Chapter Six: Visiting Prison

  Shi Kefa did not expect that Xing Wang would let Wang Chengen take his own name card to ask for the token of the Beizhen Fu Si prison, and had already bought wine and dishes for him at the Drunken Immortal Building. Shi Kefa was so grateful that he didn't even say a word of thanks, and took the food box to the Beizhen Fu Si prison.

  With the token of command from Shi Xianyu, Shi Kefa arrived unimpeded at the heavily guarded cell in the Beizhengfu prison where Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou were being held.

  Lao Tou saw that Shi Ke Fa was holding a token given to him by General Shi himself, and he showed great respect for him. He led the way in front of them all the way, constantly trying to ingratiate himself with him.

  Zhang Ke stood outside the prison cell, and saw that his former teacher Zuo Guangdou had been tortured to an unrecognizable state. In the same cell was also Yang Lian, who was also severely injured, with dirty and disheveled hair, a burnt face, and exposed tendons on his left knee. It was clear he had suffered from being branded with hot irons. His prison uniform was tattered and filthy. On this extremely cold day of below minus ten degrees Celsius, they only wore thin clothes, huddled together shivering uncontrollably. Zhang Ke suddenly burst into tears, kneeling outside the cell door and wailing: "Teacher, your student has come to see you."

  The people inside seemed to hear someone calling them, Zuo Guangdou distinguished that it was his student Shi Kefa's voice, and with a slight tremble, he turned his head around, facing Shi Kefa who was kneeling at the prison gate. Suddenly, he burst out with all his might, stood up, and with great effort used his fingers to pry open his eyes, pointing at Shi Kefa's nose and scolding loudly: "What kind of place is this? Who let you come here? The national situation has deteriorated to such an extent that I have no chance of getting out. You are young and should be serving the country. What are you doing risking your life by coming to a place like this? Get out of here quickly!"

  Shi Kefa was frightened by this scolding and stopped crying, saying: "Master, what's wrong with you? I'm your student Shi Kefa!"

  "I know who you are, get out of here quickly, this is not a place for you to stay." Zu Guangdou shouted loudly.

  "The students have finally thought of a way to come and visit you in prison, how can you bear to drive them away?" Shi Kefa said with tears in his eyes, feeling wronged.

  "With your abilities, how could you have entered this great prison? Are you not relying on Wei Zhongxian, that great eunuch traitor?" Zuo Guangdou suddenly asked in a rage.

  "How can a student go back and rely on him?" Shi Kefa hurriedly defended himself.

  "So you tell me how you got in," asked Zuo Guangdou.

  "The students can come in to see you only after they get the token from Wei Zhongxian." Shi Kefa replied honestly.

  "You don't rely on that eunuch, how can he give you a token? You're treating your benefactor like a fool." Zuo Guangdou felt a great pain in his heart, his proud disciple had actually defected to Wei Zhongxian, his arch-nemesis.

  Shi Kefa immediately understood that his master had misunderstood him. Just as he was about to explain, he was interrupted by Zuo Guangdou's angry shouting: "Get out of here! I don't have a disciple like you. Get out, get out!"

  Shi Kefa said with tears: "Master, you misunderstood. The student did not surrender to Wei Zhongxian. Can you let the student go in and explain to you?"

  Yang Lian, who was standing aside, looked at Shi Kefa with tears in his eyes and didn't seem to be the one who had surrendered to Wei Zhongxian. He pulled back the enraged Zuo Guangdou and said: "Brother Zuo, why don't you listen to what he has to say? It's not too late to drive him away afterwards."

  Zuo Guangdou didn't believe that his own disciple, whom he had personally trained, would defect to his enemy. Just now, he was just momentarily hot-headed and hadn't thought it through carefully. Now that he had calmed down and suppressed his anger, he grunted in agreement.

  Shi Kefa was overjoyed when he heard this, as long as his teacher listened to his explanation, the misunderstanding would definitely be cleared up.

  Call the prison head, order him to open the prison gate. The prison head opens the gate as ordered and lets Shi Kefa in.

  As soon as Shi Kefa entered, he was hit with a foul odor, but that was no longer important. What mattered was the situation of his mentor. He put down the food box and knelt before the two men, saying: "The student has brought some wine and dishes for Master and Uncle Yang. Master has suffered in prison, and tomorrow is New Year's Eve. The student won't be able to come back to visit you two elderly gentlemen again."

  "Never mind the idle talk, where did you get your token from?" Zuo Guangdou sat down in anger, causing a chain reaction of clanking shackles. It was only then that Shi Kefa saw that his master's body was covered in wounds, not a single inch unscathed.

  Shi Kefa said with tears in his eyes: "It was thanks to General Xiang that we were able to obtain this token."

  "Nonsense! Everyone knows that Wang has just gotten married and his brain is injured, he's muddle-headed. How could he possibly go to beg Wei Zhongxian for a stranger like you? Don't try to deceive me!" Left Guangdou shouted again.

  "The words spoken by my disciple are all true and he dare not deceive his master and Mr. Yang." Shi Kefa said with tears in his eyes.

  Yang Lian stood by silently, but his mind was racing with one thought after another popping out of his head.

  Zuo Guangdou calmed down his anger and said, "Why should the King of Xin help you? If you can't come up with a reason today, then from now on, our master-disciple relationship will be severed."

  "Cannot be said." Shi Kefa knew that if he spoke now, it would implicate Ye Gongxiao. He was a clever person and knew that the fewer people who knew, the better. It wasn't that he didn't trust his mentor and Yang Lian, but he feared that Wei Zhongxian might send someone to eavesdrop on their conversation.

  Zuo Guangdou's anger surged even higher. "Is there something you can't tell your own teacher? Fine, from now on, I, Zuo Guangdou, no longer have a disciple like you."

  "Master, don't be like this, I'm telling you." Shi Kefa knew that if he didn't speak, Zuo Guangdou wouldn't acknowledge him as his disciple. If someone overheard and thought he was in cahoots with his master, he'd be doomed. He couldn't afford to implicate the king, or he'd be finished. Better to fabricate something for now and hope to bluff his way through. Sorry, Master, it's not that I don't want to tell you what happened, but I really can't say."

  "Alright, go ahead and say it." Zuo Guangdou said.

  "The student was a humble servant of the Wang Mansion, so he begged the Master to allow him to take the Master's name card to see his respected teacher. The Master remembered my respected teacher, so he made an exception and let the student take the Master's name card to exchange for a token to see his respected teacher." Shi Kefa said slowly, this was also the excuse Wang Xiang made to exchange his own name card for a token with Wang Cheng'en.

  "Why did King Xian use you as his royal secretary?" Zu Guangdou asked incredulously.

  "After my teacher was imprisoned, I had no relatives in the capital and my life became increasingly difficult. I made a living by selling calligraphy on the streets. One day, I met Wang Cheng'en, the general manager of the Xinwang Mansion, who saw that my writing was not bad. He asked me if I would be willing to go to the Xinwang Mansion as a secretary. At first, I didn't know what kind of person the Xinwang was and was unwilling to go. Later, with no other options, I urgently wanted to see my teacher in prison but had no way to do so. Therefore, I reached an agreement with the Xinwang: he would help me visit my teacher in prison, and I would have to go to the Wang Mansion as a secretary." Shi Kefa was quite quick-witted and his words were flawless.

  Although Zuo Guangdou had some doubts in his heart, Shi Kefa's words were reasonable. Just as he was about to ask further, he was pulled back by Yang Lian. Zuo Guangdou looked at Yang Lian with confusion, his eyes saying: I haven't figured it out yet, why are you pulling me?

  Shi Kefa cast a grateful glance at Yang Lian, unable to let Zuo Guangdou ask any further questions, for if he asked any more, something would go wrong.

  "Shi Xianzhi, you've brought us wine and dishes. These past few days in prison we've been starving one day and full the next. Today we can finally have meat and wine." Yang Lian, with a sack on his back and iron nails through his ears, had long lost his dignified demeanor as a great Confucian scholar, and laughed loudly at Shi Kefa.

  Shi Kefa was grateful that Yang Lian had stopped Zuo Guangdou's questioning in time, and hastily said: "The student has bought some wine and dishes from the Drunken Immortal Building for Master and Uncle Yang."

  "You've only brought wine and dishes for us two, what about the other adults who have been wronged?" Left Guangdou said unhappily.

  "Disciples, don't forget the other seniors. Just now, I've instructed the prison head to send the wine and dishes I bought at Drunken Immortal Pavilion to the other few seniors. Master, you can rest assured." Shi Kefa hastily took out the wine and dishes while explaining.

  "This is still barely acceptable. If you were only doing this for the two of us, I would not acknowledge you as my disciple," said Zuo Guangdou.

  When Shi Kefa brought out all the dishes, he was shocked to find that they were not prepared by himself, but by Xinyuan Wang, and surprisingly, they were all the favorite dishes of Zuo Guangdou and Yang Lian. What a coincidence! If it wasn't, how did Xinyuan Wang know their preferences? From the moment he first saw Xinyuan Wang, he knew that he was an extraordinary person. Now it seemed that Xinyuan Wang was just a mysterious fog in front of him, luring him to constantly dispel the fog and see the true face inside.

  Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou had not smelled the aroma of meat for who knows how many days, this wasn't eating, it was swallowing, almost without chewing they swallowed it down, Shi Kefa watched them finish with hot tears in his eyes.

  After having enough wine and food, they talked about the teacher-student relationship for a while. Zuo Guangdou repeatedly reminded Shi Kefa that he must not forget his studies just because he was working in the Xining Palace. Shi Kefa naturally nodded in agreement. Before long, the prison head came to urge him, and when the time was up, Shi Kefa had no choice but to take his empty food box and leave the prison.

  Shi Kefa returned to the Xinfeng Palace, and the first thing he did was to thank King Xing. Zhu Yinglong had Xu Yingyuan lead him to his study, where he wanted to have a frank conversation with Shi Kefa. He definitely wanted to win over this talented individual. Apart from having good relations with Zuo Guangdou and others, Shi Kefa was not yet a member of the Donglin Party, at least not a core figure, and his political connections were simple. Unlike Wang Chengen and Xu Yingyuan, who had been active in the palace for many years, with countless complex relationships that he didn't know about, he needed an absolutely trusted confidant. Although Shi Kefa was somewhat rigid, he was young and his thinking had not yet become ossified. With good reform, he was currently the best candidate.

  "Student Xie Wang Ye Chengquan's grace!" Shi Kefa immediately knelt down and said as soon as he saw Zhu Yinglong.

  Zhu Yinglong knew his emotions and hurriedly helped him up, saying: "Xianzhi brother, the king treats you as an old friend, what's a small matter to worry about?"

  "Your Highness's kindness is as deep as a mountain, and I, your humble student, can hardly repay it even if I were to sacrifice my life." Shi Kefa said with emotion.

  Zhu Yinglong gestured to Xu Yingyuan to leave, then said: "Brother Xian, don't be afraid, I'll tell you the truth. The family letter you brought for me, I didn't read a single word before burning it."

  "Your Highness..."

  Zhu Yinglong waved his hand to stop Shi Kefa from asking and said, "I understand your feelings, your intentions, and the contents of the letter. However, I must tell you that I am powerless to help. I believe you also know that I am unable to do so. In this world, only my imperial brother and Wei Zhongxian can save your master."

  These words struck Skofield's mind like a thunderbolt on a clear day, leaving him stunned and motionless.

  Zhu Yinglong continued: "Brother Qian, don't go to other seniors for help. This will give Wei Zhongxian more excuses to deal with them and harm more people. Moreover, they can't help you much now, only more loyal officials will die."

  "Does the king mean to let the students watch their teacher die innocently?" Shi Kefa, a big man, choked back tears at this time. Zuo Guangdou treated him like a father, how could his son just stand by and watch his father go to death?

  Zhu Yinglong also knew that these so-called "Donglin Six Gentlemen" were all loyal and righteous men, and in his heart he did not want them to die, because they were talented people and wealth. But with his current power plus the power of the Donglin Party, it was not a match for Wei Zhongxian. He said calmly: "Xiangzhi, I know your feelings, and I also know the relationship between you and Zuo Guangdou's people, but this is not the time to act on impulse. Not to mention whether I can save your master or not, even if I could, I couldn't save the others in prison. I think your master wouldn't want to abandon his fellow prisoners either, just to live a humble life himself!"

  Now that things have been said to this extent, Shi Kefa finally had some insight and said: "If so, the student is also unwilling to live a ignoble life!"

  Zhu Yinglong's face turned red with rage, his mouth opened to curse, but he didn't expect it to be like this. He suppressed his anger and said lightly: "Xianzhi, a person's death can be lighter than a feather or heavier than Mount Tai. I don't know which one you will choose?"

  Shi Kefa was confused by Zhu Yinglong's last sentence, and after Zhu Yinglong's sudden awakening, Zuo Guangdou's scolding in prison suddenly surged up, and he immediately came to his senses and bowed to Zhu Yinglong: "Your Highness' awakening words, the student understands."

  It's settled then. Zhu Yinglong let out a deep breath and said, "I believe Wei Zhongxian now knows that it was only with the help of this king that you were able to visit your brother in prison. Wei Zhongxian will surely try to secretly verify whether you really did serve as a low-ranking official in this king's household. This king had no choice but to resort to this plan, and we still need you to stay here for a while longer, Brother Xian. What do you think?"

  Shi Kefa was a clever man. If he didn't stay, it would also implicate Xian Wangye. Moreover, since the other had helped him meet his benefactor, it wasn't unreasonable to stay for a few days. He also wanted to understand this mysterious Prince of Xian of the Great Ming Dynasty.