Chapter 2 2: Unjustly imprisoned, scapegoat
This cell has three mud walls and no windows. There is only a small, low door with a solid wooden fence and an iron chain.
At this time, the prison was still dark, with the faint light coming from the oil lamp hanging in the corridor. When people are inside, they have no idea what time it is outside.
There was a thick layer of straw on the ground, which had not been replaced for an unknown period of time. It was stained with all kinds of pickled things, and the smell was overwhelming.
Chen Jin was not surprised that there was a second person in the prison. He had already noticed it but ignored it.
Under normal circumstances, the cells are not single rooms. They only hold two people, which is considered a small number.
It is basically not easy for prisoners to live in single rooms.
He then asked: "What do you mean when you say my death is imminent?"
The man was half lying in another corner and said in a muffled voice: "It seems that you haven't figured out the situation yet. This is not an ordinary cell, but a death row."
"Death row?"
Chen Jin's eyes narrowed, quite surprised.
I thought it would be unlucky for a scholar to be sent to jail for being stupid, but he didn't expect that he would be sent to death row.
As the name suggests, the prisoners on death row have all committed capital crimes.
But what has the scholar done?
He lived for nineteen years and never killed a chicken.
What's going on?
The man sighed: "It seems like he is a fool again."
Judging from his voice, he must be elderly, but he reads and writes day and night, his eyes are not that good, and the light is poor, so he can't see clearly.
Chen Jin said in a deep voice: "Please let me know clearly."
"Oh, you are a man who knows etiquette. I ask you, where are you from and what is your origin?"
"Without family background, he is just a poor scholar. He has never obtained any honors and his parents are no longer at home."
The man clapped his hands and said: "It's true. With no family background and no relatives, it is the most suitable person to sit in this unjust prison and be the scapegoat."
"Unjustly imprisoned, scapegoat, what do you mean?"
"What explanation can there be? It's just that the children of the powerful and high-ranking officials in the city committed evil deeds, which are unforgivable. So they established connections, found someone who didn't follow them outside, and then put them on death row and pretended to be his. In the end, he chopped off his head to make a deal.”
After hearing this, Chen Jin suddenly understood that this was what happened. I don’t know if the scholar just happened to meet him, or if he was already being targeted.
He thought for a while and then asked: "Does the chief official in the yamen know about such a thing?"
The man said: "Maybe you know, maybe you don't know, who knows? Anyway, as long as they are similar in age, have similar body shape, disheveled hair, and a bloody face, they can just look at each other and pass by without anyone looking into it."
Chen Jin said "Oh" and continued to ask: "In such a situation, how long does it usually take for someone to be taken out and beheaded?"
The man patiently replied: "I can't say for sure. Normally, most death row inmates need to go through a process from conviction to execution, which takes several months. It's just that, like you, they have to be secretive. If you don’t care about the rules, I could take you out at any time and end everything.”
Hearing this, Chen Jin suddenly felt a sense of urgency in his heart: "Old man, I hear your words are kind and don't sound like a bad person. Could it be that you were also caught as a scapegoat?"
"I'm not."
The man sighed: "I am now sixty-three this year. I am just a book writer. I write whatever books can be sold. Over the years, I have written storybooks for theater troupes, biographies of celebrities, and stories about strange stories for teahouses." Stories, supporting a family with a pen and ink . Unexpectedly, a story that I had written before happened to happen and it happened to happen in the palace. So I was accused of harboring evil intentions, insinuating against noble people, and committing the crime of disrespect, so I was arrested and put on death row. .”
Speaking of this, he choked up: "But I am wronged. I have never even been to the capital. I don't know how high the palace is and what big people live in it. How can I write about that?"
Chen Jin was silent.
Things in the world are absurd, or so they are.
Not to mention that this father-in-law is what happened to the scholar himself, and isn't he just messing around?
He asked: "You didn't complain?" "Of course you did, so I was temporarily detained on death row, waiting for the final verdict. But it seems that it is difficult to escape this disaster."
"Then can I also cry out for injustice?"
The man shook his head: "You didn't come in for a crime, so who are you complaining to? The guards guarding the cell, the cell leader, etc. are all in the same group. Even if you shout at your throat, you won't be able to call anyone. I advise you, young man, to be honest. Just wait and live as long as you can, just let nature take its course.”
Chen Jin raised his eyebrows: "My fate is up to me, not to God."
The man gave a bitter smile: "Young people don't believe in fate, but what's the use? God is partial, and he likes those who torment their lives the most. Woohoo!"
When he said this, he felt sad and began to cry softly.
Chen Jin ignored him, sat up cross-legged, and immediately began to practice the "Huang Ting Ben Jing".
I originally thought that if a scholar was framed and put in jail, at least he would stay in jail for a while.
As long as there is time and food, one can continue to practice, gradually become stronger, and eventually break free from the prison cage.
I didn't expect that I was being used as a scapegoat.
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In this case, the variables will be great, and it is impossible to determine when the other party will attack. He took himself out and beheaded him in public.
It might be a few days later, or it might be just two or three days.
Time is very tight and we must race against time.
Different bodies, the same exercises and methods, but with the experience and insights engraved in the bones, one can still master them with ease.
After a while, he fell into concentration.
About half an hour later, he suddenly opened his eyes, got up and went to the corner.
There was a toilet there, but it was so full that it overflowed and no one cleaned it up.
Chen Jin frowned. At the critical moment, there was no need to pay attention to details. He squatted on the side, took off his pants, and with a loud bang, he excreted a lot of dirt accumulated in his stomach, which immediately piled up like a mountain.
This process is exactly the necessary step for the first realm of "refining Qi".
"Essence" refers to food.
Normal people will digest the food they eat in their daily diet, three meals a day.
Compared with ordinary people, monks are much more particular about food. After eating, the degree of digestion and absorption is even more powerful, which can even be called "astonishing to the world."
For example, there is a monk who can eat a cow in one meal. In the eyes of ordinary people, this is an operation at the level of an immortal.
But for Chen Jin, it's just child's play.
After getting rid of all the dregs in his body, he now wanted to eat a cow, but the cell was empty, not even a mouse could be found.
I had to tighten my belt and walk back here to sit down.
"What did you eat that made your poop so smelly?"
The old writer covered his nose, feeling a little disgusted.
Chen Jin said "Sorry" and continued practicing. He didn't have time to waste on these sections.
Suddenly, I heard a clang of the door opening coming from outside, followed by the sound of footsteps, and someone shouting loudly: "Zhou Xiaoguo, Zhou Xiaoguo, it's time to hit the road!"
(End of chapter)