Chapter Seventy-One
“County Magistrate Qin,” the county magistrate’s voice turned cold, “Miss Qin’s voluntary donation of her dowry is for the sake of the people of the county. It’s a good thing. How can you say she’s causing trouble?”
Upon hearing this, Qin Youming jumped up in alarm. "Magistrate! Don't be fooled by her. That wretched girl severed all ties with me yesterday over a trivial matter."
My lord, this heartless, treacherous wretch has no conscience left! He left the county magistrate's office last night with great resolve.
You said she's just a girl who's recently divorced, where would she get a dowry to donate? Don't let this wretched girl fool you.”
“What Magistrate Qin said is incorrect.”
Qin Zhining sneered, "My dowry was all left by my mother back then. I have a dowry list, and the old servants of the Qin family can testify to it."
Besides, I have already severed ties with the Qin family. I didn't bring a single thing from the Qin family with me. Why would I go to the county government office empty-handed to cheat people and invite trouble?
So today I'm presenting the dowry list to the county magistrate. He can simply send someone to the county magistrate's office to check the dowry my mother left behind. What's so difficult about that?
But you, Magistrate Qin, a couple of days ago your concubine, An, occupied my mother's main courtyard, and your illegitimate daughter, Qin Zhiyu, occupied my Tinglan Garden. What do you have to say about this?
In our Great Qi Dynasty, we have never heard of a concubine daring to encroach on the main wife's courtyard and claim to be the main wife.
"I've never heard of a legitimate daughter living in a woodshed while an illegitimate daughter occupying the legitimate daughter's courtyard. Magistrate Qin, your household's actions are truly an unprecedented spectacle."
Qin Youming was surprised that Qin Zhining would suddenly mention Aunt An Qinghe, and his face turned pale instantly.
He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't utter a single word. He felt a tightness in his chest, as if a large stone was pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.
"You—you..."
Qin Youming pointed at Qin Zhining, trembling with anger, his vision blurred, and he almost had a heart attack on the spot.
He never expected that his daughter, who used to be so timid and submissive in front of him, would become so formidable. Not only did she dare to sever ties with him, but she also dared to defy him in the government office and even donated her dowry, leaving him penniless and heartbroken.
The county magistrate sighed inwardly as he looked at Qin Youming's appearance.
He had long known that Qin Youming was no good, and now it seemed that he was indeed a selfish, narrow-minded person.
No wonder Grand Secretary Zhang sent people to help establish a separate household for Miss Qin. Judging from the situation, it was a wise choice for Miss Qin to leave the county magistrate's office smoothly.
He turned to Qin Zhining, his tone softening considerably, "Miss Qin, you've been very kind. On behalf of the people of the county, I thank you for this half of the dowry."
"Rest assured, I will use these resources for good and will never let you down."
Qin Zhining bowed slightly, "Your Excellency is too kind. I only did what I could to help the people of the county, and I am very happy to do my part."
The magistrate nodded and then instructed the clerk beside him, "Keep the list safe, and send someone to the county magistrate's office to bring back the things donated by Miss Qin, register them, and keep them safe."
Although Qin Zhining's actions were somewhat of a way to take advantage of the county government, the county magistrate didn't mind having more donations in this manner, and he was willing to offend people at all costs for it.
In recent years, especially in the last three years, Lincheng County has suffered from disasters one after another, with floods and droughts of all sizes. This has caused widespread panic, and in some remote areas, people are struggling to even feed themselves.
Therefore, Qin Zhining's donation of half a dowry, though not much, was a timely help that relieved the county magistrate's urgent need.
Master Zheng was even more excited. Clutching the dowry list, he repeatedly agreed and went down to select yamen runners to fetch the items.
Qin Youming stood to the side, watching all this, so angry that his vision blurred and he almost collapsed to the ground.
The constables nearby quickly stepped forward to support him, and he was able to stand up with difficulty.
He watched Qin Zhining's retreating figure, feeling both hatred and anger, yet utterly helpless... Now that the county magistrate was protecting her, even if he wanted to cause trouble, he wouldn't have the chance.
Qin Zhining exchanged a few more words with the county magistrate before getting up to take her leave.
As she and Granny Cheng walked out of the yamen, Qin Wenzhang quickly came to greet them: "Miss, how is it?"
Qin Zhining smiled and said, "It's alright, things went very smoothly. Let's go back; there are still many things to take care of in Kangzhuang."
The oxcart started moving again. Qin Zhining lifted the curtain and looked at the bustling street outside, feeling a sense of relief.
By donating half of her dowry, she not only won the favor of the county magistrate and embarrassed Qin Youming, but more importantly, she gained a foothold in the county town, which would make things easier for her in the future.
Next, she would wait for Manager Xie's reply. If her maternal family was willing to acknowledge her, she would have a powerful backer in the prefectural city, and her interstellar exchange business could proceed smoothly.
Now that she had seen the written agreement and heard Chai Bao recount Qin Youming's actions, she was so angry that she slammed her hand on the table. "That Qin Youming! How dare he humiliate the Xie family like this! Don't worry, Zhi Ning, with me here, he certainly won't dare to renege on his debt!"
Meanwhile, Qin Youming breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Qin Zhining had accepted the silver notes and indeed stopped causing trouble. He quickly sent someone to the He family to discuss the wedding date, which was set for a month later. Aunt An was overjoyed and busied herself preparing Qin Zhiyu's dowry. She even secretly gave Qin Zhiyu several pieces of jewelry from her own home, fearing that she would be mistreated after marriage.
But they didn't expect that Qin Zhining had already laid another trap.
Three days before the wedding, news suddenly spread throughout the prefectural city that Qin Zhiyu, the illegitimate daughter of the county magistrate, was to marry the young master of the He family, who had been engaged to Qin Zhining, the legitimate daughter of the county magistrate, in his younger years.
It was Qin Zhiyu who, relying on Aunt An's favor, stole her elder sister's fiancé. Qin Youming, in order to please his concubine, also embezzled his deceased wife's dowry and drove his eldest daughter to live in the woodshed.
What's even more shocking is that someone produced a written agreement by Qin Youming, as well as the testimony of the pharmacy clerk who delivered contraceptive medicine to Miss Xie back then.
In an instant, the entire city was in an uproar, with everyone cursing Qin Youming for being ungrateful, Aunt An for being vicious, and Qin Zhiyu for being shameless.
When the He family learned of the news, they were so angry they almost fainted.
The old master of the He family immediately sent someone to the Qin residence to say that he wanted to annul the engagement—the He family could not afford to lose face by marrying a concubine's daughter who had been forced into marriage.
When Qin Youming received the news of the annulment of the engagement, he was helping Qin Zhiyu try on her wedding dress.
The embroidered shoe in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud," and his face instantly turned pale.
Aunt An screamed, "Impossible! This is impossible! It must be that little bitch Qin Zhining's doing."
Just then, Chai Shun led two constables in, holding a summons in his hand. "Qin Youming, someone has accused you of embezzling your deceased wife's dowry and mistreating your eldest daughter. Please come with us to the prefectural city."
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