Chapter 4: Prison

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months.

Two months had passed in the blink of an eye.

Chen Mu continued his routine, patrolling as usual, then returning home to practice his blade.

The role of a constable was still relatively important to him. On the one hand, it was his only source of income. On the other hand, having this identity protected him from the harassment of local ruffians, gangsters, and even gang members. Quitting his job to practice his blade was not a feasible option.

One day, Chen Mu returned home after finishing his patrol.

He was surprised to find that there was another person in the house besides Chen Yue.

"Third Aunt? Why are you here?"

Chen Mu stepped forward in surprise and asked a middle-aged woman with a worried face.

His father was the eldest, with a younger brother and a younger sister, his second uncle and third aunt. His second uncle was a good-for-nothing who had even been disciplined by his father before. They rarely interacted, and he didn't even come when his father passed away.

His third aunt, on the other hand, was closer. She used to visit often, and after his father's death, she would occasionally bring over rice, flour, and soybeans. So, Chen Mu always respected his third aunt, Chen Hong.

Usually, when he wasn't home, Chen Yue would only open the door for Chen Hong.

"Xiao Mu... Third Aunt has no other choice but to ask for your help..."

Chen Hong, her face haggard and a headscarf wrapped around her head, pulled Chen Mu closer and couldn't help but cry.

Chen Mu inquired carefully and learned that it was Chen Hong's son, his cousin Zhang Hai, who had gotten into trouble. Zhang Hai's personality was similar to his second uncle's. He was also a good-for-nothing, spending his days idling and wandering the streets. This time, he met a beautiful woman in an alley and couldn't resist teasing her. This angered the woman, who first beat him up and then alerted the City Guard. They arrested him and threw him into jail without a second thought.

"Third Aunt, I've told you before that the world is chaotic now, and with cousin's personality, he should restrain himself. How could he still dare to act so recklessly? I'm afraid I can't help with this matter."

Chen Mu frowned after listening to Chen Hong's rambling.

From the sounds of it, the person Zhang Hai offended obviously had some background. They could easily mobilize the City Guard and throw him straight into prison. This meant they must have connections at least at the level of a constable or higher. He, a mere patrolman, who usually kept a low profile and didn't engage in much scheming, wanting to rescue someone from prison was simply wishful thinking. He didn't have that kind of influence.

Chen Hong sobbed and said, "I know, I know. The person Xiao Hai offended this time is said to be the fourth concubine of the young master of the Nan family in the city. I've already begged some people, but they were all unwilling to plead for mercy... I'm only here to ask Xiao Mu if you can talk to the jailer and at least get him through this difficult time. Once they forget about this matter, we can find another way."

As she spoke, Chen Hong trembled as she took out two ingots of silver from her bosom, amounting to about twenty taels.

Chen Mu knew that his third aunt's family was relatively well-off. His third uncle was a butcher, but twenty taels of silver was definitely not a small amount. Taking it out must have depleted a significant portion of their savings.

Seeing Chen Hong's tearful eyes, Chen Mu thought of the rice and flour she had brought over in the past. He sighed in his heart and finally accepted the silver, saying, "I can only try to ask. I can't guarantee whether it will work or not."

This silver wasn't for him, or rather, he didn't have the kind of face that would make the jailer show mercy to Zhang Hai. These twenty taels of silver could only be handed over to the jailer by him to see if the jailer was willing.

The jailer and prison guards were also under the jurisdiction of the City Guard, belonging to one of the three shifts.

However, there wasn't much interaction between them on a daily basis.

And in this era, those who entered prison were basically as good as dead. There was no need to deliberately torture them, just not providing food and water would finish them off within a few days. The prison guards wouldn't go through the trouble of delivering food and water without any benefits.

Chen Hong wanted Zhang Hai to survive in prison for a few months, waiting for the matter to blow over, but it probably wouldn't be that easy. However, he couldn't say anything to dissuade her, as Zhang Hai was her only son.

"Thank you, thank you..."

Chen Hong responded with a trembling voice, unable to speak properly for a moment as she sat there, tears streaming down her face.

Chen Mu sighed softly in his heart.

If he were already a constable, this matter would be much easier to handle. At least he could find a jailer to inquire about the specific situation. But now, his blade skills were only at the level of Minor Accomplishment, and becoming a constable was still a long way off.

It must be Zhang Hai's fate to experience this tribulation. He was a good-for-nothing who couldn't control his mouth. Fortunately, he only spoke out of turn and didn't resort to physical actions, otherwise, he might already be dead by now.

"Yue'er, keep Third Aunt company. I'll be out for a while."

Chen Mu said to Chen Yue, who was beside him, and then left home again while it was still early.

...

The South City Prison was located behind the South City Guard headquarters.

Chen Mu rarely came here. Although he was also a City Guard patrolman, he belonged to the Nine Streets City Guard of the South City District, not the headquarters. Moreover, the headquarters and the Nine Streets City Guard were quite far apart.

Compared to the Nine Streets City Guard, the headquarters was much stricter. In the Nine Streets City Guard, patrolmen would even gamble with dice when they were idle, but this was not seen at the headquarters.

"It is said that the Chief Constable of the South City District is a woman with a face that could make fish sink and birds fall from the sky. I've never seen her before."

Chen Mu glanced at the tall tower in the center after entering the City Guard headquarters. He had been in this world for two years, and even the number of times he had seen the Nine Streets City Guard Captain could be counted on one hand, let alone the higher-ranking Chief Constable.

Patrolmen walked around from time to time in the spacious City Guard headquarters, but they mostly kept their heads down, with a solemn and serious expression, neither whispering nor looking around.

Chen Mu also lowered his head slightly and quietly bypassed the front half of the headquarters, arriving at the prison located at the back.

Once he reached the prison, the atmosphere changed again.

In the room next to the prison, a few prison guards were gathered together, playing dice.

Compared to the solemn and serious City Guard headquarters, the prison was much more relaxed, as no one usually came here.

"Hey buddy, what's up?"

A prison guard saw Chen Mu's patrolman attire and raised his head.

Chen Mu pretended not to notice their gambling and said, "I'm looking for the jailer."

"Oh, Warden Wei is inside."

The prison guard pointed in a direction inside.

Chen Mu thanked him. The prison guard just waved his hand dismissively and continued playing dice with his colleagues.

Walking along the corridor and down a few steps, Chen Mu arrived at a relatively clean and tidy room. However, there were several shelves in this room filled with various torture instruments, making it appear quite intimidating.

Jailer Wei Nan was sitting on a chair with his eyes closed, resting. He opened his eyes a sliver when he heard someone enter.

"Warden Wei."

Chen Mu bowed to the jailer.

The jailer's position was basically equivalent to that of a constable, also his superior.

"Hmm."

Wei Nan saw Chen Mu's patrolman attire and responded casually.

Chen Mu stepped forward, explained Zhang Hai's situation, and then handed over the twenty taels of silver given by Chen Hong.

"Oh."

Wei Nan took the silver, weighed it in his hand a few times, and after some thought, put it into his sleeve. He said, "Someone from above has given instructions regarding Zhang Hai. He needs to suffer a bit. But since his family is so sensible, I'll make sure he gets his daily meals and water. However, I can't guarantee what his condition will be like after a month or two."

In these chaotic times, any bandits or criminals caught outside were usually killed on the spot. Very few were sent to prison. Basically, those who were imprisoned were those with good family backgrounds who kept sending money.

As a jailer, he couldn't compare to the patrolmen who worked outside. He relied on this kind of thing to make money.

"With your word, that's enough."

Chen Mu said with a smile.

If he hadn't come today, Zhang Hai might not just be suffering a bit. With a few rounds of torture and a few days of starvation, he would be half dead, and even dying was a possibility.

Although these twenty taels of silver couldn't get him out, at least he wouldn't lack food and water for the next month or two. However, even if this situation blew over, getting him out would still be a headache for Chen Hong and her family. It wouldn't be that easy.

"He's inside. Let Liu Si take you to see him."

After taking the silver, Wei Nan waved his hand, seemingly unwilling to talk to Chen Mu any further.

Chen Mu bowed and took his leave. After coming outside, he quickly found Liu Si, who said nothing and directly led him into the prison. They descended several flights of stairs, and the environment immediately became dark and damp. A rotten and musty smell permeated the air, making it very uncomfortable.

"There."

Liu Si pointed to the fourth cell.

In the first three cells, three emaciated men were locked up, looking more like skeletons than humans. They didn't speak or move when they saw Liu Si and Chen Mu enter. If it weren't for their green eyes turning towards them, they would almost be indistinguishable from corpses.

In the fourth cell, a rather fat man with many bloodstains on his body was lying on a pile of tattered straw.

"Cousin?"

Chen Mu approached and called out softly.

Zhang Hai, who had been lying there motionless, finally raised his head with some difficulty and looked at Chen Mu in a daze for a while before recognizing him. He said weakly, "It's... it's Chen Mu, quick, get me out of here..."

"Third Aunt asked me to bring you a few words."

Chen Mu didn't respond directly. He first relayed the messages from Chen Hong and then explained the current situation: "...In short, you can only stay here for a while."

After hearing this, Zhang Hai immediately showed a look of despair: "You, you can't just leave me to die... My family has sent you a lot of rice and flour before, and I never stopped them. My mother even thought of arranging a marriage for you a while ago. You can't do this..."

Chen Mu fell silent.

He didn't really care much for Zhang Hai. Even the memories of the previous 'Chen Mu' showed that their relationship wasn't good. It seemed Zhang Hai also looked down on his cousin 'Chen Mu' and thought he would probably end up like his father, a poor patrolman for the rest of his life, useless.

But thinking of his third aunt Chen Hong, Chen Mu remained silent for a moment before saying, "The person you offended has some background. I don't have any way to help. Third Aunt and Uncle are also helpless. You just have to get through this current situation, and maybe there will be a turnaround."

As he spoke, Chen Mu turned around and walked outside.

Zhang Hai was left lying there with a blank look in his eyes, muttering, "What's the use of sending them that rice and flour? Being a poor patrolman is useless these days..."

Chen Mu's father had been a patrolman all his life, and in the end, he was still a poor patrolman. He died without even having money for his funeral. It was his mother, Chen Hong, who helped with the arrangements. His relatives on his mother's side were all poor and insignificant, and they had long advised her to stop associating with them.

If they had saved more money and used it to bribe someone, maybe he could have been rescued.

Footnotes:

Xiao Mu (小牧): This is a term of endearment used by elders to address younger family members, similar to "Little Mu" or "Dear Mu."

Third Aunt (三姑): In Chinese families, aunts and uncles are often referred to by their birth order within their sibling group. "Third Aunt" indicates that Chen Hong is the third oldest among her siblings.

Tael (两): A tael is a traditional Chinese unit of weight used for silver and other precious metals. In the context of the story, it represents a significant amount of money.