Chapter 968: Snowstorm Prison Temple (Part 1)
As the prison of the Ministry of Justice, the only thing in common between the Prison Temple and the Wangjiang Tower at the street corner is that 'no ordinary people come and go'.
Just after the beginning of winter [November 8th], a heavy snow arrived as expected.
Even the business of Wangjiang Tower was affected, but the business in front of the Prison God Temple suddenly became lively.
Those who came to deliver bedding rolls, those who came to pay tribute to the charcoal stove, and those who came to buy winter clothes could be lined up for a hundred steps.
In addition, the inmates deliberately made trouble for the prisoners until the evening, and there were still many southern guests who failed to "pass the checkpoint" and could only stand in front of the gate with their hands clasped, their feet stamped, and their shoulders shrunk, cursing in the streets.
This is not because the inmates discriminate against different regions. In fact, the northerners have already prepared all the items for winter, and most of those who only prepare for winter when they see snow are relatives and servants of the southern prisoners.
Especially this year, because of the involvement of the Zhen family in Jiangnan, there are many more newly-convicted officials from the south than in previous years, which is why such a strange scene occurred.
However, as the sky gradually darkened, the jailer who had been shouting through the iron gate finally walked out leisurely.
However, the relatives of the prisoner who were waiting against the wall were shocked instead of happy when they saw this.
The jailer glanced at the crowd nonchalantly, and said vaguely with a mouthful of thick phlegm: "Everyone go away, everyone go away, that's all for today, come back tomorrow morning."
Having said that, he turned around and went back to the prison.
But these 'family members' of the imprisoned officials had been guarding in the wind and snow for most of the day, their intestines were almost frozen green, how could they be willing to leave like this?
At that moment, several people swarmed forward, some blocked the road, some pulled, each of them cursing in their hearts but saying auspicious words with a smile on their brows.
"Sir, it's not easy for anyone to be in this heavy snow... How about we gather a table and have a good meal to cheer you up?"
"That's right, I still have two jars of good wine, which is the best way to drive away the cold..."
"These two boxes of snacks were brought from the south..."
Faced with such hospitality, the jailer pouted and said with his neck stiff, "Don't give me that. Do you think I need a meal? It's getting dark now. What if we are blinded by the temptation and let you sneak in some forbidden items? Will we be able to bear the consequences or will you be able to bear the consequences?"
As he spoke, he threw back his sleeves and made a move to leave.
"No, no, no, please don't be anxious. How about this? We can pool some money for lamp oil and you can light a few more lamps to make it brighter so you won't see anything wrong."
As he said this, he turned around and gave everyone a wink.
In fact, there were some people who did not want to be taken advantage of, but in front of the jailer, they did not dare to sing a different tune. They could only bite the bullet and gather around to discuss how much money they should raise for food, wine, and lamp oil.
As we were talking to each other, we saw two carriages slowly driving over.
"Hey, isn't this Master Cheng?!"
Still at a distance, the yamen runner who claimed to be short-sighted came forward eagerly, the phlegm in his mouth completely dissolved, and he shouted in a crisp and festive voice: "Why are you here in this heavy snow? Are you delivering something, or..."
Before he could finish his words, the driver had already pulled the reins, casually threw two taels of silver coins to him, and whispered, "My second master and first mistress are both in the carriage, so those who are idle should get out of the way and don't bump into them."
"What are you talking about? I'd like to thank Master Cheng for his reward first!"
The jailer took it with a flattering look on his face, then turned around and immediately turned cold, shouting, "Didn't you listen to me? Everyone, go away, quickly!"
When the relatives of the imprisoned officials saw what had just happened, they guessed that a distinguished person had come, so they did not dare to make any fuss. The leader came up and said, "Officer, we have just collected the money for the lamp oil, please see..."
"We'll talk later!"
The jailer quickly winked and shouted, "Get out of here right now, you motherfuckers! Do you think this is a market?"
The leader got the confirmation and turned back to explain briefly, and then everyone retreated more than 20 steps away.
Through the wind and snow, a burly man was seen getting off the first car, followed by three women. At this time, even the jailers inside came out to greet them, each of them bowing and scraping, not daring to even raise their heads.
Looking from a distance, they look more and more like a group of shrimp soldiers and crab generals.
The relatives of the prisoners waited for a while, and when they saw the jailer coming back, they hurriedly came forward and handed over the silver they had collected.
The silver was handed over, but one still had to wait outside one by one.
Compared with the treatment of those people just now, it is inevitable that some people will complain.
"We have eight taels of silver each and we have to sit here in the cold, but they only have two taels and three coins to buy a few pugs!"
"Can silver be the same as silver?"
Someone nearby sneered, "That gentleman, let alone returning the silver, even if he didn't give a penny, who in the Ministry of Justice would dare to neglect him even a little bit?!"
When everyone heard this , they knew that he had figured out the person's background, so they couldn't help but gather around to find out.
The man said something hypocritical for a few seconds before finally revealing the answer in a low voice: "As soon as that gentleman got off the car, I recognized him. He was none other than Lord Sun, the Junior Official of the Dali Temple!"
Everyone suddenly understood.
"No wonder! He is the crown prince's confidant. Seeing that he has made great contributions, who would dare to offend him?"
"Not only that! I heard that after the New Year, Lord Sun will be promoted to the Minister of Justice. Tell me, who in the Ministry of Justice won't be trying to curry favor with him?"
"Alas, I heard that Lord Sun is not even thirty years old. He is really..."
…
Not to mention what's happening outside the door.
However, after Sun Shaozong and others entered, they changed several waves of jailers along the way, and finally, under the guidance of two old women, they came to the women's prison of the Prison Temple.
After that, he made many twists and turns and finally found a secluded cell.
"Yuanyang, you stay outside and watch."
After the old woman who led the way unlocked the door, Sun Shaozong gave an order and pushed the door open. He first invited his sister-in-law Jia Yingchun in, then slipped in and closed the door.
Bang!
As soon as the iron door closed, a figure jumped out from beside the oil lamp and rushed into Sun Shaozong's arms, punching and kicking him while crying, "You enemy, why didn't you come to see me for so long?!"
After a while, she raised her head with tears in her eyes, but it was not the domineering Wang Xifeng of the past. Who else could it be?
Since Jia Yingchun had joined hands with her to fight against the Japanese more than once, Sun Shaozong had nothing to hide. He hugged her and sat at the head of the bed, explaining, "This is a women's prison after all. How can a man like me come and go so often? Besides, don't Ping'er and Xiuyan come to see you every now and then?"
Wang Xifeng didn't say anything either, but buried her head in Sun Shaozong's arms, holding his clothes tightly, as if she was afraid of being abandoned by him.
Because of Lin Hongyu's case, she had been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice since the end of September. The case was originally taken over by Jia Yucun, but although he acted like he was willing to sacrifice his relatives for the sake of justice, he was, after all, related to the Jia family and should have recused himself according to the law.
Similarly, because Sun Shaozong was also the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, the Dali Temple also had to avoid suspicion, and finally the case fell to the Ministry of Justice.
However, the Ministry of Justice has not yet held a court hearing to try the case, and has only temporarily detained her in the Prison Temple.
This stage lasted more than a month.
Even though Sun Shaozong promised several times that he would rescue her from prison, Wang Xifeng still felt uneasy and unable to sleep or eat.
Seeing that Feng Lazi was like a frightened bird, Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment, lowered his head and whispered: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid that your spring and autumn will not last long. When the crown prince ascends the throne and pardons the world, there will naturally be a time for you to see the light of day."
Wang Xifeng widened her eyes when she heard this and almost cried out in surprise.
"Shh!"
Sun Shaozong quickly pressed his fingers against her lips and warned her solemnly: "These words come out of my mouth and enter your ears, don't let others hear them!"
Wang Xifeng nodded solemnly, indicating that she understood clearly.
However, when she calmed down, she couldn't help but question: "The prince also hates my family deeply. I'm thankful that he didn't add insult to injury after ascending the throne. How could he forgive my crime of murder?"
“This…”
Sun Shaozong smacked his lips, feeling somewhat embarrassed to speak. After Wang Xifeng's repeated urging, he finally revealed the truth: "As for the Crown Prince, I'm afraid that the responsibility will still fall on my second brother."
"Jia Lian?"
Wang Xifeng was stunned again, and asked in confusion, "How did you get involved with him?"
"It's a long story. A few days ago, the prince came to Wangjiang Tower in person..."
It turned out that a while ago, the prince came to Wangjiang Tower in person and specifically asked Jia Lian to perform on stage.
This was originally intended to humiliate Jia Lian so that he could vent his anger in advance.
Who would have thought that things would take a turn for the better, and Jia Lian, dressed as a woman, inexplicably caught the prince's eye. Now he has been brought back to the palace and has become the prince's concubine.
Now, these two, who are neither male nor female, are very close to each other. In terms of closeness, they are probably even closer than Sun Shaozong, the hero who followed the emperor to the throne.
After hearing the whole story, Wang Xifeng was stunned and didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
After a long time, she came to her senses a little, and saw that Sun Shaozong seemed to be hesitant to speak, and thought that he was a little jealous, so she chuckled, and while groping down along the waist, she said jokingly with a seductive look: "You know him, even if he really gets the upper hand from the prince, he is on your side in his heart..."
"Of course I know that."
Sun Shaozong changed his sitting position and flirted with her with his hands and mouth. Then he stood up and winked at Jia Yingchun: "You two sisters-in-law are talking. I'll go outside and give her some advice."
Having said this, he put Wang Xifeng, who was reluctant to leave, on the bed, then got up and left the cell.
After going out, I saw Yuanyang and the two old women hiding far away, obviously because they were afraid of hearing something they shouldn't hear.
Seeing Sun Shaozong coming out, they all gathered together and waited for orders.
Then Sun Shaozong asked, "Where are the women of Baolinghou's family being held now?"
