The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 208
Lin Ruhai acted vigorously and resolutely as always. After returning to the Yanxunyan Censor's Yamen, he took a short rest and immediately brought Kanglingcheng for interrogation. Jiao Fang, the Xunyan Censor, was also in the hall to listen.Lin Ruhai was seen sitting in the middle, while Jiao Fang was sitting in the jury box on the lower right hand. The former slapped the crowd and said: "Bring the prisoner to the court."

In a moment, Kang Lingcheng was escorted in. He walked calmly and looked very calm and confident. He probably knew that Jia Huan and others could not find any useful evidence when they searched Kang's mansion.

Jia Huan stood quietly beside Lin Ruhai's seat, as if he had assumed the role of a staff member. This was the second time he met Kang Wanwan. The last time was in the autumn of about three years ago, when Fuling passed by Yangzhou to visit Lin Ruhai and send Lin Daiyu off. A letter from home happened to meet Lin Ruhai, Kang Lingcheng and others boarding a boat for fishing, and they were invited to go together.

Now that nearly three years have passed, Kangling City has not changed much. It is still white and fat, looking harmless to humans and animals, but it is slightly haggard.

"Kang Lingcheng, a common man, kowtows to Master Lin." Kang Lingcheng lifted up the hem of his clothes, knelt down on the ground and kowtowed.

A trace of anger flashed in Lin Ruhai's eyes, and he shouted: "Kang Lingcheng, do you know your guilt?"

Kang Lingcheng said neither humble nor arrogantly: "The common people don't know what crime they are guilty of. Please make it clear to Master Lin."

Lin Ruhai sneered and said: "You bribed my steward Diao Sheng, poisoned me with aconite, and colluded with the pirate Gu Sanmozi to sell illegal salt. You even ordered pirates to attack me and the salt transport envoy Mr. Zhang a few days ago. You committed a heinous crime. The crime cannot be punished.”

Kang Lingcheng's expression suddenly changed, and he said in a trembling voice: "The common people have been wronged. The common people have always been content with themselves, and they have no grudges or grudges against Mr. Lin and Mr. Zhang. It is absolutely impossible for them to do such illegal things. Please ask Mr. Lin Mingjian.”

Lin Ruhai shouted sternly: "There is a witness here and I won't tolerate your quibbles. Come and bring the thief Shen Guan."

After leaning a little, the poisonous scholar Shen Guan was escorted in by two salt soldiers and fell to his knees in front of the hall.Lin Ruhai shouted and asked: "Who is in the hall?"

"The prisoner Shen Guan is the seventh master under Gu San Mazi, nicknamed Poisonous Scholar." Shen Guan lowered his head and said honestly. This guy is very afraid of death. He was so frightened when he saw the fourth master Zhang Xiaobei beheaded with a knife. He betrayed Kangling City immediately, and now he has no chance of turning back. He can only actively serve as a tainted witness in the hope of saving his life.

Lin Ruhai nodded, pointed his finger at the city and said: "Do you recognize this person?"

Shen Guan hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said: "I recognize him. He is Kang Lingcheng, the largest salt merchant in Yangzhou. His nickname is Kang Baiwan. He is with our Dragon King... No, he cooperates with Gu San Mazi to resell private salt. Every year, as many as [-] yuan." As mentioned above, the reason why we attacked Lord Lin this time was because he ordered Gu Sanmazi to do it, and Diao Sheng who poisoned you, Lord Lin, is also one of his people."

Inspector Jiao Fang couldn't help but be slightly shocked. More than 60 taels of private salt are sold every year. If the tax rate is 150 taels of silver per tao, the tax will be evaded by [-] taels. Even if it is finally sold at half the price of official salt, The value is also as high as about [-] million taels, which is simply appalling. No wonder he dares to take risks. The wealth is so attractive.

Lin Ruhai snorted coldly and said: "Kang Lingcheng, what else do you have to say now? I advise you to be frank and be lenient and confess truthfully. If you resist stubbornly, your crime will be increased."

Kang Lingcheng said calmly: "The common people don't know this person at all, nor do they know Gu San Mazi. This is a slanderous and false accusation. It should not be believed easily. Please give Mr. Lin a warning."

Shen Guan sneered and said: "Kang Yuanwai is not too old, but his memory is not very good. We met last year, and most of the letters that Kang Yuanwai and Gu San Mazi exchanged were written by him, and he even tried to deny it. Can’t do it?”

Kang Lingcheng secretly resented it and pretended to curse: "Evil thief, don't slander me. I have no grudge against you, so why do you want to frame me? Since you said that most of the letters between you and Gu San Mazi were written by you, then... Bring it out and confront it.”

Shen Guan was speechless. Gu Sanmazi was illiterate, and the letters he usually sent to Kang Lingcheng were indeed written by him, but he was just a passerby. The letters were all with Gu Sanmazi. How could he get them out at this time?

Kang Lingcheng's eyes flashed with pride, and he said more confidently: "Master Lin, I heard that this poisonous scholar Shen Guan is from Ningbo Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. He is narrow-minded and must retaliate. Because he failed to study and owed huge debts, he went to sea to become a pirate. , and later led pirates to harm the village, killed creditors, raped female relatives, and even humiliated his mentor to death. He was worse than a beast. How can you believe the words of such a person? Maybe I accidentally offended him at some point, That’s why I deliberately retaliated and framed you.”

All successful politicians or businessmen basically have one thing in common, that is, they are eloquent and especially good at deceiving. This is obviously the case in Kanglingcheng. He is very eloquent. The poisonous scholar Shen Guan was scolded by him until he blushed and became angry. Hate again.

Lin Ruhai said coldly: "Since you said you didn't know Shen Guan at all and had no interaction with him, how could you say you had offended him unintentionally? Such self-contradiction shows that it must be untrue. If someone comes, hit him with thirty killing sticks first. .”

Lin Ruhai was also a veteran in the officialdom. How could he be refuted by Kang Lingcheng's few words and order the execution after catching a specious loophole in his words? Hey, there was no express prohibition of torture to extract confessions in ancient times. On the contrary, if the people sued the officials, they would have to suffer first. There are too many excuses to slap you in the face, such as a slap in the face, or saying that you are contemptuous of national laws, disrespectful to the presiding judge, etc.

So Lin Ruhai gave the order, and two salt soldiers immediately stepped forward and pushed Kang Lingcheng down. They slapped Kang Lingcheng with thirty sticks, beating him until his skin was torn and his flesh was torn, and his thighs from his buttocks to the bottom were covered in blood. He fainted on the spot. Die in the past.

Lin Ruhai ordered the salt soldiers to bring a basin of cold water, poured it down, poured it on Kang Lingcheng, and asked coldly: "Kang Lingcheng, do you admit your guilt?"

Although Kang Lingcheng was beaten badly, he was very strong. He shook his head and said, "The common people are wronged."

Jia Huan couldn't help but frown secretly. Kang Lingcheng insisted that he was wrongly accused and refused to plead guilty even to death. In the absence of physical evidence, it was really difficult to convict him.

Lin Ruhai glanced at Jiao Fang, the juror's censor, and seemed to have some scruples, not daring to use more cruel methods, lest he be beaten to death, so he ordered people to take Kang Lingcheng back to the cell for retrial on another day, and at the same time sent a doctor Treat his injuries and bandage them to prevent him from dying of serious injuries.

After Kang Lingcheng was simply bandaged and treated, he was escorted back to the cell by Yan Ding. His eldest son Kang Dazhi was imprisoned next door. When he saw his father being carried back dying, he couldn't help shouting through the iron bars: "Dad! Daddy!" !”

Kang Lingcheng waved his hand and said weakly: "Don't worry, I won't die yet."

Kang Dazhi breathed a sigh of relief and said with hatred: "Lin Ruhai is so ruthless and wants to be beaten into submission. He is really a scholar!"

Kang Lingcheng said abruptly: "Lin Ruhai has no physical evidence in his hands, and his skills are exhausted. Naturally, he can only rely on torture to extract a confession. As long as we insist that we are wrongly accused, he will not be able to do anything to us."

Kang Dazhi said in a low voice: "Having said that, over time, I'm afraid something will happen. If nothing else, even Li Shan and his gang usually do a lot of dirty work for our family. If they are confessed, We, father and son, may not be able to save our lives."

Kang Lingcheng's face turned gloomy. Li Shan was a thug raised by the Kang family. He had done a lot of killing, setting fires, and eliminating competitors. He had at least ten or eight lives under his command. If he confessed, it would be really serious.

Kang Dazhi said anxiously: "It's all my fault that I took it upon myself to use Li Shan's group of people, otherwise they wouldn't have fallen into Jia Huan's hands."

Kang Lingcheng sighed and said: "I can't blame you, I can only blame Jia Huan for being too evil. He has such tricks at such a young age. If it had been anyone else, I'm afraid he would have fallen into your trap long ago. "Kang Dazhi couldn't help but said in annoyance: "This kid has ruined our business time and time again. Could it be that he is really the nemesis of our Kang family?"

Kang Lingcheng said in a deep voice: "Ignore this kid for now. Let's find a way to deal with him after we get out of this difficulty. As for Li Shan, he is very knowledgeable and knows what should be said and what should not be said, unless he is dead... ...However, as the saying goes, the nights are long and the dreams are many. As time goes by, it is indeed easy for extraneous matters to arise, so we have to find a way to escape as soon as possible."

Kang Dazhi hesitated and said, "Dad, those people haven't made any move yet. Could it be that they have given up on us?"

Kang Lingcheng snorted coldly: "They dare to eat all they want and wipe them clean. There is no way out. If they dare to face death without saving, then don't blame me, Kang Lingcheng. Don't worry, those guys are very afraid of death. They may not be better than others." We are still in a hurry, if we persist for a few more days, they will definitely take action."

Kang Lingcheng's father and son were muttering in a low voice when four salt soldiers opened Kang Dazhi's cell door with fire sticks and iron chains and shouted: "Prisoner Kang Dazhi, come out and Mr. Lin will interrogate him!"

The father and son looked at each other, saying nothing, and then Kang Dazhi calmly turned around and walked towards the cell door.

…………

In a separate courtyard, Ji Jinxiao sat on the main seat with a gloomy face, while Hong Wenxuan and Dai Li sat on the guest seats respectively, holding tea bowls in their hands, with the same solemn expressions.

"Lin Ruhai not only refused to accept your banquet, but also immediately interrogated the prisoners after returning to the Yamen. Haha, this is to kill them all!" Ji Jinxiao said in a sinister voice.

Hong Wenxuan said anxiously: "Lin Ruhai escaped from death this time. I'm afraid he won't give up easily. Kang Ling Chengruo couldn't help but let go..."

At this time, three young eunuchs came in holding three wooden boxes.Eunuch Ji was stunned for a moment, frowned and said, "What is it?"

The little eunuch at the head looked strange and said: "The ones that were delivered to the door just now were dedicated to my father-in-law and two adults by name. I asked you to send them in immediately, otherwise we will miss the important event."

Ji Jinxiao, Hong Wenxuan and Dai Li were surprised and suspicious. They quickly opened the box and took a look, and their expressions suddenly changed.

It turned out that the boxes were all filled with silver. In addition, each box was accompanied by a congratulatory sticker with red and gold auspicious clouds, and the signature was Kangling City.

Ji Jinxiao's congratulatory note was to wish him a long life and longevity; while Hong Wenxuan's congratulatory note was to wish his mother her [-]th birthday; Dai Li's was even stranger, congratulating him on his new apartment. concubine.

For a moment, the expressions of the three of them were all uncertain. After a long time, Ji Jin Xiaocai sneered and said: "What a good son. He is still thinking about our family's birthday in prison."

Kang Lingcheng once recognized Ji Jinxiao as his adopted father, and this congratulatory note was also written in the tone of his adopted son. However, Ji Jinxiao's birthday was on the sixth day of September, and it was still several months away.

The prefect Hong Wenxuan's wife had just celebrated her seventieth birthday last year, and Kang Lingcheng did give her a generous gift at that time.

As for the commander of the Yangzhou Guard, he was quite lecherous and would basically take a concubine every two years. Every time he took a concubine, Kang Lingcheng would give him a large gift. Even when Dai Li had two concubines, it was from Kang Lingcheng.

However, Kang Lingcheng had someone send three boxes of congratulatory gifts at the same time. It was obviously not a sincere gift, but a "reminder" to remind them to find a way to get people, otherwise it would be difficult to say anything.

"Where is the gift-giver?" Ji Jinxiao threw the congratulatory note into the box and asked coldly.

The leading young eunuch said cautiously: "The other party left something behind and left in a hurry."

Hong Wenxuan and Dai Li looked at each other. Now Kang Lingcheng and Kang Dazhi and his son were imprisoned in the prison of Xunyan Yushi Yamen, so it was unlikely that these boxes of silver were sent by him. In other words, Kang Lingcheng and his son were both sent to the prison. Someone else in the family did it, could it be Kang Dayi, the third son who is still on the run?
"Huh, you smart fool!" Ji Jinxiao's face was gloomy, his eyes were cold, and he was extremely unhappy in his heart. He never liked being threatened by others.

…………

At this time, Kang Dayong was eating mutton noodle soup in a noodle restaurant not far from the other courtyard. Three empty bowls were piled next to him, which showed his huge appetite.

At this moment, the golden tooth dog led brothers Li Hongji and Li Hongyi in and whispered: "Third Master, all the gifts have been delivered!"

Kang Dayong nodded and said: "Just deliver it to me. You can ask for what you want to eat.

So the three of them sat down and each ordered a bowl of mutton noodle soup and ate it in large chunks.

It turned out that the three congratulatory gifts just now were sent by Kang Dayong, and the purpose was naturally to warn Ji Jinxiao and others. They had received so many benefits from the Kang family in the past, and if they did not help save people, the latter would be very serious.

Kang Dayong is a cruel and murderous person. He is not afraid of heaven and earth. Naturally, he is not afraid of offending Ji Jinxiao. Let alone Ji Jinxiao, he is afraid that even if the Emperor of Jin Dynasty comes, he will not be a bird. The vast and boundless sea gives him this kind of confidence. On the sea, he Even a king who walks sideways, with guns and cannons in his hands, can live a very comfortable life even if he doesn't even have to go to Nanyang to grab a piece of territory.

"By the way, Lao Jiu, have you found out who that woman is?" Kang Dayong suddenly stopped his chopsticks and asked.

The golden-toothed dog was devouring its food. He nodded when he heard this and said in a low voice: "I have found out clearly that this woman is Lin Ruhai's only daughter. She now lives in the back office of Xunyan Censor's office."

Kang Dayong licked his lips and said, "This little bitch is so delicious that it takes away seven points of my soul."

The gold-toothed dog smacked his mouth and said, "This is really difficult. Lin has just escaped from hell. Now he is heavily guarded. It will not be easy to get hold of this little bitch."

(End of this chapter)