Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

The initial prison cells still had windows, allowing a little sunlight to filter in.

The further back you go, the deeper into the prison cells...

There were no windows, the air was stuffy, and the surroundings were incredibly damp.

Walking down the corridor, you can hear the "drip-drip" sound of water.

"Look, this is the death row cell,"

Upon reaching the innermost part, the jailer opened the gate.

"There aren't many people inside. Go in and find them yourselves. Just come back here in half an hour."

"Thank you very much."

Zhao Yuan cupped his hands in greeting and went inside with Yan Qing.

The death row cell was dark and damp.

Oil lamps were lit every two or three zhang (approximately 6.6-7.6 meters) along both sides of the passageway.

After they went inside, they immediately and simultaneously raised their hands to cover their noses.

There was no other way; besides the musty smell, the death row was...

It was also mixed with all sorts of foul odors, including feces and urine, making one want to vomit.

"Brother, brother..."

"Brother Xu, Brother Xu..."

Yan Qing and Zhao Yuan split up to search.

Soon, the two spotted Xu Guanzhong.

"Brother, you..."

Yan Qing, her eyes red, leaned against the wooden fence: "They actually beat you up like this!"

Zhao Yuan's eyes were also a little red.

Compared to his previous visit to Daming Prefecture, Xu Guanzhong was much more spirited.

Now he is wearing prison clothes.

Bloodstains were visible on the clothes.

Without even lifting the lid, one could already tell how terrible the injuries underneath must be.

Xu Guanzhong lay on the straw pile,

Hearing the noise from this side of the fence, I initially thought I was hallucinating.

Until Yan Qing's crying clearly reached his ears,

Xu Guanzhong then realized that Brother Xiao Yi had really come to see him!

"Brother Xiao Yi, is that you?"

Xu Guanzhong looked up towards the gate of the fence.

However, the light inside the death row cell was dim.

I couldn't see what was happening on the other side of the door at all.

“Brother, it’s me!” Yan Qing quickly replied.

"Brother, it really is you! What brings you here?"

Xu Guanzhong struggled to get up from the ground.

As he approached the gate, about to speak to Yan Qing, he suddenly froze.

"Zhao Village...Master Zhao, what have you done to me...?"

“Brother, it was I who went to Shandong to invite Master Zhao here,”

Yan Qing replied, "Master Zhao and many of his family members have come to Bianliang. They will surely be able to rescue you, brother!"

"Nonsense! This is Bianliang City!"

Xu Guanzhong gave a reprimand, then asked again.

"I had someone leave you a message, didn't you receive it?"

Yan Qing hesitated and did not answer.

Xu Guanzhong sighed, "Brother, I'm facing certain death this time. Don't drag yourself into this mess. If something happens to you, who will my elderly mother turn to?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuan frowned and said...

"Brother Xu asked Professor Wen to tell Brother Yanqing to take care of your mother in your place, but have you ever thought about it? Your mother's health is already poor. If she finds out about your bad news, can she bear it?"

"this......"

Xu Guanzhong looked somber, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Although my petition this time has wronged my elderly mother, the thought of the horrific massacres that will befall the people of the north when the Jurchens march south is unbearable for me..."

“Brother Xu, have you ever considered whether this is worth it?” Zhao Yuan asked.

"There's no such thing as worth it or not. A true man should live a life that is not in vain."

Xu Guanzhong said, "Fan Wenzheng once said that every citizen has a responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation. If it weren't for this calamity of the Jurchens, I would have resigned from my post and lived in seclusion in the countryside for decades without any problem."

"But now that we know about this, if we still let it go and allow the Jurchens to run rampant on Han Chinese territory, killing and plundering, how can we be considered true men!"

"So, you just threw your own life away?"

Zhao Yuan couldn't help but shake his head and sneered, "Brother Xu, do you think that with your petition and your life, you can ruin the strategy of allying with the Jin to attack the Liao?"

"Do you know what's been happening outside these past two days?"

Zhao Yuan recalled the Song-Liao war from a century ago, which Wen Huanzhang brought up again in order to save him.

And Cai Jing, Tong Guan, and others, in order to promote the power of the Jurchens,

They even allowed them to set up a fighting arena at the entrance of Fanlou and beat three Song people to death in public, recounting the whole affair.

"this......"

Xu Guanzhong was stunned, then flew into a rage and said,

"To allow foreign tribes to bully and slaughter our compatriots, Cai Jing, Tong Guan, and others should all be torn to pieces!"

Chapter 267 Methods to Save People

"Brother Xu, do you still think it was worth it to sacrifice yourself like this?" Zhao Yuan asked.

Xu Guanzhong fell silent immediately.

"Death is inevitable for everyone; it may be as weighty as Mount Tai or as light as a feather."

Zhao Yuan shook his head and said, "Brother Xu, if you were to die like this, it would truly be lighter than a feather."

"Alas, what can be done now that things have come to this?"

Xu Guanzhong sighed.

He originally intended to use his petition and his own life to warn the people of the world.

This destroyed the Song-Jin alliance.

But now, looking only at the actions of Cai Jing, Tong Guan, and others...

Xu Guanzhong immediately understood that even if he were to sacrifice himself right away,

The Song-Jin alliance will never encounter any problems as long as these treacherous officials are around.

"It's good that Brother Xu has figured it out."

Zhao Yuan chuckled and said, "Leave the rest to us. No matter what, Yan Qing and I will rescue you."

“Master Zhao, this is Bianliang, the capital of the Eastern Capital, not Shandong. Please be very careful in your actions!”

Xu Guanzhong said in a deep voice, "It's not worth it for one person like me!"

"Whether it's worth it or not is not for you, Brother Xu, to decide,"

Zhao Yuan reached his hand through the fence and gently patted Xu Guanzhong's shoulder.

"Don't forget that we have a bet between us."

"Does that bet still stand?"

Xu Guanzhong gave a bitter smile: "I am currently in a predicament, which is not as comfortable as resigning from my post and living a carefree life in seclusion."

"Brother Xu, please don't try to renege on your debt,"

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "In my opinion, you clearly lost that bet. Now you're practically family to me. Saving someone from my own side is worth any price!"

"Master Zhao..."

Xu Guanzhong's voice choked with emotion. He knew that Zhao Yuan was just making excuses to comfort him.

Even without the bet, Zhao Yuan would definitely still save him.

"Brother Xu, just wait to escape alive, and then you can personally take care of your elderly mother," Zhao Yuan said, cupping his hands in greeting.

......

Half an hour later,

Zhao Yuan and Yan Qing followed the jailer out of the Censorate.

After handing over his prison guard clothes and the remaining fifty taels of gold to the jailer,

As Zhao Yuan and his three companions strolled along the street, they discussed in hushed tones how to rescue Xu Guanzhong.

"Brother, how about we storm the execution ground?"

Shi Xiu suggested, "The matter of Scholar Xu has caused a great stir in the capital city. On the day of his execution, many people will surely go to watch. If we can cause a riot in the crowd, the people will run around and the government will be overwhelmed and unable to cope. That will be the best time for us to rescue Scholar Xu."

"But doing so will inevitably implicate innocent civilians,"

Zhao Yuan rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on: "If things go wrong, in the chaos, the people might trample each other, and more than just one or two people could die."

This wasn't out of sentimentality on his part, but simply a matter of basic human decency.

Furthermore, Xu Guanzhong would not feel good if he saw ordinary people die because of him.

And then there's Wen Huanzhang. If he sees that Liangshan doesn't care about the lives of ordinary people, he definitely won't agree to go to Liangshan.

"In this way, storming the execution ground is a last resort, to be used only as a last resort."

Zhao Yuan said, "Let's think about it again, is there any other safer way?"

"If we don't storm the execution ground, then how about we force our way into the Censorate?"

Shi Xiu asked, "After you and Brother Xiao Yi went inside, did you find the Censorate heavily guarded?"

Before Zhao Yuan and Yan Qing could answer, Shi Qian quickly denied it.

"No! There are imperial guards stationed near the Censorate. Any noise will alert them."

"I brought some of the sleeping potion that Doctor An prescribed last time with me this time,"

Shi Xiu asked, "How about we do what we did in Daming Prefecture, using sleeping potion to knock out everyone in the Censorate before rescuing them?"

Daming Mansion?

Yan Qing, who was standing to the side, was taken aback, and suddenly remembered what had happened some time ago.

The 30,000 strings of cash that Zhao Yuan sent to Lu Junyi's house

It was indeed obtained from the residence of Liang Zhongshu in Daming Prefecture!

"That won't work either!"

Shi Qian shook his head and said, "Before my brother came, I went to the Censorate to inquire. In that office, in addition to a dozen officials, there are thirty or forty clerks and more than two hundred imperial guards."

“These people eat separately, especially the Imperial Guards who are responsible for guarding the prison. They all eat before they change shifts.”

Shi Xiu's three suggestions were all rejected, and the others couldn't think of a good solution for the time being.

“Chief, I will go out of the city to find Professor Wen later. He might have a solution,” Yan Qing said after thinking for a moment.

"Well, that's fine!"