Shen Yuanze was driven to the brink of collapse by the itching.
As soon as he entered the house, Madam Fan greeted him anxiously, "Yuanze, how did it go? Did you get our money back? Why didn't your brother-in-law come back with you?"
"No, Qin Shousheng is greedy. Once it's in his pocket, it's not so easy to get it back." Shen Yuanze was annoyed by the tickling sensation. "Don't worry, my brother-in-law is doing fine inside."
Mrs. Fan was so anxious that she slapped her thighs repeatedly and wailed, "Why is my life so miserable? All the wealth I've worked so hard to build is gone just like that. How am I supposed to live now...?"
"Alright, let's talk about this later. I'm really itchy right now," Shen Yuanze said as he scratched vigorously.
Madam Fan then noticed the scratches covering his neck. "Yuanze, what happened to you? Did you catch a sexually transmitted disease?"
As she spoke, she subconsciously took a few steps back, afraid of getting infected.
Shen Yuanze glared at her, displeased. "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think I'm that kind of person? I was just interrogating a prisoner in jail when I suddenly started itching. It must be because the jail is dark and damp, and I got fleas."
Upon hearing this, Madam Fan was relieved. "Since it's fleas causing the problem, you should go and change your clothes."
Shen Yuanze hurriedly returned to his room and stripped naked.
But the intense itching persisted all over my body, and I kept scratching with my hands, which only made it itch more and more.
He acted like a madman, pulling his hair, stomping his feet, and crying out for his parents.
Seeing this, the servants hurriedly went to fetch a doctor.
The doctor couldn't figure out what was wrong either, so he could only prescribe some anti-itch ointment for Shen Yuanze to try.
However, after applying the ointment, Shen Yuanze's itching did not lessen at all; on the contrary, it became even more unbearably itchy.
Left with no other option, the servants prepared a large bucket of warm water for him to wash himself and see if it would have any effect.
Shen Yuanze was submerged in the water, initially whimpering and wriggling.
After a short while, the excruciating itching gradually subsided.
When he came out of the shower, he felt as if he had been reborn, and the itching on his body was completely gone.
Shen Yuanze, now fully dressed, breathed a long sigh of relief.
That's really weird. He was inexplicably itchy just now, it almost made him itch to death.
It seems there's something unclean in the prison cells; I should try to avoid going to places like that in the future.
Seeing that her brother had recovered, Madam Fan brought up the old topic again, "Yuanze, what exactly happened? Is there any chance we can get our money back?"
Shen Yuanze shook his head helplessly and sighed, "Sister, Qin Shousheng is like a greedy pig who eats without excreting. He won't easily spit out the meat that's already in his mouth. Maybe we should just forget about it!"
“You make it sound so easy. More than ten boxes of treasure—that’s the entire fortune of the Fan family. Even if Qin Shousheng is the county magistrate, he can’t confiscate my property without cause. I’m going to Ningjing to complain to the prefect. I refuse to believe that there is no law in the Great Ning Dynasty.”
"Alright, sister, the common people can't fight against the officials. Even if you file a complaint, it's useless. As the saying goes, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood. The Fan family, which is so large, has only had its wealth confiscated on the surface. The land is still there, and there will be a day when it will rise again. You go back and wait for my news. I will try my best to get the land deeds of the estate and shops back."
"Alright then!" Mrs. Fan was at a loss for what to do, so she could only nod in agreement.
After seeing Madam Fan off, Shen Yuanze remembered that Qin Shousheng had given him orders to make Chen Qingqing confess her crimes today, no matter what method he had to use.
Now that the mission has not been completed, how should I explain it to him?
Shen Yuanze frowned slightly. The prison was no place for a human being. What if he got itchy all over?
If we don't go to the trial, it will be troublesome if Qin Shousheng blames us. Forget it, let's go and see what he has to say first!
Having made up his mind, he went to the inner residence of the county government office again to report to Qin Shousheng.
"My lord, I just subjected Chen Qingqing to severe torture, but she remained tight-lipped and refused to confess. It seems this case won't be closed anytime soon."
"How come you can't even handle such a small matter? You're really useless." Qin Shousheng glared at him with dissatisfaction. "In the past, no matter what kind of criminal they were, once they entered the prison, we could finish organizing all the case files in less than a day. Chen Qingqing is just a woman, why is it so difficult for her? Go back and get her to talk. You can come back to see me when you can get her to talk."
"My lord, although Chen Qingqing is a woman, she is stubborn and defiant. She has been beaten all over by the jailers these days, but she still refuses to confess and even has the strength to break free of her ropes and fight me!"
"Such a thing actually happened?" Qin Shousheng frowned slightly, seemingly incredulous.
Before Shen Yuanze could speak, Chen Ruolan quickly interjected, "Master, what Magistrate Shen said is true. Chen Qingqing is indeed different from ordinary people. She used to be timid and lacked any opinions of her own, and seemed rather foolish."
But ever since a year ago, I don't know what evil has possessed her; she's become a completely different person. Not only can she treat illnesses, but she's also learned to make sugar. Such an eccentric must be extremely vicious. In my opinion, we must get rid of her as soon as possible to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.”
“This is no human, it’s a monster.” Qin Shousheng nodded repeatedly. “What you say is absolutely right, Madam. We must deal with this kind of monster quickly. If we let her escape, it will be a real problem.”
After saying that, he looked at Shen Yuanze and said, "Whether you try to persuade me with kind words or to coerce and entice me, you must compile the case file today so that it can be reported to the Ministry of Justice as soon as possible."
"Sir, it's not that I don't want to go, it's just that it's useless for me to go. Chen Qingqing is really stubborn!" Shen Yuanze was afraid of being tickled, and he didn't want to suffer in prison again.
Qin Shousheng glared at him irritably. "You good-for-nothing! You can't even handle a woman. What use are you as the county magistrate? Get back to work right now, or I'll fire you if you waste any more time."
"This..." Shen Yuanze hesitated. He didn't know whether to leave or stay, and glanced at Chen Ruolan with pleading eyes.
Chen Ruolan knew how formidable Chen Qingqing was. As the saying goes, delay brings trouble, and the longer you wait, the more things can go wrong.
To prevent any accidents, Chen Qingqing must be killed as soon as possible; otherwise, I won't feel at ease.
Thinking of this, she quickly said, "Master, since Chen Qingqing refuses to confess, why not just execute her first and report later, to avoid any unforeseen complications?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Shousheng shook his head repeatedly, "No, no, the imperial court has regulations that require caution in the use of punishment and execution. Criminal cases must be reported level by level and reviewed by the Ministry of Justice before the death penalty can be applied. If the criminal is killed now, the imperial court will investigate and I will be dismissed and severely punished."
"Is it that serious?" Chen Ruolan asked, her face showing displeasure. "When will we be able to kill her? Does that mean we'll never kill her if she never confesses?"
"Don't worry, Madam. I don't believe that little girl is so tight-lipped. She'll confess eventually," Qin Shousheng quickly reassured her with a smile.
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