I go to the ancient imperial examinations

Chapter 238
The blood on the ground hadn't dried up yet, and it was clearly visible under the light of lanterns and torches. Not only Chu Zhifu, but also Wu Tongzhi and other officials rushed over after receiving the news, all of them looked dignified.

"My lord, I remember that during this period of time, there were no important criminals in the prison." Master Hong glanced at the corpse that was quickly moved aside, still wearing prison clothes. If he didn't want to take the opportunity to escape, he wouldn't have lost his life.

Wu Tongzhi looked at the prefect of Chu, who had a frosty face, and looked around. There were still many weapons scattered on the ground, but at a glance, he could tell that they were the sabers of the fast-moving jailers, and the two groups of enemies who besieged the prison were not just corpses. They all disappeared out of thin air, not even a crossbow arrow remained.

Catcher Zhao was also injured, and at this moment, ignoring the wounds on his body, he quickly reported the situation to the prefect of Chu, "My lord, I just went to the prison to check. Five of the prisoners in the prison died, and eight escaped. All of them are in prison, six of the guards died and two were seriously injured..."

During the scuffle, the most dead were the policemen and government servants. A total of 20 people died. The corners of Zhao's policeman's eyes were red, and he suppressed the grief in his heart. It is suspected that these people came for the prisoners in this cell."

Chu Zhifu's serious expression finally changed, "Lead the way ahead."

"Yes, my lord, be careful where you step." Zhao Butou took the lantern and walked in front.

If it wasn't for the death and injury of the jailer, Catcher Zhao really wanted to arrest him and ask him how much money they collected and who was locked in the cell, and he, Catcher, didn't even know!Otherwise, how could so many colleagues have died!

Because of Liu Hefeng's funeral, the Qinlou Chu Pavilion in Huai'an Mansion closed its doors to thank guests, and the playboys who called for friends and friends on weekdays also stopped, so the law and order in Huai'an Mansion has never been better.

The prisoners in the cell were all previously imprisoned, except for a few felons who wanted to be executed in autumn, the rest were ordinary prisoners. Catcher Zhao thought of the cell at the end on the left, and there were four treasures of study on the table. Prisoner Ma avoided it He locked the prisoner in by himself.

As soon as Chu Zhifu left, Wu Tongzhi and other officials immediately followed, and there were still many bloodstains along the way.

"This arrangement is quite elegant." Standing in front of the prison door, looking at the small cell with all internal organs, Chu Zhifu showed a sneer on his handsome and elegant face.

The prefect of Chu turned his head and looked at the cell opposite. The quilt was spread on the straw, which was neat and tidy, which meant that the cells at the end were not affected.

It seems that the jailer also knows how to avoid people's eyes and ears, and deliberately put the cell in the innermost room, and there are a few rooms left, even if someone visits the prison, he will notice the situation here.

"Open the cell door." Prefect Chu's voice was still clear, but everyone knew that this was a harbinger of the coming storm.

Such a big incident happened in Huai'an Mansion, and the prison guards and prisoners died three to forty people. They must be reported to the court. The prefect of Chu's evaluation this year will definitely fail, and maybe they will be held accountable by the court.

Zhao Butou didn't have a key either, so he pulled out the big knife he was carrying and cut off the lock with a bang, "My lord."

"You guys stay outside." After leaving the words, the prefect of Chu stepped into the cell, three walls were nailed with cloth, there was a gilt copper stove with chiseled flowers on the table, and seven or eight books were piled up on the left side of the table books.

Chu Zhifu picked up a stack of paper and looked at it. Although it was the handwriting of the post, Chu Zhifu saw at a glance that the handwriting was not strong enough.When I opened the following papers, "Feelings about Fu De Jail", this turned out to be a test post poem?
Frowning slightly, the prefect of Chu quickly flipped through the following poems, but they were all test post poems. There were drafts and revised poems, and the handwriting was in the style of imperial examinations. Books are also known to be nothing more than a subset of classics and history.

Wu Tongzhi and other officials glanced in through the cell door and said in a low voice, "Is this prisoner a literati?"

All of a sudden, the officials of Huai'an Mansion conspired collectively. Could it be that a certain official made a private visit?Or was a certain Confucianist framed by someone?It may also be the heir of the Zanying family.

"No matter who they are imprisoned, their background is definitely not small." Lord Hong sighed in a low voice. The corpses piled up outside were either prisoners or jailers. With such a large amount of money, they dared to besiege the government prison, and even dealt with it afterwards. The corpses and even the weapons were taken away. I'm afraid the background is too big and scary.

Wu Tongzhi echoed with emotion: "The fire at the city gate affected the fish in the pond, and finally affected our Huai'an Mansion."

In the cell, Prefect Chu put down the articles and poems in his hand, glanced at the newly furnished cell, hesitated for a moment, but still opened the wooden box in the corner.

Seeing the neatly stacked dresses in the box, the prefect of Chu felt that the dust had settled, "Zhao Butou locked the cell again and put a seal on it. No one is allowed to step in without the order of the officer." .”

Uh……

Wu Tongzhi and others who were planning to enter the cell were stunned for a moment, but when the prefect Chu spoke up, no one dared to object, but they were puzzled in their hearts. Could it be that Master Chu already knew the identity of the person detained in the cell.

Just as Chu Zhifu left the cell, a policeman hurried over, "My lord, my subordinates found a crossbow bolt from a prisoner."

Probably during the scuffle, the prisoner took the opportunity to pick it up for self-defense, and then heard someone shouting that there were archers outside, and the prisoners who were frightened and wanted to escape in the chaos hid back in their cells, and only then did they save their lives. Keep the crossbow.

The prefect of Chu picked up the palm-length crossbow, which was made of high-quality fine iron. It was extremely sharp. There was no mark on the crossbow, so it was impossible to track and judge the identity of the user.

"Captain Zhao, you lead someone to clear the prison first." The prefect of Chu handed the arrow to Wu Tongzhi who was on the side, and continued: "Master Wu, you discuss the follow-up matters with me."

As soon as Chu Zhifu and his party left the prison, they saw two policemen running over quickly with one of them.

"My lord, the staff of Xinglong Inn came to report that a group of gangsters in black were killing people in Xinglong Inn!" The police quickly told the prefect Chu what the staff said.

"Returning to my lord, it was too dark, and the little one was afraid of death and didn't dare to look too much, so I took a sneak peek with the shopkeeper. They first shot rockets into the upstairs guest room, and then many people appeared in the yard..." It is estimated that there are many people in the surrounding area. It's from the government. Although the guy was panting badly, he still explained the matter clearly.

Wu Tongzhi interjected, "My lord, could it be the same group?"

Chu Zhifu remembered Deng Zhiwu who came to visit before. He and the guards of the General’s Mansion lived in the Xinglong Inn, and he came to Huai’an Mansion this trip to find Zhan Feiyu, but both Chu Zhifu and Deng Zhiwu thought that Zhan Feiyu had left Huai’an Mansion , who would have thought that she would be in prison.

In the end, the prefect of Chu left Wu Tongzhi to guard the government office, and he went straight to the Xinglong Inn with more than 30 police officers.

……

The sky brightened up little by little, Wu Tongzhi yawned, and couldn't help laughing when he saw the two people coming from outside the door, "Why is Madam here?"

Mrs. Wu was dressed luxuriously, with gilt hair, she glanced sideways at Wu Tongzhi, and said crisply, "Master hasn't come back all night, I'm not worried that Master is hungry, so I went to the kitchen to cook ginseng soup for Master."

After the big maid took out the ginseng soup and morning soup in the food box one by one, Mrs. Wu waved someone to retreat outside, and then sat down in the circle opposite Wu Tongzhi, "Master, we heard that the prison is dead. Few people."

After tossing and tossing for half a night, the prefect of Chu took people to the Xinglong Inn and hadn't returned yet. Wu Tong knew that he would be hungry, so he put down the chopsticks and solemnly said: "I'm afraid this matter is not small, Madam, don't inquire about it. "

Unlike Mrs. Chu, who is sick and weak, who doesn’t see visitors all the time, Mrs. Wu’s back house in Huai’an Mansion can be regarded as the No. It is to inquire about news.

Mrs. Wu came over to deliver meals to Wu Tongzhi at dawn this day. In fact, she also wanted to find out about the situation, and then she would reveal a little inside information to these wives.

But seeing Wu Tongzhi's expression, Mrs. Wu understood, "I'll make a note, those posts will be rejected by then."

"Madam is virtuous." Wu Tongzhi praised him, and then he started to eat breakfast. After dawn, he was still busy, and a light flashed in his eyes. If Master Chu was involved, he might be able to replace him!
Suddenly remembered something, Madam Wu couldn't help asking: "Master, what about the little girl that the Jin family imprisoned earlier? Didn't she die?"

After receiving Jin Baozhen's money twice successively, Mrs. Wu was naturally willing to help, but she was just a little girl, and if she made a big fuss, it would be the jailer's negligence, and she couldn't be blamed.

But locking someone up for a few days is different from killing someone. The little girl is shopping on the second floor of Jinyuzhai. She has some background. .

"I didn't pay attention..." Wu Tongzhi subconsciously replied, he couldn't help but startled, and with a thud, the spoon in his hand fell into the porcelain bowl, and the warm ginseng soup splashed out.

Mrs. Wu looked puzzled at Wu Tongzhi who seemed to be struck by lightning, "Master, what's wrong with you?"

"Damn it!" Standing up after a while, Wu Tongzhi's face turned dark into the bottom of the pot. That cell... yes, even the walls were covered with cloth, so it must be a girl's house.

But there are still four treasures of the study on the table?A little girl with money is nothing to be afraid of, Shi Nong Gong Shang!Even if the imperial merchant Liu's family is as wealthy as the country, they have to respectfully address him as Mr. Wu when they see him.

But for a little girl who was still reading and writing in the big prison, Wu Tongzhi's face became even more ugly when she thought that the prefect of Chu asked Zhao Catcher to lock the prison door again and put a seal on it.

"You go back first! Remember, you can no longer associate with the Jin family!" After leaving the words, Wu Tongzhi strode in towards the door, saw the little official waiting at the side and asked, "Where are those jailers?"

The little official was stunned for a moment, "The injured are all in the north courtyard, and the doctor is over there."

The courtyard of the North Hospital is filled with a strong smell of medicine. Doctors from several medical clinics in Huai'an Prefecture have been called over. They will bandage wounds and boil medicine, especially for those who are seriously injured. Needle.

Wu Tongzhi stopped the yamen servant from saluting, and asked straight to the point: "Are the jailors still awake?
"Return to your lord, Liao Xiaodong hurt his leg, and he will lie in the room." The yamen servant just delivered medicine to Liao Xiaodong. Compared with the jailer who was killed, Liao Xiaodong was lucky, he was stabbed twice in the leg, and he was not injured. To the bone, just a flesh wound.

In the room, Liao Xiaodong leaned on the bed in a daze. When he closed his eyes, there was the sound of fighting in his mind. It seemed that even the room was filled with a strong smell of blood, and the horse's head died just like that.

Liao Xiaodong turned pale when he thought of the head of the prison whose throat was sealed with a sword, and trembled with fear and anxiety.

But at this moment, the door creaked and was pushed open, Liao Xiaodong trembled in fright, and asked sternly, "Who?"

Wu Tongzhi closed the door with his backhand, and glanced at the trembling Liao Xiaodong, "I ask you, who is locked in the cell at the end on the left?"

"Master Wu?" Liao Xiaodong stared blankly at Wu Tongzhi who looked fierce, and after a long while, he suddenly came back to his senses, "My lord, the prisoner is not Madam..."

Liao Xiaodong swallowed what he hadn't finished saying under Wu Tongzhi's stern gaze.

As the confidant of the head of the prison, Liao Xiaodong naturally knew why Zhan Feiyu was imprisoned. If Mrs. Wu hadn't sent someone over, how dare they bypass the arrester and lock a little girl in the cell privately? But know the law and break the law.

Ma Laotou later wanted to report to the higher authorities, but was stopped by Zhan Feiyu, so Ma Laotou could only accept the money given by Mrs. Wu on the one hand, and serve Zhan Feiyu carefully on the other hand. Both sides were ancestors. No one dared to offend the jailer.

Wu Tongzhi looked at Liao Xiaodong condescendingly, and said word by word: "I heard that Ma Laotou was killed. It's your luck that you escaped. You are so young, but you are so young."

At first it sounded comforting, but Liao Xiaodong felt his back go cold. Master Wu was threatening him, if he said something he shouldn't have said, he would die like a horse head.

"Thank you sir for your reminder, I understand." Liao Xiaodong lowered his head, not daring to show any dissatisfaction.

Only then did Wu Tongzhi restrain his stern expression, and his voice calmed down, "Tell me about the little girl's situation. Whose girl is she? Why did you come to Huai'an Mansion?"

After Zhan Feiyu was imprisoned, Liao Xiaodong was put in charge of the jail by himself, so Liao Xiaodong really knew the situation best.

"Returning to the adults, the younger one also asked the head of the prison before, but he said that you shouldn't ask, don't ask, let the younger one be careful to serve you, what the little girl wants, after giving the money, the younger one will go buy it, and then secretly sent to prison..."

Wu Tongzhi asked a few more questions, but the prison boss was too cautious, so what Liao Xiaodong knew were insignificant things, no matter how much he asked, he didn't know anything.

After leaving the house, Wu Tongzhi went to see other injured police officers and jailers, and found two sober jailers who slapped him sideways. They knew even less. They only knew that the little girl who was locked up had offended someone. Later, the head of the prison was in charge, and they, the jailers, didn't know much about it.

(End of this chapter)