Lü Youguang had the constables bring Xiao Liu over, while the members of the Liu family escorted Liu Jinyao. The group headed toward the resting area where the constables were staying.
The onlookers, seeing this, also left the riverside, eager to see how Magistrate Lü would handle the case.
Seeing everyone heading back, Liu Qingyu came out from her space and slipped into the departing crowd.
“What do you think Magistrate Lü will decide?” someone asked.
“Magistrate Lü is upright and fair. He definitely won’t shield the real criminal,” another replied.
At the constables’ resting area, which had already been tidied up and temporarily turned into a makeshift courtroom, Lü Youguang sat on a large rock. He looked sternly at the Liu family members kneeling on the ground and Xiao Liu lying nearby.
The embroidery needle that had injured Xiao Liu had already been removed and preserved as evidence.
After some simple treatment and medicine, Xiao Liu’s complexion had improved somewhat. He now understood clearly what had injured him.
Meanwhile, the two shiny embroidery needles on Liu Jinyao’s head seemed to point unmistakably at the culprit.
Blinded by hatred, Xiao Liu no longer cared whether Liu Jinyao had actually had needles in her hair in the first place.
He cried to Lü Youguang, “My lord, you must uphold justice for me! Their family wanted me to protect them, so they offered Liu Jinyao to me. It was a mutually agreed arrangement.
But that woman suddenly injured my… my vital parts afterward! My Liu family has been a single line for three generations—this is trying to cut off my family line!”
Hearing this, Lü Youguang’s veins throbbed. He turned to the Liu family and asked, “Do you have anything to say in your defense?”
“My lord, even if our family is struggling, we would never do something like offering our daughter to disgrace herself. Don’t believe this man’s lies!” Liu Erye said righteously.
Liu Jinyao swayed slightly and said weakly, “My lord, I am wronged. I am educated—how could I ever do something so shameless?”
The surrounding crowd nodded repeatedly. Yes, they were educated people, they had scholarly pride and integrity.
But… did Liu Erye, who usually looked down on the poor and favored the rich, really have such “integrity”?
The thought flashed through everyone’s minds, and they silently shook their heads. Well… maybe not.
Seeing the Liu family firmly deny everything, Xiao Liu sneered.
“You really think I’m that easy to fool?”
Then he said to Lü Youguang, “My lord, you can send people to search the place where the Liu family was resting. See if there’s any grain among their belongings—that was my deposit!”
The constables were issued rations, but they also received extra backup grain. Those grain bags had a unique marking at the bottom.
The Liu family froze.
Oh no—they had forgotten about the grain.
They looked at each other, unsure how to continue the act.
Old Madam Liu quickly came up with an idea.
“My lord, that grain was forced on us by that constable yesterday. He wanted to force my granddaughter into marriage, but we refused to comply!”
Lü Youguang was not someone who believed one-sided claims. He asked coldly, “If you refused, why did you accept the grain?”
At that moment, Constable Yi returned with the grain—and it was already half gone.
Xiao Liu laughed bitterly, then pressed the question further. “If you refused, why accept it? And why was half of it eaten in less than a day?”
“This… this…” Old Madam Liu was momentarily speechless.
After all, the men in the Liu family were all big eaters. When they saw the grain, their eyes practically lit up. They didn’t care about the future and immediately urged Madam Jiang to cook so they could have a full meal.
And now, that very meal had become proof of their lies.
Lü Youguang despised pretentious scholars—and even more, people who went back on their word.
“Enough. I understand the situation.”
“In the beginning, it was clearly a transaction between you and Xiao Liu. But later you changed your minds, and now you’ve injured him.”
“Since you accepted Xiao Liu’s grain, then the agreement stands: Liu Jinyao will be married to Xiao Liu.”
“As for Xiao Liu neglecting his duties, since he has already been punished, he will be fined three months of salary.”
The onlookers now fully understood what kind of people the Liu family were. So they really had tried to sell their daughter and then falsely accused the man.
Now it made sense why Liu Qingyu’s family chose to live separately—they must have long since been unable to tolerate them.
“My lord, Liu Jinyao is not fit to be my wife. She can only be my concubine,” Xiao Liu said coldly. “Otherwise, I won’t accept it.”
Liu Jinyao hadn’t expected things to reach this point and cried out, “My lord, I really didn’t hurt him! I am innocent!”
But from the start, the Liu family had already implicitly accepted that she was the culprit. Now that the situation had collapsed, they no longer bothered defending her.
Only Liu Jinyao knew she was truly innocent, but no one believed her anymore.
It was truly a case of bitter suffering with no way to explain it.
Before she could cry further, Lü Youguang flicked his sleeve and left.
“Liu Jinyao, hurry up and help your husband to the shade!” shouted a constable who was close with Xiao Liu.
To them, this had always been a mutually agreed arrangement. Now that she had broken her word and crippled him, she was simply shameless.
Liu Jinyao looked back at her parents, grandmother, and siblings—but they all avoided her gaze. None of them wanted to stand up for her.
Weakly, she forced herself up, her face pale, and went to help Xiao Liu.
Xiao Liu sat up, saw her face, and kicked her hard.
“Bitch!”
“Aah!”
The kick made her face even paler, but she could only endure it silently and help him up again.
“Are you moving like a snail? Hurry up and take me to the shade! Do you want the sun to kill me?” Xiao Liu barked.
Shaken, Liu Jinyao carefully helped him toward the shade.
Watching this, Liu Qingyu nodded in satisfaction.
Let these two vile people torment each other. Now the man had lost his “tool,” and the woman had lost her freedom—let’s see how they scheme now.
The crowd dispersed, chatting in groups about what had just happened.
Finally, Liu Qingyu found her parents. Madam Tian Chunzhu had already spotted her.
“Xiaoyu, when we heard something happened by the river, we were terrified. We were so afraid it was you,” she said, still clutching her chest.
Liu Hongyi nodded. “Exactly. Even though I know your martial arts are good, blades don’t have eyes. Next time something happens, you must call me or your mother.”
Liu Qingyu smiled sweetly. “Father, Mother, I understand. Don’t you remember my special treasure? No one can hurt me.”
Madam Tian Chunzhu sighed helplessly and tapped her forehead.
“You… you really worry your mother.”