Volume One, Chapter 17: It Was Shen Yuan Who Ordered Him to Harm Others!

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The Zhu couple had gone to the Tian household to borrow an ox cart and had returned with Madam Tian from Shen Yuan’s home.

When they heard that the village headman was dying, the couple exchanged a glance, then rushed forward and seized Zhao Dayong.

“What are you doing here? Speak! Were you the one who killed the village headman?”

“It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me! I swear it wasn’t me!” Zhao Dayong struggled desperately in their grasp, twisting and writhing as he tried to break free.

Clang!

In the midst of his struggle, something suddenly fell from his body.

Zhao Dayong hurriedly looked down, only to see that the wooden box on the ground had burst open, spilling a heap of small stones, with scattered pieces of broken silver mingled among them.

There appeared to be about ten taels in all.

He had actually gotten himself entangled in a murder case over those ten taels of silver. How unjust!

When the Zhu couple saw the money on the ground, they froze for a moment. Then, even more furious, they forced Zhao Dayong down, twisted his arms behind his back, and slapped him twice across the face.

“You beast! Are you even human? Their man had only just been crippled, and his widow and child were relying on this money to survive. You took advantage of their absence, broke into their home to steal it, and even killed their husband! You’re worse than an animal! You’re utterly wicked!”

Madam Tian sat beside the bed, silently shedding tears as she looked at the village headman, whose body had long since gone cold.

Little Tiger still did not understand what had happened. He ran to Madam Tian and called out, “Mother, don’t cry, don’t cry! Tiger will wipe your tears!”

At his words, Madam Tian pulled her son into her arms and began to sob aloud.

“Mother, don’t cry. You still have Little Tiger with you!”

Little Tiger rose onto his toes and wiped his mother’s tears with his sleeve. As he did so, he pursed his lips and blew gently at her face, as though he wanted to dry the dampness there.

In his heart, whether his father was beside him or not did not matter. The only person who had ever cared for him as he grew up was his mother.

When he had fallen ill as a child, his mother alone had carried him to town to find a physician. She had also stayed beside his bed day and night without sleep. Though his childhood memories were vague, he remembered that whenever he opened his eyes in a feverish haze, the only person he saw was his mother.

His father would appear only after he had recovered, pick him up a few times, and then scold his mother for being unable even to care for one child—she had actually let him fall ill. She was utterly useless.

So when Little Tiger heard that his father would never wake again, his first thought was not sorrow. He simply did not want his mother to be sad.

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All he cared about was his mother.

Seeing Little Tiger sensibly comforting her, the faint guilt in Shen Yuan’s heart finally eased. She called out to the Zhu couple, “Sister-in-law Zhu, I’ll go fetch some people!”

“Good! Bring as many as you can. We’ll send this murderer to the authorities!” the Zhu couple replied.

Shen Yuan turned and ran out. Before long, she had summoned most of the villagers. Even the nearly eighty-year-old patriarch of the Chu clan came tottering to the Tian household, leaning on his cane after hearing Shen Yuan’s voice.

His cousin’s son had actually died!

One calamity after another—why did people keep dying in the village?

“Patriarch, it’s this beast! He waited until Madam Tian was away, then climbed over their courtyard wall in the dead of night to steal their silver. The village headman caught him, so he killed him while he was helpless, trying to silence him! Patriarch, you must seek justice for Madam Tian. This murderer must be sent to the authorities!”

The moment the Chu clan patriarch entered, the Zhu couple shoved Zhao Dayong before him.

The patriarch glanced at Zhao Dayong, then allowed someone to support him into the house.

A few days earlier, he had come to see the man lying on the wooden bed. Now that same man had breathed his last. His gray-white face was rigid, and his vacant eyes still stared ahead. He had clearly died unwilling to accept his fate.

The old patriarch walked over and said to Madam Tian, “He is gone. Close his eyes for him.”

“The man who killed him has not yet been punished. How can he rest in peace?” Madam Tian said, staring at Zhao Dayong as she spoke each word distinctly.

When Zhao Dayong saw that even the Chu clan patriarch was looking at him, he shouted anxiously, “I truly didn’t kill him! Yes, I admit I came to steal things—but I never intended to kill anyone! He died on his own. I don’t know how it happened, but he just died! I swear to Heaven, I never even touched him. I’ve been wronged!”

But no matter how many oaths Zhao Dayong swore, no one was willing to believe him.

After all, Zhao Dayong had been the only person present. If he had not killed the village headman, then who had?

Seeing that not a single person believed him, Zhao Dayong grew as frantic as an ant on a hot griddle, desperately trying to defend himself.

He really had come only to steal the money. He had not killed anyone. At most…the village headman had died of fright because of him.

Zhao Dayong was terrified and frantic. Then, in his confusion, he suddenly spotted Shen Yuan standing behind the crowd, and a thought flashed through his mind.

“Patriarch! It was Yuan-girl! She told me that Madam Tian’s family had plenty of silver, so I came to steal it! She put me up to it. The village headman’s death has something to do with her too! Let me go! Arrest her! Arrest her!”

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When the villagers heard Zhao Dayong’s words, they all turned to look at Shen Yuan.

Why was it Shen Yuan again?

One incident after another in the village seemed to be connected to her, and they could not help but wonder.

Shen Yuan had long expected Zhao Dayong to drag her into the matter. So when she met the villagers’ gazes, she showed not the slightest trace of panic.

She lifted her eyes to Zhao Dayong. Her beautiful pupils were brimming with tears, making her look like a pitiful little rabbit.

“I brought some chicken soup my grandmother had simmered for Uncle Headman. I even wanted him to drink more so he could regain his strength, but Uncle Headman will never be able to drink it again…”

By the end, Shen Yuan’s voice had grown choked with tears.

She did not directly answer Zhao Dayong’s accusation, yet her words easily dispelled the villagers’ suspicions.

What a kind girl Shen Yuan was! She often treated them and gave them medicine for free, and whenever she had something delicious, she shared it with the children of the village. How could such a kind-hearted girl possibly harm anyone?

Even if she really had known that Madam Tian’s family had money and had accidentally let the secret slip, at worst it would have been a child’s careless tongue—not some great crime.

Zhao Dayong, however, was different. He had always been a shameless scoundrel. Coveting another family’s money was wrong enough, but he had even caused their man’s death. He deserved to die!

Zhao Dayong had not expected the villagers to believe none of his words. He was about to defend himself again, but the old patriarch gave him no chance.

“Second Brother Zhu, you are witnesses. Take a few others and escort Zhao Dayong to the authorities. Let the magistrate decide his fate! A shameless, scheming wretch like this has no place in our village!”

The Chu clan patriarch was one of the village elders, and his words carried considerable weight.

Thus, the moment he spoke, the villagers hurried over to help the Zhu couple bind Zhao Dayong. Furious, Zhao Dayong cursed them all. Finding him too noisy, the villagers stuffed his mouth as well, then sent him to Peaceful Town that very night.

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