Empress: Your Majesty, please respect yourself, I don't want to be promoted

Luo Jing, the sky prison.

In a death row.

Xia Yan knelt and sat on the extremely messy straw, looking at the rather rich prison meal in front of him, his expression didn't fluctuate at all.

Whether it is a prosperous or a troubled time, prison food is basically extremely unpalatable. It is either rotten food or pig food accompanied by dross, which is extremely difficult to swallow.

But there is one case that is an exception.

That is the last meal that nominally every death row prisoner enjoys—the meal of decapitation.

Although the official document of execution has not been issued for some reason, but since the emperor has approved it, it is time to prepare for the decapitation.

After all, after entering this death row, it is basically impossible to leave except for being escorted to the execution ground for execution.

Especially now that the Empress Dowager Zhao has fallen, all the queen dowager's party members who were once invincible have been arrested in the sky prison, making the entire sky prison overcrowded. In order to make room, the flow of prisoners must be accelerated.

Dozens of people are taken to the execution ground every day, and dozens of people are added, and the cycle goes back and forth.

Those with solid evidence like Xia Yan who have already pleaded guilty are the first to be executed, and they can be escorted to the execution ground as soon as the official document is issued to make room for those who come later.

After a while, Xia Yan suddenly sighed quietly.

Then, as if resigned to fate, he picked up the bowl of decapitated rice, which was full of color and fragrance, and ate it slowly.

Naturally, he was not the only one in the huge death row.

Sunlight shines in through the window sill, and in the constantly floating light, there are voices of begging for mercy, crying for grievances, cursing, and confessing one after another.

Apparently, when the jailer brought the meal of severed head in front of him, other people couldn't be as open-minded as Xia Yan in the face of the imminent end of life.

Next to Xia Yan was his only son Xia Yun.

He looked at the decapitated rice in front of him with a gloomy expression, but he didn't have the slightest appetite.

He is only eighteen years old this year, and he is at the prime of his life, and in the past two years since he joined the sect, he has been praised by his master many times, and his talent is excellent. If he can grow up step by step, he will be able to achieve something in the future.

At least he can surpass his father who lived in a little-known place like Yongchuan all his life as a seventh-rank county magistrate.

As a result, just when he was fantasizing about his grand plans in the future, he was arrested by a warrant of arrest from the Misty Immortal Sect and sent to death row.

Before he could react, he fell from heaven to hell.

How could he be reconciled to having such a bright future turned into a mirror?

His life has just begun!

"Father, are we really doomed?"

Hearing this, Xia Yan's shoulders trembled slightly, but he just ate in silence without saying a word.

Although he didn't say anything, his reaction already explained everything.

Xia Yun asked unwillingly: "Father, tell me something! You have been an official for so many years, there must be many former students or friends of the same school, right? Didn't any of them get along well? If there are any, hurry up and find a way to ask them for help!"

"I don't want to die!"

Xia Yan shook his head, then let out a helpless sigh.

"Sorry, dad is incompetent."

Those five simple words completely shattered Xia Yun's last hope.

Xia Yun's face darkened, and his hands fell down feebly.

Xia Yan put down the bowl, then lay down on his side, calmly watching the sparks dancing in the brazier not far away.

"Father did something wrong and violated the way of sages, so he should be punished like this. Father has nothing to say, but it's a pity that it hurts you, and it hurts your mother and your sister."

As he said that, Xia Yan glanced at the cell next door with shame on his face, where his wife Jiefa and their daughter were suffering with him.

Then he pointed to the severed rice in front of Xia Yun, where a single grain of rice hadn't been touched, and persuaded him, "Eat it, child, no matter what, even if you die, you can't be a starving ghost. Moreover, under the Nine Springs, there are father and mother." With your mother and sister accompanying you, there is nothing to be afraid of."

This time it was Xia Yun's turn to be silent.

After a while, he finally stretched out his hand slowly, picked up the rice bowl tremblingly, and began to eat in small bites.

With the oily disheveled hair scattered, a drop of clear tears gradually fell into the rice, adding a bit of bitterness to the rich and severed rice.

And at this moment——

pat...

The heavy door was suddenly opened, and then the dazzling sunlight came in, quietly bringing a glimmer of hope for life.

Immediately afterwards, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, several figures quickly passed through the aisle in the middle of the cell, and finally walked straight towards the cell where Xia Yan was.

"It's about Lu, the front is the cell where the prisoner Xia Yan is being held."

"Okay, please lead the way."

"Your Majesty has something to say. As long as it is something you want to do, as long as it does not violate the laws of Daxia, all yamen must cooperate. The minor ones are just following His Majesty's orders. There is no need to be like that. polite."

"..."

Hearing his name mentioned, Xia Yan's eyes moved slightly, and he looked over subconsciously.

At the same time, Lu Chen, who was walking quickly under the leadership of several old jailers, just happened to look over.

The moment the four eyes met, Xia Yan's eyes suddenly shrank slightly, and there was obvious surprise in his eyes.

Hearing their conversation just now, he instinctively thought that some great big shot had come.

It turned out to be a young man in a green official robe...

And this young man...

"Long time no see, Your Majesty the County."

Lu Chen walked into the cell, looked at Xia Yan who was surprised inside, and greeted him softly.

"Do you still remember?"

Xia Yan nodded habitually, and then looked at Lu Chen with a complicated expression.

After a while, he opened his mouth slowly.

"Lu Huaiyu, right?"

Hearing this, Lu Chen was surprised.

I didn't expect this guy to remember him.

Lu Chen nodded slightly.

"That's right, it's me. I didn't expect Master Xia to still remember me."

Xia Yan shook his head, didn't explain anything, but turned to say: "I didn't expect that I haven't seen you for many years. The most inconspicuous young man in the past is now in the court. It's really a scary young man."

Hearing this, Lu Chen couldn't help but twitched the corner of his mouth slightly.

Being in the imperial court is a good thing that others can't dream of, but for him, it is a bad thing that can't be avoided.

Who told him to soar up in place as long as he is not an official?

Shaking his head, after some meaningless greetings, Lu Chen casually found an excuse to dismiss the guards on the side, and then approached the prison door.

However, before he could open his mouth, Xia Yan asked with a puzzled expression: "Lord Lu, why did you come to see this old man..."

Lu Chen didn't hold back, and said bluntly, "I'm here, not for anything else, but to save Master Xia from going out, and let Master Xia return to the place you should return to."

Hearing this, Xia Yan was stunned for a moment.

The old man heard right just now, right?

This young man said just now that he wants to rescue me?

Is there something wrong with my ears, or is there something wrong with his brain?

"Why?"

Xia Yan asked subconsciously.

"because."

Lu Chen looked at him straight, his face full of seriousness, and said firmly: "I have always firmly believed that, Mr. Xia, you are a good official."

This is of course false.

It is naturally impossible for him to exonerate a corrupt official on purpose.

As long as Xia Yan is a corrupt official himself, then he only needs to go through the normal appeal procedure and use himself as a guarantee. Not only will Xia Yan not be exonerated, he will still be sentenced to death, and he will be implicated.

This is also his purpose.

Xia Yan was stunned when he heard the decisive words.

Afterwards, a touch of emotion quietly appeared in his eyes.

This young man...

Lu Chen said affirmatively again: "So, I will never believe that a good official like Mr. Xia who loves the people like a son will do such lowly things as bribing superiors, corrupting the law, setting up names, and taking plunder. Innocent!"

"As an officer of the Dao, I must not tolerate such unjust injustices in the court! Yes! No matter what, I will return your innocence, Lord Xia!"

Hearing this, Xia Yan opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

But Xia Yun behind him suddenly brightened up.

Then, as if he had grasped the last straw, he threw the severed rice in his hand aside, and asked excitedly, "Is this true?"

The pottery bowl that fell on the ground instantly fell apart, and the fragrant food was scattered around, which made the surrounding lice and maggots in vain.

Lu Chen smiled slightly: "I never speak big words."

After receiving an affirmative answer, Xia Yun instantly became excited.

He's not stupid, he heard what the jailer said to Lu Chen just now.

Although I don't know who Lu Chen is, nor how he, a small seventh-rank official, has the confidence to say such a thing, but the jailer's respectful attitude towards Lu Chen just now, and the obviously extraordinary words, are all worth mentioning. It shows that Lu Chen is by no means simple.

People tend to believe what they want to believe, and Xia Yun, who is in a desperate situation, finally sees a glimmer of hope, so he will naturally grab it desperately.

The most important thing is to survive, and the rest will wait until this life is recovered.

Xia Yan came back to his senses, and looked at his son with a complicated expression, a gloomy look quietly flashed in his eyes.

He knew in his heart that Lu Chen couldn't really help them in the face of overwhelming evidence.

After all, he had indeed committed all the crimes stated in the arrest warrant, and the imperial court did not wrong him.

This is an iron case, an iron case that cannot be overturned at all.

There is no possibility of any reversal.

At the level of the law, he does have a lack of virtue.

Therefore, he wanted Lu Chen to give up and let it go, there was no need to waste effort for him, a mortal man.

But seeing his son struggling desperately, wanting to seize the last chance, he couldn't say anything.

In the end, he could only sigh helplessly.

Well, let it be.