Chapter 131: Li Zhu 2/2

Li Qingzhi looked at Fang Xiuniang. “Aren’t you afraid of death?”

“There’s nothing to fear,” Fang Xiuniang said. But as soon as she spoke, Fang Jinniang pinched her hand. “What nonsense are you talking about!”

Fang Jinniang then said to Li Qingzhi, “Xiuniang is talking nonsense.”

Although Fang Jinniang said so, Li Qingzhi could sense that Fang Xiuniang really wasn’t afraid of death.

Li Qingzhi said, “Young lady, are you brave enough to go to the capital and help me open a shop?”

Fang Xiuniang was stunned.

Li Qingzhi continued, “This is a minor matter. I’ll have Mr. Zhu send you to the capital, and your mother won’t be able to find you. You’ll live there from now on, and in the future, when we open a shop in the capital, you can help us.”

This matter might not have been something Mr. Zhu would have been willing to help with last year, but now, he would definitely be willing to help.

In this era, parents could indeed dispose of their children, but if the children escaped and went to another place, their parents would not be able to find them.

There were no police to help find people at this time.

At this time, there were no identity cards either.

As for whether Fang Xiuniang would be scrutinized when she went to the capital… if she rented a good house and spoke with a local accent, no one would suspect her.

“If you want to completely sever ties with your mother, you can even write a farewell letter and leave it by the river with your shoes, making others think you’ve had an accident… or you can let Xiaoshu wear your clothes and pretend to throw himself into the river in front of others,” Li Qingzhi suggested.

He had just accomplished a major task and was feeling quite good.

And also… after writing tragedies for so long, he was starting to consider some melodramatic ideas.

Everyone: !!! Can it really be done like this?

Li Qingzhi continued, “If you recognize parents or get married in the capital… even if your mother and brother find you, you can say they’ve got the wrong person. I see you’ve been hiding your appearance every day. When the time comes, change your appearance, put on some makeup, and you’ll be completely different from now.”

If Fang Xiuniang were to escape alone, it definitely wouldn’t work. In this era, it was too dangerous for a woman to live alone outside.

But he could have Mr. Zhu help settle Fang Xiuniang!

When they got to the capital, they could arrange for a local woman to live with Fang Xiuniang, and then Fang Xiuniang would be safe.

Jin Xiaoye slammed the table. “That’s it! But Xiaoshu is taller than Xiuniang. It might not be appropriate for him to wear Xiuniang’s clothes… I’ll do it!”

“Wait!” Fang Xiuniang suddenly looked up, revealing a lovely face. “I’m good at swimming, I’m really good at swimming!”

Fang Xiuniang didn’t talk much, but she loved swimming in the river when she was a child, and she was quite good at it.

Because of this, her mother had beaten her before, saying she was a girl and shouldn’t swim in the river, which was shameless.

But back then, there were more than just her who swam in the river!

Over the years, although Fang Xiuniang didn’t have the opportunity to swim, she liked to fill a basin with water and then bury her face in it…

That feeling of being on the brink of death, she particularly liked it, and she could hold her breath for a long time.

So everyone discussed it like this.

Li Qingzhi also mentioned his plan to open a braised meat shop in the capital… if Fang Xiuniang was willing, she could help him sell braised meat.

The tension among everyone dissipated quite a bit.

But at this moment in the capital, there was a sense of an approaching storm.

Although the emperor and Lu Qingxi together suppressed Magistrate Zhang’s case, there were people from Hexing Prefecture who would send messages to the capital!

The shocking things Magistrate Zhang had done were known to the county magistrates of several counties in Hexing Prefecture. While Magistrate Gou had different ideas and went to measure the land, the others didn’t!

Among these people, someone had sent a letter to the capital and lodged a complaint against Magistrate Zhang.

The Lou family also arranged for people to seek help, and there were people arranged by the King of Jin in the south, who, upon receiving the news, immediately sent people to the capital…

Just one day after Magistrate Zhang’s case, the King of Jin learned about the situation in Linhu County.

At first, the King of Jin didn’t believe it, after all, it was a bit absurd.

But as various pieces of information were sent to the capital… this matter was confirmed!

Magistrate Zhang had killed Magistrate Yan and most of the adult men in the Lou family!

The enraged King of Jin, who was reflecting in seclusion, was infuriated!

A few days ago, when Magistrate Zhang recklessly dug up the Lishi Lake stones, he was already furious, thinking that Magistrate Zhang was meddling in affairs that didn’t concern him. He never expected that Magistrate Zhang would kill his mother’s brother!

The Lou family, including Mr. Lou and this uncle, the King of Jin hadn’t seen them many times.

But the old Queen, the King of Jin’s mother, missed her family very much. When the King of Jin was young, she always talked to him about the Lou family, saying how good the Lou family and Linhu County were.

The King of Jin had a good impression of the Lou family.

In addition, Mr. Lou had been sending silver to the capital for these years, but he hadn’t asked for anything in return… in the eyes of the King of Jin, his uncle was a good person!

Also because of this, for these years, he had always arranged for his people to go to Linhu County, watch over his business, and take care of his uncle.

He never expected that Magistrate Zhang would do such a thing!

“Zhang, he must be seeking revenge!” The King of Jin gritted his teeth.

He knew his uncle was a bit arrogant in Linhu County, but that was it! It was just buying a bit more land and not paying taxes, right? Was there a need to kill?

This guy Zhang Zhiru, he was definitely settling personal scores!

The King of Jin couldn’t tolerate such a thing, so on the same day, he had his officials write a memorial to impeach Magistrate Zhang.

As a result, the emperor fell ill, and this guy Lu Qingxi, under the pretext of caring for the emperor, stopped dealing with memorials and didn’t present them to the emperor.

The King of Jin didn’t know if this was true or not.

After all, Lu Qingxi had a grudge against Zhang Zhiru. Logically, he wouldn’t favor Zhang Zhiru.

But no matter what, Zhang Zhiru was undoubtedly doomed!

The King of Jin arranged for people to go to Linhu County to investigate the truth of the matter.

At the same time, he also arranged for people to spread rumors in the capital, smearing Magistrate Zhang. All kinds of disgusting things were pinned on Magistrate Zhang, saying that he was a hot-tempered person who would hurt people when he got angry.

When rumors were spreading on the King of Jin’s side, on Lu Qingxi’s side, under the command of Shopkeeper Mu, they began to spread all the things the Lou family had done and said that it was all instigated by the King of Jin.

“Do you know? That King of Jin is a lecher. He makes his uncle look for beautiful women in Jiangnan. If he meets someone attractive, he forces them to offer their daughters. If they refuse, he even throws them into prison!”

“I heard that the Lou family in Linhu County has been bullying people and killing quite a few!”

“I heard that too…”

…

Shopkeeper Mu entered the teahouse and heard these rumors, feeling very satisfied.

Shopkeeper Mu’s real name was not Mu Zhenzhu, she was originally named Li Zhu.

Her father was the former magistrate of Yuxian County, Li Zhao.

Li Zhu was Li Zhao’s eldest daughter. Five years ago, when the Li family encountered trouble, she was already married and had a daughter.

As a married woman, she wasn’t actually implicated, but her husband’s family was afraid and wanted to kill her.

If it weren’t for a servant who owed her a favor informing her, she might have already been strangled to death by her husband’s family!

However, she survived, but her daughter was killed.

Her daughter was so young, just starting to walk, with two small dimples on her cheeks, always smiling sweetly at people.

Her own father actually did it!

Li Zhu didn’t know how she managed to get through those months.

All her family was dead, and her child was gone.

Her husband, who shared her bed, was the culprit!

At that time, she only had one thought in her mind, which was revenge.

She was completely determined, and luckily at that time, Lu Qingxi’s subordinates brought food to aid the disaster, so she seized this opportunity, using the identity of a widow, to come to the capital.