Ch 33: Am I A Prisoner Or Not?

Bang!

The heavy prison door slammed shut, the sound echoing in the cold prison cell.

Lin Che blinked. Seeing several Bright Mirror Guards about to leave, what was going on?

“Hey, hey, hey. Wait a minute. What are you doing?”

Lin Che grabbed the cold prison door with both hands and shouted at the Bright Mirror Guards.

They said nothing, took him back to the Bright Mirror Department, and locked him up directly?

Without interrogation.

Without even putting shackles or iron chains on him.

Just directly into the prison cell.

What was going on?

“Stay put, and think about what crime you’ve committed. We’ll come and interrogate you!”

Bai Shouleng left with a single sentence. After a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and said:

“I advise you, don’t get any clever ideas. In the Bright Mirror Department, even princes, imperial princes, and first-rank ministers have been arrested, and even died within its walls. You, a mere Baron Jing’an, are nothing!”

“Alright—I haven’t had lunch yet. Do you provide meals?” Lin Che asked with a grin.

Bai Shouleng didn’t answer and left directly.

Lin Che watched Bai Shouleng leave, his smile disappearing immediately.

He quickly walked to the wooden bed, lay down, and closed his eyes directly.

To outsiders, he appeared to be sleeping.

In reality, his mind was racing.

What crime had he committed?

The Bright Mirror Department arresting him shouldn’t be simple.

Was it because he spearheaded the public donation list, offending many people?

That shouldn’t be the case either. Grand Scholar Ji led the effort, and Your Majesty fully supported it. Who would dare to target him for this?

Could it be the Zhou family? Zhou Xianchun was the one he had sent to the Bright Mirror Department via an Imperial Complaint, and that fellow’s grandfather was the former Vice Minister of Revenue.

That’s wrong too. Earlier, at the Drunken Moon Tower, he proactively met with the former Vice Minister of Revenue, intending to swindle some money from the Zhou family, but the Zhou family didn’t have that attitude.

They seemed very afraid of Your Majesty’s rebuke.

What else could it be?

Zhen Guo Mansion?

Could it be the beating he gave Lin Yaoguang? But there’s no reason anyone would have found out it was him. It’s only been a day and a night, even if the Bright Mirror Department wanted to investigate, how could they find him so quickly?

Lin Che opened his eyes and looked at his hands and feet again. He really didn’t look like a prisoner.

He hadn’t changed into prison garb, and even his belongings hadn’t been searched; his silver notes were still there.

What’s the meaning of locking up this old man?

As he was thinking, suddenly there was another “Bang——” sound from outside.

The outer iron door opened, and two Bright Mirror Guards dragged a prisoner in, one on each arm.

This prisoner was disheveled and covered in blood, clearly having been severely beaten.

It seemed he had been beaten into unconsciousness.

Bang, bang.

The two Bright Mirror Guards locked this prisoner in the cell next to Lin Che’s.

“Such a stubborn bone, had to use torture. Humph,” one Bright Mirror Guard muttered viciously while locking the cell door.

“Do you think he really didn’t do it? Otherwise, it’s been so long. He would have confessed everything by now,” the other Bright Mirror Guard responded doubtfully.

“He definitely did it, he’s just guarding his secrets and refusing to confess. Let’s go, let’s go.” The two Bright Mirror Guards chatted for a bit and left.

Lin Che glanced at the prisoner next door. It looked like the man was dead, left motionless in the cell for so long.

Thus, Lin Che kept thinking and waiting.

Finally, evening arrived.

A Bright Mirror Guard personally brought in a meal, it was dinner for the prisoners.

“Yours!”

The Bright Mirror Guard placed a meal outside the iron door.

Lin Che took a look. There were two bowls, one containing congee, and the other, also congee.

“Hey, hey, hey, how am I supposed to eat this? Can you change it to something with meat?”

The Bright Mirror Guard was about to get angry, but after looking at Lin Che, he smiled and said:

“Sure. Want meat? You have to pay.”

Lin Che didn’t stand on ceremony, patted his pocket, and took out a one hundred taels silver note:

“Get me something better. This is all yours.”

The Bright Mirror Guard’s eyes lit up. He was about to reach for the money, but he stopped:

“One hundred taels isn’t enough, make it one thousand taels. I have a few brothers outside.”

“Fine. Bring the food first. I’m locked here, I can’t run.”

The Bright Mirror Guard thought it made sense and went immediately.

Not long after, he returned.

This time, he carried two baskets. Upon opening them, there was quite a lot of delicious food inside. It seemed to have been bought from a nearby inn.

He also thoughtfully provided Lin Che with a pot of wine.

Damn.

Money makes the world go round.

It’s absolutely true.

Lin Che even thought that if he took out ten thousand taels, these Bright Mirror Guards could help him find a woman to spend the night with.

Money for food, food for money.

The transaction was successfully completed.

“Haha. Enjoy your meal, I’ll be back tomorrow morning to collect.” The Bright Mirror Guard didn’t hesitate at all. He took the one thousand taels silver note and left happily.

Lin Che looked at the two baskets and became even more curious.

Most importantly, the Bright Mirror Guard definitely knew he had silver notes on him, yet he didn’t come to confiscate them.

This was quite intriguing.

Damn, am I even a prisoner?

Lin Che placed all the food on the ground, just about to start eating, when he suddenly remembered something.

His gaze shifted to the bloody prisoner in the adjacent cell.

“Hey, hey, hey. Brother. Not dead yet? Everyone else has food, why don’t you?”

Lin Che quickly took out a bowl, put some of the various dishes in it, and pulled off a roast duck leg.

“Here, let me treat you.”

The previously motionless prisoner’s body trembled slightly.

He slowly raised his head, looking out from his disheveled hair, as if confirming if Lin Che was speaking to him.

The Bright Mirror Department’s prison cells had iron bars separating them, not sealed walls.

So Lin Che tried a few times and successfully passed the bowl over.

He placed the bowl filled with food on the ground, then backed away a few steps, creating some safe distance.

The prisoner finally confirmed everything was real and crawled over forcefully, he didn’t even have the strength to stand.

He slowly crawled to the bowl of food, reached out his dirty hand, and began to eat.

He ate slowly at first, then devoured it in large mouthfuls.

He ate too fast and choked a bit.

Lin Che simply passed over the pot of wine as well.

The prisoner gulped down the wine, let out a long sigh, seeming as if he hadn’t felt so comfortable in many years.

Lin Che watched quietly, without asking further questions.

In a short while, the prisoner finished eating.

After eating, the prisoner didn’t ask for more, but leaned against the iron door contentedly, as if in a daze.

A quarter of an hour.

Half an hour.

Three quarters of an hour.

The prisoner was still in a daze, showing no unusual signs.

Good, the food wasn’t poisoned.

Time to eat.

Lin Che finally ate with peace of mind.

With Lin Che’s current appetite, he finished everything without any problems.

After eating, he had nothing else to do, so he went back to sleep.

But that whole night, he really couldn’t sleep. The various screams, cries, and sounds of despair in the prison cell never stopped.

Until noon the next day.

Lin Che thought he would have to spend another one thousand taels on a meal, but unexpectedly, a Bright Mirror Guard came to open the door.

“Baron Jing’an, let’s go.”

Lin Che cursed inwardly and followed the two Bright Mirror Guards.

Unbeknownst to Lin Che, when the Bright Mirror Guard called out “Baron Jing’an,” the bloody prisoner in the next cell slightly opened his eyes, glanced at Lin Che, then closed them again…

After leaving the prison cell.

Captain Bai Shouleng was still leading the way:

“Come, the Legalist wants to see you.”

Legalist?

Wasn’t this the person in charge of the Bright Mirror Department?

Such a high-ranking official actually wanted to see him?

Lin Che became even more puzzled.

Following Bai Shouleng, the Bright Mirror Department’s Yamen was truly huge. They walked all the way to the backyard, with many unique pavilions.

They finally arrived in front of a green-tiled pavilion.

This pavilion was very special, with totems carved all around it, looking like the totems of spirit deities.

There were inscriptions on either side of the entrance.

“Laws established, crimes met with punishment; commands issued, obeyed without question!”

The words exuded a chilling aura.

Entering the gate, they went upstairs. The banister at the top of the stairs was shaped like a Qilin.

In the history of Daqian, the Qilin was a mythical beast that could discern loyalty and treachery, right and wrong.

As they walked up the stairs, there were scenes of Hell on the walls, depicting people who had committed heinous crimes suffering torment after death.

Lin Che also understood that the Legalist School pursued: laws established, commands obeyed, words becoming law!

They would visualize a Hell, using themselves as a bright mirror to illuminate the entire Hell.

This power was mysterious, and the risks were also great, because if one’s own mind was not righteous and the mirror was tarnished, they would be dragged down to Hell.

As for whether it was true or not, Lin Che wanted to see for himself.

In this special atmosphere, Lin Che was taken to the eighth floor.

At a glance, the windows on all sides of the eighth floor were open. From this height, one could see more than half of Tian Du City.

Looking at the bustling Tian Du City before his eyes, it seemed to inexplicably evoke a sense of responsibility to protect it.

In this pavilion, many bookshelves were placed around, filled with books.

A large round table was placed in the center.

Qian Linggong, who had lost his legs, sat in the main seat, reviewing the memorials in his hands.

Many times, memorials to be submitted to the Palace for Your Majesty’s decision would be kept overnight at the Bright Mirror Department, only being sent to the Palace the next day.

“Your Humble Servant Lin Che, greets the Legalist!”

Lin Che saw this renowned Qian Fazheng and immediately stepped forward to pay his respects.

Logically, he was only a special envoy of the Grand Herald, not under the jurisdiction of the Bright Mirror Department, but since he had been arrested, he should be polite.

Qian Linggong turned his head, revealing a gentle smile.

His appearance was more like a teacher from the Grand Scholar Academy than the Legalist of the Bright Mirror Department who struck fear into everyone’s hearts.

“Oh, you’re here! Come, have a seat!”

“I just happened to have something I wanted to ask Baron Jing’an.”