Liu Hong grew increasingly frightened and anxious, and in a fit of rage, he slapped his wife hard across the face.
"You shrew, you jinx!"
If you hadn't made such a scene, cried and threatened to hang yourself, insisting on getting your brother a title, I wouldn't have done something like this that would cost me my official position!
"Now look what's happened! I've lost my job, and you're all going to be eating chaff and wild vegetables!"
If it were any other time, if Liu Hong dared to yell at Madam Liu like that, Madam Liu would have jumped three feet high in the air!
Liu Hong was nothing but a bookworm back then; he had absolutely no skills. The only reason he's been able to hold down this county magistrate position all these years is because of her dowry! If anyone dared to slap her, she would have torn the roof off long ago!
This time, Madam Liu had also heard of Han Zhongyu's incorruptibility. If Han Zhongyu really found out something, her husband's official position would be in real danger!
Knowing she was in the wrong, Madam Liu remained silent despite being slapped. Seeing Liu Hong pacing back and forth in frustration, she hardened her heart and whispered...
"Since that guy surnamed Han is so difficult to deal with, then let that cripple Sun Chongren disappear!"
"The aggrieved parties are all gone, who will this Han man seek justice for!"
Although Liu Hong was a muddle-headed official, aside from being mediocre, he had never actually committed murder. Upon hearing his wife's suggestion to silence him, he immediately disagreed.
"No, this matter hasn't reached the point of being life-threatening yet. I think I should just confess. At worst, your brother's scholar title will be revoked. I'll just say it was due to oversight, admit my mistake, and maybe they'll fine me some salary, or at most demote me. Anyway, your family has a business, so you won't starve even without the scholar title!"
"You're talking nonsense! My dad is just a guy who deals in mountain products. He doesn't even dare to put the shop in his own name. He does it all so that my brother can study hard and one day become an official, bringing honor to our ancestors!"
Now that my brother has become a scholar, everyone looks up to him. If he were to lose his official title, wouldn't all those snobbish people in the clan divide up our shops?
Without the shop, how will my parents survive!
Besides, aren't you relying on my family to help you out? Otherwise, with your limited abilities, how could you possibly keep your job?
"Yes, brother-in-law, with your cowardice, you wouldn't even dare to be greedy for anything big. The little bit of money you make in a year isn't enough to support your concubines. It's all thanks to my father covering your losses!"
Don't forget, my family doesn't just deal in mountain products; we also secretly sell salt. You were the one who leaked that information. If that Han guy finds out, my family will be ruined, and you'll be finished too!
"You're threatening me now! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this situation. So what if I'm a coward? Those who are bold have all been killed by that Han guy!"
"My lord, Brother Li, now is not the time for us to argue among ourselves. The most urgent task at hand is to nip the danger in the bud!"
Xiao Yuanhang, fearing he might lose his hard-earned scholar title, hurriedly reminded him.
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, everyone fell silent. After a moment of silence, Li Mingcheng slammed his hand on the table and said fiercely.
"If you ask me, let's do as my sister says. He wants to sue, right? How can you sue a dead person!"
Magistrate Liu, who didn't have any major ideas to begin with, sighed deeply upon hearing this and remained silent.
Madam Liu knew her husband was always hesitant and indecisive when faced with problems, so she didn't expect him to express his opinion and went directly to Xiao Yuanhang and Cao Chengan.
"All three of you are beneficiaries of this, and none of you can escape it. You two should say something too!"
Let me be clear from the start: if my brother goes to jail, you two will only suffer worse than him!
Furthermore, if, unfortunately, you end up in jail, you should think carefully. As long as Lord Liu is outside, he will always have some connections and won't abandon you. But if you make baseless accusations, then you'll have no chance of ever getting out of this mess!
Those who understood what Madam Liu meant, and soon enough, Xiao Yuanhang held up three fingers to show his agreement.
"I'll listen to Brother Li!"
Cao Cheng'an was the worst of the three; he couldn't even copy properly.
Three people cheated, but he was the only one who failed the imperial examination. He was the kind of person who couldn't even pass the exam by cheating!
However, at crucial moments, he was quick-witted and knew very well that even if he cheated, he would not benefit from it, and he would not be awarded any honors at the Deer Banquet. Whether he cheated or not would not make any difference, since he did not have any official rank anyway. He was just a student who had completed the preliminary examinations, so at worst, he could just cancel his degree!
But murder is a serious crime, punishable by beheading. It's not worth it for the sake of a mere student's status!
Although he understood the situation, he couldn't show that he wanted to run away while he was in Magistrate Liu's residence. To demonstrate that he was on their side, he immediately made a solemn promise.
"I'll do exactly what Brother Li and Brother Xiao do!"
The three reached a consensus, and Madam Liu gave instructions.
"Now that we've made the decision, the fewer people who know, the better, to avoid any leaks!"
Li Mingcheng should
"Got it. It's just a cripple. We'll go ourselves and do it without him even noticing!"
"It's better to act sooner rather than later, let's do it today! Otherwise, things might get complicated!"
After the three of them made their decision, they rushed to Sun Chongren's house that very night.
Meanwhile, Lan Ting and Zhao Hu were one step ahead of them, and before they could, they took out the evidence from the hidden compartment of the desk that Sun Chongren had mentioned, and also took away two certificates. They gave each family five hundred copper coins and instructed them that if anyone asked, they should say that the child had gone to his maternal grandparents' house to play.
After seeing the official token from the government office in Lanting, the two families dared not ask any further questions. They readily accepted the money and promised not to say a word no matter who asked.
Almost as soon as Lan Ting and the others left, Xiao Yuanhang and his two companions arrived. They had even prepared ropes, but to their surprise, they found nothing.
Seeing what appeared to be signs of being touched on the table, Xiao Yuanhang slammed his hand on the table in anger and cursed.
"That cripple probably didn't know we were coming and ran away beforehand!"
Li Mingcheng also stared at the handprint and said...
"This handprint looks freshly made; there's not a speck of dust. This broken window is drafty, and with the strong winds outside, if it's left for a while, the handprint will be covered in dust!"
Damn it! We're too late!
Cao Chengan had been looking for a chance to escape the whole way. He had arrived at his destination but still hadn't gotten away. He was so anxious that he almost got blisters on his lips. Luckily, no one was there. He didn't want to be accused of murder again!
This time I finally have a chance to escape, so I immediately said...
"Then he wouldn't have run off to the prefectural city, would he?"
Or did they hide in some remote mountain valley? Or did they go to stay with relatives?
Why don't we split up and search? Since he just left, and he's a cripple, with a bad leg and a weak back, how far could he have gone?
Xiao Yuanhang and Li Mingcheng never expected him to run away, but they also felt that what he said made sense, so they agreed to everything.
As soon as the three separated, Cao Cheng'an took off running back to his hometown that very night, repeatedly telling his parents that no matter who came looking for him, they should say that he had never been back.
Li Mingcheng and Xiao Yuanhang searched the mountains everywhere, scouring the nearby forests and valleys, but they could not find any trace of Sun Chongren and his mother.
Xiao Yuanhang was still unwilling to give up. When it was broad daylight, he deliberately entered the village from outside and inquired about Sun Chongren's whereabouts from house to house. He also asked if anyone in the village had recently gone on a long trip.
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