OBS Chapter 366 Swapping a Sister for a Child 9
Chapter 366 Swapping a Sister for a Child 9
When Chen Dahu spoke, Qi Ning's body trembled slightly.
She grabbed Meng Shaoqing's sleeve and looked at him with pleading eyes.
Meng Shaoqing immediately shielded Qi Ning behind him.
He stared directly at Chen Dahu in front of him.
"Chen Dahu, I should be asking you what you're doing. Aunt Hehua is your own aunt. She just passed away not long ago, and her body is still in the front yard before she's buried. And you want to humiliate your aunt's daughter-in-law? What's the difference between your behavior and that of an animal?"
Seeing Meng Shaoqing's protectiveness of Qi Ning, Chen Dahu immediately confirmed his suspicions.
"I'm a beast? In my opinion, you two are the adulterers!"
Chen Dahu chuckled sinisterly and pointed at them, saying, "I understand now. It must have been you two who were already in cahoots. Now that my cousin is gone, you two conspired to kill my aunt!"
Upon hearing this, Meng Shaoqing's expression stiffened slightly.
"You, you mustn't talk nonsense. It was clearly you who bullied your cousin's wife first. I have no relationship with Sister-in-law Aning."
Meng Shaoqing was a refined scholar, and when it came to arguing, he was no match for someone like Chen Dahu; his words had no real power to intimidate.
Chen Dahu was a good-for-nothing, and he was very unhappy that his good time had been interrupted.
"Since you say you have nothing to do with her, then mind your own business. I'm just having a chat with my cousin and her, it's none of your business. Get out of my way!"
As he spoke, he reached out to pull Qi Ning, who was hiding behind Meng Shaoqing.
Chen Dahu knew, of course, that things wouldn't work out today. He was just angry and embarrassed and wanted to drag Qi Ning over.
Qi Ning grabbed Meng Shaoqing's sleeve, her voice trembling, "No..."
Meng Shaoqing naturally couldn't hand Qi Ning over. He turned back to look at Qi Ning and gave her a reassuring look.
"Chen Dahu, stop!"
Meng Shaoqing protected Qi Ning while blocking Chen Dahu.
"Why should I stop? Get out of my way!"
Just as the three were entangled in their argument, another voice suddenly rang out.
"What are you doing?"
The three of them looked in the direction of the sound and saw Chen Dahu's wife, Wei, standing at the gate of the backyard. She was also Qi Ning's nominal cousin-in-law.
Ever since learning of Chen Hehua's death, Wei has been eyeing the inheritance Chen Hehua left behind.
She had just asked Qi Ning outside where the inheritance was and how it should be distributed, but Qi Ning said that Chen Hehua had not left any inheritance at all.
How could Wei possibly believe such words?
She patiently refrained from making a scene in the front yard in front of outsiders. When she heard that Qi Ning was feeling unwell and had come to the back yard, Madam Wei wanted to come to the back yard to find her and continue to ask her about the matter. Who knew that she would see the three of them arguing there.
Wei was a big, burly man with a naturally loud voice. Her shout not only stunned the three people in the backyard, but also made a commotion heard by everyone in the front yard.
"Speak up, what are you doing?"
Chen Dahu instinctively shrank back. His wife was a shrew, and he dared not let her know that he was thinking about Qi Ning.
Seeing that he had been caught red-handed, Chen Dahu was afraid that Qi Ning would expose the truth, so he quickly pointed at Qi Ning and Meng Shaoqing and turned the tables on them.
"My dear wife, I discovered my cousin's wife and this Meng Shaoqing arguing in the backyard. I suspect they are having an affair, and I'm questioning them right now!"
"What? Really?" Madam Wei exclaimed in surprise.
"Of course it's true," Chen Dahu said confidently. "I reckon my aunt was killed by that adulterous couple!"
Chen Dahu said this in order to clear himself of suspicion in front of the Wei family.
But just as he finished speaking, the people in the front yard who had heard the commotion walked over and overheard him.
Instantly, the backyard erupted into a commotion, like a pot of boiling water.
"What affair, Aning? What's going on between you and Shaoqing?"
"Ah Ning, was your mother's fall into the water an accident? Could it really be that you caused it?"
The backyard was in chaos. Some were questioning Qi Ning about the relationship between Qi Ning and Meng Shaoqing, some were pressing for the true cause of Chen Hehua's death, and some members of the Chen family were taking the opportunity to inquire about the property Chen Hehua left behind...
Qi Ning and Meng Shaoqing's explanations were completely drowned out by their voices.
Chen Dahu hadn't originally planned to escalate the situation this much, but now it was starting to get out of control.
After discussing it with the other members of the Chen family, Wei and the others decided to have Chen Dahu report the matter to the authorities.
Their goal was simple: not to seek justice for Chen Hehua, but to confirm that Qi Ning and Meng Shaoqing had conspired to kill her, and then to take away the silver and courtyard she had left behind.
That afternoon, Chen Dahu went to the county government office to report the matter to the authorities.
"Host, things seem to be getting a bit out of hand," the system said.
Qi Ning remained calm: "Don't panic, this is the development I wanted, everything is under control."
The next day was the scheduled burial day for Chen Hehua, but the government sent a coroner to open the coffin and examine the body.
The coroner's examination of the body found nothing unusual; Chen Hehua had indeed drowned.
After the autopsy was completed, Chen Hehua was carried up the mountain for burial.
Since Chen Dahu had reported the incident to the authorities, even though the autopsy didn't reveal anything unusual, the government still sent people to take Qi Ning and Meng Shaoqing to the yamen.
On the way to the yamen, Qi Ning, with red eyes and full of apology, said to Meng Shaoqing, "I've dragged you into this."
Meng Shaoqing shook his head.
He has always acted uprightly and honestly, and there is nothing to be afraid of in things he has never done.
He and Qi Ning had no romantic relationship whatsoever, and even when they were in the government office, Meng Shaoqing was perfectly justified.
What Meng Shaoqing was truly worried about was Chen Dahu's lawsuit against Qi Ning for the murder of Chen Hehua.
He speculated that Chen Hehua's death was indeed related to Qi Ning.
Even if Qi Ning really did kill Chen Hehua, it was understandable, as she was forced into it.
If the magistrate discovers that Qi Ning really did kill Chen Hehua, then she...
Upon arriving at the yamen, Qi Ning, Meng Shaoqing, and Chen Dahu, who had reported to the authorities, all knelt before the hall.
The county magistrate was still in the backyard, waiting for the court session to begin.
Taking advantage of this moment, Qi Ning walked to the side and said to the yamen runner, "Sir, I have an urgent need to relieve myself. May I go to the outhouse?"
The constable shouted, "What do you mean, 'go to the outhouse'? What do you think this place is, that you can just wander around like that?"
Qi Ning clutched her stomach, looking extremely pained.
"Your Honor, please be lenient with me. Otherwise, if I lose my composure in front of you, Magistrate, it will be disastrous. How will the trial proceed then?"
Upon hearing this, the yamen runner thought that what Qi Ning said made sense. It would be bad if he displeased the magistrate. Since the magistrate had not come out yet, it would be fine to let her go.
"The outhouse is on the left side of the backyard. Go quickly and come back quickly. Don't run around, or I'll catch you and break your legs."
"Yes, thank you sir."
Having received permission, Qi Ning immediately jogged to the backyard.
After a long while, she returned to the front of the hall.
Not long after Qi Ning returned, the county magistrate finally came out.
"Ascension!"
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