Chapter 79 Framed
Liu Fengjiao laughed disdainfully, as if she had heard a huge joke. "Chen Han, how did you learn to lie? You said you were making money by digging ginseng? Do you think ginseng is so easy to dig? It's waiting for your sister in the mountains! And Wild Wolf Valley? Do you know that dozens of men dare not go there in groups? What nonsense!"
Chen Han said stubbornly, "What I said is true. It's the money my sister earned from digging ginseng. Why are you wrongly accusing my sister?"
When people heard about the ginseng dug in the Wild Wolf Valley, they all started to question it.
"Kid, everyone within a hundred miles knows about the Wild Wolf Valley. There are so many wolves, insects and ferocious beasts there that even three or four grown men wouldn't dare to go up the mountain. How did your sister manage to dig up ginseng?"
"That's right, kid, tell me the truth. Where did you get your money? If you don't tell the truth, your tongue will be cut off."
Chen Han's eyes were filled with tears, and he kept repeating in a low voice, "It was really the ginseng that my sister dug and sold for silver. I didn't lie, I really didn't lie..."
Seeing that Chen Han was about to cry, Chen Qingqing quickly spoke to comfort him, "Don't be afraid, Xiaohan, we are on the right track and we are not afraid of our own shadows."
"But, but they don't believe it."
"Don't worry, I'll make them believe it." Chen Qingqing raised the corner of her lips slightly. "Master Wang, I have a question. I used my own silver to buy cloth, and someone falsely accused me of it being fake. After the shopkeeper checked it, they said I stole it and that it wasn't legitimate. If the silver is really mine, and I'm being falsely accused, aren't they guilty of false accusation?"
Wang Qichang looked at Chen Qingqing and her brother. Although they were dressed in rags, their eyes were clear and they did not look like evil people.
He frowned and asked, "If it is indeed a false accusation, the victim shall be caned thirty times and sentenced to six months of hard labor. If the girl cannot prove the origin of the silver, she will be charged with theft and will be severely punished."
"Well, since Chief Wang said so, please send someone to the Miraculous Hands Rejuvenating Spring Hall and ask the shopkeeper Miao there. We'll know the answer after we ask him."
Wang Qichang nodded slightly and said, "Come here, quickly go and get Manager Miao."
"Yes, Master Wang." A man responded and turned away.
Liu Fengjiao was stunned. She vaguely felt that the atmosphere was a little off. She lost her confidence and said, "Master Wang, I have something to deal with at home. Please take your time to investigate. I'll be leaving first."
Then he winked at Chen Ruolan and said, "Hurry up."
Chen Qingqing stepped forward to stop the two of them, saying sternly, "Stop right there! You're not going to be able to leave after making false accusations! That's not going to be easy!"
The waiter glared at them angrily, "Madam Chen, this girl is shopping peacefully in my shop, and you come up and bite her like a mad dog. What are your intentions?"
Liu Fengjiao's face turned pale and she was suddenly speechless.
Chen Ruolan looked guilty, "Waiter, I, we are doing this for your own good, right? After all, her family was really poor before."
The waiter scoffed, "Your father is a scholar, but as the saying goes, 'No one can be rich forever, but always poor.' Don't you understand this truth? So, in your opinion, this girl can't be rich!"
The waiter's words touched the hearts of the onlookers, and they looked at Chen Ruolan and her daughter with contempt.
"My dear girl, as the saying goes: Don't bully the poor, don't boast about the rich. No one can be poor forever or rich forever. You are really looking down on others."
"That's right, the rich and the poor are constantly changing. Why do you say that other people's silver is fake, and now you say it's stolen?"
"Even though you two have separated, you are still relatives after all. How can you be so mean to me?"
"Who said it wasn't true? Even looking down on others has its limits. You dare to make a bet with others? I think you will definitely lose. Just wait to learn to crawl like a dog!"
Hearing what everyone said, Chen Ruolan was so frightened that she trembled all over and could barely speak. "I, I, we don't, that's not what we meant."
Just then, the person who went to ask Doctor Miao to come back.
Doctor Miao followed him and came to the front of Wang Qichang. "Wang Qichang, what is the matter with you asking me to come here?"
"Doctor Miao, I'm sorry to bother you. This is about the innocence of this young lady." Wang Qichang glanced at Chen Qingqing and continued,
"Some people say this girl's silver was stolen, but she claims she earned it by selling ginseng. So I'm asking you to inquire if this is true."
Doctor Miao stroked his beard and chuckled, "This girl did sell a ginseng in our store, worth one hundred taels of silver. It was definitely not stolen. I can guarantee what I said with my personal integrity."
"Okay, thank you, Doctor Miao."
"You're welcome. I should cooperate with the elders." Doctor Miao said, clasping his hands and saying goodbye.
Chen Qingqing's eyes were stern. "Master Wang, now that the matter is clear, shouldn't you give me some justice?"
Wang Qichang said sternly, "Come here, arrest these two men, punish them with thirty strokes of the cane, and have them serve six months of hard labor."
Liu Fengjiao was stunned. She didn't care about her image anymore and grabbed Chen Qingqing's arm. "Qing girl, I'm your third aunt. You can't let the elder take me and your sister away!"
"Sister Qing, I was wrong. Please talk to the elders. This is all a misunderstanding." Chen Ruolan pleaded with tears in her eyes.
"It's a misunderstanding. When you two, mother and daughter, were aggressively accusing me just now, did you ever consider that it was all a misunderstanding?" Chen Qingqing forcefully shook off Liu Fengjiao's hand and snorted coldly, "Chen Ruolan, I admit defeat. You'd better get out of here first!"
"No, I won't crawl." Chen Ruolan's face was pale. She couldn't crawl. If she crawled out, how would she have the face to live in the town in the future.
"Don't you want to climb? The Da Ning Dynasty advocates keeping one's word. A promise is worth a thousand gold. If you don't keep your word, and the news gets out, Chen Zhancai's daughter will be known as a person who doesn't keep her word. I wonder how your father can stay in the Confucius Academy."
Liu Fengjiao's face immediately darkened. Her husband wanted to take the examination for a scholar and would eventually pass the imperial examination, so he couldn't have any stain on his body. If she and her mother were arrested and beaten with a stick thirty times and forced to do hard labor for half a year, her husband's reputation would be ruined and he would become a laughing stock in Qingshui Town.
Thinking of this, Liu Fengjiao no longer cared about her face and smiled charmingly at Wang Qichang, "Brother Qichang, can we talk for a moment?"
Wang Qichang had long been interested in Liu Fengjiao. Seeing the beauty winking at him, his heart melted instantly. It seemed like there was a chance, so he immediately lowered his voice and asked, "Madam Chen, what's the matter?"
Liu Fengjiao whispered, "Brother Qi, this is all a misunderstanding. You know our Zhancai. I often play mahjong with your wife. Please forgive me this time. I beg you."
"This seems a bit difficult. It depends on whether you have the sincerity to do it."
"Don't worry, elder brother. As long as you don't punish me with a caning, I'll do anything." Liu Fengjiao's eyes expressed her feelings.
Wang Qichang understood what was going on. He cleared his throat and pretended to be stern.
"My dear girl, since they have falsely accused you, you will definitely be punished. This matter is not serious.
According to the laws of the Da Ning Dynasty, if a prisoner did not want to serve his sentence, he could be exempted from caning and hard labor by paying five taels of silver.
This lady is willing to pay for peace, so the matter is over, and you should not pursue it any further."
.......
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
