Chapter 999: Causing trouble again

"Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen is here!"

An old voice came from the gray and dark prison cell.

"I'm here! How are you, old man?"

"Good! For the time being, I can't die yet."

This criminal official was surnamed Cai, an official from the previous Emperor's period, who had once served as the Minister of Personnel. Because he offended the previous Emperor, he was thrown into prison. And then there was no then; he was completely forgotten in the Heavenly Prison.

"Did your family send you money and clothes this year?"

"Not yet!"

After Old Cai was thrown into prison, the Cai family persisted for a few years. Later, they couldn't persist anymore and could only roll back to their ancestral home in disgrace. Every year, they entrusted people to bring him some money and clothes, making his days in prison easier.

"Old Cai, do you want to find someone to overturn your case? At least let your children and grandchildren take the imperial examinations!"

Chen Guanlou suggested kindly.

Having a father in prison, children and grandchildren couldn't take the imperial examinations. Even family members and relatives were implicated.

Old Cai shook his head. "They're all dead! Overturn what case."

"There are always some alive. You were so glorious back then; there are always a few juniors who remember your kindness. You write them a letter; maybe you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Look at your old age; don't you want to go home and retire for the last few years?"

"If they really remembered my kindness, they wouldn't have to wait until now."

"You can't blame them entirely. The previous Emperor was such a strong person; he killed whoever he wanted. Everyone was afraid of being implicated, or they were weak and couldn't get ahead. It's different now; the previous Emperor has been dead for several years, and your case might really be overturned."

Chen Guanlou sincerely persuaded him; regardless of whether there was hope, as long as the person wasn't dead, he had to try. What if it succeeded? That would be an unexpected joy!

Like winning the lottery!

Old Cai didn't make a sound.

Chen Guanlou persuaded again: "Your family over there, implicated by you, children and grandchildren can't take the imperial examinations, I'm afraid their days are not easy either, and if nothing goes wrong, they will only get harder year by year. Only by overturning the case will your children and grandchildren have hope.

You always say that your Cai descendants are all seeds of reading; they read books but can't become officials; who is willing? Your family is down and out and has no strength to overturn the case for you. Now you can only rely on yourself, rely on the incense kindness you left back then. Don't be stubborn, old man."

"I don't have money to hire you to run errands for me." Old Cai said bluntly.

Chen Guanlou laughed immediately. "You can write an IOU; I don't mind."

"You, you, you are really obsessed with money. Even wanting to earn Old Man's money."

"You're joking. I'm just earning some errand money. Or, you can borrow money from the bank; the bank hears your big name, and I think they are also willing to contribute to helping you get out."

"Don't! Old Man can't afford to owe usury!" Old Cai refused immediately. "Or, you can tell me first, who is in the court now. Let's see if I still know a few."

His case, if he wants to overturn it, must find someone in the court. Finding local officials is useless. Local officials have to rely on people in the court to help.

So many years have passed, and in the court, there are probably not many left who still remember Old Cai, who still remember that this person is locked in the Heavenly Prison.

Chen Guanlou started by introducing the Secretariat, then moved on to the Six Ministries and the Nine Ministers...

Old Cai kept his eyes closed and rested.

"The names are all very strange; the former colleagues are either dead or have retired."

Since he went to prison, the people in the court have changed seven or eight times; it's really not easy to find an old acquaintance.

"On the side of the nobility, is there anyone you are familiar with?"

The flowing court officials, the iron-clad noble families.

Hearing this, Old Cai gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Old Man was born in poverty and was often excluded and slandered by noble families back then. They didn't kill me all, which is already showing mercy, so how could they help an old man like me who is like a candle in the wind to overturn the case. Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen, I appreciate your good intentions. This is all fate!"

"You really accept your fate like this? Plan to die in prison, with the family bearing the stigma of the imperial criminal's family, and the descendants unable to take the imperial examinations. Are you willing?"

"What can I do if I'm not willing?" Old Cai was too old; moving a few times, the bones all over his body seemed to be falling apart.

He was already like a candle in the wind, and decades of prison life had long since worn away his arrogance and courage. What else is there to ask for if he can live.

Chen Guanlou clicked his tongue. "Old man, this is not called accepting fate; this is called heart as dead ashes. It's a pity you were a court official for so many years, and you couldn't even find a person to fish you out; you are really miserable."

Old Cai laughed happily. "These words are really right. Old Man often recalls and reflects; mixed in the officialdom for so many years, mixed to the end, lost all popularity, everyone treats me like an enemy, it's really a failure! You don't care about me, let me die here. Anyway, I can't eat much food and can't spend much money. The Heavenly Prison raises me, it doesn't take much effort."

Chen Guanlou really wanted to say that this is not a question of money.

Thinking about it, what is the use of saying these things.

He exhorted: "You think about it again, I'm leaving first. If you change your mind, just tell the handyman who delivers the food."

"Thank you!" Old Cai waved his hand to see him off.

After patrolling the prison cells, he returned to the office to drink tea.

This summer was exceptionally hot, clearly much hotter than last year. Two pots of ice were placed in the office to cool down the heat.

Medical Official Mu came to rub the cool air and drank a bowl of iced mung bean porridge, feeling refreshed to the sky.

"It's still comfortable here, my lord, warm in winter and cool in summer."

"It's cooler in the big prison."

"The big prison doesn't have the transparency and good smell here. By the way, my lord, you have to tell Prison Clerk Xu to hit less money. In such hot weather, the prisoner's injuries are too heavy, and it's easy to die from serious injuries. One died last night; he was punished too heavily, and the wound festered and died without being saved."

"Who died? I haven't had time to look at the documents sent by Mu Qingshan."

"It seems to be an associate of a homicide case. There is a detailed record in the file; my lord, you can see it at a glance if you flip through it." Medical Official Mu reminded.

Chen Guanlou flipped through the death personnel files that needed to be signed and sealed from the pile of documents.

"A suspect in the extermination case was actually beaten to death by Xu Fugui using heavy punishment. How is he doing things? This case is still under investigation, and the Six Shanmen have only interrogated it twice, and the case still has to be tried. He beat the person to death; tomorrow when the Six Shanmen ask, it will be another war of words. Simply playing the piano in chaos!"

Chen Guanlou was increasingly annoyed with Xu Fugui, who had been doing things in a hurry and had no sense of the overall situation.

"I watched coldly, and Prison Clerk Xu's mind was not on official business at all. If it really doesn't work, just imitate what you did back then, my lord, and set up another prison clerk in the Bing-grade prison."

Chen Guanlou nodded.

He had always wanted to replace Xu Fugui, but because of old feelings, he hadn't taken action.

Ma Liu's case just ended, and another new accident was caused.

If Xu Fugui was willing to use half of his mind on official business, he wouldn't make mistakes frequently. He dared to use heavy punishment on prisoners whose cases hadn't been closed yet, beating people to death, simply adding chaos.

"Can't let the Bing-grade prison continue to be chaotic because of old feelings." ===== CHAPTER 1000 =====