Aoyama

Chapter 332 Whose

dong dong dong.

Lin Chaoqing knocked on the iron door of the imperial prison. The Yulin soldiers had their hands tied behind their backs with ropes and were escorted by Jie Fanwei to stand outside the iron gate.

There was a small window on the iron door. The jailer looked out and ignored the python robe on Lin Chaoqing: "Waist badge."

Lin Chaoqing took out the badge from his arms and held it in front of the small window. The jailer then pushed open the iron door and knocked on the second iron door with varying lengths of knocks.

Accompanied by a rumble.

Lin Chaoqing walked down the dark stone steps and said nonchalantly, "This imperial prison is a rare opportunity for others to come once in their lifetime, and once they come, it's a lifetime. Doctor Chen has only been back in Beijing for a few days, and he's already come here for the second time."

Doctor Chen, this long-lost name even made Chen Ji a little dazed for a moment.

Jie Fanwei behind him pushed him and said, "Follow me!"

A cold wind blew up from the corridor. Chen Ji followed behind Lin Chaoqing and said, "Lord Lin, I didn't want to come to this prison either. I just happened to meet this traitor and took him down. We have done our duty. The Wang family is the main culprit and they should be punished."

Lin Chaoqing didn't believe his nonsense, and ordered the jailer expressionlessly: "Detain them separately to prevent collusion. This is a case of treason. If they are given the opportunity to collude, you will be guilty of the same crime as treason. In addition, according to the oral order of Lord Wu Xiu, except for me, Jie Fanwei, no one is allowed to come to this prison today, and no one is allowed to plead for mercy."

The jailer hurriedly said humbly, "As you command."

Lin Chaoqing turned around and looked at the Yulin Army, and said jokingly: "These are all the sons of the prominent officials in the capital. They left the imperial prison easily last time, but I'm afraid it won't be so easy this time."

After that, he raised his hand and pointed at Chen Ji and Wang Huan: "Take these two people to the Pipa Hall. I want to interrogate them personally."

When the Yulin Army saw Chen Ji was being taken away for interrogation, Duo Bao said angrily, "We have already said that treason has nothing to do with us. Why are you interrogating our people? The crossbows are not ours!"

Duobao twisted his body and tried to break free from Jie Fanwei's control, but to no avail.

Lin Chaoqing said with great interest: "Then tell me who the crossbow arrow belongs to? If you can confess who the crossbow arrow belongs to and provide solid evidence, I can refrain from trying you for now."

The Yulin soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment; they didn't know who the crossbow arrow belonged to.

Lin Chaoqing waved his hand: "Take it away."

Jie Fanwei pushed the struggling Yulin soldiers into the cell, and pushed Chen Ji and Wang Huan into the depths of the imperial prison.

I walked to the end and entered an empty room. I was greeted by a smell of blood. Even the cracks in the bricks under my feet were filled with blood stains that had dried for years.

As soon as I entered the door, I saw a wooden frame opposite, which was used to tie up prisoners.

There was a stove next to the shelf, and on the stove were several red-hot irons.

The walls of the Pipa Hall are covered with knives and torture instruments.

Lin Chaoqing pointed at the red-hot iron and said, "This is the famous red embroidered shoes in my prison. I'll let you two try them later."

A Jiefanwei asked in a low voice: "Sir, which one should be tried first?"

Lin Chaoqing looked between Chen Ji and Wang Huan. When he lowered his head, he found that the ground under Wang Huan's feet was already wet. "Let's interrogate this fat guy first and give him a pair of red embroidered shoes."

Wang Huan collapsed to the ground in an instant: "I will tell you everything. Please don't interrogate me, gentlemen. I am just a nobody. I will tell you whatever you ask."

But Lin Chaoqing turned a deaf ear to it.

He came to an eight-person table and sat down, pointing at the chair opposite and signaling Chen Ji: "Sit down."

Chen Ji was untied and sat down while rubbing his wrist. "Lord Lin, the conspiracy has nothing to do with us. To be honest, we, the Yulin Army, have the merit of suppressing the rebellion."

Lin Chaoqing didn't waste any words. He picked up the white porcelain pot on the table and poured a cup of tea for Chen Ji.

He slowly pushed the teacup in front of Chen Ji: "Drink tea."

Chen Ji picked up the teacup and turned around to look, only to see Wang Huan stripped of his clothes and hung on a wooden rack.

Jie Fanwei didn't ask anything when he felt two iron marks on the soles of his feet. It turned out that this was what it meant to wear a pair of red embroidered shoes.

Wang Huan was shouting: "I confess! I confess everything..."

Before he could finish his words, he fainted.

Jie Fanwei took off the long sword from his waist and hung it on the wall. He turned around, picked up a bucket of cold water and poured it on Wang Huan's white body.

Wang Huan woke up again and cried, "I've already said I want to confess!"

Lin Chaoqing ignored him and just smiled and asked, "Doctor Chen, do you know why this place is called Pipa Hall?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "I don't know."

Lin Chaoqing pointed at Wang Huan and said, "They tie the prisoner to a rack with his ribs exposed, and then use an iron hook to repeatedly scrape and play with the ribs. The action resembles playing a pipa, so it got its name. The victim's bones and flesh fester, and he can neither live nor die."

Chen Ji said calmly, "I think Wang Huan has been registered in the Imperial Household Department for a long time, so we know his background without interrogating him. Lord Lin tried his best to scare me with him, could it be that he really thinks that I am involved in treason and wants to pry my mouth open?"

Lin Chaoqing poured himself a cup of tea and said, "I have dealt with you before and know that you are a difficult person who refuses to surrender, so it is reasonable for me to spend more time on you. No one who enters my prison will leave in one piece, so Doctor Chen should give up as soon as possible and say whatever you want."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "What about the crossbow?"

"Other things." Lin Chaoqing tapped the table with his fingers: "The crossbowman may be a member of the Chen family, or a member of the Wang family, or the crown prince, or Prince Fu, but they are dead and there is no evidence, so we can only push the Wang family out of the matter. So, why don't we talk about other things."

Chen Ji said calmly, "Since it's not about the crossbow, what does Lord Lin want me to say?"

Lin Chaoqing smiled and said, "You worked for Jiaotu and Yunyang before, and it was Jinzhu who rescued you last time. I think you also know many secrets of the twelve zodiac animals. Lord Wu Xiu has ordered that your Yulin Army has caused a huge disaster this time. If you are willing to drag a zodiac animal into the water, he can come forward to protect you from death."

Chen Ji suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Jie Fanwei rushed to deal with the matter instead of the Wucheng Bingmasi.

He wondered, "Just to keep me from dying?"

At this time, a guard named Jiefan came hurriedly and handed over a piece of rice paper.

Lin Chaoqing glanced at it and pushed it in front of Chen Ji: "This is copied from the imperial court. An official reported that the Yulin Army was fighting privately with weapons at night and mobilized the government troops without authorization. According to our Daning Law... take the Daning Law."

Jie Fanwei brought the Daning Law from next door and found the 14th volume "Military Law". The first article was that if one mobilized government troops without authorization, he would be punished with 100 strokes of the cane and forced to travel 3,000 miles.

Before he could say anything, another Jiefanwei brought a stack of rice paper. Lin Chaoqing unfolded one of the sheets and muttered, "The military officer who participated in the imperial guards' desertion without permission and concealed military equipment was sentenced to 100 strokes of the cane and 3,000 li of forced labor."

"The Minister of Rites reported to the Imperial Guards for plotting a rebellion. You don't even need to look up the Daning Code to know that this is a capital crime..."

Before Lin Chaoqing finished reading the document in his hand, Jie Fanwei brought in a stack of rice paper, which contained memorials copied from the imperial court.

He patted his hands with a thick stack of rice paper and said, "Doctor Chen, so many people have come to question you overnight. If it weren't for the midnight, I'm afraid there would be dozens of officials waiting outside the Meridian Gate ready to kill you. It's good enough that Lord Wu Xiu can keep you alive. You can't avoid being caned or exiled. As long as you confess any zodiac sign, you can live."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Those two crossbow arrows, weren't they shot by your Jiefan Guards?"

Lin Chaoqing laughed: "I, Jie Fanwei, am not that brave. Doctor Chen, this is how it is in the capital. On weekdays, everyone works hard to avoid making mistakes. Once something happens in someone's family, everyone will move and think about what they can get from it."

Chen Ji shook his head: "Master Lin, I have no intention of getting involved in the internal fighting of the Imperial Household Department."

Lin Chaoqing stood up and signaled Jie Fanwei to put Wang Huan down to make room for Chen Ji: "Since talking nicely is useless, then we can only use torture."

Jie Fanwei threw the limp Wang Huan aside and carried Chen Ji to the wooden stand. Lin Chaoqing said calmly, "Young Doctor Chen may have just returned to the capital, so he doesn't know the severity of the situation. He made such a huge mistake but still had the mood to eat wontons. I'm afraid that this is the last time you will eat wontons in your life..."

At this point, Lin Chaoqing felt something was wrong.

He lowered his head and thought for a moment: "Strange, you are not a person who does not know the seriousness of the matter, then why are you sitting on the side of the road eating wontons?"

Chen Ji did not answer.

Lin Chaoqing turned to look at Jie Fanwei and asked, "How many Yulin soldiers should be brought back?"

Jie Fanwei reported back: "Forty-nine people were captured, and more than ten Yulin soldiers under Chen Wenren's command were also there."

Lin Chaoqing stretched out his hand: "Where is the list?"

Jie Fanwei pulled out a piece of paper: "Write it all down here."

Lin Chaoqing looked at it for a moment and frowned: "What are Li Xuan and Qi considering?"

He suddenly turned to look at Chen Ji: "You led so many people to parade through the streets just to distract me, the Jiefan Guard, and buy time for Li Xuan and Qi Chenzhuo? But you are wrong. The Qi family will not intervene in this matter. Up to now, no one in the Qi family has come forward to inquire about this matter."

Chen Ji still didn't answer.

Lin Chaoqing said calmly: "Use torture."

Jie Fanwei tied Chen Ji's hands to the rack, stripped off his shirt and took off his boots.

Lin Chaoqing turned around and walked to the stove, put the soldering iron that he had just used on Wang Huan back into the stove, and waited for it to heat up.

……

……

Baishun Hutong, Baiyuyuan.

Lord Qi was sitting in the pavilion, with five men from the Sanshan Society standing behind him, staring at him covetously.

Pao Ge and Er Dao, who were sitting opposite the table, were wolfing down their food as if no one was around. The roast chicken on the table had been eaten down to the skeleton, and the fish was only left with bones and fish bones.

After waiting for a long time, the man from the Sanshan Society stood behind Mr. Qi and angrily asked, "Have you finished eating?"

Pao Ge took a thin spring pancake and rolled a few slices of roast duck into his mouth, chewing while glancing at the leftovers on the table. He didn't pay any attention to Qi Gong and the men from the Sanshan Society sitting opposite him.

Qi Gong stroked his beard and asked impatiently, "Are you two the reincarnations of starving ghosts?"

Pao Ge wiped his mouth casually and said, "We two have been waiting for Lord Qi here for a whole night. The Sanshan Society is a big family with a great business. It's okay for us to have a meal, right?"

Qi Gong frowned and said, "What on earth are you two doing here? You are the one who wants to set up the stick. Why don't you go to Li Shamao Hutong and run to Sanshan?"

When Pao Ge stretched out his hand, Erdao immediately put down his chopsticks, took out a copper pipe from the bag on his shoulder, stuffed the pipe with tobacco carefully, lit it, and handed it to Pao Ge.

Brother Pao took a deep puff and then exhaled the gray smoke with satisfaction.

Qi Gong fanned the cigarette in front of him and said, "Now that all your people have been taken away by Jie Fanwei, are you still in the mood to eat?"

"That's the boss's business, it has nothing to do with us two," Pao Ge raised his head and looked across: "Mr. Qi, we have already driven He Ji away, so are we responsible for collecting all the peace money from the Eight Great Hutongs from now on?"

Qi Gong sneered, "What are you dreaming of? According to the agreement, you took Li Shamao Hutong, and the rest does not belong to you. And even if Sanshan Society agrees to give it to you, can you take it away? He Ji's stick was only injured, not killed. The boss behind them is still there."

Brother Pao raised his eyebrows.

Mr. Qi looked at the leftovers on the table and said, "At this moment, there are countless people who want to kill the group behind you. If you kill them, bring down the Wang family, and force Fu Ruixiang to leave, then the business that Heji and Fu Ruixiang have controlled for many years will all be lost, which can bring in tens of thousands of taels of silver every year."

Qi Gong continued, "But the most important thing is not the business, but the conspiracy behind these people. It will not be settled unless a few people die. Boy, I advise you to flee now before they find out about you."

Brother Pao took another long drag on his cigarette and said with a smile, "The Sanshan Society has great magical powers. Can't they help my boss?"

Qi Gong drooped his eyelids: "My Sanshan Society is no different from Heji and Fu Ruixiang. In this world, it is good enough to be able to protect yourself. I don't have the foundation to protect others. Don't think about saving your boss, because no one will save you."

At this point, Mr. Qi waved his hand behind him, and a man from the Sanshan Society handed him a string of Buddhist coins.

Qi Gong threw it to Pao Ge and said, "There are five hundred taels of silver in it. Let's go and take the Cao Gang's boat. It's not too late to leave now. This is the friendship of our Sanshan Society. We have done our utmost."

Brother Pao shook his head: "I can't leave."

Lord Qi sighed and said, "When your boss sells you out in the imperial prison, it will be too late for you to leave."

Brother Pao casually put the Buddhist Tongbao on his wrist and said, "He won't sell it to me."

Qi Gong raised his eyes to look at him: "As far as I know, you two have just met not long ago, right?"

Brother Pao grinned: "Or maybe the Sanshan Society has great magical powers, and you even know this? But you guessed wrong this time, we have known each other for a long time."

Qi Gong was startled: "What on earth are you doing here tonight?"

Pao Ge knocked his pipe against the sole of his foot and said: "The boss asked me to stay in Sanshan Club to tell Qi Gong that if he can escape unscathed today and Hutchison is uprooted, then the Eight Great Hutongs and Liulichang in Hutchison's hands will all belong to him in the future."

Qi Gong was puzzled: "Where does your confidence come from?"

Brother Pao thought for a moment and said, "My boss told me something before he asked me to come here. He said someone taught him that in this capital, rules and business are not important. What matters most is who you are as a person."

Lord Qi narrowed his eyes and said, "You guys couldn't have shot that crossbow arrow. If you did, you'll destroy the Wang family."

Brother Pao laughed: "Mr. Qi, please don't wrongly accuse me. Who dares to bear the crime of beheading? Those two crossbow arrows have nothing to do with us."

Qi Gong thought for a moment and said, "Then I will wait here with you to see if he can escape unscathed."

……

……

In the Pipa Hall, the blue-black iron had gradually turned red.

Lin Chaoqing rolled up his right sleeve, picked up the branding iron himself, and slowly came to Chen Ji: "Little Doctor Chen, have you made up your mind? Even if the Golden Pig helped you, you can always hand over the Cloud Sheep and the Bright Rabbit."

Chen Ji said calmly: "It is not difficult to hand over Jiaotu and Yunyang, but the difficult part is how to face the revenge of the inner minister."

Lin Chaoqing hummed, "Then we have no choice but to resort to extraordinary measures. I know you are not someone who will sit back and wait for death, but I think you bet on the wrong horse this time. The person you counted on can't save you."

After saying that, he raised his hand to press down the branding iron.

At this moment, an urgent voice came from outside the Pipa Hall: "Pass on His Majesty's oral order!"

Lin Chaoqing was startled and turned around to look outside the Pipa Hall.

In the dark corridor, a young eunuch hurried over and repeated loudly, "Propagate the emperor's order and summon Chen Ji, the flag officer of the Yulin Army, to the emperor!"

(End of this chapter)