In the morning of the fifth day of the first lunar month (January 23 of the Gregorian calendar) in the first year of the Republic of China (1912), the weather was cold, with fine snowflakes floating in the air. There were few pedestrians on Xiheyan Street outside Qianmen, Beijing, and many vendors were afraid of the cold. , there were no stalls, the streets looked very wide, and there were many confetti on the ground after the explosion of firecrackers. A young man wearing a black top hat and a gray short coat was walking down the street.
The young man is in his twenties, with a tall build, a thin face, a yellowish face, a pair of big bright eyes, and a red mole on his left forehead. He stopped at the door of the "Gaosheng" Inn. The Gaosheng Inn was a small, third-class inn, very dilapidated, and the plaque on the door had turned black due to filth.
"Sir, do you want to stay in the hotel? Please come inside!" The waiter wearing a ragged felt hat at the door nodded and bowed to the young man.
"I'm not staying in the hotel, I'm here to find someone. Is there a guest named Feng Jishan staying here?"
Hearing that they were not staying in the hotel, the waiter lost his smile and said with a cold face: "There are many guests staying in the hotel, who remembers their names?"
The young man walked into the store and said to the shopkeeper: "Sir! I want to see the guest list of your hotel and check for a person named Feng Jishan."
The shopkeeper is a round-faced middle-aged man in his forties. He said solemnly: "The guest list of our store cannot be shown to anyone casually. Who are you?"
The young man quickly took out his police card from his pocket and handed it to the shopkeeper. He smiled and said, "I am a detective from the Xicheng District Police Station. Can I check it?"
When the round-faced shopkeeper saw that the red official seal on the police card was genuine, and the words "Detective Di Xiong", he quickly put on a smile, with a bit of fear in his eyes. He returned the police card to Di Xiong and said: "It turns out to be Officer Di. Why didn't you tell me earlier? Of course you can check. I'll get you the roster."
It is normal for shopkeepers to be afraid of detectives. Since Yuan Shikai used the revolution in the south to force the Qing emperor to abdicate, detective policemen from various police stations, gendarmerie and military law enforcement departments in Beijing have not only continued to hunt down revolutionaries, but also extorted money in the name of hunting down royalists. In the former Qing Dynasty, a detective named Yuan Baimao extorted one hundred thousand taels of silver from Prince Su's palace by sending framed letters. After hearing about it, other detectives also went to extort Prince Su and other princes and ministers. Prince Su Shanqi Unable to endure it, he ran to the door of Yuan Shikai's house and knelt down to beg for death so as not to suffer the punishment of death. If the prince is like this, let alone the people who suffer.
Di Xiong took the roster from the shopkeeper and was about to check it when he heard the waiter at the door say: "Police officer, you don't need to read it. There is a customer named Feng Jishan in the store, but he went out early in the morning. He already owes two The house has been rented, and we still need to find him.”
Diagonally across from Gaosheng Inn is a "He Ji" pawnshop. A tall man about thirty years old walked into the pawnshop. This big man has a square face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, a straight nose and a square mouth. He wears an old thin coat of coarse cloth and a sheepskin waistcoat.
The tall man handed a bundle in his hand over the counter and said, "As clothes!"
The yellow counter is very high, and a lot of the paint has peeled off over time, revealing ugly marks. The court official, who was about fifty years old and wearing a melon cap, had a goatee. He put down his hookah, took the bundle and opened it. Inside were three pieces of 80% new underwear, washed clean and neatly folded.
Goatee said to the waiter: "Write, three pieces of shabby underwear for six coppers!"
Six coppers are six copper plates, and one copper plate is worth ten copper coins. However, in troubled times, prices are rising rapidly, and one copper coin can no longer buy anything.
The tall man was surprised and said: "Sir! I bought it for sixty coppers, and I haven't worn it a few times!"
Goatee sneered: "According to the regulations of 'He Ji', it's worth six coppers. If you don't deserve it, take it back!"
There was a look of pain on the tall man's face, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll take it!"
The clerk handed six dark yellow copper plates and pawn tickets to the tall man. After taking them, the tall man went out and went straight to Li Ji Snack Shop next door. The steaming snack shop sold a variety of breakfasts, including steamed buns, siomai, scallion pancakes and noodles. However, The cheapest ones are thick-faced steamed buns, and two steamed buns sell for one copper plate. The tall man had not eaten for two meals. He bought six buns and wolfed them down. He asked for a free bowl of boiled water and drank it before he felt full.
The tall man returned to the "Gaosheng" Inn and was stopped by the waiter at the door. The waiter said: "Mr. Feng Jishan! You have to pay the rent. It's twenty coppers in total. The rent in our store is paid every two days."
Feng Jishan blushed, hesitated for a moment and said, "I'm sorry! I don't have any money now. I'll go to the pawn shop and pawn my sheepskin waistcoat. I'll come back and give you the money right away."
"Wait a moment!"
Di Xiong, who was sitting on a chair by the door, stood up and stopped him. He said, "Mr. Feng Jishan! It's so cold and it's still snowing outside. You've pawned your waistcoat. Aren't you afraid of catching the cold? I'll pay for the rent for you." Come on!"
Di Xiong took out a white silver dollar from his arms and threw it on the counter. The silver dollar hit the counter and made a crisp sound.
The shopkeeper quickly said with a smile: "It turns out that Mr. Feng is a friend of Officer Di. Why didn't you tell me earlier? With Officer Di's reputation, it doesn't matter whether you pay the rent or not." Even though he said this, he reached out and took the silver dollar. Into the cabinet.
Feng Jishan looked at Di Xiong warily and said, "Are you a policeman? I don't know you, why do you want to help me pay for the house?"
Di Xiong said seriously: "Although you don't know me, I know you. My name is Di Xiong, and I am Wang Jinming's brother-in-law. You should know Wang Jinming, right?"
Feng Jishan was surprised and said: "Wang Jinming? Could it be Luanzhou..."
Di Xiong stopped him with gestures and whispered: "This is not the place to talk. Let's go to the teahouse opposite to talk in detail."
The shopkeeper handed the nine silver coins to Di Xiong and said, "Officer Di! Here are the nine coins for you."
At this time, Yuan Datou had not yet cast it, and now an ordinary Guangxu Tongbao silver dollar is worth two hundred copper plates.
Di Xiong waved his hand and said, "Just keep it on the cabinet. It can be regarded as Mr. Feng's advance payment for the house."
Opposite was a two-story teahouse. Di Xiong asked for a private room on the second floor and sat down with Feng Jishan. The waiter brought a pot of good Longjing tea and four snacks and left the private room. In the lobby of the teahouse, there were only four or five guests sitting and drinking tea. A gray-haired storyteller was shaking his head and talking about the opening remarks: "In troubled times, human life is as cheap as a dog. Robbers and thieves roam the streets. There are many changes in the dynasties. Only foreigners refuse to leave." "
Di Xiong said: "You guessed it right. The Wang Jinming I'm talking about is the martyr who was killed in the failed Luanzhou Uprising. Now that the Manchu Qing Dynasty has been overthrown and the Republic of China has been established, except for you, Mr. Feng, I'm afraid not many people remember it. Him."
Feng Jishan stared at Di Xiong and said, "Are you really Wang Jinming's brother-in-law? It seems that Wang Jinming was not married yet when he was killed."
Di Xiong opened his eyes wide and said, "You don't believe me? What do you think this is?" He took out a black wooden sign from his arms, with a few small words written in white paint on it: "The spiritual place of brother-in-law Wang Jinming."
Di Xiong said sadly and angrily: "My sister and Wang Jinming had a marriage contract for a long time, but my brother-in-law insisted on driving out the Tartars before they could get married. As a result, the marriage was delayed again and again, leaving a lifelong regret. My sister was also delayed. She was originally born. He was seriously ill, suffered such a blow, and died of the disease."
Feng Jishan looked at Wang Jinming's memorial tablet with red eyes and tears in his eyes. He knelt down to the memorial tablet and kowtowed three times. He said with a sad expression: "I can't help Brother Wang! I heard that Brother Wang and Shi Cong were in Haiyang Town at that time. Yun and the others were arrested, but failed to rescue him, and ended up being killed by Wang Huaiqing."
Seeing his expression, Di Xiong obviously believed his identity, so he comforted him: "I can't blame you. At that time, my brother-in-law and Brother Shi launched an uprising without informing you, and even announced you as a staff officer." Commander, as a result, you were arrested by President Fan Guozhang. After all, they lacked experience and actually believed Wang Huaiqing's peace talk scam. As a result, they fell into his trick and paid the price with their lives. You were in jail at the time, so of course you couldn't save them."
Di Xiong took a sip of tea and added: "I went to see my brother-in-law before he died. He asked me to join you. He said that if Feng Jishan didn't die, he would definitely have a great career. If I follow you, I will have a bright future." .”
Feng Jishan smiled bitterly and said: "Since I was expelled from the military, I have been so poor that I can't even support my wife and children. I have no choice but to go to Beijing to find a job to make a living, but I have no place to live and I can't even pay for the house. Brother Wang actually let you He has really misjudged the wrong person by seeking refuge with an incompetent person like me."
Di Xiong said: "Heroes always fall into trouble. Your current difficulty is temporary. Liu Bang failed more than fifty times in his life. Didn't he still become emperor in the end? Zhu Yuanzhang was a beggar before. He was worse than you are now. Listen. You said that your brother-in-law, General Lu Jianzhang, is the staff officer and director of the Military and Law Enforcement Department of the City Defense Camp, but you didn’t go to him to find a solution?"
Feng Jishan said: "I looked for him as soon as I came here the day before yesterday. He asked me to wait at Gaosheng Inn and said he would notify me if there was an opportunity. But there is no news so far."
Di Xiong said: "General Lu is currently busy with his position transfer and cannot take care of you for the time being. Among the top ten veterans of the Beiyang Army, Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang have all become commander-in-chief or commander-in-chief, and their military ranks are all generals. Lu The general is just a major general staff officer. When you were the sentry commander (platoon leader), he was the auxiliary commander (brigade commander). He has not been promoted yet, so of course he has to move around. From the current point of view, the Beiyang Army's current ten Tens of thousands of troops are obviously not enough to unify the south and defend the northern border. It is inevitable to organize and train the new army. Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang are self-respecting soldiers, which is taboo for Lao Yuan. The new army commander will consider Lei Zhenchun, Hong Zicheng and General Lu, if General Lu can become the commander of the new army, your chance will come. After all, you were the battalion commander in Luanzhou, and your battalion was rated as the top twenty town. The best battalion, General Lu knows your training ability. So don't be anxious and wait patiently for the good news!"
