Late Song Dynasty: From Imposter Magistrate to Emperor Donning the Imperial Robe

Chapter 36 Persuading Wu Song

In Yanggu Prison, the cell boss Zhang Da was shouting and beckoning everyone around.

"You lot, put away all those wine jars! And clean up that pile of clutter by the door! If the master wants to vent his anger later, don't come asking me to plead for you!"

Under his command, the prison guards were so busy that they barely had time to breathe, and the prison gate, which hadn't been cleaned for a long time, was now completely transformed.

Seeing that the cleaning was almost done, Zhang Da was satisfied and went to wait for Li Chong outside the prison gate.

A short while later, Li Chong arrived with his men.

"Your Excellency," Zhang Da hurried forward, his face beaming, "I have cleaned everything thoroughly, and all the servants are awaiting Your Excellency's inspection."

"Hmm." Li Chong nodded seriously, his eyes scanning left and right. "This is my first time here since I took office as county magistrate. This prison is quite clean, though."

Zhang Da bowed and said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Excellency. We will certainly not dare to slack off in the future."

Li Chong naturally offered words of encouragement.

After exchanging a few casual words, Li Chong stepped into the prison cell.

"Do you know how many prisoners are in this jail? How many of them are serious offenders?" Li Chong asked casually.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Da replied, "We've imprisoned over thirty people, mostly those who started fights for no reason. There weren't many murders or deaths. The people of Yanggu are simple and honest, and with a magistrate like you to guide them, there haven't been any major cases."

"Hmm."

Li Chong nodded thoughtfully.

Upon entering the prison, the air, which had been somewhat warm, quickly turned chilly, and a gust of cold wind greeted us.

Sure enough, unlike the bright sunshine outside, the prison was still quite dark even with a few small windows open.

Li Chong glanced at the ground and patted Zhang Da on the shoulder: "You're very thoughtful."

Zhang Da quickly smiled and said, "It's what I should do."

Walking through the prison, one could see that the conditions were indeed harsh; many prisoners lay on piles of straw on the ground with nothing else.

Many prisoners, upon seeing Li Chong's official robes, immediately cried out their grievances, prompting Zhang Da to repeatedly rebuke them and send them away.

After walking a few more steps, Li Chong stopped.

Arrived.

A tall figure sat cross-legged on a mat, facing the wall, seemingly lost in thought. Judging by his stature, it was undoubtedly Wu Song.

Li Chong waved his hand: "Give me the key, I'll go in and take a look. You guys wait here."

"this……"

Zhang Da hesitated, "Your Excellency, although Wu Er isn't a particularly vicious person, he is still a criminal. If something were to happen to someone of your status, we couldn't bear the responsibility."

Li Chong continued to reach out, demanding more: "No, this county spared his life. How could such a hero repay kindness with enmity?"

Seeing that Li Chong insisted on going in, Zhang Da had no choice but to hand over the key.

"Clatter".

With a crisp sound, Li Chong opened the prison door and stepped behind Wu Song.

Hearing the commotion, Wu Song turned around and asked, "Isn't it lunchtime yet?"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw that the person who came was Li Chong, and he immediately knelt down: "What are you doing here, sir? This humble servant, Wu Song, kowtows to you, sir."

Sure enough, upon seeing Li Chong, Wu Song had no intention of kidnapping him and escaping from prison.

Li Chong smiled and helped Wu Song up: "I had nothing to do today, so I came to inspect the prison. I didn't expect you to be so comfortable here."

Wu Song replied, "It's all thanks to the kind-hearted Zhang and his men. After learning why I was imprisoned, they never made things difficult for me. And the magistrate has shown mercy by sparing me from the death penalty. I am truly grateful."

As he spoke, Wu Song was about to kneel down again.

"Hey." Li Chong put his arm around his, but almost fell over.

That's some serious strength.

Seeing this, Wu Song trembled with fear and helped Li Chong up, saying, "Are you alright, sir? I deserve to die for offending you, sir."

"It's alright." Li Chong looked at Wu Song's sturdy physique and liked him more and more.

If someone like that were to be your bodyguard, wouldn't your sense of security be off the charts?

"Come on, let's talk." Li Chong walked over to Wu Song's mat and sat down without any hesitation.

Wu Song naturally dared not sit down, and stood in front of Li Chong to listen.

Li Chong didn't press the matter, speaking as if it were a casual conversation: "The sentencing document for you has already been written and will be sent to the prefectural government on a chosen day. Once it's approved, you'll be branded and exiled. Have you thought about how you'll manage when you get to the south?"

Wu Song looked bewildered, and somewhat flustered.

He slowly shook his head: "I don't know."

Originally thinking he was going to die, Wu Song didn't feel any psychological burden.

Now that Li Chong has let him go, Wu Song feels uncertain about his future and is somewhat lost.

"That's true." Li Chong sighed. "It's really difficult when you're all alone at home. Don't you have any relatives or friends?"

Wu Song gave a bitter smile: "I do have a few friends, but after I am exiled, no one will abandon their families and homes to help me. You spared my life, sir, and I have become confused."

Li Chong glanced at Zhang Da; the others were still standing at a distance. He lowered his voice and said, "What if I, the county magistrate, could show you the right path?"

Wu Song was taken aback: "Please speak, sir."

"You should know that our county is currently cracking down on bandits. Judging by your physique, you're quite capable. Would you be willing to rid Yanggu County of this scourge?"

"But I am a criminal, how can I serve you, sir?" Wu Song was somewhat confused.

Li Chong slowly said, "I am the county magistrate. If I say you are guilty, then you are guilty. If I say you are not guilty, then you are not guilty."

"Can……"

Wu Song was at a loss for how to react.

Li Chong stood up and said meaningfully, "I won't force you. Think about it carefully these days. Is it worth it for a tough man to be unable to return home for a lifetime because of a harlot? Besides, the future in the south is uncertain. It's thousands of miles away, and you might die on the way. If that happens, your Wu family line will end."

"Even if you don't think about yourself, think about your brother, right? Besides, if you can escape this cage, who knows, you might even have a chance to find your lover and get revenge?"

Wu Song's eyes widened, and he became excited.

Yes, revenge!

Seeing that Wu Song reacted, Li Chong smirked and stepped out of the prison.

"Think about it carefully yourself. I'll come back another day to hear your answer."

After saying this, Li Chong left, leaving Wu Song alone in the prison cell to struggle with his inner turmoil.

Li Chong was quite excited after leaving the prison. It seemed that there was hope for Wu Song. The next step was to find a way to get him out.

Li Chong still needs to carefully plan how to bail out the person.

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Even as he lay in bed that night, Li Chong was still thinking about this in his dreams. Getting someone out of prison was thrilling just thinking about it.

Just as Li Chong had fallen asleep, a gleaming dagger quietly slipped through the crack in the door.