BXBX NOVEL Chapter 317 - 317: Guilty
After Ji Xiang left, Zhou Jia got someone to call Wu Tingxian over to the escort room and said to him, “Is Wang Zheng still obedient in the prison?”
Wu Ting smiled first. “Sir, Wang Zheng is well-behaved in prison. After all, he has only been in there for a few days. In addition, the Wang family has dealt with things behind the scenes. He didn’t suffer much. He was just tortured a few times by a few jailers.”
After being tortured by the jailers a few times, a noble young master like Wang Zheng would suffer. It seemed that the jailers in the prison had a grudge against the Wang family!
Zhou Jia nodded and said, “Lock him up for another three to five days. Judge him as you see fit!”
Wu Tingxian originally thought that Zhou Jia would still torture Wang Zheng for a few more days. When he heard his words, he cupped his hands and asked, “Sir, what do you think of giving him a year’s sentence and 30 strokes of the cane?”
Zhou Jia was not interested in secretly tormenting Wang Zheng. “Alright, we’ll do as you say.”
After Wu Tingxian left, Zhou Jia wrote and reported that Wang Zheng had hired Su Xianyin to kidnap Li Yu in the manor. There was also the matter of Su Xianyin trafficking people and being hired to kidnap girls to become the wives and concubines of other officials.
Madam Lin sat on the chair uneasily and waited for Old Madam Wang to ask. She waited for four hours, but there was no movement.
Madam Lin’s heart was suffering. She knew Old Madam Wang’s personality. If she called her over to scold her, it meant that she had let her off. If she ignored her, it meant that she would not forgive her easily.
Old Madam Wang returned to the small temple hall and recited the Heart Sutra several times, but she could not calm herself down. She recalled that Li Yu had said that she, Jinniang, and her father had settled down in West Mountain Village in Clearwater Town in Green Mountain County. She wondered if she should send someone to find Jinniang and ask about the truth.
Seeing that Madam Lin was unable to sit still, Granny Han comforted her.
“Madam, don’t worry. No matter what, you’re the mother of Eldest Young
Master and Second Young Master. The Wang family won’t do anything to you!”
Madam Lin smiled mockingly. “With Kun’er and Peng’er, the Wang family won’t divorce me openly, but don’t forget the people locked in the temple.”
That was right! The Wang family wouldn’t divorce her openly, but they would make Madam fall sick and lock her in the temple to pray for blessings!
Granny Han suddenly remembered that she had never heard Madam Li mention in the Zhou family’s manor that Miss Jinniang was fine. What if she was no longer around? Then there would be no evidence.
“Madam, you don’t have to worry. I think Miss Jinniang might be gone.”
When Madam Lin heard this, she looked up at Granny Han. “Nanny, how did you know that Jinniang was gone?”
Granny Han analyzed her findings with Madam Lin. “Look, we’re on the farm..
After Granny Han’s analysis, Madam Lin felt that it was very likely that Jinniang was no longer alive. However, this was just a guess. What if Jinniang was still around? “Nanny, we have to send someone to take a look. Who do you think should be sent?”
Madam Lin looked at Granny Han and thought for a long time. She felt that no one was as reliable as Granny Han. She held Granny Han’s hand and said, “Nanny, I’ve thought about it and no one is as reliable as you. Please go to Green Mountain and find out if Jinniang is still around?”
Granny Han knew what she had done and knew that this matter concerned whether she could live to old age safely. “Alright, while my old bones can still be tortured, I’ll make this trip for you.”
Madam Lin thought for a moment and got up to go into the house to get the banknotes and silver. She handed them to Granny Han and said, “Alright, don’t use the carriages in the residence. Go to the carriage shop and hire a carriage. Then, go to the escort agency and hire an escort to protect you. Be careful on the way.”
Granny Han took it and said to Madam Lin, “Find an excuse and get Yingge to go to the academy to invite Second Young Master back. On account of Second Young Master, Old Madam will still be kind.”
Madam Lin looked at Granny Han, who was devoted to her and held her hand emotionally- “Thank von. Nanny!”
“Madam, you’re fine. Nanny is fine.” Granny Han patted her hand and turned to go back to the house to pack her luggage.
Ji Xiang looked at Granny Han, who had come out of the small door in the backyard with her bag, and thought to himself, that he had, fortunately, come in time or he would have missed.
Li Yu brought Madam Gao and Madam He to the manor. The two of them sat for a while and suggested taking a look at Li Yu’s farm. Li Yu smiled and said, “Aren’t you afraid of the smell of livestock? I’ll bring you to take a look.”
Madam He smiled and said, “I used to feed them at home, but I didn’t think it smelled much.”
Madam Gao lowered her voice and smiled. “To be honest, I don’t even know what a pig looks like! ”
The two of them laughed. “Sure! I’ll let you broaden your horizons today and see what a pig looks like.”
When the three of them arrived at the farm, Madam Gao was shocked to see the pigs in the pigpen. “It’s too ugly. It’s black, ugly, and has a big mouth. Pork isn’t like this?”
Madam He covered her mouth and couldn’t stop laughing. “That’s what live pigs are like. Pork is cleaned up after being killed.”
After looking around, Madam He said to Li Yu, “Madam, this is a good idea. The pig pen is clean, but it’s a pity about the pig fertilizer.”
Li Yu told her the benefits of raising pigs like this and the fertilizer pool behind. When Madam He heard this, she bowed to Li Yu. “Thank you, Madam. I’ll go back and write to the family to let them raise pigs according to your method.”
The three of them came out of the farm and went to the cornfield. Li Yu smiled and pointed at the thick corn in the field. “Sister Gao, Sister He, look, these are corn. They’ll ripen in two months. At that time, I’ll invite you to the farm to try fresh and tender corn.”
The two of them had never seen corn before and could not imagine what the fruits of such a thick corn seedling would look like. They smiled and said, “This is a precious thing. We have to try it.”
Li Yu accompanied the two of them for a walk outside. When there was no one around, she even took off her shoes and socks and played in the stream beside the cornfield for a while.
Gu Yu and the girls brought mats and laid them on the ground. Li Yu smiled at the two of them and said, “Come, let’s sit and play for a while.”
The three of them sat on the cushions and ate fruits. Looking at the green mountains and rivers, they felt that Li Yu’s simple life was really good.
Madam He recalled the troubles at home and was furious. “It’s not bad to have such a leisurely life. Sigh! I don’t even want to return to the city.”
Li Yu looked at Madam He and felt that she might have encountered something unpleasant. “If you’re not feeling well in the city, don’t go back! Just stay here for a few days. You can go back when you’re happy.”
Madam He smiled bitterly. “I want to too! But there’s still something terrible at home that hasn’t been resolved. Let’s go back and settle it before coming back to play.”
Madam Gao patted Madam He’s shoulder. “Sister He, you’re thinking too much. It’s not worth getting angry over such a small matter. She’s just a bitch who came to be a concubine. She’s just a concubine! In our eyes, she’s just a thing. If you’re happy with her, give her a good attitude. If you’re unhappy, you can deal with her however you deem fit!”
Li Yu raised her eyebrows and looked at Madam He. “Sigh!” Madam He sighed. “Madam doesn’t know that my master came back yesterday. It seemed he had saved a damsel in distress and brought back Miss Chunjuan. As soon as she arrived yesterday, she wanted to serve me tea. She said that she was willing to serve me and my master. She almost disgusted me to death..”