Chapter 280: Effect

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Qi Zhanpeng hurriedly stood up and bowed. “Don’t worry, elders. I’ll go back and ask my mother to find a matchmaker to propose marriage.”

The elder brother of the Liu family stopped him and said, “No, you can’t leave. If you don’t come back, where can we find you? You have to sign a contract stating that you would marry my sister.”

Qi Zhanpeng only wanted to leave this place that had left him humiliated as soon as possible. He didn’t think too much about it and nodded. “Brother Liu, don’t worry. I’ll sign it.”

The elder brother of the Liu family turned around and went out. After a while, he took out a contract and asked Qi Zhanpeng to place his handprint on it. Qi Zhanpeng’s head was dizzy, and he had been beaten up by the Liu father and son. He was frightened and pressed his handprint without looking carefully. He staggered home after putting on his clothes and lay on the bed, sweating profusely. At night, he started muttering nonsense feverishly.

Madam Yu quickly found someone to prescribe a concoction and boiled it for him to drink. Seeing that he was drenched, she changed his clothes for him to sleep. Just as the sky lit up, a few hooligans barged in with a contract to snatch the medical center, medicine shop, residence, and land.

Madam Yu took the contract with trembling hands and read it. The contents stated that Qi Zhanpeng had sold his family’s medical center and shop for 1,000 taels of silver, as well as his residence and fields. It was also stated that the silver had been checked when the contract was signed and that Qi Zhanpeng had to move out the next morning.

Madam Yu handed the contract to her son, who looked at it carefully. It was not a marriage contract, but a contract to sell the house, shop, and fields.

Only then did Qi Zhanpeng know that he had been tricked. He was so angry that he exclaimed and fainted. When Qi Zhanpeng woke up, he realized that he and his mother had been chased out of the house by those hooligans.

The mother and son could only stay in the straw shed at the dilapidated temple for the time being. Qi Zhanpeng had just recovered a little when the government sent someone to inform him that Liu Zhanggen from Liu Village had come to the government to report his immoral behavior. Following this, the county magistrate had already removed his scholar status.

Qi Zhanpeng fainted on the spot. Madam Yu cried and sold the only jewelry she had. She hired someone to repair the straw shed so they could stay there permanently.

Under his mother’s careful care, Qi Zhanpeng slowly recovered. The money from selling the Yu family’s jewelry had been used up by then, and she relied on selling some embroidery to sustain themselves. After a month, his family’s medical center and courtyard had become the Holy Hand Hall’s property.

The mother and son of the Qi family understood that their family had been schemed against by the Holy Hand Hall, but the county government and the Holy Hand Hall were in cahoots. Because of this, they no longer had faith in the government office. Qi Zhanpeng felt that they could only go to the capital to clear their grievances. Therefore, they planned to slowly save some money and go to the capital to complain.

After hearing Qi Zhanpeng’s explanation, Mr. Wen understood. Zhao Cheng’s complaint and Qi Zhanpeng’s set-up by the Liu family were part of an elaborate plan by the Holy Hand Hall to snatch the Qi family’s assets. County Magistrate Yang acted as an accomplice.

Mr. Wen patted the crying Qi Zhanpeng and comforted him. “Xiao Qi, when Xiao Xi comes back, I’ll tell him what happened to your family and ask him to help you investigate the truth. After going through so many hardships, you haven’t given up on yourself. You went to the streets and set up a stall to earn money to support your mother while studying hard. The heavens will reward you. I believe you will definitely achieve something in the future.”

After Qi Zhanpeng heard Mr. Wen’s words, he wiped the tears off his face. He stood up and bowed to Mr. Wen. “Thank you, Doctor Wen. Thank you for your teachings.”

After Tiezhu and Ah Wei sent Qi Zhanpeng away, they looked at his back and sighed. They felt that the Holy Hand Hall was really something. For their own selfish interests, they caused the Qi family to be destroyed. They were really vicious.

Qi Zhanpeng went home and told Madam Yu that Mr. Wen was willing to help him. Madam Yu said hopefully, “Peng’er, it seems like we can clear your father’s name and yours this time.”

Zhou Jia brought Mr. Qian and the others to the county office to finish reading the dossiers. At the end of the night, Zhou Jia instructed Mr. Qian to bring the constables to the post house to stay. He then brought Zhao Cai along to Mr. Wen’s rented small courtyard. When he returned to the small courtyard, he saw that Mr. Wen was still writing the pulse report. He asked with concern, “Sir, it’s so late. Why aren’t you resting?”

“I was waiting for you.” Mr. Wen put down the pen in his hand and pointed at the chair beside him. “Sit down. I want to tell you about what happened to the Qi family.”

Seeing Mr. Wen’s serious expression, Zhou Jia sat down on the chair. Mr. Wen told Zhou Jia everything that Qi Zhanpeng had said and instructed, “Xiao Xi, go and investigate the truth of these things. If what Xiao Qi said is true, the government should return justice to the Qi family and punish the evil people from the Holy Hand Hall.”

Zhou Jia recalled the case file that Mr. Qian had shown him at the county office today. It was indeed Qi Zhanpeng’s case. “Sir, I’ve seen the case file at the county office. I’ve already asked Zhao Cai to secretly investigate it. They said that the Qi family is kind-hearted. When Mr. Qi was alive, he often gave medicine to those poor families who could not afford to treat their illnesses. That Zhao Cheng is from the Zhao family. The Zhao family is a day away from the county city. We’ll check it tomorrow. As for the Liu family, get Ah Wei to call Qi Zhanpeng over tomorrow morning and ask him carefully.”

Mr. Wen looked at Zhou Jia in relief. “Alright, I’m relieved. You’re tired. Go and rest.”

The next day, Zhao Cai brought people to Zhao Village. After a visit, he learned from the villagers that Zhao Cheng was a gambler and had never cared about his mother. A few days before his mother died of illness, he suddenly had a conscience and treated her well. He bought new clothes for her and even hired a cart to bring her to the county city for treatment. After Zhao Cheng’s mother finished treating her illness, she died before she reached home. Not long after his mother died, Zhao Cheng became extravagant and moved to town.

The constable went to the Liu Village to investigate and found out that Liu Qiaogu’s surname was not Liu, nor was she the daughter of the Liu family. She was the daughter-in-law of the Liu family, and her surname was He. The Liu family was greedy and lazy, and their reputation in the village was very bad.

The daughter of the Holy Hand Hall’s owner was the concubine of County

Magistrate Yang. After investigating this, Zhou Jia already understood. He sent someone to capture Zhao Cheng and the Liu family and sent someone to watch over the Holy Hand Hall. He asked Qi Zhanpeng to write a new complaint and report it to the county office, before telling County Magistrate Yang that he wanted to reopen the Qi family’s case. County Magistrate Yang was shocked, but there was nothing he could do.

On the day of the retrial, the entrance of the county office was filled with people. Zhao Cheng and the Liu family confessed that it was Liu Changqing, the owner of the Holy Hand Hall, who had instructed them to do it. Zhou Jia sent people to arrest the owner of the Holy Hand Hall. The Liu family and Zhao Cheng were sentenced to 50 strokes of the paddle and exiled for 3,000 miles. The Holy Hand Hall returned the Qi family’s assets and had their illegal gains from the past two years confiscated. They compensated the Qi family with 200 taels of silver. Qi Shilian and Qi Zhanpeng had their innocence restored. Liu Changqing was sentenced to death for embezzlement. County Magistrate Yang had neglected his duty and was suspended from his duties. He would be reported to the Imperial Court for punishment.

The onlookers cheered in unison. The Qi family mother and son cried tears of joy and kept kowtowing to Zhou Jia. Zhou Jia arranged for the county governor of Ling County to handle the matters of Ling County and rushed to Yunzhou City with Mr. Wen and the others..

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