Chapter 480: The Original Sin of Troubled Times
Ganquan, Xixiang.

A newly built water dungeon on the east bank of the Jing River.

It’s called a water dungeon, but it’s more like a large shrimp cage surrounded by fences, with only one person inside.

In the morning, the crane arm on the shore swung, like a heavy fishing rod slowly turning, lifting the prison and hanging it above the river.

As the sun gradually rose, the prison cell was gradually sunk into the cold, turbulent Jing River.

The water directly submerged Liu Ba's thighs, and it was freezing cold. Driven by his survival instinct, he could only hold on tightly to the top wooden bar of the cage.

His legs were pressed against the wooden pillars on both sides, one on the left and the other on the right, and he couldn't stretch his head out, so he could only tilt his head and press his cheek against the gap at the top of the cage.

The wooden cage had been soaked in water for five consecutive days, and its surface was stained with dirt from the water, as well as a layer of slippery mucus that seemed to have precipitated from the gum.

Therefore, it was very uncomfortable for Liu Ba to maintain such a strange posture, but it was better than falling into ice water.

On the first day, he was determined to die and buried his head in the water several times in an attempt to drown himself, but he could not hold on every time.

They also thought that he would get sick if he soaked in the water, so they would bring him ashore at midnight every time.

Three wooden walls were erected on the river bank near the water prison to block the wind and sight from the north, south and northeast directions. This meant that after the prison was hung on shore, Liu Ba inside still had to face the Jing River.

Around noon that day, Liu Ba noticed that there were people and horses rushing towards him in the distance.

My neck feels sore, numb and my vision is blurry.

When he tried to turn his head to take a closer look, his stiff legs and feet went limp and he fell into the water.

The river water at noon was not as bone-chillingly cold as in the morning, but it still made him feel refreshed and alert.

Soon, the black bear stopped on the slope near the horse, raised his hand to take off his scarf and exposed his chin.

Soon, more than a dozen knights arrived. Liu Jing, the former prince of Huainan Kingdom, was panting. After reining in his horse, he took off his dust mask with the others.

Black Bear turned his head to look at Liu Jing. The horse under Liu Jing was exhausted and panting, and he looked a little anxious.

Liu Jing turned over and dismounted. It was difficult for him to straighten his legs. He deliberately walked in a funny and ugly manner as if he was lame. He came to the black bear five or six steps away and asked, "Grand Sima?"

"That is Liu Zichu, Liu Ba of Jingnan."

Black Bear pointed with Whip at the cage hanging on the crane arm on the river bank, and Liu Jing was speechless.

In order to torture Liu Ba, the crane and some guards from the nearby fortress were transferred here.

The weather was dry during the period after the autumn harvest, and there was no additional military service, so people everywhere speeded up the construction of fortresses and houses, or collected firewood and cut grass, working hard to stay warm during the winter.

Liu Jing looked a little terrified: "I have been concentrating on medical skills in Nanshan for a long time. I didn't know that this person dared to disobey the Grand Marshal."

"I'm not the kind of person who would bring trouble to innocent people. Wen Gong doesn't need to panic."

Black Bear suddenly smiled and said, "I'll let Wen Gong go back to Jiangdong, okay?"

"I dare not, servant..."

Liu Jing is only two years younger than Hei Xiong and is a young man who is still growing and developing.

Hearing this, he became excited, then restrained himself, and stared eagerly at the black bear on the horse.

Black Bear smiled again: "Your father is alone and can't support the country alone. When you return to Jiangdong, I don't want you to do anything for me. Just help your father. As for managing civil affairs and maintaining stability in the country, I still admire your father very much."

Then he stopped looking at Liu Jing and gazed at the Jing River: "In the future, our two families should have 20 years of peace. Cherish it and don't waste my kindness."

"The Grand Marshal's kindness is so profound that I have no way to repay him."

Liu Jing said this with a hesitant look, wanting to make a grand promise.

But he also knew what the Southeastern Court was like. Even his father was unable to make decisions on his own, let alone his future self.

Black Bear caught a glimpse of Liu Jing's hesitant look and smiled indifferently, then turned to look at Lu Bu who was standing on his horse and holding a banner beside him.

Lu Bu handed the tricolor long banner to Dian Wei, drove his horse downhill, and headed towards the water prison on the shore. Seeing that Black Bear didn't say anything, Liu Jing also stood half-bent and observed the shore.

Lu Bu also did not dismount from his horse. He pulled out a long whip made of thin cowhide rope from the harness, rode his horse into the river for three or four steps, and whipped Liu Ba in the cage.

The whip flowers exploded from time to time, and each time they exploded they hit Liu Ba accurately.

From a distance of fifty or sixty steps, one could only hear the sound of whips popping and see Liu Ba in the cage being whipped so hard that he had to squat in the water to avoid the beating.

The skin and flesh were torn apart, blood oozed out, and a long dark red strip spread out from the lower reaches of the cage.

Liu Jing counted seventeen or eighteen whip flowers, and Liu Ba could no longer bear it and hid his head in the water.

Lu Bu drove his horse back and forth, and from time to time he whipped his horse, and suddenly there was a crisp sound.

Black Bear has always trusted Lu Bu's judgment when executing orders. Hei Xiong doesn't need to look carefully to know that Lu Bu's attack will definitely hit.

After a while, Lu Bu whipped the horse thirty times and drove it ashore. He rolled up the long whip and put it into the harness, not forgetting to put on the buckle.

Seeing Lü Bu turning back, Black Bear said to the Taoist priest who had dismounted seven or eight steps away and was putting a hood on his horse, "I'll leave Liu Ba to you two. Give him a peach each morning and evening. Make sure he lives. I'll come back to interrogate him when I'm free."

The two Taoists, who were very eager to learn, put down what they were doing, calmly bowed their heads, and said, "I obey your order."

The two Taoists also brought their young Taoist apprentices with them. They said goodbye to Liu Jing immediately and led the Taoist apprentices away on horseback.

Black Bear couldn't help but sigh: "I have always been a man of few words, and even if I kill, I kill quickly, and I don't humiliate or torture the enemy. God is merciful, and in this chaotic world, many things have come together, and we can only weigh the pros and cons and choose the lesser of the two. Moreover, the chaotic world has already happened, and weren't it our fathers and ancestors who created this chaotic world?"

Liu Jing nodded and still argued: "Grand Marshal, my father is innocent. He is a clean and honest man with a kind heart. He is not a man of troubled times. Those who are in troubled times are Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, Liu Yan and others."

"Allowing evildoers to do evil is appeasement."

Black Bear looked into Liu Jing's eyes and said, "Looking back now, I was indeed a little soft-hearted in the past, which gave people like Liu Ba the courage to plot against me. Let's stop here. I'm going to inspect Beidi County. You go find Xuan Liang. He will arrange for someone to escort you back to Jiangnan... the four counties of Jiangnan?"

As he spoke, Black Bear couldn't help but look up and chuckle. He lightly kicked the horse's belly to make the horse turn around and go upstream along the Jing River.

Liu Jing stood there, covering her face and nose with her sleeves, and dozens of knights followed her.

After a long time, the sound of horse hooves disappeared, and the dust was blown southward by the wind.

Liu Jing then shook her sleeves and squinted at the dust heading north.

He glanced at the water prison on the bank of the Jing River, thought for a moment, and then turned back to his horse. With the help of the guards, he climbed on the horse.

Only then did he look up at the sky. Could he really return to Xuyang and become the crown prince of the court?
He had only been the crown prince for a few days, and now he was to be the crown prince of the southeastern court. This made him feel more confused and uncomfortable.

For some unknown reason, he felt panicky.

Several guards surrounded Liu Jing and returned along the same route. He couldn't help but look back at the dust and fog in the distance.

My name is also Wengong. If I had the same military power as General Taishi, I wouldn't need to be so cautious in everything.

As he was thinking, the horse under him sped up along with the other horses and started to gallop together.

Liu Jing turned around and felt the wind blowing on his face. The farther he was from the black bear, the happier he instinctively felt.

The smile between his brows could no longer be suppressed.

His smile became brighter and brighter, as fresh as a young boy, no longer gloomy and restrained as before.

The sound of hooves was brisk and gradually faded away.

On the bank of the Jing River, Liu Ba, with his skin torn and flesh exposed, was in unbearable pain. He could only collapse limply and soak in the river.

I forced myself to look and saw some Taoists unpacking their bags and tool boxes. I saw a young Taoist wearing a crown taking out a narrow, bright little hook knife and examining it carefully.

At the same time, another Taoist leader was also unloading wooden boxes from the packhorse. Due to the pain, Liu Ba became more and more confused and had no idea what the other party wanted to do.

(End of this chapter)