CH 55

“Come, search thoroughly!”

Early in the morning, the county yamen’s arresters broke into Yu Qiao Ji. A crowd quickly gathered outside the shop to watch, discussing what had happened.

Xing Wu sent Zheng Xin to work at the shop, but upon seeing the situation, he instructed Zheng Xin to return to the iron shop while he himself took a cart to Xianhe Village to deliver a message to Qiao Yuan and Yu Dameng.

As soon as Qiao Yuan saw him coming, he knew something was wrong and asked hurriedly, “What happened?”

Xing Wu explained, “A bunch of arresters went to search Yu Qiao Ji, saying someone reported that the shop was using inferior ingredients and selling spoiled pastries.”

According to the law, those who intentionally provide others with poisoned or spoiled food for consumption or resale shall be caned ninety times and sentenced to three years of hard labor.

Qiao Yuan knew that the situation was serious, so he hurriedly urged Yu Dameng to drive the cart, and the three of them rushed to the shop.

The arresters were meticulously searching the shop, seemingly taking advantage of the situation to help themselves to some goods. When Qiao Yuan arrived, the search was not yet complete.

Qiao Yuan himself created Yu Qiao Ji. Seeing it now wrecked, and in disorder, he was furious, but he forcefully suppressed his rage to ask the head of the arresters, Zhuo, who was casually sitting in the shop drinking tea, “Sir, may I ask what crime my shop has committed?”

Zhuo poured himself another cup of tea, glanced at Qiao Yuan with a somewhat disdainful expression, and said, “You’re the boss of Yu Qiao Ji?”

Yu Dameng pulled Qiao Yuan behind him, looking sternly at Zhuo. Zhuo finally averted his gaze, cleared his throat, and said, “Your employee, Ma Shun’er, reported that your shop was mixing fake ingredients into your snacks and sold pastries that had gone bad after disguising them as new.”

It turned out to be Ma Shun’er, that ungrateful opportunist!

Qiao Yuan cursed inwardly and immediately responded, “Impossible! The rice and flour in our shop are all purchased from the Jia Cang Grain Store, and they are of the highest quality. The village supplies other ingredients, and they are guaranteed to be of good quality.”

Zhuo chuckled lightly and said, “Your words alone don’t count.”

Just then, the searching arresters conveniently brought out the “evidence”. Zhuo nodded with a suggestive look, “Now it counts.”

After speaking, he got up to inspect the so-called evidence: moldy rice, flour mixed with rice bran, and pastries that had clearly gone bad after being left out for several days.

Clicking his tongue twice, he jestingly remarked, “Boss Qiao, the evidence is as solid as a mountain.”

“This is a false accusation!” Yu Dameng clenched his fists furiously. No one knew better than him how much his husband loved cleanliness and how meticulous he was in selecting materials for the shop.

The chief arrester Zhuo was startled by his loud shout and sternly retorted, “Just because you say so, does that make it true? What’s the use of evidence then?”

“The evidence is conclusive. Who will come with me?”

“Me!” Yu Dameng and Qiao Yuan both responded at the same time.

“This shop is under my name. According to the law, they should take me.” Yu Dameng emphasized.

According to the laws of Dachu, except for dowries, married women and gers were not allowed to have private property. Therefore, all the properties in the family were registered under the name of Yu Dameng.

Qiao Yuan was anxious and did not respond. Yu Dameng turned around and said to him, “Prison is cold and harsh. Your body can’t handle it.”

“Your brain works better than mine. Stay outside to investigate the truth,” Yu Dameng instructed. “Send a letter to our elder brother to come back and also hire a lawyer to help us. In the house, there is a military tag that I wore during my service years. You can have someone deliver it to the Inspectorate in the capital city. I have a friend there from my time in the army who now holds a high position. Ask him for help.”

Yu Dameng noticed that his husband’s face had turned pale, his eyes on the verge of tears, and his heart twisted into a knot. He squeezed Qiao Yuan’s hand and whispered, “Don’t be afraid.”

Qiao Yuan nodded, watching helplessly as Yu Dameng was shackled and taken away, bitterness filling his heart.

After the arresters left, only a mess remained in the shop.

Ming Chen anxiously asked, “Boss, what should we do?”

Qiao Yuan wiped away his tears and quickly organized things, “You go and find Big Brother Meng Bei, ask him to locate Ma Shun’er, and keep an eye on him. Ming Xu, look after the shop, don’t touch anything. Xing Wu, drive the cart with me; we’ll go back to the village first to gather some things.”

He still didn’t have much understanding of the local legal system, and he had no idea how Yu Dameng would be treated in prison. Just thinking about the possibility of him being tortured made his heart shatter.

As they neared home, Qiao Yuan wiped his tears and tried to calm himself.

Qiao Wangshi did not know why he and Yu Dameng left in a hurry. When he saw him return, he curiously asked, “Why did you come back?”

Qiao Yuan forced a smile. “I forgot to bring something.”

Qiao Wangshi smiled and looked behind him, seeing Xing Wu, and asked, “Where is Dameng?”

“The iron shop is busy, and Dameng can’t leave, so I asked Xing Wu to take me back.”

Qiao Wangshi didn’t suspect anything. Qiao Yuan went inside to write a letter and retrieve the military tag. Qiao Wangshi chatted with Xing Wu outside.

But the truth cannot be hidden. Just as Qiao Yuan finished writing a letter to inform Old Man Yu, Qiao Guangzhi came knocking on the door.

“Yuan Ge’er, when you got me fired from my job back then, did you ever think this day would come?”

“Did I frame you?” Qiao Yuan clenched his fists tightly. “Of all the things that were said when Steward Liu dismissed you, which one wasn’t true?”

Qiao Guangzhi sneered, “I’m not here to argue about that today.”

Turning to Qiao Wangshi, he asked, “Mother, do you want to come back with me?”

Qiao Wangshi was confused and didn’t understand what had happened. Qiao Yuan had to explain it briefly to her.

“Is it you?” Qiao Wangshi was so shocked that she almost couldn’t catch her breath. She pointed at Qiao Guangzhi and asked, “How could you be so heartless? Yuan Ge’er is the son of your own brother!”

“Brother, brother.” Qiao Guangzhi gritted his teeth and spoke as if he was going crazy, “Mother, you only care about my younger brother!”

“He was the one sent to the city to become an apprentice, he was the one who married Yun Niang, and he was the one who could make your life better. Have you ever thought of me?”

“You’re talking nonsense!” Qiao Wangshi clutched her chest, trembling all over. “Back then, when I took you and Guangcheng to meet that Shopkeeper Hu, he himself chose Guangcheng. He said you were too ambitious and couldn’t settle down.”

“Yun Niang and Guangcheng were mutually interested, and her parents valued Guangcheng’s character, which was why they betrothed her to him and helped him find work. What does any of this have to do with me?”

“We can’t go back to the past.” Qiao Guangzhi closed his eyes and said lightly, “Mother, come back with me. I can provide you with a good life now.”

Qiao Wangshi felt a deep pain. The son she had raised with so much effort had turned out to be like this. “I won’t go back with you! I don’t have a son like you!”

“Fine.” Qiao Guangzhi’s eyes showed no warmth. “Mother, if you don’t come with me today, get ready to go to prison with the Yu family!”

As Meiqiu barked fiercely at him, Qiao Guangzhi sneered and left with a wave of his sleeve.

“Grandma.” Qiao Yuan supported Qiao Wangshi, not knowing how to comfort her.

Qiao Wangshi touched Qiao Yuan’s hand and tearfully said, “Go and do whatever you need to do.”

After speaking, she trembled slightly and went back to her room.

Qiao Yuan instructed Aunt Wang to take care of her and headed to the old house to discuss countermeasures with Old Man Yu and Lin Cuifen.

“Father, you are more familiar with the prefectural city than Xing Wu. Why don’t you go and deliver the letter to our eldest brother?”

Old Man Yu worried about his son, but considering the situation, he cautiously took the letter and military tag, securing them in his chest.

Lin Cuifen had lost all composure, sobbing uncontrollably.

Qiao Yuan’s eyes grew moist, and he almost couldn’t help crying, too, but he had to stay strong. “Mom, don’t let Qiu Ge and Shanwen know about this for now. I’ll stay at the shop for the next few days and won’t come back. If there’s any news, I’ll have someone inform you.”

Lin Cuifen nodded her head and didn’t say much. Old Man Yu went to the dock to take a boat to the capital, while Qiao Yuan went to Ma Shun’er’s house to confront him.

“I’ve said it before, Ma Shun’er really isn’t at home,” Ma Shun’er’s wife said.

Meng Bei nodded. “I’ve looked around and also asked his relatives and friends. He really isn’t anywhere.”

Qiao Yuan guessed that he might have been taken by Qiao Guangzhi or Zhang Wensheng, fearing he might change his testimony.

It seemed they couldn’t get anything from this route. As a fallback, Qiao Yuan asked Ma Shun’er’s wife, “Has anyone come looking for him these past few days?”

Ma Shun’er’s wife seemed like she wanted to say something but hesitated. Suddenly, Ma Shun’er’s mother threw herself on the ground, wailing and crying, “Everyone, look! Ma Shun isn’t home, but people are bullying us helpless women!”

“Stop crying!” Qiao Yuan was annoyed, shouting sharply. Ma Shun’er’s mother was so frightened that she froze in place, trembling all over.

Qiao Yuan’s tone was icy cold, “Tell Ma Shun’er that this is his last chance. If he insists on this, don’t blame me for being merciless. I will make sure he suffers a fate worse than death.”

Qiao Yuan didn’t waste any more time here, and as he was leaving, he caught a glimpse of Ma Shun’er’s mother wearing a gold bracelet on her hand. He asked Meng Bei to inquire about the news in the surrounding area.

Ma Shun’er’s wife sighed. Their peaceful life was gone. Why did he have to do something so utterly immoral and harmful?

According to Dachu’s Law, court hearings were held every five or ten days. Technically, there should have been three more days, but unexpectedly, the county yamen informed Qiao Yuan that the trial would be held the next day.

“They must be afraid my elder brother will return, so they want to establish guilt quickly.”

The flaws in this matter were numerous. Qiao Yuan didn’t need a lawyer to explain; he could argue his case clearly himself. However, the issue was that the county magistrate didn’t care about the truth; he seemed intent on establishing the charges. His aim was either to force Yu Xiangxue to bow down and take him as a son-in-law or to retaliate by conviction.

Qiao Yuan wasn’t afraid – at worst, he could just join Yu Dameng in prison until Chu Li or Yu Xiangxue returned to bail them out. What really worried him was Yu Dameng suffering torture and hardship in prison.

In the prison dungeon.

Zhang Wensheng strolled leisurely, and the yamen officials lowered their heads wherever he went. The guides were particularly flattering, addressing him as “young master” repeatedly. The feeling was simply too good.

He walked to where Yu Dameng was being held.

The prison cell had a strange odor and was cold, dark, and damp. Yu Dameng sat against the wall, looking at the light coming through the small window.

Zhang Wensheng smirked. “Brother Yu.”

Yu Dameng glanced at him and ignored him.

Zhang Wensheng continued, “Why subject yourself to this suffering?”

“I know that the Yu Qiao Ji was entirely managed by Qiao Yuan, that despicable person. It has nothing to do with you.”

“Shut up!” Hearing him insulting Qiao Yuan finally provoked a reaction from Yu Dame. He clenched his fists furiously, glaring as if wanting to smash them into Zhang Wensheng’s face if not for the shackles restraining him.

Originally a lowly craftsman, now he is a dog of a bereaved family1丧家之犬 (sàng jiā zhī quǎn) – This phrase literally means “a dog of a bereaved family,” but it is used figuratively to describe someone who has fallen from grace or is in a desperate situation. and still dares to speak to him like this!

Furious but needing to achieve his goal, Zhang Wensheng suppressed his anger and persuaded, “Don’t be angry.”

“As long as you give up Qiao Yuan, for old times’ sake as fellow villagers, I will plead with the county magistrate to release you.”

Having been so humiliated and cursed by Qiao Yuan, Zhang Wensheng now felt no pity towards him, only the desire for revenge and to torment him.

Wasn’t Yu Dameng the one Qiao Yuan cared for most? Then, let Yu Dameng abandon him and let Qiao Yuan taste the feeling of betrayal.

Zhang Wensheng knew that the county magistrate valued Yu Xiangxue. However, the magistrate also feared the influence behind Yu Xiangxue. This move was more about forcing Yu Xiangxue to submit.

But Zhang Wensheng understood this man; he would rather be shattered than submit. It seemed necessary to push things to the brink, risking everything. When the county magistrate got angry, nobody from the Yu family would escape, and the fabricated case might turn into a real one.

But before that, why not let Yu Dameng and Qiao Yuan put aside their feelings? What was there to lose?

“You can forget it!” Yu Dameng was angry and knew that this person still had a thief’s heart towards his husband, “Yuan Ge’er belongs to me!”

After some thought, Yu Dameng replied with the words Qiao Yuan often said to him, “Between a married couple, trials should be faced together.”

“Give up on that idea! My husband only cares about me. He has never been interested in you.” Yu Dameng said confidently.

Zhang Wensheng was so angry he wanted to stomp his feet. This man was just a blockhead!

“Nonsense! I never liked him in the first place!”

“He is just as coarse and uncultured as you are!”

If it weren’t for the county magistrate wanting to leave some room for Yu Xiangxue’s return, he would definitely torture Yu Dame to make him suffer a bit.

Also, let him clearly recognize who is in charge now!

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