Chapter 62 Nonsense
"Misunderstanding?" Chen Kangbo's voice was as cold as ice in the coldest days of winter. "You chased my daughter all the way to this desolate mountain and you tell me it was a misunderstanding?"
He didn't even bother to look at Chen Kangzhong. He picked up a hemp rope that someone had dropped on the ground and tied Chen Kangzhong up tightly in no time.
"Let's go! To the county government office!" Chen Kangbo grabbed one end of the hemp rope and dragged the screaming Chen Kangzhong down the mountain like a dead dog.
This time, he would never settle this privately! He wanted to show everyone what would happen if he attacked his family!
The family escorted Chen Kangzhong to the town. The noise naturally alarmed the villagers, who began to discuss the situation. Those in the west courtyard were so frightened they dared not leave their homes. Just as they reached the town entrance, a blue-clothed carriage drove towards them. It stopped in front of them, and the curtains opened, revealing the faces of Xiao Cui and Mother Zhang.
"It's you?" Mother Zhang was also shocked when she saw this scene.
After she listened to Feng Lan's brief account of what had happened, this woman, who was used to the ups and downs in the backyard, had a solemn look on her face.
"I'm afraid this matter is not that simple."
Mother Zhang pondered, "I've heard a lot about your second brother, but he doesn't look like someone with the brains or courage. If we bring him to court, he'll be an accomplice at best. The real mastermind is probably just hiding in the background, watching the joke."
Feng Lan's heart moved. She had the same idea. Chen Kangzhong was greedy, but timid. If no one instigated him, he would never dare to do such a thing.
Mother Zhang looked at Feng Lan, lowered her voice, and gave her an idea:
"When you get to court, don't rush to shout for violence. People only betray others to protect themselves when they feel their interests have been severely damaged and see a glimmer of hope that their guilt can be mitigated."
"You might as well..."
After hearing what Zhang's mother said, Feng Lan's eyes flashed with enlightenment. She solemnly thanked Zhang's mother.
In the court, the county magistrate banged the gavel and the atmosphere became solemn.
Chen Kangzhong knelt in the hall, shaking with fear.
The county magistrate demanded sternly, "Who are you? Why did you kidnap your own niece? Tell the truth!"
"Sir! It's unfair! I...I was just joking with my niece!" Chen Kangzhong was still quibbling.
"Are you kidding?" Feng Lan sneered, walked forward, and bowed to the county magistrate, "Sir, I have something to say."
The county magistrate nodded in agreement.
Feng Lan didn't look at Chen Kangzhong, who was shaking like a leaf in the autumn wind. Instead, she spoke slowly with a tone of regret and sympathy:
"Sir, I think my second brother must be hiding something. Although he's a bit lazy on a daily basis, he wouldn't do anything so heinous. I'm sure someone was behind this, instigating him and promising him great benefits, which led him to be confused and make such a big mistake."
She paused, changed the subject, and her voice contained a hint of just the right guidance, as if she was thinking about Chen Kangzhong.
"I've heard that according to Daliang law, if the mastermind behind this kidnapping and extortion is involved, he or she will be exiled three thousand miles away, their property confiscated, and their wife and children enslaved. However, if the accomplice is simply deceived and exploited, and can voluntarily identify the mastermind, they can receive a lighter sentence, perhaps... just a few years in prison and a few dozen strokes of the cane."
"Second brother, you're a smart man. You have to think clearly. Do you want to shoulder this heinous crime of exile three thousand miles away, the destruction of your family, and your wife and children never to see you again? Or do you want to identify the person hiding behind this, trying to make you take the blame while you reap the lion's share of the benefits?"
These words, like a sharp key, instantly opened Chen Kangzhong's selfish defenses.
Exiled three thousand miles away! Family torn apart!
He was so scared that his soul flew away! No matter how stupid he was, he knew that he was being used as a pawn by the fourth brother! The fourth brother only said that if the plan succeeded, the profit would be 20-80, but he didn't say that if the plan failed, the blame would be borne by him alone! Why should he go three thousand miles away to suffer while the fourth brother was safe and sound at home?
"It's Chen Kangji! It's the fourth brother!" Chen Kangzhong seemed to have grabbed the last straw and no longer cared about brotherhood. He roared out everything like a bamboo tube pouring beans, how Chen Si found him, how he instigated him, how he planned, and how he promised to share the spoils.
"Sir! He was the mastermind! He ordered me to do it! He said he would take 80% of the profits and I would only take 20%! I'm just an accomplice! Please, sir, please see clearly! Please, sir, please spare my life!"
After hearing this, the county magistrate's face turned pale and he slammed the gavel.
"Come here! Quickly go to Pingjiang Village and arrest the instigator Chen Kangji!"
A carefully planned kidnapping case, ultimately, led by Feng Lan's rhetoric, led to the arrest of both masterminds. Watching the two brothers being escorted away by yamen runners, still cursing and biting each other, Chen Kangbo's heart, frozen with anger, felt no pleasure, only a bottomless sadness.
Feng Lan calmly took her daughter's hand and walked out of the county government office. The sky was still blue. But she knew that as long as the old tree in the west yard, its roots rotted, stood firm, the turmoil would never subside.
Just as Feng Lan and her family were about to leave the county government office, a gentle voice came from behind them.
"Mrs. Chen, please stay."
Feng Lan turned around and saw the county magistrate himself emerge. Unlike the imposing manner he had displayed in court earlier, he now wore a gentle smile. Even more surprising was the fact that the magistrate was accompanied by an elegantly dressed woman. It was none other than the second concubine. Madam Zhang and Xiao Cui followed respectfully behind him.
"Sir." Chen Kangbo hurriedly pulled the family to pay their respects.
"No need to be so polite." The county magistrate waved his hand, but his eyes fell on Erya, who was protected by Feng Lan behind him. His eyes were full of admiration. "This must be the Erya who embroidered the painting 'Cold Orchid Heralds Spring', right?"
Erya hid behind Feng Lan timidly and nodded.
Feng Lan was puzzled. Daya's embroidery was orchids, and Erya had been learning from her, but she had never sold them. How did the county magistrate know this?
The second concubine smiled and answered her doubts:
"Mrs. Chen, you don't know something.
A few days ago, our master compiled the ten handkerchiefs embroidered by Miss Daya, along with some of my embroidery collection, into a book and gave it to Mr. Huang in the prefecture as a birthday gift. Mr. Huang only praised the others briefly, but when he saw the ten orchid handkerchiefs, he couldn't let them go. He especially loved one of them, which was embroidered with a cold orchid in the snow, which was so elegant and graceful that Mr. Huang immediately picked up his pen and wrote the word "fenggu" on it.
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