Zhou Yanru did not expect that this team of Jinyi guards would come back. The interval was so short that he had just said a few words to Hou Fangyu and Mao Xiang when they came back again.
Moreover, he did not call the door this time, but climbed over the wall and entered directly. The servants were caught off guard and had no time to report to the master. The Jin Yiwei appeared in front of Zhou Yanru.
"Hou Fangyu! Stay safe!"
"..."
The leader of the team was tricked once by the person in front of him, but now he has been caught, so don't try to get away with it. As for whether this person is real or not, we have to bring him in for trial.
The moment Zhou Yanru saw Jin Yiwei appear in front of him, he secretly screamed that something was wrong. If he hadn't discovered something fishy, the other party would never have returned so suddenly and quickly.
"One person is responsible for what he does! It has nothing to do with others!"
Now that the matter has come to this, Hou Fangyu no longer wants to implicate others. Besides, if Zhou Yanru can do some activities outside, he and his father may be saved.
"Haha! Idiots are just dreaming! It is a crime of great disrespect to protect imperial prisoners. Take them all away!"
Whether they are genuine or fake, they must be caught in one fell swoop. There may be some unexpected surprises. As for the one hundred taels of gold collected previously, they will definitely not be returned.
All those arrested by the factory security this time who have serious criminal cases will be imprisoned in prison and will only be brought before the Metropolitan Procuratorate for interrogation.
Scholars who were just making noise and causing little harm themselves were imprisoned in the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple. If their families were willing to take money and they were willing to write a confession, they could be released.
Hou Fangyu has never been to the imperial prison. The light inside is dim, the air is turbid, and there are waves of stench coming from the cell. This is because the excrement buckets placed there are not cleaned in time.
Because he was shackled, he walked very slowly. With his peripheral vision, Hou Fangyu saw his father Hou Xun sitting in a cell and shouted hurriedly.
"father!"
"Yu'er!"
"father!"
Hou Xun never expected that his son would be captured by the factory guards so quickly. Chongzhen actually didn't even intend to let Hou Fangyu go. He was really stupid, narrow-minded, and extremely revengeful.
"Go! Go! Stop making any noise!"
Hou Fangyu grasped the bars of the cell with both hands and wanted to talk to his father, but was quickly urged by the vassal behind him. The corridor here was not a place for small talk.
"Don't worry, it's not far. It's right next door to your father. Let's chat after we go in! If you have the strength, you can drill the hole. After it's opened, it doesn't matter if you and your son hug each other!"
The feudal lord didn't want to spend more time in this smelly place. The place near the gate was where everyone was on duty. The ventilation there was better, but it was much better than here.
"Hahahaha...that's absolutely true!"
The other feudal lord laughed heartily, but this was just for the suspect to hear.
The prison cell is so strong, if it can be easily broken through, what's the point?
During the Chenghua period, the division of labor between the two major towns and divisions in the north and south of Jinyiwei was clarified.
The North Town Fusi is mainly responsible for hearing cases, while the South Town Fusi manages household registration files.
The government office of Nanzhen Fusi also has a prison, so it is impossible to catch the suspect and send him directly to Beizhen Fusi without being detained.
Originally, the cell was relatively deserted, but after Emperor Chongzhen moved to the southern capital, it suddenly became lively, especially when a large number of noble family members were taken into custody.
We had just sent them away some time ago, and now a large number of "distinguished guests" have arrived. Most of them are educated people, and some are former important officials of the imperial court.
However, even the first-class officers still live in the same cells. There are no private rooms for them to enjoy. It is just a difference in the food.
"Chief!"
Hou Fangyu felt the feudal man's push and was about to turn around and leave, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Qian Qianyi sitting aside. It turned out that his father was imprisoned with the leader.
"..."
Qian Qianyi was neatly dressed and had a calm face. He didn't say anything. He just continued to sit on the bench and nodded slightly to the new friend.
"Hurry up! Just take two steps forward and we're there!"
The feudal lord was impatient with waiting. If this man was not one of the famous "Four Young Masters of Nandu" and had no fame, he would have wanted to kick Hou Fangyu's ass hard.
"Okay! We're here! This is it!"
Fan Zi grabbed Hou Fangyu, who was still about to move forward, and asked him to wait. Fan Zi took out the key chain hanging on his waist and easily picked out the key to this cell from dozens of keys with similar shapes.
After unlocking it, he opened the cell door, pushed Hou Fangyu in, then grabbed Maoxiang who wanted to follow him inside, and locked it neatly.
"Your cell is in front!"
"Why can't I go in together?"
"This is the meaning of going to the top, just obey it!"
Maoxiang looked at the situation in the cell and found that they were all acquaintances. He wanted to argue with the vassal in front of him, so he didn't have time to say hello to everyone.
Hou Fangyu watched Maoxiang being taken away by the vassal, and pressed his head tightly against the fence. After looking for a moment, he found that his best friend's cell was diagonally opposite, not far away, and he could hear his words.
This made him feel relieved. When he looked at the few people in the same room, there was no one he didn't recognize. Not only were their faces familiar, but their relationship with Maoxiang was also a little worse than with Maoxiang.
Sitting on the left are Peng Bin and Chen Mingxia, and on the right are Wei Xuexian, Gong Dingzi and Ruan Dacheng.
Most of the cesspools in each cell were placed in the corner against the wall. If they were placed there, they would be able to smoke everyone, and if they were placed at the door, they would be smoked by the patrol officers. Therefore, they would not be scolded or even beaten severely.
Only in the room where Hou Fangyu came in, the dung bucket was placed in the middle, which looked a little strange...
Is this considered the Chu-He-Han realm? ? ?
People on both sides just looked at Hou Fangyu, but no one took the initiative to say hello to him.
This made Hou Fangyu feel even more strange. Are they deliberately pretending not to recognize themselves?
"Everyone! Nice to meet you!"
The atmosphere inside was very strange. Hou Fangyu had just arrived and was a junior here, so he had no choice but to show his kindness to everyone.
"Does Chaozong know why he was arrested?"
After a long time, Ruan Dacheng, the oldest, spoke.
"Maybe it's because of my father!"
Standing opposite the cell door, Hou Fangyu endured the stench and covered his mouth and nose with his sleeves in order to answer the senior.
"No!"
Ruan Dacheng smiled and shook his head. It seems that there are people in this world who are not aware that they are about to die.
"Oh? Senior, does he know the truth?"
Hou Fangyu was quite surprised by this. Ruan Dacheng had a very bad reputation in the scholarly community, and he would not be able to cheat even when he was in prison.
"Er Chen!"
Ruan Dacheng simply said two words, and these two words were so powerful that they could make any scholar feel terrified.
"ah?"
Hou Fangyu was naturally so surprised that he could stuff eggs in his mouth. He never expected that he would be arrested on this charge. This was too ridiculous.
"Don't be surprised. Your Majesty got a heavenly book from the prince. The heavenly book says that we will all surrender!"
Ruan Dacheng was confused at first, and he still wanted to find a chance to express his grievances.
"Book of Heaven? Surrender to the Qing Dynasty?"
Hou Fangyu was stunned on the spot as if he had been struck by lightning.
"Exactly!"
"But Qing... Donglu is outside the pass. Even if he knocks on the pass and enters the fortress, it will only be robbery. After the incident, he will retreat to the outside of the pass. How can we leave the pass and surrender to the Qing Dynasty?"
In Hou Fangyu's view, this was really ridiculous. The Qing army could not attack Jiangnan, and they would not take the initiative to run outside the pass.
"The Book of Heaven says that Ming Dynasty will perish in five years!"
"Ah? This..."
"The Qing army goes south to capture Nandu, and we will all surrender to the Qing by then!"
Ruan Dacheng has also thought about this matter. If he were to express his position now, he would definitely be incompatible with the Donglu forces and would not be able to support Dai Tian.
But what if the Ming Dynasty is over?
Can he still be buried for Emperor Chongzhen?
If the Qing army captured Nandu and he didn't want to die, then the only way to survive would be to beg for surrender.
"Master Ruan, don't be ridiculous. As a scholar from Donglin, how can we surrender to the Qing Dynasty? Where is my integrity?"
Hou Fangyu will not let go until he is in a desperate situation, not to mention that this place is like home, and he must not be taken advantage of.
"Integrity? Humph~!"
Peng Bin, who was listening to the conversation between the two, suddenly laughed when he heard this, with persistence and contempt written on his face.
As a second minister who is greedy for life and afraid of death, how can he talk about integrity with face?
Yesterday in the main hall, he and Chen Mingxia looked like this, almost to the point of seeking death and survival in order to prove their loyalty.
Why could Chen Zilong and others be so loyal and good? Even Gu Yanwu was pardoned by Emperor Chongzhen and went home to serve his grandfather, but they became two ministers who were burdened with infamy.
But afterwards, Peng Bin thought about it carefully in the cell. Does he have more characteristics like Chen Zilong and others, or does he have more characteristics like Hou Fangyu?
When more than 100,000 Qing troops marched southward, could they really step forward to serve the Ming Dynasty and fight to the death with the Qing troops?
Regarding this issue, Peng Bin himself cannot guarantee...
The emperor of the Qing Dynasty was courteous to the virtuous and corporal, diligent in administration, strategizing, and using troops like a god, which enabled the country's strength to increase day by day!
The Emperor of Ming Dynasty was bloodthirsty, imposed excessive taxes and levies, ruined the people, and made improper arrangements, resulting in a decline in national power!
With such a strong contrast as Russia's premise, it would be great if he could still become an important member of the Qing Dynasty.
Peng Bin was bored in the cell and thought about this possibility.
However, the Ming Dynasty has not yet died, Chongzhen has not died, and the Qing cavalry has not yet attacked. If you think so, you will be doomed!
Not only did the Qing cavalry fail to fight, Huang Taiji also suffered a defeat in Beidu, and now it is almost certain that they have withdrawn from the customs.
The Qing Dynasty did not destroy the Ming Dynasty, but it became a second minister!
Is there anything more tragic than this in the world?
The crux of the problem is that he still has no way to prove that he is not a traitor!
Peng Bin was captured by the factory guards because he participated in the scholar's petition, which was tantamount to proactively providing evidence of guilt.
The main purpose of the petition was to support merchants in resisting commercial taxes, which was equivalent to depriving the court of annual income.
The king's division was short of pay and money, so it was difficult to restore its fighting strength, so it helped Donglu invisibly.
In a special period, he was labeled as a collaborator...
Thinking about the Shanxi merchants who were destroyed not long ago, Peng Bin, as a second minister, felt shuddering.
It is said that the prince had evidence confiscated from Shanxi merchants, indicating that the food for Shanxi merchants was provided by Jiangnan grain merchants.
The letters exchanged between Shanxi merchants and Jiangnan merchants also mentioned the sale of supplies outside the customs.
This shows that Jiangnan merchants also knew that Shanxi merchants were collaborating with the enemy. Once the source is traced, everyone on this line will be involved.
I heard that the prince is still holding some of the family members of Shanxi merchants alive. If these people turn out to be witnesses...
This means that the Jiangnan merchants who cooperated with Shanxi merchants were already sitting on the powder keg, and the prince was holding the gunpowder.
It was only when Peng Bin was in prison that he realized that the Jiangnan merchant could not explain clearly the embarrassing things he had done to him, and he had been trying to excuse him before. Was he crazy?
Jiangnan merchants evaded taxes, which was one of them.
Colluding with Shanxi merchants and taking the initiative to capitalize on the enemy were the second.
He defended merchants and refused to pay taxes, which were the third.
He expressed that he wanted to depose the prince and disturb the foundation of the Yao Kingdom. This is the fourth.
These articles are intertwined with each other, and the sentencing is revealed.
Just thinking about it would make him break into a cold sweat, and Peng Bin suddenly felt that he was afraid of death.
From this point of view, he may actually have the potential to be a second minister...
Emperor Chongzhen may not dare to kill all the scholars, but it is very possible to kill ten or twenty scholars as a warning to others.
What if I become one of them...
That would be extremely unlucky!
"Brother Peng, do you have something to say?"
When Hou Fangyu saw Peng Bin's dismissive behavior, he couldn't help but get angry suddenly, so he asked cautiously.
"As a second minister, I should reflect on it!"
Peng Bin shook his head, understanding that he had written evidence to report Hou Fangyu, and his situation was different from that of Hou Fangyu.
If Hou Fangyu dies, he may not necessarily die.
On the contrary, if he dies, Hou Fangyu will definitely die.
In the book of heaven, apart from surrendering to the Qing Dynasty, he seemed to have never done anything to harm the people, which was completely different from Hou Fangyu.
When this guy comes in, he has to draw a clear line with him, so as not to get involved again, which will make it completely unclear.
"Second Minister? Just one book?"
Hou Fangyu was really dumbfounded. It seemed that there had never been such a strange thing since ancient times.
The emperor had ministers and even people imprisoned and even convicted based on a book of unknown origin...
From this point of view, Chongzhen was really extremely dim, no better than Emperor Hui of Jin who was born with dementia.
Originally, Hou Fangyu did not distinguish between loyalty and treachery towards Chongzhen, and did not distinguish between right and wrong. He was still bitter about the imprisonment of his father Hou Xun.
This time, they were imprisoned together, father and son, which was tantamount to confirming the reputation of the Hunjun.
"It is not an ordinary book, but the prince obtained it from the immortal world. If the northern capital was captured by the Donglu, this book may not have any effect. However, Huang Taiji may have led his army to withdraw from the pass. The prince defeated Huang Taiji. The reputation is great and the limelight is strong, so the effect of this book is of no small importance."
Gong Dingzi gave a brief explanation to Hou Fangyu. Like Hou Fangyu, he also bore the blame of the two ministers.
"Even so, we cannot be sentenced to prison for unfounded crimes!"
Hou Fangyu planned to refuse to admit his guilt, and it was true that he had never been a second minister, so it was unlikely that he would even succeed in defeating him.
"Chaozong, do you think the Holy One will convict you on the charges of two ministers?"
Ruan Dacheng interjected, and then looked at Hou Fangyu with a half-smile.
"Well……"
Hou Fangyu couldn't help but hesitate. If this were not the case, could there be other crimes?
"There was such a fierce commotion outside, and the factory guards arrested nearly a thousand people. Are they all traitors? Not really, right? Those who protect profiteers who evade taxes will still be convicted!"
Ruan Dacheng has more experience than many people in the cell. He understands things in the officialdom very well, but he has no way to contribute, otherwise he would have climbed up long ago.
"Even so, so what?"
Hou Fangyu did not think that such behavior would be equivalent to the conviction of the two ministers. Since the two ministers were guilty of an unwarranted crime, the businessmen who protected them would eventually go unpunished because the law did not punish everyone.
"Nothing will happen. At most, the people involved will be sent to mine and the principal culprits will be severely punished!"
After all, he was young and energetic, unable to fathom the holy will, so Ruan Dacheng had no choice but to point out the greatness.
"The principal culprit? Master Ruan, who will be regarded as the principal culprit?"
Hou Fangyu was immediately interested when he heard that the culprit was guilty.
"Some cells hold dozens of people, and some cells hold several people. Chaozong, what do you think?"
Just judging from the number of prisoners in each cell, anyone who is not a fool will know that something serious will happen.
The next door only houses Qian Qianyi and Hou Xun...
"The Holy One wants to do harm to the leader and my father?"
Hou Fangyu was a little scared now, but what Ruan Dacheng said made sense.
"I can't guess it as a teacher!"
Ruan Dacheng did not dare to make any hasty judgments about this kind of thing.
