Chapter 173 My Brother is Here

Chongzhen was still just a young emperor after all. After venting his anger, he saw Liu Zongzhou, a fifty-year-old man, lying on the ground shivering all over, and he immediately felt pity for him.

With a slow sigh, Chongzhen said in a slow tone, "Liu Zongzhou, you don't have to panic. My tone just now was a bit harsh."

"But this is also a result of my deep love and my severe responsibilities. I hope you can shoulder the responsibility on your shoulders. Not only do you want to restore order in Shuntian Prefecture, I also hope you can restore order in the Ming Dynasty!"

However, Chongzhen had no idea that Liu Zongzhou's body was not shaking because of fear, but because of the anger and grievance that a scholar felt after being humiliated.

However, Chongzhen's soothing words still played their due role.

Liu Zongzhou's body stopped shaking. He just kowtowed dejectedly and said, "Your Majesty, I am right. I know I was wrong!"

"But what your Majesty just said is because there are lawless people in my Shuntian government office who have violated the national law and have reached the ears of the emperor?"

Chongzhen nodded, thinking of Wang An's experience, he said with some anger and some amusement: "I... have a brother whom I met among the people. Just because he spoke loudly in front of the Shuntian government office, he was extorted five taels of silver by two of your police officers. My brother was indignant and complained a few words, and then he was arrested by the hateful police officers and thrown into the Shuntian prison!"

"Humph, the clerks are so vicious that they would arrest people and blackmail them at will. This is simply unreasonable!"

Chongzhen was still complaining there, but Liu Zongzhou was even more shocked than when he was scolded by Chongzhen just now!

Your Majesty, are you talking about the brother you met among the people?

Did I hear it right?
Your Majesty is the Supreme Emperor, of royal blood, and usually lives in the deep palace. How could he get to know... a commoner?
And what the hell is brother?

Isn’t the one who could be called brother by Chongzhen already dead?
Even those local princes who could barely be called brothers by the emperor could not be described as ordinary people, right?

Unless you are stripped of your membership!
But how come I haven't heard of such an earth-shaking event as deposing a prince?
Liu Zongzhou felt that the more he thought about it, the more confused his mind became, and he even forgot to react.

Wang Chengen couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so he called him twice and said, "Master Liu, don't think too much. You just need to know that this person is extraordinary."

Liu Zongzhou suddenly realized, yes! Why do I think so much!
No matter he is from the common people or the imperial court, anyone who is called brother by the emperor is a remarkable figure to oneself and must not be offended!

Not to mention being captured by his own bailiffs and thrown into the Shuntian Prefecture jail!

Thinking of this, Liu Zongzhou immediately cast a panicked look at Chongzhen and apologized: "I don't know the name of your Majesty's... your brother, what is his surname? I will go to the prison and apologize immediately!"

Chongzhen finally stopped talking and thought for a moment before saying, "This brother I met among the common people is named Wang and given name An. Although we are close friends, he doesn't know my identity. You must not reveal it to me later!"

Although Liu Zongzhou was shocked, he instinctively nodded and agreed to Chongzhen's order.

Then he stood up in a hurry and rushed to Shuntian Prefecture Prison to pick up the person.

Just after taking two steps, he was stopped by Chongzhen. Liu Zongzhou turned around and saw Chongzhen's face solemnly said: "Forget it, my brother has suffered a great injustice today. In the final analysis, he has not been able to clarify Yu Yu's relationship with him. I will go with you!"

Chongzhen walked down the hall and came to the serious Liu Zongzhou, admonishing him: "My dear Liu, please calm down and don't show your true colors in front of my brother!"

Liu Zongzhou couldn't help swallowing his saliva. The person who could make Chongzhen go to the filthy prison in person to greet him was actually caught by his men and thrown into the prison. Just now Chongzhen said that he was blackmailed for five taels of silver... Liu Zongzhou led the way in front and made up his mind that he would find out which two bastards had caused him so much trouble, and then he would kill these two thieves with his own hands!

The three of them walked through the halls and rooms, and arrived at the Shuntian Prefecture prison amid the shocked gazes of the clerks in the yamen.

The jailer opened the cell door trembling with fear, kowtowed to Liu Zongzhou, and smiled at Chongzhen.

My goodness, anyone who can be brought here personally by the governor of Shuntian Prefecture must be either rich or noble!

However, facing the prison boss's hospitality, Liu Zongzhou did not look happy. He said in a cold and stiff voice: "I want to ask you, has a nobleman named Wang An been sent here today?"

The jailer immediately frowned and thought, but after thinking for a long time, he could not think of any so-called noble person who could alarm Liu Zongzhou.

He could only say with a sad face: "Your Excellency, more than a dozen people were arrested in the prison today, but they were all thieves and rogues. I didn't see any nobles..."

"Asshole!" Liu Zongzhou was furious, pointing at the jailer and cursing, "Do you think I'm deliberately trying to make things difficult for you?"

The jailer was frightened to death and said hurriedly, "I know my crime. Please calm down, sir. I will bring out all the people arrested today and ask you to judge for me!"

Liu Zongzhou looked back at Chongzhen, and when he saw Chongzhen nod, he said, "You damned bastard, why don't you go and bring him here!"

When the jailer got the news, he immediately rushed into the cell, called on other prisoners, and brought all the people who were locked up in the prison that day to the patio.

After a while, there was a commotion in the place. As a young man walked out of the cell reluctantly, more than a dozen people were brought out by the jailers one after another.

Every time someone came out, Liu Zongzhou would look at Chongzhen.

However, Chongzhen remained expressionless, which made Liu Zongzhou very frightened.

Finally, when Wang An walked out of the prison door dejectedly, Chongzhen immediately strode over to him and shouted, "Brother, I am sorry for making you suffer by coming here late!"

Wang An felt that his life was dull and bleak, and he even thought that the legendary master was going to come to court to try him.

Little did he know that the two yamen runners took him to jail just to scare him so that they could extort money from him, without going through any legal procedures at all.

It's just like eating dumplings without dipping them in soy sauce in later generations. It's the kind of thing where even if you enter the name into the system, you can't find the person.

How could the Shuntian prefect, a third-rank official, have the time to go to court for interrogation?

But when he walked out of the cell, he immediately heard a familiar cry like the sound of nature, and looked up in surprise.

Who else could it be but his little brother Chongzhen whom he thinks about day and night?

"Brother, you're finally here!" Wang An immediately opened his arms and hugged him.

(End of this chapter)