Pingxiang County, Hangzhou.

County office.

Dungeon.

Squeak –

The thick fence gate slowly pushed open, letting out a heavy moan, breaking the silence in the silent space.

Niu Ran struggled to open his eyes. He was half-leaning against the hard, damp wall, where the uneven stone bricks clattered his back, and the thin prison clothes had been ground down one by one, and the skin inside had cracked and scabbed.

He moved his chapped lips, which were still stained with dried blood, and his mouth was dry with spit. I opened my mouth, but I couldn't make a sound. His face was covered in dust, and he looked as sloppy as a homeless man outside.

"Prisoner Niu Ran, it's time for confession. Outside the door, the voice of the official came.

Niu Ran moved his numb legs, and the heavy shackles rubbed against the ground. He didn't have much strength left to stand up. There was a pungent musty smell from the entire cell. The official at the door couldn't help frowning, and urged impatiently: "Hurry up, don't put the ink there." ”

Niu Ran lifted one arm weakly, and stretched out his skinny five fingers from the worn sleeve, as if he wanted to grab something in the air. The servant sighed helplessly, walked in, took out a hard steamed bun from his clothes, and threw it at Niu Ran's feet.

The steamed bun rolled a few times and pressed against a pitch-black reptile. Niu Ran looked at the steamed bun, and the corners of his mouth began to twitch unconsciously.

"Hurry up, everyone else is waiting for you. The servant coldly dropped a sentence and turned to leave the foul-smelling cell.

Confession room.

Liu Xiaoxiao's delicate face was pale and emaciated, and her eyes were deeply sunken and haggard. Her slender arms were cuffed by thick shackles, and long chains were tied to a stone pillar on one side.

Liu Xiaoxiao sat on the cold and damp ground, her thin prison clothes already dirty and dirty, covered with brown dirt. From under the prison clothes, white feet were exposed, and the toes trembled incessantly, which was pitiful.

In front of her, a meaty-faced servant sat behind a long wooden table, his face covered with horrible acne and a mouth full of yellow teeth.

"Liu Sanniang, you are the famous spring building signboard in Hangzhou, who has not heard of your reputation on this whole street, it is not an exaggeration to be called a thousand gold and hard to buy a one-night spring supper, there are really not many people like you now, why bother to let yourself fall into this kind of place. To be honest, Xia Guan originally thought that Liu Sanniang was also a person who was indifferent to fame and fortune, and he regarded himself as high, and how many people's money was spent on you was still in vain. But now it seems that it's not that you Liu Sanniang can't look down on it, but that their silver is not as thick as that Niu Master's family background. The official leaned comfortably on the bench, looked at Liu Xiaoxiao and said with a cruel smile.

Liu Xiaoxiao opened her eyes weakly, her gaze lingered on the officer's face for a while, and then she lowered her eyes tiredly, looking as if she was sleepy and about to fall asleep.

The official continued: "The Jianghu people have a trick to extract confessions, called boiling eagles, which will not leave scars on the body, but can also make people uncomfortable. Xia Guan is also a person who pities the fragrance and cherishes the jade, and he really doesn't want to use it on you. Besides, the other prisoners have confessed almost completely, and you don't have any grudges with those people, so why bother?"

Liu Xiaoxiao's lips opened slightly, and he said in a subtle voice: "I've recruited everything...... Everything that needs to be said has been said......"

The official frowned, flipped through the paperwork on the table, and said, "What you said two days ago is that you fed Master Niu some pastries before dinner in the afternoon, right?"

Liu Xiaoxiao's head nodded forward slightly, which was considered affirmative.

The official said: "There are some flowers in the pastry, and you did it." ”

When Liu Xiaoxiao heard this, his eyes widened slightly, emitting a godless light, and he nodded again.

The official looked at her, the corners of his mouth pursed impatiently, and said: "Liu Sanniang, let me tell you, now the top is taking this matter very seriously, exerting pressure at all levels, and solving the case within ten days of the county order, and now there are four days left." You are uncomfortable, and your brothers are not happy. There were some abrasions on the inside of the palm of the Liu vendor, which was probably caused by strangling Niu Tao with a rope, and Niu Ran stabbed his father, there were too many people, and it was difficult to tell who really killed Master Niu now. ”

The official stood up, slowly walked to Liu Xiaoxiao, and said, "Now according to Wu Law, only those who really kill will be beheaded, and the rest will only be sentenced to serious injuries. ”

He walked to Liu Xiaoxiao and stood still, looked down at her who was kneeling on the ground, his face became gloomy, and said, "Now there must be a person's head on it, whose account should we take?"

Next door to the confession room, beyond a wall. ，

"Ahh......h Ouch yo ......"

Liu Zhenwei was lying on a hard wooden board, thick blood stains dried on his face, his expression was hideous, and tears flowed from his nose. The two officials stood beside him, holding a long roll, and Liu Zhenwei's buttocks, which they were directly opposing, had been peeled open, and there was no intact place.

"The official spares his life...... Tap it...... I was killed by you before I could ask for the autumn queen......" Liu Zhenwei took a sip of snot and said tremblingly.

"Come on, you have such thick fat, Lao Tzu's hands are sour. You're a sturdy ass. A servant threw out a sentence coldly.

Another official stood in front of Liu Zhenwei, looked at him condescendingly, and said, "I said everything that should be said earlier, I am comfortable, and we are relaxed, don't you understand?"

Liu Zhenwei snorted and tears on his face, and made a trembling voice while crying, and said: "Official, you have a lot of adults, even if you open my ass to flowers...... Ouch...... Master Niu won't come back to life......"

After hearing this, the official sneered and said, "Do I need Niu Tao to come back to life?" Since this is the case, then I will beat your ass to the ground first, and then you can only go out from the top of the thatched house in the future. ”

"Don't don't, don't, little one...... The small one said, the small one said, the small one said everything......" Liu Zhenwei cried weakly, and the placket was already wet, emitting a burst of stench.

A servant stood in front of Liu Zhenwei, put up the long stick in his hand, looked at him condescendingly, and said, "If there is a fart, release it quickly." ”

Liu Zhenwei's eyes exuded a pleading look like a water dog, and the whole person trembled unconsciously. He thought quickly in his head for a while, looked at the official in front of him, and spoke hesitantly.

"In the Niu Mansion, Liu Sanniang...... is the most suspicious of Master Niu...... Because Mr. Niu has been in business since ...... After wronging me in the business, he insisted on framing Liu Sanniang, suspecting that Liu Sanniang was colluding with me...... also threatened to beat Liu Sanniang to death...... He even hit her in front of me......"

The official frowned, interrupted him impatiently, and asked, "What about the others?"

Liu Zhenwei's eyes rolled, and he hurriedly thought about it, and said, "The others...... The eldest lady and the second lady are kind to each other on weekdays, and they do it all by their subordinates to kill a chicken, and they don't even dare to fight a mouse, and they are also submissive to Master Niu, let alone kill people......"

The official squatted down facing Liu Zhenwei, sneered, and said, "What about you? Why did you use a rope to strangle Master Niu?"

When Liu Zhenwei heard this, his face turned pale, his ten fingers couldn't help trembling, his saliva flowed out unconsciously, and he said incoherently: "Big ...... My lord...... Small...... Treat unjustly...... ...... wronged"

The official twitched the corners of his mouth, his emaciated face moved viciously, and said sharply: "Call me!"

"Ahh

Liu Zhenwei's terrible howl like killing a pig was immediately heard in the confession room.