No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 599 Rong Zhen: How many times have I said that when working, I should refer to my job title [ask for a monthly ticket! ]

There are two prisons in Jiangzhou, one new and one old.

The former is on the outskirts of the city.

The latter is located in Xunyangfang in the city, built on a cliff overlooking the river.

In the past, the Jiangzhou prison separated prisoners into the old and new state prisons based on the severity of their crimes, gender, and whether they needed solitary confinement.

The New South Wales Prison holds some prisoners who have committed minor crimes.

The Old State Prison was specifically used to detain serious criminals and death row prisoners.

The latter is located in Xingzifang in the city, which is also convenient for the management and surveillance of Jiangzhou Hall and the Supervisory Office.

The state prison is under the charge of the Chief Secretary of Jiangzhou.

Since Ouyang Rong took office as the Chief of Jiangzhou last year, he has been working to improve the livelihood of the people in the state, including the state prison.

The new state prison on the outskirts of the city was built by people ordered by Ouyang Rong after he took office as the chief secretary. The old state prison in the city was too cramped and damp.

The improvements generally include planting some sparse trees around the prison to slightly beautify the environment while maintaining good ventilation and lighting.

Officials are then sent out regularly to inspect the state prisons, check the food, and see if any jailers are abusing prisoners or extorting too much...etc.

Anyway, just try to be more humane and caring.

However, these only apply to prisoners with light sentences who can be reformed through labor in New South Wales Prison.

As for the serious criminals on death row in the Old State Prison... stop thinking about improving their environment all the time and think about how you're going to be reborn.

The punishments in the Great Zhou Dynasty were known to be severe, but they have only become slightly better in recent years due to the political environment...

In the afternoon, Xunyangfang, on the cliff near the river.

The warm sunshine of early spring falls on the outer wall of the old state prison facing the river.

These days, the severity of this state prison has suddenly been raised to a new level.

On weekdays, stern-looking female officials in white clothes would occasionally enter and leave the prison.

Those who know the matter know that this is a female official from the Supervisory Council, currently the most difficult violent agency of the imperial court in Jiangzhou.

If you fall into their hands and are accused of suspected collusion with traitors, you will be skinned alive if you don't die.

A month ago, the Supervisory Council took over the control of the state prison from the Jiangzhou Hall and took full control.

It seems to be a base for concentrated and rigorous interrogation of suspected criminals.

Batches of suspected traitors from inside and outside the state were escorted in and thrown into jail.

Inside the prison, there were intermittent sounds of ghosts howling and wolves howling day and night, and the surrounding residents were all spreading rumors...

After leaving the Huaiye Lane mansion, Ouyang Rong did not go alone.

He first went to the Jiangzhou lobby and found Yuan Huaimin and Yan Liulang.

The three of them came to the gate of the Old State Prison together.

The two female officials of the Supervisory Council who were guarding the door looked at each other, as if they had received instructions in advance, and signaled the jailer to open the prison door.

One of the female officials reminded, "Master Ouyang, the lady historian has been here for a while."

Another female official came in and reported.

"Ah."

Ouyang Rong glanced at the dimly lit dark doorway, and a stench of dead fish hit him in the face.

Just as he was about to step in, he felt someone pulling his sleeve. He turned around and saw it was Yan Liulang.

"Mingfu..."

"what happened?"

Yan Liulang turned his head and pointed with his chin at the stable not far from the door.

There was only one person in the stable who was feeding the date horse.

There was also a lone silhouette of a short young man, wearing a dark blue suit and a felt hat of the same color.

He folded his hands over his chest and leaned his back against the wall of the stable. The orange afternoon sun fell on his body. The short young man leaned his head back against the wall, closed his eyes and dozed off, like a statue.

"Fuck it?"

Ouyang Rong and Yuan Huaimin looked at each other and walked away.

"Your Excellency the Governor... Your Excellency the Chief Secretary..."

The clerk in the stable greeted him respectfully.

The noise woke Wang Caozhi up.

He suddenly woke up, looked around, breathed a sigh of relief, and rubbed his sleepy eyes: "Brother-in-law? Lord Yuan, Brother Yan. Um, why are you here?"

"Of course there is something. What about you? You were in Xunyang Grottoes, so why did you come here?" Ouyang Rongqi asked.

Wang Caozhi was about to speak, but when he realized what was going on, he looked around, especially at the state prison.

After a while, he seemed relieved and muttered softly:
"After finishing my work in the morning, Madam asked me to come along."

After a pause, Wang Caozhi sighed:

"Maybe she's afraid that I'll stay in Xunyang Grottoes and be lazy. Lady Shi really doesn't trust me at all."

Everyone couldn't help but look sideways at Wang Caozhi's somewhat tired face.

Yuan Huaimin patted him on the shoulder with sympathy:

"Manager Wang, I understand your feelings very well! It's really distressing to have a superior like this. Hey, just bear with it and it will pass."

Ouyang Rong glanced at him.

Yuan Huaimin shut up immediately.

Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, glanced at Wang Caozhi, and said nothing.

"Why don't you come in now that you're here?" At this time, Rong Zhen appeared at the gate of the state prison. She walked out of the prison gate with four female officials.

The lady historian stopped in the shadow behind the sunlight falling from the eaves. She did not take a step forward. She put her hands in her sleeves and looked in the direction of Ouyang Rong and Yuan Huaimin with cold eyes.

"Ms. Shi arrived very early."

Ouyang Rong smiled, turned around and walked away with Yuan Huaimin.

Rong Zhen glanced in Wang Cao's direction:

"Ouyang Lianghan, what were you talking about just now?"

"Nothing." Ouyang Rong shook his head.

Wang Caozhi immediately took the reins of the horses from Yan Liulang and Yuan Huaimin, and led them into the stable while speaking righteously:

"Brother-in-law, Yuan Changshi, you can go in with Lady Shi without worry. I will take care of the small matters outside."

Rong Zhen didn't answer, as if he didn't hear it, and turned back to the prison gate.

Ouyang Rong turned around and ordered:
"Liu Lang, you stay outside and accompany me."

"Yes, Mingfu."

Ouyang Rong and Yuan Huaimin followed Rong Zhen into the prison.

Yan Liulang stayed behind, holding a sword in his arms, and stood at the gate of the state prison.

He seemed to be familiar with Rong Zhen and other female officials. A cold-faced female official guarding outside the door handed a water bag to Yan Liulang.

"Brother Yan."

Yan Liulang suddenly heard a weak voice coming from the side and turned around to look.

Wang Caozhi approached at some point, looked at him cautiously, and pointed his index finger to the side.

Yan Liulang followed Wang Caozhi to the side.

The two came to the shade of a tree.

Wang Caozhi swallowed and looked at the water bag in Yan Liulang's hand. The latter reacted and handed over the water bag.

Wang Caozhi tilted his head back and drank some water to moisten his dry throat.

Yan Liulang was not in a hurry either. He held a knife in his arms, looked at him, and waited patiently.

Wang Caozhi wiped his mouth and looked at the ruthless and taciturn "brother-in-law's confidant" in front of him, and asked weakly: "Brother Yan, is the lady historian always like this? When brother-in-law was in Xunyang Grottoes, did she also order him around like this?"

Yan Liulang thought about it and nodded.

Wang Caozhi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this, but then he noticed that Yan Liulang nodded and then shook his head.

"Brother Yan, what do you mean? Why are you tapping and shaking?"

Yan Liulang looked up at the sky and listened to the wind without saying a word.

Wang Caozhi could not help but frown. After a while, his face suddenly became clear and he said:

"Yes, I know without thinking that my brother-in-law is definitely different from me. If it was my brother-in-law, Lady Shi would never dare to order him around like this. She would at least be polite...

"Is it that they treat all of us like this? These female officials are so arrogant and servile? Well, I just saw that the lady historian and the people around her were very nice to you, Brother Yan."

After saying that, Wang Caozhi couldn't help but look at the water bag.

Yan Liulang looked around and asked:
"Brother Wang, do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?" "What do you mean?"

Wang Caozhi was puzzled. He took off his felt hat and fanned himself. He also fanned Yan Liulang. He asked in a low voice:
"I just came to Xunyang recently, and my brother-in-law suddenly gave me such an important task. I am a little confused.

“Especially, I didn’t deal with these northerners much before, and they were all abstinent female officials from the palace. Their personalities are even more difficult to figure out, and I really have no experience.

"Is there any way to deal with these serious female officials? Is it similar to those eunuchs? I hope Brother Yan can give me some advice."

Yan Liulang crossed his arms and tilted his head, looking at his face a few more times.

Wang Caozhi discovered that Yan Liulang's expression was vaguely... weird. This weird expression was hard to describe, and it seemed like a weird smile.

Wang Caozhi's mouth was dry and he asked urgently: "Brother Yan, what's the matter..."

Yan Liulang suddenly patted Wang Caozhi on the shoulder:

"Brother Wang, when dealing with Lady Rong Zhen, you have to be careful. If you say yes or no, then yes. If you say no, then yes. It's mainly about figuring it out yourself.

"Well, brother, I will tell you the most important thing. Remember it. It may not be correct, but it may be useful to you. Also, you must not tell others that I taught you this."

"Which one? Okay, okay, go ahead and tell me."

Wang Caozhi humbly asked for advice, and after waiting for a while, he heard Yan Liulang's hoarse voice:
"My brother, please remember that when Miss Rongzhen is...working, please be sure to address her by her title."

“Ah? No, no more?”

Wang Caozhi thought it was some special hobby of his superior that needed to be avoided, but he never expected it to be so simple and could be said in just one sentence.

Before he could open his mouth, he felt two heavy pats on his shoulders. Yan Liulang took the water bag and returned to the gate of the state prison.

"I call her by her title when I'm working... I've always done that. I call her Lady Historian. How dare I cross the line... Strange, where did I not call her by her title..."

Wang Caozhi murmured in a low voice, puzzled.

After a while, the short young man looked puzzled, covered his eyes with his hands, and looked up at the dazzling sun: "Where is the job title..."

At some point, Wang Caozhi's expression changed slightly.

"Oh my god!"

……

"Ms. Rong, how is Manager Wang doing at the Xunyang Grottoes recently?"

"It's OK, um, satisfactory."

"As long as Ms. Rong is satisfied, I'm glad. But I think he doesn't look very well. I saw him like that yesterday."

"How do I know? Wasn't he arranged by you? Did he say anything to you?"

Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen were walking in the dark and damp corridor. In the cells on both sides, there were disheveled prisoners, some quiet, some crazy.

The two chatted casually, and Rong Zhen's reply made Ouyang Rong choke slightly.

"I didn't say anything. I'm just worried about whether I can do my job well. How about I arrange another one? I think Manager Wang seems a little overwhelmed."

"It's up to you. But don't push all those aunts and uncles over to me. We are here to handle the official business of the court."

Rong Zhen walked in front, speaking in a serious tone.

Without waiting for Ouyang Rong to speak, everyone came to the innermost corridor of the prison.

There are two cells in the corridor.

One door was tightly closed, another was half open, and from the back room, the sound of shackles and torture instruments rattling could be faintly heard.

Judging from the direction Rong Zhen and others were leading, they should have just come out of the cell at the back to pick someone up.

Rong Zhen stopped and said, "We're here."

"This is?"

"Two of the spies we captured last time died during interrogation. There were originally two left. The morning before you came, a retired old cruel official we hired from Nanjing accidentally killed one of them.

"But the remaining one seems to be frightened. I just relaxed and went out to pick you up. Let's go on."

Ouyang Rong sighed: "Okay."

He walked into the cell and a bleak and bloody scene caught his eyes.

Rong Zhen suddenly turned around to observe Ouyang Rong's expression.

Noticing that he looked away, she nudged Ouyang Rong with her arm and whispered:
"They are all rebels who violated the laws of the Great Zhou by using force. They should be executed."

"Understood. The overall situation is more important."

"Okay, sit down and wait." Rong Zhen walked forward.

About an hour later, in the cell that had gone from noisy to quiet, Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen walked out of the cell door side by side.

On the rack behind him, there was a bald strong man covered in scars and salt, dying, being put down by several jailers. Next to the rack, a one-eyed old official was cleaning the torture instruments...

"Did you just hear that?"

Rong Zhen has a cold voice.

"Well, what about the more virgin thing..."

Ouyang Rong nodded slightly. The spy in the prison behind him had his mouth pried open and said that they were here to look for Yue Chuzi.

Ouyang Rong had heard from his junior sister before that the current Yue virgin of Yunmeng Jianze seemed to be named Zhao Qingxiu. Like the eldest lady Xue Zhongzhu and the second lady Yu Nianyuan, she was a lady of high status in the Lady Palace. Anyway, she must be very good at fighting...

At that time, the junior sister said that Yue Chu was cold and arrogant. Since she came into the world, including at the Taogu Sword-asking Conference, she disdained to talk to any outsiders. She was impossible for outsiders to contact her and was very mysterious.

Rong Zhen rolled up her sleeves, as if she was in deep thought, and walked silently towards another cell door. She was wearing a plain white dress and was petite. She seemed out of place in the dark and damp corridor, but her steps forward were exceptionally firm and steady.

Ouyang Rong and the four female officials are taller, but they follow the girl in palace dress, which looks a bit strange.

"Ms. Rong seems very interested. I thought it was not a clue about the owner of Die Lian Hua. I'm sorry to disappoint you."

Rong Zhen shook his head and said thoughtfully:
"As for the owner of Die Lian Hua, these rebels are too tight-lipped. They say they don't know anything. I don't know why they are so tight-lipped. Or do they really not know? Could it be that this boy is really the hidden monarch of the Female Monarch Palace? Except for the core hidden female monarch, no one knows..."

After a while, she narrowed her eyes slightly:

"Never mind for now. This clue is very important right now. If we catch Yue Chuzi, we can follow the clues and find out who is the owner of the Butterfly Love Flower, who is suspected to be the Hidden Lord."

"Why is Lady Historian so sure that the virgin Yue must be in the city?"

Rong Zhen raised her pointed chin:

"This female officer of our department has arrested several groups of rebels in other states in Jiangnan, and has received some information a long time ago.

"It is said that when the Xingzi Lake Buddha collapsed, there were three female monarchs in Xunyang City, namely the First Female Monarch, the Second Female Monarch, and the Seventh Female Monarch. The latter one was the legendary Yue Chuzi, who was ranked seventh in the palace and the youngest.

"I have always wondered why Yue Chuzi did not take action during the turmoil that day.

"I thought he had slipped through the net and hadn't shown up, so I withdrew with them, but the spy just now provided new clues.

"It turns out that Yunmeng Jianze is also sending people to look for Yue Chuzi. This means that this lady has never returned, and the people in Yunmeng Jianze have no news of her.

"From this point of view, it is very likely that Yue Chuzi is in the city."

Ouyang Rong raised his eyebrows and asked:
"That makes sense, but we have searched the city including Xingzifang so many times and still haven't found Yue Chuzi. Isn't it too late now? She must have already slipped away to a safe place."

"Not too late. Not at all."

Rong Zhen suddenly spoke in a decisive tone.

"What do you mean?"

"If I were a virgin, I would stay in the city under the current circumstances. There are two reasons for this."

Rong Zhen has a clear voice and clear logic:

“First, the most dangerous place is the safest place.

"Secondly, in Xunyang City, all the hidden halls of Yunmeng Jianze and Tiannan Jianghu sects have been destroyed. The Xunyang Grottoes are about to be completed. If she happens to be hiding in the city, why would she go out? It's better to stay put."

"Agree."

Ouyang Rong nodded lightly.

He originally wanted to ask if Rong Zhen was worrying too much, but when he thought about the embroiderer he had hidden, who was also a Yue girl, he was shocked. She, a dumb and blind girl, could hide in Donglin Temple, not to mention Yue Chuzi, a female monarch-level genius Yue girl.

Ouyang Rong followed Rong Zhen calmly.

"This clue is important because catching this girl means we have grasped Yunmeng Jianze's lifeblood. Yue Chuzi is the first-line heir to the Yunmeng Lady. Even the eldest lady, Xue Zhongzhu, has to give way. This is their future Yuanjun."

Rong Zhen narrowed her eyes, and just as Ouyang Rong was digesting this information, she stopped in front of the innermost cell door.

"arrive."

"Who's inside?"

Ouyang Rong looked at it curiously.

"Mr. Li, who harbored our second daughter, Yu Nianyuan, was completely clueless before. I was a little soft-hearted, thinking that his family was indeed innocent and that innocent people were implicated. Moreover, his family, young and old, were in our hands, so I thought they wouldn't dare to play any tricks, but now it seems...

The temperature of the air around Rong Zhen suddenly dropped, and he cleared his throat coldly: "At least you kept it a secret from me about Yue's virginity. You are really stubborn."

Ouyang Rong raised his eyebrows, with some impression.

With a curious look on his face, he followed Rong Zhen into the innermost cell...

----

(PS: Please vote for me!)
(End of this chapter)