The Marquise: I Earn My Own Worship

Before Duan Jing'an was waiting to be transferred back, he finally had the time to wander around the prison.

I really should let Kang Ge'er see what the prisons in the storybooks he reads every day look like.

They were still robbing a prison cell. In this corridor leading down, anyone who was tall had to lower their body slightly to pass through.

Not to mention that there is a stone inlay every half a mile to accommodate a prison guard. If someone sneaks in, there might be a prison guard standing in one of the stones.

The further you go inside, the darker and scarier it becomes, with stone walls clinging tightly to you. Once you reach the bottom, you'll go back up again, winding your way to the final prison.

If someone comes to rob the prison, they must first have a map, otherwise they will probably get lost if they wander around everywhere.

Duan Jing'an was over eight feet tall, and he felt a little cramped every time he went in. Furthermore, the dungeon was divided into different sections, so he needed someone to lead the way each time he went in.

For example, nobles and commoners who committed the same crime were separated. There was a special place called the Prison for Untouchables to hold commoners, and there were as many as 55 different prisons of varying sizes in the Qingping dungeon.

They walked like this for about a quarter of an hour before finally arriving. Duan Jing'an relaxed his neck and rubbed it as he walked.

Duan Jing'an had been here for over a month and was familiar with the prison guards. Seeing Lord Duan arrive, the guards who were lazily enjoying a drink and a meal all came forward to pay their respects.

"Master Duan is here so early today."

Duan Jing'an saw that it was the prison guard he had spoken to before and replied with a gentle smile, "Yes, have you changed shifts?"

"Yes, the brothers who were on night watch just now have gone to catch up on their sleep."

At this time, Zhang Youzi was yawning and came around the corner to see Duan Jing'an here, and was a little surprised.

"Master Duan, why are you here so early? The prisoners in this prison have basically been cleared out, so there's nothing to worry about."

Duan Jing'an looked at the man in front of him. He was about forty years old and had gained weight, especially his belly. Duan Jing'an inappropriately wondered if this old man would get stuck while walking in that corridor.

Unlike other prison guards, he stayed in the dungeon all year round, so his food and water were delivered by a special person.

Many jailers had beards on their faces, but Zhang Youzi had a fair complexion and looked like a landlord, not at all like the so-called "death judge" in this prison.

"It's okay anyway. It's cooler here. It's good to hide here."

After hearing this, the jailers all felt that Lord Duan was indeed very approachable and never put on any airs towards them.

But you know what, it's really cool in the dungeon. They are close to the ground here, and if they go down to the dungeon further down, they will have to wear long clothes.

It was the first time Zhang Youzi had heard someone say it was cool here and that they were here to laze around. This Lord Duan certainly didn't have the airs of those ninth-rank "Lords."

"Hahahahaha, come here, the food has just been delivered. If you don't mind, Lord Duan, would you like to have a couple of bites?"

Zhang Youzi quickly led Duan Jing'an to sit down. Duan Jing'an had just had some porridge in the morning, and his stomach was already empty after walking for a while. Seeing this, he did not refuse and started eating the food on the table.

The two people who were originally sitting at the table were about to stand up when they saw Duan Jing'an sitting down. According to previous practices and rules, they were not allowed to eat at the same table with these adults.

There were no other extra tables in the prison, only three large ones, and they were all full. They had to eat with their food carried, but most of them were used to it.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

A jailer smiled apologetically and said, "You eat, sir. We brothers will go eat somewhere else."

Duan Jing'an frowned. These few tables here were all full of people. Could they eat while standing?

"Nothing, just sit here. No need to follow these rules. It's just breakfast. Eat quickly, because you have to be on duty later."

Duan Jing'an asked them to sit down. The jailer saw that Duan Jing'an did not look fake, and looked at Zhang Youzi beside him with a look for help.

Zhang Youzi glanced at Duan Jing'an's expression, then said with a hearty smile, "Master Duan has spoken, what are you still standing around for? Sit down and eat."

After saying that, he sat down first, picked up the food on the table and started eating.

Duan Jing'an also noticed the expressions of the two jailers. It seems that Zhang Youzi has a high status here.

The other two jailers also sat down upon seeing this, but they still felt a little uncomfortable, as this was the first time they had been so close to those officials.

These jailers were menial, lowly officials who were not worthy of respect. Even the smaller officials outside wouldn't take them seriously. As time went on, they didn't like going out and basically stayed in the jail.

After a long period of oppression and being looked down upon, they could only seek relief from the criminals, using all kinds of cruel torture methods on them.

So even if their status outside is lower than that of dogs, once they are in this prison, except for the officials above them, they are the bosses here.

Duan Jing'an didn't think it was a big deal, perhaps because he was a little uncomfortable at first. But after more than a month of high-pressure work, sometimes he had to eat while interviewing people, so just being able to sit at the table and have a good meal was already quite good.

This was the result of training in the environment. Duan Jing'an felt that this visit to the prison had broadened his horizons, so he became even more curious about how the prison guards lived.

In the following days, Duan Jing'an chatted with these jailers intentionally or unintentionally, asking them questions such as what he had eaten today, when he would go home, whether he was married, etc.

The prison guards were also happy to talk to Duan Jing'an, partly because they felt that Duan Jing'an was gentle and unpretentious, and his words were pleasant.

The "pleasant" here refers to the fact that it is different from the usual sarcastic words said by those officials. Although it is also a conversation, Duan Jing'an's words are very comfortable to listen to.

In addition, there was nothing new in the prison, so the officials who came here usually didn't bother to stand with them, let alone communicate with them.

Not long after this, the higher authorities issued a document for him to return to his post. Duan Jing'an took the document and left the prison and returned to his original place of work.

In the past, the prison guards would breathe a sigh of relief after sending away the officials.

But after Duan Jing'an left, the jailers here felt relieved but also a little disappointed. This was the first time they had come across an official who was relatively gentle to them.

I don’t know what the next one will be like, but it will probably be difficult to meet a “good” official like Lord Duan again.

Duan Jing'an didn't know all this. He was busy writing his performance report after his transfer, which had to be submitted to his superiors.

Just after Duan Jing'an's repatriation order came out, Zuo Xiang's birthday also arrived.

Mrs. Huang, the wife of the Left Prime Minister, specially sent an invitation to all the masters of Duan Bo's Mansion. Song Shengfu thought that she seemed to seldom visit the Left Prime Minister's Mansion, so now was a good time for her to go out for a stroll.

Song Shengfu has been in a bad mood for a long time. At first, she felt that she was very relaxed all day long, but after a long time, Song Shengfu felt a little uncomfortable.

This era is really too boring. If she doesn't do something, she always feels that life is too dull and boring. She has to endure such a life for more than ten years or even decades. It makes her feel uncomfortable just thinking about it.

There are only a few little kids at home, and sometimes there is no one to watch melons and complain with.

Song Shengfu decided to stop playing badly. She had lived once, so she decided to live it up. As for lying low, she would have plenty of time to do so after she died.

Song Shengfu was full of energy and was ready to use her social skills to chat with a few more old ladies and talk about other people's lives.