Chapter 319 Zhao Duan: In my next life, I will be a good official
Whoosh——
In the night sky of the capital, a cluster of nearly transparent starlight cut through the icy air.
From the direction of Zhao's house, it was like a comet with a tail, passing over ancient buildings and finally falling on the top of a building far away from the Ministry of Justice prison.
Zhao Duan stepped lightly on the tiles with his feet, lowered his head, and was surprised to see a "thin film" covering the surface of his body. The same was true for the golden tablet connected to his left hand, and a faint moonlight overflowed from his pupils.
"I am becoming more and more envious of you warlocks." Zhao Duan sighed sincerely.
"What are you envious of?" Jin Jian tilted his head blankly and pushed the translucent crystal glasses on his nose in confusion.
"You can fly... Never mind. A flying animal like you can't understand the pain of a life that relies on two legs."
Zhao Duan shook his head, quickly ended this boring topic, and looked at the brightly lit Ministry of Justice prison in front of him.
At this moment, perhaps because of Wang Chusheng's death, the Ministry of Justice was more "lively" than usual.
"I hope Gao Lian isn't being interrogated right now." Zhao Duan muttered to himself, then turned to ask Jin Jian:
"Can you take me in?"
Although he was defeated in the battle between Buddhism and Taoism, Jin Jian, who had made great progress, proudly puffed out his chest:
"certainly!"
After a brief pause, he added guiltily, "But if you make a fuss, I won't be able to cover it up. So, are you going to do something bad again?"
What do you mean again... Xiao Jinjian, how can you slander someone's innocence out of thin air...
"No comment, just help me bypass the jailers outside." Zhao Duan reached into his arms, and in his palm there appeared a silver scroll the size of a palm.
On the jade scroll that he had always used as a "storage bag", the four characters "Taixu Huijuan" engraved on it were clearly visible.
"I haven't used you for so long that I almost forgot your true purpose." Zhao Duan stroked the scroll and murmured softly.
At first, the Frost Sword of Kuangfu Society used this thing to construct a false long street, causing him to enter unconsciously.
After Zhao Duan obtained it, he gradually figured out its ability, which is to replicate a small area in reality into the scenery in the painting, and then "overlay" it in the real world.
Today, it has finally found its place of use.
…
The Ministry of Justice Prison, the "A" area.
Gao Lian was imprisoned alone in a sturdy cell. There were no ventilation holes on the three walls, and only a row of fine iron bars in front sealed the cage.
This former provincial governor, who was considered to be a figure at the level of a frontier official, was not lying on the bed at this moment, but was sitting cross-legged in a straw-covered cell.
With his eyes closed, he softly recited the meditation scriptures that were widely circulated among the people of Dayu.
Suddenly, the flame in the fixed brazier in the corridor trembled, as if blown by the wind.
Accompanied by the faint sound of a door opening and gradually approaching footsteps.
Gao Lian stopped reciting the scriptures, he opened his eyes and looked quietly outside the fence. Gradually, a figure walked out of the darkness.
"Zhao Duan?" Gao Lian was stunned.
Standing in the corridor behind a cell door was a man named Zhao, dressed in fancy clothes and with an arrogant and cold demeanor.
"Are you surprised?" Zhao Duan looked at the governor in the cell.
After not seeing him for many days, Gao Lian looked a little worse than when he was escorted to Beijing.
He was dressed in prison uniform, and his feet and hands were shackled even in prison.
His hair, which used to be meticulously combed, was now disheveled, but his face did not show the fear and despair of an ordinary prisoner. Instead, it was calm and serene like an old monk.
"I just didn't expect that you would come to visit, and alone." Gao Lian said with a smile after a brief surprise.
Zhao Duan was amazed and said:
"Although I personally captured you and wish you were dead, I must admit that your composure in prison is truly admirable. Tsk, I wonder when you became a Buddhist? You're even reciting scriptures."
Gao Lian shook his head calmly, "Master Zhao, you didn't come here just to tease me, did you?"
Zhao Duan stood silently outside the railing, looked at him, and said:
"Wang Chusheng is dead."
Gao Lian's haggard face showed genuine surprise, as if he was extremely astonished. Then his eyes revealed enlightenment:
"No wonder. I just heard a commotion at the other end of the cell. The warden came over, looked at me for a moment, and then left."
Zhao Duan stared at him: "Do you know how he died?"
Gao Lian shook his head, and said hypocritically with a sense of loss:
"There's no set time for death. It doesn't matter if it's early or late, death is inevitable. But since Lord Zhao came to ask me about this, he wouldn't suspect me of murdering someone to silence them, would he?"
He smiled, shook his head, and showed the shackles on his hands, which made a rattling sound.
"That's too high of an opinion of mine."
Zhao Duan said softly:
"How could I doubt you? But Master Gao should also know that many people have been working hard for you these days. Tell me, do they have a motive for killing people?"
Gao Lian, like an old monk in meditation, said, "My Gao family has been loyal and righteous for generations. How could we commit such a rebellious act? Your Excellency is overthinking it."
When he said the four words "generations of loyalty and goodness", he was calm as if he had a clear conscience.
Zhao Duan looked at him deeply.
The cell was very quiet, with lights flickering. One person was standing outside, while the other was sitting cross-legged like a monk inside, separated by a fence.
This scene actually has a heavy weight.
"Are you unhappy?" Zhao Duan said, "If you want to laugh, just laugh. You can hardly suppress the smile on your face."
Gao Lian's smile spread:
"The villain who framed the loyal minister is dead, so why shouldn't I be happy?"
Zhao Duan sighed and said:
"People outside have always said that the newly appointed governor 'remains calm in times of crisis.' I didn't believe it at first, but at the crab feast in Taicang Prefecture, I believed it a little. Then, when you were escorted back to the capital and remained silent on the way, I believed it even more. But now I understand that you're not just calm, you're confident."
He suddenly took a few steps closer, his entire body almost pressed against the iron fence, his face squeezed into the gap between the two iron bars, looking down at the other person, and said in a low voice:
"You know, the southern nobles will do everything they can to get you out. They know Li Yanfu will take action, whether he wants to or not... just like Wang Chusheng holds the evidence against you.
You probably have some leverage over Li Yanfu and the others, right? That's why you're so fearless?
Do you think that if Wang Chusheng were to die, without this witness, the three judges would have more room to maneuver during the joint trial, and you could be spared from beheading?
Gao Lian was stared at by him, and the smile on his face faded. He clasped his hands together solemnly and said:
"Master Zhao, you have many misunderstandings about me."
The shackles on his wrists clanged. He pointed to the quiet surroundings and said:
"Or, what does Lord Zhao want me to say? Admit what you call my crimes?"
There was a trace of undisguised contempt in his eyes, as if to say:
Do you think I'm stupid?
Gao Lian has remained silent since the crab feast incident.
He didn't say a few words until he was escorted to the capital. Even after he was imprisoned, he was not interrogated in court and rarely communicated with others.
Just to avoid any gossip.
In his opinion, Zhao Duan came here alone at this moment, and his intention to extract information and testimony was obvious. After all, this was not the first time that the other party had used a recording scroll.
"You seem to have misunderstood something."
Zhao Duan looked at him quietly for a few seconds, then slowly squatted down outside the cell separated by a fence.
Staring into his eyes, she smiled and said:
"Do you think I'm here to trick you? Is this the last resort because Wang Chusheng is dead? Well, let me think about it. You might still be wondering who ordered me to come here? Was it His Majesty, Yuan Li, or someone else..."
Zhao Duan shook his head, and suddenly he spat, his eyes suddenly fierce:
"No, you're wrong."
In the dim light, the spit splashed onto Gao Lian's cheek. He raised his hand to wipe it away and said:
"What have I done wrong?"
Zhao Duan's mouth curled up, he clapped his hands and said:
"Your mistake was that you did those wrong things, yet you didn't realize you were going to die. Your mistake was that you were so smart, but you couldn't understand the situation. Your mistake was that when death was imminent, you still thought you understood everything... Your mistake was..."
He suddenly pointed at himself with his thumb and said word by word:
"My mistake is that you make me feel uncomfortable."
Suddenly I remembered the famous saying of a fifty-year-old lady in my previous life:
Damn, I hate people who pretend to be cool the most.
Gao Lian's brows twitched wildly, and he suddenly had a bad premonition. His cheeks twitched, and a hint of uneasiness finally appeared on his calm face:
"What do you want to do? This is the Ministry of Justice prison...Ah!!"
The next second, without any warning, Gao Lian let out a heart-wrenching cry of pain.
He felt as if he was hit hard in the abdomen by an invisible fist. His body fell down suddenly, and he covered his lower abdomen with his hands, and then his heart.
Originally born into a wealthy family, his skin was fair and plump, but in an instant it turned as red as a boiled shrimp, with large beads of sweat on it.
pain!
Severe pain!
Indescribable pain!
It was as if someone had opened his chest and stuffed a ball of fire into his internal organs.
"ah!!"
"You...you dare...this is..."
"stop……"
Gao Lian rolled over in agony on the cold ground, no longer calm and composed, his expression distorted by the severe pain.
His voice was sharp and hoarse, as if he was being tortured by burning with fire.
However, no matter how he screamed, the entire prison remained eerily quiet, without a sound at all.
Not only did no jailer come, but even... the other criminals in the prison didn't make any sound.
It's as if...
The entire prison was empty, with only the two of them.
Yes, at this moment, the severe pain made Gao Lian's mind particularly clear.
He suddenly realized that from the moment Zhao Duan inexplicably appeared in the corridor, the Ministry of Justice prison had become eerily quiet.
"What do I want to do?"
Outside the fence, Zhao Duan was still squatting. In his palms and between his fingers, clusters of almost unreal white fireworks began to swirl.
Zhao Duan stood up and waved his hand. The iron fences also caught fire and were wrapped in white flames, like soft candles.
Collapse, breakage.
Zhao Duan took graceful steps and entered the prison cell "inside the painting," which had actually been replaced by the scroll. He pressed his boot against Gao Lian's temple, crushing him under his feet, and let out a long sigh.
"Those who kill will be killed. You don't think you are the only ones who kill."
"ah--"
Gao Lian was in agony, his eyes filled with intense fear, "Master Zhao, I... I..."
Whoosh... White flames burst out from his mouth, nose, ear holes, and eye sockets, quickly swallowing up his pleas.
"In your next life, be a good official."
Thanks to Yayu wd for the 100-point reward support
(End of this chapter)
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