Chapter 30 Chapter Twenty Nine

The snow didn't stop until dawn, and the city of Xi'an put on thick cotton clothes.The shops along the street opened their doors, and the shopkeeper led the staff to clean the road in front of the door.A man came out of Changmao Warehouse. He was wearing a wolf fur cloak and a fox fur earmuff, and greeted the shopkeeper. I went to drink tea, and walked through the busy crowd, and walked out of the mules and horses market.The shopkeeper said respectfully from behind, you go away, he didn't even look back, and hummed in his nose as a response. This man was an apprentice who studied business at Changmao Warehouse, named Qin Shankui.He didn't come here often, and stayed in the warehouse for a few days from time to time every year. The shopkeeper told others that this man's family was rich, and that he studied business purely for fun, and didn't expect to make money from it.The strange thing is that the apprentice of this business is better than the shopkeeper, and the shopkeeper saw him as if he had seen his father.

Qin Shankui walked out of the luoma market, turned onto the East Street, and came to the entrance of Beijie under the bell tower.There is a magnificent Fenglaiyi teahouse there, and rich people in Xi'an City like to go here for entertainment.Not only can you drink tea here, but you can also invite famous actors from Yisu Society to come and sing Qin opera to accompany tea, ask Qu Jiangchun's prostitute to play a coop to accompany tea, ask the waiter to serve mutton soup with Shengxiang when you are hungry, and go to Chunfa to serve gourd heads. Go to Lao Sun's house to get the meat sandwiches, and go to Lao Jia's house to get the noodles.

Qin Shankui entered Feng Laiyi, and the hot air inside rushed to his face.There is a big stove in the tea house, which is a different world from the ice and snow outside.The waiter enthusiastically helped Qin Shankui take off his cloak and hat, led him to sit down at the table, and poured a pot of strong Ziyang Maojian.Qin Shankui had just ordered the waiter to bring him a bowl of noodles and two meat buns for breakfast, when he suddenly heard several people sitting next to him holding a newspaper discussing something enthusiastically, he couldn't hear anything else, only caught a sentence , Zhou Ligong was arrested.The reason why Qin Shankui was able to catch this sentence was because Zhou Ligong's name was too close to another person's name, and he couldn't distinguish it clearly at the moment.

Brother, Qin Shankui walked up to those people and said hello, who was arrested just now?A man wearing glasses pointed to the newspaper and said, "It's published here, read it yourself."Qin Shankui said, my brother is illiterate, please read it to me.Then he greeted the buddy and said, the tea money of these old brothers will be credited to my account.The man wearing glasses gave Qin Shankui a sideways look and said, We are rich.Another person who split up said that money alone is not enough, you must also be able to read, and I will read it for you.He read to Qin Shankui the news from "Daqin Daily", which said that the arrogant literati Zhou Ligong had been arrested in accordance with the law for viciously slandering the government.After reading it separately, the glasses pulled all the newspapers from the other people's hands and stuffed them together and said, "This news has been published in all the newspapers in Xi'an today. Please, the rich man's secretary, read them all for the boss."Qin Shankui could hear that he was mocking the other, so he said with a smile, this old man, educated people should be kind, right?He also muttered something in his heart, but he didn't say it out loud: Damn it, see if I don't kill you!

Qin Shankui is not actually called Qin Shankui, his real name is Liu Shouwa, and his nickname is Dry Land Dragon.Changmao Warehouse was run by him, under the guise of selling goods from Qinling Mountains, he secretly resold opium and all kinds of goods robbed by bandits.The shopkeeper was invited by him, and he couldn't show his face in public. Every year, he used the excuse of being an apprentice to stay in Xi'an for a period of time, not only to plan business, but also to inquire about various news.There are signs of wealth and wind direction in the news, which is too important to him.He is alone and weak, he can't do everything hard, he can only take advantage of the loopholes, and the news is to provide him with loopholes.Fenglaiyi Tea House is the largest news market in Xi'an. There is a mixed stream of people from all walks of life, the party, the government, the military, the police, the cultural businessmen, etc., and all kinds of rumors are flying here.As soon as Handilong sat here, his ears were always pricked up, even when others told jokes.

Handilong caught Zhou Ligong's name because of Zhou Lide, he was too sensitive to this person.This person is stationed in Taibai County, and he is directly in charge of him. He is now begging for a living under the gun of others. I don't know if he will be killed when he is unhappy.Even if he can't be killed, if he keeps posting to him like he is now, his work will basically be for nothing. How can he stand it in the long run?He has to figure out a way to solve this problem.All methods are actually one method: a family of soldiers and bandits.If you want a family of soldiers and bandits, you must first gain a relationship with him, and only if you have a relationship can you bribe him.

How can we climb into the relationship?The dry land dragon has been thinking hard but has not come up with any solution.Although the news just now had nothing to do with Zhou Lide, it disappointed him a bit.But after the meat clips were finished, he suddenly remembered that Brother Xiucai of Zhoujiazhai had three sons. Could Zhou Lide's brothers be Zhou Lide's brothers?If so, then his chance has come.If he finds a way to get Zhou Lide's younger brother out of prison, won't he be flattering Zhou Lide? Thinking of this, Handilong slapped the table happily, and another Roujiamo jumped on the table and fell to the ground.The guy was taken aback, and hurried over to say hello.Handilong picked up the soil-stained Rougamo and opened it, spit inside, then closed it, and said to the waiter, serve this Rougamo to the tea drinker wearing glasses, and he called it Breakfast is here.

When the glasses looked around inexplicably, Han Dilong had already paid the tea money for two tables and walked out of Feng Laiyi.He has to quickly find out two things, one is whether this Zhou Ligong is Zhou Lide's brother, and the other is whether this person can be fished out. The most important of the two things is the first one. Only after confirming Zhou Ligong's identity can he decide whether to take him or not.Of course the one who knew his identity was the police station, they can't arrest people randomly, as long as they ask someone to go to the police station to check the prisoner's place of origin, the problem will be solved.If he is from the Zhou Family Village in Guanzhong Road, he must be Zhou Lide's brother.There are friends in the Handilong police, and it is not difficult to stuff the money.

The queryable results let him down.This person is not from Zhoujiazhai, and the person in charge told Han Dilong that it is best not to interfere with this prisoner, so as not to cause trouble for yourself. He was named by the higher authorities and must be dealt with strictly. .The other party thought that the dry land dragon was making money from people. At that time, some people colluded with the police to do this kind of business.The dry land dragon asked, what about spending a lot of money?The other party said, no matter how big the price is, the case is too big, if you have the ability, go to the provincial chairman!

Handilong just asked by the way, since this person is not Zhou Lide's brother, he doesn't need to go after him at all, how much money is his business? Even so, the dry land dragon is still a little unwilling.This is his only chance to get close to Zhou Lide at present, and he doesn't want to lose it no matter what.He thought that there might be another scenario, that is, the prisoner didn't tell the truth, and he deliberately concealed his true identity.This is the same as being a bandit. Bandits usually use false names to smear people's faces when they rob people, and they don't reveal their real identities when they are caught and beaten to death. The purpose is not to implicate the family.He decided to meet the prisoner in person, tell his interests, and ask him to reveal his true identity.If he is really Zhou Lide's brother, even if he can't save him, he can run back to Taibai County and report to Zhou Lide, Zhou Lide will be grateful to him.

Having made up his mind, Han Dilong asked for another sum of money, and the prison guard arranged a visit for him as a relative of the prisoner. The other party who visited that day was obviously very angry. He said that I don't know you at all, why did you pretend to be my relative?Dryland Dragon said it doesn't matter if you don't know me, you must know someone.The other party asked, who is it?Dry Dragon said, Zhou Lide.The other party laughed and said who is Zhou Lide?Dry Land Dragon said, it's your brother.The other party said, my family has been passed down for three generations, so there is no brother.Handilong is in a hurry, because the visiting time is limited, he can't make any more detours.Just say it directly, baby, you have to tell me the truth, I am here to help you, the crime you committed is too big, only your elder brother can save you!The other party said disgustedly, you don't want to act anymore, you think I can't see you through, I don't know Zhou Lide, a good man is a good man when he does things!Handilong knew that the other party had misunderstood him and regarded him as a disguised spy in the police station.This is no wonder, firstly, the other party has no relatives like him; secondly, his attitude is too eager to avoid suspicion.But he couldn't do otherwise, and things visibly froze.The other party is hostile to him, and there will be no result if he continues to ask.Although the other party denied that he was Zhou Lide's brother, Han Dilong clearly observed that his eyes lit up when he heard the name Zhou Lide.But it is too risky to conclude that he is Zhou Lide's brother based on this alone, what if he is not?Zhou Lide said that you are not cursing my brother?Then he really flattered the horse's hoof. Not only would he not get any benefits, but he might end up dying.In any case, the dry land dragon has no chance to distinguish the identity of the other party now.The prison guards had urged him to leave, and over time this privately arranged meeting would reveal itself and cause trouble for everyone.Before walking out of the meeting room, Han Dilong said to the prisoner, hero, I heard about your case, dare to challenge the government, I admire you for writing, you can be regarded as a man who pees standing up!No matter who you are, when you come out, go to the Changmao Warehouse in Luoma City, East Street, and look for Qin Shankui. I recognize you as a friend! Han Dilong took out a handful of silver coins and put them on the table, and said to the prison guard, this old man, half of the money belongs to you, and half belongs to my brother, you can do whatever he wants, and you can go to my store after you spend it Take it.After speaking, he bowed to the prisoner and the prison guard respectively, and walked out of the Beijiao Detention Center. The snow outside melted and turned into icicles.As the saying goes, snow does not cool down, and it is true.The cold wind seemed to have teeth, and bit Handilong hard, and he quickly wrapped his clothes tightly. Zhou Ligong went to court on the first day after his arrest.People usually asked him about his identity and birthplace, and he kept an eye out for it. They had already mastered the name and occupation, so it was meaningless to conceal it, but he reported his birthplace as a fake, so as not to hurt his family. His relatives came to visit him.He felt strange, his native place was all fake, how could someone notify his relatives in his hometown to come and see him?He was very angry when he saw this stranger. Obviously, the police station did not believe his confession and set up a scam to trap him.This was too despicable, but luckily he was smart enough to see through their tricks.This incident made Zhou Ligong vigilant.He felt that the Shaanxi authorities' treatment of intellectuals was far from that of the Beiyang government in the past. Let alone good wine and meat after entering prison, they resorted to such a dirty trick!What surprised him even more was the interrogation on the fourth day.As soon as the interrogator came up, he accuses him of being a spy of the Beiyang army. He deliberately made trouble in Shaanxi, the rear of the Eastern Expedition. By slandering the reputation of the Shaanxi government, it weakens its ability to control, thereby disintegrating the rear order of the National Army and interrupting its supply. , and ultimately undermine the overall situation of the Northern Expedition revolution.Zhou Ligong was stunned all of a sudden, he never thought that the other party would accuse him of such a crime! Nonsense!Zhou Ligong retorted, you are framing, what evidence do you have? The other party said that the evidence is provided by you.You honestly explained how you accepted Zhang Zuolin's dispatch, sneaked into Shaanxi, spied on information, and spread rumors? Zhou Ligong shouted, you are so despicable, this is completely fabricated out of thin air, do you think I will confess like this? The other party smiled contemptuously and said, I advise you to recruit, what kind of instruments of torture can you handle with your thin skin and tender flesh?Whip?iron?Tiger stool?Chili water?These are all minor, and when the time comes, you will know what it means to die.How many Jiangyang bandit leaders have been taken down, but you still can't take down a pen-playing one like you? Zhou Ligong said, don't scare me, I grew up eating, not scared! scare you?The interrogator said, if you don't believe me, let's try it now.He yelled, "Firing squad, fuck you!" As soon as he finished speaking, several burly men rushed in from the interrogation room. They held hemp ropes, leather whips, irons and other murder weapons, and surrounded Zhou Ligong eerily.When Zhou Ligong saw this situation, his knees softened, and he almost slipped from the stool to the ground. Give you some color and you have to open a dyeing workshop, the interrogator said sharply, mention it to me!Two big men twisted Zhou Ligong's left and right arms respectively, and the other grabbed his hair and lifted him up with a whimper. Do you want to try the Tiger Stool now?The other party asked him.Zhou Ligong's face was pale, he didn't dare to answer, the vigor just now was gone. I don't think you have the guts!The interrogator slapped the table and said, give him a pen and paper, and go back and write out the facts of the crime. Zhou Ligong hesitated to pick it up, but the interrogator stopped shouting, take it!Zhou Ligong shuddered, and involuntarily caught the paper and pen. If you don't tell the truth, I will beat you to pieces next time!The interrogator ordered, take him back. Back in the cell, Zhou Ligong finally realized the seriousness of the situation.Accusing him of being a spy is obviously intended to put him to death.Now that the National Army and the Beiyang Army are in full swing, there is no need to go through cumbersome legal procedures to execute spies during the war, and a military court can judge.Military courts are not open to the public, and even if you want to be a hero, there is no stage to perform.What is even more frightening is that being a spy for the enemy is an act that everyone hates, and even if you die, you will be infamous.Zhou Ligong admired the other party's imagination, but also felt his own helplessness.It wasn't until this time that he realized that he was too naive, that he thought politics too simply, and thought politicians were too kind.He cursed these people's despicability and shamelessness in his heart, and regretted his simple impulse. But it was too late, and he had to face the current situation.To recruit or not to recruit?Hiring is a capital offense.Although you are a flexor, no one will pursue it and no one will know that you are a flexor.If you don't recruit, you will definitely suffer flesh and blood, and after all the suffering of flesh and blood, you will have to recruit in the end.Zhou Ligong was glad that he escaped the instrument of torture today, but he knew that he would not be so lucky next time. Can he hold on under heavy punishment?Zhou Ligong judged himself that he couldn't. In fact, not only Zhou Ligong, but also the police officer who handled the case knew that he couldn't, so he put on airs to scare him first.Originally, they didn't intend to be so polite to Zhou Ligong, and sentenced him to death as soon as they were caught.But the higher-ups have scruples, fearing that he will be called a problem. If any newspaper exposes it again, Shaanxi will get a bad name for revenge, and the image will be even worse.It is best not to punish him and let him confess automatically. As long as he confesses, it will be justifiable to deal with him when the time comes.Those who handled the case thought it was not difficult.They have experience, and those who use pens can speak kung fu, as long as they stab their feet and scare him severely, he will immediately pee his crotch! Zhou Ligong began to feel that he was treated politely, and he was waiting for someone to treat him more politely. He did not expect such a vicious frame!He thought about it left and right, and felt that he was doomed.A great fear seized him, and he pondered nervously how to be rescued.The first is to delay the time as much as possible. The confession has to be written, but it can’t be written quickly. You can find various reasons to postpone it. Start writing, wait.The purpose of delaying time is to wait for someone to rescue him.Who can save him?He suddenly remembered the stranger who came to visit him yesterday, who mentioned his brother Zhou Lide.Although he couldn't determine who that person was, the information he provided was undoubtedly correct, and now only his brother could save him!But the question is how can he get in touch with his brother? Now Zhou Ligong can't care much, no matter who the stranger is, as long as he can pass his news to his brother.As for whether revealing his true identity will hurt his brother, he doesn't think about it now.Zhou Ligong stopped the prison guard when he was inspecting his cell, and told him to contact his relative quickly, and he wanted to see him.Unexpectedly, the prison guard replied, what are you talking about?Which relative?I have no idea.Zhou Ligong said in surprise, didn't you bring him here yesterday?And took his money!The prison guard said, you are not dreaming, are you talking nonsense?Yesterday I was on rotation and didn't go to work at all.Zhou Ligong wanted to reason, the prison guard said viciously, if you dare to talk nonsense, watch me kill you! Zhou Ligong experienced the darkness of the prison again.He didn't know that that kind of private meeting was forbidden, and the prison guards would never admit such a thing, and if it got out, they would lose their jobs. Zhou Ligong was in despair, he knew he could not escape. But Zhou Ligong did not expect that on the eighth day of his imprisonment, it was the prison guard who notified him again that a relative was visiting.Zhou Ligong was overjoyed, thinking that the prison guard must feel sorry for taking the money, and secretly contacted the stranger again.He rushed to the reception room excitedly, but there was a woman standing in front of him. He took a closer look: Yinwa! Even Zhou Ligong couldn't think of killing him. Yinwa also didn't expect that this prisoner was really her meritorious brother!Surprised and delighted, she thanked Mr. Kong for arranging this meeting for her, allowing her to fish out a golden needle from the vast ocean. That day, after Yinwa learned about Zhou Ligong from Mr. Kong, she was in a state of confusion all morning. When Mr. Kong came back for dinner at noon, she asked him where the prisoner was being held.Mr. Kong asked her what she was doing, and she said that she was going to meet this prisoner, and she wanted to confirm whether it was her criminal brother.Mr. Kong said that the prisoner is not allowed to meet before the sentence is pronounced. Yinwa said that I don't care about it, as long as you tell me where the prisoner is, I will go over the wall and punch a hole to see him.Mr. Kong laughed. He said that you thought the prison was like a livestock pen in your country, which is not strong?Yinwa said, then I will go to their door every day to pester me hard, what can they do to me as a woman!Mr. Kong said, are you not afraid that others will arrest you too?Yinwa said that was just right, wouldn't I be able to see my brother Ligong? Mr. Kong was moved by the dedication of Yinwa.He envied that Zhou Ligong had such a good sister who valued love and righteousness. At the same time, the maid's dedication to his family for a year also made him have a good impression of her. In addition, Mr. Kong had a deep feeling for Zhou Ligong. Deeply guilty, he wanted to do something for him.Zhou Ligong unhesitatingly exposed the truth about tobacco poisoning in Shaanxi, which made him a senior reporter with a fever. It is not that he and a large number of reporters who have been in Shaanxi for a long time have not seen the current situation of tobacco disasters, but are afraid of the power.Zhou Ligong is a passionate young man who has just returned to Shaanxi and has little experience in the world. He doesn't know how deep and muddy the water in Shaanxi is. A newborn calf is not afraid of tigers.In fact, he was repaying the debts of journalists in Shaanxi.But after he was arrested, none of the Shaanxi media spoke up for him, including the "Xin Qin Daily" he hosted.It's not that they don't want to say it, but they dare not say it.This kind of shame made Mr. Kong feel as if a needle was pricking his heart.Now Yinwa is going to see Zhou Ligong. I don't know if this Zhou Ligong is the Zhou Ligong she is looking for.If so, it would be a kind of comfort for him that their siblings could meet.If this is done, Mr. Kong himself will feel better. Let me help you find a way, Mr. Kong said to Yinwa, let you go to see that Zhou Ligong. Yingwa was overjoyed.She knew that Mr. Kong was a capable person, and he would always find a way if he stepped forward.Will it cost money?Yinwa asked, she took out all her savings, a total of five silver dollars. It costs nothing, Mr Kong said.In fact, what he was thinking in his heart was, what do you do with that little money?That's going to cost a fortune.As the editor-in-chief of a newspaper, Mr. Kong can't be said to have great powers, but he still has some important connections, but he knows that no matter what kind of connections he has to spend money.His ability lies in being able to do things with money, unlike others, who can't find the temple door with a pig's head on their backs. With the assistance of Mr. Kong, Yinwa entered the prison the next day.When she saw the prisoner in front of her, she was so shocked that she couldn't speak. He really was her brother-in-law! Yinwa burst into tears, thousands of words were condensed in these tears. Zhou Ligong felt that he was overjoyed, it was God who brought him back from desperation!He didn't care about resenting the woman in front of him for making him homeless, he didn't ask how Yinwa found him, and he didn't have the patience to listen to Yinwa's eager talk. He interrupted Yinwa and said, hurry up! Go to Taibai The county garrison found my brother Zhou Lide and told him to rescue me immediately! quick!What else Yinwa wanted to say, Zhou Ligong pushed Yinwa through the fence and said, stop talking, I don't have time, if I delay, I will die! Yinwa didn't expect that as soon as she saw her brother meritorious service, he would send her away, and she didn't even say a word.But seeing her anxious brother Li Gong, he realized that this matter was life-threatening and could not be delayed, so he reluctantly left.Yinwa reluctantly left the meeting room, and when she went out, she even looked back at her elder brother Ligong.Zhou Ligong yelled at her, run away, why are you still running slowly! It was only a few minutes before and after this meeting.Coming out of the detention center, Yinwa bought a pot helmet the size of a basket at the paomo shop, hung it around her neck with a hemp rope, bought two pairs of shoes at the grocery store, held it in her hands, and ran out of Xi'an city with her legs rounded. Run in a southwest direction.Xi'an is more than 500 miles away from Taibai, and Yinwa arrived in three days.Thanks to her pair of big feet, when she found Zhou Lide, the soles of the third pair of shoes were worn out, and a length of hemp rope was tied around her neck, making her so thin that she lost her human shape.Zhou Lide was taken aback, thinking that it was the hanged ghost who came to haunt him.