It was too late to say anything now. The offense was committed, and the only way was to find a solution. He could disregard his own life and safety, but he had a whole family behind him. He had to press forward and could not retreat.
Guan Tianyi was highly skilled. How could he not sense others' scrutiny? He saw the nervousness of the servants around him as he prepared the dishes out of the corner of his eye, knowing something was in them. She ate it anyway, primarily because she trusted her daughter-in-law implicitly and wanted to play a trick on them.
Of course, Guan Tianyi was not one to be captured without a fight. While he appeared to offer no resistance, he was secretly collecting evidence of Magistrate Ye's illegal activities.
Initially, he thought Magistrate Ye, though employing questionable tactics in business, cared for his wife and children. But what had he uncovered now? The results were truly unexpected.
When he first came to Ning'an County, he brought everyone in his household who might be useful to understand the local situation. He never expected them to come in handy.
The aunt of one of his guards had originally been a maid brought by Madam Ye from her maiden home. Because she was honest and slow-witted, Madam Ye did not favor her. Not long after Madam Ye married Magistrate Ye, she dismissed a group of people, and his aunt was among them.
According to his aunt, she was happy to be sent home. She had unintentionally overheard a conversation between Madam Ye and Magistrate Ye at the time, learning a shocking secret. Fearing they would silence her, she dared not tell anyone, acting ever more discreetly and constantly wishing to leave.
Seeing her nephew investigating the matter, she revealed the secret she had kept hidden in her heart for years, emphatically warning him not to reveal she was the source.
It turned out Madam Ye's name was Liu Wanning, and her marriage to Magistrate Ye was her second. She was originally the daughter of a merchant family in the prefectural city and married into the Lin family, who dealt in silk and were of equal social standing. The Lin parents had passed away early, leaving only a younger sister. After the marriage, she immediately took charge of the household.
The still-poor Magistrate Ye worked as a guard in the Lin household. Because they saw each other often, he became acquainted with Liu Wanning.
The Lin family's business was built through the hard work of Mr. Lin alone. Sometimes he had to travel to other places to procure goods, which would take ten days to half a month.
Magistrate Ye, ambitious at the time, systematically drew closer to Liu Wanning, displaying his meticulous care. Over time, she was moved. However, being already a wife of the Lin family, their statuses became the greatest obstacle.
To overcome this insurmountable hurdle, the two colluded with bandits. Mr. Lin, utterly lacking in strength, was hacked to death with numerous blades during one of his procurement trips. Liu Wanning hastily arranged the funeral and, while the mourning period was still in effect, married off his sister and profited handsomely from the betrothal gifts.
Subsequently, they disposed of all the Lin family's assets and secretly came to Ning'an, this remote little county. They rarely went out, fearing they would be recognized.
In fact, when the county magistrate first arrived, he had also investigated Magistrate Ye. The reason he didn't uncover this matter was that very few people knew about it back then. After arriving in Ning'an County, the couple changed their names, and Madam Ye rarely appeared in public. Moreover, even if they were investigated, what difference would it make? There was no wrong in Madam Ye remarrying.
If not for that time they lost control and quarreled, she, having been part of the dowry, had initially thought the former master's misfortune was purely bad luck. She never imagined there was a plot behind it.
Since they dared to hire assassins, there was no secret that could be kept forever. Especially, where had those bandits from back then gone? It might be difficult for others to investigate, but as the son of a prefect, if he wanted to know any news within the prefecture, he could probably not be stopped.
So, he sent a letter by carrier pigeon to his father and soon received a reply. Later, that group of bandits was wiped out by the authorities. Those who hadn't committed murder were allowed to reclaim wasteland and become honest citizens. The ringleaders who had taken lives had three dead, and two remained in prison. One of them still remembered Magistrate Ye's appearance. Seeing this, Guan Tianyi breathed a sigh of relief; the matter finally had some direction.
Lin Qiao, Mr. Lin's sister, had relied on her brother for many years. The siblings had a deep bond. When the news of her brother's death arrived, she was devastated for a time. Later, she was hastily married off by her sister-in-law.
How good could the man chosen in such a rush be? Moreover, Liu Wanning was after the betrothal gifts. After the marriage, she suffered greatly for a long time.
The reason the other party was willing to pay a high price to marry her was that the groom, before he was married, had fought and brawled in a brothel over a woman, and even had an illegitimate child, giving him a very bad reputation. But his family wanted to marry someone of equal social standing, so they could only offer more betrothal gifts.
With the intention of leaving, Liu Wanning considered all the silver hers, including Lin Qiao's betrothal gifts. Naturally, she was unwilling to give much dowry.
After she moved in, seeing the meager dowry, her in-laws all looked down on her, and her life was very difficult. After two or three years of marriage, she barely managed to give birth to a legitimate son. A mother's strength grew, and she slowly found ways to establish herself. No matter what, she had to carve out a space for her son in this turbulent backyard.
Having depended on her brother for so many years, she had already witnessed the fickleness of human relationships. She was not inherently weak but simply couldn't accept her brother's death and fell into despair. Now, someone told her that her brother had been murdered by her sister-in-law and an outsider working together. One could imagine her shock.
This all started that morning. She went to a jewelry shop to look at accessories. As soon as she entered, someone "accidentally" bumped into her. She felt something placed in her palm and instinctively clenched her fist. When no one was looking, she opened the note and her hands trembled as she read its contents.
She used the excuse of feeling unwell and hurried back to her residence. Once in her courtyard, she summoned her trusted confidante and spent a considerable amount of silver to have her go to the prison and question the two inmates according to the instructions on the note. The result was a confirmation.
Although she didn't know who the person was or what their purpose was in sending her this note, at this moment, she couldn't care. Even if it meant facing a sea of knives and flames, she had to go through it.
So, the next day, she sounded the drum of accusation. When Magistrate Ye and Madam Ye were summoned to the hall, they knew trouble was brewing. In their youth, they had rehearsed their story countless times, but it had never been used. Now, in their old age, the matter had been brought to light. They had thought it would be buried with them.
Upon seeing that it was Lin Qiao filing the complaint, she tried to recall. It seemed she hadn't discovered their secret. A sense of relief washed over her. Perhaps she was suing about something else, like taking away the Lin family's property, or marrying her off carelessly.
However, a single sentence from the county magistrate shattered their hopes: "Who is in the hall? State your name quickly. Lin Qiao accuses you of colluding to murder her brother. Do you confess?"
"Injustice, Your Honor! We are but humble merchants; how could we dare to do anything heinous?" Magistrate Ye quickly cried out in protest, unsure of how much evidence the accuser had.