Baihua Village is a village inhabited by people from Daliang, so there are no obvious Qiang folk customs in the village.
Moreover, Baihua Village is not far from the village where the original owner lived; they are practically neighbors. However, Su Yan had no memory of Qiu Xiang in her mind.
However, Su Yan didn't think much of it.
The able-bodied young men in Baihua Village had all been recruited by wealthy households, so as soon as Su Yan entered the village, apart from the elderly, women, and children, she did not see a single able-bodied man.
Led by Li Changyan, they quickly found the cottage where Qiu Xiang lived.
At this moment, Qiu Xiang was holding a baby in her arms, who looked to be about seven or eight months old.
As soon as Li Changyan saw Qiu Xiang, she immediately jumped up and down to greet her.
"Sister Qiuxiang, Sister Qiuxiang..."
Qiu Xiang was comforting the child when she heard the noise outside the door. She immediately turned around and looked in the direction of the person who had come in. When she saw that it was Li Changyan, she was terrified.
"You...you..."
Qiu Xiang was clearly terrified by Li Changyan's sudden appearance and tried to run into the house with the child in her arms.
Seeing that something was wrong, Su Yan immediately gave Shen Yao a look.
Shen Yao understood immediately. He used his lightness skill to leap up and land steadily in front of Qiu Xiang, blocking her path.
Seeing that she couldn't escape, Qiu Xiang hugged her child and knelt on the ground, pleading with Shen Yao, "Sir, please spare us, mother and child! I've decided not to investigate any further. Please let us live!"
At this moment, the child in Qiu Xiang's arms was clearly frightened and burst into tears.
Shen Yao was bewildered by Qiu Xiang's sudden actions and the child's crying, and looked to Su Yan for help.
If it were a man or an ordinary woman, Shen Yao would not show any mercy.
But kneeling before him was a baby still nursing and a mother with the strength to kill a chicken. Let alone lay a hand on him, Shen Yao didn't dare utter a single word.
Su Yan immediately noticed Shen Yao's embarrassment, a faint smile appeared on her lips, and she walked towards him.
Li Changyan, on the other hand, looked puzzled by Qiu Xiang's sudden change in attitude.
"Sister Qiuxiang, it's me, Changyan! My father and I often come to see you. Have you forgotten me?"
Qiu Xiang forced herself to turn her head away, avoiding eye contact with Li Changyan, but the expression on her face undoubtedly told others that she knew Li Changyan.
Seeing that Qiu Xiang remained silent, Li Changyan panicked and pressed on, "Sister Qiu Xiang, do you really not recognize me?"
Qiu Xiang still did not answer.
Qiu Xiang's sudden indifference left the seven-year-old Li Changyan completely bewildered. In her anxiety, she squatted down and tried to grab Qiu Xiang's hand.
Children's world is simple. If you ignore them, they will think you hate them. They obviously can't see the helplessness in an adult's heart.
Su Yan stepped forward to stop Li Changyan's behavior, "Changyan, take the little one inside to play. Qiu Xiang and I have something to talk about."
Li Changyan nodded, "Okay..."
After saying that, he took the baby from Qiu Xiang's arms.
The baby clearly recognized Li Changyan, opening his little mouth and babbling, drooling, but Li Changyan still took him away.
When the child was taken away, Qiu Xiang didn't object, perhaps because she knew that Su Yan and Shen Yao wouldn't harm her and her child. She simply responded with silence.
Su Yan looked at the woman in front of her. She was an ordinary-looking woman with a somewhat plump figure. Her face looked haggard, and there were dark circles under her eyes, indicating that she had not rested well.
"Miss Qiuxiang, you must know why we've come to see you today, right?"
Qiu Xiang nodded. "I know, but unfortunately I no longer want to pursue the truth. I just want to live a good life with my son."
"Now that the child is grown up, doesn't Miss Qiuxiang want to tell him who his father is?"
After speaking, Qiu Xiang fell silent, seemingly trying to avoid the question.
Although Qiu Xiang avoided the topic, Su Yan had already learned about Qiu Xiang's ordeal from her senior sister.
A year ago, Qiu Xiang left Suizhou to go to Chang'an to file a complaint with the authorities in search of her brother.
But the journey was long, and she was a weak woman traveling alone. Unexpectedly, she encountered bandits who kidnapped her and took her to the mountains, where she was subjected to inhumane treatment.
After managing to escape, he met Wang Ruofu, who was on his way to Suizhou.
However, Qiu Xiang was already six months pregnant at that time and it was inconvenient for her to continue traveling. Wang Ruofu had no choice but to wait until Qiu Xiang gave birth before they returned to Suizhou together.
Su Yan had roughly guessed what would happen next.
Qiu Xiang's appearance just now clearly indicated that she had been threatened; otherwise, she wouldn't have looked so terrified when she saw Li Changyan.
"Miss Qiuxiang, you must know very well that what has already happened cannot be concealed no matter how you try to hide it. Li Qingming was framed because of you, wasn't he?"
Upon hearing Su Yan's words, Qiu Xiang suddenly raised her head, staring intently at her, and vehemently denied it.
"No, Prefect Li's death has nothing to do with me."
"Qiu Xiang, are you going to keep lying?"
"Prefect Li was framed and killed while investigating your brother's disappearance. Wang Sizhi, who tried to save you, is still trapped in the Luo residence like an ant. And you still dream of living a good life with your son. Do you think that's possible?"
After hearing this, Qiu Xiang burst into tears and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't say that... I didn't want it to be like this either. I've tried everything, but it's all in vain. Now I don't want to pursue the truth anymore. I just want to live a good life. Is that wrong?"
Su Yan looked calmly at Qiu Xiang, who was in a state of emotional collapse. She squatted down, reached out her hand to comfort her, and said, "Qiu Xiang, you did nothing wrong, but too many people have lost too much because of your brother's case. Your brother needs justice, and they need justice too. Even if you don't continue to insist, I will continue to investigate."
Su Yan fully understood Qiu Xiang's thoughts; anyone would break down if they were constantly isolated and helpless.
After listening to Su Yan's words, Qiu Xiang looked up at her and asked, "Are you really going to continue investigating?"
Su Yan nodded. "Of course, I didn't come here today to force you to identify the murderer, but to tell you where your brother and the other villagers are."
Qiu Xiang looked somewhat hesitant, but her firm resolve wavered a little.
Seeing this, Su Yan pressed her advantage, asking, "Qiu Xiang, these things can't be delayed any longer. We don't even know if the others are alive or dead yet."
“My brother hasn’t sent me any news since he left. As for the news brought home by the villagers who left with him, Lord Wang has already investigated and found it to be all false.”
"Fake news?"
Su Yan was somewhat puzzled.
“Those messages weren’t brought back by the villagers at all. They were brought by a storyteller from Huai’an Prefecture. His purpose was to reassure the villagers’ families. Because my family lives in a remote area, we haven’t heard from my brother for three years.”
"You mean someone deliberately told the villagers that they were still safe and sound?"
Qiu Xiang nodded. "That's right, it was that rich man who did it."
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