Since Da Bao returned last time, Chen Zhanshan and his wife knew that the situation was very serious, and that their daughter could not have made such a claim out of thin air.
The two of them packed up all their valuables that very night and buried them under a large tree in the yard.
They also asked Chen Zhanliang and his wife to help move the brown sugar and white sugar that they hadn't had time to transport out to Wu Baoan's house under the cover of darkness.
Having not slept all night, the group was planning to entrust their donkeys to Liu Laohan's house and then go to Anyang to inquire about Chen Qingqing's situation.
The gate was kicked open from the outside with a loud bang, and the group of people were all stunned. Then, more than a dozen yamen runners filed in and immediately surrounded them.
Although Chen Zhanshan had never seen such a scene before, he had broadened his horizons by going on two long trips with Da Bao.
Seeing the constables barging in, he shouted, "What are you doing? Who gave you permission to trespass on private property?"
The head constable gave him a cold look. “We are officers from Anyang County, here on orders to handle a case. If you know what’s good for you, step aside. Be careful, swords have no eyes and might hurt you.”
“Sir, our sugar mill operates legally and has not violated the laws of the Great Ning Dynasty. We do not know what crime we have committed and why we are being searched and confiscated,” Chen Zhanshan argued, neither humble nor arrogant.
"We're just following orders. If you have anything to say, go talk to our county magistrate!"
No sooner had the constable finished speaking than Chen Zhancai strode in arrogantly, followed by a young woman dressed in jewels.
Chen Zhancai tilted his head slightly, his eyes full of smugness. He had endured the disdain of the first and second wives these past few days, and today he could finally hold his head high.
He wanted to repay them for all the humiliation they had suffered, to teach them a lesson they wouldn't take seriously just because they had a few rich kids.
Chen Zhancai gave a cold, forced smile. "Brother, I advise you not to make a futile struggle. If you anger the constables, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to make you lose."
Chen Zhanshan's face was ashen, and his fists clenched involuntarily. "Chen Zhancai, you heartless scoundrel! If it weren't for me, you would have died in Ningjing long ago. Now you repay kindness with enmity by bringing people to raid the sugar mill. Do you have any humanity left?"
"You inhuman bastard, how could you kick us when we're down? We're brothers, after all," Chen Zhanliang retorted angrily.
Sun chimed in, "Third brother, you've really gone too far. Your elder brother and sister-in-law have always treated you well, and now you've brought people to ransack our house. Don't you have any conscience at all?"
Seeing that they were dressed properly, Chen Ruolan kept talking about how bad her father, Chen Zhancai, was.
She hated them to death. Why did the first and second wives get to live such good lives while her father lived like a beggar and her mother had to work for wealthy families? And they even mentioned their own brothers in front of her. They were just as despicable as Chen Qingqing.
She really wanted to make them penniless immediately, but since she hadn't achieved her goal yet, she had to spare them for the time being.
Thinking this, Chen Ruolan's face was full of smiles, but her eyes were icy cold. "Uncle, Aunt, Second Uncle, Second Aunt, you have wronged my father. These people were not brought by him."
Hearing the shout, Lin was startled. After carefully examining the person, she realized it was Chen Ruolan. She looked at the person with disbelief and said, "Ruolan, is it really you? You, you're still alive?"
Chen Zhanshan was also completely bewildered. He had heard Chen Qingqing say before that Chen Ruolan had died suddenly not long after marrying into the Fan family. How could she suddenly reappear, accompanied by yamen runners? What was going on?
Mr. and Mrs. Chen Zhanliang were also stunned and stood there dumbfounded.
Seeing their surprised looks, Chen Ruolan smiled faintly, "You don't need to be surprised. I, Chen Ruolan, am tough and won't die so easily."
Chen Zhancai curled his lips into a smug smile. "Brother, sister-in-law, to tell you the truth, Ruolan is now the official wife of our county magistrate. She came here specifically for Qing'er's matter. You should cooperate with her to avoid damaging the kinship between us brothers."
When Chen Zhanliang heard that Chen Ruolan was the county magistrate's wife, his face lit up with joy, and he quickly stepped forward, saying, "Ruolan, you are the county magistrate's wife, that's wonderful! Qing'er is saved."
"Yes, Qing'er is saved." Madam Sun was also overjoyed.
Chen Zhanshan glanced at the dozen or so constables, still unsure of Chen Ruolan's intentions. He tentatively asked,
"Ruolan, your sister Qingqing has indeed been wronged. You should plead with the magistrate on her behalf and ask him to examine the body. Your sister Qingqing will surely have a way to clear her name."
“Yes, Ruolan, your uncle and I have both taken those medicines, and they are not poisonous at all. Your sister Qingqing was just tricked. She wouldn’t harm anyone.” Madam Lin’s eyes were earnest, and she also placed her hopes on Chen Ruolan.
Chen Ruolan sneered inwardly. She wanted her dead; to make her see a corpse was simply wishful thinking.
A sinister smile flickered in her eyes, then she feigned a sorrowful expression.
"Uncle, Aunt, you have no idea how shocked and worried I was when I heard that someone had been poisoned at my sister Qingqing's clinic."
To save Sister Qingqing from this predicament, I immediately went to the county magistrate to plead for leniency.
With both witnesses and physical evidence present, the county magistrate was powerless to help my sister Qingqing reduce her punishment.
All I can do now is try to make sure my sister Qingqing suffers less in prison.
I know you're worried about Qingqing's safety, but the matter is already settled, and there's no use in worrying.
Today, the county magistrate was supposed to come personally to confiscate your property, but I was worried that you would be severely tortured, so I am handling this matter in his place.
We hope you will cooperate fully and provide all the relevant documents, including the land deeds, property deeds, sugar-making recipes, and other valuables.
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