Before life and death, everyone is equal.
At the brink of life and death, whether he is a fourth-rank Magistrate or a seventh-rank County Magistrate, none can remain indifferent, every one of them has swollen hands from clapping, and hoarse throats from shouting...
Hearing that each and every corrupt official claimed to have significant cases to report, the junior officers guarding the prison did not dare to conceal it and reported the situation in the prison layer by layer to Yang Ge.
Yang Ge had no choice but to take time out of his schedule to personally visit the prison.
When the flickering flames illuminated the bright red four-clawed python robe on him, all the criminal officials who had enjoyed three dishes and a soup went insane, frantically pounding on the cell doors, desperately shouting who they were and the significant cases they wanted to report, fearing others would get ahead and miss the last chance at life.
"Silence!"
Yang Ge channeled his True Qi, and a roar suppressed all the screaming.
All the criminal officials immediately shut their mouths, their eyes wide open in terror as they looked pitifully at Yang Ge, some even exploiting their age by forcibly rubbing their eyes red and smearing on tears...
Finally, the world was quiet.
Yang Ge exhaled softly and said, unhurriedly while holding the imperial sword, "I do not know whether you actually have significant cases to report, or whether you are concocting lies out of a desire to live, delaying your time... But let me make it clear, merits and faults do not offset each other, the ones who should die will die no matter what they report!"
As soon as these words fell, the prison was about to explode.
Yang Ge once again channeled his True Qi to forcefully suppress their objections, "Gentlemen are all scholars who have read the sages’ texts to seek fame, ’those who kill must be killed, debts must be repaid,’ I do not think I need to remind you what these eight words mean!"
"Whether you accept your fate or not!"
"In any case, your retribution has arrived; it’s time to go."
"But what I want to say is, even until this very moment, I still wish to believe that when each of you studied the sages’ texts and sought fame in the past, you once thought of doing justice for the people, benefiting the community."
"It’s just that a moment’s thought led you astray, due to the murky waters of officialdom you had to follow the current..."
"That has led you to today’s end."
"At the final moment of your life, I hope that each of you will take a good look back at your past, reflect on your life."
"If... if any of you still have a sliver of conscience, come clean about those hidden filths in your heart before you go. It will lighten your own way and warn others to follow."
"Putting aside the past, at least in the final moment of your pitiful life, this difficult world will have become somewhat better because of your repentance."
"Perhaps not by much, but it is definitely improving!"
"Consider it a last look back at the self who studied hard in cold windows, determined to serve the country and the people..."
"The path is one you have trodden step by step to this day; there is not much I, Yang Ge, can do, only to report your final repentance to His Majesty, and considering that your conscience is not completely lost, to grant a lighter punishment to your descendants."
"I, Yang Ge, have said all I have to say; whether my words mean anything, you must weigh for yourselves!"
Having said this, Yang Ge turned around and called out loudly, "Come here."
A junior officer replied promptly, "Here at your service!"
Yang Ge said, "Whoever among the officials wishes to repent, find them a quiet place, give them paper and pen, and also fetch a pot of wine."
The junior officer responded loudly, "At your command!"
Yang Ge swung his robe and briskly departed, surrounded by a group of embroidered-garbed strongmen.
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The prison remained silent for a long time.
The once frenzied criminal officials, terrorized by the great fear between life and death, seemed to have their spine extracted by Yang Ge’s speech.
After a long while, someone crazily burst into laughter, while others sat on the ground in despair, tears streaming down their faces...
There were also those who curled up in the dark corners, their eyes red as they clenched their fists and struggled for a long time, finally standing up and pounding the cell door with all their might: "I want to drink, bring me a pot of wine!"
Seeing him insisting, another person, reluctantly, whispered in persuasion, "Jifu, think twice!"
"Think twice my ass!"
The door-pounder turned around furiously and yelled at the advisor, "If it weren’t for you dragging me down, would I have ended up in this situation?"
The advisor’s face changed, and he immediately replied sarcastically, "We dragged you down? If you were truly a loyal and unwavering servant, could we have pulled you along? When it was time to make money, you were only upset that we didn’t give you enough, and now you blame us? Has your conscience been eaten by dogs?"
The door-pounder, his face veined in rage, bellowed, "If it weren’t for you bastards suppressing me, would I have taken your filthy money? My conscience fed to dogs? Are your consciences fed to dogs, you say?"
The advisor, angered, rolled up his sleeves, ready for a more physical argument, but just then the cell door opened, and several broad and stout embroidered-garbed strongmen walked in grinning, flexing their wrists and said, "This official seems to be in high spirits, eh? Come, have a chat with us outside!"
The advisor’s face turned pale, and he waved his hands frantically, "I... my apologies, I was wrong, I should not have spoken, please have mercy, mercy!"
The strongmen paid no heed to his pleas, pinning him down with a "smack" and dragged him out like a dead dog.
In front of the one who had pounded the door, a junior officer stood smiling at the entrance, gesturing politely, "Lord Song, let’s go, I’ve long heard that the liquid of Yangzhou is sweet and refreshing; today, thanks to Lord Song, we can also have a taste!"
The door-pounder stepped out of the cell, striding forward without looking sideways, and shouted as he walked, "Drink your bullshit; I’m from Shanxi, I want to drink Fen Wine!"