Chapter 90: 心理战术
[Psychological Tactics]
Early the next morning, an official came to deliver food, a black-faced wok the size of a fist for each person, and slices of cabbage boiled in water, which looked unappetising.
“This can’t be poisoned right?”
Li Haitang didn’t eat, she had to be on her guard, in case she sacrificed herself and couldn’t see her husband and little brother, even Xiao Taohong didn’t have to pay the ten thousand taels of silver he owed her.
The saddest thing in the world, people die, the money is not spent.
In a hurry, Li Haitang only grabbed two pieces of broken silver. She handed a piece to the official, spoke softly, “Sir, when can we see the governor?”
Last night there was a big commotion, the whole city was wanted for the Jiang Yang Bandit, Li Haitang knew in her heart that they were doomed to not catch the person.
“After you have eaten, naturally someone will take you out.”
The Jiang Yang Bandit was only one person, these three looked out of place, there were people at the door shouting for injustice, and said that they would go to the capital to sue the royal court, the excellency were anxious about this.
“You are Li Haitang, right? You come with me first.”
There are people outside to send silver, the officials have a good attitude towards Li Haitang, and they ponder in their hearts, this little lady really doesn’t know the food in the cell, under normal circumstances, the coarse noodles and nests are not available, how many people can afford to be able to eat it?
Liu Da Niu heard that there is no poison, the Li Haitang that shared to ask over, waiting to go out, hot, save for his wife to eat.
The cell is dark, probably because of the winter, the smell is not too bad. The narrow passageway, with dim paraffin lamps set in the four walls, was eerie.
On one wall of the cell, there are rusty metal instruments of torture hanging, leather whips, tiger bench (torture method in which the victim sits with legs extended horizontally along a bench, upper legs held down with straps while bricks are inserted under the feet, forcing the knee joint to bend in reverse), handcuffs, that whip with barbs on top, the crimson blood has long since dried up, it is not difficult to imagine, this whip goes down, whip to the delicate skin, what kind of badly mangled or mutilated it will be?
Li Haitang was even more courageous, his legs and stomach turned. This is Daqi, the governor can determine her life and death with a single word, killing people like this? Casually insert a crime, just muddle through, the people do not fight with the officials, this life and death are in the hands of others, really feel so bad.
“Sir, Li Haitang is here.”
Governor Zhang Zheng was sitting in the torture room with a bowl of tea in front of him, he grunted with his eyes downcast, raised his head and stared at Li Haitang with sharp eyes.
Li Haitang was influenced by the TV series, thinking that the governor is an old man over half a hundred years old, but when she saw the person, she was shocked, the governor, that is, in his prime.
“Li Haitang, meet the Governor Lord.”
Li Haitang knelt very unprofessional, dead pigs are not afraid of boiling water, she paralysed herself, kneeling is a kind of etiquette, don’t regard it as important.
“En, Li Haitang, do you know your crime?”
Zhang Zhifu’s face didn’t change much, his tone was icy cold, “Sheltering the Jiang Yang bandit, do you know the crime?”
“Hah?”
Li Haitang’s heart was chilled, can’t be, Little Peach Red was caught? That guy is even more cunning than a fox, he managed to send her to jail to eat prison food in order to protect him. If Little Peach Blossom was caught, that would really be too bad for her.
Li Haitang, almost a conditional reflex, raised her head and saw the governor’s eagle-like sharp eyes staring at her, in her heart she said, another old fox!
Playing psychological tactics, swindling her?
“Your Excellency, this charge doesn’t seem right.”
As a doctor, Li Haitang had studied psychology and instantly knew how to deal with the governor. Her eyes were at a loss,, “Isn’t this common lady’s crime the Jiangyang Bandit, how did she become an accomplice?”
“How dare you!”
The official next to him slapped the table vigorously, just now he gave Li Haitang a wink, his eyes were cramped.
At least he collected the silver and hurriedly sent the person away.
This bold little lady, talking to the governor like this, completely out of line!
Zhang Zheng also knew that the people in custody were all innocent, his intention was to find out the replacement, declare to the public that he found the Jiang Yang Bandit, and then use this to lower that person’s guard and conduct another city-wide search.
Interrogating Li Haitang was just a formality, the wounds on her body were at least a dozen days old, and they were definitely not left by the Jiang Yang Bandit threatening her.
Li Haitang’s rhetorical question, in turn, caused him to freeze for a moment, and then unexpectedly burst out laughing. This little lady person was also too truthful.
“Then how do you explain the wounds on your body?”
Zhang Zheng gently coughed twice to hide his embarrassment, and asked with a serious face, “But the Jiang Yang Bandit threatened you ….”
“My lord, this folk woman really can’t say it.”
Li Haitang hung her head, how can she say, the injury was caused by Li Qiu Ju, and then what? Li Qiu Ju died, she can not tell him
“Say it.”
Zhang Zheng, in one word, concise and powerful, the person who is an official, carries official authority on his body, making Li Haitang feel oppressed.
“It is this folk lady and her husband who quarrel, my husband…”
Li Haitang covered her face and whimpered out, with the miserable look of a little lady who was domestically abused, but in her heart, she was apologizing, “Husband, I’m sorry, I’ve blackened you once again.”
“This official can sentence you to divorce.”
Zhang Zheng felt that he really loved the common people as his own children (the praise for a virtuous ruler), he was in the mood to mind his work.
“There’s no need, your honour, it’s also this common lady’s life that’s hard, ai….”
Li Haitang was feeling sorry for herself, pulling the governor to talk about her family, and was finally at the end of his patience, Zhang Zhifu (Zhang prefectural magistrate) sent the official to throw her out through the back door!
“Haitang ah, are you alright?”
Getting the news, Second Uncle Chen drove the carriage and Second Aunt Chen waited at the back door with hot soup and coats.
Li Haitang fell on her back and lay on the snow without getting up, using her hand to raise her middle finger to the heavens.
Anyway, squatting in jail for a night is not considered as suffering, she now wants to hurry home to ask for silver, and in the meantime, she wants to settle the score with Little Red Peach!
Snowflakes fluttered, overnight, to ankle depth. Because the whole city arrested the Jiang Yang bandit, the people followed the fear, even the people who transported goods are lessened a lot.
There were only a few silhouettes sporadically on the main street, coming and going in a hurry.
“Haitang, you have suffered a lot this night.”
Second Aunt Chen prepared hot tea and cakes, letting her pad her stomach. On the stove at home, there was an old hen stewing, she let Da Ya watch the fire.
“That’s the chicken that lays the most eggs, and it had its legs trampled off by the officials.”
Speaking of the old hen, Aunt Chen was very distressed, the house was in a mess, she was busy most of the night, only to tidy it out.
The people who built the warming house at home also came, Second Aunt Chen let Da Ya watch, silver money was given, there was a problem, not afraid to find someone, the two families went out before dawn, came to pick up Li Haitang.
“Didn’t suffer much, the cell is too cold.”
Li Haitang yawned, so humiliating, she didn’t want to mention it again.
Aunt Chen thought she was frightened, considerate to stop the topic, talking about the home warming room, the soil is frozen, have to loosen the soil, about tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, planting the first crop of vegetables. In the New Year, they can eat dumplings stuffed with leeks.
Li Haitang was dizzy. She predicted that this dizzy, blocked nose is a sign of a cold, back home, and drank a big bowl of ginger brown sugar water.
Little Peach Blossom has long disappeared. Under the pillow, leaving her a letter and ten one thousand taels of silver cheques. The letter probably means that if they have fate then they will eventually meet. She believes that, in the near future, they will meet in the Capital.