Chapter 1725: Died very indecently

It took two days, and the last spark was extinguished.

The death toll exceeded 500, the number of injured was countless, not ten thousand then eight thousand. Over a thousand houses were burned! The Minor Treasury's Directorate of Construction was completely reduced to ruins.

All the doctors in the capital were busy treating injuries, and the capital's air was filled with a rich medicinal smell.

The Heavenly Prison had a large territory and received some of the injured, placing them in the side rooms.

Medical Official Mu led his disciples and grandchildren, the Mu family children, shuttling through various treatment points all day long. The medicinal materials that were hard to accumulate were sprinkled out as if they were not money.

Lost to death!

However, now is not the time to care about costs. Saving one person is saving one person.

Emperor Yuanding ordered the Three Judicial Offices to jointly handle the case and thoroughly investigate this explosion—was it man-made or accidental?

Listening to his meaning, no matter what, he wanted to handle this explosion case as man-made.

Such a fierce explosion, such a big fire, it couldn't be accidental. It must be someone deliberately setting fire, igniting the explosives in the Directorate of Construction warehouse, causing a earth-shattering explosion. A corner of the imperial palace collapsed!

This is the most critical point!

Unlucky!

The place where the Emperor lives was actually stained with bad luck, unlucky.

Emperor Yuanding wanted to kill.

If the case hadn't been investigated clearly, leaving those people to interrogate the confession, he would have long since ordered everyone in the Minor Treasury to be beheaded.

At the same time as this explosion occurred, a small episode happened in the Heavenly Prison. After two days, Chen Guanlou suddenly heard that Xu Fugui was dead!

He was dumbfounded, unable to believe it.

Suspecting Lu Datou was playing with him.

The scourge lasts for a thousand years.

Xu Fugui, a person who cherished his life so much, how could he suddenly die.

"Prison Warden, this matter is absolutely true. He died the day of the explosion. I went to inquire; when the explosion happened, Xu Fugui was messing around with an outside mistress. When the explosion sounded, he was unlucky, was frightened, and actually died of 'horse-back wind' (sudden death during intercourse)."

What the hell?

"You mean to say, when he was doing that, an explosion happened, he was frightened, and the person kicked the bucket?"

Lu Datou nodded, that's exactly what it meant.

He sighed, "Prison Warden, do you think it's incredible? I think so too. That outside mistress is a ruthless one. Seeing Xu Fugui was gone, she didn't call anyone, didn't invite a doctor, didn't notify the Xu family. She directly rolled up the property and ran away.

These two days the capital has been a mess; it wasn't until the Xu family realized they hadn't seen Xu Fugui for two days that they found the mistress's residence, and then found Xu Fugui dead on the bed, naked. The county office reported the case, the coroner examined the body, and proved he died of 'horse-back wind'.

The county office still issued a wanted document to arrest the outside woman. I just don't know when they can catch her."

Chen Guanlou:...

Xu Fugui died so absurdly!

Xu Fugui was old, and one day people would be gone. It's just that he didn't expect he would die so absurdly, so indecently. After death, he would be ridiculed again.

He rubbed his eyebrows, "What is the situation with the Xu family?"

"A mourning hall was set up, and the funeral will be held the day after tomorrow. I agreed with the brothers in the Bing-character prison to go over and help today. Prison Warden Huang is also going. Prison Warden, are you going?"

"I will go there. Regarding Xu Fugui's job, do the Xu family have any ideas?"

"I haven't had time to ask. Prison Warden, should I ask?"

"What is the situation with the Xu family now?"

Chen Guanlou was slightly curious.

Xu Fugui had saved up quite a bit of family property over the years. He only knew that the Xu family spared no effort to send several grandchildren to study. It is said that the eldest grandson wrote a good hand and found a decent job in the county office as a clerk.

Lu Datou speculated: "Xu Fugui's grandchildren are all studying, so they shouldn't come to the Heavenly Prison to work. Xu Fugui's two sons might have ideas. I don't know the specifics. Should I help ask today?"

"You first ask about their ideas. Tell them, if they inherit Xu Fugui's job, they can only start as prison guards, in the Bing-character prison. There is no special treatment."

"Is this appropriate?"

"There is nothing inappropriate. Just tell them this. Let them ponder carefully. Tomorrow, I will personally go to the Xu family to mourn, and let them give me an answer then."

Lu Datou decisively accepted the task; anyway, he was only responsible for passing the message. How the Xu family ponders is the Xu family's business.

Soon, everyone in the Heavenly Prison knew the news of Xu Fugui's passing. I don't know who leaked the news, or perhaps it should be said that there are no secrets in the Heavenly Prison, everyone knows Xu Fugui died of 'horse-back wind', and because of that explosion.

The prison guards had no sympathy at all, laughing loudly, teasing the indecently dead Xu Fugui, saying he did many evil things while alive, so he had this retribution.

This matter, even the prisoners locked in the cell knew.

It is conceivable how fast the news spread.

The next day, after noon, Chen Guanlou went to the Xu family to mourn and sent a generous funeral gift. 【

The Xu family members were wailing and crying, looking very heartbroken, but they couldn't fool Chen Guanlou, whose five senses were sharp; he clearly smelled a pungent odor of scallions and ginger, which was stifling.

If the crying isn't even sincere, they might as well not shed crocodile tears.

He offered incense for Xu Fugui, muttered a few words, and then gathered the Xu family to talk.

Xu Fugui's wife, Old Woman Zhou, looked to be in good spirits and hadn't collapsed just because her husband had died. Perhaps she was secretly rejoicing that Xu Fugui was dead, so he wouldn't plague this family anymore.

To die on a woman's belly—how shameful!

As a wife, she didn't even want to bring up such a disgraceful matter.

Xu Fugui's two sons, the eldest Xu Baogen and the second Xu Baoshu. Neither of them were honest men; their eyeballs were darting around, looking like shrewd, small-minded city dwellers full of petty tricks and calculations.

On the other hand, the few grandsons and granddaughters looked quite good. After all, they had all studied, knew right from wrong, and were willing to improve themselves.

"I came here today, firstly, to see Brother Xu off on his final journey. Secondly, to ask about the position in the Heavenly Prison; who among you intends to inherit it? If you have any thoughts, bring them up face-to-face today; if they can be satisfied, they will be. If they cannot be satisfied, you must also understand the difficulties of the Heavenly Prison. It is not intentional obstruction, but the Heavenly Prison has its own rules!"

The Xu family members exchanged glances with each other.

"My lord, Lu Datou passed on a message yesterday, saying that if we inherit my father's position, we can only start as prison guards, and only in the Bing-rank prison?"

"That is correct!" Chen Guanlou nodded in confirmation.

"Can it be changed to the Jia-rank prison?"

Chen Guanlou swept his gaze over the two Xu brothers, "Which one of you is taking the shift? Are you literate? Can you understand official documents? To serve in the Jia-rank prison, you must pass an examination. Only after qualifying are you eligible to serve."

"They are all prison guards, why is it different?"

"Of course it is different." Chen Guanlou's expression was half-smile, half-serious, "The Bing-rank prison holds the most heinous criminals, and the majority of the prisoners there are illiterate. A prison guard being illiterate does not affect the job. The Jia-rank prison holds convicted officials, and the lowest rank among them is a scholar. Written materials are leaked out at any time. If you are illiterate and delay serious business, who will be responsible?"