Chapter 524 Favoritism and Fraud

Qin Shousheng laughed wildly, his face full of arrogance.

"Don't worry, father-in-law. No matter where you go, as long as you identify yourself, anyone who doesn't show their identity doesn't take me seriously. Within three days, I will make them close down."

"Okay, I feel relieved with your words, my dear son-in-law." Chen Zhancai was delighted and wanted to call Qin Shousheng "Dad". He didn't want to wait any longer and bowed hurriedly. "My dear son-in-law, I won't disturb you from your work. Goodbye."

Without waiting for Qin Shousheng to speak, he turned around and walked out.

Seeing Chen Zhancai's departing figure, Chen Ruolan frowned. She knew her father's character too well.

He is not ambitious, idle, and can do nothing else but eat, drink and have fun.

If he were allowed to do whatever he wanted, he would be exhausted to death sooner or later.

"Master, my father is not a law-abiding man. You shouldn't have promised him these things. He has no sense of propriety and will do whatever he wants without restraint. If he really causes trouble, it will only cause more trouble for you!"

Qin Shousheng waved his hand nonchalantly, "Madam, what are you talking about? I'm the local emperor in Anyang. Even if your father makes a big mess, I can easily fix it."

"Master, that's not what I meant. I'm worried that he will become addicted to alcohol and women."

"Hahaha, it's human nature to think about sex when you're well fed and warm. When your father gets tired of playing, he'll naturally restrain himself. Madam, don't worry."

While the two were chatting and laughing, Shen Yuanze walked in in a hurry.

He had just returned home from his errand at the dock when he saw his sister, Mrs. Fan, crying as she walked into the yard. Without saying anything, she started by scolding him.

After asking carefully, I found out that Chen Ruolan brought people to raid her sister's house. Not only did they put Fan Tong in jail, but they also turned Shi Taishou into a cripple.

He was furious and cursed Chen Ruolan for being cruel and ruthless. He regretted not selling her to a human trafficker, but instead gave her to Qin Shousheng out of ignorance, which caused such a big disaster.

Mrs. Fan came to Shen Yuanze in a panic. She was not worried about Fan Tong being arrested, but was worried about the more than ten boxes of gold, silver, and jewelry that were confiscated from the Fan family, as well as the house deeds and land deeds of the farm and shops.

In order to get Shen Yuanze to help get the treasures and other things back, Mrs. Fan cried, made a fuss, and rolled around in the yard, making a scene so loud that Shen Yuanze's head was throbbing with pain.

It took a lot of effort to coax Mrs. Fan into silence, and she promised to return all the things that Chen Ruolan had stolen. Only then did Mrs. Fan stop crying.

As soon as I entered the room, I saw Chen Ruolan snuggling up to Qin Shousheng, and the two were flirting with each other as if no one was around.

Shen Yuanze suppressed his anger and glanced at the calm Chen Ruolan. Then he bowed to Qin Shousheng and said, "Your Excellency, I pay my respects to you."

Qin Shousheng smiled and nodded, "Yuan Ze, why are you here? Have you dealt with the matter at the dock?"

"Don't worry, sir. The goods have been shipped out safely. This is the payment for this batch of goods." Shen Yuanze said as he handed over a thick stack of silver bills.

Qin Shousheng took the banknote with a serious expression on his face. If Ning Wang's men caught him smuggling salt, he would surely die. So he repeatedly warned, "Yuan Ze, tell your men to be careful and don't let Ning Wang's men get hold of us."

Shen Yuanze said respectfully, "Don't worry, sir. I will personally supervise everything. There will not be any mistakes."

"Okay, I trust Yuanze to do things." Qin Shousheng showed appreciation and then waved his hand, "You've worked hard today, go back and rest early!"

Shen Yuanze stood still. Qin Shousheng saw this and asked knowingly, "Yuanze, what else do you want?"

Shen Yuanze turned his gaze to Chen Ruolan, then questioned Qin Shousheng, "Sir, I wonder what crime Fan Tong of Qingshui Town committed. Why did Madam suddenly raid his house and imprison my brother-in-law, Fan Tong?"

Qin Shousheng pretended to be stunned, his eyes widening. "Yuan Ze, what are you talking about? When did I rob your brother-in-law's house?"

After saying that, he frowned and looked at Chen Ruolan, "Madam, what is going on?"

Chen Ruolan had already prepared her excuse and said seriously, "Master, this matter cannot be blamed on me. The only thing to blame is Fan Tong's reckless and lawless behavior in Qingshui Town.

Just now, I was riding in a sedan chair passing through Qingshui Town, and the people thought that you, the county magistrate, had come to the countryside to sympathize with the people.

The people stopped the carriage and knelt down to complain that Fan Tong was bullying people, doing evil things, and forcibly taking possession of many decent women.

I didn't want to meddle in other people's business, but there were many villagers watching at the time. If I ignored this matter and it really spread out, it would only make the master's reputation even worse.

Therefore, I took the initiative to search the Fan family's house and put Fan Tong in jail. If Master thinks that I did something wrong, I will order the property to be returned immediately."

Qin Shousheng frowned slightly. He knew in his heart that these words were pure fabrication and were just something Chen Ruolan said casually.

However, he had long been eyeing Fan Tong's property, but due to Shen Yuanze's face, he never took action.

Now that we have got the gold, silver and treasures back, why would we return them?

When Shen Yuanze heard what Chen Ruolan said, he could not help but get angry. Before Qin Shousheng could speak, he refuted her.

"Madam, you're such a joke. Fan Tong used to be a tyrant, but now he has abandoned evil and promoted good, reformed himself, and no longer oppresses the people. I wonder where those people you're talking about come from?

Do they have names? Take me with you to find out the truth. If it is really as Madam said, I, Shen Yuanze, will show no mercy and will punish them severely."

"Master Shen, you are so arrogant! You are obviously trying to protect Fan Tong."

After that, Shen Ruolan snorted disdainfully, “Do you still want to go down and investigate? I tell you, this lady is one of them. What’s going on? Do you want me to say it again?”

"This..." Shen Yuanze was speechless for a moment. He never thought that Chen Ruolan would use her own innocence to threaten him. Could it be that she had already confessed to Qin Shousheng that she was a concubine in the past?

No, it's not true.

Shen Yuanze's face was filled with threats. "Madam, please be careful with your words. Don't tarnish your reputation for the sake of momentary pleasure."

"Shen Yuanze, it's not your turn to threaten me yet." Chen Ruolan smiled contemptuously, "I think you just want to abuse your power and protect Fan Tong."

"No, I dare not. I just want to find out the truth."

"Find out the truth? Lord Shen is truly a diligent and caring official. Anyang County has a mountain of old cases, yet you haven't bothered to investigate them. Instead, you're so focused on your brother-in-law's case. Isn't this favoritism and corruption? Is your brother-in-law's safety more important than your reputation?"

"No, I..." Shen Yuanze was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say. He hurriedly explained to Qin Shousheng, "Sir, I didn't mean that at all. I just wanted to find out the truth and clear my brother-in-law's name."