Chapter 599 Rong Zhen: How many times have I told you, use your job title when you're at work! [Seeking monthly votes!]
There are two prisons in Jiangzhou, one new and one old.
The former is in the suburbs.
The latter is located in Xunyangfang within the city, built on a cliff overlooking the river.
In the past, the Jiangzhou Grand Hall separated prisoners into the old and new state prisons based on factors such as the severity of the crime, gender, and whether solitary confinement was required.
New South Wales prisons hold prisoners who have committed minor offenses.
The old state prison was specifically used to hold serious criminals and death row inmates.
The latter is located in Xingzifang within the city, which also facilitates the management and surveillance of the Jiangzhou government and the supervisory authority.
The state prison was under the jurisdiction of the Chief Administrator of Jiang Prefecture.
Since Ouyang Rong took office as the Chief Administrator of Jiangzhou last year, he has been working to improve the lives of the people in the prefecture, including the prefectural prison.
The new state prison on the outskirts of the city was built by people sent by Ouyang Rong after he took office as the chief administrator, because the old state prison in the city was too cramped and damp.
The improvements include planting some sparse trees around the prison to beautify the environment while maintaining good ventilation and lighting.
Officials were also regularly dispatched to inspect the state prison, check the food, and see if any prison guards were abusing prisoners or extorting money excessively, etc.
In short, we should try to show as much humane care as possible.
However, these only apply to lightly convicted prisoners in New Jersey prisons who are eligible for labor reform.
As for the serious criminals and death row inmates in the old state prison... stop thinking about improving their conditions all day and think about how to be reincarnated.
The punishments of the Great Zhou Dynasty were notoriously severe; only in recent years, due to the changing political climate, have they improved somewhat…
In the afternoon, at Xunyangfang, near the cliff edge by the river.
The warm sunshine of early spring falls on the outer wall of the old state prison, which faces the river.
These days, the level of security in this state prison has suddenly increased to a new level.
On ordinary days, stern-faced female officials in white robes could be seen entering and leaving the prison.
Those in the know understand that this is a female official from the Censorate, currently the most troublesome violent agency of the imperial court in Jiangzhou.
If they fall into their hands, and are even accused of suspected collusion with traitors, they'll be severely injured even if they don't die.
A month ago, the Control Yuan took over control of the state prison from the Jiangzhou Grand Hall and took full control of it.
It seems to serve as a base for some kind of centralized and rigorous interrogation of suspected criminals.
Groups of suspected rebels from both inside and outside the state were transported here and thrown into prison.
Inside the prison, intermittent wails and howls could be heard day and night, causing rumors to circulate in the surrounding neighborhoods...
After leaving the residence in Huaiye Lane, Ouyang Rong did not go alone.
He first went to the main hall of Jiangzhou and found Yuan Huaimin and Yan Liulang.
The three of them arrived together at the entrance of the old state prison.
The two female officials from the Control Yuan guarding the gate exchanged a glance, as if they had already received instructions, and signaled the jailer to open the prison gate.
One of the female officials reminded him, "Lord Ouyang, Lady Historian has been here for a while now."
Another female official entered and went to report.
"Um."
Ouyang Rong glanced at the dimly lit, dark doorway, and a strong stench of dead fish wafted towards him.
Just as he was about to step inside, he felt his sleeve being tugged. He turned around and saw Yan Liulang.
"Your Excellency..."
"What's wrong?"
Yan Liulang turned his head and gestured with his chin toward the stables not far from the door.
Inside the stable, apart from the minor official who was feeding the date horses, there was nothing else.
There was also a lone, short young man's back view, dressed in a gray-blue suit and a matching felt hat.
He stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the stable wall. The afternoon orange sunlight fell on him. The short young man tilted his head back against the wall, closed his eyes, and dozed off, like a statue.
"Fuck it?"
Ouyang Rong and Yuan Huaimin exchanged a glance and walked away.
"Your Excellency the Prefect... Your Excellency the Chief Secretary..."
The junior official in the stable greeted us respectfully.
The noise woke up Wang Caozhi.
He suddenly woke up, looked around, breathed a sigh of relief, and rubbed his sleepy eyes: "Brother-in-law? Lord Yuan, Brother Yan. Hmm, what brings you here?"
"Of course I have something to do. And you, weren't you at Xunyang Grottoes? What brings you here?" Ouyang Rong asked curiously.
Wang Caozhi was about to speak, but then realized something and looked around to observe his surroundings, especially the state prison.
After a while, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and muttered to himself:
"After finishing my work this morning, Lady Historian asked me to come over with her."
After a pause, Wang Caozhi sighed:
"Perhaps she's afraid I'll stay at Xunyang Grottoes and slack off. The Lady Hermit really doesn't trust me at all."
Everyone couldn't help but glance at Wang Caozhi's somewhat tired face.
Yuan Huaimin patted him on the shoulder with a sense of camaraderie:
"Manager Wang, I completely understand how you feel! It's really troublesome to have a superior like this. Well, just hang in there and it will pass."
Ouyang Rong glanced at him sideways.
Yuan Huaimin immediately shut up.
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, glanced at Wang Caozhi, and said nothing.
"Why didn't you come in when you arrived?" At this moment, Rong Zhen appeared at the entrance of the state prison, leading four female officials out of the prison gate.
The lady stopped in the shadows cast by the sunlight from the eaves, not taking a step forward. She tucked her hands into her sleeves and looked in the direction of Ouyang Rong and Yuan Huaimin with her cool eyes.
"Ms. Shi arrived very early."
Ouyang Rong smiled, turned around, and walked away with Yuan Huaimin.
Rong Zhen glanced in Wang Caozhi's direction:
"Ouyang Lianghan, what were you two talking about just now?"
"It's nothing," Ouyang Rong shook his head.
Wang Caozhi immediately took the horse reins from Yan Liulang and Yuan Huaimin, and while leading the horse into the stable, he said righteously:
“Brother-in-law, Chief Secretary Yuan, you can go in with the Lady. Leave these small matters outside to me.”
Rong Zhen did not answer, as if she had not heard, and had already turned around and returned to the prison gate.
Ouyang Rong turned his head and gave an order:
"Sixth Brother, you stay outside and keep Cao Zhi company."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Ouyang Rong and Yuan Huaimin followed Rong Zhen into the prison.
Yan Liulang stayed behind, holding a waist knife, and stood at the entrance of the state prison.
He seemed to be familiar with Rongzhen and the other female officials. A cold-faced female official standing outside the door handed Yan Liulang a water bag.
"Brother Yan."
Yan Liulang suddenly heard a weak voice from the side and turned to look.
Wang Caozhi approached him at some point, looking at him cautiously, and pointed to the side with his index finger.
Yan Liulang followed Wang Caozhi to the side.
The two arrived at a shady spot under a tree.
Wang Caozhi swallowed hard, his eyes falling on the water pouch in Yan Liulang's hand. The latter realized what was happening and handed over the water pouch.
Wang Caozhi tilted his head back and drank water to moisten his dry throat.
Yan Liulang was not in a hurry. He held a waist knife, looked at him, and waited patiently.
Wang Caozhi wiped his mouth, looked at the ruthless and taciturn "brother-in-law's confidant" in front of him, and asked in a weak tone, "Brother Yan, is Lady Historian always like this? When my brother-in-law was at Xunyang Grottoes, was she also so demanding?"
Yan Liulang thought for a moment and then nodded.
Seeing this, Wang Caozhi breathed a sigh of relief, but then he saw Yan Liulang nod and then shake his head.
"Brother Yan, what do you mean by this? Why are you pointing and shaking it?"
Yan Liulang looked up at the sky, silently watching the wind.
Wang Caozhi frowned, then after a moment, his expression suddenly changed, and he said:
"Yes, it's obvious without even thinking that my brother-in-law is different from me. If it were my brother-in-law, how could the Lady Hermit dare to order him around like that? She would at least be more polite..."
"Is it like this with all of us below? Are these female officials arrogant and obsequious at first? Hmm, but I just saw that the Lady Historian and the people around her treated you, Brother Yan, quite well."
After saying that, Wang Caozhi couldn't help but look at the water bag.
Yan Liulang looked around and asked:
"Brother Wang, are you truly unaware, or are you feigning ignorance?"
"What's the meaning?"
Wang Caozhi was puzzled. He took off his felt hat and fanned himself, then fanned Yan Liulang as well. He asked in a low voice:
"I just arrived in Xunyang recently, and my brother-in-law suddenly entrusted me with such an important task. I'm a little confused."
"In particular, I haven't dealt with these northerners much before, and they were all ascetic female officials from the palace. Their personalities were even more unpredictable, so I really had no experience with them."
"Could it be that there's some kind of rule about dealing with these serious female officials? Is it similar to dealing with eunuchs? I hope Brother Yan will enlighten me."
Yan Liulang crossed his arms and tilted his head, taking a few more glances at his face.
Wang Caozhi noticed that Yan Liulang's expression was somewhat...strange. It was hard to describe, but it seemed to be a strange smile.
Wang Caozhi, his mouth dry, pressed, "Brother Yan, what is it...?"
Yan Liulang suddenly patted Wang Caozhi on the shoulder:
"Brother Wang, there are certain rules to follow when dealing with Lady Rongzhen. It's not that there aren't, but it's not that there aren't either. It's mainly up to you to figure it out yourself."
"Okay, brother, I'll just tell you the most important thing... write it down. It might not be right, but it might be useful to you. Also, you absolutely must not tell anyone that I taught you this."
"Which one? Okay, okay, please tell me."
Wang Caozhi humbly sought advice and waited a while before hearing Yan Liulang's hoarse voice:
"Brother Wang, please remember to address Lady Rongzhen by her title when she is working."
"Huh? No, that's all?"
Wang Caozhi thought it was some kind of special quirk of his superior that needed to be avoided, but he never expected it to be so simple, explained in just one sentence.
Before he could speak, he felt two heavy pats on his shoulder. Yan Liulang took the water bag and returned to the entrance of the state prison.
"When working, I address her by her title... Haven't I always done it this way, calling her 'Lady Historian'? How could I dare to overstep that... Strange, where did I not use her title..."
Wang Caozhi murmured to himself, utterly perplexed.
A moment later, the short young man, looking puzzled, shielded his eyes with his hand and looked up at the dazzling sun: "Where exactly did I fall short of my duties...?"
At one point, Wang Caozhi's expression changed slightly.
"My goodness!"
...
"Ms. Rong, how is Manager Wang doing at the Xunyang Grottoes lately?"
"It's alright, um, I'm satisfied."
"I'm glad you're satisfied, but he doesn't seem to be in good spirits. He looked the same way yesterday."
"How would I know? Wasn't he someone you arranged? Did he say something to you?"
Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen walked along the dark and damp corridor. In the cells on both sides, there were unkempt prisoners, some quiet and some insane.
The two chatted casually, and Rongzhen's reply left Ouyang Rong slightly speechless.
"He didn't say much, just worried about whether he could do his job well. Should I arrange for someone else to go? I think Manager Wang seems a bit overwhelmed."
"Suit yourself. But don't try to cram all sorts of random people, like aunts and uncles, into my service. We're here to handle official business."
Rongzhen walked ahead, her tone serious and methodical.
Before Ouyang Rong could speak, the group arrived at the innermost passageway of the prison.
There are two prison cells in the corridor.
One room was tightly closed, another was half-open, and from the room behind, the faint clanging of shackles and torture devices could be heard.
Judging from the direction Rongzhen and the others led, they must have just come out of the back cell to pick someone up.
Rongzhen stopped: "We've arrived."
"This is?"
"During the interrogation of the spies we captured last time, two of them died. There were originally two left, but the morning before you came, a retired, cruel official from Nanjing accidentally killed one of them."
"But the last one seems to be scared out of his wits. He just gave in and we had to stop for a moment when I went out to pick you up. Let's go, let's continue."
Ouyang Rong sighed softly, "Alright."
He entered the cell and was greeted by a gruesome and bloody scene.
Rong Zhen suddenly turned to observe Ouyang Rong's expression.
Noticing that he looked away, she nudged Ouyang Rong with her arm and whispered:
“They are all rebels who used force to disrupt the law and violated the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty. They should be executed.”
"Understood, the overall situation is the priority."
"Okay, sit down and wait." Rong Zhen stepped forward.
About an hour later, in the now quiet prison cell, Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen walked out of the cell side by side.
Behind them, on the rack, a bald, burly man covered in wounds and salt, barely alive, was being lowered by several jailers. Beside the rack, a one-eyed old official was washing the instruments of torture...
"You just heard that?"
Rongzhen's voice is clear and cool.
"Hmm, they were talking about something related to virgins..."
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly. The spy in the cell behind him was pried open and said that they had come to find Yue Chuzi.
Ouyang Rong had heard his junior sister mention before that the current ruler of Yunmeng Sword Marsh was named Yue Chuzi, I think her name was Zhao Qingxiu. Like the eldest female ruler Xue Zhongzhu and the second female ruler Yu Nianyuan, she was a female ruler with a very high status in the female ruler's palace. Anyway, she must be very good at fighting...
At the time, the junior sister said that Yue Chuzi was aloof and arrogant, and since the beginning of the world, including at the Peach Valley Sword Tournament, he disdained to speak to any outsiders, and outsiders could not contact him, making him very mysterious.
Rong Zhen, with her sleeves tucked in her sleeves, seemed to be deep in thought as she silently walked toward another prison door. Dressed in a plain white white dress, she was petite and looked out of place walking in the dark and damp passageway, but her steps were unusually firm and steady.
Ouyang Rong and the four female officials were taller, yet they followed behind the girl in palace attire, creating a somewhat odd scene.
"Ms. Rong seems quite interested. I thought it wasn't a clue about the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower. You're disappointed."
Rong Zhen shook his head as he walked away, and pondered:
"Regarding the master of Butterfly Love Flower, these traitors are too tight-lipped, all claiming ignorance. I don't know why they can be so tight-lipped, or perhaps they truly don't know. Could this young man really be the hidden ruler of the Queen's Palace? Apart from the core, the hidden Queen, no one knows..."
After a moment, she narrowed her eyes slightly:
"Never mind that for now. This clue is very important. If we can catch Yue Chuzi, we can follow the trail and find out who the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower is, who is suspected to be the Hidden Lord."
"Why is Your Excellency so certain that the maiden Yue is definitely inside the city?"
Rongzhen raised her delicate chin:
"Our female officers have captured several groups of rebels in other prefectures in Jiangnan and have long been aware of this."
"It is said that when the Xingzi Lake Buddha collapsed, there were three female rulers in Xunyang City: the eldest female ruler, the second female ruler, and the seventh female ruler. The last one was the legendary Yue Chuzi, who was the seventh in the palace and the youngest."
"I've always wondered why Yue Chuzi didn't intervene during the turmoil that day."
"I thought they were just slipping through the net and had left with the others, but the spy just provided new clues."
"So Yunmeng Jianze was also sending people to search for Yue Chuzi. In other words, this female ruler has not returned, and the people of Yunmeng Jianze have no news of her."
"Judging from this, it's very likely that Yue Chuzi is inside the city."
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow and asked:
“That makes sense. But we’ve searched the city, including Xingzifang, so many times and still haven’t found Yue Chuzi. Isn’t it a bit too late? She’s probably already escaped to a safe place.”
"It's not too late. Not at all."
Rongzhen suddenly spoke with a resolute tone.
"What's the meaning?"
“If I were a virgin, I would stay in the city under the current circumstances. There are two reasons for this.”
Rongzhen has a clear and crisp voice, and her logic is clear:
"First, the most dangerous place is the safest place."
"Secondly, in Xunyang City right now, all the hidden halls of Yunmeng Sword Marsh and various sects of Tiannan Jianghu have been destroyed. The Xunyang Grottoes are about to be completed. If she happens to be hiding in the city, why would she go out? It would be better to remain still."
"Agreed."
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly.
He originally wanted to ask if Rong Zhen was overthinking things, but when he thought of the embroiderer he had hidden away, who was also a Yue woman, he realized that if a mute and blind girl like her could hide in Donglin Temple, then what about a Yue woman like Yue Chuzi, a queen-level prodigy?
Ouyang Rong followed Rong Zhen without making a sound.
"This clue is important because capturing this woman means grasping the Achilles' heel of Yunmeng Sword Marsh. Yue Chuzi is the first in line to succeed the Queen of Yunmeng. Even the eldest queen, Xue Zhongzhu, has to give way. She is their future queen."
Rong Zhen narrowed her eyes, and just as Ouyang Rong was processing this information, she stopped in front of the innermost cell door.
"arrive."
Who's inside?
Ouyang Rong looked at him curiously.
"The wealthy man Li who harbored the two women, Junyu Nianyuan, claimed to know nothing about it before. I was somewhat soft-hearted, thinking his family was indeed innocent, caught in the crossfire, and with his entire family in our hands, I thought they wouldn't dare to play any tricks. But now it seems..."
The air temperature around Rong Zhen suddenly dropped, and she cleared her throat coldly: "At least regarding the matter of Yue Chuzi, you have been keeping it from me all along. You are truly stubborn."
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow, vaguely remembering something.
He followed Rongzhen into the innermost cell with a look of curiosity on his face...
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(End of this chapter)
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