"You bandit! Beast! How dare you show your face in our village again! Get out!"
A sharp voice rang out. Wu Guixiang had appeared at some point and lunged towards Zhang Yajing. Fortunately, Chu Qingze blocked her from the outside.
Chu Qingze stood up and stopped Wu Guixiang. "Auntie, it's a joyous occasion, what are you doing?"
Seeing Wu Guixiang in festive attire, Chu Qingze guessed she was likely an elder of the bride or groom. Looking at the shattered brocade box on the ground, he figured out the reason.
Startled by the commotion, Zhang Yajing immediately stood up, intending to leave. However, many people had been drawn by the noise and blocked the way. She frowned, unsure what to do. Rong Zhi then stepped in front of her, shielding her, while Xia Yunting stood in front of Rong Zhi.
Wu Guixiang recognized Chu Qingze. Seeing him block her and hearing his words, she realized it was her daughter's wedding day and it wouldn't be appropriate to make too much of a scene. Yet, her anger was still unquenchable.
She pointed at Zhang Yajing and declared loudly, "Everyone, judge this! Today is Xinlan's wedding day. By rights, all who come are guests, and I shouldn't drive anyone away. But she is the daughter of that damned county magistrate! That official ruined us so badly, my daughter almost didn't make it back. Tell me, isn't it deliberately disgusting to have the daughter of such a person come to my house?"
As her words fell, a commotion erupted around them.
"What? She's the county magistrate's daughter?"
"I don't think so. I heard that Miss Zhang always liked to wear red and had a flamboyant demeanor. How could it be this girl?"
"What do you know? Her father will spend the rest of his life in prison. How could she still have the mood to wear red? Look at her all in white, like she's in mourning."
"What's her intention, wearing mourning clothes to a wedding? Isn't that deliberately trying to disgust people?"
The surrounding villagers grew more agitated, pointing fingers at Zhang Yajing.
Zhang Yajing's hands tightly gripped the hem of her clothes, her face flushed red.
Rong Zhi took her hand, also surprised by the scene.
She had invited Zhang Yajing out of casual politeness after seeing her at the mass grave, not connecting her to Zhang Chu. She believed Zhang Yajing shouldn't be implicated in Zhang Chu's wrongdoings, as she hadn't participated in them. However, she had underestimated the villagers' hatred.
"Everyone, please stop for a moment," Rong Zhi said, raising her hand to signal for quiet.
Though still displeased, the villagers fell silent, wanting to see what justice Rong Zhi would provide.
Rong Zhi said, "I know everyone deeply resents Zhang Chu, but Zhang Chu has now confessed and received his due punishment. Please do not vent your anger on innocent people."
"Doctor Lin, how can you say that?" Seeing Rong Zhi defend Zhang Yajing, the villagers' emotions flared again. "Even if she didn't participate, Zhang Chu trafficked people and sold villagers to the mines. How much ill-gotten wealth did he amass? Miss Zhang has been adorned with gold and silver, feasting and living luxuriously all these years. That was all from our hard-earned money, and the lives of our family members! She is not innocent at all!"
"Exactly!" Wu Guixiang picked up the fallen gold and silver jewelry from the ground and shook it in front of everyone. "Look at how much money she would spend on these items. How much could that petty county magistrate earn in a year? It all came from selling us! If it were you, would you be willing to accept such a gift?"
"Mother, stop talking..." Liu Hong felt the atmosphere growing tense and tried to intervene, but Wu Guixiang glared at him. "You stay out of it. Have you forgotten how Xinlan was when she first returned? It's all their fault!"
"Get out! Get out! Don't force me to throw you out!" Wu Guixiang pointed at Zhang Yajing, her eyes bloodshot and her body trembling with agitation.
Zhang Yajing quickly bowed and apologized, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, Auntie. It's all my father's fault..."
"Get out! Get out!"
The crowd began to shout in unison.
Suddenly, an empty plate flew from the crowd, heading straight for Zhang Yajing.
Chu Qingze's expression tightened. He reached out and blocked the plate, which shattered on the ground. A red wound appeared on Chu Qingze's arm.
Seeing this, Xia Yunting quietly moved a few steps closer to Rong Zhi.
"Divine Doctor Chu, why are you helping her? It's her father who wronged us. You can't abet evil."
Seeing Chu Qingze protect Zhang Yajing, the crowd became even more displeased. However, due to their respect for him as a divine doctor, their tone softened slightly.
Chu Qingze surveyed the surroundings, noticing everyone's tense expressions. Wu Guixiang's gaze was so fierce it looked as if she wanted to swallow Zhang Yajing whole. Only Liu Hong showed a hint of apology in his eyes.
A flicker of conflict crossed his gaze. Then, he addressed the crowd, "If you wish to vent your anger, you may. But I have something to clarify for everyone. Zhang Chu's actions have nothing to do with Zhang Yajing. Furthermore... Zhang Chu's cooperation with the people of Swallow Mountain... was because of me."
"What?" The crowd was utterly bewildered by this statement.
"What does this have to do with you?"
Rong Zhi cast a disapproving glance at Chu Qingze, wanting to stop him. However, Chu Qingze ignored her and continued, "Initially, to investigate the intentions of the Swallow Mountain group, I pretended to cooperate with them and helped them threaten Zhang Chu. The method of threat... was to poison Zhang Yajing!"
By the last sentence, his tone became extremely heavy, as if he had poured out all his strength to utter these words.
"Poison?"
Hearing this, the surrounding crowd became even more confused. Wu Guixiang, who hadn't anticipated this, glanced at Zhang Yajing. She wanted to say something but couldn't.
"So, Zhang Chu cooperated with them, and turned a blind eye to the missing persons cases, all because of me!" His tone was firm, as if he was determined to take all the blame.
Now, the crowd was at a loss.
Chu Qingze said, "I know everyone has been eagerly awaiting the return of your loved ones, and I have always known they were suffering in Swallow Mountain. But I, alone, was unable to defeat them. Therefore, it took so long, and caused everyone such pain of longing. This is all my fault. And during the recent government raid, Miss Zhang lent a hand. So, I dare to say, though Zhang Chu deserved his punishment, Miss Zhang is absolutely innocent."
"This..."
The villagers exchanged glances and began to murmur amongst themselves.
"I am ashamed to face everyone, so I intend to distribute all the wealth and assets I have accumulated over the years as compensation for my wrongdoings."
This sudden decision puzzled Rong Zhi. She hadn't invited these two to turn the wedding into a farce.
"Then what about Miss Zhang? For years she enjoyed our hard-earned money. What do you say about that?"
The villagers all looked at Zhang Yajing, especially since Chu Qingze had already made his statement.
The villagers' gazes were like knives, piercingly landing on her, as if they wished to kill her with their eyes.
Amidst this sea of hatred, Zhang Yajing suddenly let out a mournful laugh, as if finding a sense of release.
The next moment, her face paled, and she abruptly vomited a mouthful of blood, staining her white clothes crimson.
"Zhang Yajing!" Chu Qingze was shocked and rushed forward to help her. As he approached and saw her weakened state, it triggered painful memories. His own expression changed, and he swayed, about to fall.
Rong Zhi managed to catch Zhang Yajing just in time. She seemed to recall something and quickly examined the wine cup Zhang Yajing had just drunk from.
"Who poisoned it?" Rong Zhi turned and swept her gaze across the crowd, her voice cold.
Silence fell.
This was an unexpected turn of events. Though they had been furious moments before, their anger subsided somewhat in the face of a life-or-death situation. Only a few people softly muttered, "She deserved it."
"Mother, what's happening?" A figure in red parted the crowd and approached. Gu Xinlan, still wearing her elaborate makeup, looked at the chaotic scene with surprise.
"Why are you out here, girl? Don't you know it's bad luck to be seen on your wedding night?" Wu Guixiang scolded her.
Village Chief Yu Rong followed closely. "Oh, Xinlan girl, I told you not to come out. What's so interesting about this commotion?"
It turned out the village chief had been guarding the door. Although he heard the commotion, he thought with Rong Zhi and Xia Yunting present, it wouldn't escalate. To his surprise, things worsened. Just as he was about to check, Gu Xinlan had already run out of the bridal chamber. He had been trying to keep her inside, otherwise, with such a major incident, how could he, the village chief, not intervene?
"She's been poisoned. We need to send her back to the Ghost House immediately. I'll detoxify her."
Xia Yunting scooped up Zhang Yajing. "I'll take her back now."
As he was about to leave, he was stopped by the crowd.
"Xia Lei, you can't take her away. Her death is deserved."
"Yes, don't treat her! This is retribution. A father's debt is paid by his daughter. Her father did so many wicked things, and now his daughter is dying, it's like repayment for all those people he harmed!"
Everyone reached a consensus, blocking the doorway.
Xia Yunting ignored them, tightly holding the person in his arms. He leaped, using a table for leverage, and soared over the wall, disappearing into the distance.
The crowd was dumbfounded.
Rong Zhi said, "Everyone, I apologize. This is a matter of life and death. We can discuss your grievances another day." With that, she lifted the still gagging Chu Qingze, leaped through the crowd like a butterfly, and strode towards the Ghost House.
Watching her depart, someone from the crowd said, "I just can't swallow this. Everyone, follow me to block the door. Today, she must not live."
This remark indeed garnered a few supporters.
Gu Xinlan tugged at Liu Hong's sleeve, giving him a pleading look.
Liu Hong was about to speak, but then he remembered he was one of the few in the entire village whose family members hadn't gone missing. He had been an orphan from the start. One who hasn't suffered cannot preach kindness to others. Thus, he could only say to Yu Rong, "Village Chief, please manage this. The village has only been reunited for a short while. We can't have another death, can we?"
Only then did Yu Rong roar, "Stop this nonsense!"
His voice was extremely loud, immediately quieting the crowd.
"What do you think you're doing? Even if that girl deserves to die, with the Prefect present, do you want to take the law into your own hands and end up in prison?"
This silenced the crowd completely.
Yu Rong said, "Everyone, sit down. Eat and drink as you please, and go home to sleep when you're full."
The villagers reluctantly returned to their seats, though some still grumbled in dissatisfaction.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Xia Yunting had just placed Zhang Yajing on the bed when Rong Zhi returned.
Zhang Yajing, pale and weak, clutched Rong Zhi's hand and said, "The poison... I took it myself."