Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Even Qi Wang never expected that a small ghost story would eventually lead to a major silver robbery case that the court had ordered to be investigated.
They had just finished interrogating Gao Feng when the silver coins sent by Zhuang Jiuge arrived. Upon inspection at the money exchange, they were confirmed to be official silver with a purity of 100%.
Zhuang Tian’er was now a confirmed culprit.
If it weren’t for Zhuang Li’s keen observation, who would have imagined that this huge sum of 600,000 taels of silver would eventually fall into the hands of a peasant girl? The imperial envoy sent to investigate the case would never have guessed the inside story.
A few months later, once the storm had died down, the case would truly have become an unsolved mystery.
Using these 600,000 taels of silver as a paving stone, Zhuang Tian’er could climb step by step to a height she could never reach. No wonder she was willing to ruin Zhuang Li and Zhuang Jiuge’s futures, yet not afraid of implicating herself; it turned out she already had another way out.
“What a convoluted and bizarre case! This Zhuang Tian’er is no ordinary person!” Even the well-informed captain of the guards couldn’t help but gasp in amazement after reading the case file.
An hour later, Qi Wang led a group of men into the deep mountains and, guided by Gao Feng, found the cave.
The cave entrance was blocked by a few rocks and a clump of vines, and tigers and bears frequently roamed the area, so no one dared to come. The fallen branches and leaves scattered on the ground provided natural cover, so even if someone walked by, they wouldn’t leave a trace.
Upon entering the cave, a nauseating stench of decay assaulted the nostrils. Lighting torches revealed over forty half-rotten corpses, all with a single stab wound to the chest, fatally wounded. Only after passing the corpses could one see dozens of large boxes.
Some of the boxes had been opened, while others still had seals on them.
The guards quickly poured the strong liquor they had brought onto cloths to cover their mouths and noses, thus preventing themselves from being overwhelmed by the stench of the rotting corpse.
Zhuang Li was almost fainting; his once rosy face was now whiter than paper.
Qi Wang felt sorry for him and repeatedly asked him to leave, but he shook his head and refused, stubbornly refusing to go.
Qi Wang had no choice but to cover his face with two layers of cloth and hold his hand tightly.
The two walked slower and slower, eventually falling behind.
Zhuang Li then tugged at his lover’s arm and whispered, “Lower your head.”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?” Qi Wang quickly lowered his head.
Zhuang Li ripped off his own veil, then ripped off Qi Wang’s veil, tiptoed and quickly stole a kiss filled with the scent of wine, then put his own veil back on and calmly said, “I’m much better now.”
Qi Wang was stunned.
Zhuang Li helped him pull the mask back down.
Qi Wang suddenly grabbed his wrist and said in a hoarse voice, “I’m a little dizzy too. What do you suggest we do?”
Zhuang Li couldn’t help but laugh, so he hugged his lover’s head and continued kissing. The intertwining of their lips and tongues brought out a strong aroma of wine, which completely shut out the horror and stench around them.
No matter what situation they found themselves in, it seemed that as long as the two of them were together, even bad things could turn into beautiful memories.
The two disappeared into the darkness, kissing each other without restraint, until they heard someone calling for the prince from ahead, at which point they reluctantly separated.
“Are you still dizzy?” Qi Wang held the young boy in his arms and asked softly.
“Still dizzy,” Zhuang Li said with a low laugh, “I’m dizzy from your kiss.”
Qi Wang smiled, his eyes filled with deep satisfaction.
Hand in hand, the two walked into the area illuminated by the torches and saw dozens of large, open chests. Clearly, while they were secretly making out, the captain of the guards had already counted the silver.
“How much is missing?” Qi Wang asked in a deep voice.
“Two thousand taels are missing.” The guard captain looked at Gao Feng, who was bound hand and foot.
Gao Feng immediately knelt down to clarify: “Your Highness, I really didn’t touch that money! I swear to God! If you don’t believe me, you can search my house! I’m usually extremely cautious, and I wouldn’t dare spend a single tael of silver until things have calmed down. You have to believe me!”
“That must have been taken by Zhuang Tian’er. She’s highly skilled and daring; it’s not surprising that she secretly took two thousand taels,” Zhuang Li analyzed.
The guard captain immediately nodded in agreement: “She has already given away a thousand taels to buy her life, and she should still have a thousand taels hidden in her possession. We should just search her house directly.”
“Then go and search,” Qi Wang decisively ordered.
….
Meanwhile, Zhuang Tian’er was bandaging Yun Changrong’s wounds.
She originally planned to secretly leave Luoxia Village with her mother and the remaining thousand taels of silver, but unexpectedly encountered the Prince of Qi lying in the grass halfway there.
The prince was covered in bruises, both of his arms were dislocated, and his feet, which were wearing straw sandals, were cut and bleeding from the vines and grass.
Zhuang Tian’er rushed up to rescue him, and after asking carefully, she learned that the Prince of Qi had gone hunting in the mountains and accidentally fell off a cliff, nearly dying. His guards couldn’t find him, so they had to rush back to the capital to get help.
Zhuang Tian’er found the story rather strange. How could a prince, after encountering danger, not have any guards sealing off the mountain to search for him? But she could never have guessed that the Qi Wang’s heir was not the real Prince of Qi, let alone that this person would be driven out of the Qi Wang’s house.
Therefore, she believed Yun Changrong’s words and gave up the idea of fleeing with her mother that very night.
Firstly, the 600,000 taels of silver remained behind after she left, and she feared it would be discovered, which she couldn’t bear to leave unattended. Secondly, she was unwilling to flee like a stray dog. She was determined to live a better life than anyone else, and she would make those who had wronged her pay the price!
As long as the Prince of Qi’s injuries are healed and he was safely returned to the Wang residence, that will be a great achievement! With the title of the Prince’s savior, why would I need to run away?
In Bazhou City, and even in the capital, who would dare to bully me? Thinking this, Zhuang Tian’er quickly helped the Prince of Qi up and took him home for treatment.
Yun Changrong concealed his true identity.
He feared that Zhuang Tian’er would refuse to help if he revealed the truth, so he fabricated a story full of loopholes. Fortunately, Zhuang Tian’er was just a peasant girl with little experience, and she actually believed it.
Yun Changrong planned to stay at Zhuang Tian’er’s house to recover from his injuries before secretly leaving. He had been a prince for over a decade and had many friends; perhaps someone would be willing to help him reclaim everything he had once possessed. The fall from extraordinary nobility to utter destitution was something he truly couldn’t accept.
Zhuang Tian’er helped Yun Changrong back home. Qin Shi then went around to the back of the house and buried the silver in the basket back into the ground.
She had run away from home with her daughter in the middle of the night. Her husband would be furious if he found out. Would her in-laws divorce her? How would she live from now on? Qin Shi pushed open the courtyard gate with a heavy heart, but she heard her husband’s happy voice coming from the room with candlelight.
Previously, the mother-in-law, who avoided her daughter like the plague, actually came out of the house carrying a basin of hot water, with a fawning smile on her face.
Upon seeing her daughter-in-law, her smile vanished, and she questioned, “Tian’er said you were helping the young master gather hemostatic herbs in the back mountain. Where are the herbs?”
Qin Shi quickly took out a few fresh herbs from her basket, which naturally covered the mud on her hands.
Grandma Zhuang urged, “Why don’t you wash it clean, mash it, and apply it to the young master?”
“I’ll go wash it right away.” Qin Shi took the herbs into the kitchen, plopped down on the stool by the stove, and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She was so nervous that her head was spinning.
Just then, Zhuang Tian’er walked into the kitchen and whispered as she cooked porridge, “Mother, do you see? As long as we have value, Father and Grandma will treat us well. Even if they know we were going out in the middle of the night to run away, they won’t dare to take their anger out on us.”
Qin Shi asked in confusion, “Just because we saved the young master?”
“Yes, it’s because we saved the prince. As long as we send him back to the palace, we’ll be the Prince Qi’s greatest benefactors. With that connection, everyone in the village will have to bow down to us! Mother, don’t be afraid, I will definitely make sure you live a good life,” Zhuang Tian’er said confidently.
Qin Shi shook her head, her tone somewhat downcast: “Mother doesn’t want a good life, mother just wants a peaceful life.”
Zhuang Tian’er sneered, “Without power, your so-called peaceful life is just wishful thinking.”
After speaking, she stared at the bubbling porridge, lost in thought. She knew that the greatest opportunity was right in front of her, and if she seized it, she would surely soar to great heights from now on.
She was determined to capture the Prince of Qi, but how?
She knew very well that for a prince or nobleman, marrying a peasant girl as his principal wife was nothing short of a pipe dream. But what if this peasant girl could bring a dowry of 600,000 taels of silver? Who could resist that temptation? Even a princess’s wedding probably didn’t have such a grand spectacle.
Thinking of this, a glint of light flashed in Zhuang Tian’er’s eyes.
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