The first work of the imperial prison

In the early summer, the sun passed through the windows and covered the floor brilliantly, like finely divided gold, shining with infinite light, wanting to bestow splendor on the world for a lifetime.

Su Jiujiu frowned slightly, looked at her father, then at her junior brother, with some disapproval in her eyes: "I am no longer a child."

Su Tu can brew wine, juggle guns, and knives, and his temper honed on the battlefield almost made him fear nothing but fear of his daughter frowning. He scratched the back of his head and said in a low voice: "What, girl, niece, The commander is here to ask questions, let's not play petty temper, if you are not happy, scold your junior when you get home, okay?"

Du Kang: ...

It's time to top the pot again.

But after many years, he has no resistance to this, and he is willing to do it, his eyes are slightly slow, and there is a tenderness that others don't understand: "Well, if the senior sister scolds me when she comes home, I will cook two good dishes for the senior sister and make a pot of good tea." , Senior Sister is comfortable, you can scold me for as long as you want."

Su Jiujiu showed a puzzled expression of 'why do men always make trouble for no reason', but in the end he didn't struggle, and stood quietly where he was, without saying a word.

Ye Baiting looked at Su Tu: "As far as I know, there are many matchmakers in your family who came to propose a marriage for Su Jiujiu, but they failed in the end. Why?"

Su Tu sighed: "I don't want to say too much about my family, but Bi Zhenghe is dead. You have heard what he said before, and there may be misunderstandings, but it is not the case. My family is not poor, and I never thought about it. Sell ​​your daughter."

"I have a bad temper and tend to be irritable. My daughter went early, and I took her with me casually. She is not like other little girls. She understands things when she is young. I only have this little flesh and blood. I hope for the rest of my life, but she is happy." It went well. She has a cold temper, doesn't like to play with other girls, doesn't want to learn embroidery, doesn't want to cook, it doesn't matter, she can buy clothes, and I can cook two dishes. I teach her what she wants to learn. I have no other thoughts when she gets married in the future. I just hope that the man really likes her and treats her well. I want to see my daughter-in-law happy as a husband and wife, full of children and grandchildren, Enjoy the family relationship, but those matchmakers said that she is not good, just seeing my girl's good looks, greedy for her color, or just seeing her wine brewing skills, wanting to find a recipe, how can I agree?"

"Besides, my daughter doesn't like them either, so she didn't look at them much."

"At first I persuaded with nice words, but others didn't listen. They thought I was being modest about picking on Joe, and I spoke more diligently. I could only be a little more aggressive. When my temper came up, I didn't fail to do it. Later, when others mentioned this, I just said it. With a knife, if others misunderstand, they will misunderstand, and I have nothing to be afraid of."

As Su Tu was talking, his eyes turned red for some reason, and he looked at Su Jiujiu solemnly: "Girl, who do you want to fall in love with, I really like it, I will beat gongs and drums to prepare a dowry for you, and send you off happily." Get on the bridal sedan chair, if you look down on anyone and don’t want to get married, your father can support you for the rest of your life. After your father dies, there will be your junior brother, who will never make you helpless and alone. You are doing well. ah."

Du Kang's eyes were dark, and he said solemnly, "I will support Senior Sister for the rest of my life."

Ye Baiting thought for a while and said, "So you knew early on that Lu Ming's talk about the wine list cooperation is actually laying the groundwork for your daughter?"

"Yes." Su Tu's face darkened, "Others dare to touch things like fake wine because they are dark-hearted, powerful and powerful, and are not afraid of trouble. We ordinary people dare not, and will die. Life is born in heaven and earth , raised in the world, you have to have a conscience, even if the other party doesn't want to bully my daughter, I will definitely not agree to this."

"But you and your apprentice both beat Lu Ming, not just for this reason?" Ye Baiting looked into Su Tu's eyes, "Is there any other purpose for Lu Ming to come to you besides fake wine and your daughter's matter?" ?”

Du Kang looked at his master, but said nothing.

Su Tu turned his gaze slightly, and finally landed on Qiu Yiqing sitting on the seat. He paused, but did not speak.

do not cooperate...

Ye Baiting did not press on, but turned to Zhong Xingyan: "Does Master Zhong know that he is being watched?"

Zhong Xingyan might as well turn the topic to himself again: "Ah?"

Ye Baiting: "You were beaten up by Du Kang, right? When did it happen?"

Zhong Xingyan glared at Du Kang: "The night before Bi Zhenghe died."

Ye Baiting gave him an analysis: "Look, you conspired with Lu Ming to bring fake wine to the banquet of the embassy to frame others. Daha, the leader of the embassy, ​​knew about it a long time ago. You lost face and were beaten by Du Kang with a sack." After a pause, Mu Ya, the deputy head of the mission, saw again... Mr. Zhong seems to have no secrets with the mission."

Zhong Xingyan: ...

Ye Baiting added: "Then you guess now, your master Lu Ming betrayed you and colluded with Bi Zhenghe, does the mission know?"

Zhong Xingyan's complexion was a bit ugly. It was in vain that he thought he was smart, and he didn't want to be seen through in front of others. Everyone had checked him and knew about him, but he himself didn't know anything!

"Lord Zhong, don't be sad," Ye Baiting reminded kindly, "You have checked the relationship between Lu Ming and Bi Zhenghe before, and their relationship has always been secret. It is very rare for you to be aware of it, but you let it go because you didn't find any conclusive evidence? You I like to make money, and I am very sensitive to accounts, and I always feel that the amount is small, which is not right, but I can’t find the reason, can I?”

Zhong Xingyan was indeed troubled by this question: "It's true..."

Ye Baiting nodded: "Then I can tell you now that Jin Yiwei has found out that your money was transferred by Lu Ming, and after several detours, it arrived at Bi Zhenghe's place, but Bi Zhenghe didn't leave the money behind." The money, not spent on myself at all, was transferred to other places - these two people have a secret in common, and no one knows."

Zhong Xingyan frowned. Behind them, is there someone else?

"But your so-called little secret, 'The Hunting Beauty Project', including the small box with the golden lock on it, Bi Zhenghe knows it, and everyone else knows it, don't you want to know where your money ended up?" Ye Baiting persuaded earnestly , "Think about it carefully, is there anything unusual about the relationship between Lu Ming and Bi Zhenghe? Especially when it is related to the Oirat Mission, is there anything special about it?"

Daha quit again: "Stop spitting blood here! Jin Yiwei doesn't need evidence for questioning, he can be induced casually!"

Ye Baiting frowned: "Did Chief Da kill someone?"

Daha: "Have you said everything!"

"Since you have never killed anyone, why are you in such a hurry? You are not afraid of the shadow slanting, waiting for this moment will not hinder anything."

"you--"

With a sound of "knock--", Qiu Xunqing put the teacup on the table.

The commander didn't speak, but the action of putting the teacup was not taken lightly, and the hall was too quiet, it seemed that the sound was particularly abrupt, with a special sense of shock that made people's scalp tingle.

Daha's eyebrows twitched, and he silently silenced. Let's listen to you again and see what tricks you can make up!

Ye Baiting was not in a hurry, and waited patiently.

Although Jin Yiwei found the exact logic chain and some clues about secret meetings, some things still need to be corroborated by oral testimony, and some of these clues show that Zhong Xingyan should know.

Being watched and waited by a roomful of people, Zhong Xingyan felt a little stressed, but he walked in the direction Ye Baiting reminded him, and he really remembered something: "Yes! I have seen Daha and Lu Ming talk behind their backs! It seems Tell me what, you are very close, very intimate!"

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was the case, Jin Yiwei was right, everyone was smart, but he was a fool, he was fooled from the beginning to the end!He elevates himself high, looks down on this, looks down on that, says this person is stupid, that person is stupid, only he knows everything well, and he can generously give favors to others, but in fact, it is others who are looking at him all the time joke!

This Lu Ming is two-faced and three-faced, it seems that he has not only betrayed him, but he is also a family slave of three surnames!

"Lord Zhong, speak carefully!"

Daha's eyes stood up angrily, and he suppressed his anger: "Think about it again, if Lu Ming is really my man, would I not cherish him? You brought him to me, and you said you were busy with business and couldn't escape. Come on, leave everything to Lu Ming, let me connect with him, he is by my side every day, we occasionally talk without paying attention to the environment, no one sees, is it normal? If he is really mine, why should I target him? He used to be bullied and sent him to run errands maliciously? I bribed him, recruited him well, corporal, and let him become my Oala's hidden stake, isn't it good?"

Zhong Xingyan was forced to be stunned for a moment, seems to be right?

Ye Baiting: "Of course it's because your plot is more than that. You are so determined to offend me Dazhao, didn't you set up a hidden stake in the capital?"

Speaking of this, Daha's face became even more gloomy.

The mission's travel plan has been planned for so long, how could they not set up hidden stakes and send secret work?But most of them entered the sea like mud cows. No matter how elite people entered the capital, they would lose news. He didn't even know who the people living here were!In the end, I had to think of another way. I only sent people over and didn’t send any news back. As long as they don’t move, the people in the capital will definitely not find out. …

At first, it worked. This time, not all the people were lost, and there were still a few elite forces, but that was all. As soon as they got in touch, they were targeted and kicked off again. This time he saw clearly , It was the commander of Beizhen Fusi who did it!

To this day, all the hidden stakes that he had lurked in the past have almost been pulled out, and he doesn't know who to turn to for reasoning!

His eyes were burning like fire, and he was burning with anger and violence, but Ye Baiting didn't notice it, and continued: "You are in the mission, and the purpose of the mission is different. You want to stir up the muddy water, and you want to divide the two people who receive you." , or pull them together, or alienate them, and use different tricks to link them together, making Zhong Xingyan and Bi Zhenghe quarrel with each other, and the bigger the noise, the better."

"Someone is led by you, but someone is cooperating with you... Lu Ming and Bi Zhenghe, who is yours? I guess there was only one before, but now, both of them, right? You let them both What are you doing for you? It’s not a counterfeit wine business, is it? It’s just a cover, under the banner of Zhong Xingyan, it’s more convenient to do things, and you asked them to find another person, right?”

As soon as the words fell, the room was silent.

It seemed that he didn't react at all. After a long time, Daha's furious voice came, obviously panicked: "You fart! I'm looking for someone, but I haven't looked for anyone!"

Ye Baiting's eyes suddenly became sharp: "Isn't finding someone the purpose of your mission's trip?"

"Stop judging the heart of a gentleman with the heart of a villain!" Daha's throat rolled, "My Oirat Mission is here to promote the diplomatic relations between the two countries, communicate with each other at the border, and we just want the people on both sides to extinguish the flames of war and live a better life." It’s better, what other purpose can there be!”

Ye Baiting didn't listen to his sophistry: "At first, we thought you were just looking for one person, but later we found out that it was not one person, you were actually looking for two people, in order to stir up the muddy water, so that others would misunderstand or confuse you, so that they could not see through you. If there is any news about it, you might as well divide your troops into two groups, and the one who went to find it yourself was one person, and the one who arranged for Lu Ming and Bi Zheng to co-organize it was another person, right?"

Daha: "I didn't—"

"The reason why Lu Ming came to Suji Winery was not only to do the counterfeit wine business, but also to help Zhong Xingyan find beauty. There is another person you are looking for. This family probably has clues, right?"

While talking, Ye Baiting didn't ask Daha, but looked at Su Tu and Du Kang, the master and apprentice pair: "You two are so wary of Lu Ming, so angry, and attack so fiercely, it is indeed because of Su Jiujiu, But there are others, too, right?"

Du Kang looked at Su Tu, Su Tu looked serious, remained motionless, and still didn't speak, so Du Kang also tied his hands, lowered his eyes, and also didn't speak.

"Lu Ming and Bi Zhenghe colluded. Lu Ming was helping the mission, and Bi Zhenghe was indispensable." Ye Baiting looked at Du Kang, "On the day Bi Zhenghe died, you went to Bi Zhenghe's house to deliver wine. Did you kill him?"

Du Kang shook his head: "No."

"Then why did the servants of the Bi family say you were 'panicked' when you were late delivering the wine that day?"

"That day... Senior Sister was feeling unwell." Du Kang glanced at Su Jiujiu, "I was very worried. I was a little late just now, and I was in a hurry to go back."

After that, there was nothing else to say, and the room fell into silence.

Ye Baiting pondered for a moment, and then said: "Lu Ming and Bi Zhenghe have talked enough, let's talk about Yu Linglong. The first two are a master, and the other is a crook in the officialdom. It seems that both of them are dead, but Yu Linglong is just a The dancer has nothing to do with these dirty bureaus, she just took a job, came out of the Jiaofang Division, and danced a few dances here, what did she do wrong, why did she die?"

He looked at Su Jiujiu: "Miss Su is familiar with Yu Linglong, maybe tell us what kind of person she is?"

Su Jiujiu lowered her eyes: "Girl Yu's past... was a bit hard."

"Her father is an official. If she had been born a few years earlier, she might have enjoyed the life of a young lady. She had no regrets in her childhood, but when she was born, her family was in exile. She was born in the north, and her family went through many twists and turns, and settled in the border. The small village was constantly invaded by the post-Wala people, looted again and again, and her family members died in the flames of war. In that village lived, there were old people and children who could not walk, remnant soldiers who had retreated from the front, and People with sins on their bodies, unspeakable suffering, and no way to leave, they have nowhere to go, they can only resist desperately, and then the number of people is getting smaller and smaller every day, and the village is getting more and more desolate every day.”

"She would have been the same as her family, and died someday, but General An..." Su Jiu paused, "It can't be called General An, she has never met General An himself, it is General An. The general's army, rescued her."

"The Oirat cavalry is very fierce, and the scimitar is very sharp. Before the appearance of General An, the border gate was like a farmhouse without a gate. People came in and looted, killed and slaughtered sheep, and bullied their masters. There was no way to resist. With General An At the beginning, it was still very difficult. General An led his soldiers, faced several life-and-death difficulties, and I don’t know how many times they survived at the gate of the King’s Hall, and how many injuries they suffered, before they became that mighty teacher and kept the border peace..."

"Miss Yu is an orphan girl. Although she saved her life in the war, she has nowhere to settle down and live. It happened that the clansmen in the capital sent a letter inviting her to go back, so she went back. Who knew that the clansmen didn't have good intentions, but just wanted to take advantage of her. She wanted some benefits, but she didn't want to, but she knew the secret, and the clansmen didn't like it, so they made a trick, accused her of being the daughter of a prisoner, and sent her to the Jiaofang Division."

When Shen Jiang heard this, he sighed secretly.

He didn't know what happened to the Jade girl's family, but the offender sentenced her to exile and the whole family went with her. It was probably not a serious crime of murder. A girl who was born in a place of exile and passed away for many years can be manipulated and released at her own discretion. It is really too much for her people to do so.

Su Jiujiu's voice was clear, like a drizzle in spring, a little cold, but very gentle: "She doesn't actually complain, she has never met her clansmen before, she has no feelings, and there is no disappointment. She was alone a long time ago. People love, no one cherishes, she has long been used to it."

"The girl from the Jiaofang Division has a bad reputation outside, but she doesn't expect to use her reputation for anything, so she doesn't care. She didn't resist because she likes to dance, and liking this kind of thing seems to be something that a good girl should not do. You can dance here, and she feels that at least one or two places are comfortable. She also likes wine, but not the ones that are drunk during the banquet. She likes to drink by herself, whether it is strong or light, or spicy or sweet. I like to drink alone."

"She has never thought about getting married. All her plans are that her appearance will gradually decline in the future, and she will no longer be able to dance. She can buy a small yard of her own. If she can enjoy the rain in spring, the fragrance of flowers in summer, and the osmanthus wine in autumn , it would be even better to come to see the plum blossoms in winter.”

"I didn't know her before. She asked me to make wine. She said that she appreciates plums every year and smells the light fragrance of its branches, but she has never tasted it. I don't know if it can be tasted in wine. We will discuss this issue. It was only after meeting her that I realized that she is actually a very interesting girl."

Su Jiujiu lowered her eyes, as if recalling the past: "When she came to find me to make wine, she deliberately avoided people, as if she didn't want to cause me trouble because of her identity, but when she turned into the room, we were alone, and she A bit lively, never restrained, not overly flamboyant, not self-pitying, she is very lively. I made 'Mei Lie' for her, and she was very surprised, saying that she has no friends, and it seems a bit too much to enjoy such wine alone. Invite me to have a drink with her."

"That night the wind was very light and the stars were very bright. She said that it was not the same as Bianguan at all. The wind at Bianguan is always very cold and a bit fierce. In summer, it was steaming and steaming. In winter, it was covered with snow and ice. The cold and heat were both murderous. Not gentle at all, but the stars in the sky are very bright, the brightest and most beautiful stars she has ever seen, like a lover's eyes."

"She said that she has never talked about the past with anyone. For some reason, she just wanted to talk that night, and told me not to mind. She was obviously not drunk, but the smile in her eyes seemed drunk. She smiled and mentioned a boy, saying The eyebrows and eyes are very beautiful, the eyes are bright and bright, like spring water in summer, like the bright moon on an autumn night, and he is not a very powerful person, just a soldier under General An's camp."

"Xiao Bing hasn't experienced it yet. He is very brave and his martial arts are good. He was a little embarrassed because he was surrounded by Oala people, but no matter how hard it was, with blood splashed on his face and wounded on his arm, he did not abandon her. That night In the wind and cold, she heard the hoofbeats of the Wala cavalrymen and the neighing of hungry wolves in the wilderness. She leaned on the boy's back and said that she was not afraid of death. Anyway, her family was gone and her body was also sick. She might not live long. Young boy Yang Let him go, but the young man pursed his lips, saying that General An said that no matter who I am, the people should not be given up..."

"The young man led her out of the siege, put her in a safe place, gave her a lot of advice, left money and medicine behind, and even though he was injured, he ignored her obstruction and went back to the battlefield without hesitation."

"She only saw this boy once, but for some reason, she always remembered his appearance back then. He was obviously in a mess, with blood and dust on his face, the gauze wrapped around his arms was red and yellow, and his body was dirty , but she just felt that she had never seen such a handsome boy before."

"I didn't know I missed it at the time, but I regretted it later. I didn't ask the boy's name. I didn't find him and get to know him later. I don't know how long life will be in the future, but I still have the fate to meet him."

"She didn't remember much about the scene at that time, but she only remembered that the young man was very good at wielding a gun. The red tassel on the tip of the gun was very beautiful. When I saw her looking lonely, I said that my father was also good at wielding a gun. There are many in the family collection. Hongying, because she has served in the army, that Hongying is different from the outside world, if you don’t mind, I can ask for one and give her one, she will be very pleasantly surprised.”

Hearing this, Ye Baiting understood: "So on the night of the mission's banquet, did you come to send the red tassels to Yu Linglong?"

"Yes," Su Jiujiu nodded, "I know she might be busy that night, but the wine list is closed, and I'm not close friends with her, and I'm afraid we won't be in frequent contact in the future, so I brought Hongying over there , it doesn’t matter if you can’t see her, as long as the things are delivered to her room, it’s unbelievable...but I got lost. "

Ye Baiting turned his gaze away and looked at a person in the field: "It's not that you got lost, it's because someone pointed you the wrong way on purpose."

"What do you think I am doing! Although this is my mission, I don't know what the people below are doing, let alone someone outside who is using my territory to make trouble!"

Daha's eyebrows and eyes were dark, and he took the opportunity to slap him: "You haven't said how this woman died! Don't you think that if you just tell a story and talk about the past, you can put shit on our heads!"

Ye Baiting met his gaze, and there was a faint light in the bottom of his eyes, scorching fiercely: "I also want to ask Chief Da, why he always mentions General An and speaks cautiously, he is obviously thousands of miles away, isn't he?"

Daha's eyes flickered slightly: "You Jokha people are full of minds, especially this General An, who is the best at trapping and killing. Back then, I was a strong soldier in Wala, and he dared to count his own life. He would bite off a piece of our flesh if he died. , now we are stepping on the ground of your Dazhao, and he doesn't move at all, what's wrong with us thinking more and being more wary?"

"Secrets are used to make things happen, and words are used to reveal failures. Some people take people's lives with this, and some use their lives to reward their confidants."

Ye Baiting's voice was as smooth as the moon, shining brilliantly: "Plum has other names, such as Anxiang, Binghun, Hanying... There is also Yulinglong. Yulinglong is a girl born in the border, a dancer of the Jiaofang Division in the capital, and a The plum in full bloom in the cold winter, she likes snow, is not afraid of the cold, has a proud character, knows the world but loves her heart."

"She has been favored by others, even if she has only one side, even if there is no fate, she will remember the mood at that time, and she will never forget it. What she thinks in her heart is not herself. What she sees is the vast starry sky, and what she thinks of is the ocean of life. Hai, she is just a dancing girl. She appreciates the bravery of others, and she wants to be a brave and fearless person. She wants to follow the direction of others and defend her beliefs. If others can save her life at all costs in the flames of war, she dares to Give everything in return, even if you sacrifice your life, even if—"

"Even if this person she wants to protect, she has never met or interacted with."

You used to protect me with your life for the ideals and beliefs in your heart, and I am willing to sacrifice my life to protect your ideals and beliefs and the people you want to protect.

This side of the fate, is the whole life.

Ye Baiting stared at one person in the field, staring intently, coldly: "Aren't you proud when you bully her? You think she is weak and incompetent, unable to resist your strength, but you don't know, her energy is beyond your imagination. Her strength of character is much nobler than yours!"