The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me!

Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Can You or Can’t You

The village chief was puzzled, ”Huh? A bet?”

Xia Wenjin said, ”Yes, if Liu San is an accomplice, then the village chief shouldn’t doubt me anymore; if Liu San isn’t an accomplice, I’ll find those women, alive or dead!”

The village chief was worried that the government officer would leave in disgust, and seeing that Xia Wenjin’s bet was beneficial to the village either way, he quickly nodded, ”Alright!”

The village chief, curious, asked, ”Official, even if Liu San is an accomplice, who else might be the mastermind?”

Xia Wenjin said, ”Uncover one at a time, no rush!”

The village chief nervously asked, ”It’s not someone from our village, is it?”

Xia Wenjin glanced at him, half-smiling, ”Climbing up the cliff from the waterway with grappling hooks to take people down, villagers seem unlikely to have such skills!”

Upon hearing this, the village chief let out a gentle sigh of relief, though it was unclear whether he was reassured or still anxious.

After a while, a sound of footsteps approached, and Butcher Zhang ran back like the wind, ignoring the village chief and Xia Wenjin, rushing into the house first. Soon, Liu San’s ghostly wails echoed from inside.

This attitude seemed to say it all, and the village chief asked in trepidation, ”Wh... what’s going on?”

Then, others who went along returned as well. One villager was holding a cage of sparrows, while another was carrying a bag of things. When they opened the bag in front of everyone, it contained several ingots of silver. There were also other random items, all laid out in the courtyard.

Huangfu Jingchen walked into the courtyard last, standing tall and elegant, as if he had stepped out of a painting, exuding a natural grace, and stood out among the villagers.

Xia Wenjin flashed a radiant smile at him, a smile as fresh as a newly bloomed lotus at dawn, fragrant and fresh, like the first beam of sunlight in the morning, bright and warm.

Huangfu Jingchen was momentarily dazzled by that smile, his heart stirred, but he quickly recovered, hastily avoiding his eyes. He swore to himself, never to be mesmerized by this person’s smile again. He kept emphasizing in his heart: This is Long Yang, Long Yang, Long Yang!

Without Huangfu Jingchen needing to speak, nor Xia Wenjin needing to ask, a villager, filled with righteous indignation, spoke up, ”Village chief, that bastard Liu San indeed has a cage of sparrows at home.”

”Liu San’s house has a lot of money!”

”Liu San’s house has several valuable items. He’s just a peddler; how could he earn so much?”

”Liu San’s wife wears a golden bracelet on her wrist, it’s real and very valuable!”

”Liu San...”

The crowd chattered about the oddities in Liu San’s household.

At this moment, a battered Liu San, beaten black and blue, staggered out of the door but was surrounded by several villagers, unable to escape. Not only had Butcher Zhang hit him, but villagers with missing daughters at home had also joined in. Both his eyes were bruised.

He rushed into the courtyard and shouted loudly, ”Injustice, injustice! I’ve traveled to countryside, county, provincial cities, and even commandery cities over the years, earning this money by risking my life. You can’t suspect my money is illicit just because I made money, right?”

”And those sparrows, I raised them, but it’s for business. As a peddler, I also perform magic tricks or something. Who says you can’t raise sparrows?”

The village chief looked at those items. It was suspicious how Liu San’s family suddenly became wealthy, but perhaps their windfall had nothing to do with this matter?

Having watched Liu San grow up, the village chief struggled, ”I’ve never heard of keeping sparrows, but it doesn’t seem illegal!”

Xia Wenjin took a look at the sparrows, ”These sparrows have been trained.”

”How can you tell they’ve been trained?”

Xia Wenjin said, ”It’s simple, release the sparrows one by one to verify!”

A villager immediately objected, ”If they’re really used for sending messages, won’t releasing them attract more people?”

”Yes, exactly. Those people can climb cliffs, what if they come to our village and cause havoc?”

”When the sparrows are released, they’ll surely fly away. What can you verify from that?”

”We can’t release them; surely, these sparrows are problematic.”

Xia Wenjin walked over, took Huangfu Jingchen’s arm, and shook it gently, smiling sweetly, ”Brother Zheng, your concealed weapon skills are quite handy, eh?”

Huangfu Jingchen’s arm stiffened, goosebumps rose, and he quickly shook her off, but Xia Wenjin wouldn’t let go easily, continuing to smile, ”Brother Zheng, are you up to the task or not?”

Huangfu Jingchen: ”...”

Could he say no?

And, this damned Long Yang was at it again, previously calling him Young Master Huang, Brother Huang, and now nauseatingly calling him Brother Zheng.

Watching her adorable mouth open slightly, crisply enunciating Brother Zheng, his heart was a tangled mess. He shook her off again, embarrassed and angry, ”Let go, how improper is this?”

Feeling improper was just his perception. Though Xia Wenjin was indeed pulling his arm and shaking it, her voice crisp and mischievous, yet there was nothing unusual in the eyes of the villagers. Only because Huangfu Jingchen knew she was Long Yang, with a history, his reaction was particularly intense.

Xia Wenjin smiled widely, ”Promise me first!”

”Alright, alright, I can do it! Is that enough? Now let go!” Huangfu Jingchen was almost exasperated.

Xia Wenjin released him, first walking toward Liu San, giving him a kick that sent him tumbling to the ground, and told the villagers watching over him, ”Bind him!”

The command was so authoritative that the villagers were stunned. Butcher Zhang quickly found a rope and tied Liu San up like a pig.

After tying him, he even gave Liu San a slap, roughly saying, ”No need to cry injustice. If it’s you, I’ll beat you to death; if not, I’ll give you two beatings to repay you!”

Liu San still wanted to protest, but Butcher Zhang was quick, finding a smelly sock and stuffing it into his mouth, causing Liu San to roll his eyes.

Afterward, Butcher Zhang knelt before Xia Wenjin, ”Lord, my Zhu’er is only thirteen, now her life is uncertain. Please, Lord, rescue my daughter.”

Xia Wenjin said, ”We’re looking for clues!” She walked to the villager holding the cage of sparrows, then turned back, ”Leave someone to watch Liu San, the rest follow me outside. I’ll explain where the problem lies with these sparrows!”

On hearing this, everyone scurried outside. The village chief quickly grabbed the slowest runner, told him to watch Liu San, and then ran outside too. Although in his sixties, he moved faster than the young ones at this moment.

The clearing outside Butcher Zhang’s house was quite spacious. Seeing that everyone had come out, including the village chief, Xia Wenjin told the villager, ”Release one sparrow first!”