Chapter 314 Dying Struggle
Xu Laosi's angry curses and Feng Lianhua's weeping echoed in the narrow, dirty cell. Xu Huaining paid no attention to them, staring blankly at the ground, lost in his own thoughts.
Why, why has it come to this?
Even though the deaths of Liu Huazhi and Ma Dahua were already over, why did the Liu family and the four Xu sisters suddenly go to Beijing to file a complaint?
With their limited vision and limited intelligence, how could they possibly think of demanding hush money, and even asking for ten thousand taels right off the bat?
And what about the arson attack on the inn last night to silence witnesses? Why were the constables from the Jingzhao Prefecture there in the middle of the night, as if they already knew the inn would catch fire?
Was there a traitor in the princess's residence, or was the whole thing a setup from beginning to end?
Xu Huaining felt increasingly heavy-hearted as he thought about it, and a layer of cold sweat seeped out from his back.
This scheme is probably aimed at Princess Shanmin and even the entire Princess's residence!
Feng Lianhua, exhausted from crying, saw that Xu Huaining remained silent. Clinging to her last shred of hope, she crawled over, grabbed Xu Huaining's hand, and pleaded urgently:
"Aren't you on good terms with the Princess? The Princess is such a powerful person, she must have a way to get us out! Huaining, you have to find a way to beg the Princess, I don't want to wait to die in this dark and hopeless prison!"
Xu Laosi, forgetting all about cursing, rushed forward and grabbed Xu Huaining's shoulders tightly.
"Yes, and Your Highness the Princess too! You must go and beg Your Highness to rescue us. If we can get out this time, your mother and I will go back to our hometown and never be an eyesore to you again!"
Hearing their naive words, Xu Huaining smiled mockingly: "I was imprisoned here to take the blame for the princess. She won't get us out."
At this point, his gaze fell on the couple, his expression colder than ever before:
"The reason you were arrested is that the Liu family and Xu Dani came to the Jingzhao Prefecture to file a complaint, saying that you were the murderers of Liu Huazhi and Ma Dahua."
The Jingzhao Prefecture has brought back witnesses, enough to convict you of your crimes. You will never have the chance to return to your hometown.
Xu Laosi and Feng Lianhua were struck dumb, their vision went black, and they collapsed to the ground.
How could this happen? How could there be witnesses?
No one saw them do it, so where did the witnesses come from?
The couple didn't know that the manner of death by strangulation and suicide by hanging are different, and an experienced coroner can easily tell the difference.
Back then, they strangled Liu Huazhi to make it look like she had hanged herself, but the coroner discovered the suspicious points during the autopsy.
However, Liu Huazhi was already a criminal, while Xu Huaining had a bright future after passing the imperial examination. The coroner accepted the bribe from him and did not report the true cause of Liu Huazhi's death.
When the Jingzhao Prefecture sent people to Qingzhou to investigate, they would naturally seek information from the coroner who performed the autopsy at the time.
The coroner, having been warned by Xu Jinnian's men beforehand, dared not conceal anything from the people of the Jingzhao Prefecture and revealed that Liu Huazhi had been strangled to death.
As for Ma Dahua, not long after her death, Xu Laosi used the hundred-tael silver notes he found in her house to build a new house.
On the day the new house was completed, Xu Laosi got too excited and drank too much. In a moment of arrogance, he revealed the truth about murder and robbery to the others at the table.
The other people at the table had also drunk quite a bit and thought Xu Laosi was just bragging, so they didn't take his words to heart.
As a result, Xu Laoda's two daughters-in-law, who were invited by Feng Lianhua to her home to help with cooking, overheard everything.
At first, the two sisters-in-law were terrified, fearing that Xu Laosi would kill them after he sobered up.
Later, when they saw that Xu Laosi didn't remember what he said at the dinner table, the two sisters-in-law were relieved. However, they had the idea of using this as leverage to ask Xu Huaining, who had already passed the imperial examination and had powerful connections in the capital, for benefits.
As a result, the two sisters-in-law couldn't keep their mouths shut and talked about it in private. Their unsuspecting children overheard them and spread the word. The people from the Jingzhao Prefecture easily found them as witnesses.
Once Xu Laosi and Feng Lianhua are confirmed as suspects in the murder, they will confess once the torture instruments are applied.
"It's all over, everything is over, sob, it shouldn't have happened, it shouldn't have happened..."
Xu Laosi and Feng Lianhua were filled with despair and resentment, screaming and crying as if they had gone mad.
Xu Huaining ignored the couple's nonsensical ramblings, his hands on his lap gradually clenching, his eyes filled with calculation.
He won't give up; he still has a chance to leave this place!
Xu Jinnian was unaware that Xu Huaining was still struggling to survive. After finishing his business at the Hanlin Academy in the afternoon, he boarded Ning Sihan's carriage and did not return home until late at night.
Sheng An had already gone to sleep, but she could vaguely hear the soft sound of the door being pushed open.
She barely opened her eyes and saw a familiar figure, then closed them again and asked indistinctly, "Why are you back so late today?"
After washing up in the front yard, Xu Jinnian took off his shoes and went straight to bed. He lay down and pulled the other person into his arms, saying, "Brother Ning invited me to drink, and I forgot the time."
Sheng An lifted her eyelids, but couldn't open her eyes properly: "Hmm, you haven't had too much to drink, have you? Are you feeling unwell?"
Xu Jinnian said gently, "It's not much, it's not uncomfortable, you can go to sleep peacefully."
Just as Sheng An was about to respond, she heard a soft humming sound. She sat up abruptly, her eyes wide, and skillfully picked up the baby in the crib, pulling open her clothes to breastfeed.
Even though it wasn't the first time she had seen it, Xu Jinnian couldn't help but feel sorry for her and sat up to let Sheng An lean on her.
Sheng An didn't turn around, her eyes were on the child, and she said softly, "I have to get up early tomorrow, you can sleep, I'm not tired."
Xu Jinnian ignored her question and, looking at the little dumpling eating happily, asked, "How long until weaning?"
After weaning, An'an can be cared for by Aunt Niu or Hongliu, so that she can get a good night's sleep.
"It's still early. Once she can eat solid food, we might have to breastfeed her again at night."
Sheng An looked at his daughter's chubby, rosy cheeks and a gentle smile appeared on his lips:
“Breastfeeding can’t be stopped anytime soon. If it’s affecting your rest, I’ll have someone clean out the room next door tomorrow.”
Xu Jinnian's face darkened: "No need."
Sheng An sensed the emotion in the man's words, turned her head and kissed him on the cheek: "I know you care about me, and I care about you too. You can't catch up on sleep during the day at the Hanlin Academy, how can you not sleep well at night?"
She had suggested sleeping in separate rooms before, but the man wouldn't accept it, saying he could only sleep peacefully if he held her in his arms.
Waking up briefly a few times during the night doesn't significantly affect his sleep.
"It's alright, your husband is young and strong."
Xu Jinnian's attitude was firm and his reasons were sound: "Children grow up quickly, and Zhuozhuo has too little time to share a bed with his parents. We should cherish it."
Sheng An couldn't refute it. Looking at the little dumpling in her arms, she felt a pang of sadness: "Yes, the time she could spend with us day and night was too short."
The little dumpling will grow up one day and leave home to become someone else's wife.
All she and Jin Nian could do was spend these short ten or twenty years with their daughter, teach her, give her lots of love, and help her grow into a wise and strong girl.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com