Chapter 42 [VIP]
Meanwhile, from the Zhang family's courtyard, painful wails could be heard from time to time.
Last night, Zhang Shiqiu returned home and his leg was broken by someone. He was in so much pain that he fainted and lay at the door for two hours before his neighbor found him and knocked on the door to let him inside.
My hands and feet were frostbitten, and my injured leg turned bluish-purple because it wasn't treated in time. The doctor examined it and said it needed to be amputated.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shiqiu immediately went mad, cursing the doctor as a quack and saying that if his leg was amputated, how could he take the imperial examination? He might as well just kill him!
The doctor was furious and stormed off, leaving Zhang Xiucai's parents helpless.
Zhang's father cried out, "Who would be so heartless as to break my son's leg for no reason?"
"It was him, it must have been him!" Zhang Shiqiu suddenly scrambled to his feet and tried to get down.
"Lie down quickly, you can't move your leg right now!"
"It must have been Chen Qingyan who had my legs broken. He wanted to prevent me from taking the imperial examinations. No way!"
Zhang's mother was startled when she heard this, "Who is Chen Qingyan? Why would he break your leg?"
"He's jealous that I passed the county-level exam and became a scholar. He cheated and got caught, so he can't take the imperial exam himself. He's trying to prevent me from taking it either! Father, you must report this to the authorities! Report this to the authorities and have him arrested!"
"Okay, okay, I'm coming right now, you lie down quickly..."
Zhang's father hurried to the yamen, just as Huang San was leading several yamen runners out on patrol.
"Gentlemen, please have mercy and help my son!"
"Please rise, sir. What has happened?"
Zhang's father was tongue-tied and couldn't explain himself clearly, but he kept repeating that his son's leg had been broken. Huang San then led his men to Zhang's house.
Upon seeing the official, Scholar Zhang immediately cried out, "Please, sir, help me get justice!"
"Tell me slowly, what exactly happened?"
Scholar Zhang embellished his account of last night's events, saying, "I was born a scholar and was supposed to take the provincial examination next year. He... he had my legs broken, ruining my future. He might as well just kill me!"
Zhang Xiucai's parents wiped away their tears and wept bitterly. Although Huang San felt sorry for him, he was on the side of the Chen family. After all, he had met Wang Ying a few times. That husband was straightforward and generous, and naturally, he would be biased towards him because he had received gifts from him.
"You say the Chen family broke your leg, do you have any evidence?"
"It was too dark last night, I couldn't see what the person looked like, but I'm sure it was someone from the Chen family!"
"Without any evidence or proof, aren't you just making baseless accusations!"
Zhang Shiqiu was startled and quickly said, "I only have a feud with Chen Qingyan. No one else would do such a thing!"
"Tell me the reason why you two have fallen out."
Zhang Shiqiu repeated his old arguments, saying that Chen Qingyan was jealous of his passing the imperial examination and falsely accused him of hiding cheat sheets in his writings, and even punched him.
After listening, Huang San said, "This is only your side of the story. I still need to go to the Chen family to find out more about the situation before we talk about it."
After leaving the Zhang family, Huang San went straight to the Chen family. When he arrived, Wang Ying was teaching Li Shi, Chen Rong, and several children how to play card games.
Wang Ying drew these cards herself. The gameplay is similar to mahjong but simpler. When she was little, she often played with her grandmother and learned how to play them just by watching.
The gatekeeper suddenly came to report, "Someone from the yamen has arrived, saying they want to see our young master."
Wang Ying's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly stood up and said, "I'll go take a look."
Li and Chen Rong wanted to come out, but Wang Ying stopped them, saying, "It's cold outside, so don't go out. Qingyan and I will go and take a look."
"Okay."
Upon arriving at the front hall, Wang Ying ordered a servant to brew hot tea, saying, "Happy New Year, Third Master Huang."
"Happy New Year, Manager Wang." Huang San smiled, stood up, and cupped his hands in greeting.
Chen Qingyan arrived shortly afterward, and they greeted each other.
"May I ask what brings you here today, Master Huang?"
Huang San said, "Indeed, there is an important matter. This morning someone reported to the authorities that your family member broke his leg. I came here specifically to ask if this is true."
Chen Qingyan was taken aback after hearing this and asked in confusion, "Who said this?"
"This man's surname is Zhang, and he is a scholar."
"Zhang Shiqiu?!"
Huang San nodded, "It is indeed this person."
"His leg was broken?"
"Yes, it happened last night."
Chen Qingyan glanced at Wang Ying with suspicion, then immediately shook his head and said, "We didn't do this! I did have a disagreement with him before, but he framed me first. If I wanted revenge, I would have done it as soon as I got back from the county exam. Why would I have waited this long?"
"I don't believe what this person is saying either, but his identity is special, so I have to come and bother him."
Wang Ying said, "My servants were given a holiday a few days ago and went back to the estate for the New Year. Only the gatekeeper Linzi and Uncle Chen are left. You've met these two before. They're old and young, who has the ability to break their legs?"
Huang San nodded. "This matter certainly doesn't seem to be what you've done. I'll go back and ask again."
The two men got up to see him off, and Wang Ying asked Uncle Chen to give him four kinds of pastries.
"Oh dear, that won't do. How can you come empty-handed and leave with something?"
Wang Ying said, "It's the New Year, and I'm already troubling you, Third Master. It's nothing expensive, just something to treat the brothers to."
The constables laughed. These pastries cost at least fifty coins a box, so their trip wasn't a complete waste.
After everyone left, Chen Qingyan grabbed Wang Ying's hand and hurried towards the backyard. Once inside, he cautiously locked the door. "Ying, did you do this?"
What are you talking about?
"Don't lie to me, did you do it or not!"
Wang Ying lowered her eyes and said, "Yes, I can't stand him bullying people like this."
"You, why didn't you discuss this with me? How could you do such a thing..."
"He has harmed you time and time again. Are you just going to keep tolerating him like this? If you repay evil with kindness, how will you repay kindness?"
Chen Qingyan grabbed his hand and said, "I'm not blaming you, but I'm worried about you. This kind of thing... if it gets discovered, you'll be punished!"
Wang Ying happily tiptoed and kissed him. It turned out that this kid was worried about her. It was worth the risk she took to help him.
"Don't worry, even if he knows, he has no evidence. He hurt you so badly, I only broke one of his legs, which is too lenient on him."
"You mustn't do that again next time."
"Hmm." Wang Ying was also shaken. After all, he wasn't a vicious person. If the other party hadn't gone too far, he wouldn't have resorted to such a desperate measure.
Chen Qingyan sighed. Actually, when he heard that Zhang Shiqiu's leg had been broken, he felt a little smug, but he felt more helpless and sad.
The two could have been best friends, but in the end, they both ended up hurting each other...
*
After learning about the situation from both sides, Huang San went to the Zhang family and informed them that the Chen family was not responsible for the incident.
In ancient times, most cases were investigated in this way. They were not as resourceful as depicted in TV dramas. Without witnesses or physical evidence, the cases were basically unsolved, and the officials had no other options.
"No, it can't be! It must have been them!" Zhang Shiqiu refused to believe it and even crawled off the bed to hug Huang San's leg. "Sir, please investigate this thoroughly and help me get justice!"
Huang San shook him off and said, "If you have evidence to prove that they did it, I will definitely help you get justice. You don't have any witnesses or physical evidence, so how can I help you?"
"Take my advice, don't offend the Chen family again. Chen Qingyan's uncle is the governor of Laizhou. If you really anger them, you might not be able to handle the consequences."
"So what if he's a governor? Does having an uncle in a government position give him the right to disregard human life?"
Seeing that he wouldn't listen to reason, Huang San waved his hand and said, "Then go to the county government office and beat the drum. We can't help you."
After everyone left, Zhang Shiqiu lay on the ground and cried loudly. His mother tried to help him up, but he pushed her away violently.
"Get out of my way!"
"What's wrong with you? If you want to lie on the ground, then lie on the ground!" She was already annoyed, and this kind of trouble during the New Year made her even more upset. She didn't even know if she could keep her leg. If she couldn't keep it, she wouldn't be able to take the imperial examination in the future. Wouldn't she have to return the things she took?
Zhang Shiqiu clenched his fists, his eyes filled with resentment. He knew he couldn't rely on his parents, and immediately thought of Lu Chang'an, as if grasping at a lifeline.
"Mother, you must go to the Lu family immediately!"
What are you going to the Lu family for?
"Lu Chang'an and I are close friends, he will definitely help me!"
Zhang's mother went there with some doubt, but to her surprise, the young master of the Lu family really came, and even brought a doctor with him.
As soon as the two met, Lu Chang'an's eyes reddened. "This, it's only been a day since we last met, how did Brother Shi Qiu become like this?"
Zhang Shiqiu was in tears, his eyes closed and his head shaking as if he dared not speak.
"Was this done by the Chen family? This is outrageous!"
"Brother Lu, you must not get into a fight with them because of me! Chen Qingyan's uncle is the governor of Laizhou. If we really anger him, we'll be in deep trouble!"
"Let's not talk about that now, let the doctor take a look at your leg."
The doctor Lu Chang'an brought was better than the one the Zhang family had hired before. After examining the patient carefully, he said, "The bone can be set, but the injury is too severe and has been delayed for so long. I'm afraid that even if it is set, the patient will not be able to walk like before."
The implication was that even if his leg was cured, he would still be a cripple, and the Wu Dynasty prohibited people with disabilities from participating in the imperial examinations. In other words, he had no hope of ever taking the imperial examinations again.
Zhang Shiqiu was still unwilling to give up, "Doctor, please take a good look. I am a scholar, and I will take the imperial examination to become a licentiate!"
"Its injury is too severe; even a Great Immortal could not restore it to its original state."
"Brother Qiu, let the doctor set your leg first. Don't worry about anything else. I will definitely get justice for you!"
The process of reattaching the leg was incredibly agonizing; Zhang Shiqiu nearly bit through the chopsticks in his mouth, and in his heart, he wished he could tear Chen Qingyan to pieces. He never once reflected on why things had come to this.
Upon returning home, Lu Chang'an immediately instructed his servants to prepare things so he could go to the county government office to beat the drum and plead for justice for Zhang Shiqiu.
When Mr. Lu learned of this, he called his son over and said, "What are you doing during the New Year?!"
"Father, that eldest son of the Chen family went too far! He actually broke my friend's leg over a small argument. I must help him get justice!"
"You're not allowed to go!"
"father……"
“I don’t care if you associate with that scholar Zhang, but you can’t make enemies with the Chen family because of him! I’ve known Chen Xian for over thirty years. Although we’re not close friends, I know him well. His wife and children are honest and kind people. They would never do such a thing!”
"Father doesn't know what happened." Lu Chang'an recounted what had happened between the two of them.
"Then you shouldn't get involved even more. You only heard Zhang Xiucai's side of the story. How do you know he's not lying?"
Lu Chang'an choked up, "Shi Qiu wouldn't lie to me."
Mr. Lu snorted coldly, "Poverty breeds cunning. I've seen plenty of people like that. You've already done more than enough by helping him set his leg. You're not allowed to have anything to do with him again!"
"Oh..." Lu Chang'an agreed verbally, but secretly began to spread rumors about Chen Qingyan's "evil deeds," vowing to help Zhang Shiqiu take revenge.
A note from the author:
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