Chapter 34: The Prison Tyrant's Absurd Guidance

Liu Bei was in prison.

The standard of this incarceration was significantly higher than his previous stints. The Luoyang Prison was not like the local magistrate’s jail; this was an imperial prison, a central facility specifically designed for high-ranking figures. Those who ended up in Luoyang Prison were either sent by the Court of the Commandant of Justice or the Colonel of the Capital. The prisoners here were usually involved in major cases, often touching upon the very safety and stability of the Great Han.

As for Liu Bei, he was arguably the one with the lightest charges.

Yet, he too had affected the safety of the Great Han—he had physically restrained the commander of the Luoyang North Summer Gate garrison for nearly half an hour, which clearly had a major impact on the security of the capital. The specific result was that the Northern Magistrate was replaced that very day, and the capital was now much safer.

Luoyang Prison had a peculiar characteristic: those who had served time there and survived were almost all able to return to officialdom, and the vast majority even received promotions. The central prison, in fact, disregarded past crimes; there was no need to dwell on them. After all, another feature of Luoyang Prison was that none of the inmates had fixed sentences—it was, by default, a suspended death sentence.

In reality, the prison’s primary function was to extract confessions through torture. Once a confession was signed, it usually meant execution or the extermination of one’s entire clan; if one did not confess, it remained a suspended death sentence or led to an eventual release. Therefore, not confessing was, relatively speaking, the more advantageous path.

However, if one did not confess, one was liable to run into prison bullies.

Most cells in the imperial prison were isolated to prevent collusion, usually keeping one person to a room. But there were large communal cells for high-ranking figures who were too sensitive for harsh interrogation; they not only lived in larger quarters but were also provided with servants.

Liu Bei was currently serving the high-ranking Palace Prefect of Yongle, Wang Meng, with meticulous and careful attention.

"Palace Prefect Wang, are you alright?" Liu Bei asked with a humble expression, looking at Wang Meng with feigned concern. He was mostly worried he had hit him too hard and killed him.

"Do you know who my father is? How dare you treat me like this! Ouch, ouch..." Wang Meng lay on the floor, one hand protecting his face, the other shielding his groin, his legs kicking backward.

"I know, a eunuch, right? But the problem is... I get the feeling that Palace Prefect Wang doesn't actually know who his father is," Liu Bei replied, his face wearing a smirk that looked suspiciously like Gongsun Zan’s.

"You dare insult me? Do you believe that your entire family will be... hey, hey, don't, don't step there..." Wang Meng wanted to deliver a harsh threat, but it is difficult to sound menacing while being bullied by a prison tough. Liu Bei’s choice of footing was particularly cruel.

"Palace Prefect Wang, you are currently charged with treason. Treason... you are an official, you should know the consequences. Do you really think you have the chance to take revenge on me?"

Liu Bei stopped striking him; any more, and the man might not be able to speak at all.

"Hmph... as long as no one is interrogating me, I will definitely get out..." Wang Meng turned his head away, refusing to look at Liu Bei.

"Do you think someone is definitely going to bail you out?" Liu Bei laughed with a sinister edge. "When I was first imprisoned, I thought my elder brother would bail me out, but he didn't. In fact, he couldn't wait for me to die..."

"That is because your relationship with your brother was poor," Wang Meng remained unmoved.

"And are your brothers on good terms with you? Ha! You are only foster kin; they aren't your real brothers. I hear Palace Prefect Wang has many concubines; there are probably plenty of people drooling over them..."

"I suspect they are currently waiting for you to hurry up and die so they can occupy your house, sleep with your wives, and beat your children..."

"Besides, your father and you aren't blood relatives either... Palace Prefect Wang, your evidence for treason is irrefutable. By law, it should be the extermination of your clan." Liu Bei shook his head as he looked at Wang Meng. "While such a small matter might mean nothing to your father, he won't risk open enmity with the Colonel of the Capital just to fish you out. After all, he isn't the one in the imperial prison..."

Wang Meng fell silent. He knew Liu Bei was right, but he had no options. He could only wait—wait for his foster father to show mercy. This was a frame-up by the Colonel of the Capital, a vicious political struggle. It meant that whoever saved him would become an enemy of the Colonel, Yang Qiu. There were not many people willing to provoke Yang Qiu; he was a ruthless official who would bite anyone. Would Wang Pu be willing to pay such a high price to save his foster son? Wang Meng knew the chances were slim.

"If I were you, I would find a way to make someone who can actually withstand this affair come in and share the burden... You need someone tall to hold up the sky so it doesn't collapse, don't you agree?" Liu Bei shook his head and laughed.

"What do you mean?" Wang Meng felt as if he understood something, yet remained confused.

"I mean..." Liu Bei rubbed his fingers together. "If you show some 'sincerity,' I will tell you my meaning."

"You are still so greedy for money even in this imperial prison! You can't even get yourself out, yet you want to lecture me?" Wang Meng turned away, ignoring him.

"Haha... my charge is merely assault. As long as I pay the redemption fee, I can get out. The Emperor loves money, and the Yongle Palace loves money—Palace Prefect Wang, you know that better than anyone."

Liu Bei continued rubbing his fingers. "That is why I asked to borrow money from you in the first place. Don't blame me for hitting you just now; who told you to ignore me earlier?"

"Hmph, I have to get out first to have money to give you... speak first." Wang Meng sized Liu Bei up, deciding to listen.

"Jailer! Warden! Come here... go to this Palace Prefect Wang's house. Have his people bring money to redeem me. As for how much, you can negotiate with his family yourselves..." Liu Bei leaned toward the cell bars and shouted.

Outside the cell were the Black-Clad Guards of Yang Qiu. They heard him and approached cooperatively. "Palace Prefect Wang, what do you say?"

"You!" Wang Meng swallowed his pride. "Fine. Your redemption fee is not a problem. Bring my family here; I will certainly pay."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to just do that earlier? You wouldn't have had to get a beating. See..." Liu Bei rubbed his hands together. "Now, let me explain... You are charged with treason. Whoever saves you will be mired in trouble, right? So no one can fish you out; except for the Emperor, no one can save you."

"But what if your father were in here with you? Do you think the Emperor, or your foster uncles and brothers, would immediately move to save your father?" Liu Bei raised an eyebrow at him. "People's status is different. No matter what crime your father commits, as long as he has the Emperor's favor, he will not fall. But you... you haven't caught the Emperor's eye yet."

Wang Meng frowned but said nothing.

"You should know that the Emperor will never kill your father, no matter what..." Liu Bei paused. "If you let your father come in and squat here with you, whether it is the Emperor or your foster uncles and brothers, they will all work to protect your father. And then... couldn't you just follow him out?"

"You mean... you want me to shift the blame onto my father?" Wang Meng frowned, feeling that Liu Bei’s logic held water, yet it felt fundamentally wrong.

"Your little crime is nothing to him... At most, he’d have to visit for half an hour before the Emperor summons him back." Liu Bei scoffed. "But this 'nothing' of a crime is enough to cost you your life! Think about it yourself..."

Wang Meng was silent for a long time, lost in thought. He didn't even eat.

Several hours later, the voice of a Black-Clad Guard came from outside the cell: "Palace Prefect Wang, your family is here. To redeem this Officer Liu, it will cost two million coins. But you cannot meet with anyone; you must simply say whether you will pay or not."

"...Pay it." Wang Meng looked up and lunged toward the cell door. "I want to see Yang Fangzheng!"