Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 89 - 87: Those Not of the Imperial Court Must Not Attain

Chapter 89: Chapter 87: Those Not of the Imperial Court Must Not Attain

In the old Shen house, Mr. Shen was extremely worried after hearing that Shen Chengyao and his family were taken away by the authorities. He was genuinely concerned for his son, but he also feared that his whole family might get involved in the mess.

"What exactly did my third one do to get himself arrested?"

"It must be related to his sudden fortune. Fortunately, we separated early and severed ties with him, otherwise we’d be doomed!" Shen Chengzong was quietly thankful that he hadn’t jumped on the same bandwagon as his youngest brother. A hint of schadenfreude crossed his mind. You had my son thrown in the jail, and now your entire family is in jail. That’s karma!

"Father, we should first go to the government office and find out what is going on. Perhaps we could visit Third Brother and find out why he was arrested. Then we can think of a way to get their family out." Shen Chengzu was extremely concerned. He was sure his third brother was wrongly accused.

"Go to the government office? Have you gone mad or lost your brains? That’s just asking for trouble. Since the third one and his family suddenly got so wealthy, they probably got involved in something big. I think it’s definitely related to underground salt trafficking" Shen Chengzong immediately shot down the idea.

"Then I’ll go myself." Shen Chengzu stated before leaving straightaway. He couldn’t believe his third brother would do such a thing. He must have been set up.

Upon hearing this, the color drained from both Mr. Shen and Mrs. Shen’s faces. Illegal trafficking of salt? That was a crime that could lead to execution and seizure of their entire family’s assets. How could he dare?

At the thought of her own execution with her head rolling off and blood spattering everywhere, Mrs. Shen couldn’t help but shiver.

"Damn him. If he wants to die, he should die alone, not drag us with him. I raised him with tears and sweat but reaped no benefits in my old age. Now I could lose my head because of him! What sins have I committed to deserve this? If I had known, I would have drowned him at birth!" Mrs. Shen started to cry. She was truly terrified.

Once Mr. Shen calmed down, he felt that things couldn’t be as grave as anticipated, but couldn’t figure out what his typically honest son could possibly have done. Was it possible the silver used to build that house was really from the pearls he found in a river clam? No, the pearl was there, and even he could tell it wasn’t ordinary.

Wait a minute. Could it be because of those pearls! Did the pearls have a dubious origin? Had they not been found inside river clams at all? Could it be that young third had found them, sold them, and then been mistaken for a thief? He did not suspect his son, whom he had watched grow over so many years. He did understand him, after all.

"Wife, where is that pearl?"

"Inside the box, what is it? That pearl was Yuzhu’s dowry. You’re not thinking of using it for bail, are you?" Mrs. Shen held tightly onto her set of keys.

"No, I suspect it might be stolen goods, and not obtained from the clams as Third claimed. That he picked it up, sold it and was then eyed by the authorities who assumed he must be a thief!"

"What? That good-for-nothing! I wondered how he was so willing to give up the pearl. He wants to get me killed! Ah, I need to throw it away. What if officials find it when they come to search?"

Mrs. Shen hastily opened the box, took out the pearl, and ran outside. She wanted to toss it into the river where no one would find it, but seeing how big and beautiful it was, she couldn’t bear to do so. Finding no one around, she decided to hide it under a tree instead. After washing her hands clean, she hurried home.

"I knew it. Many from our village have been to that river, but why had no one else found such a clam? Turns out it was the third one fooling us. I spent days in the cold river looking for something that wasn’t there! Even thinking about it feels cold now!"

The more Shen Chengzong thought about it, the more he felt something was amiss. Such a precious pearl must belong to a fabulously wealthy family. Young Third had messed with someone powerful. No, he needed to take Mrs. Li and the children and return to her family’s home for protection.

"Father, the children and I will be out for a few days." Without further ado, he left in a hurry.

Shen Chengguang came in, his face blushing healthily.

Seeing that his eldest son had returned, Mr. Shen felt somewhat reassured. "You have been out since dawn and only now you return. Where have you been?"

"Ah, a customer placed a large order the day before yesterday. Asked me to deliver it first thing today. Dad, we have to return to town. The shop can’t be left unattended." After asking Constable Zhang to arrest his third brother’s family early in the morning, he treated the group to a big meal at the restaurant before he returned home.

"Wait. Now that Third Boy and his family have been arrested by the officers, do you think you could..."

"Don’t worry, father. They’ll be let out soon."

"You asked around?" Mr. Shen looked at his eldest son, surprised by his certainty.

"Hmm, right, then I’ll go back into town first!" Shen Chengguang hurriedly responded, nodded, and then rushed back to the east wing to take his wife and child back into town. He still had to collect silver from within the county.

Old Mr. Shen finally let out a sigh of relief, feeling very gratified. It seemed that in the end, it was his eldest son who was considerate of his brothers and had been proactive. Seeing everything through, he couldn’t have been wrong. This child, from a young age, showed filial piety, loved his younger brother, and had foresight, considering things far into the future. Suggesting to divide the family was the best evidence of this.

On the other hand, Xiao Fuzi found Doctor Luo, and seeing that Doctor Luo also didn’t know what was going on, he quickly dismounted the carriage and rushed towards the Government Office!

Doctor Luo followed him there.

Xiao Fuzi arrived at the Government Office, directly taking out Shangguan Xuanyi’s token, and saw the county magistrate.

Upon seeing the token, the county magistrate was so frightened that he quickly knelt down. "Your subordinate pays respect to..."

Xiao Fuzi, feeling frantic, cut him off, "Enough, I ask you, where are Shen Chengyao and his family? Where are they being held?"

Who was Shen Chengyao, and why was he asking about him? He didn’t even know who Shen Chengyao was. Was it someone who had committed a serious crime in his county? How damned! Were those subordinates just eating and not working? This prominent person was arrested, and none of them thought to report it quickly! Leaving him confused!

"Sir, this Shen Chengyao is a new offender, I have not yet had time to..."

"Take me to the cell immediately!" How did this person become an official, totally missing the point!

"Yes, yes, yes...Sir, please follow me." The County Magistrate bowed his head and bent his waist to lead the way. His mind spun with the thought. When was Shen Chengyao put into prison? This man, who had come knocking at the door, could not have made a mistake. The people under his charge, who could have made a mistake? What was the crime committed? He had to find a way to claim credit for this.

Just then, Constable Zhang came in to report something. He saluted, "Sir."

Magistrate Lin was delighted to see him. "Constable Zhang, you came just in time. This gentleman has come to locate Shen Chengyao. You know the prison area well, lead the way."

Magistrate Lin then turned to Xiao Fuzi, smiling obsequiously. "Sir, I’m not sure exactly where he’s being held. We can have Constable Zhang lead the way."

"What crime did Shen Chengyao and his family actually commit? Why were they all imprisoned?" Xiao Fuzi was at a loss. Could even Yinyi have made a mistake in their investigation? But that couldn’t be!

Constable Zhang felt uneasy upon hearing Shen Chengyao’s name. He had privately arrested these people, thinking they were farmers without any background. So he thought to profit off Shen Chengguang’s silver for the New Year, decided to pull off this coup without informing the County Magistrate. Unexpectedly, someone came looking shortly after they were incarcerated. It seemed he had bitten off more than he could chew this time.

"Constable Zhang, you respond to the gentleman’s question."

"Replying to the gentleman, Shen Chengyao and his family concealed forbidden books." Shen Chengguang had said that even the master at the academy said "those who are not of the Imperial Court should not possess it" - if this wasn’t a forbidden book, what was it?

"Forbidden book, what forbidden book?" Xiao Fuzi wondered, why didn’t he know about a forbidden book?

"It’s the ’Qimin Yaoshu’"

"Nonsense! When did the ’Qimin Yaoshu’ become a forbidden book!" This book was given to them by their master. Because of this book, their family ended up in jail, how would Miss Xiao’er view her own master? This was really a disaster!

"I heard the whistleblower saying that the book contains the phrase ’those who are not of the Imperial Court should not possess it’. The Shen Chengyao family has no one with an official rank. So, that..."

"Nonsense! Is ’those who are not of the Imperial Court should not possess it’ interpreted this way? Take me there, quickly! Hurry!" Xiao Fuzi, infuriated and no longer having patience for nonsense, was intent on rescuing people as soon as possible!

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate also understood that Xiao Fuzi had come to rescue. He glowered at Constable Zhang, wishing he could kill him on the spot with his eyes. This fool! What nonsense had he brought upon himself! If it weren’t because he was his wife’s younger brother, he would never have let him be a constable, he had caused him so much trouble time and time again!

"Yes, yes, yes, Sir, please, this way..." Constable Zhang was so startled that he stuttered over his words.