Chapter 5

Li Dahe and Li Zhongyi both knew the severity of the situation. The father and son quickly followed the prison guard, walking quickly toward the love room.

As they passed by each other, Li Dahe deliberately lowered his voice to instruct Li Zhongyi: "If things cannot be done, you only need to take care of your second brother and your mother. Don't worry about me. Also, in the backyard of the house in Datong Fang, under the old locust tree, I buried a large jar with a hundred silver ingots. If the emperor shows mercy and we are exiled, you can take it to supplement the household expenses."

Li Zhongyi nodded heavily, speaking each word clearly: "I will not let Father down."

After the father and son parted ways, as Li Zhongyi was being escorted back to the cell, the prison guard suddenly put on a stern face and asked: "Li Jia, does your family send food and clothes?"

Li Zhongyi was slightly taken aback, then realized that unlike the prisons of his previous life, the prisons of this era did not provide food and clothing for the prisoners; the family had to send them in through personal connections.

However, the Li family had been completely stripped of their assets. Apart from Aunt Xue, Peony, and Ping'er, all the servants and maids had been sold. Who would send him food, drink, and bedding?

As the saying goes, it's easy to meet the king of hell, but hard to deal with the little devils.

A county official is not as powerful as the current manager. This simple question from the prison guard made Li Zhongyi cautious.

Offending these prison guards, who profited from the prisoners, could lead to his legal death in prison before the Li family's case was overturned.

"May I ask for your honorable name?" Li Zhongyi, now under someone else's roof, had to bow his head. He clasped his hands and respectfully asked the prison guard.

No one likes a troublemaker. Seeing Li Zhongyi's respectful and polite attitude, the prison guard couldn't help but smile and said: "My surname is Huang, and my name is Jingsheng. I am a prison historian and temporarily manage the eastern prison of the Dali Temple."

Li Zhongyi thought, since there is an eastern prison, there must be a western prison. He wondered if there were any unknown rules.

From the prison guard's tone and his authority to arrange private meetings for the Li family, Li Zhongyi roughly determined that this Huang Jingsheng had considerable power in the eastern prison.

This prison historian also surnamed Huang. Could he be a relative of Huang Qing?

A flash of inspiration struck Li Zhongyi, and he boldly probed Huang Jingsheng: "Eunuch Huang once mentioned to me that all matters in the prison are handled by your honorable."

"Since my uncle has entrusted you to me, matters within this small area indeed need my handling. However, with so many prisoners to feed, clothe, and care for, the tasks are as numerous as cow hairs. I fear it will be difficult for me to handle everything. Li Jia, do you think this makes sense?" Huang Jingsheng, assuming Huang Qing had already briefed Li Zhongyi, spoke less cautiously.

Faced with Huang Jingsheng's open extortion, Li Zhongyi knew that the eunuch Huang Qing must have been too stingy, causing Huang Jingsheng to find ways to extort money from him.

Li Zhongyi was secretly relieved. If Li Dahe hadn't left the private stash of a hundred silver ingots, Huang Jingsheng, without any profit, might have secretly made things difficult for him.

"There is a house in Datong Fang in the northern city, given to my family by Chancellor Zhao. In the backyard, under an old locust tree, there are a hundred silver ingots." Li Zhongyi noticed Huang Jingsheng's eyes widen and couldn't help but secretly sneer. He continued, "Although we are meeting for the first time, I understand that you are a man of great righteousness and will certainly take care of my father and me. However, as the head of the prison, you have many subordinates to care for. Please have someone fetch the silver and distribute it to your men."

Li Zhongyi's words were beautifully crafted, both giving money and making Huang Jingsheng feel very honored.

This Li Jia is truly a remarkable person, Huang Jingsheng nodded inwardly, his expression becoming more relaxed.

Because iron coins were too heavy and inconvenient to carry, and the Daxu Kingdom was severely short of copper, local governors privately minted copper coins, leading to the widespread use of "bad money" with more lead than copper.

Now, one silver ingot could be exchanged for 1,900 "bad money." A hundred silver ingots were a huge sum for Huang Jingsheng.

Huang Jingsheng slowly reined in his smile, his heart suddenly racing. Wait, that house was a gift from the current chancellor, the Chief Minister of the Central Secretariat, Zhao Tingyin?

Huang Jingsheng's left eyelid twitched uncontrollably, and his thoughts became more active.

To be honest, Huang Qing and Huang Jingsheng were only distant relatives. Years ago, Huang Jingsheng's father had almost bankrupted himself, spending a lot of silver to secure a low-ranking prison historian position through Huang Qing.

Although Huang Jingsheng had accumulated some wealth in the prison using his authority, he had no powerful backers in the court, and his future was bleak.

If he could connect with the powerful Chancellor Zhao through the Li family, would he still need to worry about his future?

Huang Jingsheng made a decision. He smiled at Li Zhongyi and said, "We are about the same age, so there's no need to be too formal. Let's call each other brothers, shall we?"

Li Zhongyi had deliberately revealed that the house was a gift from Zhao Tingyin, originally just to tell Huang Jingsheng that the Li family had strong support outside the prison.

However, the effect of this revelation was unexpectedly good. Li Zhongyi, who needed Huang Jingsheng's help, naturally couldn't refuse his good intentions.

"Little brother greets elder brother."

"Brother, no need for such formalities."

"..."

The two flattered each other, and in a short time, they seemed like old brothers.

"Brother, your father is in this prison, so there's no need to say more. Your mother and younger brother will be taken care of by someone I trust." As brothers, Huang Jingsheng had to give Li Zhongyi some sweet promises.

Li Zhongyi waved his hand and said, "I appreciate your kindness, brother. However, it's not good for you to interfere with other prisons. Let things take their natural course to avoid trouble."

What a joke? If Cao Shi eats well and sleeps well in the prison, how could she possibly let go of the thousand acres of good land?

Huang Jingsheng admired Li Zhongyi even more, thinking, This kid is truly a clear-headed person, knowing not to cause trouble for me.

Of course, Huang Jingsheng was just saying this to temporarily win Li Zhongyi's favor and had no real intention of taking action.

To connect with Zhao Tingyin, Huang Jingsheng had to wait for the Li family to be cleared of their crimes and released from prison.

For now, all Huang Jingsheng could do was ensure that the Li family had enough to eat and wear and could secretly pass some messages under his watch.

With the relationship now closer, Huang Jingsheng naturally changed Li Zhongyi's cell to a more comfortable single room.

Li Zhongyi went in and saw that a crescent moon outside the iron window cast a soft silver light into the cell.

Hmm, not bad. Since the moonlight can come in, it means there's a chance to get sunlight during the day.

"Brother, you will be alone in this cell. I will not put you in restraints. However, if a superior comes to inspect, I will have to inconvenience you." Huang Jingsheng clasped his hands and explained some important rules of the prison.

"Thank you, brother. I am very grateful." Li Zhongyi, enjoying special treatment, quickly clasped his hands and thanked him repeatedly.

"Oh, right, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll go arrange it." Huang Jingsheng, as if just remembering, turned and went to find food for Li Zhongyi.

Li Zhongyi looked around the cell and found that it was about ten square meters, very clean. There was a bed against the wall with complete bedding, a square table in front of the bed, and a candle with a flickering flame on the table.

Being in the Dali Temple prison and enjoying such treatment, Li Zhongyi was very satisfied.

Earlier, Li Zhongyi noticed that Huang Jingsheng's face showed signs of jaundice, but due to the dim lighting, he couldn't see clearly.

A short while later, Huang Jingsheng returned to the cell with a red lacquer food box.

"Brother, see what I've brought you." Huang Jingsheng placed the food box on the table and smiled, beckoning Li Zhongyi.

Li Zhongyi went over and saw a standard four-dish and one-soup meal: a crispy roasted chicken, a dish of boiled white cabbage, a dish of salted peanuts, a dish of fried meat, and two pots of wine.

"Hehe, to be honest, it's a coincidence. The chief clerk of the Water Conservancy Bureau, Liu, is here for bribery. His wife sent these wine and dishes to the guards. I just happened to take them." Huang Jingsheng magically pulled out two small wine glasses from his sleeve, placed them in front of both of them, and filled them with wine.

"Come, brother, let's drink to our new brotherhood." Huang Jingsheng raised his neck and drank the wine in one gulp.

Li Zhongyi was about to raise his glass when he saw Huang Jingsheng suddenly drop his glass, clutch his right side, and groan, "Ouch..."

Fortunately, Huang Jingsheng had sent the guards away to befriend Li Zhongyi, otherwise, others might have thought Li Zhongyi had done something to him.

Li Zhongyi didn't dare to hesitate and quickly helped Huang Jingsheng lie down on the bed, pressing his thumb on the Qimen point and massaging it vigorously.

"Ouch..." Huang Jingsheng groaned, lying on the bed and panting heavily.

Li Zhongyi felt Huang Jingsheng's pulse and found it stringy, rapid, and slippery, with jaundice on his face. He concluded that it was likely gallstones.

"Brother, open your mouth, I'll give you some water." Li Zhongyi leaned close to Huang Jingsheng's ear and gently coaxed him.

Perhaps the pain made Huang Jingsheng's mind numb, and he obediently opened his mouth, saving Li Zhongyi the trouble of explaining.

Red tongue, fat, yellow, and greasy coating. After a comprehensive diagnosis, Li Zhongyi concluded that the cause of Huang Jingsheng's pain was acute gallstones.

If it were the 21st century, Li Zhongyi could have easily removed the gallbladder through a laparoscopic procedure, a minor surgery.

However, in the Daxu Kingdom, where medical resources were scarce, if Huang Jingsheng's gallstones were not promptly treated, he could lose his life.

Li Zhongyi massaged the Riyue and Qimen points on Huang Jingsheng for about fifteen minutes.

Taking advantage of the slight reduction in pain, Li Zhongyi quickly urged Huang Jingsheng, "Brother, quickly call someone to get the medicine I prescribe."

"It must be done quickly. If it's delayed, his life will be in danger." Seeing Huang Jingsheng's hesitation, Li Zhongyi had to emphasize.

Li Zhongyi's serious and earnest expression forced Huang Jingsheng to put aside his concerns and loudly call for his trusted guard.