Xu Ling didn't know what was going on until he was detained and thrown into the county jail.
"Officer! You are wronged! I have never killed anyone!" Xu Ling was anxious to prove his innocence, so he grabbed the cell fence and yelled at the top of his lungs.
The leading yamen servant laughed and said: "Nine out of ten people who come here cry out that they are wronged! If you didn't kill anyone, how could you move and escape overnight?"
As soon as he finished speaking, cries of injustice could be heard one after another in the dark, candle-lit cell.
"Sir, I was wronged!"
"Let me go! My mother is still waiting for me to go back!"
Xu Ling's heartbeat accelerated, his eyes were dazed, and his mouth was dry.
He picked at the wood tightly and asked what he was thinking: "May I ask the officer, who died?"
The official took out the whip from behind his waist and slapped it on Xu Ling's hand, "Still pretending! You killed Mrs. Liu in the tea shop on Ma Tou Street, are you still pretending to be innocent here?"
Xu Ling's knees were weak and his fingers were in severe pain from the whip. He couldn't help but take a few steps back and fell down on the hay, startling several mice and running away.
"Liu Niang is dead?" Xu Ling murmured, "I didn't kill her! I was wronged! I didn't kill anyone!"
Liu Niang was fine when he left, how could she be killed by him? It must be that guy Wang Zhu!
But no matter what he said, those officials turned a deaf ear and slapped the prisoners in other cells all the way, "Stop screaming! Wait until the Queen of Autumn interrogates and kills!"
He returned along the original path, ignoring Xu Ling's cries of injustice.
Xu Ling had never encountered anything like this in his entire life. He was so panicked that he screamed injustice until his voice became hoarse.
He was imprisoned. I wonder how anxious Xu Ping and Xu An would be outside. Killing people. If he couldn't prove his innocence, wouldn't he be beheaded?
He doesn't want to die!
"Calm down! Xu Ling, don't panic, everything can still turn around."
Xu Ling forced himself to calm down, staggered and sat on the hay, holding his head and thinking hard about the joints.
First of all, he can be sure that he definitely did not kill anyone. Secondly, he is not sure whether Liu Niang is really dead, or is it a trick that Wang Zhu bribed the official?
The situation outside was unclear, he didn't know anything, and he had to figure out the information quickly.
It is estimated that Xu Ping and Xu An are also thinking of ways outside.
After repeatedly comforting himself, Xu Ling finally calmed down. Only then did I have the time to observe the surrounding environment.
The cell he was in had a long corridor with wooden cells on both sides. It was dark and could only be illuminated by candlelight. The hay on the ground was damp and smelly, and there were many bugs and mice inside.
The bad environment made Xu Ling's heart sink. As soon as the government officials left, the cell gradually returned to calm, and the only sounds that could be heard were the screams of pain.
The cell to the left of Xu Ling was empty, and to the right was an old man with disheveled hair and gray beard, sitting in the corner with his head hanging down, his head pressed against the wall, and his face could not be seen clearly.
There was also a man in the cell opposite him. He looked quite tall from the back. He was lying on his side on the hay and was fast asleep, snoring loudly.
The two neighbors seemed very calm. Even Xu Ling was much calmer.
Whatever has a cause, there must be an effect.
He has fallen into such a situation today. Is it not the result of his too contemptuous attitude towards the unknown environment?
It is arrogant to claim that one is a modern person, but this is just a world in a book. Little did he know that he had entered the book and was the person in it, not to mention that he had only read the beginning of the book.
Xu Ling felt extremely regretful, and when he thought about his future that was full of mist, he became a little anxious.
He had no choice but to get up and walk around the cell, thinking about his next move.
Xu Ling's biggest reliance is space. When he has to, he can get into the space to avoid beheading, but he can't live in space for the rest of his life. When he comes out, he still faces a terrible prison environment.
But there is food, clean drinking water, and the money he earned in the space.
"Tsk, here comes a short-lived ghost."
"Short-lived ghost, can you please stop leaving? It's so annoying!"
The old man in the cell next door said a few words in succession, and Xu Ling finally realized that he was talking to him.
Seeing this, Xu Ling quickly opened the adjacent wooden door and said hello: "Senior, I was wronged. When will the jailers come?"
The old man glanced at Xu Ling impatiently, then turned his head: "Didn't you hear that just now? Nine of the ten people here are crying for injustice!"
"After you get here, you still want to get out, stop thinking about it, just wait for death!"
Xu Ling's brows jumped. Is it so serious? Not even a chance to complain?
He said anxiously: "They said I killed someone, but I really didn't! I didn't kill anyone, so why should I plead guilty and wait to die? I don't accept it!"
"Hey, how many prisoners here do you think have killed people?" The old man was amused by Xu Ling. He pointed to the cell on Xu Ling's left and said, "There was a tofu seller living in that room the day before yesterday, and he didn't kill anyone either. Man, he bit his tongue and committed suicide yesterday!"
Xu Lingru fell into the ice cave, "Then why was he arrested?"
The old man caught a flea from his body, threw it into his mouth, and made a loud crunching sound, "His woman was beautiful, and he was attracted by the young man from a wealthy family. He raped his woman and beat his mother to death, including his infant baby." My son was also thrown to the dogs.”
"Why do you think he was arrested?"
"Boy, don't ask why. If you don't have money or power, you have to learn to behave with your tail between your legs! I tell you, don't end up on the road to hell and become an unjust ghost for no reason!"
The old man's tone was resentful, as if he had seen through the vicissitudes of the world, and he was stingy and full of complaints.
Xu Ling froze on the spot, unable to understand.
He glanced at the cell next door. The floor was covered with plant ash, and the bloodstains could not be covered.
A gust of wind blows, the candlelight floats, and it seems that an innocent soul is sighing
"It's time to eat, it's time to eat, get up!"
One jailer was holding a wooden bucket, and the other was holding a wooden ladle, pouring something like swill on the ground for the prisoners to eat.
Xu Ling's heart was extremely cold and he was not panicked at all.
He stood guard at the wooden door and calmly waited for the two jailers to approach. He took out two strings of copper coins from his sleeves and quickly handed them to the two guards.
He whispered kind words in his mouth: "Two officials, the younger one is doing business everywhere, and his family has quite a lot of assets. Now he has been framed by a traitor and suffered unjust injustice. Please show your kindness and tell me a chance of survival. There was also a large sum of money offered afterwards.”
The two officials looked at each other, laughed, tossed the bunches of copper coins in their hands, and weighed about two hundred coins, which was almost half a month's salary for them.
Looking at Xu Ling again, he was dressed in clean green cloth and had a fair complexion. He didn't look like a foot trader who was used to traveling around. He must have been a young man from a shadowy family who didn't know much about the world.
Unlucky to be in this unlucky situation.
"You are quite capable of getting things done. Okay, if you want to ask anything, ask it quickly."
Xu Ling felt happy in his heart, but there was no excitement on his face. He calmly talked about the dispute with Wang Zhu and his wife.
He repeatedly emphasized that he did not kill anyone, but he just didn't know how to prove his innocence. If he wanted to find someone to sue, what method should he find?
One of the officials chuckled and said: "You are a businessman, don't you still understand the rules of the road? If your family has a lot of property, let the family members take care of it."
“If you don’t have money, consider yourself unlucky!”
