Chapter 463: Visiting a Prisoner and a Narrow Encounter

The headquarters of the Northern Pacification Commission and those of the Jinyiwei were not in the same place—after all, the former also had a gloomy prison. This prison differed from the jails under the Ministry of Punishments or the Dali Temple; anyone who entered was considered a criminal under imperial decree. Some were taken to Xisi Pailou for execution within a few days, some were locked up for three to five years, and others, after spending a few days to dozens of days in prison, were released and restored to their positions. In short, several tragedies and comedies played out in the prison every day, and the jailers had grown accustomed to it.

Although it was strictly forbidden for jailers to bring in items from outside, many prisoners had been locked up for years, and their families naturally worried about them. Thus, some people would find ways to smuggle in supplies. After all, with only the prison food provided by the Northern Pacification Commission and a few meager pieces of clothing for all seasons, it would be impossible for prisoners to endure even ten days, let alone eight years. If one was willing to pay, not only could items be brought in, but even people could be disguised and brought in.

That day, three men dressed in gray cloth quietly entered the unassuming back door of the Northern Pacification Commission. Led by a jailer, they walked along a gloomy path before being brought into a simple room. Wu Cheng, the jailer in charge of the most important prisoners, was already waiting there. After examining the three men carefully, he found them all unfamiliar, so he waved at the jailer and asked in a low voice, “Who are they here to see? How much was paid?”

The jailer made a gesture with his hand: “They were all introduced by our old contacts, so there’s no problem. The one who brought winter clothes is from the Xia family, and the other two are here to see Scholar Du. As usual, I received a thousand taels of gold from each of them, in addition to this.”

Seeing the two men whispering and gesturing, Xiao Wu immediately curled his lips, wanting to pull Zhang Yue’s sleeve, but he held back. Zhang Yue, on the other hand, stared thoughtfully at the famous prison of the Northern Pacification Commission, thinking of those who had spent ten or eight years there. His heart was filled with admiration for them.

He feared he would go mad just by staying there for three days!

“You three, I’m sure someone has already told you the rules. I’ll give you just one instruction: stay no longer than twenty minutes. If you say anything forbidden in prison, don’t blame me for not recognizing your identities!”

After hearing that satisfying figure, Wu Chengda finally dismissed his doubts. After all, this was something all previous commanders of the Jinyiwei had accepted as normal—unless the emperor himself came incognito, he would never interfere with such trivial matters. Seeing that the three of them nodded, he lazily stood up and took the lead. The main entrance used for escorting prisoners in and out of the Southern Prison was heavily guarded, so naturally he wouldn’t take them that way; instead, he used the narrow side door used for delivering food. Once inside, sensing hesitation behind him, he immediately turned around and glared at them.
“Why are you dawdling? Time has been counting since just now—if we’re delayed, I won’t be responsible!”
Prompted by this, Zhang Yue hurriedly quickened his pace. He had noticed earlier that the prison walls weren’t made of ordinary brick but of stone, sealed with mortar, and in the dim light of the torches, he could faintly see bluestone slabs on the floor. The air circulation was better than he expected, with only a slight musty smell, but due to lack of sunlight, it was very damp, with water stains and moss even in the corners.
After passing through this narrow corridor, they could see cells that resembled pigeon cages. As they followed the prison warden past the doors, many people inside the wooden bars raised their heads to take a look, followed by many sighs—whether out of relief or disappointment was unclear. Zhang Yue glanced around and found that the equipment inside was fairly tidy, though the windows for ventilation were set very high, making it difficult for even tall people to see what was outside the high walls.
The corridors of the Southern Prison were square-shaped, requiring them to open new doors after going around each side. When the third door was opened, Zhang Yue, who had entered, noticed a difference from the previous two places. Hearing voices, the inmates in each cell remained motionless and indifferent—some resting, some reading—none paying attention to what was happening outside. At that moment, Wu Chengda ahead whispered, “These gentlemen have been locked up for seven or eight years and are no longer surprised. Lord Xia and Scholar Du are right ahead.”

After the group had passed by, the people in three of the cells finally raised their heads. They had heard about Xia Yuanji, Wu Zhong, and Du Zhen being imprisoned, but for them who had been in jail for nine years, such news was of no use. Their only hope was that the crown prince would ascend the throne safely; if that day never came, their seven or eight years in prison would have been in vain, and they might have to serve out their entire sentence. So when the sound of reading aloud came from Yang Pu’s cell again, Huang Huai and Jin Wen also lowered their heads to their books, paying no further attention to what was going on outside.

The cells of Xia Yuanji, Wu Zhong, and Du Zhen were right next to each other. Although they were a minister and a grand secretary outside, they were no different from other prisoners in this southern prison—same cells, same supplies, with the only difference being the food. Their families brought them meals every few days. Though the food was thoroughly inspected to prevent smuggling, it was still better than the pig-like prison rations. At that moment, Wu Cheng led the three of them to the cell door and then made a face.

“One last warning—this is an imperial prison. Be careful with what you say.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Yue saw the man in his early thirties rush forward, grabbing the bars and calling out “Dad” in a low voice. He already knew this was Xia Yuanji’s only son, so he stopped looking at the others and pulled the suddenly stunned Xiao Wu forward, whispering into the cell, “Father-in-law!”

“Dad!”

There was no firewood provided in the cells, but if the prisoners’ families could afford it, burning charcoal in winter or providing cold water in summer wasn’t a problem. Du Zhen had started using charcoal burners as early as September. When he first heard the noise, he saw someone outside but couldn’t make out clearly. Now, hearing these familiar voices, even he, who was usually calm in emergencies, changed his expression instantly.

He rushed forward and saw Xiao Wu with her face pressed against the bars, crying. He quickly comforted her a few words, then glared fiercely at Zhang Yue: “Nonsense! What kind of place is this? How did you even bring Xiao Wu here?”

“Sis is here too, in the car outside!” Xiao Wu wiped his face vigorously before sobbing and saying, “Sis originally wanted to come in together, but they said only two people could enter. So she asked her brother-in-law to come and hear if you need anything conveyed, and also asked me to check your pulse to make sure you don’t catch an illness from this damp place… This is something mom asked me to give you—a straw mat she made in her spare time, which will be useful here in this damp environment. This is a cotton coat made by sis herself; she added extra cotton because she was worried it would be too cold in winter, but it turned out to be a bit thick. And these are some books sorted out by her brother-in-law…”

Seeing Xiao Wu sniffling as he took things out of that huge bundle, and seeing Zhang Yue standing by the fence, staring at him the whole time, Du Zhen couldn’t help but laugh. After Xiao Wu finished talking nonstop, he simply let her go through her motions as she wished, then turned to look at Zhang Yue.

“Are you leaving the capital again and won’t be back for a while?”

“How does father-in-law know?”

“You didn’t come to visit me after I was imprisoned last time. I thought you wouldn’t be so impatient this time, but I didn’t expect you to not only come but also bring them all along.” Du Zhen studied Zhang Yue carefully before saying calmly, “After Minister Xia and I were imprisoned, Minister Wu was locked up soon after. I know something serious must have happened outside. Now that you’re in charge on your own, I have nothing else to ask or say. Just be careful on your journey.”

Seeing that Du Zhen refused to mention what exactly had happened outside, Zhang Yue understood that his father-in-law was worried about eavesdroppers and potential trouble if anyone overheard. So he also didn’t mention that he had received an official appointment at the court meeting and would set off for Xuanfu in three days. Glancing at the simple table and chairs in the cell, he noticed a stack of thick manuscript pages on the table and immediately said, “If you have anything written, why not give it to me? I can have Wan Mei organize it later.”

“No need. Passing things out of the prison carries risks—not only for you but also for those who come with you. Anyway, someone collects yesterday’s manuscripts every morning, so you don’t need to worry about such trivial matters. This is already my second time in.” At the mention of the second time, a faint bitter smile appeared on Du Zhen’s face. He then turned to look at Xiao Wu, “Xiao Wu, it’s been quite a while—still no result?”

“Father, how can there be a patient like you who keeps talking while taking the pulse?” Xiao Wu pouted irritably before releasing Du Zhen’s hand and saying seriously, “It’s not a serious issue. Father, you must stay calm. I’ll ask Mother to adjust his diet when I get back…”
Over there, Wu Chengda was utterly stunned. It was one thing for Xia Yuanji’s own son to come to visit, as the Xia family had already been stripped of their status and property—unless Xia Yuanji set them free, the family could never recover. But it was completely different for Zhang Yue to come to see Du Zhen; after all, he was an official appointed by the imperial court, with the powerful Zhang family backing him. Fortunately, he hadn’t mistreated ordinary people, otherwise, though they might not be able to do anything to him directly, some tactics would surely force him to leave the capital.
As he was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard the sound of a key turning in a lock at the other end. Turning his head, he saw the door there open. Upon recognizing the people striding in boldly, he felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen.
It was none other than the head of the Eastern Depot, the authority even above the Jinyiwei! Good heavens, he was doomed!