Chen Yongsheng followed Xie Liangchen to the Zhenzhou Prefecture governnt office.
Qu Chengi, upon hearing that Miss Xie was attacked on the mountain, imdiately put down the docunt in his hand and walked quickly outside. Before General Song left Zhenzhou, he repeatedly advised him to take good care of Zhenzhou and the Chen Family Village. Every docunt that has co and gone these days always ends with the question: How is the Chen Family Village?
General Song left his capable people at the Chen Family Village. How could he not know the situation there, yet still ntion it in docunts, naturally indicating his concern.
Do we really need to guess what Chen Family Village ans to General Song? After all, in the past two months, just to et General Song once, he had played the role of a mountain bandit stopping people halfway between Chen Family Village and the camp, acted as a door god at the entrance of the Chen Family Village, and even shalessly visited Chen Family Village for als several tis.
Even without General Song’s reminder, he knew how important Chen Family Village and Miss Xie were to Zhenzhou. The current prosperous state of Zhenzhou, not needing relief grain from the court and being able to fully pay taxes, earned the court’s written comndation for him as the county magistrate, even though it was all the work of General Song and the Chen Family Village.
The ten rchants who ca to Zhenzhou were there for herbs and thread tassels, both introduced by Miss Xie with the villagers.
Even the Prefect of Zhaozhou ca repeatedly to Zhenzhou to find soone, saying he wanted to improve the large spinning wheel, and invited Miss Xie to take a look.
If it weren’t for the herb harvesting season, Zhaozhou would likely have already taken her away.
In any case, Miss Xie cannot suffer any harm, or else even General Song in Baimaling would not be at peace.
"Lord County Magistrate," Master called from behind, "Please slow down, you haven’t put down the brush in your hand!"
Qu Chengi couldn’t care about such things. Only when he saw Miss Xie and the villagers safe and sound did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Chang Yue and the people from Beishan Village explained the entire incident to Qu Chengi, who then instructed his subordinates to prepare the docunts and personally went to the prison for interrogation.
Xie Liangchen stepped forward: "My Lord, may I wait outside the governnt office for news while you interrogate the prisoners? I do not know why they ca, and feel uneasy without understanding the situation."
Qu Chengi was just about to agree, but after reconsidering the whole thing, instead of letting Miss Xie wait there, he said: "In that case, Miss Xie, please co with to the prison!"
Xie Liangchen hurriedly stepped forward to thank him. She had been to the governnt office prison before and knew clearly that they might not get any information from the interrogation. But for so reason, her heart was pounding, and a thought flashed across her mind.
Those two people’s boxing and kicking skills and forms seed familiar to her. Even if they hadn’t ambushed her in the forest, she could still guess they ca to Zhenzhou for her.
In the prison, the sound of interrogation ca through. Xie Liangchen looked at those tied to the torture fras, the two people who had hidden in the woods, though not death warriors, they refused to utter a single word.
However, the rchant and his assistant confessed a lot, but it was of no use.
The rchant admitted to accepting silver coins to co to Zhenzhou to gather information, without expecting that others would follow.
County Magistrate Qu asked the rchant, "Besides asking you to gather information on the Chen Family Village, what else did they ask you?"
The rchant said, "My ancestral ho is Zhenzhou, and my aunt once married into the Chen Family Village. Although she passed away long ago, I know sothing about Chen Family Village. I know the Chen Family Village moved to Zhenzhou later, and the old village chief was very powerful, skilled in boxing and kicking, and once killed five mountain bandits by himself."
Xie Liangchen never expected the rchant to have such connections with Chen Family Village.
County Magistrate Qu asked, "Who did your aunt marry?" He instructed the clerk to fetch the household registration records.
The rchant said, "My uncle’s na was Geng Qing, not a mber of the Chen Family. When he registered in Zhenzhou back then, he found Chen Lizheng to be a righteous man, and the people of Chen Family Village were kind, so he decided to stay. During the Zhenzhou conflict, my uncle’s entire family was lost."
County Magistrate Qu found records of Geng Qing’s family in the registration books.
The rchant continued, "Those people were very interested in Chen Family Village. They asked about the old village chief, the Chen... Chen Yueya’s family’s situation. I didn’t know much, so I didn’t tell them anything."
County Magistrate Qu asked, "What exactly did you tell them? You must tell everything without leaving out a single word."
Shan Jia said, "I... I just told them that the old village chief had a son and a daughter, the eldest daughter was especially beautiful and married into the Xie Family. After the old village chief passed away, the son beca the village chief, led the people of Chen Family Village to the battlefield, but never returned."
County Magistrate Qu frowned. This was not at all withholding information; it was telling others everything he knew, possibly involving Old Mrs. Chen’s family matters.
At County Magistrate Qu’s frown, the Prison Officer lashed the rchant with a whip.
The rchant imdiately howled in pain, "I didn’t know they were out to harm anyone. I thought they wanted to do business with Chen Family Village. Had I known... they were like this... I wouldn’t have dared. I’m also from Chen Family Village... how could I harm anyone? Please, your lordship, consider that I was unaware and spare generously."
"Pah."
This ti, without County Magistrate Qu speaking, the prison guard spat at him, "You’re not worthy."
Without evidence, Qu Chengi dared not draw a definitive conclusion, but he felt that such thods, coupled with the previous assistance from Chen Family Village in capturing Xiao Xingzong’s Thirteen Grand Protectors for the governnt office, made it very likely that the people targeting Miss Xie were Liao people. Yet, why were the Liao so ticulously investigating Old Mrs. Chen’s family?
Could it be that Old Mrs. Chen’s family was hiding sothing? Pondering this, Qu Chengi walked out of the cell. The words of the rchant were heard by Miss Xie as well; if she wanted to disclose sothing, she would, but if she didn’t...
Qu Chengi felt he couldn’t handle this matter on his own and decided it would be best to report it imdiately to General Song. Given General Song’s relationship with Chen Family Village, perhaps there were things they couldn’t say to him that they could disclose to General Song.
Qu Chengi made up his mind and walked into the duty room, looking at Xie Liangchen, "I will report this matter to General Song. However, as a main general, he is at Baimaling and may not easily return to Zhenzhou. In the coming days, I’ll send more governnt officials to patrol the city. Miss Xie and the villagers of Chen Family Village must be extra careful."
Recently, half of the northern army was assembled at Baimaling, and so governnt officials were requisitioned to transport military supplies, leaving the governnt office severely shorthanded. Qu Chengi feared that so places might not be adequately covered.
Xie Liangchen nodded in appreciation to County Magistrate Qu.
After leaving the governnt office prison, Xie Liangchen and Chen Yongsheng returned to Chen Family Village.
Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Zigeng were already waiting anxiously.
"Sister, are you alright?" Chen Zigeng pulled Xie Liangchen up and down, looking her over.
Mrs. Gao also breathed a sigh of relief, "From now on, no matter where you go, take a few more people. You really gave us a fright."
Xie Liangchen hooked her arm around Mr. Xu’s and held Old Mrs. Chen’s hand. Her grandmother’s fingers were icy cold, clearly out of fear. Xie Liangchen quietly comforted her, "I’m fine; let’s go back and talk slowly."
Chen Yongsheng instructed the villagers to rest and sent Mrs. Gao to prepare food before following Mr. Xu and Old Mrs. Chen with the three of them to the main house.
After closing the door, Chang Yue guarded the courtyard.
Then, Xie Liangchen said, "It was people from Xiao Xingzong; they must be suspicious, suspecting the background of Chen Family Village, and discovered my connections with the Li couple."
Actually, she had long thought that with the matter of Xiao Chi, those around Xiao Xingzong would eventually suspect her because Su Huaiqing was the one who brought her back to Chen Family Village from Yuezhou.
What she hadn’t expected was—
Xie Liangchen looked towards Xu Tingzhen, Chen Yongsheng having shared the warning note with her.
Soone dared to take the risk of delivering a ssage to them at this ti, could it be that soone around Xiao Xingzong wanted to help them?
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