"Strict discipline and correct conduct, clear laws and correct punishments."

These eight characters were engraved on the two stone pillars next to the gate of the prison, with vigorous and sharp brushstrokes.

This was inspired by Han Jue, the founder of Legalism, who was ordered by the emperor to build the jail a hundred years ago. He scolded Fang Qiu on two pieces of marble and wrote such magnificent and solemn words.

Now a hundred years have passed, and the eight-character stone pillar still stands in front of the prison gate. Together with the gilded animal relief on the black iron gate, every prisoner who comes to the prison can't help but feel frightened.

Dafeng Prison is different from ordinary prisons. The people here are all officials who have committed crimes or some extremely evil people.

It is said that there are eight floors in total, divided according to the severity of the laws violated. It is said that the eighth floor of the prison does not see sunlight all year round. It is dark and gloomy, with countless snakes, rats and poisonous insects. The ground is covered with skeletons and bones, making it extremely eerie.

The damp, cold, dark and depressing atmosphere makes many prisoners frightened.

At this time, Wu Daoxiong was wearing a prison uniform and being escorted by two prison guards on the road leading to the prison.

The road leading to the prison was lined with locust trees, and the breeze filled the air with the fragrance of locust flowers.

The locust tree suppresses ghosts in the house, and there is an allusion that "the locust tree blooms for thousands of years, but ghosts will not come for ten thousand years".

So many locust trees are planted next to the prison because so many prisoners are executed here every year. The existence of these locust trees can reduce some of the prison guards' resentment.

"ah?"

When he saw the beast relief and the eight-character stone pillar in front of the prison gate, Wu Daoxiong's legs went weak, especially when the beast's tiger eyes showed a fierce light, and his heart suddenly pounded, and cold sweat broke out.

Entering the prison cell, a musty and bloody smell hit my face. After walking through the narrow and long corridor, two officers unlocked the door, threw Wu Daoxiong in the cell, and turned around to leave.

The eyes of the prisoners around him all focused on the newcomer.

Wu Daoxiong was so frightened that he trembled and leaned against the wall behind with his head lowered and did not dare to speak. He never thought in his life that one day he would end up like this.

In the warden's room, a man wearing a navy blue ceremonial robe was looking at the files on the table attentively.

The man looked to be in his forties, with a thin body and a sickly white face, but he had delicate features and long hair tied behind his head.

In such a dirty and bloody place as the warden, it is indeed rare to have such a calm and unhurried scholar. This person is the prison warden of Dafeng - Zheng Chongguan.

Zheng Chongguan came to the prison at the age of twenty-five and served as a prisoner for fifteen years. Because he was not good at speaking and could not express his emotions and anger, he offended many people through various mistakes.

Most people will be transferred after two or three years at most, but it took Zheng Chongguan fifteen years.

During this period, he worked conscientiously, strictly enforced rewards and punishments, and treated prisoners with both kindness and power. He was very prestigious among the more than 100 officials of the prison warden, large and small. After all, he was the only prisoner who did not dislike the prison warden.

"Reporting to the Secretary of the Imperial Guard, the prisoner Wu Daoxiong has been resettled. This is the information sent by the Ministry of Punishment." The Yamen servant outside said respectfully.

"Bring it over."

Zheng Chongguan raised his head and took the letter sent by his subordinates. Zheng Chongguan read it word by word, and finally frowned.

"Taijia Army filing? This Wu Daoxiong is really not easy. We must keep this person under strict supervision to prevent any accidents!"

"Yes, Si Jin, don't worry. As long as our warden comes, not even a fly can fly out." The officer said confidently.

This confidence is indeed what you should have. After all, this is a prison warden, one of the most heavily guarded places in Dafeng.

After the officer left, Zheng Chongguan took out Wu Daoxiong's information again and read it carefully, as if he was thinking about something.

As night fell, Wu Daoxiong was most afraid at night. In order to protect Wu Daoxiong from accidents, Zheng Chongguan specially arranged Wu Daoxiong in a separate secret room.

At midnight, Wu Daoxiong, who was sleeping, seemed to see his son running towards him again. Behind Wu Zizhui, the majestic and solemn face of Lord Yiguo appeared. Wu Daoxiong stretched out his hand and gently touched Wu Zizhui.

Grab it, then open your mouth wide and put it into your mouth...

"Zi'er..."

Wu Daoxiong's hair was disheveled, with some weeds mixed in it. Looking at the dim stone walls around him, he beat his chest and regretted his mistake.

At this time, a figure of a prison warden appeared in front of him, "Wu Shangshu."

"Who are you?"

Wu Daoxiong said vigilantly that he accidentally told the Ministry of Punishment about the Taijia Army's filing. Now he naturally knows that someone will definitely want his life, so he is extremely careful.

"Mr. Lei asked me to come to you and bring you some food and wine. He also told you not to worry. As long as you don't talk nonsense, he will rescue you soon."

The yamen servant lowered his head to speak while taking out the food and wine from the lunch box next to him.

Wu Daoxiong, who had been eating steamed buns for three or four days, turned green when he saw the roasted chicken and roasted duck. He didn't care about any etiquette, so he grabbed a big roasted chicken and started to eat it, one mouthful of meat and one mouthful of wine. It was so satisfying.

"You go back and tell Mr. Lei to reassure him that as long as he protects my son, I will never say a word." Wu Daoxiong swallowed like a wolf.

The government servant next to him cupped his hands and continued, "But Mr. Lei also said that the dead can reassure him more than the living."

Hearing this, Wu Daoxiong's mouth that was chewing stopped instantly, and he spit out the meat and wine in his mouth. Then he kept picking at his throat, trying to spit out everything he had just eaten.

But it was too late. After a while, he suffered from unbearable abdominal pain and fell to the ground. However, his throat seemed to be filled with lead and he could not say a word.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Wu Daoxiong lay on the ground and died with his internal organs festering.

…

Wu Daoxiong's death did not cause much trouble in Yindu. The Ministry of Punishment did not seem to care about it. No one even mentioned this person for more than a month after his death.

It was as if he had never appeared, but there was one person who was not like that, and that was Zheng Chongguan.

Early the next morning, after Wu Daoxiong was found tragically dead in prison, Zheng Chongguan immediately knew that there was a problem within the prison warden. Someone leaked the news and exposed Wu Daoxiong's location.

He immediately launched a large-scale investigation inside the prison, and found the stunned government servant in the locust forest outside the prison.

In the end, after more than a month, nothing was found. Many officials gave up, except Zheng Chongguan, who believed that someone must have put their hands into the prison.

And he also secretly swore that these people must be found out. The warden is the final balance of Da Feng, and there must be no problem with this balance.

…

In the corner of Yindu, in a mysterious room, Lei Kangshan walked in wearing a robe. In the room, there was also a man in a robe looking at the scenery outside through the window.

"Leikangshan pays homage to your lord."

When Lei Kangshan saw the man, he bowed respectfully and saluted. He seemed to be very afraid of the adult in front of him.

"Master Lei, is this what you call foolproof?" the man in front of him said in a sinister tone.

Lei Kangshan hurriedly knelt down on one knee and raised his hands and said, "Sir, if Song Jing hadn't appeared halfway, the boy from the Ning family would have died long ago."

"snort!"

The man seemed a little dissatisfied, "Do you know how much trouble this mistake has brought us?"

"Don't worry, sir, my subordinates have taken care of the tail in time and will definitely not threaten you." Lei Kangshan continued to say.

The man sneered, "This is the first time something like this has happened, and I hope it's also the last time. Also, don't do it in the prison warden next time. Zheng Chongguan will be difficult to deal with."

"Yes." Lei Kangshan said with his hands raised.

…

Half a month later, it is the time when the peach blossoms are beginning to bloom.

Ning Xiaochuan walked out of the gate of Ning Mansion. This was the first time Ning Xiaochuan walked out of Ning Mansion in half a month. Breathing in the fresh air, he couldn't help but stretch.

"Hey, it's still comfortable outside..."

This time, it was rare for Ning Xiaochuan to take Su Su with him when he went out. Su Su was also surprised, "Master, you usually don't take anyone with you when you go out. Why this time?"

Ning Xiaochuan's face suddenly became serious and he looked at Su Su. Su Su quickly lowered her head, thinking she had said the wrong thing. Ning Xiaochuan slowly said, "I'll take you to a place."

After a while, Kong Zhenxuan drove a carriage to the door of Ning's mansion. He nodded slightly at him. Ning Xiaochuan smiled and took Su Su into the car. "Let's get in the car."

There was no conversation all the way, and the carriage headed west of the city. About two hours later, the carriage stopped, and there were fewer and fewer people around. "Sir, we have arrived."

Ning Xiaochuan turned around and got off the carriage, Su Su followed closely behind. She was startled when she saw the carriage. The place where Ning Xiaochuan took her was actually a cemetery full of graves.

Ning Xiaochuan grabbed Susu's arm and said, "Susu, don't be afraid, this is the grave of one hundred and twenty-six members of your Shan family."

When Su Su heard this, she was shocked and looked at Ning Xiaochuan in disbelief. Ning Xiaochuan saluted with more than a hundred graves in front of him.

"Junior Ning Xiaochuan, brings Shan Susu, the young daughter of the Shan family, to pay homage to the seniors."

"Three years ago, the whole Shan family was executed. Because of the crime of treason, no one dared to help him build a monument and build a tomb. It was a group of common people who secretly brought the bodies of the Shan family here for burial. It is a pity that the righteous Duke lived a heroic life. In the end,

He died without even a monument."

Ning Xiaochuan said with red eyes, especially after he learned that the Shan family was framed, he felt even more sad and angry.

After hearing this, Su Su knelt down directly, holding back tears, her eyes were red, and the scene from her childhood seemed to reappear in front of her eyes.

At that time, he had an elder brother, a sister, and parents. Now she was alone. When she thought of this, the grievances in her heart surged up like a tide.

After Su Su kowtowed three times, Ning Xiaochuan took Su Su to a new tomb.

"Susu, this is the grave of your old housekeeper. He just passed away half a month ago. For your safety, I cannot let you see him for the last time."

After Susu heard this, she knelt down again, holding back tears and looking at the new grave in front of her.

Ning Xiaochuan turned and left, leaving Su Su here alone.

As soon as he left, Su Su burst into tears. Here were all the relatives he missed so much, but now they were separated by yin and yang.

Kong Zhenxuan asked curiously: "Master, is it inappropriate to leave her there alone?"

"Susu is a strong girl, and he doesn't like people seeing her crying." Ning Xiaochuan said with a smile.

Having said that, on countless nights, Ning Xiaochuan saw the girl lying in front of the pond, crying silently, and pretending that nothing had happened the next day.

The spring breeze blew and the green trees sprouted new buds. The conversation with the old housekeeper of the Shan family reappeared in Ning Xiaochuan's mind...

"Master, take good care of the young lady. The young lady likes to eat lotus leaf porridge from Liangufang, seabass soup from Fuhe River in June, and sweet-scented osmanthus cake in September. But sometimes she also has her own little temper. She will cry when she is homesick.

, so the young master must be treated with great care..."

Look, whose old tomb is filled with new soil and whose white clothes are lined with original manuscripts.

Look, whose new member is crying for the old one, tears rolling down the corners of his eyes.


Chapter completed!