Chapter 141 [VIP]
"Your Honor, I'm innocent! I never ordered him to poison my brother. He was the one who poisoned my brother first, and then he approached me offering to help. That's why I gave him some money for his funeral expenses!"
When Yan Dayi heard him shift the blame onto himself, he was furious. "Your Honor, please investigate! I didn't even know him before. How could I have deliberately poisoned my brother to find him?"
"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tear your mouth apart!" At this point, Wei Linshui was desperate and lunged at Yan Da, grabbing his neck to stop him from telling the truth.
"Silence!" The prefect struck the gavel, and the bailiffs separated and restrained the two men.
"Yan Da, you speak first. If Wei Linshui dares to disrupt the court again, he will receive thirty strokes of the cane on the buttocks!"
Yan Da then recounted what had happened. "My younger brother is called Yan Er. He's an idiot. He's completely clueless, almost like an animal. All he knows is to eat, drink, and relieve himself." Yan Da gave a bitter smile and continued, "Actually, he's even worse than an animal. Even a dog knows to go outside to poop and pee, but he only knows to poop in his pockets."
“My father always took care of my younger brother while he was alive. He had to wash his pants six times a day, six times a day, without fail, through the cold winter and the hot summer! I really couldn’t do that, so I haven’t taken care of him much since my father passed away.”
Because of his younger brother, Yan Da was never able to get married.
Years ago, someone told him about a young man with a limp, but he didn't mind. He thought that both of them had a hard life, and if they got married, they could take care of each other. If they had a child, they would have something to look forward to in the future.
As a result, his father stopped him, saying that he was afraid that once he got married and had his own family, he would no longer care about his younger brother.
Yan Da was filled with hatred, he hated this burden to the core, but he was helpless. After all, this was his own brother, and he couldn't kick him out.
Then one day, someone suddenly stopped him and said they wanted to discuss something. They offered him ten taels of silver to poison his younger brother and asked if he was willing to do it.
Yan Da agreed without even thinking. He would poison the man even if he wasn't given a single penny, let alone ten taels of silver! With this burden, he would never be able to turn his life around.
The next day, the man brought Yan Da a packet of poison and ten taels of silver. Yan Da mixed the poison into his rice and watched his foolish younger brother eat it. Then, Yan Da clutched his stomach and rolled on the ground in pain.
He was filled with mixed emotions of sorrow and joy. His younger brother was dead, and he had no relatives left by his side. Now that his brother was gone, he could use the money to repair the house and marry that lame boy...
The idiot struggled for half an hour before finally dying. Yan Da quickly followed the instructions, pulled off the filthy clothes from the man's body, carefully washed him clean, and changed him into his own old clothes.
The next morning, two people came and helped him carry the body to the entrance of Mixue Shop.
At first, Yan Da didn't know that Wei Linshui was the one who ordered him. But when Wan Liang spoke to him during the incident, he realized that Wei Linshui had called him over.
What happened next was that the government sent people to take the body back, and he waited anxiously for the outcome.
“Every word I have said is absolutely true. There is still half of the poison left, and the silver given by Boss Wei is hidden in the cabinet in my house.”
The prefect ordered someone to fetch it, and half an hour later the item was brought over. The poison was powdered aconite, which was extremely toxic and very rare, not something that a commoner like Yan Da could easily obtain.
It can now be basically concluded that Wei Linshui was behind it all.
Wei Linshui's face was ashen. He stared blankly at Magistrate Zhao, "My lord... please help me..."
Judge Zhao, like a pheasant with its feathers ruffled, shouted at the top of his lungs, "This man has committed heinous crimes! Take him away immediately to await his fate!"
The prefect glanced at him. "What's your hurry?"
"I find such a ruthless person utterly despicable. Now that the evidence is irrefutable, he has no way to deny it. Take him to court for further judgment!"
"My lord!" Wei Linshui's eyes were bloodshot, and he almost bit his teeth off.
Judge Zhao was also looking at him, his gaze deep and menacing. If he dared to utter a single word more, his wife, children, and elderly parents would all perish.
In the end, Wei Linshui had no choice but to lower his head in compromise. The prefect raised his hand, and the yamen runners dragged the two away.
Zhao Tongpan finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly wiped the sweat from his cheeks with his sleeve. "It's so hot today..."
"The outcome of this matter is out. Since Chen Qingyan was framed, he can go home on his own, and the seal on the shop can be removed."
"Thank you for your keen insight, Your Excellency." The two knelt down to express their gratitude.
"Qingyan, I remember you. Your essay on the prefectural examination was excellent. I hope this matter will not affect you, and that you will perform well in the autumn examination."
"Thank you for your kind words, sir. I will certainly live up to your expectations!"
As they emerged from the government office, the two simultaneously let out a long sigh, exchanged a glance, and smiled.
"Big brother, sister-in-law!" People who had been waiting for a long time ran over from not far away.
Chen Qingsong excitedly grabbed his brother's hand and carefully looked him over from head to toe. Only after confirming that his brother was not injured did he relax. His voice choked with emotion as he said, "You scared me to death!"
Chen Qingyan patted his younger brother on the shoulder, "What are you afraid of? You're all grown up now. You should be able to support this family when your older brother isn't here."
"Brother is right, I will definitely not do it again next time."
Wang Ying flicked his head, "There won't be a next time. Once is enough!"
A group of people escorted the two out. When they were almost on the carriage, Wang Ying saw that Liu Changyi's parents were there. The two quickly went forward to thank them.
"Get up quickly." Qin Furong helped the person up with one hand. "It's good that you're alright! You have no idea how worried Changyi has been these past few days. He wished he could drag his father out to let you go."
Liu Changyi scratched his head sheepishly.
Chen Qingyan bowed deeply to Lord Liu, saying, "Thank you for your help, Uncle."
"It's nothing, it didn't take much effort, it's all thanks to your husband."
If Wang Ying hadn't had such sharp eyesight, recognizing at a glance that the person causing trouble these past few days was the same person, she wouldn't have been able to follow the clues and find the mastermind behind it all.
To put it bluntly, Wei Linshui was just too audacious and lawless. He thought Wang Ying was as easy to manipulate as the people he had encountered in the past, but little did he know that he had kicked a rock.
To celebrate Chen Qingyan's safe release, Wang Ying booked a table at Jixianglou Restaurant that evening and specially invited the Liu family to dine together.
Neither Li nor Fang Ling knew about this; they thought it was just a simple meal between the two families.
During the meal, everyone tacitly avoided mentioning Chen Qingyan's arrest, and only discussed the engagement between Liu Changyi and Chen Qingyun.
Qin Furong said, "I was thinking of setting up a few tables at Hongyun Restaurant on the day the two children get engaged. You can all come and join in the fun."
“Okay.” Li and Fang Ling nodded in agreement.
When the elders discussed marriage, Liu Changyi and Chen Qingyun both blushed. They would occasionally look up at each other and then immediately lower their heads again. Their shy appearance made the elders laugh heartily.
*
With the matter settled, the next day Chen Qingyan packed his things, and the three brothers returned to the prefectural school to continue their studies.
Wang Ying's shop encountered a problem. Although the truth of the matter had been revealed and the seal on the shop had been removed, Mixue's brand had been ruined.
When it comes to their bamboo tube popsicles, most people shake their heads and wave their hands, saying they wouldn't dare eat them even if they were given away for free, let alone for ten coins.
I didn't see a single customer all morning, and even when I went out to sell nux vomica, I only managed to sell a few strands.
Back at the shop, everyone was a little down. Lin Sui said, "It wasn't as busy as it was a few days ago. Although it was tiring, we were happy to have made money."
Maqianzi chimed in, "Yes, before, when I was driving out to sell popsicles, people would surround me and buy them as soon as I entered the alley. Now, nobody even asks me."
Wang Ying appeared perfectly normal when he collapsed. He was thinking that if things really didn't work out, he would stop selling popsicles and switch to selling ice cream instead.
Wei Linshui has been arrested, and he will most likely be sentenced to imprisonment and exile for what he did. The other two ice sellers in the city have suffered greatly in recent years due to the suppression by the Wei family, and they have stockpiled far less ice.
If I were to step in now and take over the ice-selling business in town...
The experimental field can have as much ice as it wants; they can just dig an icehouse outside to cover their tracks. This is much more convenient and safer than making popsicles or shaved ice. Even if someone suspects something, they won't be able to find any evidence that the ice was conjured out of thin air.
The problem is how to sell the ice. They haven't been in the city long enough and don't know many people. Most ordinary people can't afford ice, and only wealthy families are willing to use ice chests for cooling off.
Just as he was in a dilemma, someone brought him a pillow as he was about to fall asleep; the manager of the Yang's Trading Company across the street came over.
"Your shop is open."
Wang Ying said with a wry smile, "It's open, but business is rather dismal..."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. Everyone knows you've been framed, but ordinary people don't. They believe everything they hear and naturally don't dare to buy."
"That makes sense. Manager Yang, is there something you need?"
"Oh, by the way, do you sell large blocks of ice? The Wei family's ice cellar has been shut down, and the ice from the other two families in the city has been almost completely looted. It's difficult to buy ice now, so I came to ask you."
"Sell it! We happen to have a lot of ice stored in our ice cellar. If we can't sell the popsicles, we can sell the ice."
How about the price?
Wang Ying said, "We're old acquaintances, so I definitely won't charge a high price. I'll sell it to you for the same price you paid in the past. If you buy a lot, I can give you a discount."
"That's great. Send me four blocks of ice tomorrow, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. It's been so hot these past few days that my youngest son has developed heat rash."
"Okay, I'll have someone deliver it to you tomorrow."
Manager Yang paid the deposit, and from then on, except for rainy days, four yuan would be delivered every day until mid-July.
This three-foot-long block of ice sells for three hundred coins. It adds up to forty or fifty strings of cash a month. The Yang family is truly wealthy and powerful.
Wang Ying said, "The ice storage is full of ice. If Manager Yang knows anyone who wants to buy ice, please help introduce them."
"OK."
After everyone left, Wang Ying happily called out, "Pack your things, we're not selling popsicles anymore!"
Several people asked in confusion, "Then what do you sell?"
"Sell ice instead!"
Wang Ying had Tian Ju remove the signboard from the shop, and a few days later replaced it with the signboard for Wang's Ice Shop.
This year is a very hot year. There are many wealthy people in the city who need ice. With Manager Yang's help in promoting the business, the shop's business has quickly taken off!
People came to order ice every day in an endless stream, and with Wang Ying having brought down the Wei family, no one dared to cause him any more trouble.
From then on, they truly gained a foothold in the prefectural city.
A note from the author:
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