Chapter 10 of 100

Chapter 10

13 min read3,206 wordsMature

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"But even if the Zhao family knows my sister-in-law is not dead, they should have stopped by now." Lin Girl pondered for a moment and said, "Why are they trying to make the case bigger?"

"Either they have a deep-seated grudge against your family," Wang Xian said solemnly, "or they are doing it for someone else!"

"Originally, they were in-laws, at most just had some friction, not to the point of life and death," Lin Qing'er thought for a moment and suddenly realized, "You mean they are doing it for the murderer of the female corpse?"

"Right." Wang Xian nodded and said, "I had an impression of this case before, and after reviewing it, I found something odd—Zhao family's behavior is too abnormal, completely self-destructive. There must be someone behind the scenes, manipulating or even coercing them to keep pressing the Lin family!"

"This person is likely the murderer of the female corpse!" Wang Xian closed the file and said solemnly, "I remember my father, before Inspector He came to Fuyang, had already put your sister-in-law's disappearance aside and was fully investigating the case of the unidentified female corpse!"

In Wang Er's memory, County Magistrate Chen was determined to solve the case before Inspector He's arrival to avoid being punished. Therefore, he ordered his father and Head Constable Hu to trace upstream from the riverbank where the female corpse was found, investigating village by village. The magistrate was very urgent, checking every few days, and even beat his father with a stick, so Wang Er remembered it clearly.

"Your point is, the murderer, seeing he was about to be exposed, incited the Zhao family to sue County Magistrate Chen as well?" Lin Girl was incredulous, "Would the Zhao family be that foolish?" Although civilians could sue officials without being beaten in the early Ming dynasty, if the lawsuit failed, how could they still live in the county? Even if they won, how would other officials treat them? How would the new county magistrate view them?

In fact, although the Zhao family won the lawsuit, they have not had an easy time these past two years. They have not been favored by the new county magistrate, and the subordinates have assigned the most difficult tasks to them. Now, the Zhao family is in a sorry state, barely alive...

"This is not the issue. The person behind the scenes must have a way to coerce the Zhao family, making them have no choice but to comply," Wang Xian thought for a moment and said coldly, "He thought he could hide behind the scenes, but the more he stirs up trouble, the more likely he is to expose himself!"

Hearing Wang Xian's tightly reasoned analysis, Lin Girl moved her lips but held back from speaking.

Unexpectedly, Wang Xian, as if he could read her mind, sneered, "If you go and report now that your sister-in-law is not dead, the case will be over."

"Why?" Lin Girl was startled; she had clearly thought the same thing.

"From the behavior of the person behind the scenes, he is ruthless, cunning, and very familiar with the Zhejiang officialdom, with power beyond imagination!" Wang Xian said solemnly, "So once you tell the authorities, he will soon find out and will certainly kill to silence you and destroy all evidence! At that point, there will be no evidence, and everything will be over!"

"How do you know he is familiar with the officialdom?" Lin Girl's mind was a mess; she found it hard to believe that Wang Xian could deduce so many facts from a single file as if he had seen it all.

"There is a saying, 'Leave a line for future encounters,' and this is even more true in the officialdom. When Inspector He came to Fuyang, he treated a needle like a club, using torture to force confessions. Especially when he tortured my father, he was determined to drag County Magistrate Chen into it! To say there is no grudge, who would believe it?" Wang Xian said calmly, "If they were not sure of this, how could the Zhao family dare to take such a risk?"

"Right." Lin Qing'er nodded, confirming his guess. She had heard from some clerks in the provincial capital that County Magistrate Chen's father was the famous Yongle minister Chen Ying, which is why the case had been delayed for so long. At the beginning of this year, Chen Ying was imprisoned and executed, and the verdict was finally handed down.

The reason why Inspector He dared to target Chen Ying's son two years ago, when Chen Ying was at the height of his power, was that Chen Ying had executed Inspector He's father and brother during the investigation of the rebellion case. Inspector He himself had nearly lost his life. Later, it was proven to be a miscarriage of justice, and he was reinstated, but he hated Chen Ying so much that he took the opportunity to severely punish his son, even though Chen Ying was still powerful at the time!

This explains why his father was determined to protect County Magistrate Chen. He must have known who Chen's father was, and if he dared to drag Chen Ying's son into it, he would certainly face the death penalty. It was better to hope that County Magistrate Chen would help him after getting through the crisis.

If it were him, Wang Xian would have made the same choice. But no one could have predicted that the once powerful Chen Ying would be imprisoned and executed within two years.

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"Then... what should we do?" Lin Girl realized she was repeating herself.

"Find your sister-in-law without anyone knowing," Wang Xian lowered his eyelids, "there is no other way."

"This..." Lin Girl listened to his logical analysis, thinking he must have a good plan, but then shook her head, "My family has been looking for her for two years, and we have found no trace. With the autumn execution approaching, the Zhao family will be more cautious."

"If your sister-in-law is still alive, she probably won't be with the Zhao family," Wang Xian said solemnly, "Since the Zhao family knows it is a false accusation, and the case is getting bigger, with many people in the family, they wouldn't dare hide her at home." He paused, not very sure, "She might be with the person behind the scenes..."

"So, we should find that person first?" Lin Qing'er's eyes lit up.

"Right." Wang Xian nodded, "This is easier than finding your sister-in-law. We can work on both fronts: one, keep an eye on the Zhao family. With the autumn execution approaching and they knowing your actions, they will definitely discuss their strategy. We will see who visits the Zhao family and where they go."

"Second, the person behind the scenes is the murderer of the unidentified female corpse. My father probably has a good idea, at least he is very close to the truth. The salt field where my father serves is only a hundred miles away. I want to visit him and see if I can get some help from him."

"But what about your condition?" Lin Qing'er was moved but also felt a bit sorry seeing Wang Xian still needing a cane to walk.

"I heard there is a mode of transportation called a sedan chair," Wang Xian looked at her, "and most of the journey is by boat."

"Alright." Lin Qing'er nodded, "Then I'll trouble you."

Without delay, they agreed to set out in three days. The reason for waiting three days was that although the salt field was not a prison, it was still heavily guarded, and visitors were not allowed without a reason. Wang Xian, unconsciously following his mother's principle of "helping others is also helping oneself," suggested that they go to deliver winter clothes as an excuse. The task of preparing the winter clothes naturally fell to Lin Qing'er. She, who was used to being extorted by him, agreed without hesitation.

After the conversation, Lin Girl got up to leave. When she pushed the door open, she found it was already past noon.

In the courtyard, Yinyin and Uncle Seven had already eaten lunch. Yinyin, a young girl, naturally did not cook for Uncle Seven but kept complaining of hunger. Her innocent and beautiful appearance made Uncle Seven's heart overflow with affection, and he bought roasted chicken and flatbread from the street for her to eat.

After finishing lunch, Uncle Seven was still sad, thinking, 'This is it, the girl will definitely become a wife.'

When he saw Lin Qing'er come out, both of them noticed that she looked better, her eyes were brighter, and her lips had color. Comparing her to how she looked before, Yinyin exclaimed, "Sister Lin, what did my brother do to make you better!"

"My brother..." Lin Qing'er smiled and held her hand, "is really amazing."

"Wow." Yinyin was incredulous, "Is that true?"

"I never noticed it before," Lin Qing'er smiled and nodded, "but this time I experienced it firsthand."

Uncle Seven almost fainted, shouting in his heart, 'No hope, no hope, completely no hope...'

Feeling a bit better, Lin Qing'er and Yinyin chatted for a while before she left.

After she left the Niuwei Alley wearing a veil, accompanied by Uncle Seven, the door of the neighboring house slowly opened, revealing two middle-aged women's faces.

One was the owner, Aunt Zhang, and the other was Wang Xian's mother!

The mother, who was supposed to be at a banquet in the countryside, was actually hiding in the neighbor's house!

The two women looked at the alley entrance, seeing no one. The mother turned to Aunt Zhang and sneered, "Do you believe me now?"

Aunt Zhang was thin, with a sharp mouth and a sunken cheek, hence her nickname. She said, "I believe you, it's really Lin family's girl. Although her face was covered, the one next to her is her family's long-time servant, Tian Qi."

"Hmph." The mother sneered triumphantly, "Now you believe me, right? My son, although he is good at nothing, is quite skilled at chasing girls." She marveled to herself, 'When he told me he wanted to marry Lin family's girl, I laughed at him for being delusional, but this boy really did it!'

"But," Aunt Zhang, accepting the reality, immediately worried, "If the two of them keep meeting privately, rumors will spread, and you should manage it."

"No way." The mother put her hands on her hips, "We are upright, let them say what they want!" She had a clear plan; where would they get the dowry? Besides, they were enemies! Better to pretend not to know and let them continue, and once the deed is done, they can deal with it.

"Phew!" Aunt Zhang spat, "Wang Er has been bedridden for half a year, have you forgotten who he is?"

"Ah, that was when he was young and didn't know better, he has changed now..." The mother, although powerful, felt guilty when someone mentioned Wang Er.

"Let's hope so..." Aunt Zhang said, but before she finished, a round-faced young man wobbled past the door. The Zhang family was the second-to-last house in the alley, and the only one left was the Wang family.

"These brats, they still dare to come here!" The mother was furious, rolling up her sleeves to go out, but Aunt Zhang held her back, "You should be at the banquet in Wang family's village. If you show up now, it will be exposed."

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