A jianghu person – so that was the sickly one’s hidden identity. Where could they find him now?
“I’ll write another letter to my friends in the industry for help,” Ruan Shi Xin frowned. “Ji Mingshao – is this even his real name? I’ve never heard of him in the jianghu.”
Ruan Shi Xin sent out his search letters by fast horse.
The lights in Ruan Manor burned late that night. Ruan Shi Xin didn’t dare tell his wife that their daughter had been taken advantage of by the sickly one. Chen Shi was more pleased about the failed marriage and fell asleep early. Only Ruan Shi Xin tossed and turned, finally jumping up to knock on his daughter’s window: “Ning Ning, the sickly one ran away. Dad will find you a handsome one. Don’t do anything foolish!”
He remembered a local woman who threw herself in the river after a strange man touched her hand.
His daughter had been kissed by a man, which worried him. He feared she might do something desperate.
Ruan Ning was awakened from her dream, yawning. “Dad, don’t worry. I took advantage of him. If anyone’s going to be upset, it’ll be him, not me.”
Ruan Shi Xin was both relieved and worried, crouching outside her door until dawn, then tiptoeing back to bed beside Chen Shi.
The next morning, Ruan Shi Xin set out to find Ji Mingshao but found no trace. Passing through a forest, he saw constables coming and going. Upon inquiry, he learned they had found several burned, unidentifiable corpses with no known victims.
When he returned home, Ruan Shi Ming was waiting at the door. “Second Brother, County Magistrate Li’s sedan chair for your niece hasn’t left yet. Hurry and go, you can still give a wedding gift.”
Ruan Shi Xin’s face darkened. “I already gave two hundred taels.”
“That was the dowry money. Today is the gift money. They’re different,” Ruan Shi Ming insisted. “What, you think you can skip your big brother’s wedding now?”
Ruan Shi Xin shook him off and quickly entered, shutting the door. “I told you, we’re no longer brothers. Don’t come to my door again.”
Ruan Shi Ming cursed for a long time with no response. Seeing the time was late, he reluctantly went to send Ruan Qing off in the sedan chair. Before leaving, Ruan Qing lifted the curtain and coldly laughed: “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll definitely avenge this!
My second uncle, second aunt, and cousin have cursed you for marrying a young wife at your age. They scolded me for being shameless, becoming someone’s concubine, making them unable to hold their heads up in public.”
Magistrate Li, who had met Ruan Shixin before, recalled him as a local gentry who had welcomed him when he first took office and sent gifts during festivals. He frowned and said, “Your second uncle is Ruan Shixin? That doesn’t sound right. I thought he was quite reasonable.”
“He’s deceiving you. Behind your back, he talks badly about you every day. I didn’t dare to say anything, afraid you’d get angry,” Ruan Qing said, resting her head on his arm and kissing his wrinkled face. “My cousin bullies me because her family is rich. The other day, when I went to her house to discuss the marriage, she scolded me for being shameless. My mother spoke up, and my cousin even hit her.”
Ruan Qing grew angrier, tears streaming down her face.
Being a new favorite, Magistrate Li felt sympathetic and quickly wiped her tears, saying coldly, “If you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known that Ruan Shixin was such a character behind my back! My dear, you’ve been wronged. I’ll call him over someday and give him a good scolding to vent your anger!”
Ruan Qing wanted more than just a few meaningless words. For years, her parents had told her that the second branch’s property would eventually be theirs. Now, Ruan Shixin dared to resist, and Ruan Ning even brought in a son-in-law to scold her. These were intolerable to her, and she had long decided to crush the second branch.
She continued crying and stirring up trouble: “Scolding and hitting me is nothing. I’m angry that they’re disrespectful to you. They say there are laws prohibiting officials from marrying or taking concubines, calling you a lawbreaker, even threatening to report you. Hmph, are they even qualified to discuss you?”
Ruan Qing didn’t know about this law until she overheard her third uncle arguing with her father. Thinking it significant, she attributed it to Ruan Shixin.
Magistrate Li was indeed furious. While many officials accepted beautiful women from local gentry, the law explicitly forbade such actions. If reported, it would cause trouble.
He never expected Ruan Shixin would be spoken about this way behind his back. He sat up and cursed, “Troublesome peasant! I’ll deal with him tomorrow!”
Ruan Qing eagerly added, “My second uncle likes martial arts and fighting. I heard he has connections in the green forest road and has even secretly robbed others. How else would his family be so wealthy?”
Magistrate Li, having long coveted Ruan Shixin’s property, was intrigued. His niece’s comments about Ruan Shixin’s ill-gotten wealth and the threat to report him heightened his ambitions.
He slapped Ruan Qing’s thigh, declaring, “Wait and see. I’ll get justice for you by arresting your second uncle tomorrow!”
With an unsolved murder case in the dense forest, he could conveniently pin it on Ruan Shixin. To save him, his family would likely pay, allowing Magistrate Li to seize the Ruan family’s money while solidifying a murder charge against Ruan Shixin.
Ruan Qing was ecstatic. The second branch relied entirely on Ruan Shixin. Once arrested, her brothers and parents could seize everything, making Ruan Ning, who used a rosewood chamber pot, kneel and beg for mercy.
The next morning, Magistrate Li’s first act was to order bailiffs to arrest Ruan Shixin from his estate, citing suspicion related to four corpses found in the forest.
Ruan Shixin was caught off guard.
Fortunately, he had good relationships with officials. The bailiffs explained the reason for the arrest and advised caution, noting the bodies were unidentified and the cause of death had not been determined.
Chen’s mother and daughter wiped their tears as they sent him off. Ruan Shixin suddenly remembered, “You two stay at home, be on guard against the eldest and third, and protect the household!”
Based on Ruan Shixin’s reputation, everyone hoped it was a false alarm. However, after noon, Zhang Sansheng urgently sent news that interrogation had begun. Ruan Shixin hinted at resolving it with money, but County Magistrate Li firmly insisted that Ruan Shixin was the murderer and was determined to force a confession.
Chen’s wife cried and nearly fainted, feeling helpless. Ruan Ning, however, remained calm. How could an unidentified dead person be so firmly pinned on Ruan Shixin? Money couldn’t resolve the situation; someone was likely targeting them. Ruan Ning believed there was a connection between Ruan Qing’s visit yesterday and Ruan Shixin’s arrest today.
Ruan Ning gathered all the household servants and tenant farmers. The men were armed with clubs and hoes, while the women took up pestles and brooms.
Standing on the high steps of the main house, she spoke firmly: “Father will be fine. Right now, you must help me protect the Ruan estate. Anyone who comes to attack will be driven back, and if anyone is killed, I’ll take responsibility!”
Ruan Qing was determined to protect her adoptive father’s estate and her adoptive mother.
The tenant farmers discussed among themselves, some thinking the young mistress was being dramatic. Who would dare attack in broad daylight?
They were soon stunned, however, as Ruan Shimin arrived with his family and working men. He had learned that County Magistrate Li planned to pin a murder charge on Ruan Shixin and came to loot first, fearing the magistrate would seize the profits.
Ruan Shimin approached the tightly closed gate and ordered, “Break the door, rob!”
