"Cousin! Cousin!" On the way to the south of the city, several shouts suddenly came from outside the carriage.
Xu Nian didn't pay any attention at first, assuming it was just the conversation of passersby outside, until the carriage stopped. The driver lifted the curtain, and she realized something was wrong.
Standing in front of the carriage, the one who fearlessly blocked the road was a man.
His clothes were very worn and patched in many places, but they looked clean enough. A pair of eyes lit up as soon as they saw him come out.
She frowned, realizing she had never seen this person before. "Who are you?"
The newcomer's expression remained unchanged, as if he had already guessed her reaction. He leaned forward and opened his mouth, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "It's me, cousin. Your cousin, Xu Shen. It's been so long since I've seen you. You've become a county princess. If I hadn't come to the capital, I wouldn't have known."
Xu Shen.
Zhao Jinfeng's son was spoiled and willful, and greedy for money. At first, he looked down on the original owner of the body, but he coveted her beauty and wanted her to be his concubine.
After reviewing the information about the person in front of her in her mind, Xu Nian's expression calmed down. "Cousin, you don't live with Second Aunt, so what brings you here to see me?"
Xu Shen slapped his thigh, looking indignant as he mentioned his mother. "Don't even mention it! My mother kicked me out of the house for two taels of silver and left with that high-ranking official. My third aunt left with her too."
"Really?" Seeing that his angry expression didn't seem fake, Xu Nian lowered her eyes. "Does cousin know who those people are?"
“Cousin, you don’t need to say that to me. I know everything. The whole capital is talking about how you are unfilial to your relatives, ungrateful, and even disregard human life.”
Xu Shen wasn't stupid either. He started counting the rumors he'd heard over the past few days on his fingers. "I came to you because I want to say that I can help you."
"You won't help your own mother, but you're helping me?"
"I told you not to mention her. That money-grubbing woman, if it weren't for her, I wouldn't be homeless. All along the way, she's only cared about feeding herself, has she ever thought about me?"
It seems that Xu Shen has a lot of grievances against Zhao Jinfeng. If he can really testify in court, many things will be much simpler.
[Don't believe him, streamer. I just don't believe anyone would turn their back on their own mother and help someone else.]
Yes, and judging from his clothes, he's still clean even after fleeing famine. Your second aunt must have treated him very well.
But that's not necessarily true. What if he's selfish and only cares about himself?
The comments section was filled with conflicting opinions. Xu Nian glanced at Xu Shen again. This guy clearly saw her as a hot commodity and was determined to squeeze some money out of her.
With a glint in her dark pupils, Xu Nian instructed the servant beside her, "Drive the carriage to the county princess's residence quietly. Have someone keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't alert anyone. We'll discuss the rest when I return."
Regardless of Xu Shen's motives, now that he's fallen into her hands, she has a way to make him reveal the truth.
On the other side, in the main hall of the Jingzhou Prefectural Government, Jiang Yuanqing sat in the main seat, with Chen Weisheng standing beside him. The two looked at Cuiqing and Zhao Jinfeng kneeling below them.
One had a calm expression, the other had an inscrutable look.
“Do you know that you are accusing a second-rank county magistrate of this dynasty?” Just when everyone was uncertain, Jiang Yuanqing suddenly spoke up, “If you are found to be forging documents, you will be beheaded.”
Zhao Jinfeng suddenly looked up, her eyes wide with disbelief, but then lowered them again when she met Chen Weisheng's warning gaze. "My lord, I... what I just said was absolutely true. We didn't want this to happen, but that girl Xu Nian has really gone too far!"
As she spoke, she pushed Yang Chunhua beside her, "My sister-in-law and I scrimp and save every day so that she can have a better life, but what does she do? Now that she's successful, she looks down on us poor relatives. She stole our grain and sneaked into other villages, using our grain to help the poor and needy along the way. We beg you, sir, to investigate thoroughly and give us justice!"
If Jiang Yuanqing hadn't been familiar with Xu Nian, she might have actually believed it from her tearful appearance.
He glanced at Yang Chunhua, who quickly kowtowed upon meeting his gaze. "Sir, Nian'er is young, and she may have done some things wrong. We only scolded her a couple of times, who would have thought she would hold a grudge?"
"My lord, everything I said just now is true. Xu Nian is utterly despicable for her disregard for human life! I beg you to investigate thoroughly and give us justice." Cui Qing's words were firm and powerful, and if one ignored the way her gaze was fixed on Jiang Yuanqing, it would probably be more credible.
Jiang Yuanqing remained silent. Chen Weisheng, unsure of his meaning, leaned closer, thinking of his own purpose, and said, "Your Highness, why not invite the Princess of Fu'an over for a questioning? A face-to-face confrontation would reveal who is telling the truth."
By the time the Second Prince agreed, Xu Nian had already walked to the courtyard.
She came to ask the villagers to be witnesses; with witnesses, none of this would be a problem.
To her surprise, she knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered. Finally, she managed to get in using her own method, but the people there acted as if they'd seen a ghost, keeping the door tightly shut and unwilling to engage in further conversation.
What do they mean by this? Do they even remember that the house they live in was bought by the streamer?
[Are you out of your mind?! These people must have been bribed by the Third Prince and his group, and that's why they're acting so guilty.]
Xu Nian had the same thought, but she always felt there was more to it than met the eye. Surely she couldn't be so unlucky as to have saved a bunch of ungrateful people?
Her face darkened, and her previous leisurely and smug expression vanished.
She flung her sleeves and left the courtyard. She hadn't gone far when she felt someone tug at her clothes twice. Turning around, she saw a child, no more than five or six years old, looking up at her with a gloomy face.
This is Aunt Wang's grandson; Xu Nian has seen him before.
Seeing him like this, her heart tightened, and she pulled the child to a secluded spot. "Little one, how did you get out here all by yourself? Where's Grandma?"
It would have been better if they hadn't asked. As soon as they did, the child pouted and tears streamed down her face. "Grandma, Grandma has been taken away by them! My brother and sister have been taken away too! My mother hid me in a jar. My mother said that we have to say bad things about my sister in front of the adults so that we can rescue Grandma!"
As she tried to soothe the child from crying, Xu Nian's gaze, fixed on the wall, grew increasingly cold.
Third Prince, that's truly commendable!
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