Chapter 400

The rebel Great Ming Prince was about to be escorted to the capital.

Which prison he should be locked in became the focus of discussion for a time.

Any government office that had a part in it now had to try hard to show its presence and brush up its image in front of the old Emperor. The stronger the sense of presence, the smoother it would be when asking for funds, and the amount could also be raised a bit.

What is a "clear water" government office?

A government office with no sense of presence is a "clear water" office; they have people but no money, sitting on the cold bench every day.

The Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The Ministry of Justice joined forces with the Embroidered Uniform Guard to first kick out the Dali Temple, which was stirring up trouble. Why join in the fun?

Next was the tug-of-war between the Ministry of Justice and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was duty-bound; the rebel Great Ming Prince must be locked in the Imperial Prison, letting the Imperial Prison teach him a harsh lesson so he would know why the flowers were so red.

The Ministry of Justice immediately raised an objection.

The rebel Great Ming Prince was to be executed according to the law, with three thousand cuts of the lingering death. For this, the rebel Great Ming Prince must be kept plump and healthy, and he must not be given a chance to commit suicide.

Given the dark history of the Imperial Prison, prisoners committing suicide were everywhere. If the Great Ming Prince entered the Imperial Prison, he would likely have committed suicide before the execution. At that time, how would they answer to the people of the world? How would they answer to His Majesty?

The Heavenly Prison was different.

In recent years, the Heavenly Prison had improved its management model, introduced many heartwarming packages, emphasized humanization everywhere, and provided spiritual encouragement and comfort to the prisoners, greatly reducing the suicide rate and effectively maintaining the court's face and the bottom line of the law.

For the sake of the execution and to demonstrate the court's power to the people of the world, the rebel Great Ming Prince must be locked in the Heavenly Prison. Except for the Heavenly Prison, no other prison was suitable.

The Imperial Prison? Heh, get lost.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was furious and drew their blades.

The Ministry of Justice took the opportunity to attack the Embroidered Uniform Guard, calling them a bunch of brutes who only knew how to use blades. Anyone who entered the Imperial Prison had a nine-in-ten chance of dying. The rebel Great Ming Prince must never die in prison. For the Great Ming Prince, the Imperial Prison was a tomb. How could a rebel who was to be executed by lingering death be locked in a tomb as soon as he arrived in the capital?

The two sides argued endlessly.

Was the Great Ming Prince really that important, worth fighting over so fiercely?

Whether the Great Ming Prince was important or not was secondary; the tug-of-war between the government offices was the key. If they could suppress the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Ministry of Justice would have made a huge splash, and in the future, whoever mentioned the Ministry of Justice would have to give a thumbs up, and when asking for appropriations, they would be more justified, and the Ministry of Revenue would also give money more readily.

The six ministries were all happy to see the Embroidered Uniform Guard get snubbed, flipping through the Imperial Prison's dark history one by one to discuss, and the conclusion was that the most suitable place for the Great Ming Prince to be locked up was the Heavenly Prison.

The old Emperor considered everything and accepted the suggestions of the court officials. The Imperial Prison was indeed a bit dark, and its methods were both crude and bloody, which was indeed not very appropriate.

The Heavenly Prison's methods were gentle, making it very suitable for locking up the Great Ming Prince.

Wait until the spring of the coming year, when the flowers bloom, to execute the Great Ming Prince by lingering death, using him as an offering to Heaven to pray for favorable weather.

I suppose Heaven should be very satisfied with the Great Ming Prince's blood.

In the end, the old Emperor made the final decision: the Great Ming Prince would be locked in the Heavenly Prison.

The task was arranged layer by layer, and finally, it reached the Heavenly Prison.

The long-absent Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei also appeared and called Chen Guanlou to his side, "The rebel Great Ming Prince is about to arrive in the capital, and the higher-ups have decided to lock him in the Heavenly Prison. Have you received the notice?"

"Reporting to my lord, this little one has already received the official document. This is a major event!"

"Who says it isn't." Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei frowned tightly. Since he became a Jiang Jiang Yucheng, this was the first time he had encountered such a big case and such a critical prisoner, and he had no experience at all.

"Prison Clerk Chen, do you have a specific plan?"

"It all depends on my lord's instructions."

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei gritted his teeth. At this time, he absolutely could not back down; the higher-ups could come to inspect at any time. If the superiors asked and he knew nothing, his job as Jiang Jiang Yucheng would be over.

"The rebel Great Ming Prince can only be locked in the Grade A prison cell."

"Does my lord want to consider it again? The Grade A prison cells are all used to lock up convicted officials." Chen Guanlou tried to decline; the rebel Great Ming Prince was a hot potato. If he could push it away, that would be for the best.

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei firmly opposed; among the three prisons, only the Grade A prison cell made him feel most at ease. Although he was very unhappy with Chen Guanlou and wished the other would die, when something happened, he still had to let Chen Guanlou take the lead.

He said sternly, "No need to consider. This official has looked into it; previously, rebels were also locked in the Heavenly Prison, and they were all locked in the Grade A prison cells. Prison Clerk Chen, I know your ability. You must come up with a plan for this matter as soon as possible. If you need anything, just ask, and this official will make everyone cooperate with you.

In short, you must ensure the safety of the rebel Great Ming Prince; this is the top priority, and you must never give the rebel Great Ming Prince a chance to commit suicide. Everyone above is watching this case, and the Great Ming Prince being locked in the Heavenly Prison must not have a single mistake. Otherwise, both you and I will lose our heads."

Chen Guanlou:...

His face sank, and he felt worried in his heart.

"My lord, this matter is difficult to handle!"

"Difficult or not, it must be handled. Locking the Great Ming Prince in the Heavenly Prison is an opportunity won by the officials of the Ministry of Justice after arguing for it. The Imperial Prison next door is almost crying with envy. Don't be ungrateful. You have so many people under your command, and the Great Ming Prince doesn't have three heads and six arms, and his martial power is limited; can't so many people watch over one little Great Ming Prince? The Heavenly Prison has locked up all kinds of people; there's no reason it can't lock up one rebel."

What Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei said made so much sense!

Chen Guanlou bared his teeth, "Since my lord has decided, then the Grade A prison cell will accept the order in the face of danger and be responsible for locking up the rebel Great Ming Prince. This little one will specifically pick out a cell to carry out the necessary modifications to ensure that the rebel Great Ming Prince won't die after being locked in."

"Not only must he not die, but you must also keep him healthy. His Majesty has already set the time; next spring, we will kill the rebel as an offering to Heaven to pray for favorable weather. Therefore, when the Great Ming Prince goes to the execution ground, it would be best if he looks like a normal person."

Chen Guanlou only felt a headache, "My lord, this requirement is a bit too high."

"You are so clever and full of strategies, you must have a way. This official believes in you."

"My lord thinks too highly of me."

"Prison Clerk Chen, don't belittle yourself. Many people praise you for being clever and capable; a mere Great Ming Prince certainly won't stump you. Don't forget, the Great Ming Prince was captured by Marquis Pingjiang, so you and the Great Ming Prince must have plenty of common topics to chat about. Chat more, it won't hurt."

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei was happy, very glad to see Chen Guanlou get snubbed.

This is a heavy burden!

Being so capable, one should bear a heavy burden.

At this moment, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei no longer resisted this task, and even thanked the Ministry of Justice official for taking the rebel Great Ming Prince over. Hahaha...

If Chen Guanlou didn't handle the job well and the rebel Great Ming Prince died in prison, well, he shouldn't. Chen Guanlou wasn't that incompetent, nor was he that unlucky; his luck was still pretty good.

Thus, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei was relieved!

The job was Chen Guanlou's, the credit was his, perfect!