Li Wenpo scrutinized Jiang Yan and approached, saying, “Miss, who in your family is going to have a baby? How many months along are they?”
“Did you deliver Su Yunniang’s baby?”
Jiang Yan locked eyes with her and asked.
Li Wenpo’s face changed instantly, and she stood up abruptly, “Yes, I did, but it’s not my fault. Her baby was in the wrong position…”
“Why are you so agitated? I’m just here to ask a few questions.”
Jiang Yan was now certain that Li Wenpo had something to hide.
Mrs. Nian, who knew about the incident, glared at Jiang Yan, “So, you were deceiving me, trying to make my mother-in-law pay compensation? No way! Get out of our house!”
Jiang Yan didn’t move.
Mrs. Nian stepped forward to grab her clothes.
Jiang Yan quickly subdued her and pressed her to the ground.
Li Wenpo, scared, backed away.
Jiang Yan slightly raised her eyebrows and said, “Li Wenpo, I’ll give you one more chance. If you don’t tell the truth, I’ll have the coroner from the yamen examine the deceased child. If it’s not my aunt’s child, I won’t let you off!”
Upon hearing this, Li Wenpo panicked.
“Miss, I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you. That child indeed wasn’t your aunt’s. I stole it from a family where a child had died. Your aunt’s baby, it’s, it’s now with Lin Yaoyao.”
“Lin Yaoyao? Are you sure?”
Jiang Yan’s gaze became even more serious.
Li Wenpo nodded repeatedly, “Yes, it’s her. She found me, gave me ten taels of silver, and I was desperate for money at the time, so I agreed.”
After clarifying the situation,
Jiang Yan took her to see Su Yunniang and Jia Yang. Both of them were utterly shocked.
Su Yunniang walked up to her barefoot, questioning, “Is what you’re saying true?”
“Yes.”
As soon as Li Wenpo finished speaking, she was slapped by Su Yunniang.
Tears streaming down her face, Su Yunniang shouted, “We’re both mothers! How could you do such a thing? How could you! I even asked my husband to give you more money after I gave birth, and this is how you treat me!”
Jia Yang scooped her up and placed her on the bed.
“Calm down, I’ll handle this.”
“No, I must go.”
Su Yunniang struggled to sit up.
Jia Yang said sternly, “Do you really want to fulfill Lin Yaoyao’s wishes? If you truly want to fall ill, then go!”
Su Yunniang burst into tears.
But in the end, she didn’t insist on going.
Jia Yang instructed Jia Xiaohua to keep an eye on her.
Jia Yang and Jiang Yan went to the magistrate’s office to report the incident, then proceeded to the Jia family with the officers.
Lin Yaoyao was also in confinement.
When they arrived, Lin’s mother was walking around the room with the baby, talking to Lin Yaoyao.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Lin’s mother put down the baby and went to open the door.
She found Jiang Yan and the others.
Her face darkened immediately: “What are you doing here? Leave now!”
“Mother, where is the child?”
Jia Yang stepped forward to ask.
Only then did Lin’s mother notice his presence: “What child? Are you asking about your brother’s child? He’s in the room. Hey, what are you…”
Jiang Yan and the others pushed their way in with Jia Yang.
Chapter 108: Bringing Them to the Capital
Seeing the officers with them, Lin’s mother was beside herself and chased after them, shouting, “Jia Yang, what are you doing barging into our home? Get them out of here!”
Lin Yaoyao, upon hearing Jia Yang had brought people over, felt her heart sink.
She quickly got up, grabbed the child, and headed for the back door.
By the time Jiang Yan and the others reached her room, she had already left with the child through the back door.
Upon entering the room and finding Lin Yaoyao gone, Jiang Yan touched the bed, feeling it was still warm.
She instructed Qing San to chase after her from the back door.
They also followed suit.
Lin’s mother, dumbfounded, rushed into the room only to find Lin Yaoyao and the child missing. She hurriedly began searching.
Although Lin Yaoyao ran fast with the child, she couldn’t outrun Qing San’s light-footwork. Soon, Qing San caught up with her.
Qing San landed in front of her, blocking her path.
Lin Yaoyao tightened her grip on the child, lifting him up: “Let me go, or else, or else I’ll drop him!”
Qing San continued to approach.
Lin Yaoyao turned and ran, but she didn’t get far before Jiang Yan and the others intercepted her.
Seeing the officers, Lin Yaoyao grew more agitated: “You, you stay back! Let me go, or else, or else I’ll strangle him! Let me go, I…”
Qing San leaped forward and sealed her acupoints.
Jia Yang quickly stepped forward, taking the child from her arms. The child bore some resemblance to him and even a bit to Su Yunniang.
He was now absolutely certain this was their child.
“Lin Yaoyao, you’ve gone too far!”
Lin Yaoyao’s face twisted in anger: “I’ve gone too far? What gives you the right to say that! You abandoned me, and I retaliated. What’s wrong with that?”
“Abandoned you? You know how to use words, but it was you who drugged my uncle to get what you wanted, and now you say this. I’ve never seen a woman as shameless as you!”
Jiang Yan gave Lin Yaoyao a disdainful look.
Jia Yang thought Lin Yaoyao was just mad. He handed the child to Jiang Yan to take back and went to the magistrate’s office with Lin Yaoyao and the others.
Lin’s mother was soon summoned by the town chief.
Upon learning the child was Jia Yang and Su Yunniang’s, she was in disbelief: “How can this be possible? How could it be theirs? Their child was supposed to be dead, right?”
She quickly followed the officers to the magistrate’s office.
Given her ignorance of the situation, the town chief did not punish her.
After inquiring about Jia Huai, the town chief sent for him.
Jia Huai was also unaware of the truth. Upon learning Lin Yaoyao had faked her pregnancy and used his brother’s child as their own, he was beyond shocked.
“Lin Yaoyao, are you trying to harm me? How could you be so cruel!”
Jia Huai kicked out at Lin Yaoyao.
The town chief slammed his gavel.
Jia Huai, startled, quickly stepped aside: “Sir, I, I was just too angry.”
Such an event was unprecedented.
After some deliberation, the town chief went to discuss with the magistrate’s advisor before returning to have Lin Yaoyao sign the judgment.
“Lin Yaoyao, you bribed someone to switch children, and upon being discovered, you attempted to flee with the child. Your crimes are heinous! This official hereby sentences you to thirty strokes of the cane and one year in prison!”
Lin Yaoyao suddenly burst into maniacal laughter: “Die, die, you all can die!”
She lunged at Jia Yang and the others, flailing wildly like a madwoman.
The officers quickly subdued her.
Lin’s mother was so shocked she couldn’t recover for a long time.
Li Wenpo, for her complicity, was sentenced to fifteen strokes of the cane and half a year in prison. Upon hearing this, she fainted in terror, never imagining the situation would escalate to this extent.
Back with Su Yunniang.
Gazing at her long-lost son, Su Yunniang excitedly took him from Jiang Yan’s arms and wouldn’t let go, staring at him repeatedly.
Turning to Jiang Yan, she said with tears and laughter, “Da Ya, this is my son, mine.”
“Yes, he’s yours, he is your son.”
Jiang Yan affirmed.
Gratefully, Su Yunniang thanked Jiang Yan: “Da Ya, thank you, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I might never have known Lin Yaoyao’s child was mine.”
Had she not been holding the child, she would have knelt to thank Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan smiled, “Auntie, there’s no need for thanks. Now that your son is back, you must take good care of yourself, understand? Only by being healthy can you take care of him in the future.”
“I know, I know.” Su Yunniang nodded in response.
