We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

It took Li Che an entire afternoon to get a general overview of the conditions of all the prisoners.

Finally, dozens of people were selected. These people were all talented and knowledgeable, and the crimes they committed were not serious crimes such as burning, killing and looting, so their crimes were relatively excusable.

When the time comes, I will ask Emperor Qing for an order to exile them to Fengguo and go back with me.

Among these people, Li Che highlighted twelve individuals.

These twelve people are very powerful. They all have special skills or can accomplish great things.

Now they are death row prisoners, but if they are used well, they will be the pillars of the country. Li Che plans to meet them in person.

Since the files of the Ministry of Justice could not be taken away, Li Che personally copied the information of these twelve people.

After finishing the work, he stood up and said goodbye to the Minister of Justice.

It was time to get off duty, but Li Che didn't leave, so the Minister of Justice naturally didn't dare to leave either.

After seeing Li Che come out, he breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to ask, "Your Highness, are you done?"

"Yes." Li Che handed over the list, "Can you find all the people on it?"

The Minister of Justice took the list, looked through it carefully, and then said, "Your Highness, please wait a moment. I need to check a little more."

Although the Tianlao and the Zhaoyu were also under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, they were not prisons directly under the Ministry of Justice. It was impossible for the Minister of Justice to remember the names of so many prisoners.

Li Che was not in a hurry. He sat down aside and drank the tea brought by the officials from the Ministry of Justice, feeling as relaxed as if he were at home.

The Minister of Justice was very efficient and got a reply in less than half an hour.

"Your Highness, most of the people you are looking for are serving sentences. Five of them have died and have not yet been reported."

"Dead?" Li Che frowned, "How did he die?"

The Minister of Justice replied, "Your Highness, you may not know that there are actually death targets every month in the Heavenly Prison and the Imperial Prison. After all, the environment in those places is not very good, and the prisoners have all been tortured, so sudden death is common."

This explanation is reasonable, and Li Che can't find any fault with it.

He nodded and asked, "If I want to take these people away, what do I need to do?"

"Your Highness, please ask His Majesty for an imperial decree. Once the decree arrives, the Ministry of Justice will immediately release the person."

The Minister of Justice was very tight-lipped and did not give Li Che any favors just to please him because of his status.

Among the six ministries, the Ministry of Justice does not have the highest status, but the Minister of Justice is the most upright official.

The Ministry of Justice is in charge of law, and only those who are upright and incorruptible can hold this position.

Li Che did not embarrass him, but just said: "Well, I will go and ask for the decree now, and come back tomorrow."

The Minister of Justice said calmly, "Your Highness, I respectfully send you off."

There are only a few dozen prisoners. Emperor Qing has given his word and he will certainly agree to it.

The next day, an imperial edict arrived at the Ministry of Justice without the need for any other complicated procedures.

His Royal Highness Prince Feng immediately took his personal guards to the Ministry of Justice and also called Huo Duanli along.

This time, in order to fool those prisoners, I need someone to cooperate with me. Wang Sanchun and other reckless men are definitely not suitable.

Originally, Huo Duanxiao was the best candidate, but Li Che gave him a long vacation yesterday and asked him to go home to see his family.

Now that only one day has passed, it is difficult to call him back, so I can only lend him the room to his younger brother first.

After getting the files from the Ministry of Justice, the Minister of Justice personally accompanied him to the Heavenly Prison.

The people who were imprisoned in the Sky Prison were all serious criminals, or prisoners who had committed heinous crimes and were awaiting execution. Ordinary people would feel unlucky even if they were to get close to it, let alone go in.

As the sixth prince, he had naturally never been here.

As a law-abiding young man in the 21st century, Li Che had never done anything bad except having several girlfriends. This was also his first time setting foot in a place like a prison.

As soon as he stepped over the towering threshold, a cold and damp air hit him in the face, with a disgusting stench that made Li Che frown.

Huo Duanli quickly handed over a handkerchief soaked in spices and whispered, "Your Highness, this place is filthy. Please be patient."

Li Che took the handkerchief and covered his mouth and nose. He looked up and saw that the light in the prison was dim, the walls were mottled, and there were dark spots on the walls. He didn't know whether they were stains or dried blood.

In the cells on both sides, one could vaguely see some disheveled figures, some sitting and some lying, all looking haggard.

In addition to the stench of decay, the air was also mixed with a strong smell of blood and medicine, which was suffocating.

"Your Highness, most of the people you are looking for are in Cell A. Shall we go there?" asked the Minister of Justice.

The prisons were divided into different levels, and it was impossible for aristocratic families who had committed crimes to be imprisoned together with bandits.

The Tianlao is generally divided into A, B, C, and D. The A-level prisoners are generally officials who have made mistakes, or even royal relatives.

The conditions there are generally better, and you can even drink wine, eat meat, write poetry and read books.

The conditions in the Ding cell are the worst, and the people held there are all the lowest-level criminals.

"No, let's go to No. C first." Li Che refused.

The group of people in Unit A knew what was happening and were eager to be recruited by Li Che, so there was no need for him to go and see it in person.

On the contrary, there are a few people in the two prisons Bing and Ding that Li Che cares about.

Although the Minister of Justice was surprised, he did not dare to ask more questions and could only take Li Che deeper into the cave.

Cell A is on the ground and has some ventilation and lighting. Cell B is slightly worse than Cell A, but it is still barely habitable.

Cells C and D were built completely underground, with no wind or light.

Damp, cold, cramped, dark... totally unsuitable for human habitation.

As Li Che passed through the cells, he could faintly hear the prisoners' groans, curses, and the rattling of iron chains.

The air was filled with a foul odor. Almost all the prisoners were injured, and they were rotting and festering in this cold cell. The smell was definitely not good.

Huo Duanli also saw that a prisoner's legs were covered in blood and flesh, with white maggots running around inside.

The corners of his mouth twitched, and he endured the discomfort and followed Li Che's footsteps.

The Minister of Justice originally thought that Li Che, as a prince, should be extremely disgusted by this kind of scene.

But Li Che walked in front with big strides, ignoring the wailing of the prisoners on both sides. He was not affected at all and was even too lazy to cover his mouth and nose with a handkerchief.

Accustomed to the bloody battlefield, places like the Heavenly Prison were just a small scene for Li Che, and he quickly adapted to it.

Not long after, a middle-aged man in a dark brown official uniform with a keychain hanging from his waist hurried over, bowed and said:

"I, the humble Prison Officer Wu Liang, greet His Royal Highness the Prince of Feng and His Excellency the Minister of State."

Li Che said calmly: "No need to be polite."

"I have been ordered to come and pick up these prisoners. Where are they?"

Huo Duanli handed over the official document with great tact.

Wu Liang took a look and his pupils suddenly shrank.

Li Che noticed the change in his expression and asked coldly, "What, is there a problem?"

"No problem, of course no problem." Wu Liang immediately flattered, "It's just that some of the people here... I'm afraid the situation is not very good. Your Highness, please take a look..."

"The situation is not good, what does that mean?" Li Che glanced at him.

Seeing that Li Che was angry, Wu Liang shrank his neck and stammered for a long time without being able to explain himself clearly.