Chapter 27: Last meal

"One last question." Zhou Yunqing asked Lin Zuo: "Where were you last night? What did you see?"

Lin Zuo: "I read books all night last night, didn't go anywhere, and didn't see anything."

As soon as this sentence was spoken, Tang Zheng was immediately angry and cursed: "Lin Zuo, you shameless villain, actually betrayed a friend. I was really blind to trust you before."

However, Lin Zuo just replied faintly: "When were you ever a friend to me?"

"Alright, stop talking." Zhou Yunqing seemed to be getting annoyed with everything in front of him and said to the yamen runners below: "Throw this fake Embroidered Uniform Guard into the prison and guard him strictly."

Li Sheng: "Prefect, that Su Xiaoxi..."

Zhou Yunqing: "Throw her in too!"

Su Xiaoxi sat down in despair when she heard this.

Two yamen runners dragged Tang Zheng out. Their hands were like steel hoops, gripping Tang Zheng's wrists painfully. However, Tang Zheng still struggled desperately and shouted loudly: "I do things alone, this matter has nothing to do with Miss Su!"

However, no one paid attention to him.

After Tang Zheng and Su Xiaoxi were dragged out, Zhou Yunqing looked at Lin Zuo, his expression becoming amiable.

"Your name is Lin Zuo, right?"

"Yes, Prefect."

"I saw before that you are familiar with the Great Ming Code, have talent, and are clever. Are you interested in working for me?"

"Thank you for your cultivation, Prefect. Commoner is begging for it." Lin Zuo bowed to Zhou Yunqing.

"Good." Zhou Yunqing nodded with satisfaction and said to Li Sheng: "The tribute dedicated to the Emperor will set sail with the ship tonight. This matter is of great importance and must not go wrong. I am going to Jiaoshan Temple to worship the Bodhisattva. Tonight's River God sacrifice will be handed over to you, Deputy Commander Li."

Li Sheng immediately replied: "Prefect, don't worry, this subordinate will definitely do his best and will not make any mistakes."

"Hmm." Zhou Yunqing said again: "Lin Zuo, you are new here, just follow Deputy Commander Li and learn how to do things."

Lin Zuo: "Yes, Prefect!"

……

Two jailers carried Tang Zheng and threw him into a cell roughly, then locked the door from the outside.

This was the second time Tang Zheng had come here in the past three days, but the first time he came, he was flattered by everyone, and now he had become a prisoner.

Through the wooden fence of the cell, he saw Su Xiaoxi also being carried by two jailers and walking toward the other end of the cell.

"Xiao Xi, Xiao Xi, Miss Su!" Tang Zheng shouted loudly, but Su Xiaoxi never turned back to look at him.

"Stop shouting, it's useless!" The jailer outside said with a smile: "I can't tell that you are still a infatuated seed. It's considered a big investment to lose your life for a girl."

Another jailer immediately echoed: "It's a pity that Miss Su doesn't appreciate it. You say, are you wronged?"

The two looked at each other and laughed at the same time.

"Let me out!" Tang Zheng suddenly rushed to the wooden fence and shouted: "That Li Sheng is not a good person, I have evidence!"

"Yes, Commander." The jailer replied, and deliberately dragged the tail sound, but then turned and wanted to leave with a smile.

Tang Zheng caught the jailer's clothes from the gap in the wooden fence and begged: "Brother, believe me, help me tell the Prefect, as long as you send someone to check that shipyard, everything will be clear."

"Get out!" The jailer threw Tang Zheng's hand away roughly, pointed at his forehead and cursed: "Are you stupid? What is my status? Can I talk to the Prefect?"

Spit splashed on Tang Zheng's face.

Another jailer sneered from the side: "A person who is about to die, why bother with so much nosy business?"

Hearing this, Tang Zheng suddenly panicked and couldn't help asking: "Brother, what are you talking about, a person who is about to die?"

"What are you pretending for? Don't you know what the crime of impersonating an Embroidered Uniform Guard is? It's cheap for you to be sentenced to Lingchi."

And another jailer smiled at Tang Zheng from the side: "I heard that Deputy Commander Li has already explained that the River God sacrifice tonight is still missing a living sacrifice. Why don't you carry forward the style and fill the vacancy?"

"I'm afraid the River God won't like him."

The two jailers laughed and left with their arms around each other, leaving only Tang Zheng sitting on the ground in despair, resting his head on the wooden fence, unable to speak for a long time.

He had imagined his future countless times, and had also dreamed of sleeping on a beauty's knees and waking up to hold the power of the world. However, he didn't expect that such an ending was waiting for him.

Not reconciled!

"Commander, why were you also locked in?" A somewhat familiar voice suddenly came from next door.

Tang Zheng glanced at it, only to find that he had been locked next to Su Shanhe.

"What Commander? Fake!" Tang Zheng sighed in despair.

"Daring to impersonate the Embroidered Uniform Guard for the sake of the people's suffering, just for this chest and action, you deserve this title of Commander."

"I'm not for the people, I'm for your sister!" Tang Zheng whispered to himself in a voice only he could hear.

Su Shanhe didn't hear clearly and asked: "What did you say, Commander?"

"Nothing." Tang Zheng smiled bitterly, not wanting to explain too much: "Anyway, I'm a person who is going to die, what's the point of saying these things."

While speaking, the two jailers who had left before returned, one holding a tray, and the other opened Su Shanhe's cell door, put the tray on the ground and locked the door again.

There were actually two steamed buns and two small dishes on the tray, and a pot of wine.

Tang Zheng was stunned: "Hey, why don't I have a share?"

A jailer smiled when he heard this: "Don't be so anxious, when you are on the road, the last meal will not be missing."

"Last meal?" Tang Zheng trembled all over, only feeling a bit stuffy in his chest, and had a feeling of being unable to breathe.

And the two jailers ignored Tang Zheng, one of whom said to Su Shanhe: "Supervisor Su, the meaning above is to send you on the road when worshipping the River God at the hour of the Dog tonight. Eat this last meal and be a full ghost on the road."

Another jailer also said: "Supervisor Su, we two have always admired your usual conduct. This pot of wine is considered our private filial piety to you."

"Thank you both for spending money." Su Shanhe nodded: "What time is it now?"

"Almost three quarters past the hour of the Sheep."

"Good, thank you both."

The two jailers left again, and Tang Zheng still couldn't recover for a while.

On the contrary, Su Shanhe next door sat down calmly in front of the tray with food, and even took a steamed bun from it, and handed it to Tang Zheng through the gap in the wooden fence: "Commander, if you are hungry, you can eat some."

Tang Zheng's voice trembled: "I... I'm not hungry."

Su Shanhe smiled, took back the steamed bun, poured a glass of wine for himself from the wine pot, and then handed the whole wine pot to Tang Zheng, saying: "Commander, I toast you a glass."

This time Tang Zheng didn't refuse, but his hand holding the wine pot trembled quite violently. ===== CHAPTER 28 =====