Joy of Life

All of the governmental yamens could be used to hold prisoners. In Jingdou, there were many such places. Counting from the Jingdou government, there were seven yamens that had the authority in Qing law to detain prisoners. The prisoners who were related to court politics, as well as those who had committed the most heinous crimes, were often held in the prison of the Ministry of Justice, annex of the Supreme Court, and Overwatch Council jail. These were places the common people thought of as a bottomless abyss and often appeared in novels as Celestial Prisons.

After the Overwatch Council was built, those who played a powerful and sinister role in court politics and high-ranking officials who were captured were all kept there. Extraordinary people with special skills were kept there underground long-term. The level of the prison gradually rose above that of the Ministry of Justice and Supreme Court. It became a Celestial Prison in both name and reality.

The Celestial Prison was very close to the Overwatch Council. Walking out from the square and sinister building, one only had to turn a corner to see the two heavy metal doors. Naturally, there was a secret passageway directly from the inside of the Overwatch Council to the Celestial Prison. One only had to head further back from the large courtyard in the back and pass through a small door to reach it.

No matter which direction one entered the Overwatch Council’s prison, the first thing one saw was a deep tunnel. The prison responsible for holding important prisoners was deep underground and tightly guarded. There was no need to worry about such things as prison escapes or rescues.

Following the passage down, the air grew more stagnate as the light grew dimmer. Although there was good ventilation equipment set up down, decades of stale air mixed together. It always gave one a terrifying and suffocating feeling.

Following the tunnel to the deepest area, one passes by a few common prison cells before arriving at the cells in the lowest area. It was guarded the strictest. Currently, it was not the same as usual. The expressions of the Seven Bureau officials responsible for guarding the Celestial Prison were unusually complicated. The entire prison was filled with aces not from the Council.

For example, the imperial soldiers, aces from the Dingzhou army, aces from the internal court. On either side of the single passage leading to the lowest level, there were four strangers wearing straw hats and hemp clothing standing silently. No one knew the identity of these four people. One could clearly sense the powerful aura flowing around their bodies. These four people had been sent by the Emperor.

The Emperor-assassinating imperial criminal Chen Pingping was locked up in the lowest level of the Overwatch Council’s prison. Perhaps even this incredible and terrifying person had not thought that one day he would be shut in there while he designed this prison.

The Emperor’s intentions in keeping Chen Pingping in the Overwatch Council, rather than in the Palace or in the annex in the Supreme Court, were unusually clear. If the Overwatch Council pitied their old Director and was willing to risk everything to rescue him, then leaving him in this prison would allow him to see the thoughts of the officials of the Overwatch Council more clearly.

If there were enemies in the world, it would make them jump out earlier and higher. From the day he sat down on the throne, the Qing Emperor had acted in this way. Including the Dong Mountain incident three years ago and Jingdou rebellion, each was like this. Probably only the Emperor, a strange creature who embodied two peak positions, would use such a method, which was crazy with confidence and suspicious to the point of enticing crime.

However, the Emperor did not know that the fire burning in the hearts of the Overwatch Council officials had been quenched by Chen Pingping with a single finger before his death. Thus, the 10,000 elite Qing troops stationed outside the Overwatch Council were not used. The aces forcibly stationed in the prison of the Seventh Bureau kept a cautious eye on their surroundings and did not discover any trace of the Overwatch Council’s rebellion.

It was cold and damp below the ground, but there was no trace of moss on the stones steps and walls. It looked like the Seventh Bureau was careful cleaning. Light yellow torches, with specially formulated oil, burned outside the cell in the deepest level of the prison. It brightly illuminated the netherworld-like place.

In the lowest level, there were only two cells. They had been forcibly carved into the granite. No one knew how thick or deep the back wall was. The front of the cells were barred by thick and heavy metal doors. Compared to the metal doors at the entrance to the Celestial Prince, they weren’t much lighter.

This was the most sinister place in the Qing Kingdom. Very few people had the right to be shut in there. From when the Overwatch Council had been built decades ago, the cells in the netherworld level of the prison had only kept one person. That person’s name was Xiao En, and he had been shut up for decades.

Now, Chen Pingping was also locked up here.

…

…

The metal door of the cell was not closed, so the light poured in, clearly illuminating all of the furnishings inside the cell. There was bed, basin of water, and some items. It was not as people imagined, with only straw, mice, and dirt. On the contrary, this cell was very clean, perhaps even overly clean and simple. There wasn’t even a cockroach to be seen.

Chen Pingping lay on the bed, breathing slowly with his eyes tightly closed. His white hair was splayed messily by his face. Although the wound on his chest had long been bandaged by the imperial doctor, he had lost too much blood. His face was a deathly white color. His breathing seemed difficult. Each time he took a breath, it made his wizened chest seem like aged machinery. It would struggle, and the sound of broken bellows would come from his throat.

On the long bench outside the cell, four people sat in order. Yan Bingyun, He Zongwei, the eunuch, and the imperial doctor.

These four people would watch this old man the entire time to ensure that he did not die or escape. They ensured that he remained in this half-dazed, almost dead state until the court conference, when his crime was set, and he received the Emperor’s anger in front of the Royal Palace under the gazes of tens of thousands of people.

Yan Bingyun’s face was slightly pale. He calmly watched the old man on the bed, thinking about something to himself. To his side, He Zongwei glanced at him with an indifferent expression. He was not very worried. The Overwatch Council prison was completely under the control of the army. Even if there were restless insurgents within the Overwatch Council, it was completely impossible for them to kill their way to the lowest level and rescue Chen Pingping without a leader.

Looking at Chen Pingping’s dying body, He Zongwei’s brows furrowed. He felt a chill. This matter started with his fear toward Fan Xian. The conclusion of this matter had nothing to do with him at all. His thoughts were slightly confused and apprehensive. He didn’t know how much further he had to continue down this dark path to reach the end. If he did reach the end, would he be like the old cripple in front of him and still not be able to have a good end?

But He Zongwei had to continue on. From the moment the Emperor took a liking to him and had him stand against Fan Xian, he could no longer turn back. That was why he had let out that shout in the Palace to ensure that Chen Pingping and the Overwatch Council’s crimes were made real. Only with this could he make Fan Xian, who was about to return to the capital any day, go crazy because of Chen Pingping’s cruel death.

All of the civil and martial officials in the Qing court and other major figures were all worried right now that Fan Xian would go crazy. He Zongwei hoped that Fan Xian would go crazy. If Fan Xian really was so cold-blooded and did not care at all about Chen Pingping’s death and the humiliation the Overwatch Council had endured, then he would remain the lofty Duke of Danbo, with only the Emperor above him.

Such a ruthless, cold, and indifferent Duke of Danbo was not an enemy He Zongwei wanted to face. He Zongwei hoped that Fan Xian was a young, hot-blooded, and powerful official that would turn against the Emperor because of this matter. Only with this, could he obtain a lifetime of glory and wealth standing behind the Emperor.

Just as he was deep in thought, Yan Bingyun suddenly said, “Scholar He, do you know who those four people outside are?”

He Zongwei glanced at Yan Bingyun and shook his head without replying. He knew that he was talking about the four mysterious figure wearing hemp clothing and straw hats. These four people held imperial edicts in their hands. Their authority was even higher than that of the Imperial Army. They were specifically responsible for guarding Chen Pingping. No one knew where the Royal Palace had suddenly found these four aces. He Zongwei also didn’t know. He looked at Yan Bingyun as other thoughts began to rise in his mind.

When the Emperor had wanted to introduce new blood into the court, the Seven Gentlemen had entered the palace. Each was solemnly entrusted a task. Other than Qin Heng, who was tragically killed by the silver-masked Black Knight, Jing Ge, because of his family’s rebellion, the other six had gradually risen in court. Without a doubt, these young officials were being prepared by the Emperor for the future.

Among the six of them, He Zongwei had the highest reputation and position, implicitly in the lead. Looking at Yan Bingyun’s cold as ice face, Scholar He felt a chill and faint fear in his heart.

Throughout his life, what he was most afraid of was someone like him. Someone who was adept at choosing a powerful camp and disguising themselves. Once it was time to act, they acted with unusual ruthlessness. Chen Pingping had attempted to assassinate the Emperor. Yan Bingyun had long taken precautions and counter-measures within the Overwatch Council. This reality made He Zongwei feel a glimmer of shock. He realized that Sir Yan junior was naturally cold and particularly unfeeling. Furthermore, it was clear that Yan Bingyun knew more about this matter than he did. In other words, the Emperor’s trust in this man was more than in him.

Yan Bingyun did not notice what the popular scholar was thinking. He was just quietly looking at the old man in the cell with a complicated and calm expression in his eyes.

The old man had given his entire life to the Qing Kingdom and taxed himself too far. He had fought on the battlefields earlier in his life and taken countless heavy injuries. These years, he had become half paralyzed. His qi and blood did not flow smoothly. All of these factors combined to cause the foremost strategist to age particularly quickly. The wrinkled face and silvery hair appeared particularly old. The life force in his body had almost run dry.

Inside the royal study today, the Emperor had contained his anger before attacking. Although he was heavily injured and controlled his strength, that porcelain cup had still severed Chen Pingping’s life. Without needing the imperial doctor to say anything, Yan Bingyun could tell that the old Director’s life was up. If it were not for the precious medicines in the Palace sustaining his life, he would probably not make it to the execution field before saying farewell to this world.

With this thought, a difficult to perceive darkness flashed through his eyes.

Chen Pingping’s long unconscious body suddenly moved. The imperial doctor quickly went forward to take his pulse. After a long time, Chen Pingping opened his eyes with great difficulty and took in his surroundings. It was as if the first thing he needed to do was to confirm where he was. Then, the dry lips quirked slightly. For some reason, he smiled.

Chen Pingping’s gaze was unclear. It no longer had much light. He glanced at Yan Bingyun coldly. Yan Bingyun also glanced at him, just as coldly.

…

…

Time passed without measure in the mountains, and time passed without measure underground. After an indeterminable amount of time, the bright torches continued to burn without a care for their lives. After passing a very tense night, the people in the Overwatch Council’s Celestial Prison, who did not sleep all night, all felt a sense of exhaustion.

He Zongwei rubbed his eyes and unconsciously glanced toward a window but saw a rock face instead. It was only now that he remembered he was below the ground. The sound of footsteps rang out from the stone steps behind the cell. Following these footsteps, an edict announcing eunuch came to outside of the cell.

He Zongwei’s expression grew stern. The imperial doctor’s expression relaxed. The expression of the eunuch standing guard tightened. Yan Bingyun remained expressionless. The people responsible for watching the imperial criminal Chen Pingping all knew. The time had finally come.

…

…

A red sun had already risen above the clouds in the east, warmly shining on all of the buildings in Jingdou. The group who walked out of the Celestial Prison stood amidst the morning light. Each unconsciously narrowed their eyes. After a night of tension, nothing had happened. Regardless of whether it was He Zongwei, Yan Bingyun, or the imperial soldiers responsible for the defense, all of their energies had reached a point of exhaustion.

He Zongwei gently waved his hand. In front of hundreds of fully armored imperial soldiers, a black carriage stopped in front of the Celestial Prison. Chen Pingping, lying on the stretcher, was carried in again.

Yan Bingyun narrowed his eyes and looked at the shining Royal Palace. He knew that the court conference had already begun. Presumably, the officials of various ministries were in Taiji Palace criticizing Chen Pingping’s great treason with righteous indignation. The crimes the civil officials had prepared for many years finally had the chance to be thrown over the old dog’s neck.

Imperial criminal Chen Pingping was carried out of the Celestial Prison toward the path of death. All around, the soldiers sternly and nervously undertook the task of defense. Yan Bingyun and his most trusted Overwatch Council subordinates fell to the very back. They then heard a message.

The old servant who had been by Chen Pingping’s side for decades, the old servant who had driven the carriage that brought Chen Pingping back to the capital, had also been escorted to the Overwatch Council’s Celestial Prison last night. He had learned that the master he had served for decades was about to enter the execution field and had run head-first into the wall and committed suicide within the cell. His blood covered the walls.

Hearing this news, wetness appeared in Yan Bingyun’s eyes, but he forced them back. Raising his face, he stopped looking at the Royal Palace in case tears mixed with complicated emotions fell in front of so many people.

He raised his head and saw countless rain clouds form out of nowhere pile quickly in the sky above Jingdou. They fully blocked out the newly risen sun, allowing a patch of darkness to envelop the buildings and trees inside the city.

Another bout of autumn rain was about to fall.