Chapter 4: In Whose Family is the Fragrant Car Series (4)

The review... will not be conducted for the time being, as there is a major issue at hand, and it seems that the master has no time to attend to you.

At this moment, Zhou Quan had already come to understand his situation. In this environment, he could not rely on anyone, and he could only think of ways to save himself

It turned out that he had once been imprisoned in the same cell as Lü Shou, and at that time, he had heard Lü Shou speak of the situation in the Fengchen Warehouse

"You did it yourself, and yet you come to ask me?" Upon hearing him inquire about this matter, Zhou Tang felt an overwhelming surge of anger, letting out a snort.

Indeed, upon seeing this boy who was only about fifteen or sixteen years old, exhibiting a demeanor typical of an old street vendor, the burly man with disheveled hair looked somewhat suspicious.

"Have there been any testimonies from the individuals yesterday?" he asked in a deep voice

Zhou Tang, upon hearing this, was both surprised by his son's ruthlessness and decisiveness, yet at the same time, a glint of sternness flashed in his eyes

My son seems to have grown quite a bit from this lesson. Since that is the case, I, as your father, will accompany you in this game just this once. Li Yun, Li Da Niang, is that right? My son, come here and listen closely!

He detests any criminal, so that convict guilty of fornication is precisely the chicken used to scare the monkeys

He and his son still had much to discuss, when at that moment, the jailer walked in: "Zhou Shou, the master is about to return, you should leave first. Rest assured, with me here, your young lord will not suffer in prison"

He knows that when dealing with tyrants and similar figures, blindly enduring and retreating will only lead to further bullying. On the contrary, one must make it difficult for the other party to gauge their depth in order to temporarily protect oneself

Following the prison guard out of the cell, after several twists and turns, we arrived at a secluded room. The guard pushed open the door and said in a low voice, "Zhou Shou, the person has arrived."

Seeing that Zhou Quan showed no signs of having been mistreated, Zhou Tang felt slightly relieved, and then clasped his hands to the jailer, saying: "I cannot express my gratitude for your great kindness, Brother Hong San. Zhou will surely repay you in the future"

Zhou Quan was still shouting when he heard a cold voice coming from behind him

In his two lifetimes, Zhou Quan was imprisoned for the first time; he had no prior experience and only knew that prisons often had bullies.

He originally only thought about escaping from prison, but with his cheap father's plan, he not only wanted to get out of prison, but also intended to ruthlessly tear off a piece from Li Yun and Li Daniu.

However, most of it is just the boastful talk of criminals, and there is nothing of value.

After downing three cups of yellow liquor, Fang Zhuo's words became even more abundant. Zhou Quan recalled that he had mentioned Lu Shou the previous night, intending to probe for information.

Zhou Quan leaned over, and Zhou Tang whispered a few words in his ear, causing Zhou Quan's eyes to widen immediately

This person is surnamed Fang and named Zhuo. He has been imprisoned for a long time and is well acquainted with the various circumstances within the prison. Zhou Quan is very self-aware and does not ask the other party why he has been incarcerated. However, Fang Zhuo, having been confined for so long, has someone to talk to and speaks incessantly.

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhou Zhang's eyes widened in astonishment

"I, I, I am wronged, I am truly wronged!" he shouted, his face as pale as death

Originally, Zhou Tang intended to send his son to the military patrol shop merely to scare him a little. However, unexpectedly, he was caught by Li Xiaoshou and taken directly to the Kaifeng Prefecture prison, which left him feeling extremely anxious.

Zhou Quan was already so hungry that his stomach was growling, and he felt a bit anxious. Surely, some soup and rice should be sent to the prison of Kaifeng, but he had nothing at all!

However, just thinking about the case of Lü Shouzhi made his mood turn sour again

In the past, I would have two meals a day, and although they were merely some soup, I could always manage to eat to about seventy percent full. However, today, the time for breakfast delivery has long passed, yet no one has come to deliver it! Surely, something significant has occurred, preventing the clerks and jailers from attending to their duties. Fang Zhuo, feeling anxious, got up and began to pace around the prison.

Listening to Fang Zhuo speak for an entire evening, Zhou Quan was at least able to converse in the vernacular of the moment, thus avoiding revealing too many flaws. However, each sentence he spoke was very slow.

In Fang Zhuo's eyes, a look of envy suddenly flashed, while Zhou Quan himself appeared somewhat bewildered. However, judging from the implications revealed by the prison guard, it seemed that his adoptive father had exerted some effort.

What happened, Uncle Fang?" Zhou Quan asked

Fang Zhuo wanted to ask again, and the jailer sized up Zhou Quan once more: "What is your name, young man?"

Upon entering here, among ten individuals, nine claim to be wronged. The remaining one is rendered speechless due to being beaten.

At this moment, he was at a loss for what to do and could only repeatedly remind Zhou Quan to be cautious while in prison

The prison guard waved his hand and said, "Time is of the essence. If you have any final words, please be quick."

Not only that night, but even by the next morning, no one came to the prison

If Madam Li Yun, the owner of the brothel, were to withdraw her lawsuit, Zhou Quan would naturally be able to be released from prison. However, how could Li Yun easily withdraw the lawsuit, unless Zhou Tang agreed to certain conditions of hers

Old Zhou brought a large food box, originally meant for Zhou Quan, but now it can only be taken back to the prison by Zhou Quan

Upon seeing the incoming jailer, Fang Zhuo softly exclaimed, "Why is it not Old Zheng?"

Zhou Sang held onto Zhou Quan and asked him a couple of questions. Hearing Zhou Quan's strange tone in response, he was not surprised. Seeing that Zhou Quan truly had not suffered any hardships, he then began to talk about matters outside.

Zhou Quan chuckled and raised his fist to give a bow to that fellow: "This esteemed uncle is invited."

Therefore, yesterday Li Xiaoshou became enraged and summoned officials at all levels to discuss matters. He apprehended the prison guards and relevant clerks of that time, punishing them under the charge of "negligence," which resulted in significant repercussions for many individuals

Although the emperors of the Song Dynasty over several generations were quite benevolent and issued edicts multiple times instructing their subordinates to tidy up the prisons, the clerks below had their own ways of dealing with it. As a result, the prison in Kaifeng was dimly lit and had an unpleasant odor. As Zhou Quan was pushed in, he immediately wanted to turn around and leave, but what met him was a shove.

If it were the usual case, Zhou Zhang would not bring up this matter with his son. However, from Zhou Quan exposing the scheme of the Three Immortals, he realized that his son had grown up quite a bit.

"Indeed, you are the son of Zhou Shou, come with me." The jailer called out.

When Fang Zhuo saw Zhou Quan return, carrying a large food box, he realized that this young man had connections. He approached to ingratiate himself, and Zhou Quan did not refuse. Not only did he share the meat and vegetables from his food box with him, but he also asked the jailer to bring a jar of wine for Fang Zhuo to drink.

"Old Zheng? He can no longer come to deliver meals to you; nowadays, he is afraid that he himself needs someone to bring him food." The arriving guard snorted, glanced at the two of them, and threw the food bucket on the ground

After he sat upright, he surveyed his surroundings. In the hall, those clerks and officials were all silent as if frozen in fear, which greatly satisfied him

Kaifeng Prefecture Prison

He does not trust any of these officials, always feeling that they are secretly colluding with those who commit crimes.

Upon turning back, he saw a disheveled individual, locked away in a prison cell, staring at him with piercing eyes

Hearing his son say this, Zhou Tang let out a snort again

Zhou Quan also inquired about the current governor, who has just assumed office this year, named Li Xiaoshou. A few years ago, he also served as the governor of Kaifeng, but later resigned, and now he has been reinstated.

The charge of adultery is also a dead end. Nowadays, the governor is too preoccupied to pay attention to me. If he does take notice, with his methods, will I have any chance of survival?

At this moment, Fang Zhuo, who was imprisoned with him, was also somewhat anxious and restless, muttering curses incessantly, but his speech was rapid and hurried, making it difficult for Zhou Quan to understand what he was saying

After waiting until noon, I finally heard the rare sound of footsteps, and shortly after, the door was opened

I have already understood. Someone is coveting your father's position as a scribe. Although you have not made any significant mistakes, it just provides them with an excuse to act.

If there is a review, how should the child respond

Is this guy perhaps the prison boss

This cheap old man is quite a tough character

Father... Father, the charges against the child should be imposed upon me, right?" he asked Zhou Sang.

Upon hearing this news, Zhou Quan felt a stir in his heart

"What are you looking at?" The guy with the messy hair stared wide-eyed.

Unable to respond to his expectations, indeed everyone is crying out in grievance, yet not a single one provides an explanation

Zhou Quan wore a苦 face, remaining silent. This was the business of the original owner of this body, but having acquired it, one must bear the consequences.

"Bring up the prisoner convicted of the crime of fornication from the cell yesterday!" With a shift in thought, Li Xiaoshou issued the order

Zhou Quan chuckled and said: "What if... what if I said that I saw Lu Shou at her place that day?"

Leveraging his sales skills from another life, he quickly established a rapport with this individual in prison

Zhou Quan tasted it himself; the wine was not only murky but also had a sweet and sour flavor, which Zhou Quan did not like, so he gave it all to Fang Zhuo

He was eager to escape from prison, feeling that this seemed to be an opportunity

Accusing my son unjustly, how can I not teach her a lesson... If it weren't for the knowledge that the palace officials often visit her, this time I would have made her pay dearly!

Originally, Lü Shou, the clerk of the Fengchen Treasury, stole the gold and jade stored in the treasury. After being discovered, he was imprisoned, but just yesterday, Lü Shou escaped from prison and has not yet been recaptured.

It is rather strange that after this Lord Li, the authority of the Kaifeng Prefecture, imprisoned him, no one came to question him. Not only him, but even Fang Zhuo was also ignored by everyone.

Zhou, Zhou Quan

Li Xiaoshou stroked his beard with a cold smile, thinking that these insufferable individuals would not give up until they reached the Yellow River; it would be best to teach them a lesson.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Sang, with a face full of concern, appeared in Zhou Quan's line of sight

This was a severe blow to the face for Li Xiaoshou, who had just been reinstated as the head of the Kaifeng Prefecture

The key is Aunt Li, Father. If Aunt Li withdraws the lawsuit and simply states that it was a misunderstanding, I should be able to be released from prison, right

To put it plainly, it is about deceiving; a wise man does not suffer immediate losses. First, let us overcome this obstacle before discussing anything further

Although at this time Zhou Quan was still not accustomed to this accent, he had no problem understanding it. From this person, he did hear some interesting anecdotes about the prison cells of the Kaifeng Prefecture

From Zhou Sang's words, Zhou Quan learned that a significant event had occurred in the Kaifeng Prefecture

At this moment, outside the prison, Li Xiaoshou, the Acting Director of the Xianmoge and the Acting Head of the Kaifeng Prefecture, paced back and forth before slowly taking his seat in the main hall of the yamen.

Zhou Quan was already aware of the name of this body

Fang Zhuo was already half-drunk and had no reason to be on guard against a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, so he spoke incessantly about the matter of Lü Shou.

As for the legendary three-bladed guillotine of Bao Zheng, it naturally does not exist; the various officials who have served as the head of the Kaifeng Prefecture have rarely held the position for long.

The magistrate is not so easily deceived; if this is a false act that turns real, you will find yourself in a dead end!" After a moment of thought, Zhou Zhang added.