Village Chief didn’t sleep a wink last night, but it was from excitement that kept him awake!
A mysterious wealthy family had suddenly arrived in the village, offering an astronomical price! There was only one condition—find a way to torment Meng Xizhou relentlessly, making her life in the village unbearable!
The Village Chief agreed almost without hesitation! Meng Xizhou saved his son? That was her duty! Sacrificing her alone would allow his family to live like royalty from now on—what a profitable deal! Besides, the other party didn’t demand her life, just some minor harassment.
Tomorrow’s funeral was simply a godsend! A widow who had just lost her husband—wasn’t she at his mercy? With a little incitement from him, the villagers could drown her in their spit alone!
At noon, the blazing sun shone brightly, yet it couldn’t dispel the gloom hanging over the Zhang family’s courtyard.
White cloth hung high, and the courtyard was filled with borrowed tables and stools. Villagers bustled about, some cooking, others doing odd jobs.
The Village Chief, with his hands clasped behind his back, sauntered into the Zhang family courtyard just before the feast began, heading straight for the main table.
Meng Xizhou pulled out a stool, her smile not reaching her eyes. “The Village Chief has arrived. Has your son recovered fully?”
The Village Chief snorted coldly through his nostrils. “What bad luck! Don’t mention my son with your filthy mouth!”
A cold glint flashed in Meng Xizhou’s eyes as she shoved the stool back with a loud clatter. “If only you had spoken like this when you were begging me to save your son. With your unlucky aura, your son would’ve been cursed to death by you long ago—why wait until today?”
She scanned the crowd and raised her voice. “Who knows? Perhaps we could hold your son’s funeral today as well! Everyone could enjoy a double feast!”
“You!” The Village Chief’s face trembled with rage as he grabbed a coarse ceramic bowl from the table and smashed it to the ground!
“You reckless fool!” he roared, pointing at Meng Xizhou’s nose. “If I hadn’t turned a blind eye, how could you have hidden the fact that you’ve been seducing married men in the village?! I’ve already reported you to the authorities! The officers from the County Yamen are on their way! Let’s see whether your tongue is tougher or the branding iron in jail is hotter!”
“Reported me?” Meng Xizhou laughed as if she had heard the biggest joke. “To what muddle-headed official from some toad’s den? Where’s the evidence?”
“Evidence? I have witnesses!” The Village Chief sneered triumphantly and raised his voice. “Er Gou! Da Dan! Step forward!”
At his words, the courtyard fell silent instantly, all eyes fixed on the scene. The women exchanged glances that said, “I knew it,” and “She’s a vixen,” while the men’s eyes darted about, their thoughts varied.
The two shifty-eyed men—Er Gou and Da Dan—sheepishly stepped out from the crowd.
The Village Chief, puffed up like a victorious rooster, commanded them, “In front of everyone, tell us in detail how Zhang’s wife shamelessly seduced you!”
Er Gou licked his lips. “She asked me to meet her every day at the abandoned temple east of the village…”
Meng Xizhou immediately interrupted. “Every day? How many days is that?”
Er Gou immediately exaggerated. “At least ten days to half a month!”
“Ha!” Meng Xizhou let out a cold laugh. “From the day I entered Xiaohe Village until today, it’s only been four days at most! Brother Er Gou, you should at least use your brain before spouting nonsense. Otherwise, with a name like yours, everyone knows a dog’s mouth can’t spit out ivory!”
Er Gou was left speechless, his face flushing red as he stammered incoherently.
Meng Xizhou turned her gaze to another man, Da Dan. “Your turn, Brother Dan. What brilliant insight do you have?”
Da Dan, having seen his companion suffer a setback, felt somewhat timid. Only after the Village Chief shot him a fierce glare did he steel himself and say, “I was entangled with Zhang’s wife every night in the west of the village. One day, I accidentally bumped into the Village Chief…”
Meng Xizhou leisurely flicked her fingernails. “Which day was that? The day before yesterday? Yesterday? Or the day before that? What specific time?”
Da Dan flushed bright red. “I… I forgot!”
“You can’t even remember the day within just four days?” Meng Xizhou raised an eyebrow, her gaze shooting like lightning toward Da Dan’s wife, whose face had turned ashen in the crowd. “Sister-in-law Da Dan, your husband claims he was entangled every night! Recently, when you got up at night, was he still by your pillow? Or… did you sleep so soundly that you didn’t even notice your husband sneaking away in the middle of the night?”
Boom—!
Everyone’s eyes instantly focused on Da Dan’s wife. The question was too vicious! Admitting she slept too deeply to notice her husband slipping away at night would make her seem incompetent as a wife. Denying it would mean her husband was lying!
Da Dan’s wife trembled with rage, glaring at Meng Xizhou as if she wanted to devour her alive!
The courtyard fell dead silent. Everyone could see that these so-called “witnesses” were nothing but fools the Village Chief had paid off!
“Village Chief,” Meng Xizhou said with disdain, “next time you bribe people, at least pick a couple who are a bit smarter.”
She gently patted her own cheek. “I’m embarrassed… for you.”
The Village Chief’s face instantly turned the color of pig liver! He never expected Meng Xizhou to dismantle his scheme with just a few words! It was also his fault for being unprepared and hiring two such incompetent fools!
But… this was just an appetizer!
Thinking of the plan that could ruin Meng Xizhou completely, his anger was replaced by a twisted sense of satisfaction. He gave Meng Xizhou a sinister smile:
“Zhang’s wife, the real show… is yet to come!”
“You just wait!”
With that, he stormed off.
Meng Xizhou watched the direction he disappeared in, her eyes as cold as knives.
Village Chief, repaying kindness with enmity.
You just… wait for death.
The funeral ended hastily, and the villagers dispersed with mixed feelings. Meng Xizhou had just sat down to catch her breath when the messenger who had gone to deliver the news to Zhang Zhuo hurried back. Seeing Meng Xizhou, he sighed heavily:
“Zhang’s wife, accept my condolences! Your third brother-in-law, Zhang Zhuo… is gone!”
Meng Xizhou’s heart skipped a beat. “Gone? What happened?”
“Ah! They say he was accompanying his teacher on an outing and fell from the carriage… died on the spot! I went to see the body myself—it was definitely Zhang Zhuo!” the messenger lamented. “Such a sudden tragedy!”
Died so easily?
Suspicion immediately arose in Meng Xizhou’s mind. She squeezed out two tears, her voice choked with sobs. “Did the school… give my third brother-in-law a proper burial?”
“Buried, buried. Right behind the school’s mountain. Even the tombstone is set up.” The messenger waved his hand. “Don’t worry too much. The dead cannot come back to life.”
“I understand.” Meng Xizhou paid him for his errand. “Thank you for your trouble. Have you eaten? There’s still food in the kitchen…”
“No, no, I have another job to rush to.” The messenger waved and hurried away.
Meng Xizhou wiped the tears from the corner of her eye, her gaze turning sharp.
Was Zhang Zhuo really dead? Or… was someone trying to lure her into a trap?
She absolutely could not let Zhang Zhuo, this hidden danger, return alive to Jingcheng! She had to go and confirm it personally! But traveling alone over such a long distance meant too many uncertainties.
After a moment’s thought, Meng Xizhou had an idea. Before returning to the capital, she would make a detour to the academy and drag the Crown Prince’s men along as backup. Instantly, she felt much safer.
She stood up. Whether it was true or not, she had to first deliver this “good news” to Zhang Family’s Old Woman.