Chapter 154 Dismembering the Liu Family, Destroying Liu Ziwen's Spirit
Liu Ziwen had no idea when he woke up.
It's unknown how long he was unconscious.
How did the public trial go? Did Wang Lengran protect the Liu family? Is Ouyang Lianghan still upholding justice and relentlessly pursuing the case?
Liu Ziwen was like an old, sick tiger trapped in a swamp, his consciousness hazy and confused.
Only the stabbing wounds wrapped in bandages on his chest and abdomen, sending piercing pain through his teeth, could keep his mind occasionally clear.
You may have had some dreams during that time, but each time you struggle to open your eyes, you forget them completely.
It was precisely this intermittent awakening that made Liu Ziwen vaguely realize that he had been asleep for a very long time.
Sometimes when I open my eyes, the room is pitch black.
Sometimes when I open my eyes, it seems like someone is standing guard with a lamp lit around the round table not far away.
Sometimes when I open my eyes, the light inside and outside the bed is dim, and I can't tell whether it's evening or dawn.
And now, Liu Ziwen has woken up again.
He slowly turned his head to look.
Not far from the bed, there was the sound of rushing water outside the closed window.
It was pouring rain.
Such heavy rain is rare in Longcheng County during the annual plum rain season, as it is usually just a light drizzle.
Such heavy rain not only signifies that the rainy season is nearing its end, but also...
This also means...
The water level of Yunmengze upstream is about to rise sharply again. I wonder if the Digong Sluice Gate can withstand it.
This was the first thought that popped into Liu Ziwen's mind at that moment, and it was also the first reaction of most people in Longcheng who were used to floods.
"My husband, you're awake!"
Upon seeing this, Xu, who had been sitting blankly at the table inside the room, rushed to the bedside.
Liu Ziwen saw his wife's face, which was filled with surprise and a little bewilderment, and then glanced at the direction outside the door.
His face was pale. With Xu's support, he propped himself up, his dry, chapped lips slightly parted, and he weakly said:
Where is this?
“My husband is still a criminal… This is the clerk’s quarters where sick witnesses are housed in the county government, and visits are permitted,” Xu said timidly.
Perhaps it was because she had been crying a lot these past few days, but the eyes of this ordinary-looking woman were very red.
Liu Ziwen's attention was completely off his wife. He leaned forward and said urgently:
"How's the situation outside? How's the public trial going? Cough cough cough..."
He spoke too quickly, and seemed to choke, so he covered his mouth and coughed twice.
"Let me pour you some water!"
Xu seemed not to have heard Liu Ziwen's question. She looked around, then suddenly stood up and hurriedly went out to pour tea.
It seemed that the commotion inside the house had reached outside, because Liu Ziwen saw Liu Fu limping in and looking around.
"Master...Master, you're awake." The lame old steward said, startled.
Liu Ziwen stopped coughing and asked in a serious tone, "Come here. What happened outside while I was unconscious these past few days..."
"Master has finally woken up. I'll go and inform the second young master and the others!"
Liu Fu bowed respectfully, then turned and withdrew.
Liu Ziwen stopped speaking.
He turned to look at the empty, simple room, then at the white undergarment with bloodstains visible on his chest, and the swaying bed beneath him.
Liu Ziwen realized that there was good news and bad news.
The good news is that the poison of the lovebirds seems to have been neutralized, probably because Liu Zian and others gave him the antidote later.
The incurable lovebird poisoning that made life worse than death has disappeared.
The reason he was able to hold on was probably due to the poisoned dagger that had been plunged into Liu Ziwen's body; the poison had just entered his body and had not yet fully spread.
Unlike the Jade Cup Fairy, whose poison lurks and permeates her entire body.
The latter is more potent and deadly.
The bad news was that the assassin had stabbed him in the lung, causing his lung lobes to shrink.
Although Liu Ziwen has been rescued and pulled through, the knife was poisoned and therefore unclean, making him susceptible to infection.
Even if they don't die immediately, they will be plagued by tuberculosis and suffer unbearable pain.
Liu Ziwen lowered his hand from his mouth and stared blankly at the blood he had coughed up from his palm.
The poison of the lovebirds was originally obtained by the second brother, Liu Zian, through a customer of the Wei family, Boss Li. Naturally, he also had the corresponding antidote, just in case.
Furthermore, this antidote, besides being used on Liu Ziwen at the moment, was actually used once not long ago.
It was at the open-air luncheon during the ribbon-cutting ceremony that it was mistakenly given to Ouyang Lianghan, who was disguised as the Jade Cup Fairy.
Before leaving, Liu Ziwen secretly offered Ouyang Lianghan a drink laced with the antidote.
The latter also managed to steal the poisonous blue bottle containing the lovebird from his possession.
According to the original plan, Liu Ziwen and Liu Zian intended for the Jade Cup Fairy to use her Yin Poison on Xie Lingjiang, and then, depending on the situation, use the Crimson Bottle Yang Poison to trigger the poison during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Therefore, it is natural not to let the Jade Cup Fairy, who has already been secretly poisoned, also be poisoned and prevent her from killing Shen Xisheng.
However, in retrospect, all these schemes were in vain, and even Liu Ziwen himself was tricked and outmaneuvered...
Liu Ziwen sat on the bed in a daze for a while.
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside, indicating that quite a few people were approaching.
Liu Ziwen smeared the bloodstains on the inside of the bed sheet and then moved his body to cover them up.
Liu Zian and Liu Zilin led a group of men in fine clothes into the room quickly.
"Big brother!"
"Young Master."
Seeing the crowd that almost filled the room, even though Liu Ziwen was prepared, he couldn't help but be taken aback and spoke up:
"Why are you all here too?"
“Brother, the Ghost Festival is coming soon. The cousins who came back to pay respects to our ancestors were worried about your injuries. They heard that you had woken up, so they came to visit you.”
Liu Zian stepped forward, grabbed Liu Ziwen's hand, and explained earnestly.
Liu Ziwen didn't look at Liu Zian, but silently pulled his wrist away from Liu Zian's hand, leaving the latter with a helpless expression.
Liu Ziwen pursed his pale lips, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Liu Zilin and his fellow clansmen gathered around the bed.
Liu Zilin glanced at his two elder brothers in front of the bed, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, and lowered his head.
The other members of the Liu clan, who seemed to have returned to pay respects to their ancestors, stepped forward and greeted Liu Ziwen warmly.
Liu Ziwen seemed a little uncomfortable. He took a deep breath and waved them away, "You..."
Just then, Liu Ziwen's words were interrupted by a laugh from outside the door:
"Master Liu, I heard you've woken up. I brought you some fruit to wish you a speedy recovery. Let's continue the court proceedings."
Ouyang Rong chuckled and led Yan Liulang and the other constables through the door.
Yan Liulang and the others stared coldly at the three Liu brothers and the room full of Liu clan members.
Liu Ziwen's originally ashen face turned as red as if he had been holding back blood. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly noticed that everyone except him was bowing respectfully to Ouyang Rong.
Liu Zian, Liu Zilin, and their fellow clansmen bowed their heads in unison and said, "Your Excellency, Magistrate."
Ouyang Rong raised his hand and pressed it down in the air as a signal:
"Hey, don't be so polite. I've had a very pleasant time dealing with you all these past two days. We've gotten to know each other quite well, and everyone has been very cooperative. Why are you being so polite?"
The young magistrate turned with a smile to the sickbed young master of the Liu family, whose face was flushed a deep purplish-red, and inquired with concern:
"The main reason I came here this time is to see Master Liu. I used to hear people say that good people don't live long, but evil people live for thousands of years. But now I see that's not always true."
"Look, Master Liu looks rosy and healthy; he's doing just fine, isn't he?"
Ouyang Rong pointed at Liu Ziwen's face and gestured to the crowd.
Liu Zian and his fellow Liu clan members quickly put on smiling faces.
The atmosphere in the ward was cheerful and harmonious.
If it weren't for the fact that outsiders could see it, how would they know that these two groups were mortal enemies who fought to the death just a few days before the public trial?
Liu Ziwen suddenly turned his head and asked:
"What do you mean by 'quite familiar'? What do you mean by 'cooperation'?"
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow, glanced at Liu Ziwen's suspicious expression, and Yan Liulang behind him crossed his arms and coldly surveyed everyone in the room before sneering.
Liu Zian quickly stepped forward and said:
"It's nothing, brother. The public trial has been temporarily suspended. The magistrate is very magnanimous and has decided to wait until your injuries have healed before resuming the trial of the cases involving the demon oil fryer and the assassination of the inspector."
“Brother, this case was committed by that unconscious sorceress. She used you and the Liu family. We are innocent. The magistrate will surely investigate thoroughly. Brother, you should focus on recovering from your injuries…”
Liu Ziwen didn't look at his second brother. With a trembling arm, he pushed Liu Zian away. He silently turned his head, his eyes fixed on Liu Zilin and the others, like an old lion struggling in its death throes after falling into a trap.
"What's going on with the public trial? Speak up...speak up!" he suddenly shouted, then coughed, "Cough cough cough!"
Apart from Ouyang Rong and his group, the rest of the Liu family remained silent, avoiding Liu Ziwen's gaze.
"Cough cough cough cough—!" For a moment, the only sound in the room was Liu Ziwen's violent coughing, as if he was coughing up his lungs.
"Big brother."
Liu Zian knelt before the bed, grasped Liu Ziwen's hand, and looked concerned and worried.
Ouyang Rong turned his head and exchanged a glance with Yan Liulang.
Ouyang Rong smiled, picked up a pear from the fruit basket, wiped it with his sleeve, took a bite, and mumbled:
"Young Master Liu, I'll be leaving now. I won't disturb your conversation any longer."
"Not at all, Magistrate, would you like to sit a while longer?"
"Okay, let's sit for a while longer. It's raining heavily outside."
Ouyang Rong nodded, and Yan Liulang brought over a stool. He sat down on the edge of the bed with a normal expression and continued to eat the pear he had brought himself.
Liu Zian: "..."
The Liu clan brothers: "..."
Ouyang Rong glanced somewhat embarrassedly at the hesitant crowd, then suddenly raised an eyebrow and said:
"Since we'll be sitting here a little longer, I'll take this opportunity to say a few words."
"Although it's clear that Young Master Liu is worried about his elder brother, there are many things to do outside right now, and we can't afford to delay."
"Hey, the complaints that the people whose farmland has been seized and whose land has been annexed have been submitted to the county government are piled up as high as a mountain. You should go and deal with them quickly."
"Don't forget the guarantee you made in front of the entire county during the public trial a few days ago, or the county government will have to step in again to teach you a lesson."
"Therefore, you should quickly cooperate with Magistrate Diao and his team to complete the handover of those fertile land deeds outside the city. Also, you should quickly implement the double compensation that should be given to the bullied people. All of these matters must be resolved within three days."
"If your family's finances are temporarily insufficient, you can also take your valuables and property deeds to the county government for mortgage or sale. Hmm, we will give you a preferential price depending on the circumstances..."
“Hey, to be honest, if it weren’t for Lord Wang’s full guarantee for your Liu family, the crimes of annexing fertile land and violating the current equal land distribution law would have been enough to confiscate your property twice. You should seize this last chance to repent.”
Ouyang Rong smiled and spoke as if he were trying to persuade someone with good intentions, but every word he uttered was like a knife to the heart.
These words were like a sharp knife, piercing deeply into the chest of someone on the field, even though that person already had two knife wounds on their chest.
Liu Zian, who was comforting his elder brother by the bedside, suddenly froze.
His right hand, which had been gripping his brother's wrist, suddenly missed its mark, and then Liu Zian's wrist was tightly gripped by a large hand with blood on its palm.
Inside the house, Liu Zilin and the other members of the Liu family all looked away, some lowering their heads and others glancing to the side, none daring to look directly at the man on the sickbed whose figure was swaying and trembling like a dilapidated house in the wind.
Ouyang Rong seemed not to have seen any of this.
He was persuaded to stay and sit for a while, and continued to munch on the delicious, juicy pear, recounting its flavors with great familiarity:
"There are also shops and stores in the East and West Markets of the city, warehouses and boats at Penglangdu Wharf, and water transport businesses. Many merchants and gentry have accused you of illegal competition and forced buying and selling in the past."
"Hey, no wonder I heard that half the county belongs to your family. So that's how it got there. This won't do. Longcheng County is not a lawless place..."
"Don't drag this out any longer. According to the public trial verdict, the three-day deadline is approaching. Remember to go to the county government office on time tomorrow morning and hand over all the shop deeds. I and the county government will distribute them properly to save you some trouble."
"Young Master Liu, there's no need to thank me. This is all what I and the county government should do. We are all citizens of Longcheng, and serving you is our duty. However, if your Liu family insists on sending a banner or something, that's fine, but please don't make a big fuss with firecrackers. It's one thing to disturb the peace, but it would be quite embarrassing if the whole Luming Street knew that I had received another banner..."
The young magistrate was like an incredibly kind and benevolent parent, giving detailed instructions and occasionally sighing with emotion.
It was as if they were afraid the law-abiding members of the Liu family would forget these things.
Inside the room, on one side was the talkative Ouyang Rong, and on the other side were the increasingly quiet and reserved members of the Liu family.
The atmosphere was neither completely silent nor particularly lively.
This scene suddenly seemed somewhat eerie.
Ouyang Rong suddenly raised his voice: "Did you hear that, Second Young Master Liu?"
Liu Zian shrugged and turned around.
Under the piercing gaze of someone on the bed behind him, seemingly ready to devour him, the second young master of the Liu family, who was temporarily in charge of the household, forced a smile at the stern-faced young magistrate:
"Yes, I...I understand, sir. I will certainly comply."
Ouyang Rong, who had been wearing a stern face just a second ago, suddenly smiled, stood up, and patted Liu Zi'an's shoulder, whose smile was stiff:
"That's good. Hmm, what's wrong with Master Liu's face? Why is it red one minute and white the next, and now it's purple? Has he been practicing the face-changing acrobatics of the Jianghu circus lately? Master Liu certainly has a wide range of hobbies."
Liu Zian felt like he was being pricked by thorns and dared not turn around. He could feel the already unstable bed beneath him creaking and swaying as if it were about to collapse.
Ouyang Rong peeked at the person behind Liu Zi'an, chuckled, and shook his head. He didn't leave immediately, but turned to Liu Ziwen's group of Liu clan brothers and said:
"By the way, everyone who came back to pay respects to our ancestors, didn't you come to the county office yesterday to say that someone from the Liu family had obstructed the division of the family property and seized the ancestral property?"
"I'm sending you to communicate with Second Young Master Liu. What did Second Young Master Liu say? If there's any injustice, you can come to me, and I'll stand up for you."
The Liu clan brothers smiled obsequiously, shook their heads, and chattered: "No, no, Brother Zi'an is very easy to talk to. He has already agreed to divide the family property, he has agreed to divide the family property."
Ouyang Rong smiled and nodded, looking around the room and said, "That's for the best. Everyone is happy, brothers are in harmony, and a harmonious family brings prosperity."
Liu Zian took a deep breath and immediately said, "Your Excellency, the rain outside has lessened."
"Oh, really? It does seem a bit light. This rain really comes and goes as it pleases, it's unpredictable. Well then, I'll take my leave now. Young Master Liu, please keep Master Liu company. I feel like there's something wrong with his expression. Could it be... that I shouldn't have eaten his pear?"
Ouyang Rong nodded with a smile, and Liu Zian quickly got up to see them off. However, to his surprise, Ouyang Rong, along with Yan Liulang and the others, had only taken a few steps forward when he suddenly turned back and said:
"Master Liu, we've made some progress in identifying the culprit behind your assassination attempt in the street. Do you need me to help you? You can file a report now, and I and the county magistrate will definitely track down the real killer and bring him to justice."
The atmosphere in the room suddenly fell silent.
Everyone's gazes drifted towards him, seemingly casually, and on the bed, someone began to tremble...
(End of this chapter)
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