Chapter 148 Chapter 148 is the only genuine version...
"Let's talk it over nicely."
Duke Wei spoke gently, fearing that sparks would splash on him.
His clothes were stained with wine and his cuffs were wet.
Just by smelling it, one could tell that this was a top-notch wine. Duke Weiguo had already drunk a bit too much, and the smell of alcohol rushing into his nostrils made him even more dizzy.
Oh, I shouldn't drink so much.
Otherwise, with his skills, he wouldn't have been dragged in in just a few moves.
Duke Weiguo was thinking in a mess, and was choked by the smoke from the lighter. He coughed and coughed until he could hardly breathe.
Oh, right. Miss Gu seemed to have mentioned that her old illness would flare up?
His old illness...
Bang!
The door of the elegant room shook.
Duke Wei was overjoyed. Prince Li had finally called someone over. Kick again!
A few more kicks and the door will be kicked open.
The joy lasted for less than a moment, and the man's furious voice suddenly rang out.
"If you kick me again, I'll burn him to death!"
Hysterical shouts exploded in the ears of Duke Weiguo. The man was so excited that he waved the fire starter in his hand. The burning flames suddenly came closer to Duke Weiguo, and the sparks stung his face painfully.
The Duke of Wei was terrified and quickly shouted, "Stop kicking! Stop kicking! His hand is on fire! Stop kicking!"
He shouted several times, and the kicking of the door finally stopped.
Duke Weiguo breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at the crumbling door with some regret.
Cough cough cough.
The man pointed the lighter at him and said, "Tell them to let me go."
The Duke of Wei said in a trembling voice, "Don't be impulsive. What did you do wrong? Tell me, and I will definitely redress your grievances."
The Duke of Wei spoke righteously.
He could tell that this man was a bit too crazy and definitely couldn't be discussed with normal thinking. He patiently coaxed him, "Little brother, I know you must have suffered a lot of injustice. I will definitely help you."
"I'm on your side."
Duke Weiguo's face turned pale, and thick smoke lingered at the tip of his nose, choking him and making him cough repeatedly, as if there was a ball of gas blocking his chest.
He used his hands and feet to move slightly to the side. Seeing this, the man thought he wanted to escape, so he reached out and grabbed his calf. The fire starter he was holding loose fell to the ground and ignited the liquor on the ground.
Suddenly, the flames jumped up and burned along the wine splashed on the ground.
The Eight Immortals Table was surrounded by large pools of wine. In just a short while, the flames engulfed the Eight Immortals Table and the three round stools around it, and the fire kept growing bigger and bigger.
The firelight lit up the Duke of Wei's pupils, frightening him so much that his face turned pale. He pointed at the increasingly fierce fire and said in a trembling voice, "It's on fire, it's on fire!"
The man ignored him and bent down to pick up the tinder.
The firelight shone on his face, and he twitched his lips and laughed a creepy smile: "Everyone has beaten a slave to death, why do you have to come and catch me!"
"I bought them with real money, and their lives belong to me."
"Don't you think so?!"
As he spoke, he excitedly waved the fire stick, causing several blisters to appear on the Duke of Wei's face. The Duke of Wei quickly agreed with him: "Yes, yes."
"Hasn't anyone in your house ever been beaten to death?!" the man asked, staring at him.
Duke Wei threw his head back, almost crying, "Yes, yes?"
"Why do you have to arrest me!?"
"Calm down a bit." Duke Wei stared at his tinderbox and coaxed him, "Killing this servant isn't a big deal. Just a fine."
According to the Daqi Law, if a master killed a slave, he would be fined 100 taels of silver and given 20 strokes of the cane. Moreover, if he did not file a complaint, he would not be prosecuted.
The man clenched the fire stick and pursed his lips tightly.
"Well, let me go first. I'll go to the Jingzhao government office and plead for mercy on your behalf. Can you give me a lighter punishment?" Duke Weiguo wiped the sweat from his forehead, almost sobering up from the alcohol. "Put down the tinderbox first. We'll talk slowly."
The Duke of Wei smiled humbly.
"Will you plead for me?"
“Yes, yes.”
"I don't believe it!"
"I promise they won't arrest you..."
As soon as the Duke of Wei finished speaking, his heart skipped a beat.
From his angle, he could clearly see a knife sticking out from the gap of a window behind him, prying the window sheath.
The man had his back to the window and didn't notice.
The Duke of Wei swallowed nervously, stalling for time, "You only beat and killed a servant. It's not a serious crime. Just accept the punishment. With me on your side, the Jingzhao Yin will definitely not make a wrong judgment."
"Right. H-how many did you kill?"
"Eleven."
Eleven!? Duke Wei managed to keep his expression calm. "Only, only eleven. No big deal."
"real?"
"Really? Little brother, you have to believe me. In this capital, who hasn't beaten a servant to death?" He deliberately relaxed his tone. "Brother, what's your name?"
The man's hand holding the tinder slowly dropped, and he said hesitantly, "Jiang Chao."
"So it's Brother Jiang..." Duke Weiguo stared at his tinderbox. "What crime did your servant commit?"
"Borrowing luck."
"Borrow luck?" Duke Weiguo was a little confused.
"I bought them back just to borrow their fortune..." Jiang Chao spread his five fingers towards the Duke of Weiguo, "I paid fifty taels for each of them, and they said we wouldn't care if they lived or died!"
Click!
The dagger pried the window sheath, making a slight sound.
Jiang Chao looked back vigilantly, and Duke Weiguo took the opportunity to climb up and tried to snatch the fire lighter from his hand, but he was panting heavily and fell back without catching his breath.
Bang! Just at this moment, the window was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and the sunlight suddenly shone into the slightly dim room.
A guard came in through the window.
"You lied to me!"
Jiang Chao let out a scream of being fooled. He grabbed the Duke of Wei and clamped his rough hands tightly around his throat.
Duke Weiguo was almost out of breath and felt limp all over.
"Don't come over here!"
Jiang Chao brought the fire lighter close to Duke Weiguo. The sparks burned a strand of his hair, making a "hissing" sound. The thick smoke choked Duke Weiguo and made him cough uncontrollably.
His cheeks were red from coughing, and he waved his hands weakly: "Don't come over!"
The ones who pried open the window were the guards brought by Prince Li.
Seeing this, the guard stopped hesitantly and looked at Prince Li outside for instructions.
The sounds of banging doors and breaking windows had already alarmed everyone in the surrounding elegant rooms. Now that the windows were opened, thick smoke filled the air, making everyone cough.
"Your Highness!" the guard shouted, "There's a fire inside!"
Prince Li was extremely anxious: "Where is the Duke of Wei? Is he okay?"
"My lord, he..."
"Let me go."
Jiang Chao pulled the Duke of Wei closer to the window, forcing the guard to climb out of the window again.
Jiang Chao threw the tinder on the ground and took out a porcelain bottle. He pulled out the stopper of the porcelain bottle with his teeth, and a strong smell of kerosene came out.
"Otherwise, we'll die together."
Prince Li agreed repeatedly: "Okay, okay, let it go."
Cough cough cough.
The smoke grew thicker and thicker, spreading out from the railings next to the pond. Soon, it enveloped the elegant little building. Gu Zhizhuo was walking on the waterfront corridor. When he looked back, he saw thick smoke all over the sky, almost covering a large area of blue sky above his head.
"Sir," Gu Zhizhuo exclaimed, "is there a fire?"
"It's in the small building. Look on the second floor, there's a fire!"
Everything was fine when they came out, how come it caught fire in the blink of an eye!
"Prince Li is still here." Xie Yingchen lowered his eyes and said, "Let's go back and take a look first."
"good."
"sister."
As soon as Gu Zhizhuo responded, a familiar voice called her from behind.
"sister"
Zheng Silang was covered in leather armor from the Five Cities Army, which made his back and waist look straighter and less frivolous.
He came hurriedly with a dozen soldiers and called out to them affectionately.
Xie Yingchen: “…”
When he wasn't paying attention, Yaoyao was already doing quite well outside. Look, she even called him "sister". How could she be so likable with her ruffian spirit?
"Sister, why are you here?"
"Master Zheng Si." Gu Zhizhuo greeted him.
Zheng Si now works in the Wucheng Bingmasi and serves as the deputy commander of Dongcheng.
Gu Zhizhuo thought he was here to put out the fire: "Have you been transferred to the Water Dragon Bureau?"
"No, I'm here to arrest someone."
Zheng Si said this, waving his hand, signaling the soldiers to go ahead. He greeted Xie Yingchen and said, "A criminal has escaped here and is holding the Duke of Wei hostage. He has kerosene in his hand."
What?
"Duke Wei is here too?"
Gu Zhizhuo thought of his own divination.
The hexagram showed that the Duke of Wei would suffer a disaster caused by Zhurong, and now, this disaster has come true.
"Yes, I'm on my way there."
"We're together."
These words were spoken to Zheng Si. Seeing that Xie Yingchen also nodded, Zheng Si hurried to walk in front.
As Xie Yingchen walked over, he asked, "Deputy Commander Zheng, what's the case?"
"The criminal's name is Jiang Chao. He bought a dozen girls from a smuggler and drained their blood, saying he could use them for transportation."
When Zheng Si said this, he shuddered as if he thought of something he didn't want to think about.
"It took Jingzhao Prefecture a long time to find him. When we went to arrest him today, Jiang Chao escaped."
If the criminal had escaped, they would not have needed the assistance of the Five Cities Military Command. However, this time it was the Jingzhao Yin who came in person to ask to see the commander, saying that the criminal was extremely brutal and they were afraid that he would hurt other people when he escaped, so they asked them to help catch him.
Zheng Si's jurisdiction was in Dongcheng, so this task fell on him.
They split into several groups to search the East City. Later, one of his soldiers, who had many connections and knew all kinds of people, found out that Jiang Chao was hiding nearby, so Zheng Si personally brought people here.
He was still searching the teahouse in front when a soldier came to report that Jiang Chao was in Tianxi Tower and had held the Duke of Wei hostage.
"Sister, you don't know. I went to his house and took a look. In that wing room, the floor and walls were all covered in blood. I have never seen so much blood in my life."
Gu Zhizhuo covered his lips and blurted out in surprise: "Borrow luck?"
"That's right." Zheng Si was so angry that he laughed. "He was originally a well-to-do family in Beijing, but on a whim, he took all the money in his family and invested it in a ship. He didn't expect the ship to capsize and he lost everything."
"He wasn't willing to give up, so he mortgaged all his properties and shops for silver. Do you think he was hoping to make a comeback with this capital? No, he was crazy. He was determined to win back what he lost at the gambling table, but he ended up losing it all. He was left with only his ancestral home, and he even sold his wife and daughter!"
"I don't know where I heard the rumor in the countryside that I could borrow some money. So I sold my wife's dowry and used the money to buy a few girls."
"Don't you think it's strange? I think Jiang Chao is desperate enough to believe even such a rural rumor!"
Gu Zhizhuo reminded him, "Marriage Talisman."
"Huh?" Zheng Si's eyes widened.
He said anxiously: "Sister, sister, are you saying that borrowing luck or something is true?"
"I don't know yet, but don't take it lightly as just a rural rumor."
"I understand." Zheng Si nodded. "Sister, Jiang Chao seems to be crazy. Don't get too close to him. He has kerosene in his hand. Oh. Actually, I don't want to get involved in this, but Prince Li and Prince Jin are here. If anything goes wrong, I will definitely lose my job."
"Sister, why is it so difficult for this person to just relax?"
Why.
As a qualified playboy, it is not right to make too much progress.
He should just have to eat, drink and be merry.
"If I lose this job, my father will definitely send me to the Jinwu Guard. Life in the Jinwu Guard is very hard. Three out of ten days, I have to sleep on plank beds in the palace."
Zheng Si sighed again. The more he thought about it, the more miserable he felt.
After complaining, Zheng Si wanted to talk about how hard his life was, but he suddenly realized that Xie Yingchen was there too.
The words "It's over" popped up in my mind.
He had never worked with this Prince Chen, but his father had mentioned it several times after returning home, saying that Prince Chen was not someone to be trifled with, much less someone to be fooled. He was quite formidable.
"Deputy Commander Zheng." Xie Yingchen's voice frightened Zheng Si so much that he shuddered and even straightened his back a little.
"If you lose this job, go to the Imperial Guard."
"Ah?" Imperial Guard? It's respectable and has a leisurely job. The emperor is ill now, so it's even more leisurely. It's also a lucrative position! OK. Zheng Si was overjoyed. The more he thought about it, the happier he became. He was afraid Xie Yingchen would regret it, so he quickly replied, "Yes. Chen... Brother-in-law, when should I go?"
He was eager to disrupt the mission of the Five Cities Military Department right now.
Fortunately, the call of "brother-in-law" touched Xie Xinchen's heart. He said, "Go find Commander Xiang tomorrow."
Zheng Si smiled, winked at Gu Zhizhuo, and bowed repeatedly.
Despite what they said, their pace did not slow down at all, but instead became faster and faster, and one could almost smell the pungent smoke.
Gu Zhizhuo handed Xie Yingchen a handkerchief and said, "Sir, please cover your nose. The thick smoke hurts your lungs. I put some medicinal decoction on it."
The young master's internal organs are weaker than those of ordinary people. In fact, it is best for him to stay away from this thick smoke.
Xie Yingchen did as he was told, very obediently, which left Zheng Si dumbfounded.
As expected, sister!
"how's it going?"
Zheng Si shouted, and a soldier came running over and reported, "Jiang Chao wants us to let him go, and Prince Li has agreed."
Jiang Chao had kerosene in his hand, which could ignite at any time. Except for Duke Wei and Jiang Chao, everyone in the small building came out.
The guards, especially regarding Prince Li as their most important, dragged and coaxed him out. Prince Li was anxiously looking at the small building, but upon hearing this, he turned back and a smile of relief finally appeared on his frightened face.
"Chen'er. You're finally here."
Xie Yingchen walked towards him quickly.
Prince Li waved his hand at him with a pale face: "I agree. As long as you release the Duke of Wei, you can let him go."
boom.
Suddenly, a burst of flames blazed up, and the fire grew more and more intense in a very short time. The entire small building was engulfed in flames in an instant, and thick smoke rose into the sky along with the flames.
Prince Li froze. After a moment of silence, his eyes were bloodshot.
"Duke Wei!"
His tears also burst out, and he subconsciously ran forward a few steps, but was held tightly by the waist by the guard again.
"It's alright, Your Majesty."
Gu Zhizhuo hurriedly comforted him, "The Zhurong disaster that Duke Weiguo suffered is not a life-or-death catastrophe." In fact, what concerned Gu Zhizhuo more was the "recurrence of old illness" indicated in the hexagram.
Forehead?
Prince Li was about to ask what it meant when he saw a soldier rushing out from the fire with the Duke of Wei on his back.
"Sir, I'll go take a look." Gu Zhizhuo stared at him and said, "The smoke is heavy up ahead, don't come over."
After giving her instructions, she quickly ran over. Another soldier came out of the small building, carrying a slightly plump man on his back. He shouted as he walked, "Commander, there's no one inside."
The soldier threw Jiang Chao to the ground, wiped the black ash from his face, and said indignantly, "We all agreed to let him go, but he went crazy and poured all the kerosene into the fire, and the flames suddenly burst out."
If they had not been quick-witted and pulled the two people out of the window, they would have been burned to death.
Jiang Chao looked up and around in panic.
He murmured to himself, "No, I won't be so unlucky. I've already borrowed some luck..."
No more bad luck.
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