Chapter 336: Chapter 336, The Truth
Yet, even with such a scene, no one stepped forward to ask a question.
Everyone feared trouble might befall them, so they all stood there, watching the excitement, yet no one stepped forward to inquire.
There were whispers and a buzz of speculation.
A man’s face turned pale after catching sight of Yan Ruihe’s sorry state and he quickly left the scene.
Han Zhong might not have witnessed this, but someone quietly followed the man.
As the carriage entered Shi County, Shi Jiayu burst into tears.
Yun Jinnian glanced at her before lifting the curtain of the carriage window to look outside.
Although Shi County was also drought-stricken and close to Nanjiang, it was much less affected than the counties between Tortoiseshell City and Hongchou City, so there were still people on the streets conducting their business.
Yun Jinnian’s arrival in Shi County attracted curious onlookers.
It wasn’t until the carriage came to a stop that someone approached and said, "Miss Shi, we’ve reached the Shi Family estate. His Highness invites you to disembark from the carriage!"
Shi Jiayu took a deep breath and with the support of Hemei and Henuan, she alighted from the carriage.
No sooner had she stepped down than countless eyes turned toward her.
"Eh, isn’t that Miss Shi?"
"Yes, how did she get injured?"
"Indeed, how did she get injured?"
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Shi Jiayu took a deep breath and suddenly knelt to the ground. "My uncles, aunts, and elders, your daughter has been wronged by the whole world!"
"What!"
Her action shocked many onlookers.
They began to buzz about what could have happened to her.
A path cleared in the crowd, allowing Shi Jiayu to see Yan Ruihe lying on the ground. "Yan Ruihe, you ingrate, you heartless beast, give me back my parents’ lives!"
With a shriek, Shi Jiayu lunged at Yan Ruihe.
She grabbed his throat fiercely, "Why did you have to harm my parents? The Shi Family is already in your hands, why did you collude with bandits to take their lives, you heartless beast? I’ll fight you to the death!"
Shi Jiayu’s screams were filled with immense sorrow, but her voice was exceedingly clear, making it possible for everyone to understand what she was saying.
It was at this moment the onlookers really comprehended the situation.
It turned out that Yan Ruihe had killed the master of the Shi estate and his wife!
Heavens, how could this be possible?
However, Miss Shi was not known to be a liar, and her body was covered with wounds. Could it be that she had discovered Yan Ruihe’s misdeeds, so he even intended to harm her?
It must be said, the people actually understood the truth.
Yun Jinnian sat in the carriage, listening to the people’s varied discussions and Shi Jiayu’s accusations, his lips curling into a faint smile.
Shi Jiayu was indeed clever. This act of hers, while exposing her own plight, skewed public opinion entirely in her favor.
What a clever girl.
The County Governor’s Office soon sent people, ready to take Shi Jiayu, Yan Ruihe, and their group away. Naturally, Chu Yu did not consent. He made his identity clear and demanded that the County Magistrate try the case on the street.
The County Magistrate was so frightened that he sweated profusely but could only begrudgingly establish a public tribunal on the street. However, there was no need for Yan Ruihe to confess, as his underlings spilled everything.
Yan Ruihe, the Bandit Leader, had coveted the wealth of the Shi Family estate. However, after several schemes that came to naught, he learned that the master of the Shi estate had only one daughter and sought a son-in-law to join the family. He knew his opportunity had come.
So he pretended to be an orphan without any family, and also during his time of despair, was rescued by Miss Shi. He would be entirely devoted to Miss Shi, and thus he quickly gained favor with the master of the Shi estate and, as a matter of course, married Shi Jiayu, becoming the fortunate son-in-law of the Shi Family estate.
While embracing Miss Shi on one hand, he schemed for the Shi Family’s wealth on the other, knowing that someday when the master of the Shi estate left with his wife, he would conspire with bandits to stage a grand drama...