The Glory After Rebirth

C122. We've Got Marshal Yuwen. What Have You Got to be Afraid of?

In the dark prison of the Prefecture Yamen, apart from flaming torches positioned at intervals along the corridor, a peephole about the size of a bowl was the only source of light. The whole place was damp and foul-smelling. Anybody who was locked up in here would feel very miserable.

Jia Yin, his wife and some of his relatives were the only ones from Jia family that were still in this prison. Servants and handmaids found not guilty had been released, and those found guilty had also been convicted and then transferred elsewhere. Despair on the faces of Mrs. Jia and others deepened as servants and handmaids left one after another. At first, they had still had enough strength to hurl curse, but after a couple of days, anger in them was gradually replaced by fear and they fell powerless to swear.

Jia Yin was restrained in a separate cell. He had been sentenced to death. When the time came, he would be beheaded at the entrance of the food market.

Waiting to meet his end was distressful. During the first few days of the custody, Jia Yin had managed to maintain his pretence of composure by dint of the resentment and indignation bubbling beneath the surface, but as the execution day drew near, Jia Yin finally began to panic.

He didn't want to die, so he made an attempt to escape.

With some finesse, he managed to make contact with a prison guard. When he was finally on conversational terms with the prison guard, Jia Yin stated his intention to escape and promised to give the prison guard a lot of treasure if he helped him successfully get out of the prison.

The prison guard didn't believe him. 'All Jia family's assets have been confiscated. By no means will Jia Yin be able to fulfill his promise. Moreover, I'll face execution if anybody finds out that I assist Jia Yin in his escape. What's the good of treasure if I won't be able to live long enough to spend them?'

But Jia Yin refused to give up. He persistently tried to convince the prison guard to come to his help.

"It's not that I'm questioning your credibility, but can you please say something sensible? All your family assets have been confiscated. What else can you possibly offer to have me come to your assistance?" The prison guard was reduced to impatience.

"I do have something else to offer. Believe me. They only confiscated those they found. There's plenty more gold, silver and jewels that I hid elsewhere. As long as you help me escape from this place, I'll tell you where they're buried, and all of them will be yours!" said Jia Yin anxiously, trying to make himself sound convincing lest the prison guard disbelieve him.

The prison guard did stand somewhat skeptical of his remarks. "Leaving aside whether those jewels truly exist or not, by no means will you be so generous as to give them to me even if they do exist. You're just trying to trick me into helping you. Don't treat me like a fool."

"Sir, I'm not lying. I can tell you another location of hidden treasure. There's less treasure there, but it's still worth quite a fortune. Consider it as earnest money. I'll tell you another location of treasure after you help me escape from here. I'll never go back on my word. If I do, you can always report to the Prefecture Yamen and have me hunted down. Nobody will find out you are the one who set me free anyway. When you arrest me and bring me back here, you'll be deemed to have rendered outstanding service and get promoted. You won't be a prison guard any more. You'll be the chief of prison, even a head constable." Jia Yin proceeded with his efforts to convince the prison guard.

The prison guard sneered and looked at him, "You should know that if I am to arrest you and bring you back here, I'll have to kill you first, because that will be the only way to ensure you won't inform on me."

After hearing this, Jia Yin didn't appear to be afraid but rather felt a sense of relief, since the prison guard's words were an indication that he was swayed.