Chapter 81: From now on, I will be in charge of the Qu family.
On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon raises its head.
The yamen had detained Zheng Er for more than half a month, and today they finally held a public trial for his case of hiring a hitman.
In this case, Magistrate Lu consulted both families to see whether the trial should be held in public. If one party strongly requested that it not be held in public, then the court would not open its doors to the public for observation.
Regardless of whether the common people were bystanders or not, the Qu and Zheng families, as the parties involved, were certainly present.
Zheng San, the third son of the Zheng family, declared that he was upright and had nothing to fear, and was determined to clear his brother's name in front of the entire city. Therefore, he agreed to a public trial.
The Qu family goes without saying; the old lady hated them to the bone and naturally wouldn't let go of such an opportunity to make everyone despise Zheng Er.
Upon learning that the trial would begin this morning, people who had no work to do all crowded around the government office to watch the spectacle.
These are the Qu and Zheng families, the leading families in Chenhe County. In particular, the two families have been closely related for many years due to their marriage alliance, like two big trees growing side by side, their roots intertwined and inseparable.
Not to mention that the original matriarch of the Qu family, Zheng Qianxi, who died, was Zheng Er's sister, even the old lady of the Qu family was Zheng's great-aunt.
It was even rumored that Qu Ming, the current patriarch of the Qu family, was originally going to marry a daughter of the Zheng family.
Not only have these two companies fallen out, but they've also gotten involved in a murder case.
It was truly a great spectacle.
Because of the rebellion in the south and the inaction of the imperial court, the people were increasingly anxious after the New Year. Now that they had finally witnessed a major scandal in the private quarters of wealthy merchants, they naturally wanted to go and see it.
As soon as the yamen runners opened the gate, the people poured in like a tide. Some even saved a spot for their neighbors if they arrived early, and some were willing to "give up" a handful or two of melon seeds for a relatively good spot at the front.
Those who know it are watching a trial; those who don't might think it's a play.
It makes sense, considering that three or four years have passed since this incident. Although it was a major blood feud for the Qu and Zheng families, for ordinary people, especially those who harbored resentment and jealousy towards the merchant families, it was just a big drama that had nothing to do with them.
There were so many people that they were everywhere in the county government office, like autumn fungus soaking up after the rain.
Young people who couldn't fit in the courtyard climbed onto the wall to sit, while short children squeezed in wherever they could, squatting at the entrance of the main hall. If it weren't for the high threshold blocking the way, people could have squeezed onto the magistrate's lap to watch the trial.
The audience had already arrived, but the main character was late.
Of the two families, the Zheng family arrived first. Madam Zheng the Second stood by the carriage at the back gate of the county government office, clinging to her last hope, intending to wait there for Old Madam Qu and plead with her to see if she would be willing to change her mind and save Zheng the Second's life.
Since her sister-in-law was waiting here, Zheng San naturally had to put on a show and wait with Zheng Wu.
Madam Zheng hated Zheng San to the core. Just a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye made her face turn cold. "I said we shouldn't have a public trial, but you insisted on making it public. You know exactly what you're up to!"
Zheng Wu, along with his second sister-in-law, glared at her and said in a gruff voice, "I don't know what you've been busy with all this time. Not only has your second brother not been released, but he's now being publicly tried. You've completely disgraced the Zheng family."
If Zheng Erzhen were convicted of hiring someone to kill his sister today, the Zheng family's business reputation would inevitably be affected, which would certainly not be a good thing for the Zheng family.
Despite the resentment and hatred between the two, Zheng San remained calm and composed while playing with his walnuts. He even looked up into the distance and pointed, "The Qu family's carriage is here."
Inside the Qu family's carriage sat the old lady, Qu Rong, and Li Yue'er.
The old lady was wearing a dark-colored cotton coat with almost no patterns, and a white mourning flower was pinned in her hair. She sat in the middle seat facing the car door.
Qu Rong and Li Yue'er sat facing each other, dressed in white mourning clothes, on either side of the old lady. Neither of them wore any ornaments on their heads, only their hair was simply tied up in the buns of married women.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Li Yue'er lift the carriage curtain and look outside. The old lady snorted heavily, clearly looking down on her.
Qu Rong looked up at her when she heard the noise, her expression indifferent. "Grandmother has time to worry about other things. Instead, you should think about how to avoid being soft-hearted when you face the Zheng family in the hall."
When Madam Zheng Wu came to visit last time, she brought several children from the old lady's branch of the family with her. They cried and complained about how difficult life was for the Zheng family, begging her to give them a way out for the sake of the younger generation who were related by blood. They said that once Zheng Er was released, the old lady could decide how to punish him.
He even promised that once Zheng Er was released, he would hand over all of the Zheng family's business to Qu Ming to manage.
When Qu Rong learned of this, she did not go over to interrupt Madam Zheng Wu's conversation with the old lady. She simply told the spies in Shouhe Hall to listen quietly, as she wanted to see how the old lady would choose.
Fortunately, the old lady still remembered her unjustly killed son and scolded and beat Madam Zheng Wu out, saying how dare she come to her to beg for mercy, because the one who died was not a stranger, but her own flesh and blood!
Zheng Qianxi was Zheng Er's own sister. Zheng Er was willing to risk her life for money and business. How could he possibly be willing to hand over the business to Qu Ming now? It was just a lie to deceive this old lady.
Even if the Zheng family hands over the business to Qu Ming, once Zheng Er comes out, there's no guarantee he won't use the same methods he used on Zheng Qianxi to deal with Qu Ming.
Now that the two families have fallen out, they are truly enemies. As long as Zheng Er is alive, no matter how well things are said now, he will inevitably retaliate in the future.
If they want to live a peaceful and stable life, the only way is to completely eliminate Zheng Er and replace him with a head of the family who is on good terms with the Qu family. Business dealings between the two families will continue as before, but without any marriage ties; profits will be calculated solely according to the contract.
After driving away Madam Zheng Wu, the old lady was also upset. Her distress was not because she was caught in the middle between the two families, but because of the grievances and heartbreak she felt as a daughter of the Zheng family.
Although she was a member of the Qu family, the Zheng family was also her maternal family. Now that her son and daughter-in-law had died, it was bad enough that her maternal family did not side with her and bring Zheng Er to justice, but they actually came to her with Madam Zheng Wu to beg her to let the murderer go.
Wasn't she kind enough to her own family? Three years ago, she temporarily forgave the Zheng family for this reason, but her own family never cared about her. If they really cared about her, they shouldn't have come all the way here with Madam Zheng.
The only one sentenced was Zheng Er; it had nothing to do with the Zheng family. Even if Zheng Er were beheaded, they could still live well in the Zheng family.
Since that's the case, why force her?
The fact that her family has gone this far shows that they no longer consider her a daughter of the Zheng family. Like Zheng Qianxi, in the face of business, she has long been categorized as belonging to the Qu family by the Zheng family and has been abandoned by them.
This is also why she hardened her heart and drove the Zheng family away.
Her parents are dead, she is old, and she has no further familial ties with the Zheng family.
Today I went to the yamen only to seek justice for her unjustly killed son and daughter-in-law.
She was not only a daughter of the Zheng family, but also herself, and Qu Su's mother.
Now, hearing Qu Rong mention this matter, the old lady's face darkened. "How dare they beg me?"
Li Yue'er didn't retract her fingers that had parted the curtains. She turned to look at the old lady, gesturing for her to look outside. "Some people just have such thick skin."
The old lady peered out through the gap in the curtains she had drawn, and her already sharp face became even more mean.
The carriage stopped outside the back gate of the county government office, and the servants placed a footstool there.
Li Yue'er got off the carriage first, then turned around and reached out to help her mistress. After both of them got off, Wu Mama stepped forward to help the old lady and handed her the cane.
Madam Zheng's eyes lit up, and she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief as she approached, saying, "Aunt—"
She cried out and reached out to grab the old woman's arm, then knelt down and begged, "Please give him a way out. Once he's out, he will definitely treat you as his birth mother and take care of you with filial piety."
The old lady laughed at the sound of it. With a wave of her cane, she chased away Madam Zheng, who was about to grab her. Hearing Madam Zheng shout like that, she was even more furious, her chest heaving.
She didn't want to pay attention, but she was so resentful and frustrated that she couldn't help but slam her cane on the ground, turn around, and shout sharply:
"Who wants him to be my son and fulfill my filial duties! I had a son, my own son whom I carried for ten months and gave birth to, but where is he now? He was killed by that beast Zheng Shuquan!"
The old man died young. Not only did she protect the Qu family business, but she also raised her son with great difficulty. Just when she was about to enjoy her old age, she ended up with the tragedy of a white-haired man burying his black-haired son. How could she not hate him!
For the first six months, she even came to hate Zheng Qianxi, herself, and Qu Ming. She hated that her son was implicated by Zheng Qianxi, and she hated that she and Qu Ming both had Zheng family blood in their veins! They were all murderers!
Because she hated the Zheng family so much, when the Zheng family tried to use the same trick to marry a Zheng family daughter into the Qu family, she arranged for Qu Ming to marry Qu Rong, so that Qu Rong could occupy the position of the matriarch of the Qu family.
At that time, in her mind, the Zheng family was clearly more hateful than Qu Rong and her daughter.
Seeing Madam Zheng standing there with her family, including her son and daughter-in-law, the old lady wished she could take a knife and stab them all to death, so that Madam Zheng could experience the despair she had felt then, and see if Madam Zheng, as the victim, could still say such begging words to her now.
Seeing that things were about to get chaotic outside, Qu Rong reached out and pulled Li Yue'er to prevent her from being stepped on in the scuffle.
Li Yue'er was a little worried and asked in a low voice, "Should we try to persuade them?"
Wu Mama was about to slap Madam Zheng across the face! If a fight broke out, it might interfere with important business.
Qu Rong watched the spectacle with great interest, saying, "I won't try to stop them; it would be better if they started fighting."
The more the old lady hates the Zheng family now, the more advantageous it will be for her later.
The bailiffs quickly came out from the back door, gripped the hilt of their swords with one hand, separated the two families, and announced loudly: "The trial will be held at 9:00 AM. Those who are not present in court and are not related to the proceedings should leave through the back door immediately."
Then the constables split into two groups, one leading the Qu family and the other leading the Zheng family.
This wasn't Li Yue'er's first time entering the county government office. Although she was nervous, she wasn't afraid. However, the mistress still slowed down and waited for her to catch up before continuing forward.
Qu Rong said, "What happened today has nothing to do with you. Just stand quietly behind the old lady. I'll take care of everything else."
She knew.
Li Yue'er quickly took two steps to stand next to the mistress, her sleeves hanging down. Under the cover of the wide sleeves, she hooked her index finger with the mistress's little finger, pinched it briefly, and then let go, blinking her eyes at the mistress twice.
It signifies to the mistress that she is also involved in everything.
In this tender moment, the mistress, oblivious to her feelings, glanced at her sideways and said, "Do you think I'm like you? I've been to the prefectural government office, let alone the county government office."
How many of them do business without dealing with government officials?
Li Yue'er, "..."
Wow, that's amazing!
Li Yue'er was practically about to say something to her sarcastic clapping.
She didn't care about her enough.
Li Yue'er wrinkled her nose at her, and just before stepping into the main hall, she put away her extra expression, lowered her eyes and head, and followed half a step behind the mistress and the old lady.
After both families arrived, Magistrate Lu came out.
Seeing that the old lady was old, he had the yamen runners bring her a long bench so she could sit and listen.
The Qu family was on the left, the Zheng family on the right, and the lawyers from both families stood in the middle.
With everyone present, Magistrate Lu slammed his gavel and began to adjudicate the case, ordering, "Bring Zheng Er and the witnesses in."
Before the witnesses and the murderer entered the courtroom, the lawyer on the Qu family's side recounted the entire case to Magistrate Lu and the crowd—
The story begins with a falling out between siblings over business, then shifts to the tragic accident that befalls the sister less than six months after their reconciliation, and ends with Zheng's attempt to kill Qu Rong two years later.
All evidence and signs indicate that Zheng Er had successfully hired someone to commit murder, and then attempted to hire someone to commit murder again.
The people sighed in dismay.
The lawyer from the Zheng family's side was not to be outdone. He used the fact that Zheng Er had no motive to kill after the brother and sister reconciled as a breakthrough in his defense. He also said that after the New Year, the murderers were hired by the Qu family themselves and staged a play to frame them and gain business benefits.
Each has its own reasoning.
Although Zheng Er was kneeling in the main hall in front of the plaque that read "Upright and Just," he was very relaxed and composed. As long as he did not admit to hiring someone to kill, Magistrate Lu could not torture him; at most, he would be temporarily detained.
Although conditions in prison were poor, he had money, so he managed to get by by bribing people around.
Although he has lost some weight, he is in good spirits.
When Zheng Er's eyes met the old lady's, he even smiled at her and called her "Aunt."
The old lady's face was so dark it looked like she wanted to kill him on the spot with her cane!
Zheng Er's gaze swept over Qu Rong again, filled with provocation and disdain.
They're just kids, so young and inexperienced. Do they really think they can take him down with so-called witnesses and evidence? They're being naive.
So what if he killed the person?
What can a lowly county magistrate like Lu do to him?
What makes Zheng Er so fearless is that he has a trump card up his sleeve.
He had already sent his subordinate Azhu to invite Magistrate Sun. Once Magistrate Sun arrived, he could immediately turn the tables and accuse the Qu family of colluding with Magistrate Lu as traitors. Then he could wipe out the Qu family and his Zheng family could become the largest textile and dyeing workshop in Anping Prefecture.
Qu Rong, who usually had a cold face, smiled at Zheng Er for once. The beauty mark at the corner of her eye looked like a carp swimming, lively and full of life.
Zheng Er felt a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason, and had a bad feeling.
Although Qu Rong was young and had always worked behind Zheng Qianxi's back, no one who had ever dealt with the mother and daughter dared to underestimate them. If they weren't so troublesome, he wouldn't have thought of killing them to end things once and for all.
Zheng Qianxi was unlucky, but Qu Rong was very lucky. Not only did he not die, he also sent Qu Rong to prison.
So when Zheng Er saw Qu Rong suddenly laugh, his expression changed.
As the two lawyers debated to a crucial point, the lawyer from the Qu family's side suddenly raised his hand, signaling, "My lord—"
He was determined to succeed: "I have, more importantly, witnesses."
Zheng Er subconsciously turned his head to look behind him.
His trusted confidante, Ah Zhu, on whom he placed all his hopes, was brought in by the yamen runners, shackled.
Ah Zhu clearly saw him, but she didn't dare to meet his eyes.
Zheng Er's heart sank completely in an instant.
Spring has arrived, but he feels as if he has fallen into an ice cellar in the dead of winter, and his blood runs cold.
With Ah Zhu arrested, he lost all hope.
With witnesses and evidence in hand, Magistrate Lu was about to slam his gavel and convict Zheng Er when he immediately stood up from his knees and shouted, "Wait!"
He shouted at Magistrate Lu, "You traitor, on what grounds do you convict me?!"
Magistrate Lu was bewildered by his outburst and hesitated to strike with the gavel. Seeing the bailiffs approach to restrain Zheng Er, and even raise their hands to stop them, he said, "Let him continue."
Zheng Er laughed, "You think you can fool me?"
His shackled hands began to point at Qu Rong, "You."
Then it was Magistrate Lu, "and you too."
He said, “You two conspired with Qu Ming to collude with the traitors and set a trap for me! If Qu Ming hadn’t already surrendered to the traitor Jiang, how could these two have been so easily transported from Jiangdu to Chenhe County? The middle-aged man who drove into Qu’s residence on the evening of the Lantern Festival was one of the traitor Jiang’s men!”
To onlookers, Zheng Er had gone mad, so he started wildly accusing and screaming. Only the old lady was startled when she heard this. She silently gripped her cane and stubbornly refrained from turning around to look at Qu Rong, lest she reveal any flaws.
Because after the middle-aged man delivered the person to the Qu family that day, he hurriedly left the city.
She had previously thought that the other party only listened to Qu Rong, but now, after Zheng Er's shout, she instantly understood the details.
If he is a member of the traitors, then the master Qu Ming he speaks of...
The old lady's face turned pale.
Just then, Qu Rong stepped forward, first nodding to Magistrate Lu in greeting, then facing the crowd outside the door and looking at Zheng Er, saying, "Nonsense."
Her words were like a stone thrown into a lake, creating ripples in many directions:
"Master Qu Ming of the Qu family was kidnapped and disappeared on his wedding day three months ago. It was only before the new year that the Qu family, who had been searching for him everywhere, discovered that he had passed away two months ago."
"How could someone who is already dead appear in Jiangdu, and how could he possibly be colluding with rebels?"
Qu Ming had long since given up his merchant status and changed his name to become the county magistrate of a county in Jiangdu. Even if someone were sent to investigate, they could only find out about his death.
Qu Rong looked at Zheng Er, "You'll say anything to save your life. Even if what you say is true, where is your evidence?"
Zheng Er naturally had no evidence.
However, what surprised everyone was:
Master Qu Ming of the Qu family has been missing for three months now?
In particular, Qu Ming died two months ago...?
Zheng Er's eyes widened. "You're lying! How could Qu Ming be dead? These two people were sent here by the traitors on his behalf!"
Qu Rong turned to look at the old lady and said slowly, "If you don't believe me, ask Qu Ming's grandmother, where is my old lady?"
Following Qu Rong's words, everyone looked at Old Madam Qu.
Everyone knew what Qu Ming meant to the old lady of the Qu family after Qu Su's death; he was her heart and soul.
Anyone could lie and wish for Qu Ming's death, but she was the only one who couldn't.
The old lady's thin lips were trembling.
Others thought she was heartbroken, but she was actually angry.
She knew perfectly well whether Qu Ming was dead or not; she had received two letters from him after the New Year, both written in his handwriting. If he were dead, why would Qu Rong bother writing those illegible characters to communicate? She could have simply imitated Qu Ming's handwriting to deceive her.
The fact that Qu Rong and Qu Ming went to such great lengths precisely demonstrates that Qu Ming, without her knowledge, had indeed been colluding with rebels.
Qu Ming knew this, Qu Rong knew it, and even Zheng Er guessed it.
Although the old lady only just found out, she clearly had no other choice.
She looked intently at Qu Rong, and roughly understood her plan. Even so, she was helpless and could only cooperate by saying, "That's right, Qu Rong is right."
She had to admit that Qu Ming was "dead" so that Qu Ming and the Qu family could continue to live today.
Otherwise, not only would the Qu family have lost Mr. and Mrs. Qu because of Zheng Er, but today they would also have to lose their entire family.
The old lady was filled with hatred, hating both Qu Rong and Zheng Er. But now she would rather swallow her pride and suffer than let Zheng Er go, and she certainly couldn't hand over the Qu family business to the Zheng family because of the "Qu Ming is a rebel" incident.
The old lady's eyes seemed to pierce through Qu Rong's heart!
That's truly a brilliant scheme.
No wonder she was so eager to help Qu Ming investigate the cause of his parents' deaths.
First, they instigated Qu Ming to investigate the case; then, they used Xu Xinmei to incite hatred between the Qu and Zheng families; and finally, they joined forces with Zheng San to completely crush Zheng Er.
That's what we've been working towards, right now.
She stood here practically stepping over everyone else.
The old lady hated Qu Rong for being too scheming, yet she couldn't help but admire her for being so calculating at such a young age.
Qu Rong, under the old lady's complicated gaze, slowly turned around. Although she didn't speak, she already knew there was no need for further words.
Even the old lady of the Qu family admitted that Qu Ming was dead, so how could the Qu family have colluded with the rebels? What Zheng Er just said was obviously an attempt to frame others. It was one thing for him to attack the Qu family, but he even started attacking Magistrate Lu as well.
Magistrate Lu is a good official.
So everyone laughed, "Has Zheng Er gone mad from being locked up?"
"Maybe they had no other choice and were just saying it offhand to see what would happen. If Qu Ming hadn't died, the Qu family would really be suspects."
"Fortunately, Qu Ming is already dead."
Magistrate Lu then looked at Qu Rong, "Qu Ming is dead, so where is his body?"
Qu Rong turned around, raised her hand in a salute, and said calmly, "Because the Qu family massacre is not yet resolved, my grandmother and I dare not announce the news of Qu Ming's death to the outside world, lest someone take advantage of the fact that our Qu family is without a leader and steal our business."
Qu Rong slowly stood up straight and raised her voice: "Today, the Qu family massacre has been cleared up. I would also like to take this opportunity to make it clear to everyone that Qu Ming and I are half-siblings. This marriage was just a helpless move to stop Zheng Er from marrying his daughter into my Qu family and trying to seize my family's wealth."
"Now that Qu Ming is dead, this marriage is naturally no longer valid."
Qu Rong raised her hand and untied her woman's hair bun, letting her long black hair fall from her head and drape over her shoulders, signifying her freedom:
“From this day forward, I, Qu Rong, am no longer the wife of Qu Ming, the matriarch of the Qu family, but the head of the Qu family.”
"From now on, I will be in charge of the Qu family."
What others say or are shocked about is their business. Today, she forced the old lady to admit that Qu Ming was dead and that she was the new head of the family in front of everyone. That was enough.
Zheng San reacted quickly, cupping his hands in congratulations: "Patriarch Qu, the Zheng and Qu families have been linked by marriage for many years. We cannot cut off business because of Zheng Er alone. Our two families will still have to do business together in the future."
Qu Rong nodded slightly. "Of course."
Upon hearing Zheng San's words, Zheng Er, whose mouth was gagged, lunged at him, but was quickly subdued by the bailiffs who kicked him in the back of the knee, forcing him to kneel on the ground.
Magistrate Lu sentenced Zheng Er to death, to be executed in three months.
He then said to Qu Rong, "Since Qu Ming has passed away, your Qu family still needs to come to the yamen to correct the household registration information another day."
Qu Rong replied, "Yes."
Magistrate Lu adjourned the court session, and the crowd lingered and chatted before dispersing.
The old lady didn't even glance at Qu Rong. With Wu Mama's help, she left first. As for how Qu Rong and Li Yue'er would get back after she left in the carriage, that was not within the old lady's consideration.
Li Yue'er accompanied Qu Rong to the backyard. Upon seeing something, she ran a few steps, reached out and broke off a thin branch from the trunk of the low pear tree in the backyard, and handed it to her mistress with a smile.
Although there were no flower buds on the pear tree branches yet, both of them knew that spring was just around the corner and the branches would surely be full of new life.
Just like Qu Rong today.
Qu Rong took the thin piece of wood, hesitated for a while, and under the pressure of Li Yue'er's gaze, wiped the branch up and down with her sleeve twice before gathering her hair with the wooden branch.
They left the main hall first, followed by several members of the Zheng family who were crying and pulling at Zheng Er, which slowed down the yamen runners.
They only came out after Qu Rong had finished tying up her long hair.
Upon seeing Qu Rong, the Zheng family members were still divided into two factions: Zheng Er's side hated her to the bone, while Zheng San's side smiled and tried to please her.
Qu Rong didn't look at them, but walked towards Zheng Er and slowly said, "I want to thank Patriarch Zheng. If I hadn't stepped on your life, I wouldn't have been able to walk from the back courtyard to the main hall."
Qu Rong, may you rest in peace.
Zheng Er's mouth was gagged, and he kept mumbling before being dragged away by the yamen runners.
Li Yue'er said with certainty, "He must be cursing you."
Qu Rong said, "The victor is king, the loser is villain; let him curse all he wants."
Li Yue'er turned to look at Qu Rong, her eyes bright and eager to try, "Then, Patriarch, what if I also want to scold you?"
Qu Rong, "..."
Qu Rong stared blankly at Li Yue'er as the two slowly walked outside, waiting for Teng Huang to arrive with Lin Mu in a car to pick them up.
Qu Rong thought that she could only accept Li Yue'er cursing her like this in one place.
That means that when she's in bed and you're making her angry, you can pretend you didn't hear her.
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Mistress: Shout louder! [heart emoji]
Moon: ...
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