Chapter 246

The area of the Jiang family's second floor was not large. Besides a large balcony, there were only two or three rooms.

Li Family Old Woman's eyes lit up instantly, and she dragged Yun Ying and was about to rush to the second floor.

Jiang Wei stopped them, "This second floor is my Xiaoxiao's room and study. There are many valuable items and books inside, and outsiders are not allowed to go up at will."

"Hmph, you say no, so no? I think it's because you have a guilty conscience!" Li Family Old Woman pushed Jiang Wei away rudely and was about to rush to the second floor regardless.

Seeing Jiang Wei come to stop her, Li Family Old Woman became more certain that the wild man must be hidden on the second floor!

She hurriedly dragged Yun Ying, called Zhu Shi, and rushed up in a swarm.

Jiang Wei sighed as if helpless, then turned to the crowd behind her and said, "Since you've searched up to here, let's all go up to the second floor together."

She stepped aside to yield the passage stairs to the second floor.

Everyone looked at each other.

The more generous and calm Jiang Wei appeared, the more everyone believed she was being wronged and slandered by the Li family.

On the contrary, the group of people from the Old Li family appeared relentless.

"Xiaoxiao's mother, don't worry, after this matter is over, I will definitely not spare this group of bastards from the Li family!" Li Zheng stood out and said, leading the villagers to the second floor in a mighty force.

After everyone went up, Jiang Wei turned to look at Sun Shi and Li Jinfeng in the courtyard.

Since entering her house, the two had been standing on the side. No matter how Li Family Old Woman directed them, they didn't move, nor did they help search, just watching quietly from the side.

"Aren't you going up?" Jiang Wei asked lightly.

Sun Shi shook her head, then pulled Li Jinfeng and left without looking back.

Jiang Wei didn't speak, just looked deeply at the backs of the mother and daughter leaving.

Soon, she withdrew her gaze and went up to the second floor alone.

Meanwhile.

Li Family Old Woman, dragging Yun Ying with one hand and supporting Zhu Shi with the other, rushed to the second-floor balcony aggressively.

On the balcony, three people were sitting in front of a small square table: Jiang Xiaoxiao, Shen Que, and Du County Magistrate, who had his back to them.

The three didn't seem surprised at all that they would come upstairs, sitting there leisurely, not even lifting their heads.

But Yun Ying saw Shen Que's face at a glance and immediately screamed, "It's him! Mother, he is the wild man that bitch Jiang Shi is hiding!"

"Good, so the person was hidden here all along! Jiang Shi, I really underestimated you. You not only mess around with one man, but you actually secretly hid two wild men!" Li Family Old Woman saw Du County Magistrate, who had his back to her, and obviously also took the other party as a wild man messing around with Jiang Shi. In a flustered rage, she rolled up her sleeves and was about to rush forward.

However, Li Zheng, who had followed them all the way, saw Shen Que and his face turned pale with fright. He shouted loudly, "Stop!!"

Li Family Old Woman had never heard such a terrified and horrified voice from Li Zheng, so she couldn't help but stop her steps and said, "Li Zheng, don't stop me. Now the human evidence and material evidence are right in front of us. This is the wild man fooling around with Jiang Shi. This pair of dog-man and dog-woman actually did such things that damage public morals behind our Yuhe Village's back. Today I must drown this bitch Jiang Shi in a pig cage!"

Li Zheng's lips trembled, and he didn't know if he was angry or scared. His voice trembled, "You, you are simply..."

Before the words "reckless and bold" could be spoken, Shen Que opposite slowly raised his head and coldly hooked his lips, "Wild man? Dog-man and dog-woman? This official doesn't know what he did wrong to be crowned with such hats."

Li Zheng was so scared that he knelt on the ground with a thud, "County Lieutenant Lord, spare my life!"

The villagers who followed up also knelt on the ground one by one when they saw Shen Que, not even daring to lift their heads.

County Lieutenant Lord??

Li Family Old Woman was stunned.

Yun Ying was also stunned.

On the day the murder happened at Zhao the Rascal's house, many villagers had seen Shen Que, but Li Family Old Woman thought the dead person was unlucky that day and didn't go to the scene to take a look at all, so she didn't know what the dignified County Lieutenant Lord looked like. In addition, Shen Que was wearing casual clothes now, and the material was just ordinary fine hemp cloth, so when Li Zheng shouted the words "County Lieutenant Lord," Li Family Old Woman and Yun Ying still had some suspicion and disbelief.

"How, how is it possible..." Yun Ying was the one who believed it the least. She had seen Shen Que appear in Jiang Wei's house with her own eyes.

How could a man chopping firewood and doing chores at the Jiang house be the dignified County Lieutenant Lord?

She even felt that Li Zheng and the villagers had conspired to act for them to see.

"Why, don't you believe he is County Lieutenant Shen? Then shouldn't this official's identity also be doubted?"

Just at this moment, Du County Magistrate, who had his back to them, slowly turned around. He was also not wearing official clothes, just simple casual clothes.

Li Family Old Woman and Yun Ying hadn't seen the County Lieutenant Lord's face, but Du County Magistrate, the biggest official in Yong'an County, they had seen with their own eyes!

Both of their faces turned pale, their legs trembled uncontrollably, and they knelt heavily on the ground with a thud. Even if their knees hurt, they didn't dare to make any sound, and their foreheads were already covered with sweat.

Old Man Li on the side knelt on the ground trembling, almost scared to faint.

"Do you know the consequences of slandering an imperial official?" Du County Magistrate spoke in a deep voice, his tone extremely majestic, "Slandering the innocence of an imperial official is considered treason and offending superiors. The light punishment is exile and military service, and the heavy punishment is death by a thousand cuts! Come, drag them down!"

"Lord, spare my life!"

Li Family Old Woman and Old Man Li were so scared that they hurriedly begged for mercy, "Lord, please see clearly, we, we didn't know you were here at all. We were all deceived by that bitch..."

The two knocked their heads on the ground with thuds, not daring to stop even when their heads were broken and bleeding. In their hearts, they had already cursed Yun Ying thousands of times.

"Hmph, I saw clearly how you slandered the innocence of Jiang Shi and County Lieutenant Shen downstairs just now, but—" Du County Magistrate's gaze slowly swept over the Li family and finally landed on the few rascals kneeling at the very back.

He didn't want to make the matter big, and it was impossible to really execute the Li family or exile them to military service, otherwise, their affairs in Yuhe Village would be completely unable to be hidden.

So he said, "This official considers that you are first-time offenders, so you can be dealt with lightly. Drag the Li family out and give them twenty heavy strokes, and banish them from Yuhe Village forever, never to step foot in this place again! And—everyone who slandered the innocence of County Lieutenant Shen and Jiang Shi just now, slap their mouths twenty times!"

Li Dayong's wife, who was kneeling at the back with her head buried, rolled her eyes and almost fainted. (End of chapter)