flstandardbreds Chapter 383 Just Admit It
Chapter 383 Just Admit It
"Ever since those two came to the village, first a young man died inexplicably, and now even the sacred cow that protects the village has been destroyed."
The village chief's eyes were heavy and filled with anger. He said solemnly, "They must have destroyed the feng shui of our village. If we want to wash away this sin, we must sacrifice their blood!"
"Yes, let them offer sacrifices to the heavens now."
As they spoke, they headed towards the thatched hut in a menacing manner.
Qin Miaoxi hid behind a tree and looked at the restless villagers expressionlessly. As she expected, the village chief would blame everything on the two outsiders.
He diverted the blame to others, aroused public anger, hid behind the scenes, and avoided it perfectly.
But after a while, most of the villagers who stayed halfway up the mountain had left. The village chief was still sitting in the middle, his hands carefully brushing across the four hooves of the bronze bull statue, with his head lowered to hide all expressions on his face.
"Don't worry, village chief. After we sacrifice their blood to the sacred bull, the bull will surely forgive us."
"Yes! The sacred bull has protected us for many years and will not abandon us."
While everyone was comforting the village chief, they were also comforting themselves. The bronze statue of the sacred bull was shattered. What else could they do except verbal comfort?
The village chief slowly raised his head, without a trace of smile on his serious face.
"You are right. I will go to Qianfo Mountain again to pray for the return of the sacred bull. Everyone must guard the village and do not let outsiders in."
After hearing what the village chief said, the villagers finally felt relieved.
They all made solemn promises, "Don't worry, village chief, we won't let even a fly into the village."
"Yes, no one is allowed to enter the village."
At this moment, someone shouted, "Look, they are bringing people here."
There was a crowd of people at the foot of the mountain, walking towards the mountain, and leading them was Lu Qingchen himself.
However, when they came in front of the crowd, everyone seemed to have pressed the pause button at the same time, and the air was eerily quiet.
In addition to Lu Qingchen and the villagers who came down the mountain, there were also a dozen or so officers wearing official uniforms and with swords hanging around their waists.
Those who called him "huang" shrank their necks and shut their mouths, not even daring to look him in the eye, acting timidly and cowardly.
The village chief slowly stood up with the help of his crutch, staggered two steps to the official, bowed respectfully first, and without waiting for the other party to speak, he spoke first in a hoarse voice.
"My dear officers, this man has trespassed into our village and even destroyed the bronze statue of the sacred bull that we have enshrined for many years. I implore you to quickly take him to jail and punish him severely, so that we can have justice for our village!"
What a preemptive move! Although what he said is true, we can't admit it!
Lu Qingchen winked at the officer behind him, who stepped forward and asked coldly, "Do you have any evidence for what you said?"
"Ever since they arrived, all sorts of problems have been happening in the village. Doesn't that explain it?"
The officer's face instantly darkened three shades, and he raised his voice so that everyone could hear, "What I want is evidence. Has anyone seen it with their own eyes?"
Everyone looked at each other, but no one dared to stand up and speak. Their former confidence seemed like a joke.
"Since there is no evidence, you are slandering me."
The officer's sharp gaze swept over everyone one by one, "Do you know what crime is it to slander the current Marquis Xuanping and Princess Ma Shang?"
Marquis? Princess?
For a moment, everyone's hearts began to beat wildly. What did such a big shot have to do with their village? Even if they were given ten times the courage, they would not dare to slander the marquis and the princess!
The village chief's pupils suddenly shrank, and beads of cold sweat oozed from his forehead. He forced a smile and asked in a flattering manner, "Sir, you have misunderstood. We have never met the Marquis and the Princess. How could we slander these two nobles?"
"Never seen him? Did you just ask us to capture the Marquis and punish him severely?"
The village chief followed the official's gaze and fell on Lu Qingchen, who seemed to be smiling, and exclaimed in disbelief: "You, you are the Marquis of Xuanping?"
"Yes, I am not only the Marquis of Xuanping, but I also serve in the Dali Temple. Do you still suspect that I was the one who destroyed your village's sacred cow?"
Lu Qingchen had a smile on his lips, but that smile did not reach his eyes. Only his voice was cold and heavy, and the noble pressure spread invisibly, captivating people.
The village chief tensed up, looking as if he was facing a formidable enemy. Cold sweat kept oozing from his forehead, flowing down along the grooves of his skin, landing on his eyelashes and sliding into his eyes. In the blink of an eye, his vision became blurred, and even the figure in front of him became shaky.
He subconsciously knelt on the ground and kowtowed for mercy.
"No, no! How could it be Lord Xuanping Hou! It's our own fault for being so blind that we've caused such a huge misunderstanding! Please, Lord Young Marquis, be magnanimous and don't treat us fools like that. Please forgive us this time!"
"is it?"
Lu Qingchen deliberately raised the end of her voice, with a bit of nonchalant laziness, and lightly rolled her toes over his shoulders, her tone full of teasing.
"But I see you are so sure of what you said. If I hadn't brought the officials with me, I would have been torn into pieces by you."
"No, no! We absolutely wouldn't dare!"
The villagers knelt on the ground in horror, and suddenly only Lu Qingchen and the officials were left standing on the field.
Time passed minute by minute, and his silence was like a sword hanging in everyone's heart. When it hung in the air but did not fall, it was judgment, and when it fell, it was verdict.
"Your Highness, why don't you tell me what to do with them?"
Lu Qingchen shouted towards the distant woods, and instantly a white figure floated down. It was the woman they had never dreamed of.
Everything was unexpected, yet reasonable. After all, they were the only two outsiders coming to the village.
But they are too deceiving. A marquis and a princess pretend to be bailiffs of the Dali Temple. Isn't this a lie?
But having said that, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief, because Qin Miaoxi had always been kind to others and seemed easy to talk to, so their lives were saved.
"Princess, spare my life."
"Please forgive our unintentional mistake."
Qin Miaoxi ignored their pleas for mercy and went straight to Lu Qingchen.
"Checked it out?"
"of course."
As he spoke, he handed an account book to her.
"This fabric was produced seven years ago. It looks gorgeous, but the quality is poor and the price is high. Therefore, it has not spread in Jingzhao, but is sold in the surrounding areas."
Qin Miaoxi flipped through the account book but had no clue. "Just tell me who the buyer is?"
"village head."
"Is he alone?"
"Yes, the cloth merchant clearly remembers that he liked this cloth very much and bought up all the stock in one go."
"What did he buy so much cloth for?"
"The cloth merchant didn't ask. It's customary in business not to ask for reasons."
Suddenly, a doubt came to her mind. She turned and walked to the village chief and said condescendingly: "Village chief, did you hear that?"
"Princess, what are you talking about?"
"Does this cloth look familiar?"
The village chief stared at the piece of cloth in front of him and kowtowed heavily.
"Recognize...we know each other."
"Just admit it. This cloth is evidence left at the place where Tiezhu was killed."
Qin Miaoxi paused, "It belongs to the murderer."