Chapter 13

"Uh-huh." The old man thought it over and said, "The consequences of the last woman's death should have scared the murderer. It took a lot of effort to smooth things over, so as long as he doesn't feel threatened, he probably won't kill again."

"So, if we find the Zhao family, we can overturn the case!" Wang Xian said with determination.

"Rubbish!" the old man scolded, "I've been looking for her for half a year, turning Fuyang upside down, and didn't find a single hair of her!"

"There must be places that haven't been searched," Wang Xian said. "For example, the wealthy family that Father was about to investigate in the case of the unidentified female corpse!"

"You're right. Later, in prison, I thought about it, and their family was the most suspicious!" The old man sighed, "Unfortunately, Observer He, out of personal resentment, wouldn't let me speak."

"Then, who is it?" Wang Xian asked in a serious tone.

"It's... " The old man looked back at him, pulling his beard, "Forget it, you can't handle this. Let's go home and think of another way."

"By then, it'll be too late!" Wang Xian firmly opposed, "Once Lin Rongxing's head falls, who will dare to overturn the case? It was decided by the emperor himself!"

"Uh-huh." The old man knew his son was right but shook his head, "I've almost figured out who the culprit is, but precisely because of that, I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to have no descendants!"

"Living like this, what's the difference from being dead?" Wang Xian waved his hands excitedly, "If we can't clear the name, Father's life is ruined, my life is ruined, and even my children's lives will be ruined! This is more terrifying than having no descendants! At least if there are no descendants, they won't be trampled on in this world and can be reborn into a good family!"

Wang Xing's eyes widened as he looked at his son, whose veins were bulging. Although he always believed that "a bad life is better than a good death," he couldn't deny that his son was right.

"This matter, no one in the family knows about, so they won't be implicated!" Wang Xian lowered his voice, "Besides, even if I die, it will only reduce the burden on the family. Father, let your son try once! I can't bear it!"

"..." The old man's face changed for a long time before he finally stared at Wang Xian and gritted his teeth, "Son, you're sixteen this year, and this is the path you've chosen! If you get killed, don't regret it!"

"I won't regret it!" Wang Xian had already thought it through. This kind of life wasn't what he wanted. He was willing to risk his life to carve out a future. Otherwise, he'd rather die!

On the boat back to Fuyang, Wang Xian's heart was surging. Looking at the reeds on both banks and the occasional waterfowl flying by, he felt like a swordsman going to a duel, not out of passion but out of calmness, not out of fear but out of determination!

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The boat returned to Fuyang County the next morning. After docking, Tian Qi called for a sedan chair to carry Wang Xian ashore.

As Lin Qing'er stepped onto the shore, she was about to bid farewell to Wang Xian when she suddenly heard a familiar voice nearby. She glanced over and saw a man and a woman. The woman was in her prime, graceful and alluring. The man wore a square cap and a dark blue silk robe, with a fair complexion, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, followed by a servant carrying a basket.

Lin Qing'er turned her face away, seemingly not wanting to meet the newcomers.

However, the dock was narrow, and avoiding them was impossible. Sure enough, as they approached, the woman stopped and, as if just noticing her, exclaimed with surprise, "Isn't that Sister Lin?"

Lin Qing'er had no choice but to turn back and put on a smile, "Sister Diao, it's been a long time."

"Yes, I've missed you so much," Diao Miss said affectionately, "Sister, are you going out or just returning?"

"Returning," Lin Qing'er said softly.

Seeing that she didn't ask what she was doing, Diao Miss glanced at Wang Xian on the sedan chair and exclaimed, "Oh, isn't that Wang Er? Sister Lin, could it be that the rumors are true?"

"Wh-what rumors?" Lin Qing'er was stunned.

"Enough, Yumei, don't say anymore, the boat is about to leave," the young scholar beside her said, trying to hold back. He was Li Qi, Diao Miss's husband and Lin Qing'er's former fiancé.

Diao Miss's father was the county clerk, and Li Qi's father was a county magistrate in Zhili. They were well-matched in family background, age, appearance, and talent, at least in Diao Miss's opinion. Unfortunately, while she was interested, Li Qi was infatuated with Lin Qing'er, and his family had arranged the engagement.

Just as they were about to get married, the Lin Rongxing case broke out, and the Lin family became a criminal family. The Li family, being an official family, naturally avoided them. To cut off his son's thoughts, the county magistrate took leave and proposed to the Diao family. Diao Miss saw Li Qi as a treasure, and the marriage was a perfect match.

After the wedding, Diao Miss was very happy, except for one thing: her husband still thought about Lin Qing'er, which made her very unhappy. She wanted to seize the opportunity to humiliate Lin Qing'er and completely cut off her husband's thoughts.

"What's the rush? I just want to talk to Sister for a moment," she glared at Li Qi, covering her mouth with a fan and lowering her voice, "Sister, you might not know, but the county is already buzzing with rumors that you and Wang Er traveled together on the boat..." She couldn't help but giggle, "I don't believe it, how could Sister mix with such a person? I didn't expect..."

Her soft Wu dialect was actually quite pleasant, but Lin Qing'er felt ashamed and angry, her face turning red to the roots of her ears, wishing she could find a crack to hide in.

"Are you a pig?" Just as she was at a loss for words, she heard Wang Xian's cold snort.

Diao Miss's face immediately changed because Wang Xian was speaking to her. Wang Xian, sitting in the sedan chair, scowled, "Can't you see I'm paralyzed? Has Lin Girl never seen a man before? Lifting a paralyzed scoundrel on a boat trip, what kind of pig brain could think of that? And what kind of pig brain could believe it?" His mother sneezed twice at home, thinking, "Who's cursing me behind my back?"

Diao Miss's lips trembled with anger, "Then, what were you two doing out there?"

"Are you blind? Didn't you see Uncle Tian with us?" Wang Xian glanced at her, "As for what we were doing, why should we tell you?" He then turned to Lin Qing'er, "Let me teach you something."

"Ah..." Lin Qing'er was taken aback.

"Next time you meet a woman like this, say this to her..." Wang Xian patted the sedan bearers, signaling them to lift the chair, and then said coldly to Diao Miss, "Bitch, you're just being pretentious!"

Diao Miss had never been so humiliated, and worse, it was spot-on, making her furious.

Lin Qing'er smiled apologetically, put on her veil, and left the dock.

On the way home, Tian Qi worriedly said, "Miss, the rumors about you and Wang Xian..."

"I can't worry about that anymore," Lin Qing'er paused, then said softly, "The important thing is to clear the name."

"Ah..." Tian Qi sighed again.

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Wang Xian returned home with a jar of pickled crabs that his father had given him. He had gone when the crabs were in season, and the salt fields had an abundance of them. They couldn't eat them all, so they were pickled in wine to enjoy during the New Year.

His father couldn't let him return empty-handed, so he had someone pack a jar for his wife and children to try.

"Have you shared it?" Wang Xian asked when he returned, and many neighbors had seen him.

"Don't rush," his mother frowned, examining the jar of pickled crabs, "Your father is too tricky; there might be something hidden inside."

"No," Wang Xian shook his head, "It was checked thoroughly when I left, and there was nothing hidden."

"Hmph..." His mother just sneered. She had Silver Bell bring a basin, poured out the contents, and found no abnormalities with the crabs or the wine. She then threw the jar onto the stone table.

"Don't..." Before he could finish, his brother and sister saw that the thick bottom of the jar was hollow. When it broke, it revealed white salt, enough to fill a table, about three pounds... Truly, they were a well-matched couple! His mother knew his father was up to something!

That night passed without incident. The next morning, Wang Xian had his brother deliver a personal letter from his father to the county constable, Hu Liuliu.

Hu Liuliu was about to go to the office when he saw Wang Gui delivering the letter from his former superior. He sat down again, tore open the envelope marked "For Hu Xian's eyes only," and read the contents. His expression grew increasingly serious, and he finally stood up, pacing the room.

Wang Gui sat nervously, not knowing what his father had written that made Uncle Hu so troubled. But his brother had instructed him to get a definite answer before returning, so he had to wait.

After a long while, Hu Liuliu realized he was going to be late and quickly put the letter in his boot, saying to Wang Gui, "I have to go to the office, or I'll get beaten."

Wang Gui quickly stood up and asked in a low voice, "Uncle Hu, will you help?"

"Can I not?" Hu Liuliu smiled bitterly, "Go back, I'll report to the county magistrate."

"Ah..." Wang Gui didn't know what the matter was, but hearing that it needed to be reported to the county magistrate, he was suddenly afraid. He nervously saw Hu Liuliu out and went to work.

On the way to the office and even during the morning roll call, Constable Hu was distracted, thinking about his own troubles.

The scholar's murder case, which had once caused a sensation, seemed to have settled with Lin Rongxing's death sentence. Although Hu Liuliu, as the former handler, still had many doubts, he dared not say a word when he saw the former county magistrate, his superiors, and colleagues fall one by one, and the coroner was beaten to death. He only hoped that Lin Rongxing's head would fall quickly, and the matter would be over. Although he knew Lin Rongxing was innocent...

But Wang Xing's letter forced him to get involved in this deadly case again. Although he was reluctant, he had to comply because he owed Wang Xing a favor... Wang Xing had taken all the blame to protect him, or he would have been sent to the salt fields. Moreover, Wang Xing had evidence against him. If he didn't follow his instructions, it wouldn't just be the salt fields; it would be much worse!