Qiang Jin Jiu (Author : Tang Jiuqing 唐酒卿)

Chapter 81 : Shadows

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The food in the prison was unclean, and so Xi Hongxuan suffered a stomach upset. His constitution was already weakened during the epidemic, and now he was in even more of a misery. He was not in a good state mentally, so he often fell into a lethargic sleep. Furthermore, it was dark all around each time he woke up, and gradually, he lost track of time.  

Without any window to ventilate the room, this narrow and cramped room smelled foul and stale, with a damp, musty smell thrown in for effect. There was no way an ordinary man would be able to endure it. 

Xi Hongxuan was badly ill, yet he was unable to turn and move his body as freely as he would have wanted. All he could do was to lay paralyze on the straw mat and let his consciousness drift along with the dampness and cold. 

As usual, the warden moved the flap open and stuffed the rice inside, but he did not hear any movements from Xi Hongxuan today. He looked in through the hole, but all he could see was Xi Hongxuan’s drooping arm. The warden was afraid that Xi Hongxuan had died, thus he opened the door and took the lamp to shake it in front of Xi Hongxuan’s face. 

Xi Hongxuan struggled to open his eyes. With dry lips and a parched mouth, he said, “S… sir, please spare me some water.” 

The warden flipped his hand over and poured a bowl of water onto Xi Hongxuan’s face. 

Xi Hongxuan exerted himself to open his mouth to receive the water, hardly bothering with his dampened collars. He drank the water and pulled himself together to say, “Thank you, thank you!” 

The warden threw the bowl away, then grabbed the oil lamp and made to leave. 
With an unexpected burst of strength, Xi Hongxuan suddenly grabbed hold of the warden’s clothes. He forced out a smile on his chubby face and said, “Buddy, tell me. This *cough*! This place is not the prison at all, am I right?” 

The warden swatted off Xi Hongxuan’s hand. But Xi Hongxuan burst out laughing in a hoarse voice instead, gasping violently as he lay on the straw mat. He pulled at the front of his soaked clothes and moved his eye to stare at the pitch-dark roof. He said, “This place isn’t the prison… I… I should have thought of it a long time ago! It has already been a few days. Even if Kong Qiu doesn’t interrogate me, there should be officials from the Ministry of Justice coming over to make their rounds for a check… Too quiet… It’s too quiet here…” 

Xi Hongxuan said, then swiftly fixed his eyes on the warden in a stare.

“I’ve done some calculations. You come to deliver food every day at precisely the same time, and you even push and put the tray into exactly the same position. Buddy, the average warden isn’t this rigid! It has already been a few days, and nobody came to exchange shifts with you in guarding the prison door… You wouldn’t even accept my money, and even these sleeves of yours are so clean and tidy without so much a speck of grease and dust! You are well-built and tall, discreet and reticent—You are an Imperial Bodyguard, right?!”  

The warden’s face was expressionless as he carried the oil lamp and walked away to close the door. Xi Hongxuan listened to the sound of metal chains winding around it, then pounded his fists hard on the straw mat under him.    

“Shen Zechuan… Shen Zechuan!” Xi Hongxuan pounded until his knuckles reddened. He abruptly let loose a shout at the top of his voice, “Plotting against me… To think you’d scheme against me! You. Tell him. Tell him to come!” 

There was no response from the darkness. 
Xi Hongxuan dug his fingers into the straw mat. His consciousness was in a muddle as he spat hatefully, “He wants money, doesn’t he? Call him over. As long as he let me out… as long as he let me out…” He forcefully swallowed his saliva, then suddenly pulled at his hair and gasped, “I’ll give him money! I can’t fucking stand this anymore!”