Chapter 13: You Are Truly A Talent!
“Zhang Biao! That’s enough!”
Qi Tai’s mental torture of Zhang Biao had reached its limit.
But Zhang Biao had no intention of letting him go.
Because Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng were like the crouching dragon and phoenix beside Zhu Yunwen.
In other words, even if Qi Tai were imprisoned by Old Zhu now for the matter of establishing the Crown Prince, he would most likely be fine.
Moreover, he would gain Zhu Yunwen’s deep trust because of this matter.
Therefore, Zhang Biao’s current thought was to save whoever he could, to prevent them from harming the Great Ming Dynasty in the future.
“What do you mean by ‘enough,’ Sir Qi? Are you ordering food? The key is, you don’t have the ability! This is the Imperial Prison, not the Eastern Palace! Zhu Yunwen has Huang Zicheng by his side; you wouldn’t even be able to catch up to a mouthful of shit!”
“You rude bumpkin! You… you are insolent.”
“Is that so? I also think I’m being insolent. I don’t want to live anymore anyway! How about you come die with me? We’ll have company on the way!”
“Zhang Biao! Shut your mouth!”
“Oh, Lord Lu! What is it, are you planning to go on your way with me too? Alright, alright! One stays, two are tormented, three go on an outing~~”
“Censor Zhang! You’re in quite a high spirits?”
Just as Zhang Biao was mumbling and unconsciously humming lyrics, Zhu Gao Sui came strolling over, carrying a food container, a smile of amusement on his face.
It was obvious he had also heard the commotion next door and Zhang Biao’s battle of wits.
“Third Brother!? You’re here again!?”
Zhang Biao sprang up like a carp and rushed to the bars, his eyes shining.
“What, you miss me?”
Zhu Gao Sui raised an eyebrow, seeming to become increasingly interested in this Censor Zhang.
Then Zhang Biao quickly replied, “Of course I miss you! You are my provider!”
“Heh!”
Zhu Gao Sui chuckled, then couldn’t help but retort, “With your glib tongue, you shouldn’t be a censor; you should be a wicked official!”
“No, no, no, being a wicked official means dying slowly, being a censor means dying quickly!”
“Ugh.”
Zhu Gao Sui’s mouth twitched, and then, with a wry smile, he waved his hand, “Alright, stop being so glib. Here, look at your meal!”
Saying that, he pushed the food container in his hand forward, “The Crown Prince was buried yesterday, and Head Jiang drew away some personnel, but I heard you wanted to eat fish, so I had someone prepare it for you!”
“Really? Then I’m in for a treat today!”
Zhang Biao eagerly opened the food container lid.
Wow!
A bowl of white rice remained crystal clear.
A plate of emerald green stir-fried vegetables.
A bowl of soup floating with oil and shredded egg.
And the main dish was none other than a steamed fish!
Although not large, the scales were scraped clean, the fish flesh was snow-white, topped with a few strands of ginger and scallions, emitting an enticing fresh aroma.
“Steamed perch?!”
Zhang Biao exclaimed in surprise, almost drooling, “Third Brother, you’re really something!”
“Don’t thank me, this was Head Jiang’s arrangement. He said to take good care of you!”
“Then please thank him for me!”
Zhu Gao Sui rolled his eyes, “Thank him for what! Head Jiang is afraid that you’ll lack energy during the Trial by the Three Judicial Offices and that our Imperial Guard’s hospitality will seem inadequate. Eat quickly!”
Zhang Biao couldn’t afford to be polite any longer, so he grabbed his chopsticks and poked at the tender fish.
The fish was fresh, tender, and smooth!
Although the seasoning was simple, with only ginger, scallions, and salt, the ingredients were fresh and the cooking was just right, bringing out more of its original flavor than some overcooked fish he had eaten in his real world.
“Mmm! Delicious! This fish is so fresh!”
While devouring it, he praised indistinctly, “Third Brother, the food in your Imperial Prison is better than the restaurants outside! With this treatment, I even want to stay a few more days!”
In the adjacent prison cell, Zhao Qian, who had just endured two rounds of enthusiastic questioning from the Imperial Guard and was thoroughly humiliated by Zhang Biao’s scolding, was so hungry his stomach was sticking to his back. Smelling the fish aroma drifting over and hearing Zhang Biao’s chewing and satisfied sighs, his eyes turned green and his stomach rumbled uncontrollably.
Although he hated Zhang Biao to death in his heart, his appetite overcame his hatred.
He leaned through the cold bars and weakly called out, “Cen-Censor Zhang… do you have any sense of camaraderie… share a bite with this old man…”
Zhang Biao’s mouth was full of fish, and without looking up, he mumbled, “Lord Zhao, save your breath! This is ‘farewell food’ I earned by disrupting the court, sowing discord between ruler and subjects, and deceiving the masses with demonic words! His Majesty is still thinking about your ‘excellent plan’ to increase taxes by thirty percent!”
“You just wait for the Trial by the Three Judicial Offices with peace of mind. Perhaps tomorrow your meals will be even better than mine? Steamed live people or something…”
“You! Pfft—!”
Zhao Qian, already hungry and angry, heard this, couldn’t catch his breath, his eyes went black, and he fainted.
On the other side, Lu Ping was heartbroken, while Qi Tai closed his eyes to rest. However, his tightly pursed lips and slightly twitching Adam’s apple revealed that they too were suffering from this ‘top-tier prison food.’
Zhu Gao Sui watched Zhang Biao eat with relish, then glanced at the key targets next door, who were ashen-faced, and couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
He squatted down, looking at Zhang Biao with interest, “You’re truly broad-minded. The outside world is in an uproar because of your ‘dying for a cause’ plea for flaying. Some in the Censorate say you are a minister of remonstrance for all time, while others say you are a sensationalist madman!”
“Officials from the Six Ministries can’t wait to tear you apart, especially those from the Ministry of Revenue. Yet you act as if nothing’s wrong?”
Zhang Biao swallowed the last bite of fish, let out a satisfied burp, picked up a small spoon, and slowly drank his egg drop soup. “Let them argue, let them curse. Their mouths are their own; can I stop them? Besides…”
He put down the spoon, wiped his mouth, and a sly smile appeared on his face. “The more I eat well and sleep soundly here, the more angry those people outside who want to see me miserable and crying will be! It’s better to make them angry! Isn’t that more satisfying than arguing with them?”
After speaking, he paused, leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and with a hint of gossip, asked, “Third Brother, speaking of which, anything new outside today? For example… my roommates…”
He gestured towards Lu Ping with his chin, “In their families, no movement? Aren’t they thinking of going through connections to get people out?”
Zhu Gao Sui’s eyes flickered. This fellow seemed carefree, but his mind was quite active.
He lazily stood up, patted his clothes, “Some matters are not for us small fries to inquire about! As for getting people out?”
He scoffed, his gaze sweeping over Lu Ping and the others with a hint of cold mockery, “Once you’re in the Imperial Prison, and a fugitive personally ordered by the Emperor for the Trial by the Three Judicial Offices, who would dare to get you out? Who has the ability to get you out? Just wait for your trial honestly! I’m leaving. I’ll bring you a roast chicken tomorrow!”
“Thanks, Third Brother! From Ju Xian Lou!”
Zhang Biao shouted after Zhu Gao Sui’s retreating back.
Zhu Gao Sui paused, then finally managed to blurt out, “You truly are something else!”
