Ger, So Proud

Chapter 106

“You got here so quickly…” He Ze walked to the cell door and smiled upon seeing his wife and brother.

“Everyone is worried sick about you. You—”

“Brother, are you okay? Is everything alright?”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’ll be out soon,” He Ze said apologetically. He wiped He An’s tears and patted his head, comforting him before turning his attention to Luo Zhanming. “About this matter?”

Luo Zhanming recounted the events in detail and added, “Brother He, rest assured, if this case has nothing to do with you, my brother-in-law will definitely get to the bottom of it.”

“Yes, I trust Lord Zhou’s abilities.” He Ze paced around and asked, “By the way, do you know who reported the case and what their relationship was with the deceased?”

“Most of the beggars in the county town gather in the abandoned huts in the east part of the city. They are usually refugees, forming small groups. The person who reported the case was close to the deceased within this group.” Apart from He Ze, this case implicated Tongchun Hall even more. Although the shopkeeper was bearing the responsibility for now, if a problem were indeed found, Luo Zhanming’s family would also be implicated. Thus, Luo Zhanming used his position to gather a lot of information.

“A beggar as well?”

“Yes, they fled together last year.” Completely an outsider.

“Did they find any other Chaiwu in the pharmacy?”

Luo Zhanming shook his head, understanding He Ze’s line of thought. “No, only that beggar who received the medicine was poisoned.”

“Do you think this incident was aimed at me, your family, or was it just an accident?” He Ze began to doubt his previous suspicions. “Assuming I am the murderer, there are only two possibilities. Either it was accidental, with Chaiwu unintentionally passing from my hands to the deceased without anyone recognizing it as poison, or I randomly killed someone. After all, I have no motive for murder and no way to ensure that bit of Chaiwu would specifically reach the deceased.”

He Ze paused and added, “But in the first scenario, your Tongchun Hall shopkeeper has been practicing medicine for decades. It’s impossible he wouldn’t have noticed when dispensing the medicine. The second scenario is even more far-fetched. I was recently married and have a newborn son. Why would I suddenly decide to kill someone?”

“Although I am currently implicated, if this was targeted at me, the scheme is poorly executed. The person behind it must be an idiot.”

“Who are you calling an idiot?”

In the Wang family’s courtyard, Wang Fucheng slapped a servant.

“In a moment of urgency, I misspoke. Of course, I meant those fools who dared to anger the young master!” The servant quickly corrected himself.

“That’s better! If they think they can get away with offending me, they’re dreaming!” Feeling triumphant, Wang Fucheng turned his attention to the inner hall. “How long is Uncle going to drink with Zhou Wen? Why isn’t he out yet?”

“Don’t worry, young master. The longer they stay, the better Uncle and Lord Zhou are getting along. When it comes to He Ze’s case, it’s just a matter of Uncle saying the word.”

“That’s true.”

Wang Fucheng felt reassured. With his uncle holding authority and the Luo family being Lord Zhou’s in-laws, in the event of such a serious case, his uncle would pave the way for Zhou Wen. How could he refuse?

Just as he was feeling optimistic, the door opened, and Zhou Wen stepped out first, without Wang Fucheng’s uncle seeing him off. Wang Fucheng felt anxious and quickly chased after him. “Lord Zhou, Lord Zhou, please wait!”

Zhou Wen didn’t slow his pace at all. He glanced coldly at Wang Fucheng and left with a flick of his sleeve.

“W-what’s going on here?” Wang Fucheng asked the servant nervously.

Inside the room, Li Deming was pouring himself a drink. Seeing the two enter, he drank half a cup.

“Uncle, what happened with Lord Zhou? Is everything okay?”

It would have been better if he hadn’t asked. As soon as he did, Li Deming’s expression changed, and he snorted coldly, smashing his cup to the ground. “He refuses a toast only to drink a forfeit! How ungrateful!”

“And you, you idiot! Do you have any brains at all?” Li Deming walked up to Wang Fucheng and slapped him hard across the face. “All you learned was how to act recklessly and bully others! You didn’t learn anything else! Look at what you’ve done! Do you think framing someone is that easy? Do you really think I can protect you from everything?”

“Uncle, they won’t trace it back to me, right? Or…” At this point, Wang Fucheng clearly sensed that things were spiraling out of his control. He touched his face, visibly flustered.

“Don’t worry, not just yet,” Li Deming said, glaring at him. “I just hinted to Zhou Wen to pin the matter on that He Ze you mentioned. I didn’t care either way, but he had the nerve to brush me off, going on about fairness and justice, saying he couldn’t let someone be wronged without concrete evidence… Hmph! Acting so righteous! Does he really think he’s a good official?”

Li Deming’s anger flared again, and he kicked Wang Fucheng hard. “How did my brother end up with such a fool for a son? Couldn’t you have informed me before doing something like this? Now you expect me to clean up your mess?”

“Uncle, Uncle, please stop! I was injured before, and I’m not fully recovered yet!” Wang Fucheng panicked, clinging to Li Deming’s leg and sobbing. “Uncle, if they find out… I’m your only nephew. You have to help me! Zhou Wen is just a lowly county magistrate; he wouldn’t dare disobey you!”

Hah, but Zhou Wen does dare. Zhou Wen is a tough one. Despite the saying that a higher-ranking official can overpower a lower one, a local tyrant still has some sway. But Li Deming couldn’t say that aloud. Looking at his kneeling nephew, he wished he could kick him to death.

“Uncle, Uncle…”

The more Wang Fucheng thought about it, the more terrified he became, crying with tears and snot. Hearing the commotion, Wang Fucheng’s parents rushed over. After understanding the situation, they first scolded Wang Fucheng, then pleaded with Li Deming.

“Brother, he’s my only child. The Wang family only has him to continue the line. You can’t… Fucheng just got over a leg injury, and if anything else happens to him, I can’t go on living!”

Watching the family cry and plead, Li Deming couldn’t help but rub his furrowed brow. His earlier words were said in anger. After all, this was his own nephew! He didn’t have much status in his own family, and his wife hadn’t given him a son. He always treated this nephew as his own son, so how could he not save him?

But if Zhou Wen really found solid evidence, what could he do to save him?

He was indeed a sixth-rank official in the capital, but the Ministry of Personnel was full of talent, with everyone having connections. He was just a minor official with no significant background, merely doing odd jobs. If it weren’t for the originally designated official falling ill, he wouldn’t have been given this role as a patrolling inspector due to his seniority.

Thinking of this, Li Deming felt a pang of bitterness. Being an official in the capital sounded prestigious, but wherever he went, he had to keep a low profile. However, in the distant Qiongchuan County, Zhou Wen wielded his local power freely and arrogantly…

As Li Deming’s thoughts spiraled, his eyes widened, and a dangerous idea began to take shape in his mind.

What if…

The more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t stop. After a while, he managed to collect himself, slamming his hand on the table, finally silencing the wailing in the room.

“Get up!” Li Deming said to Wang Fucheng, his tone softening. “Go home for now and let me think this through.”

Seeing that he was angry, the others didn’t dare to stay. Wang’s parents dragged Wang Fucheng out of the room.

“Zhou Wen, Zhou Wen…” The muttering inside the room continued for a long time.

…

“Young Master Luo, you need to hurry. Visiting hours are almost over!” The jailer who had let them in looked uneasy.

“Alright, I understand. We’ll be quick, please bear with us.”

After the jailer left, He Ze ruffled He An’s hair, comforting him, “Okay, you should head back. Make sure to reassure Dad and Father so they don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

He An nodded tearfully, making He Ze take a mental note of the mastermind behind this.

Could it be the Wang family…

“Brother Luo, please keep an eye on the person who reported the case and the group of beggars who were close to the deceased. They might know something we don’t.”

“Understood, don’t worry.” Luo Zhanming took He An by the elbow. “Let’s go, let He Ze and Lin Yu talk privately.”

He An obediently let himself be led away, looking back at He Ze with each step, as if it were a final farewell.

The jail was quiet, with few inmates in the neighboring cells. The newlyweds stared at each other through the wooden bars, and He Ze noticed Lin Yu’s reddened eyes. Now that they were alone, Lin Yu couldn’t hold back his tears any longer, each drop hitting the floor like a heavy weight on He Ze’s heart.

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault… Don’t cry…”

He Ze panicked, clumsily wiping away Lin Yu’s tears. Earlier, when comforting He An, he had managed to stay composed, but now he felt a painful tug in his chest.

“We have a child to think about. If you keep crying, you don’t want our child to be born ugly, right? We’re both good-looking, so if our child ends up ugly, he’ll blame you—” He Ze carefully touched Lin Yu’s belly through the bars, trying to soothe him.

As the words got more ridiculous, Lin Yu couldn’t help but laugh through his tears. “What nonsense are you spouting! Our child won’t be ugly. If anyone’s ugly, it’s you! Besides, how would my crying make the child ugly?”

“Of course it matters!” He Ze relaxed a bit seeing Lin Yu smile. “You’re carrying our baby. You need to stay happy, or it might affect the baby and make him ugly.”

“You…” Lin Yu, unable to argue, angrily swatted He Ze’s hand. “Stop talking nonsense!”

“Ow—” He Ze’s hand turned red and swollen instantly. It had been a long time since he’d felt his wife’s ‘violent education,’ and strangely, he found it nostalgic. “How about now? Not angry anymore?”

He Ze held out his hand for Lin Yu to see, hoping for some sympathy. Lin Yu stared at him, “In your dreams. Hurry up and heal it!”

“Yes, sir.”

The ground in the cell was covered in weeds. As He Ze waved his hand, the weeds withered before their eyes. Simultaneously, the swelling on his hand rapidly subsided.

“See, it’s all better.”

He Ze stood up, showing his healed hand. As Lin Yu watched, the weeds in the cell began to turn yellow, except for one near He Ze’s feet that grew rapidly, becoming thick and tall, the king of all weeds.

He Ze swiftly pulled out the weed and handed it to Lin Yu. “See, I’ll be fine.”

He was trying to reassure Lin Yu in his own way.