Chapter 136
After the body of former advisor Zhou Wenquan was found in the separate courtyard, Steward Liu confessed everything under the torture of the Jinlong Guards. Furthermore, Zhou Wenquan had hidden an account book and three secret letters in a private residence in the capital, which recorded evidence of Liu Jian's corruption and lawbreaking.
Liu Jian was dismissed from his post and exiled. To protect the Liu clan's descendants, he took all the blame himself, including poisoning Wan Yunhao. Zhan Feiyu couldn't understand why the Qin family wanted to retaliate against her.
"Investigate it yourself." Yin Wuyan intended to use the Qin family as a whetstone. The young girl would encounter many troubles in the capital in the future, even with the protection of Scholar Gu.
Moreover, the Gu clan of Nanling was very displeased with Scholar Gu taking a disciple, even planning to select outstanding disciples from the clan to send to the capital. Yin Wuyan was confident he could protect Zhan Feiyu, but he didn't spend much time in the capital throughout the year. Better safe than sorry, so he had to make the young girl stronger.
Zhan Feiyu was not one to shy away from trouble, especially since the Qin family had implicated Zhan Laoda. "Alright, I'll investigate it myself!"
"I'll leave Chongguang to you." Although Yin Wuyan had sent He Sheng and He Nuan, they were now merely servants, making it inconvenient to investigate the Qin family.
...
After Yin Wuyan sent Zhan Feiyu back to Jinlin Village, he left first. At this time, Bai Lianqing had already left the wooden house where Zhan Laoda was temporarily staying.
"Xiao Yu, why have you returned?" Li Shi looked at Zhan Feiyu, who walked in from the courtyard gate, with surprise. Then she smiled and greeted her, "Did you forget to bring something?"
Li Shi had always thought Zhan Feiyu would return after the county exam results were posted.
"Mother, I have something to ask you." After entering the house, Zhan Feiyu pulled the busy Li Shi to sit down and then asked, "I heard Constable Fei say that your money bag was stolen by a thief on the day the results were posted?"
Seeing that her daughter had not lost weight due to the exam, Li Shi was relieved and nodded with a smile. "Yes, that happened. Your father and I are fine, you don't need to make a special trip."
Because Magistrate Chen valued Zhan Feiyu, the people from the yamen were very polite to the people of Jinlin Village. The biggest beneficiary was Zhan Laosan, who worked at the pier. Therefore, Li Shi was not surprised that Zhan Feiyu knew about this and recounted the day's events in detail.
"Fortunately, your father ran fast and caught the thief." Li Shi still felt a lingering fear as she thought about it. She stood up and said to Zhan Feiyu, "I baked sweet potatoes in the stove, they should be ready to eat. Mother will go get them now."
Zhan Feiyu pondered, it seemed her previous deduction was correct. She wondered if Feng Er was framed or bribed.
The rich aroma of roasted sweet potatoes filled the air. Li Shi wiped the ashes off the sweet potatoes before handing them to Zhan Feiyu, "Eat them while they're hot."
Seeing Zhan Feiyu eating like a little kitten, Li Shi's smile deepened. "Eat slowly. There are still many sweet potatoes in the cellar. Bring a basket back to the farm."
"Fengyu..." Zhan Laoda hurried over. Upon entering the house and seeing Zhan Feiyu gnawing on a sweet potato, he was stunned. Then, remembering what Mr. Bai had said before leaving, Zhan Laoda was almost overwhelmed by self-reproach and guilt.
Wiping the black ash from his hands, Li Shi looked at Zhan Laoda, who was looking down, and asked gently, "What happened?"
"Fengyu, I'm sorry to you and Xiao Yu." Zhan Laoda said with a hoarse voice, then squatted down with his head in his hands.
Li Shi's first reaction was that the people from the old house had come to trouble Zhan Laoda again, and that the usually filial Zhan Laoda had done something to wrong her and Xiao Yu.
Seeing Li Shi's pale face filled with disappointment and sadness, Zhan Feiyu quickly took her hand. "Mother, don't overthink it. It's not a big deal. I'll wash my hands and be right back to tell you."
Upon hearing the news of Feng Er's death from Zhan Feiyu, Li Shi sat on the chair in a daze. After a long while, she said, "Father, you didn't hit him. You just pushed him, and he lost his footing and fell. How did he die?"
"Mr. Bai said he had a heart condition. He died at home that night, and his neighbors discovered him and reported it today." Zhan Laoda wiped his face fiercely.
If he had known that Feng Er was ill, why would he have pushed him? It was just a few taels of silver, and stealing was stealing. But now, if he became a murderer, what would happen to Xiao Yu?
Li Shi's face was also pale, and the joy of seeing her daughter had vanished.
Zhan Feiyu needed to study for the imperial examinations. Li Shi had learned a lot about the imperial examinations from the village chief and the elders. If she had a father who was a murderer, not only would Xiao Yu not be able to take the imperial examinations, but she would probably not even be able to find a good marriage.
Silence spread, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating. They thought everything was going smoothly, but fate suddenly slapped them, leaving only grief and helplessness.
Zhan Feiyu washed her hands and returned to the room, immediately sensing the unusual expressions of Li Shi and Zhan Laoda. Before she could speak, the inarticulate Zhan Laoda suddenly looked up.
With loving eyes fixed on Zhan Feiyu, after a long time, Zhan Laoda's rough, dark face showed a slightly awkward smile. "Xiao Yu, don't worry. Father has remembered everything Mr. Bai told me. Even if we go to court, don't be afraid. You were already adopted by the elder clan leader. You are no longer my daughter on the family tree. Father won't let those people harm you."
Zhan Laoda was unsure if Feng Er's death was due to his own illness or his push, but Mr. Bai was right. Regardless, he couldn't implicate Xiao Yu.
He, as a father, was useless. He couldn't protect his children before, and not implicating Xiao Yu was the only thing he could do.
"But..." Li Shi's lips trembled. She looked at Zhan Laoda with red eyes but couldn't say anything else. In her heart, her daughter Xiao Yu was the most important.
"Fengyu, don't worry. Mr. Bai said that even if it was because I pushed him, Feng Er's heart condition is the main reason. We might have to compensate some money." Zhan Laoda felt less distressed and conflicted after thinking it through, but he was reluctant to see his wife with red eyes and his obedient daughter.
Li Shi was not stupid; in fact, she was smarter than most women. She knew Zhan Laoda was not telling the truth. A life had been lost, so how could it be just about compensating with money? She was afraid he would be beaten with canes and exiled. If Feng Er didn't have a heart condition, killing someone would be punishable by beheading.
After a moment of silence, Li Shi held Zhan Laoda's hand and smiled, "Even if we have to be exiled, I will accompany you!"
Xiao Yu was intelligent and had to study all day. Besides the village and clan, she also had the care of He Sheng and He Nuan. Li Shi knew very well that if it weren't for her, Xiao Yu wouldn't have to return to the village. She could study at the county school during the day and live at the farm at night, without the arduous journey back and forth.
"But..." Zhan Laoda was reluctant to let Li Shi suffer with him. He was about to refuse when she interrupted him.
"If I'm not watching you, Xiao Yu won't be at ease." Li Shi pretended to glare at Zhan Laoda with disdain, but she held his hand tightly. He had a stubborn mind and only knew how to work hard. If she didn't watch over him, he would be sold and still count the money for the buyer.
Zhan Feiyu smiled, looking at her devoted parents. "Mother, things are not that serious. Father, remember from today onwards, no matter who asks you about Feng Er's death, even if you go to court, just insist that you pushed him, that he fell to the ground, and that you didn't fight him."
In fact, Zhan Laoda and Feng Er did fight in the alley, but Zhan Laoda was not the type to fight aggressively. It was more like forced self-defense.
On the contrary, Feng Er was the ruthless and violent one. Unfortunately, he had a heart condition, and he had run for half an hour before. His punches were light and lacked strength.
So, although they fought in the alley, Feng Er's face was not injured, only his body received a few blows. After falling to the ground, his palm was scraped. Zhan Laoda, wearing a thick cotton coat, had no bruises on his body. Therefore, as long as he didn't admit to hitting Feng Er, it would be fine.
Looking at the hesitant and conflicted Zhan Laoda, Zhan Feiyu smiled. "Mother, I'll tell you what questions to ask and how to answer later. Just pretend to be a county magistrate in a play and ask Father the same questions repeatedly."
Looking at the dull and stunned Zhan Laoda, Zhan Feiyu smiled. "As for Father, when you answer, either keep your head down or put on a stern face."
The villagers knew that Zhan Laoda had "accidentally" injured Feng Er, and Feng Er had died. How would the neighbors ask, and how should Zhan Laoda and Li Shi answer? When they went to court, how would Magistrate Chen question them? And if the Qin family hired a lawyer, what questions would they ask?
Half an hour later, Li Shi had memorized how to ask and answer.
The instructions Zhan Feiyu gave were somewhat evasive of the facts, but Feng Er's death had little to do with Zhan Laoda's fighting and pushing. Avoiding the important and focusing on the trivial answers felt like a word game, making Zhan Laoda feel like he wasn't lying, and his answers became smoother, his expression more natural.
"Mother, even if there is a trial, it will have to wait until after the county exam. You and Father need to practice asking and answering every day for the next few days." After giving clear instructions, Zhan Feiyu planned to return to the farm. She still had to investigate the Qin family thoroughly.
"Okay, Mother knows. Don't worry, go back and study hard." Li Shi nodded with a smile and affectionately touched Zhan Feiyu's head.
She was just a fair-skinned, crying little ball back then. In the blink of an eye, she was nine years old, so grown up, and could even support this family.
When Zhan Feiyu got into the carriage and headed back to the farm, a child suddenly darted out from the intersection. Fortunately, He Sheng was driving steadily, so they didn't hit the child.
"I..." The child fell to the ground with a thud. Looking at the strong and tall horse, his face turned pale with fear.
Lifting the carriage curtain, Zhan Feiyu leaned out and looked at the child on the ground. He was probably a child from a village by the official road, about seven or eight years old, wearing a worn-out cotton coat, with unwashed dirt on his face.
"I... you..." Tie Niu was stunned and didn't know what to say. It was the first time he had seen such a beautiful young girl. Although they had the same nose and mouth, looking at Zhan Feiyu in the carriage, Tie Niu felt inferior for the first time, clutching the hem of his dirty cotton coat with his grimy hands.
"Can you stand up?" Zhan Feiyu looked at Tie Niu, who was badly frightened, and was about to get down when He Sheng jumped off the carriage first.
He pulled Tie Niu up from the ground. Although He Sheng was sure he hadn't injured the child, he quickly checked his arms and legs. "Miss, don't worry, he's fine."
He Sheng looked at Tie Niu, who was so thin he was all skin and bones. His wrists were so thin they looked like they could snap with a single break. He Sheng put five taels of silver into Tie Niu's hand. "Go home quickly. Don't chop firewood when it's dark."
Hearing He Sheng's words, Zhan Feiyu finally noticed a small bundle of firewood placed on the ridge below the official road. The child was weak and couldn't chop trees, so he had picked up thin branches. Although it was a bundle, it would burn up in a day.
Tie Niu finally came to his senses and fumbled out a letter from his tattered cotton coat, stuffing it into He Sheng's hand. "Someone asked me to give this to you."
After saying that, Tie Niu really wanted to return the silver in his hand, but thinking of his paralyzed father, and his younger brother and sister crying from hunger, Tie Niu clenched his fist tightly.
He looked up again at Zhan Feiyu, who was wrapped in fox fur. Her face was like a white porcelain plate, and her dark, clear eyes were more beautiful than the stars at night. Tie Niu turned and ran away like lightning, even leaving behind the bundle of firewood.
He Sheng ignored the departing Tie Niu. After checking the letter and confirming there were no problems, he handed it to Zhan Feiyu. "Miss."
Without asking, it was obvious that Tie Niu had received a reward, which was why he suddenly rushed out to stop the carriage. As for who sent the letter, since the person was hiding and used a child to deliver it, even if they asked Tie Niu, they wouldn't get any useful information.
Zhan Feiyu took the letter but didn't open it immediately. Her dark eyes flickered with a smile. "Let's go back to the farm first."
The carriage galloped on the official road again. Upon returning to the farm, Zhan Feiyu entered the study and then opened the letter to read it. The letter was very simple, with just two lines conveying the meaning clearly.
If Zhan Feiyu didn't want Zhan Laoda to be burdened with murder charges, she should give up the prefectural exam. Otherwise, even if she participated in the prefectural exam, with a father who was a murderer, Magistrate Chen couldn't control the scholars of Nanxuan Prefecture. At that time, Prefect Zhang would definitely disqualify Zhan Feiyu from the examination.
"Miss, have some water to warm your body." He Nuan handed her the teacup. Glancing at the letter on the table, even the usually good-natured He Nuan couldn't help but sneer, "They are all insidious villains who operate in the dark. Miss doesn't need to pay attention to them."
After all, Zhan Feiyu had already been adopted. The mastermind wanted to use Zhan Laoda to control her, which was just a last resort. Moreover, Prefect Zhang now held great power in Nanxuan Prefecture, and Zhan Feiyu's contributions were not small. Furthermore, she was Scholar Gu's only disciple, so Prefect Zhang would definitely protect Zhan Feiyu.
This was why He Nuan looked down on the mastermind. Such a crude plan to make Zhan Feiyu withdraw from the imperial examinations, even costing Feng Er his life.