ask if it's less than three thousand taels." ===== CHAPTER 1586 =====