In the middle of the night in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, the silence is like a graveyard. This is the old Nanjing Sixth Criminal Department prison, since the Qing Dynasty entered the city, it has been used as a prison. Now nature is no exception.

In the dark prison of the Ministry of Punishment, only a few butter torches stuck in the wall were still shining, and the light of the fire swayed with a slight breeze. The flickering light and darkness seem to be like the fate of everyone in this prison of the Criminal Department.

In the prison courtyard, several jailers walked back and forth, they were all eating prison food for generations, the Ming Dynasty, the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the same now, but compared to the past, the red top and gray cloth "pawn" clothes they wore would also become black and red uniforms at the bottom of the box, but under the hat, the smooth head showed that they had shaved their hair before.

Compared with those officials, these little people, who are not even shrimp, have hardly been affected by the change of dynasty. They are still eating the same food as in the past. The prisoners who are guarding here, the little people, are safe at this time.

This prison of the Criminal Department, also called the prison in the past, I don't know how many people have been imprisoned in Hongwu, and later, after Yongle moved north, this prison of the Criminal Department became an official prison, and the prisoners were all some officials and criminals, and it was also a common thing to divide the cells into three, six, nine, etc., and it was also a common thing, and the official prison was actually the place where officials were held.

The only sounds one could hear in the silence of the prison were the sound of the mosquitoes burning on the fire—the mosquitoes on the oil lamps on the big wall. They flutter around the oil lamps...... Some had already been burned to death by oil lamps, and their charred bodies fell on the floor of their cells.

Because it was the height of summer, the inside of this prison was like a steamer. After all, this prison is a private and impermeable place.

Although this prison is an official prison, the environment here is naturally better than that of ordinary people's prisons, but on such a hot day, because of the poor ventilation in the prison, it is like a cage drawer in a big steamer.

But compared to ordinary prisoners, at least the people here don't have to suffer so much.

If you are in a restless mood and the weather is hot, you can't say you will fall down, just sit there, and after a while, the sweat will flow down your body like water. If it were ordinary, Zhu Mingzhong could bear this sin, but now, every time he sweats, the salty sweat soaks the wound, and the hot pain is really unbearable.

"Old beard, bring me a bucket of water!"

Sitting on the bed, Zhu Mingzhong, who couldn't sleep because of the pain and heat, roared, and as soon as his roar came out, someone over there immediately answered.

"The military gate, the military gate, the small one is here, and this will give you the old ......"

There was no sense of coping in those words, but he seemed very happy.

"Don't take the water from the tank, I want the ...... from the well"

Zhu Mingzhong, who was sitting alone in prison, was full of unkindness, calling those jailers was like calling his grandson, in fact, when he first came, he was really worried that these jailers would clean himself up, after all, in film and television dramas and novels, these little ghosts are so difficult. But who would have thought of entering this prison of the Criminal Department, and the jailers he saw were more polite than the other. However, this treatment is limited to him alone.

"Master Hu, give it, drink saliva......"

When Hu Degui carried a bucket into the prison, the prisoners in the prison were all licking their lips and praying in mourning, these people were all wearing Manchu official robes without exception, and they were all "puppet officials" who were imprisoned after the army entered the city. Once high above, they are now prisoners of the ranks. Just yesterday, they were the leading figures in the city of Nanjing, but now they have become traitors without exception. Even if you can save your life. It all depends on the mood of King Yanping.

In this way, they are naturally not treated well by the prison guards, and naturally the environment they speak of is not much better than that of ordinary prisoners.

", drink a fart, I didn't shave you grandsons alive, all of you grandsons are the generals' kindness, and they still drink water, they really think they are a thing......"

There were evil words here, but when he arrived at another "single room", he looked at Zhu Mingzhong, who was naked and wrapped in bandages, and he immediately squeezed out a smile with a shy face, and his face was full of flattering looks.

"Junmen, your old water ......"

Looking at Lao Hu's flattering appearance, Zhu Mingzhong forced out some laughter.

"Lao Hu, you're too polite!"

"Junmen, don't say anything else, just rush to your old first to break through the Tongji Gate, and defeat this Nanjing City, but all the Han people in Nanjing City, who is not favored by your old man, if you are not old, we may return to the Qing prisoner as a grandson......"

Hu Degui's voice fell, and a ridicule sounded next to him,

"Hu Jiaotou, if the military gate gives you a reward now, will you also kneel there and say "The big master is promoted"? And then waiting like a grandson? ”

The words next door made Hu Degui's face hot, and he immediately shouted.

"Damn, who's talking nonsense, that's like this in the past, that's for you bastards, who is the military gate, the military gate is a well-known hero, my old Hu, when this grandson is willing, the waiting is the Han people's masters, but you grandsons, it's a shame that he has read the sage book, the article has been read into the dog's belly, the loyal ministers don't care about the two masters, all let you lose it, you not only read the book into the dog's belly, even the ancestors have been sold clean, what to see, just say you ......"

After a reprimand like a cannon, Hu Degui said to Zhu Mingzhong, who was drinking water.

"Junmen, if you always have any orders, just say it bluntly, we really don't want to be old because you are old, you are old ......"

Holding back his words, his face was flushed for a while, he didn't know what to say, jailers like them for many generations, for hundreds of years, they naturally figured out a truth, that is, in this prison of the Criminal Department, you can't do stupid things that dogs look down on people, and if you want to do them, you can do smart things like dogs looking at "high officials". Therefore, no matter how big an official is, no matter what he commits, as long as an official goes to prison, the jailers will treat each other as an uncle and serve him carefully. If the official gave a reward, the jailer would bend his knees and thank the reward, saying that "the old man is promoted". After coming and going, the relationship between the two was harmonious, the jailer made a fortune in silence, and the prisoner enjoyed happiness in a silence, and each got his place.

But this time, the reason why Hu Degui is like this is not only because when he was imprisoned, several old men came over and told him to serve him well, but more importantly, he heard that this Zhu Junmen single-handedly killed seven in and seven out of Tongji Gate, a good man like Zhao Zilong in Changbanpo, maybe he was just a little jailer. But I still admire such a hero in my heart.

Sometimes the more petty people like them. The more you love and hate. And not like other people, who have such and such scruples.

"Lao Hu, I know, that's why I didn't be polite to you!"

Zhu Mingzhong smiled, looked at the "puppet official" in the prison, and then sighed in his heart.

"Lao Hu, give them some water to drink, and they should have a good relationship......

They will neither be scraped alive nor beheaded!

What will be the result for them? If nothing else, many of them will be reinstated soon, not only because Zheng Chenggong needs these puppet officials to govern the locality, but more importantly, Zheng Chenggong needs to go through these puppet officials in Nanjing to show the puppet officials in the prefectures and counties in the south of the Yangtze River that he is not to blame for the past and shows his generosity. In order to achieve the goal of quickly pacifying Jiangnan, the reason why they are now put in prison is to ...... It's just a good killing.

Compared to them, it is ...... It's too presumptuous!

Originally, with the immortal feat of laying down Nanjing, he could naturally squeeze into the court. Let the world impress you and lay the foundation for the future. But now it's good, Nanjing is defeated, and he is in prison again.

"Could it be that I crossed over to be imprisoned?"

Thinking of this, Zhu Mingzhong suddenly became a joy again, if there were other traversers, he didn't know, but if there was, at least he had created a record now, although he may not be able to make a record of death, but at least it is certain that no traverser has been imprisoned three times!

"It's a miracle, isn't it......?"

With such self-deprecation in his mouth, Zhu Mingzhong was inevitably worried about his fate.

This time it's too impulsive, and if you encounter anything in the future, you must be calm!

When he calmed down, he even secretly rejoiced that he had escaped again, after all, in the army, ramming the commander was a crime that should be beheaded according to military law.

"Zhu, Zhu Junmen ......"

Suddenly, the voice next door interrupted Zhu Mingzhong's thoughts, and he followed the sound to see that in the cell opposite the prison door, a middle-aged official wearing a Manchu official uniform was looking at him blankly.

"Can you give me saliva to drink? I'm so thirsty......"

When the man saw that Zhu Mingzhong heard it, he hurriedly opened his mouth to beg for water. The people who looked at that prison were all looking at themselves pitifully. Although Lao Hu has already gone to fetch water, who knows how long it will take? So, Zhu Mingzhong scooped a spoonful of water with a wooden spoon and drank it in the aisle of the cell. As soon as the water was handed over, the person who was begging for water just now saw that everyone was gathered around, so he said with a wooden spoon.

"Let's let me get it, let Mr. Understand drink first......

A spoonful of water, for a thirsty person, is like a life-saving spring, watching the person give up the water, Zhu Mingzhong smiled in his heart, and said to them.

"There's still a bucket of water here, so everyone can drink it. I'll have someone bring another bucket over later. ”

For these people who are in prison and whose fate is uncertain, it is naturally a strong gratitude, and when he handed over the spoonful of water across the aisle, Zhu Mingzhong and the person who begged for water before were also familiar.

"Jia Mei, what official position did you originally have? If nothing happens, tomorrow I will find someone to say to you and release you. ”

His words suddenly attracted only the people around me, and I didn't look at Dai Cang with envy, they all looked like they couldn't wait to treat each other.

"Back to the military gate, I was just a small official from the seventh grade, and I didn't help the abuse. If the military gate can help, please let Mr. Understand first, he is the oldest, and he really can't hold it in this prison. ”

Dai Cang's answer made Zhu Mingzhong stunned, he thought to himself, this person really didn't know that he was giving him a favor? But after thinking about it, he smiled again.

"Jia Mei Gaoyi, if you understand that you have not helped the abuse, Zhu will help."