Chapter 16 Chapter Fifteen

The first snow in early winter in Beijing came very quickly, and the flakes of snow fluttered in the early morning. In a blink of an eye, it was covered with heavy snow. The streets, roofs, and branches were soon dyed white. The bustling streets quickly became deserted, leaving only Under the vast white world. Wang Qiu likes snow. Although he had no idea about his adoptive father, he took an oil-paper umbrella with great interest, and walked alone in the snow flying all over the sky, breathing the clear and cold air, and the snow creaked under his feet, which made his heart feel much more comfortable.

Walking to Xima Bridge, I saw a pretty girl standing in the middle of the bridge, wearing a fiery red snow fur and holding an apricot yellow paper umbrella, which formed a sharp contrast with the surrounding snow scene.Hearing footsteps, the girl turned around slowly, meeting Wang Qiu's eyes. "Lu Yun!" Wang Qiu called softly. Lu Yun smiled brightly: "Surprised, isn't it? I was sure you would pass by here, because you said that the happiest thing in life is to take a walk in the snow." Wang Qiu thumped in his heart, feeling very inappropriate. "Are you going to persuade me to leave the capital? The two-month deadline hasn't come yet," he said.

"Listen to me, Wang Qiu," she said, looking at him melancholy, "the water in the capital is too deep, it's not suitable for you, you'd better go back to the south of the Yangtze River, where everything is good except the snowy scenery, so why be so persistent?" He mocked: "Why, Xie Zongyuan didn't even want to wait for two months?" Lu Yun said quietly: "Wang Qiu—everyone knows that you came here for Tao Xingyu's case, if you delay any longer, your life may be in danger!" Wang Qiu's complexion changed slightly, he pondered for a moment and said, "Who told you?"

"I said that at least a hundred people outside know, do you believe it?" Could it be that Su Keji was two-faced and three-faced, spreading the matter out?Wang Qiu thought of him first, because so far he had only confessed himself in front of Yugege, Yeletu and Su Keji, and Su Keji was the most suspected one. But I only left Su Keji's house in the middle of the night, and it snowed suddenly this morning, so it is impossible for it to spread so fast, not to mention that the conversation was held in a secret room, which itself meant an unwritten offensive and defensive alliance.Su Keji has been an official in the Ministry of Officials for a long time, so he should develop the habit of being cautious. It doesn't matter if he betrays Wang Qiu, but it would be a big deal if the sky falls if he annoys the prince.

"Master Tao is my adoptive father, he is in prison, why not come to Beijing to visit him as a foster son?" Lu Yun frowned and said, "Don't lie, we all know this is not the case at all, Wang Qiu, what you are doing is very dangerous, far beyond your expectations." "Is it related to Xie Zongyuan?" "Are you looking for him because you want to know about Tao Xingyu's loan? Brother Xie entrusted me to tell you that he will not pursue that debt." As she spoke, she took out a loan contract from her sleeve and waved it in front of him. It said "... I have borrowed 6,300 taels of silver from Xie Zongyuan..." There were signatures and handprints of Xie Zongyuan and Tao Xingyu on the bottom.She simply and neatly tore the contract into pieces, fluttering in the wind, and the confetti fluttered into the river.

Wang Qiu shook his head: "The adoptive father escaped death in the sky prison. If you don't tear it up, this loan is also a bad debt." Lu Yun sighed: "Senior Brother Xie has shown the utmost sincerity, just barely, almost never begged for mercy face to face, you are also a member of the rivers and lakes, you should know the truth of accepting what you see." Wang Qiu sneered and said: "Of course Xie Zongyuan is not afraid of me, and he just doesn't want to cause trouble, but Wang Qiu is a stalker, and he won't accept his small favors. You can go back and send a message, telling him to throw away his illusions and let him come here." !"

Lu Yun sighed again, looked at him fixedly, with tears in his eyes, and said in a low voice: "Wang Qiu, I really broke your heart three years ago, I will do my best to redeem the crime, but Beijing..." "Let's go, your brother Xie is waiting for you at home." Wang Qiu turned around and said coldly. "Believe it or not, brother Xie and I are just brothers in the same school. You, you are the only man I have been close to in the past three years..." Her voice became lower and lower, and in the end it was almost inaudible. When the winding sound gradually faded away in the snowflakes, she had quietly disappeared.

The corners of Wang Qiu's mouth were tense, and his fists were clenched so loudly.He knew very well in his heart: what he hated was not Xie Zongyuan, but Lu Yun; he could bear losing the bet, but he couldn't accept the girl he loved betrayed him.He actually vented all the pent-up anger three years ago on Xie Zongyuan. The snow was getting heavier and heavier, and the dense snowflakes turned into a thick snow curtain, so that pedestrians, trees and houses a few steps away could not be seen clearly.The relaxed and comfortable mood brought by enjoying the snow just now was gone. Wang Qiu smiled bitterly and returned to the inn along the original road.

After walking about thirty or forty feet, the sound of chaotic footsteps and shouts suddenly sounded from the opposite side: "catch him!" "Don't let him get away!" Immediately afterwards, a group of black shadows rushed towards Wang Qiu, and before he could react, he stuffed a silver-white package into his arms, and then deftly turned to the right, and the person disappeared in the alley next to him. inside.Before Wang Qiu picked up the package and took a closer look, he was surrounded by more than a dozen people, and the leader was Mingying! "Mr. Wang, disrespect and disrespect!" Mingying came to him fiercely, grabbed the package with his hands and shook it, and more than ten pieces of gold and silver jewelry fell out of it, and said with a serious face, "There are all stolen goods, so it turns out that Mr. Wang is The gangster who robbed Seventeen’s house at night, come and take him down!”

"Hey, I'm not...the man from the side alley...he stuffed it for me..." Wang Qiu explained while struggling desperately. Mingying scolded: "Bold Wang Qiu, dare to resist arrest in broad daylight, brothers go together!" More than a dozen policemen swarmed up, some pressed their heads, some folded their arms, some tripped their legs, and quickly pressed Wang Qiu onto the cold snow. He suddenly raised his head and laughed wildly, kicked him in the face by the way, and said viciously: "Take me to the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, and see how the Lord will deal with you!"

Maze-like alleyways, dirty and blood-smelling air, occasional moans and curses.Entering the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice again, Wang Qiu felt both familiar and strange.The detainment route was similar to the previous one, but the guards were particularly ferocious. Every two steps he took, he would kick him or shake him twice on the back of the head. Like a rice dumpling, the body lost its balance, and fell to the ground in a pig-gnawing posture, the roots of the teeth slammed, and a stream of blood flowed down the lips. "My lord, please speak while talking." After visiting the prison last time, Wang Qiu understood the rules in the prison, and shouted with pain. The jailer took a look at him and said, "You are a felon under the care of Master Mingying. We dare not think about it. Hmph, let's talk about it in a few days." Saying that, he closed the prison door and walked away. Wang Qiu had no choice but to lie motionless on the wet and cold ground for a while, and then tried to grope around with his hands.The tentacles are all solid walls, no windows, no beds.He took a deep breath, and went through the experience after the snow fell in the morning in his mind, and realized something in his heart: From Lu Yun to Ming Ying, it was definitely a well-designed trap! First, Lu Yun moved people with affection, hoping to resolve the matter peacefully. After being rejected, Ming Ying came out and used the worst but most practical method of framing, and put Wang Qiu in prison. At the same time, Wang Qiu still figured out the question just now—how did Lu Yun and others know that they came for Tao Xingyu's case, it must be Mingying's fault! After Mingying deduced that Tao Xingyu was related to him from his night visits to the prison, he conducted an in-depth investigation, and then publicized that he was involved in the case. Xie Zongyuan quickly found Mingying after hearing the news, and the two hit it off and planned this trap. When noon was approaching, Mingying sent his subordinates to interrogate him, telling him that a large amount of stolen goods had been found in the inn room where he was staying, and asked Wang Qiu to truthfully explain the crime process.Naturally, Wang Qiu denied it, and Mingying waved the oil-soaked whip to beat him to pieces, and poured a basin of cold water at the end, saying that this was the beginning, and the worst was yet to come! Not long after, the jailer came in and locked him next to the urinal with a chain. One end of the chain was wrapped around his neck and the other end was wrapped around the iron gate fence. The chain was so tight that Wang Qiu could not sit or stand, and his body was half-slanted. Leaning against the wall, it's really like life is worse than death. In the evening, another subordinate of Mingying came, with a more irritable temper than the first one. When he came in, he said that you must not recruit, right?The beating was so fierce that Wang Qiu rolled all over the floor, lost two of his teeth, and his mouth was dripping with blood.Then he grabbed Wang Qiu's collar and said with a sneer, "Look at your body, you probably won't be able to stand the court trial before you're done!" "I...will persevere to the end..." Wang Qiufu murmured in a pool of blood. After an unknown period of time, the jailer brought the prison food—a steamed bun the size of a fist, and a small bowl of soup. The steamed bun exuded a strong alkali and musty smell, and the soup was as bland as white water. Put it aside.When the jailer put away the bowl, he looked at him mockingly, did not speak, took it away, and left. At night, the prison was full of snoring, and Wang Qiu was in pain all over his body. Where could he sleep, Lu Yun's words sounded in his mind: Everyone knows that you are here for Tao Xingyu's case. If you delay, you may risk your life!Now it seems that this is the final warning, because Mingying is hiding somewhere nearby, sharpening his knife and preparing to strike. Suddenly thought: Xie Zongyuan just lent some money to his adoptive father, why was he so nervous when he learned that he was investigating the case?And Mrs. Xi asked Yehenala the whole story the next day.As a creditor, asking for money in debt is a matter of course, and the amount is not very large-the foster father's fertile land and shop in Suzhou are enough to repay the debt, so nervous that Xu Luyun came forward twice in a row, there must be a deeper reason. Lu Yun repeatedly emphasized that Xie Zongyuan had no intention of being an enemy of Wang Qiu, he was concentrating on doing something important, and disdain to be arrogant with Jiang Hu, since he should have avoided contact, how could he show his favor again and again?From this point of view, Wang Qiu's appearance in the capital itself poses a threat to Xie Zongyuan's plan. Thinking of this, Wang Qiu suddenly became enlightened. Underground Flower Fair! It must be the underground flower festival! Xie Zongyuan is the organizer and organizer of the underground flower fair, and provides usury loans to gamblers. Aunt Xi is also a part of the gambling chain. Xie Zongyuan tried to control the results of the test, and tried every means to infiltrate the Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of Rites. After receiving this news, Tao Xingyu and Wang Weizhong decided to use their tactics, and went deep into it in the name of joining a group and participating in gambling, so as to master more secrets about the manipulation and influence of the underground flower club. , in one catch. However, Tao and Wang are too bookish after all, how can their scheming be worth the old Jianghu like Xie Zongyuan?Soon his feet were revealed.Xie Zongyuan immediately notified the higher-level behind-the-scenes organizers - the Ministry of Officials and Rites alone cannot control the examination, at least there are predators above the level of deputy chief examiner!So a dense net was thrown down, and Tao and Wang were thrown into prison for the crimes that had been woven in advance. Just as he was engrossed in his thoughts, suddenly the wall on the left side beeped three times in succession. Wang Qiu was startled, and half-climbed and half-moved to the wall.Seeing no response from the other side of the wall, he knocked "Du Tu Tu" three more times. Wang Qiu responded quickly and put his ear against the wall.Sure enough, after a while, I heard a low voice: "Eat what you should, don't starve your body." Wang Qiu said: "Thank you...Brother, I have no experience in prison for the first time." The person on the other side sighed a long time: "No one has experience, they all came out of it slowly... Your name is Wang Qiu, and you are a master of Piaomen?" "Yes." Wang Qiu was wary of Mingying sending someone to set him up, so he didn't dare to say more. "If only I had one tenth of your gambling skills, no, even one percent of your gambling skills," the man said, "My surname is Chen. came in." "Oh, Brother Chen." "Gambling houses are the same all over the world. The official gamblers will squeeze you out bit by bit, and then turn your face ruthlessly; if you encounter a master like Mr. Wang, they will collude with the government to pour sewage on you, and you will be put in a prison to torture you." Let go only when you are dying...Is it hard to endure this afternoon? This is called a "killing stick". , just fell into their trick." Wang Qiu was silent for a while, then said: "Thank you, Big Brother Chen for reminding... Can Big Brother Chen point out a way?" "Haha, if I'm capable, I won't be locked up for more than three years. My family can't afford some money, and I have to be constantly pissed off by those bastards. But it's okay, my mother-in-law and uncle showed mercy last month. I sold my ancestral home to pay off my gambling debts, and asked my friends to intercede in the Yamen. I think I will be able to go out in a few days... Mr. Wang, there are only two ways for people who enter the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice to get out of the prison. Use the money as hard as you can, the more the better, and the second is to find a bigger official, as the saying goes, a senior official crushes people to death." "Brother Chen is right..." Wang Qiu still wanted to ask more questions, but the night watchman came and yelled "no talking" as he walked, Wang Qiu quickly retreated to the corner, and when the jailer walked away and knocked on the wall, he was already asleep there. In the middle of the night, Wang Qiu, who had just fallen asleep, was suddenly kicked awake violently, and a sturdy black figure stood in front of him. He gave him a dozen slaps without saying anything, and then gritted his teeth and said: "Wang Qiu, you have today too!" It turned out to be Mingying. Wang Qiu understood that it was useless to say anything at this point in the matter, so he simply shut up. Mingying triumphantly played with the whip in his hand, smacked him on the face unexpectedly, and said viciously: "Smash your little boy, let's see how you can lie to other girls in the future! Hmph, you dare to show off your power in front of the military master, yours!" Practice is not enough!" Wang Qiu swallowed the gushing blood back into his stomach without saying a word. After beating for a while, Mingying found it boring, grabbed his collar and said, "Master Jun, where did you hide the money you won in the thirteen gambling houses these days? It's not in the inn, nor on your body, is it?" Isn't it in Yeletu's hands?" "No...in..." "Hmph, I guess you wouldn't hand over tens of thousands of taels of silver bills to a gambler you've only known for a few days, so where are you hiding them?" Mingying leaned closer, and could almost smell the turbid breath coming out of his nostrils. "Hand over the money, and the military lord will spare your life, otherwise, the military lord has a way to make you live or die!" Wang Qiu gave a difficult smile: "My lord...since you have won tens of thousands of taels of silver, why do you need to steal every night and steal some worthless jewelry? What do you think, my lord?" Mingying was furious, and whipped him in the face again, angrily said: "It's easier to kill you than to pinch an ant in the prison! Don't you want to visit Tao Xingyu? He is only a hundred steps away, what a pity , hehehehe, it's not sure which of you two will die first!" Then Mingying whipped the whip for more than ten times, and didn't stop until she was a little out of breath. Before leaving, she threatened, "Think carefully, and the military master will come to listen to you at this time tomorrow night. If you still persist in your obsession, you will move to a very interesting cell. Let you have a taste of a man, hum! Wang Qiu's heart tightened, and he naturally understood the meaning of Mingying's words, but those banknotes - in order to prevent accidents, he had already made arrangements in advance, and the banknotes must not be handed over, otherwise he would die faster.Only by clenching the bullet and keeping the secret, can the stalemate with Mingying continue.