Chapter 79: Revelations (2)

The words of this person were like another bombshell. Miss Xu, who was a delicate and sickly young lady, turned out to be not only the owner of a tavern but also a cunning villain who would resort to any means, including poisoning innocent people, for her own benefit?

In reality, although Chen Xin was not a sinister person, she didn’t consider herself entirely virtuous either. So, from another perspective, Chen Xin could be said to admire Miss Xu’s methods—she was ruthless enough.

But Miss Xu had met her match. She didn’t realize she was dealing with a wolf even more cunning than herself. In this way, bit by bit, the truth and her true nature were exposed in broad daylight.

The shocked and angry crowd erupted into noise:

“Who said that? Where’s the evidence?”

“Yeah! If that’s the case, they should provide evidence instead of casually accusing others.”

“My goodness, if it’s true, Miss Xu’s scheming is extraordinary. So ruthless.”

—

Head Sheriff Tian, amidst her shock and anger, tried to calm down. She looked at the crowd and asked, “Who said that just now?”

Seeing this, the people shook their heads, denying that they were the ones who spoke.

However, a knowledgeable person at the back of the crowd suddenly exclaimed, “Head Sheriff, she said that and then left.”

Head Sheriff Tian was speechless. With a tired hand supporting her forehead, she asked, “Xian Xiaoxiao, is it true what she said?”

“Head Sheriff, this person is a young lady from a wealthy family, while I am just a poor commoner…” Xian Xiaoxiao hesitated.

With Xian Xiaoxiao’s response, everything became clear. Without letting her finish, Head Sheriff Tian sarcastically remarked, biting down on her teeth, “Humph, a young lady from a wealthy family?”

“Chang Zai, go to Fragrant restaurant and see if Miss Xu is their owner. Bring the shopkeeper here as well.”

“Chang Zai, take some officers to the Xu Mansion. Tell them I invited the master of the Xu Mansion to the yamen for tea. If anyone said to be sick, they can be brought in.”

“Yes.”

People began to leave one by one, leaving the venue considerably emptier. However, someone couldn’t stay still.

The woman with a charming demeanor stood up and said, “This miss will also go to Fragrant restaurant to see what’s going on. Finding things is what this miss is best at. If this miss finds evidence, you’ll have to offer this miss free drinks at your tavern forever!” With that, she crossed her arms, raised her chin, and looked at Xian Xiaoxiao as if she had already determined the evidence in Fragrant restaurant.

Xian Xiaoxiao turned her head to look, but her eyes glanced at Chen Xin, wanting to know her intentions.

In an instant, Chen Xin politely smiled and said, “Fragrant restaurant warmly welcomes this righteous miss.”

“Good, straightforward! Haha…” The woman laughed heartily and left.

Everyone present, except for Chen Xin, was either surprised, angry, or lost in thought, watching the interaction between the two.

“Magistrate? What are you doing?” Head Sheriff Tian, seemingly understanding the righteousness of the situation, ignored the conversation between Xian Xiaoxiao and the disrespectful woman, and instead turned to the Magistrate who had been busy writing something for a while, wiping sweat from his forehead.

The current Magistrate was quite sensitive to being called “Magistrate.” When he heard Head Sheriff Tian addressing him, he nervously replied, “Ah? Head Sheriff? I’ll finish this soon.”

Finally, after about half a cup of tea, the Magistrate stopped writing and stumbled over to Head Sheriff Tian, holding two pieces of paper, and knelt down, crying, “Head Sheriff, this is the confession of the humble official. The humble official shouldn’t have been greedy, shouldn’t have fabricated cases, shouldn’t have helped the culprit. Please, Head Sheriff, punish me lightly.” With that, he knocked his head a few times.