...
After Scholar Su left Sky Prison, the prison cell to Xu Xing's left became vacant.
It wasn't until yesterday that another condemned official was brought in.
This official's surname was Tian; he was a Vice Prefect of Ru State. It was said that he had missed the appointed hour when dispatching supplies to the Imperial Court Army, leading to their disastrous defeat. Consequently, he was personally arrested and questioned by the Imperial Envoy and was sent to Shenjing to await punishment from the Ministry of Justice.
Vice Prefect Tian had a sickly, sallow complexion and disheveled hair; his spirit and appearance were even worse than Xu Xing's had been initially. One glance revealed that his long journey to prison had nearly cost him his life.
Xu Xing was happy to perform a good deed. Just as he had treated Scholar Su and Chang Ji before, he gave Vice Prefect Tian some meat every day.
On the second day of Vice Prefect Tian's imprisonment, which was also the fifth day after Princess Anren's grand wedding, a shrill eunuch's voice suddenly emanated from Prison Cell D, separated from Xu Xing's by only a single wall.
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Official Zheng Changshan is guilty of corruption and perverting the law for personal gain, secretly accepting bribes, covertly amassing soldiers with the intention to rebel... However, in consideration of Zheng Changshan's many contributions while serving in the Inspectorate, where he repeatedly offered honest counsel beneficial to the state, he is spared the extermination of his three clans. Only he is sentenced to drink the poison wine. The male members of his family are to be exiled three thousand miles, and the female members are to be consigned to the Bureau of Music... By Imperial Edict!"
Prison Cell D Thirty-Two.
The python-robed eunuch, his formal recitation concluded, lowered his voice slightly. "Mr. Zheng, please accept the Imperial Decree."
He rolled up the Imperial Decree and handed it to Zheng Yushi.
Seeing that Zheng Yushi refused to accept it, the python-robed eunuch sighed. "Mr. Zheng, you know the Prince's temperament. You could have submitted a petition at any other time, but you absolutely should not have done so on the day of the Princess's wedding."
"The Prince... is still being somewhat restrained," he said in a low voice.
Zheng Yushi was shocked upon hearing this.
The python-robed eunuch was one of Emperor Chongming's trusted aides, Li Enlu, keeper of the imperial seal. Li Enlu had an excellent reputation both in and out of court. He was known for not being corrupt or self-serving, nor did he engage in factionalism; his personal integrity was considered flawless. When scholars outside the court denounced the eunuch faction, they would deliberately omit the name of Li Enlu, the eunuch who held the imperial seal. Similarly, Li Enlu was known for being reasonable.
Now that Li Enlu had said the Prince was still somewhat restrained, it implied that if he didn't give Emperor Chongming a satisfactory answer, more than just he would die.
"I, your subject... thank Your Majesty for your profound grace." Zheng Yushi managed a reluctant smile, kowtowed three times facing south—the direction of the Imperial Palace's Ziwei Palace—and accepted the Imperial Decree.
「Before long.」
In Cell D Thirty-Two, only Zheng Yushi and a flask of Pigeon Wine on a lacquered wooden tray remained.
"Alas! Woe is me!"
"I, Zheng Changshan, studied hard for thirteen years, entered the examinations for the Book of Documents at the age of twenty, and became a Flower Explorer. At twenty-one, I served as a Secretary Lang, earning the previous Emperor's recognition. At twenty-seven, I entered the Inspectorate, serving as Deputy Chief Censor..."
"After decades of ups and downs in my official career, I never expected such an end."
Zheng Yushi picked up the Pigeon Wine, his reflection filled with self-pity.
He had been prudent for most of his life; who would have thought impulsiveness would get the better of him in his old age?
However, at this moment, from the wall near where he sat, a series of sounds suddenly emerged.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
It sounded like knocking.
Zheng Yushi subconsciously leaned closer to the wall, which was coated with lime wash.
"Mr. Zheng."
"Do you have any last words?"
"This humble official can relay them for you..."
A young man's voice came from the neighboring cell.
"Who are you?" Zheng Yushi frowned.
He hadn't expected the soundproofing in Sky Prison to be so poor; the walls were evidently quite thin.
"I am also a condemned official from Guanxi Road."
"I heard that Mr. Zheng has spoken out for justice..."
"Although this humble official lacks the ability to rescue Mr. Zheng, helping with some minor matters is still within my capacity..."
Xu Xing had no intention of revealing his true identity to Zheng Yushi.
Their supposed "father-in-law and son-in-law" relationship was hardly harmonious. If Zheng Yushi weren't about to die... Xu Xing wouldn't mind irking him if an opportunity arose in the future. After all, by custom, even though he hadn't formally delivered the betrothal proposal to the Zheng family's door, he was, in a sense, already their son-in-law... Yet the Zheng family had shown him no concern, not even visiting him once in Sky Prison...
But—
Regardless, Zheng Yushi was dying because he had remonstrated with the throne on behalf of the millions of disaster victims in the Guanxi Road.
Those who carry firewood for others must not be allowed to freeze to death in the wind and snow!
This should be the most fundamental of principles.
"I have died for a worthy cause!"
"A hundred years from now, the common folk will surely erect a monument for this old man and spit upon the high-ranking officials of this court..."
Zheng Yushi had initially felt a wave of sorrow, but upon hearing Xu Xing's words, he suddenly felt that his decision to remonstrate, even unto death, was not wrong. It was a meaningful act.
To die in obscurity... and to die with a name that echoes through the ages... they were truly not the same.
"I don't have many last words."
"My only regret is the shame I've brought upon my kin..."
"To achieve fame for myself while condemning my family to such a desolate fate—it is my failing. I have a separate residence in Shenjing's Chang Le Alley, where three thousand taels of silver and correspondence with friends and relatives are hidden."
"The silver shall be your remuneration, Sir. As for the letters... I implore you, Sir, to take these letters and seek out my friends and relatives. See if they can find a way to rescue my kin."
Zheng Yushi spoke each sentence slowly, ensuring Xu Xing could hear every word clearly.
After Xu Xing gave him a definite affirmation, he no longer hesitated, tilted his head back, and drank the Pigeon Wine.
「...」
No more sounds came from Prison Cell D.
Xu Xing drew his ear away from the wall. With only a wall separating him from Zheng Yushi, and his internal energy making his senses far sharper than an ordinary person's, Xu Xing could still make out what was said, though not with perfect clarity. Therefore, there was no need to worry about anyone else overhearing Zheng Yushi.
However, in Sky Prison D, someone else had heard his words.
Wu, the book handler, cupped his hands towards Xu Xing. "Mr. Xu, your willingness to relay Mr. Zheng's last words, setting aside any prior grievances, is truly admirable."
Shenjing was large, but not so large that news didn't travel. In Xu Xing's first few days in prison, many prison officers had worried that Zheng Yushi might inquire about him. After all, there was a connection between Xu Xing and Zheng Yushi.
Unexpectedly, Zheng Yushi never asked about Xu Xing at all, and this affair became a source of amusement for the Sky Prison officers during their breaks. They chuckled at how Zheng Yushi seemed to adapt to circumstances and how Xu Xing appeared to have no one to rely on.
"It was just a moment of compassion," Xu Xing shook his head, unwilling to elaborate.
Seeing this, Wu, the book handler, said no more.
「About a quarter of an hour later,」
Xu Xing spoke up, "I've finished writing my mathematics treatises, so I won't need any more paper and pen in the future. Wu, the book handler, thank you for your trouble during this time."
Initially, he had requested writing materials to make things easier in the Instance World. Now, with the White Destiny [Knowledgeable] and [Wenchang], his progress in his studies was advancing by leaps and bounds. He possessed a near-photographic memory, so there was no longer any need to painstakingly copy out models of Eight-legged essays. Therefore, the paper, ink, and brushes were now completely useless to him. On the contrary, having Wu, the book handler, around was just an eyesore and not beneficial.
Sky Prison soon returned to its previous quietude.
Wu, the book handler, for his part, couldn't wait to leave the godforsaken place that was Sky Prison as soon as possible.
「At night,」
Vice Prefect Tian, who had just been imprisoned, took the initiative to speak.
And Xu Xing...
had also been waiting for a long time.