Shen Yuanze was afraid that he would be sent to the prison to interrogate Chen Qingqing again. The bead twirled, and a sly smile appeared on his lips.
"My lord, what the lady said makes sense. Why don't we just kill her?"
Qin Shousheng was taken aback, his face immediately darkened, and he gave Shen Yuanze a cold look.
"Didn't you hear what I just said? If we really kill her, and the higher-ups investigate, even if we had ten lives, it wouldn't be enough to cover the responsibility."
"Sir, please don't be angry. Let me finish. Although we don't have the power of life and death, there are regulations from above. Every year, prisons in various places have a quota for deaths from illness within an allowed range. As long as it's within the quota, we can easily pass off a false 'death in prison' with just a piece of official document. We don't even need to explain."
Qin Shousheng nodded repeatedly at these words, "That's true, but it seems that several prisoners have already died in custody this year. Are there any spots left?"
Shen Yuanze nodded, "There's one left, no more, no less, just enough for Chen Qingqing."
"We must not rush into this matter. Chen Qingqing has a good reputation in Anyang County and is considered a prominent figure. If she were to die in prison under mysterious circumstances, it would inevitably cause gossip among the people. To be on the safe side, it would be best not to act rashly."
Qin Shousheng shook his head and refused. The situation in the capital had been tense recently, with Prince Ning pressing forward relentlessly, and the Crown Prince's position was already precarious.
He had already been instructed by his superiors to keep a low profile and not to take lives lightly, lest they find a pretext to use against him.
Shen Yuanze sighed helplessly, "Since the master doesn't agree, we can only wait patiently."
Chen Ruolan had thought Chen Qingqing was doomed this time, but she hadn't expected Qin Shousheng to be so cautious, and couldn't help but speak up.
“Sir, Chen Qingqing is cunning and treacherous. If she can break free of her ropes today, she can escape from prison tomorrow. If that happens, it will be incredibly difficult to catch her. Please heed Magistrate Shen’s advice!”
"No, no, it's better to let her confess." Qin Shousheng still waved his hand in refusal.
Seeing that Qin Shousheng remained unmoved, Chen Ruolan feigned sadness, pursed her lips, and shook her head dejectedly.
“Master, if Chen Qingqing doesn’t die, we won’t get the secret recipe for making white sugar. You keep saying you care about me and promised to avenge me, but my enemy is right in front of me, yet you are so hesitant. Are you just going to ignore the hatred that I suffered from that wretched girl?”
She even shed two tears at the end.
Qin Shousheng felt a pang of sympathy seeing Chen Ruolan's pitiful appearance, but he knew that Chen Qingqing was no ordinary person and that if not handled properly, it could cause unnecessary trouble.
He frowned and paced irritably around the room.
Shen Yuanze recalled being slapped twice by Chen Qingqing earlier, and couldn't help but feel furious.
He had never suffered such humiliation before.
Only by killing Chen Qingqing can I vent my hatred.
Thinking bitterly to himself, he then tried to persuade Qin Shousheng.
“My lord, what the lady said earlier is not entirely unreasonable. Chen Qingqing is indeed cunning and full of tricks. If she finds a chance to escape, she will definitely become a major threat to us in the future. Therefore, it is better to get rid of her as soon as possible. As long as we do it discreetly, no one will know. Her family is just an ordinary commoner with no power or influence. Even if they make a big fuss, the higher-ups will not investigate this matter.”
Qin Shousheng stopped, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes. "It's better to be safe than sorry. If something goes wrong, even the higher-ups might not be able to protect me."
Upon hearing this, Chen Ruolan hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Qin Shousheng's arm, cooing softly.
“Master, in order to restore the sugar mill to normal operation as soon as possible, Chen Qingqing must die. As long as we kill her, her family will lose their backbone, and we can easily get our hands on the sugar recipe. That’s a business that can make a fortune every day. Are we just going to watch ourselves miss out on making money?”
Qin Shousheng lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, it's your way."
After saying that, he looked at Shen Yuanze and said, "Go and arrange for a few trustworthy people to take action tonight. It would be best if you could get Chen Qingqing to confess before killing her."
Shen Yuanze shuddered as he recalled the inexplicable itching he had felt in the prison earlier.
The prison cell is truly eerie; today's encounter must have been caused by something unclean.
If we go again, he'll be itching to death!
He quickly bowed and declined, "Sir, I haven't been feeling well lately, and the doctor specifically instructed me not to stay up late. Could you please send someone else?"
Qin Shousheng's face immediately showed displeasure. "Yuanze, I'm not trying to be mean, but why are you making such a fuss? This is your job. If you don't go, who will? Do you expect me to go to that godforsaken place myself?"
"My lord, I am indeed feeling a bit unwell. How about I have Head Jailer Sun take care of this matter?" Shen Yuanze asked tentatively.
Before Qin Shousheng could speak, Chen Ruolan quickly took over the conversation.
“My lord, since Magistrate Shen is unwell, let him go back to rest. If you trust me, let me handle this matter. I will definitely do it flawlessly.”
Chen Ruolan now wants to torture Chen Qingqing to death with her own hands to vent her hatred!
"What are you saying, Madam? How could I not believe you? Since you want to share my burdens..." Qin Shousheng was about to agree, but then he couldn't rest easy, so he quickly changed the subject, "Since you want to share my burdens, then you will come with me to the prison. I want you to see with your own eyes how I avenge you."
"Thank you, sir. Let's go now!" Chen Ruolan didn't want to wait a moment longer. She had only one thought in her mind: to watch Chen Qingqing be tortured to death.
Qin Shousheng nodded and gave the order, "Someone, prepare a sedan chair, we're going to the prison."
"Yes, sir." A constable acknowledged the order and withdrew.
Shen Yuanze breathed a sigh of relief. Good heavens, I don't have to suffer in that awful place anymore. "My lord, it's getting late, so I'll take my leave now."
"Magistrate Shen, please wait." Qin Shousheng called out to Shen Yuanze, who had just turned to leave.
Shen Yuanze paused. "My lord, is there anything else you require?"
Qin Shousheng had his own ulterior motives. This kind of thing was tantamount to taking lives, and he had to involve Shen Yuanze so that if anything went wrong in the future, he could be made a scapegoat.
"Don't rush home yet. You've been handling this case all along. No matter what, you have to come to jail with me tonight."
"Alright!" Shen Yuanze knew he had no choice but to agree, so he reluctantly agreed.
The group boarded the carriage and, under the cover of night, headed towards the prison...
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