It was the end of May and summer had already arrived in Hangzhou.
The weather is swelteringly hot.
Liu Jingqi was in a very bad mood. From the news he received one after another, it seemed that Zhu Wan had overcome the difficulties.
The impeachment memorial from the Zhejiang officials not only failed to shake Zhu Wan's position, but made the emperor trust him more.
Liu Jing really shot herself in the foot.
But there is no point in thinking about this now.
The only thing Liu Jingqi has to do is to act like a turtle.
During this period, Liu Jingqi did not go out of the main door or the second door.
As long as he survives this disaster, he will definitely take revenge on Zhu Wan.
Just as he was thinking about his next move, the housekeeper came in a panic to report that the government officials had surrounded the house in a menacing manner.
Liu Jingqi was greatly shocked.
Is Zhu Wan actually going to attack him?
Suppressing the fear in his heart, Liu Jingqi coughed and asked, "Which government office is this person from?"
"Sir, he's an official from the Governor's Office."
This sentence further confirmed Liu Jingqi's judgment.
If it is a blessing, there will be no disaster; if it is a disaster, there will be no escape.
Liu Jingqi took a deep breath and strode out of the house.
The Liu Mansion was very large, and Liu Jingqi was already sweating profusely when he walked to the gate.
He was stunned when he saw the chains in the officer's hand.
"What does this mean?"
"The Master has specifically requested that you be brought before the court."
The officer was ordered to arrest someone but was in no mood to explain to Liu Jingqi. He swung the chain forward and put it around Liu Jingqi's neck.
He pulled it and closed it. The officer pulled Liu Jingqi so hard that he lost his balance and fell forward a few steps.
"You guys are going too far. What did my master do? Why are you insulting him like this?"
The housekeeper couldn't stand it anymore and scolded him.
"Don't you know what your master has done? If you keep making noise here, I'll lock you up too."
The butler subconsciously shrank his neck and dared not speak anymore.
"Let's go."
The officers pulled the chain like they were leading a dog.
These big families that usually seem high and mighty are nothing more than this, strong on the outside but weak on the inside and nothing to be feared.
Just one card ticket can determine their fate.
...
...
Liu Jingqi was taken to a dim cell and sat down on a haystack due to exhaustion.
There were already marks on his neck from being strangled, and the skin was even abraded in some places.
He had never suffered such humiliation before and felt extremely angry and resentful.
Zhu Wan! I can't stand with you!
Liu Jingqi curled up into a ball and wanted to take a nap, but he heard someone talking.
It turned out that he was not the only one in this cell.
"Is that Brother Liu?"
The voice was very familiar. Liu Jingqi moved forward and finally saw the face clearly in the dim light.
"Brother Mingyan?"
Lin Mingyan sighed and said, "I never thought that you and I would meet here."
"This old man is so cruel and merciless that he shows no mercy at all."
"Who says it's not? Brother Wu was also taken to prison. Apart from Brother He, the four of us are all here."
Liu Jingqi was stunned when he heard this.
Wu Chun is coming in too?
"Could it be that He Fang sold us out?"
Among the four, only He Fang was not in trouble. This is too weird.
"That's not the case. Brother He saw that the situation was getting bad and moved his family to Jiangxi."
Zhu Wan was the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, and Jiangxi was not within his jurisdiction.
Therefore, it is impossible for him to send people to Jiangxi to arrest him. This explanation makes sense.
“Who could have imagined that things would get to this point.”
Liu Jingqi lamented, "Zhu Wan's background is so strong that even the emperor is trying to protect him."
If Liu Jingqi had known that the emperor valued Zhu Wan so much, he would never have planned this impeachment.
Now he is just trying to hit a rock with an egg and is bringing trouble upon himself.
"Could it be that Zhu Wan has already obtained evidence of our guilt? Otherwise, why would he act so decisively?"
Lin Mingyan was the first to be arrested and was beginning to lose his temper.
"We must not panic at a time like this. He might be trying to trick us into losing our composure."
Liu Jingqi said coldly, "I want to see how long he can keep us locked up."
...
...
"Sir, it would be best to interrogate these merchants separately. This will make them suspicious of each other."
In the back hall of the Governor's Office, Xu Yan suggested loudly.
In his opinion, Zhu Wan had already won half the battle. All he had to do next was to slowly extract information from these merchants.
"On the surface, these maritime merchants appear united, but in reality, they are riddled with internal conflicts. This may not be apparent on a daily basis, but when disaster strikes, they all flee."
Shen Mingchen nodded after hearing this and said, "That's right, as the saying goes, attacking the heart is the best way. Perhaps you can give it a try, Minister."
Zhu Wan stroked his beard and nodded, "Then let's give it a try."
"Your Excellency can use this method to interrogate."
Xu Yan moved closer to Zhu Wan and whispered something in her ear.
Zhu Wan's eyes lit up when he heard that.
"As expected, the time has come. Once this plan is implemented, their alliance will surely fall apart."
"Your Excellency, Minister, are too kind. I am just following the trend. If they have no ulterior motives, this plan wouldn't have much effect."
Xu Yan smiled and said, "Now, Minister, all you need to do is wait quietly. It won't be long before they can no longer hold on."
...
...
Ever since being thrown into prison, Liu Jingqi has been feeling desperate.
No one brought him to trial, so he could only wait helplessly, seeing no hope at all.
Instead, Lin Mingyan and Wu Chun, who were imprisoned earlier than him, were brought in for trial one after another, and were not returned to their original cells after the trial.
This made Liu Jingqi very confused.
Could it be that these two people could not stand the torture and confessed?
Apart from this, Liu Jing couldn't think of any other possibilities.
Liu Jingqi has been completely cut off from communication with the outside world and is almost going crazy.
Finally, just when Liu Jingqi was about to collapse, a jailer came to open the door and took him out of the cell.
However, Liu Jingqi was not taken away from the prison, but was moved to a brighter cell.
There were all kinds of torture instruments in the cell, and various whips were hung on the wall, which was extremely terrifying with the dark red bloodstains.
Liu Jingqi swallowed subconsciously and closed his eyes.
The jailer took him to the cell and then turned and left, locking the door again.
Liu Jingqi waited for a long time but still no official came to interrogate him, and he couldn't help but feel very confused.
Soon the candle in the cell burned out and the cell became pitch dark.
Liu Jingqi was greatly frightened and began to scream desperately.
"Someone, someone, come!"
But no one responded at all, and the cell was silent.
What kind of approach is this?
Now Liu Jingqi increasingly suspected that he had been betrayed by the other two.
Otherwise, why was he the only one who had to endure such inhuman torture?
Compared to physical pain, loneliness and fear are more unbearable.
Liu Jingqi didn't know how much longer he could endure it. He was so angry that he beat his chest and stamped his feet. This feeling was so despairing!
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