Chapter 110 Magistrate Zhao

"Impossible, how could this be?" Sun Qinwan exclaimed in shock. "Him? Does he even deserve to sit in this position?"

As Zhao Decai listened, the shock on his face gradually faded. He knew that many people looked down on him, and he himself had never thought that he could climb up the social ladder again in his life. But now that he had this opportunity, no matter what the reason, he would cherish it.

Zhao Decai respectfully took the imperial edict from Huo Ran's hands, knelt on the ground, and solemnly said, "Your humble servant accepts the edict."

Huo Ran said to Zhao Decai, "Magistrate Zhao, from now on, you are the magistrate of Shushan County. You will be in charge of the people here, and you will also be fully responsible for the drought. Of course, you will also be in charge of dealing with the evil deeds committed by Sun Qinwan."

Zhao Decai's expression became much more serious. Now that his position had risen, the responsibilities and burdens on his shoulders had also become heavier.

“Sun Qinwan, you have done these evil deeds, do you have any excuse?”

Sun Qinwan's face turned pale. She had looked down on Zhao Decai before, but she never expected that he would become a county magistrate and take her father's position, while she, the daughter of a disgraced official, became a prisoner!

"I...I just dislike this woman. I haven't hurt her. She's here perfectly fine now. Why make such a big deal out of it?"

"No harm?"

Before Jiang Mi could even speak, Huo Ran couldn't help but retort, "What constitutes harm? Do we have to wait until someone is injured before we can convict you? A woman as venomous as you, if you don't succeed this time, there will definitely be a next time!"

Even if Sun Qinwan was still dissatisfied with Zhao Decai, he was now the county magistrate, so she had no choice but to back down for the time being.

“Your Honor, what I said just now was just said in anger. After all, Jiang Mi and I had some past grievances. She offended me, and I only wanted to scare her. I didn’t really intend to do anything to her. Besides, I am just a weak woman. What could I possibly do? Please understand.”

Jiang Mi rolled her eyes. This Sun Qinwan was quite the opportunist, able to bend and stretch. Just now she was acting like a spoiled young lady, but now she's become a weak woman.

"Don't think you can get away with playing the victim. I have witnesses and physical evidence."

After saying that, Huo Ran ordered someone to bring over the two men who had kidnapped Jiang Mi. The two men were trembling with fear, and when they saw Sun Qinwan in the hall, their faces were full of panic and evasiveness.

Huo Ran pointed at the two men and asked, "Do you know them?"

Sun Qinwan guiltily brushed her hair aside: "I don't know him."

Jiang Mi snorted coldly: "You don't recognize them, but does your maid Kong recognize them? You sent these two people and even gave them money. Don't think that just because you don't admit it, we can't do anything to you."

"You two, speak!"

The two men glanced at Sun Qinwan again, and were about to speak when they heard Granny Kong cough twice, and they stopped abruptly.

Huo Ran said coldly, "What? Is this old lady suffering from a sore throat? Should I call a doctor to take a look?"

Granny Kong was intimidated by Huo Ran's imposing manner and quickly shook her head: "No, no, no need, I'm fine."

Huo Ran then said to the two men, "Tell the truth. If you lie even once, you'd better watch out for the consequences!"

The two men trembled and immediately betrayed Granny Kong and Sun Qinwan, not forgetting to absolve themselves at the end: "We were hired by them. We just wanted to earn some money to spend. We didn't mean to kill anyone. It was they who insisted on taking this young lady's life!"

"You're talking nonsense! You bunch of greedy and treacherous people! I knew I shouldn't have hired you! My young lady just wanted to teach Miss Jiang a lesson, and you're deliberately framing her!"

Sun Qinwan was a little flustered. She had been pampered since childhood and had never encountered anything like this before.

Zhao Decai slammed his hand on the table: "Alright, I understand now. Did you two accept money from Sun Qinwan?"

“I’ve accepted it. They said they would give me twenty taels of silver, but they gave me ten taels as a deposit, and the other ten taels will be given after the deal is done.”

Zhao Decai nodded: "Now that we have both witnesses and physical evidence, Sun Qinwan, what else do you have to say?"

Sun Qinwan bit her lip. When had she ever encountered such a situation? In the past, no matter what happened, her father would always protect her. But now that her father was gone, she had to rely on herself for everything.

Suddenly, Granny Kong knelt down and said, "My lord, it was all my doing. It was all my idea. My young lady knows nothing. She is innocent. Please spare her."

Jiang Mi coldly observed, "He is indeed a loyal servant, but your young lady just said that she hates me, which is why she did this. Isn't it a bit too late for you to admit it now?"

Granny Kong looked at Jiang Mi with eyes full of hatred: "My young lady hates you, that's why I did this. I did it all to make my young lady happy, but she doesn't know anything about it."

Zhao Decai then asked the two men, "Was it this Miss Sun who hired you?"

The two men had never met Sun Qinwan before. The person who contacted them was Granny Kong, so they could only tell the truth: "It was indeed Granny Kong who contacted us. As for the young lady of the Sun family, we have not met her."

In this way, it would be difficult to convict Sun Qinwan. Zhao Decai had no choice but to say, "So it was all Granny Kong's idea. Then take her out and give her thirty strokes of the cane. As for Miss Sun, your father is a criminal and has been executed. Your mother has become a government slave, and you will also be made a slave. You will no longer be a young lady of noble birth."

Sun Qinwan squatted on the ground, unable to accept it. She had been hiding outside, afraid that one day this would happen. She didn't know which family would buy her. If she was lucky, she could become a concubine in a wealthy family. If she was unlucky, she would be assigned to some servants when she reached marriageable age, and her life would be completely over.

Jiang Mi looked at Sun Qinwan and said, "Sun Qinwan, your father has committed numerous evils and has indulged you without any limits. All of this is your family's own fault. If you live your life well from now on, you can have a peaceful life. If not..."

Before she could finish speaking, Sun Qinwan's resentful and angry gaze seemed to burst with blood. She bit her lip hard and remained silent. Only she knew what she was thinking.

Granny Kong was dragged out and beaten with a cane. Her cries of pain echoed in. Sun Qinwan wanted to go and save her, but was stopped by the guards. She could only watch helplessly as Granny Kong was beaten, crying her heart out.