Chapter 563 Clarification
As dusk settled, a golden hue blanketed the earth.
Chen Yongnian changed out of his tattered clothes, Fang Ziming's words still echoing in his mind.
He couldn't tell which were sincere and which were feigned, but he could sense that Fang Ziming was indeed in many situations beyond his control.
Because of his status, he has to be mindful of what he does and can't do whatever he wants like others. He has to consider the bigger picture more often.
Just like Fang Bowen was demoted and stationed on the frontier; what father would really bear to let his son suffer in such a turbulent place?
The borderlands were turbulent and dangerous, and people could die at any moment. Ordinary people would not want to go there, let alone the county magistrate's own son.
Then came the bandit suppression in Lianshan. Fang Ziming knew perfectly well that his daughter was on the mountain, but in order to wipe out the bandits in one fell swoop, he had no choice but to order an attack on the mountain, putting his daughter in danger.
After Chen Yongnian entered the county government office, he saw that Fang Ziming practically lived there.
Whenever something happened in Yunhe County, Fang Ziming was always at the forefront, comforting the people, punishing the wicked, and never making a wrong judgment or accepting any bribes.
After carefully reflecting on these events, Chen Yongnian realized that Fang Ziming was actually a wise official. At least when faced with a choice between personal feelings and the greater good, Fang Ziming chose the latter, thus protecting the interests of the majority of people in Yunhe County.
However, Fang Ziming also wanted to win over Wan Ziyan and thus befriend him and his wife; later, because Xinglong Restaurant was too famous, he promoted other restaurants to suppress Xinglong Restaurant.
No one knows what Tang Qiwen came from.
As each incident unfolded, Chen Yongnian found himself confused and unable to make sense of it all.
Suddenly, the courtyard gate opened.
Chen Yongnian stared at the person at the door, a hint of doubt in his eyes. "Wife, why are you back?"
“I sent Gousheng to the county office to look for you. I heard you left with Lord Fang, so I figured you should be back.” Wan Qiqi glanced at the clothes on the ground and said, “Are your clothes torn?”
"Yes, I tore the clothes while catching thieves today." Chen Yongnian said, picking up the clothes from the ground, putting them in a corner, and turning to Wan Qiqi, "No need to sew them up, Lord Fang told me to get a new set tomorrow."
“Even if you asked me to sew, I couldn’t. You know I’m not good at needlework,” Wan Qiqi said, tilting her head, but she noticed that Chen Yongnian’s mood was not as relaxed as usual.
She walked to the elm tree and sat down, patting the empty seat next to her, gesturing for the other person to sit down.
"Tell me, what happened to you today? I want to hear it." Wan Qiqi propped her head up with one hand and looked at Chen Yongnian intently.
When Chen Yongnian met Wan Qiqi's eyes, his heart skipped a beat.
He hadn't expected Wan Qiqi to extend such an invitation, but even if Wan Qiqi hadn't asked, he still wanted to tell her about what happened today.
He wasn't sure if he had done anything wrong, so he could only ask the person he trusted most to help him judge.
After listening to Chen Yongnian recount the events of the day, Wan Qiqi grinned and said, "You really angered Feng Gan? Hahaha..."
She burst into laughter, but then realized that Chen Yongnian wasn't laughing, and immediately reached out.
He placed two index fingers on Chen Yongnian's lips and pushed them upwards, causing the corners of his mouth to turn up. "This is something to be happy about. You've learned how to deal with Feng Gan. Smile."
Chen Yongnian felt the softness of the other person's fingertips and then smiled.
Wan Qiqi could tell that his smile was reluctant, so she withdrew her hand and said, "We can't say for sure about Xiao Er's matter. You did nothing wrong by upholding the law. As for what she wants to do, we can't guess either. We can only assume that she finds it strange and that's why she dumped the person on you."
"Strange?" Chen Yongnian seemed puzzled, not understanding what was so strange about him.
“Yes. As you said, Xiao Er has an eccentric personality and does things without any pattern, so everyone is afraid of offending her.” Wan Qiqi said, looking up at Chen Yongnian, “But you are different. You know that she has an extraordinary status, but you still insist on your decision, making her feel that you are different from others.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Yongnian had a bad feeling. He felt that this was not a good thing and said, "I am no different."
“But it may not be the case in other people’s eyes. After all, very few people dare to do this.” Wan Qiqi said, her face suddenly becoming serious. She said in a deep voice, “You are like the prey she has set her sights on. She will not kill you all at once, but will take it slowly, enjoy the hunting process, and prevent the prey from dying.”
Chen Yongnian's expression turned serious. His outstretched hand suddenly clenched into a fist, and even his breathing slowed down. He asked cautiously, "Have I... gotten into trouble?"
Wan Qiqi flicked Chen Yongnian's forehead, tilted her head and laughed, "Trying to scare you! This is just my guess. I've never even seen her in person, how could I know what she's thinking?"
Wan Qiqi paused, her smile fading slightly. "I was talking about the worst-case scenario. If that's the case, we might really be in trouble! To find out the outcome, go to the county government tomorrow and see if the person you arrested is dead."
Chen Yongnian's eyes flickered. "You mean she'll have someone die in prison?"
"If she is as rumored, the person she wants to kill will definitely not survive the night; if the person you capture tomorrow is still alive, then it means she is not that scary."
Wan Qiqi did not tell Chen Yongnian that there was a third possibility.
If the person is still alive, Xiao Er might still be as she guessed, but someone is also controlling Xiao Er.
But Wan Qiqi thinks this is less likely.
She had heard a lot about the three members of the Xiao family, and she felt that Old Master Xiao didn't seem to care about the affairs of his children, which was why the Xiao family was so arrogant in Yunhe County.
"Okay." Chen Yongnian hoped for the second outcome his wife had suggested.
If the first outcome is true, he can only try to find a way to solve the problem and absolutely cannot let his wife be implicated.
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