Before life and death, everyone was equal.
At death's door, neither a Principal Fourth Rank prefect nor a Principal Seventh Rank county magistrate could remain composed. Every one of them slapped his hands swollen and shouted his voice hoarse...
Hearing each imprisoned official claim that he had vital information about a case to report, the Junior Banner Officers guarding the cells dared not keep it to themselves. They passed word of the situation up through the ranks until it reached Yang Ge.
Yang Ge had no choice but to spare the time and visit the prison himself.
When the dancing firelight illuminated his scarlet four-clawed Python Robe, every condemned official who had been served three dishes and a soup went mad. They battered their cell doors and desperately shouted their names and the important information they had to report, terrified someone else would get ahead of them and rob them of their final chance to live.
"Silence!"
Yang Ge mustered his true qi and drowned out every howl with a furious shout.
All the imprisoned officials fell silent at once. They merely stared at Yang Ge with wide, frightened eyes, looking utterly pitiful. Some even exploited their advanced age, rubbing their eyes red and squeezing out tears...
The world was finally quiet.
Yang Ge exhaled softly. Resting a hand on the Imperial Sword, he said unhurriedly, "I don't know whether you truly have important information to report or merely intend to fabricate something to buy yourselves time and stay alive... but let me make the unpleasant truth clear first: merit does not cancel out guilt. Those who deserve to die will die, whatever they report!"
The prison threatened to erupt again as soon as he finished.
Yang Ge circulated his true qi once more and forcibly suppressed their objections. "You