Chapter 83: Suspicious

The night in Jinyang County was so quiet that only the cursing of the county magistrate, Zhang Xian, could be heard.

The door was knocked on urgently, and he climbed out of the arms of his two concubines with an unpleasant expression. However, upon hearing that twenty officers from the Zhenfu Division and a fourth-rank deputy commander had been murdered on his turf, his legs went weak, as if all strength had been drained from him.

Supported by his assistant, Zhang Xian quickly gathered the county clerk, the head scribe, and a group of constables. They hurriedly mounted their horses and set off from the city, heading toward Baoxi Village.

When they saw more than two hundred corpses before them, several of them almost fainted on the spot.

Zhang Xian, trembling, asked someone to bring a stool, finally managing to keep himself upright. He glanced around weakly and asked, “Luo Rong told me on the road that the bandits came down the mountain and went straight to his house. They saw the officers and immediately attacked. Is that what happened?”

The village head quickly answered, “Yes, I don’t know why they went straight for the officers, but we suspect there might have been some personal grudge between them. Oh, and we’ve caught one who got away.”

The villagers hurriedly brought over the tied-up bandit.

The bandit was about sixteen or seventeen years old, looking rather simple-minded. He stared at the corpses around him, and the sight of it, combined with the intimidating atmosphere, terrified him. His pants were already soaked.

Zhang Xian rubbed his aching head and asked, “Where are you bandits from?”

The young bandit cried, “Replying to the magistrate, it’s from the west slope village below Baihu Villa…”

Upon hearing that it was from Baihu Villa, Zhang Xian glanced towards County Magistrate Li, then sternly shouted, “Bandits from Baihu Villa? You truly have a lot of guts! Do you know who those twenty or so people you killed were? They were officers from the Zhenfu Division, men of the Emperor! Even I have to bow and show respect when I see them, and you went and killed them all!”

The bandit trembled uncontrollably, shaking his head while crying, “Master, I’m new here, I don’t know anything! They told us to charge, and we charged. They told us to kill, and we killed. I didn’t know why we had to kill these people…”

Zhang Xian motioned to the constable, Liuyun, who understood and stepped forward, slapping the young bandit more than a dozen times. As the bandit’s face swelled visibly, his cries became even more pitiful.

“Master, please spare me— I really don’t know anything…”

Zhang Xian was feeling frustrated, but Liuyun promptly stopped and said, “Master, this case involves the Zhenfu Division. The higher-ups will definitely send someone to investigate. We can’t use heavy punishment on him yet. If anything happens to him, we won’t be able to explain ourselves.”

Zhang Xian knew all too well that Liuyun was right. He waved his hand and said, “Take him back.”

He turned to Li Xiancheng and said, “Uncle Bi, this isn’t a matter of one person or two people anymore. It’s the case of twenty-one officials from the Zhenfu Division. What do you think I should do?”

Li Xiancheng was already drenched in sweat. His connections with the Baihu Villa were no secret in the government. In the past, as long as the matter wasn’t too big, he could easily suppress it. But now, it was the emperor’s people who had been killed, and not just one, but twenty-one, including a fourth-rank commanding officer. Even if he were a governor, he wouldn’t be able to handle it.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and swallowed hard. “Lord… I will contact the Baihu Villa immediately to understand the situation. They are not thoughtless people, they wouldn’t directly harm the esteemed officials. This matter seems suspicious and must have some hidden circumstances.”

Zhang Xian snorted coldly, “Suspicious? Last time they kidnapped the granddaughter of the Prime Minister and the widow of the General Zhennan. You say they didn’t know anything? And now they cause such a stir, are you still saying they didn’t know? This group has been harassing the villages in the northern part of the county, committing every kind of wrongdoing. I’ve been busy dealing with the refugees and hadn’t had time to deal with them. I thought since you were friendly with the manor, you could keep an eye on them, but this is how you’ve been watching them?”

Li Xiancheng could hear the blame in Zhang Xian’s words and silently cursed. He knew that the Zhenfu Division would send someone else to investigate, and those people were ruthless. He couldn’t handle it alone. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Please rest assured, my lord. I will decide after seeing Lord Bai.”

With that, he hurriedly left, mounted his horse, and rode toward the Baihu Villa.

---

In the dark, endless forest, a shadow ran in panic, as if countless vengeful spirits were chasing him. He didn’t dare to look around, his only thought was to escape, to run as far as possible.

However, in the next instant, something tripped him severely, and he fell to the ground like a puppet losing control.

As he shakily lifted his head, a tall, black-clad woman appeared before him. Terrified, he fell back, stumbling once again.

He struggled to get up, trembling, and pleaded, “Heroine, please spare me! I have an elderly mother and a three-year-old child…”

Before he could finish, a mocking laugh came from the other side, “A three-year-old child? Wasn’t the child you fathered buried by you with your own hands? Where is this three-year-old?”

Hearing the familiar voice, Xiang Dalang woke up as if from a dream. He jumped to his feet, widened his eyes, and glared fiercely at the girl in front of him, gritting his teeth, “It’s you! You bitch!”

Pear Blossom looked at the man before her, now resembling a stray dog, and a trace of mockery flashed in her eyes. “Oh? Now you recognize me? The other day at the gambling house, you didn’t have such sharp eyes. Not only did you eavesdrop on me, but you also hurried back to the stronghold to report. And now, look at you, all your companions are dead.”

Xiang Dalang’s pupils contracted as he hissed, “That rich young man was you in disguise? Why did you do this to me?”

Pear Blossom sneered, “Do this to you? If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t go through all this trouble. A quick death would be enough for someone like you. You’re just a pawn in all of this. But I must thank you; if it weren’t for your informing, the twenty or so officials from the Zhenfu Division wouldn’t have been killed so easily!”

Xiang Dalang could hardly believe his ears.

More than two hundred people from the stronghold had died, and now they had killed officials of the court. Had all of this been caused by his actions?

Where could he go now? Even if he fled to the ends of the earth, they would find him.

Thinking about how all of this was the fault of the person in front of him, Xiang Dalang nearly went mad. His eyes bloodshot, he shouted, “Bitch—I’ll fight you—”

With that, he lunged at Pear Blossom.

But Pear Blossom stood motionless, coldly watching him. When he was only two fists away, her dagger slid into his chest as easily as cutting through tofu.

Xiang Dalang stared at her in disbelief. “You… you…” He opened his mouth to say something, but only vague sounds came out before he collapsed to the ground, dead.

Pear Blossom crouched down, looking at him from above, “When you tried to molest Sister Dong that day, I already wanted to kill you. It’s just that you lived a few extra months, causing even more harm.”

“You… bitch…” Xiang Dalang used his last breath to curse before his life ended.

After handling everything, Pear Blossom sat atop the mountain, watching the flickering lights of Baoxi Village below, thinking about her next steps.

At least for now, this incident would keep both sides busy for a while. The longer it dragged on, the safer her sister would be.

She hadn’t known when the Zhenfu Division’s people would arrive, so she had been waiting nearby for several days. Originally, she had planned to return after two nights, but it had already been four. She wondered if her sister missed her.

The small bag of pills she had brought was already finished. She should have brought more.

What was her sister doing now? Was she asleep?

Tonight, would Fubao sleep with her sister or with her grandmother? Although Fubao wasn’t her sister’s biological child, her sister treated her like her own. She could still be as close to her as before. How wonderful.

Thinking about that night, the smoothness of Dong Yun’s skin like silk, her passionate moans, and the tight embrace, Pear Blossom couldn’t help but hug her arms, feeling ripples in her heart.

“I miss my sister so much.

When I go back and see her, I must give her a good hug and kiss.

I want to reassure her not to worry. No matter how hard the days ahead are, I’ll be there for her. The heavy burdens, I can carry them with her.

Thinking back to when Dong Yun pushed me away, Pear Blossom still feels a deep ache in her heart. It’s not that I suffered a bit of injustice, but my sister, who clearly had me in her heart, had to suppress and endure it. How painful must it have been for her?

Luckily, it seems my sister has come to terms with it.

But just as this thought flashed through my mind, Pear Blossom suddenly jolted.

My sister didn’t come to terms with it!

When she wrote my name that night, she was still in a daze, completely absent from herself.

But after that, she took the initiative to kiss me, and then…

Pear Blossom’s mind suddenly buzzed. My sister didn’t come to terms with accepting me. She must have made up her mind to leave me, which is why she submitted and let me have her like that.

This realization struck Pear Blossom like a bolt of lightning to the heart. She trembled uncontrollably, her teeth chattering loudly.

She no longer had the mood to wait for the officials from the yamen. She immediately jumped up and ran to the other side of the mountain, found the big black horse, leaped onto its saddle, and sped off toward home like the wind.

---

The village of Daliushu has not been very peaceful these past few days. The day before yesterday, a large, luxurious carriage with green curtains arrived. When asked, the person inside claimed to be a relative of Dong Yun’s mother, here to visit.

The guard saw that there was only a man inside the carriage and a coachman outside, so he waved them through.

The carriage left quietly in the evening, and no one paid attention.

The next morning, as soon as people woke up, they heard Mrs. Zeng’s sharp, high-pitched voice echoing through the village, shouting that her daughter-in-law had run away.

Everyone was shocked. After all, Dong Yun’s attitude had been clear; she had repeatedly said she wouldn’t remarry. How could she suddenly leave with someone overnight?

Everyone then recalled the green curtain carriage from the previous day, and there was much discussion.

Some people advised Mrs. Zeng to wait a couple of days, suggesting that her daughter-in-law might have just gone out for something and would return soon.

Others thought something was off, especially since she had left without telling her mother-in-law.

“Poor Fubao! She didn’t even bring her along when she left. Such a lovely child, so young, and now without a mother. What is she going to do?”

“Mrs. Dong is so heartless. Even if she wanted to leave, she should have said something, taken care of the child first. Remarrying as a widow isn’t a shameful thing; what is she doing?”

“Maybe she did something shameful, which is why she left in a hurry.”

“Maybe she just went to visit relatives.”

“Why didn’t she tell her mother-in-law if she was going to visit relatives? Why leave secretly?”

Mrs. Zeng cursed for two days and nights, but her daughter-in-law still hadn’t returned. From day to night, the Zeng family could be heard arguing and the sound of children crying. The villagers couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor child.

Mrs. Xiong couldn’t bear it anymore and wanted to bring Fubao over to stay for a couple of days. But Mrs. Zeng cursed her away, making her feel like an anxious ant on a hot pan.

She didn’t know where her daughter had gone either. It had been four or five days, and there was still no sign of her. If she returned and didn’t find Mrs. Dong, who knew what kind of scene it would be.

But what no one expected was that on the third day, another carriage came into the village, heading straight to the Zeng family. As the carriage left, the sound of a child crying heartbreakingly from inside the carriage echoed.

Soon, word spread that Mrs. Zeng had sold Fubao, for twenty taels of silver.

When Mrs. Xiong heard this, her heart almost jumped to her throat. She had silver! The two thousand taels of silver notes her daughter gave her were still hidden in the ground at home. If Mrs. Zeng wanted to sell the child, she could buy her back! Why had it been decided so quietly?

Heaven, if her daughter found out Fubao had been sold, she would probably go crazy.

She quickly sent Dagen and Daniu to chase after the carriage and buy the child back.

But the carriage had already gone far, and no one knew which direction it had taken, so there was no way to catch up.

Furious, she went to the Zeng house and had another fierce argument with Mrs. Zeng, even fighting her. It wasn’t until the village head arrived that they were separated.

No matter what, the feud between the two families had been established.

On the fifth night, Pear Blossom finally rushed back to the village and went straight to the Zeng family’s small courtyard. She found the door tightly closed, and when she knocked and called Dong Yun’s name, no one responded.

Panic filled her heart. She climbed over the wall and found the house quiet and still.

She lit an oil lamp, and the bedding inside was neatly folded, but there was no sign of the beloved woman.

Pear Blossom trembled all over and went to knock on Mrs. Zeng’s door. Mrs. Zeng cursed and got up, shouting at her: “Don’t come looking for that slut, who doesn’t know which wild man she ran off with! Go away—go away—get out of here!”

With that, she slammed the door shut.

Pear Blossom wouldn’t believe it. She kept knocking frantically on the door.

Zeng Guangjin’s voice came from behind the door: “Pear Blossom, just leave. Sister-in-law really ran off with someone.”

Pear Blossom shook her head. She didn’t believe it. That night, Dong Yun had been in her arms. They kissed, they embraced. Dong Yun had held her so tightly, whispering her name, even blocking her lips passionately when they reached the peak.

She didn’t believe it!

“Where’s Fubao? Where is she?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“Sister-in-law is gone. Where Fubao is doesn’t matter anymore,” Zeng Guangjin said, and then he disappeared from the door.

Pear Blossom knocked on the door for a while, but no one responded. Finally, she remembered that she had a system and asked, “System, where is she? Tell me quickly, where is she?”

The mechanical voice of the system sounded in her ear: “Host, Dong Yun cannot be located within ten miles.”

Pear Blossom stumbled out of the yard. She didn’t know how she got home, but as soon as she entered the house, she collapsed onto the floor with a thud.

Inside the house, Mrs. Xiong was suddenly startled by the sound, hurriedly got out of bed, and turned on the light. Seeing her daughter at the door, covered in blood from the fall, she was so frightened that her soul nearly left her body. She quickly called for Da Gen.

Pear Blossom was carried into the house, her mind in a daze, and she murmured unconsciously, “Sister… Sister…”

Sister, you don’t want me anymore.