Nightwatcher

Two quarters of an hour later, Xu Qi'an stepped out of Haoqi Building, stood at the bottom of the building, closed his eyes for a moment, and left resolutely.

Leaving the yamen, riding a pony, along the unimaginably spacious main road of the inner city, galloping towards the yamen of the Ministry of Criminal Justice.

The main road is more than 100 meters wide and goes directly to the imperial city. It is the road that the emperor walks when he travels. This width is mainly to prevent assassins from ambush on the side of the road. Once encountering cold arrows and assassinations, such a wide road can provide sufficient buffer time for the imperial army.

Not long after, he arrived at the Yamen of the Ministry of Punishment.

Xu Qi'an saw the figure of Second Uncle Xu from a distance. He was wearing armor and sharpened. He should have received the news while patrolling the streets, so he rushed over immediately.

Uncle Xu was stopped outside the gate by the guards of the Yamen of the Ministry of Punishment.

The two guards shouted loudly, and one of them stretched out his hand and pushed Second Uncle Xu, but he didn't dare to fight back, and staggered back.

"Why, a small guard with a sword guarding hundreds of households dares to forcibly break into the yamen of the Ministry of Punishment?" A guard pointed at Xu Pingzhi's nose and scolded, don't blame me for being rough if you don't leave.

Xu Pingzhi, who was practicing Qi, endured it, clenched his fists aggrieved, and said in a deep voice, "I am Xu Xinian's father, and I have the right to visit the prison."

Another guard taunted: "A repeat offender of imperial examination fraud is not allowed to visit. This has always been the rule. You can't read, you know a ball."

Xu Pingzhi really didn't know that the cases related to the fraudulent imperial examinations were too far away from him to be in touch with.

"Then you still ask me for thirty taels?" Xu Pingzhi raised his eyebrows, furious.

"What's wrong with cheating you, this is the Yamen of the Ministry of Punishment, you still dare to do something. Try it." The guard sneered.

"Ho tui."

The other was more straightforward, spitting at Xu Pingzhi.

Xu Pingzhi hurriedly avoided.

The two guards laughed wildly.

"call"

Uncle Xu let out a breath slowly, and glanced at the two rows of soldiers walking out of the yamen. Obviously, as long as he dared to make trouble at the gate of the yamen of the Ministry of Punishment, he would not be able to walk around today.

In vain to hand over the handle to others.

"roll!"

The guard squinted and scolded.

Da da da suddenly, the sound of horse hooves came, and following the sound, a vigorous horse rushed forward, blatantly crashing into the yamen of the Ministry of punishment.

He ran into the two guards with raised eyebrows.

boom!

One of the guards couldn't avoid it, and was hit in the chest by the filly, and was thrown heavily into the air. After struggling for a while, he fell slowly to the ground, unable to recover from his injuries.

Someone really dared to commit murder at the gate of the Ministry of Criminal Justice?

"Ning Yan."

When Xu Pingzhi saw his nephew, he felt relieved.

"Qiang" the sounds of drawing knives became one, and the guards in the yamen heard the movement, and rushed out with knives one after another, wanting to cut to death those who dared to make trouble in the yamen of the Ministry of Punishment.

But when they saw clearly that the silver gong sitting high on horseback was Xu Qi'an, they all lost their temper.

The leading guard withdrew his knife, clasped his fists and said in a deep voice, "Master Xu, this is the office of the Ministry of Criminal Justice. You must know that if you run into the Ministry of Criminal Justice and injure a guard, you will be imprisoned, exiled, or beheaded if you are serious."

Xu Qi'an ignored him, got off his horse, and kicked over the guard who was agile and avoiding the charge of the filly.

"Ouch!" The guard screamed and rolled on the ground.

Xu Qi'an took off the saber at the back of his waist, and while holding it in his hand, he was beaten. The muffled sound of the scabbard beating the flesh made people shudder.

The guard screamed again and again.

"Master Xu!"

"Call me Lord Viscount."

The leader of the guard choked for a moment, pretended not to hear, and shouted: "You are really no expert in the Ministry of Punishment. Are you really not afraid of your Majesty's crimes and your obedience to the law?"

"You just let the horse come here, this shit is not fair, I, Xu Qi'an, will be in vain in the capital." Xu Qi'an sneered, brandished the scabbard and continued to beat.

At first the guard was able to dodge, or raise his hand to resist, but after a dozen or so slaps, his eyes began to turn white, and he was dying.

The head of the guard gritted his teeth, and the veins on the back of the hand holding the knife were throbbing, but he didn't dare to fight the arrogant silver gong.

The scene of fighting that day is vivid, Xu Qi'an's momentum has not dissipated, at this juncture, ordinary people dare not confront him head-on.

The most important thing is that this person has a gold medal to protect him from death. Even if he kills him at the gate of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, he will be dismissed from office in the end, and his life will be safe.

Seeing that the guard was still breathing, Xu Qi'an gave up, hung the saber back on his waist, and said calmly: "Thirty taels of silver, it's the consultation fee for two doctors, and the soup and medicine fee."

After venting his anger, he stared at the guard leader and said, "Go in and communicate, I want to see Xu New Year."

Hearing this, the head of the guards did not refuse or respond, he signaled with his eyes to carry the two wounded into the yamen for treatment, took a deep look at Xu Qi'an, and retreated inside the yamen.

After a while, the head of the guards returned and said, "Sun Shangshu has an invitation."

Xu Qi'an tied the reins to the stone lion at the gate of the yamen, turned around and said, "Second Uncle, let's go in together."

Xu Pingzhi followed silently, and the two entered the yamen, walked through the front yard and the corridor, Second Uncle Xu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but chose to remain silent.

The guard led the uncle and nephew into the side hall, and on the main seat of the side hall, sat Sun Shangshu in a scarlet robe, waiting with a serious expression on his face.

"I met Sun Shangshu." Xu Qi'an cupped his fists.

Sun Shangshu didn't look sideways, he didn't seem to see Xu Qi'an in his eyes, and said calmly: "Two words are missing."

Staring at Sun Shangshu for a few seconds, Xu Qi'an bent his spine, clasped his fists in the tone of a subordinate meeting his superior, and said, "I have met Sun Shangshu. I want to meet Xu New Year"

Seeing this scene, Xu Pingzhi's eyes suddenly became sore.

Sun Shangshu showed a satisfied smile, and said: "Cheating in the imperial examination is a serious crime, and it is natural for family members to visit."

Suddenly, the conversation changed: "No."

Xu Pingzhi gritted his teeth.

After finishing speaking, Sun Shangshu stopped looking at his uncle and nephew, and picked up the teacup. In officialdom, if the host does not drink tea while speaking, it means seeing off the guests.

"Don't bother Sun Shangshu anymore." Xu Qi'an turned and left.

Looking at the backs of the uncle and nephew, Sun Shangshu said indifferently: "There are a few thorns in the yard. I heard that Mr. Xu has cultivated into a golden body of Buddhism. Are you interested in trying it?"

Xu Qi'an left without looking back.

As Xu Pingzhi walked out of the office of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, he scolded: "Shangshu, son of a bitch, wants you to carry the thorns to plead guilty, even if I draw a knife and cut him, I won't agree."

"How did Second Uncle come so quickly?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"You came too late. After I received the news, I immediately went home to appease your aunt and Lingyue, but it was completely useless." Second Uncle Xu said with a headache:

"I just know how to cry and cry, oh, Ning Yan, what should I do about this?"

Although Xu Pingzhi is a vulgar martial artist, he is aware of the "festivals" between the Imperial College and Yunlu Academy. On the way here, I tried my best to analyze a wave, and felt that Erlang's imprisonment was probably related to this matter.

"This matter is very complicated, second uncle, you go back first, I still have things to do."

Xu Qi'an didn't want to waste time, so he got on the filly and ran away along the street.

Wei Yuan's words emerged in his mind:

The first step is to prevent the Ministry of Criminal Justice from being tortured into a trick. Chen Fuyin of the government government is a slippery official, and he has both sides. Once this matter is confirmed, he probably doesn't want to offend Sun Shangshu.

"Sun Shangshu hated me deeply. The imperial examination fraud case just gave him a chance to take revenge. Even, this is what he promoted. No matter how bad it is, he is also one of the participants. It is almost impossible for him to treat Erlang kindly. "

The filly was sweating and panting, and finally stopped in a yard in the outer city.

"Taoist, Taoist, Jianghu emergency"

Xu Qi'an pushed open the courtyard door, went straight to the inner room, and saw Priest Jin Lian lying peacefully on the bed, as if asleep.

Again, he went to the cat again and was in a hurry. Seeing this scene, the corners of his mouth couldn't help twitching.

Having had the back kick of the little mare's love and the purpose of asking for others, Xu Qi'an did not use physical means to wake up Daoist Jinlian, and sat at the table and waited silently. Within three minutes, a slender shadow appeared at the door.

"What's up."

Daoist Jin Lian squatted on the threshold, with a gentle and calm voice, as if he was used to talking like this.

"My cousin Xu New Year was involved in the imperial examination fraud case"

Xu Qi'an briefly described the ins and outs of the matter, and then said: "Master Daoist, I need your help."

The amber pupils of the orange cat stared faintly, shaking the air, and said:

"I don't know enough about Dafeng's officialdom to give you effective advice. You shouldn't be looking for me on this matter. Wei Yuan is a master of political fighting. If political fighting is divided into grades, Wei Yuan is the second rank."

Xu Qi'an, who was originally very anxious, couldn't help but continue when he heard this topic: "It's only a second grade? Then who is a first grade?"

The orange cat laughed and said: "Naturally, it is Emperor Yuan Jing. In terms of the emperor's mind, Yuan Jing has already reached the pinnacle. Both Wei Yuan and Wang Zhenwen are expected to be a leader in political struggle, but they have different ideas and different political views.

"Emperor Yuan Jing deliberately placed two fierce tigers on the court hall, and he really sat on the mountain and watched the tigers fight."

Makes sense, wait a minute, didn't you say that you don't know much about the court situation? Xu Qi'an cursed in his heart, but asked:

"Does the Taoist think that there is something beyond rank in political struggle?"

"Of course there is," Daoist Jin Lian raised his paw, licked it, and said, "The highest state of political struggle is to subdue everything by force, and no one dares to disobey every word. Every founding emperor is like this."

Daoist seems to be gradually affected by the habits of cats. Sure enough, in any living thing, the body controls the brain. The hormones secreted by the body determine what you do. If it is full, it will be donated to female pilgrims, so the question is, does Taoist priest Jin Lian like female cats or female cats?

At this time, the orange cat sighed, lowered its paws, and said quietly:

"You seem to enjoy hovering on the edge of life and death."

And repeated horizontal jumps? This sentence flashed through Xu Qi'an's mind subconsciously, and then quickly changed the topic back, saying, "Master Daoist, I want to ask you for a favor."

Along the canal outside the capital, to the south, ten miles from the outskirts of the city, there is a lake with vast mist, surrounded by green hills on both sides, and lotus flowers in the lake, the scenery is extremely beautiful.

There are also farmhouses, teahouses and restaurants by the lake.

Because this place is in the outskirts of Beijing, it can be reached by boat, which is fast and convenient, so every spring, there are countless young princes and rich families who take a boat trip to the lake, which is very lively.

An exquisitely embroidered boat is moored on the shore. Wang Simu is dressed up today. She is wearing a popular wide-sleeved light gauze skirt. The color of the pattern is the same as the background color.

The makeup is exquisite, the hair is combed in a beautiful bun, and the black hair is dotted with gold hairpins and jade hairpins, which is completely in accordance with the standards of dating.

But an hour passed, and the family swam back and forth on the lake, and Ms. Wang's boat was still parked where she was, and she was in a very unhappy mood.

"Miss, forget it, let's go back." The servant girl persuaded in a low voice: "Xu Huiyuan won't come."

"Is it because your news hasn't been delivered?" Wang Simu refused to accept this reality, and gave the maid a light look, trying to blame Xu New Year.

"How dare you, it must have been delivered." The servant girl said aggrievedly.

Wang Simu sat blankly for a long time, unable to hide his disappointment in his bright eyes, and said softly: "Forget it, let's go back."

"Hey." The servant girl responded briskly, left the cabin with small steps, and went to the stern to inform the boatman to return.

The boatmen pulled the anchor up from the water, rowed the oars together, and the boat moved slowly along the canal back to the capital.

After returning to the capital pier, Wang Simu got into the carriage waiting on the side of the road, and ordered: "Lan'er, you go to Xu's mansion right now, just say I'm going to play with Miss Lingyue.

"I'll wait here for half an hour before leaving."

"Miss, why is that?" The servant girl frowned.

"Even if he doesn't mean anything to me, I have to know it clearly." Ms. Wang was very aggressive.

Chunwei Huiyuan Xu New Year, was arrested by the Ministry of Criminal Justice for suspected fraud and put in prison.

This major case, which was destined to shake the entire capital, spread from the government office and the Ministry of Punishment, and then passed through the six departments, quietly spreading to the entire officialdom in the capital.

After a few more days of fermentation and dissemination, the whole people will know it.

During the lunch break, acquainted officials and officials gathered in restaurants, teahouses and other places to discuss the imperial examination fraud case.

"I knew that if the students of Yunlu Academy won the Hui Yuan, the princes of the court would agree? Isn't it here?"

"You only know one thing and don't know the other. This matter is definitely not that simple. Then Xu Qi'an is Xu Qi'an's cousin, and Xu Qi'an is the top poet of the Great Feng Dynasty. I don't believe that such masterpieces as "The Road is Difficult" are not tricky. of."

"Bullshit, is there only one Xu Qi'an who can write poetry in this world? We scholars can't have a flash of inspiration and a clever hand?"

"Okay, there's no point in arguing about it. Xu Huiyuan is set this time, no matter whether he cheated or not, his future will be ruined. I remember that in the twelfth year of Yuanjing, there was a fraud case involving three students, and the case was investigated for two years In the end, he was released, but his reputation was ruined and his studies were ruined."

"A similar case happened in the 20th year of Yuanjing, but that time the evidence was solid, and the students and examiners involved in the case were beheaded by His Majesty."

"If this case is confirmed, as a student of Xu Xinian's Yunlu Academy, if you think about it, there is no possibility of a turnaround. Do you think Wei Gong will take action?"

"It's very possible that Xu Qi'an is Wei Gong's confidant, and he will definitely ask Wei Gong to take action."

"Then what if Duke Wei sits on the sidelines?"

"If Duke Wei doesn't make a move, then who else can save Xu Huiyuan? Do you count on Xu Qi'an, a warrior? He may be a good hand in solving cases and killing enemies. How can a mere warrior be able to figure out the way in the officialdom."

Chu Yuanzhen, who was staying at his old friend's house, also learned about it from his friend who had returned from the yamen during lunch time.

No. 3 was involved in the imperial examination fraud case. Although No. 3 is extremely smart, the battle between Yunlu Academy and Guozijian is an irreversible trend. If you are not smart, you can make up for it. The best ending is to get rid of fame. No. 3 cannot be an official. This is the loss of the court

"I heard that this matter was impeached by the newly-appointed Youdu Censor, but I guess, um, all parties are either watching or secretly helping, and Xu Nian is in danger." The friend said.

Chu Yuanzhen sighed, and said in a deep voice: "I just left the temple because I was tired of party struggles. Since ancient times, party struggles have hurt the country's strength, and emperors' cultivating Taoism has hurt luck."

The friend's face changed drastically: "Yuan Zhen, be careful with your words."

"What are you afraid of? I've been dressed in white for a long time, and I'm at ease." Chu Yuanzhen smiled, and then sighed: "I just thought about it for a long time, but I can't break the situation. Unless Wei Yuan ends up fighting, with Xu Ningyan's potential, Wei Yuan should be able to do it." make a decision.

"However, this may be exactly what the group of people want to see. Hey, it still can't break the situation."

royal palace.

In Dexinyuan, Huaiqing, who was wearing a plain palace dress, sat behind the table and nodded to the head of the guard inside: "I know, you should step down."

After the chief guard left, Huaiqing got up, walked to the window, frowned and pondered: "If it were me, how would I break the situation?"

After thinking for a long time, he shook his head and sighed.

Then, she suddenly thought, if it was Xu Ningyan, what would he do.

In a restaurant in the inner city, Sun Yaoyue booked a private room and invited his classmates and friends from the Imperial Academy to drink. The main purpose was to share a major event that was about to shake the scholars in the capital.

"Huiyuan Xu New Year of Chunwei was arrested by my father this morning. It is said that he cheated on the imperial examinations and bribed the examiners."

"The news is true?" The students of the Imperial College were shocked.

"Of course it is true. I went to the yamen to confirm it myself and asked my father. Although he was kicked out of the yamen, Zhu Shilang has already revealed it to me. Then Xu New Year is in prison, waiting for interrogation." Sun Yaoyue glanced at all the friends, proud Said eloquently.

Sun Yaoyue is the only legitimate son of Sun Shangshu, he is quite good in his studies, better than most dudes, but he has a problem, he loves to gossip.

Sun Yaoyue is both jealous and angry about Huiyuan, a student of Yunlu Academy, Xu New Year High School, and now he is imprisoned for cheating in the imperial examination, not to mention how happy he is.

"That Yinluo Xu Qi'an is not a son of man, and relying on the protection of Wei Yangou, he shows off his power in the capital, writes poems and insults my father, he really deserves to be cut to death."

Sun Yaoyue slammed the table and laughed wantonly: "If you can't cut him, then cut his cousin. Hahaha, drink and drink."

When the students of the Imperial College heard the news, they were surprised and relieved. That’s right, Hui Yuan of Chunwei was acquired by a student from Yunlu Academy. What is the dignity of these scholars of the Imperial College?

Definitely cheating, definitely cheating, no other reason accepted.

"Brother Sun, it's better to be happy alone than to be happy with others. We should let it spread widely for such a joyful thing."

"It makes sense, let's do it this way, see you tonight, Jiaofang Secretary."

Satisfied with wine and food, Sun Yaoyue left the restaurant drunkenly, got into the carriage parked outside the restaurant, and climbed into the carriage with the support of his followers.

He was about to take a nap, when he saw a slender orange cat squatting on a bed covered with tiger skin, with amber pupils, looking at him faintly.

There was no movement, the carriage continued to move forward, the window suddenly opened, and the orange cat jumped out, with its tail upright, the kitten walked very fast, and disappeared into the bustling crowd.

Ministry of punishment.

Sun Shangshu summoned officials and asked, "Go to the prison and ask, has Xu Xinian confessed?"

The official took the order to retreat, and a few minutes later, he returned and replied: "Master Shangshu, Xu Xinian's bones are very hard, no matter how much he beats him, he will not confess."

"That's not enough beating," Sun Shangshu snorted coldly, and said: "The Ministry of Punishment has a lot of torture, let him taste it one by one, and the stone will make it bloom, um, just keep your breath."

"yes."

The official stepped back, and as soon as he left, a man rushed in panicked on his back, dressed as a rich man with gray hair, and stumbled when he crossed the threshold.

"What are you doing in the Yamen?" Sun Shangshu asked with a frown.

This person is the housekeeper of the Sun House, an old slave who has been with Sun Shangshu for decades.

"Master, something is wrong." The old housekeeper said in a trembling voice with a mournful face, "Master, he's gone."

"What do you mean the young master is missing?"

Sun Shangshu's face changed slightly, he got up and walked over, staring at the old butler, and repeated in a deep voice: "What do you mean the young master is missing!!"

"The servants who went out with the young master returned to the mansion not long ago to report that today the young master had a banquet for his classmates in a restaurant. After having a drink, he got into the carriage and then disappeared. When the carriage returned to the mansion, he found that there was no one in the carriage."

The old butler scratched his ears and cheeks, anxiously and dazedly, and said cautiously: "Your Majesty said, Xu, maybe the master has offended someone recently?"

There is a set of unspoken rules in the officialdom of Dafeng. Political struggles will return to political struggles, and family members will never be harmed. It's not about how high the moral bottom line is, but that if you are in the first grade of junior high school, others can also be in the fifteenth grade.

It will also be regarded as ignorant of the rules and rejected by the entire class.

This unspoken rule is very authoritative, and even the imperial court agrees with it, and the reason why it is not explicitly stipulated is because it cannot be put on the table.

But there is a system in Dafeng. Once any official enters Beijing as an official, his parents, wives and children must enter Beijing together.

What is the point of this system?

A system paves the way for a hidden rule, which shows how authoritative the hidden rule is.

Who offended Sun Shangshu muttered to himself, Xu Qi'an, a bitch, naturally appeared in his mind.

"madness!"

Sun Shangshu yelled loudly, bearded and haired, furious, and roared: "You think you can make this official submit by kidnapping my son? The yellow-haired boy, destroy the Great Wall yourself.

"If my son makes any mistake, you will have no place in the entire capital. No, your whole family will die."

After roaring, he swept all the folders on the table to the ground, the teacup was smashed to pieces with a "bang", and the pen, ink, paper and inkstone were scattered all over the floor.

The old housekeeper kept silent, and he didn't dare to show his air. The master has been an official for many years, and he has already cultivated a city mansion that will not be surprised by favor or humiliation.

Such an exasperated appearance happened twice, the first time was because of that extremely humiliating poem, and both times were because of this yellow-haired boy named Xu Qi'an.

Sun Shangshu suddenly lifted the hem of his official robe, and ran out of the room with a vigorous figure that did not match his age.

"Master, if you have any orders, just let the old slave do it."

The old butler chased him out and said loudly.

Sun Shangshu ignored it and roared: "Come here, come here, go to the prison quickly, no punishment, no punishment!"

The sky above the yamen of the Ministry of Punishment echoed Sun Shangshu's "no punishment" (broken sound).

A quarter of an hour later, at this time, Sun Shangshu, who had initially calmed down, returned to the hall out of breath, took a big sip of the hot tea offered by the old housekeeper.

"Yellow-haired boy, dare to threaten this official, ignorant and stupid!"

After scolding, Sun Shangshu changed the subject and told the housekeeper: "You go to the policeman's yamen immediately, and let that damned dog thief come to see me."

Even though the other party broke the rules, Sun Shangshu couldn't hold back his temper now. Of course it would be best if he could talk, first keep his son safe, and then settle the score with the dog thief surnamed Xu.

The steward nodded yes, turned around and was about to leave when he saw a guard crossing the threshold, clasped his fists and said, "Master Shang Shu, then Xu Qi'an is here again."

Just in time!

Sun Shangshu's eyes shot out, and he straightened up instantly: "Let him in."

In a short while, the guards brought Xu Qi'an in silver gong uniform, and the dog thief surnamed Xu walked around the courtyard with a smile on his face, unlike the sullen face and suppressed anger when he asked for an interview in the morning.

And Sun Shangshu's expression at this moment is just like Xu Qi'an at that time.

"Where is my son, Sun Yaoyue, Xu Qi'an, let him go home immediately, I can pretend that this incident never happened." Sun Shangshu didn't look sideways, as if he didn't see Xu Qi'an at all.

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

Xu Qi'an looked innocent, thought for a while, and suddenly changed his face: "Well, Sun Shangshu not only wronged my cousin for cheating in the imperial examination, but even wanted to frame me. There are such despicable and shameless people in the world."

"you"

Sun Shangshu finally moved his eyes and stared at Xu Qi'an, he didn't speak, but waved away the officials in the hall. Then, word by word:

"I think you are young and don't know the rules, so I am willing to give you a chance. If you still want to stay in the officialdom in the capital, you will let me go obediently."

Xu Qi'an shook his head and said: "Sun Shangshu must have made a mistake, I don't know what you are talking about."

After a pause, he suddenly realized, and said with concern: "Listen to the meaning of Sun Shangshu's words, did something happen to your son? Kidnapped by thieves? Tell me, I am the most urgent and righteous person, and no one can solve the case. As long as Sun Shangshu opens his mouth, I guarantee that within a day, he will be found for you."

Playing stupid with me, Sun Shangshu got angry from his heart, and said viciously: "Xu Qi'an, don't forget that you also have family."

Xu Qi'an sighed, with a mournful expression on his face: "Master Shangshu, you don't seem to understand me. Both my parents died when I was young, and my second uncle raised me.

"However, my aunt bullied me and humiliated me in every possible way. When I was fifteen, she kicked me out of the house and put me in a kennel. It's a pity that I don't have a father who is surrounded by hundreds of thousands of troops and who can twist his mouth."

"Xu Qi'an!" Sun Shangshu interrupted angrily, stared at him for a long time, and said in a low voice:

"What exactly do you want? Your majesty will investigate the fraud case of the imperial examination. The Ministry of punishment and the presiding officer of the government office will try it. The civil and military officials of the court will stare at it. I am the only one who has the final say. If you want to use my son as a threat, this official can only fight with you to the death. .Don't be naive!"

These days, whoever is more violent can take advantage of his cousin. Naturally, his cousin is not as important as his son. I can be "ruthless", but he can't.

"I only have one request. During Xu Xinian's imprisonment, he must not be tortured. Don't try to torture him. If he loses a finger, I will cut off one of your fingers. I will leave as many wounds on your body as there are wounds on his body.

"After the imperial examination fraud case is over, no matter whether Xu Xinian can get off the crime or not, I will let your son go as promised."

"Xu Qi'an"

Sun Shangshu was about to scold him, but Xu Qi'an suddenly turned black, his face was ferocious, and he said sharply, "Call me Lord Viscount."

Sun Shangshu softened, and said in a deep voice, "Master Viscount, why should I trust you?"

Xu Qi'an walked slowly to the table, picked up a piece of pastry and ate it, and said lightly:

"Does Sun Shangshu have a choice? Believe it or not, you have to do what I want. Unless you don't want a son-in-law. I didn't let you exonerate Xu New Year, but I just asked you not to do unnecessary things. This matter Not difficult."

He walked up to Sun Shangshu, wiped the scarlet robe, and said in a deep voice, "As you said, I also have a family."

This step was taught by Wei Yuan, but the method and plan were his own ideas, and Wei Yuan did not come up with any ideas.

Doing nothing and hoping that the opponent will be kind is nothing but a dream, and the teasing and cold reception he encountered in the Ministry of Justice this morning is just proof.

To defeat an enemy, one must grasp the opponent's weakness.

And most of the weaknesses are close relatives. However, harming family members is a big taboo, and Xu Qi'an has to consider and control the scale by himself.

Therefore, he did not imagine that only one Sun Yaoyue could save Erlang. Just make a deal between Sun Yaoyue and Sun Shangshu. In this way, the difficulty will be greatly reduced and the nature will be lighter.

As for Sun Shangshu's disagreement and insisted on torture Xu Erlang, then Xu Qi'an would do what he said. He even asked Sun Shangshu to send a white-haired person to a black-haired person.

So far, everything is within his expectations, thanks to the good grasp of the scale.

Sun Shangshu let out a sigh of relief: "Once I believe you, I will not torture Xu Erlang. I also hope that when my son returns home, he will be safe and sound. Otherwise, you will be responsible for the consequences."

"It's natural." Xu Qi'an snorted.

"But I'm not worried about you. I'm going to see Xu New Year. You can ask someone to arrange it."

As he said that, he walked to the door with steps that his relatives did not recognize, turned around suddenly, and said with a smile: "By the way, Lord Viscount is very good."

Sun Shangshu's face was gloomy, and his beard trembled with anger.

"crash"

Amidst the sound of the chains sliding, the jailer opened the door leading to the prison, and a damp and rotten atmosphere rushed in.

Under the leadership of the jailer, Xu Qi'an walked through the dark passage to the cell where Xu Xinian was being held.

Xu Nian closed his eyes and rested with his back against the wall. He was wearing a prison uniform, his face was pale, and his body was stained with blood.

Seeing his little brother's miserable appearance, Xu Qi'an's face sank in vain, after all, he was a step late, and Erlang suffered a lot in prison.

He underestimated Sun Shangshu's determination to take revenge on him.

Xu Qi'an said softly: "Erlang, Erlang"

Xu Erlang froze for a moment, suspecting that he had heard wrongly, he opened his eyes in astonishment.

PS: Yesterday’s omissions are updated, and today I make up. Well, what I make up is the number of words, not the number of chapters. If the chapters are large, your reading experience will be much better.

I usually have a chapter of 4000-5000 words. Therefore, today's word count is between 12,000 and 15,000.