Chapter 8

A flock of birds flew across the clear blue sky, with a few milky white clouds gently drifting by, like white sails floating on a deep blue sea.

Li Jing half-closed his eyes, listening to the judge from Chishan Military Town announce his "crimes" in the hall.

"Ignoring the law, you illegally caught and ate carp, and after the fact, you refused to admit your guilt and openly resisted arrest. This is a crime on top of a crime. According to the law, your punishment is increased by one degree, and you are sentenced to death by hanging, to serve as a warning to others. After the case is reported to the imperial court, you will be executed in the autumn of next year!" The judge was dressed in green robes, a minor official of the eighth rank, but he was in charge of the legal affairs of Chishan Military Town. Li Jing was not a soldier of Chishan Town, so it was not his jurisdiction. However, Chishan Town was always arrogant, and the fat storehouse official, though not a high-ranking official, had a lucrative position. After a few words with the judge, what was originally a trivial matter became a major issue involving the military town.

Although he was not given the sixty strokes, an unfounded charge of resisting arrest was added, and he was directly sentenced to death by hanging.

Two soldiers came forward to grab Li Jing's hands, dipped them in red ink, and forced him to press his fingerprints on the confession.

After the fingerprints were pressed, the judge in the hall slammed the gavel, and the wrongful case was considered settled.

Li Jing felt a sense of unreality. Just a moment ago, he was carrying a heavy load of grain, preparing to go home, and now he was a prisoner sentenced to death by hanging, waiting for the case to be reviewed and then executed in the autumn of next year.

As he was being led out by the soldiers, Li Jing happened to see Wang Li at the door. Their eyes met, and Wang Li's gaze seemed to carry a hint of guilt and a hint of smugness.

"Get in!" The two soldiers opened the dungeon door and threw Li Jing inside. The door behind him slammed shut with a loud bang, leaving the dark dungeon in silence.

The sound of footsteps gradually faded away. The dark dungeon was left with only the musty and decaying smell, a mix of dead rats and spoiled food, which made one feel nauseous.

"Second Boss, another one has come in." A somewhat sleazy voice sounded from the darkness.

Li Jing lifted his head, his eyes gradually adjusting to the dim light. He then realized that he was not alone in the cell. A cell of about twenty square meters was crammed with nearly twenty people. They were all dressed in rags, without any prison uniforms. Most were men in their thirties or forties, but they all looked emaciated, half-lying and half-sitting against the opposite wall, their eyes glowing like wolves as they sized him up.

"Oh, a pretty boy. From your attire, with a black hat, a round-necked robe, and boots, what did you do to end up here?" A thin, bony man, wrapped in tattered rags, stood up and asked.

"The fat storehouse official in town wanted to buy my fish by force, and I didn't give it to him. That corrupt official then fabricated a charge and had me arrested." Li Jing didn't know who these people were, so he decided to take it one step at a time.

"Are you talking about Zhang, the storehouse official? That corrupt official loves to force people to sell to him. If you refuse, he will definitely fabricate some charges to have you arrested. What was your sentence?" A man in his thirties with a beard, sitting in the middle of the opposite wall, asked. Li Jing, seeing his manner and position, guessed that he might be the head of the cell. Throughout history, prisons have always had heads and bullies, and these people are even more ruthless than the guards. It's best not to offend them.

Li Jing replied, "Death by hanging."

The man was somewhat surprised: "From your attire, you look more like a scholar than a fisherman. How much fish did Zhang want that you refused to give him?"

"Only twenty pounds of fish." Li Jing sighed, all because of these twenty pounds of fish.

The bearded man chuckled, "You must have offended that corrupt official. Twenty pounds of fish wouldn't be enough to cost you your life. Think carefully, have you offended anyone?"

Li Jing thought about it and realized that the man was right. Even if the fat official was arrogant, they had no grudges, so why would he want to take his life over twenty pounds of fish? Suddenly, Wang Li's face came to mind, especially the brief encounter after the verdict. His smile clearly carried a hint of smugness and some guilt. Yes, it must have been Wang Li's doing. The Li family and the Wang family had a history, and Wang Li was the fat official's subordinate. Perhaps this guy was the one who caused trouble.

"Brother, you reminded me. The fat official's subordinate has a grudge against my family."

"Ah!" The bearded man let out a long "ah" but then turned away without saying anything more.

Li Jing couldn't help but approach and asked sincerely, "Brother, is there any way you can help me get out?"

The bearded man folded his sleeves, "We are not related. Why should I help you?"

"Brother, the fact that we met here is a sign of fate. We are all in the same boat. There's no need to have met before. To be honest, my father and brothers are all dead, and I am the only one left in the family. There are also my widowed mother, two widowed sisters-in-law, and two unmarried younger sisters. The whole family depends on me. If I am tricked by villains, the Li family will be no more. I beg you, Brother, to help me, which will also help the Li family. I cannot express my gratitude, but if I can get out, I will never forget your kindness." This incident had made Li Jing deeply realize the darkness of the late Tang government. He no longer dared to rely on anything else and could only rely on self-rescue.

"Boy, if I really had the ability to help you get out, why wouldn't I go out myself first?" The bearded man laughed. The other prisoners also laughed, clearly mocking the young scholar's naivety.

Li Jing sat on the moldy straw on the ground, feeling utterly disheartened.

"Boy, you haven't told me what you do," one of the prisoners said, clearly treating Li Jing as a source of entertainment in their boring prison life.

Li Jing replied woodenly, "My home is in Wang Li Village, eighteen miles away. We are a family of farmers and scholars, and our ancestors once owned hundreds of acres of good land. However, our family has fallen, and we now have only a few dozen acres of thin land, barely making ends meet. I don't know what the other brothers do or why they are here."

The thin, bony man pointed at the bearded man with a hint of pride, "Boy, you might be scared when I tell you. Listen carefully, this is the famous Yellowbeard, the second in command of the pirates who roam the East Sea."

Li Jing was shocked by the name Yellowbeard. Speaking of Yellowbeard, no one along the coast of Shandong didn't know him. Yellowbeard was a well-known pirate along the coast of Shandong, one of the four famous pirates known as the Beards: Whitebeard, Yellowbeard, Redbeard, and Blackbeard. Whitebeard was the leader, Yellowbeard the second, Redbeard the third, and Blackbeard the fourth. According to the legends of the coastal people, the Beards were incredibly mysterious, roaming the sea, appearing and disappearing without a trace. They not only plundered merchant ships at sea but also frequently raided the coast. When the coastal people spoke of the Beards, they would change color, and even women would use the name of the Beards to scare disobedient children.

Li Jing never expected that the famous Yellowbeard would be imprisoned in such a decaying and moldy dungeon, and he was somewhat skeptical.

Yellowbeard, seeing Li Jing's expression, knew he didn't fully believe him, and smiled, "Boy, you seem like a decent person. I will show you a way out today, but you must promise to do something for me after you get out."

Li Jing's expression changed, and he was moved. Although Yellowbeard was a pirate and he was a civilian, he couldn't afford to be picky now. He was already in prison, and his family might have already received the news, not knowing how the women were worrying and panicking.

"Brother, tell me. If you can really show me a way out, I will repay this kindness."

"Good, boy, I will trust you this time. Come here, and I will explain the way out to you in detail."

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