My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 51

The burly man who appeared robust was actually quite feeble.

After Xue Wanning and her group pinned him to the ground, Lu An quickly arrived with the officers and had them all arrested.

“Officers! I want to report a crime! I have no grudge against these people, but look what they’ve done to me!” The burly man, lying on the ground, immediately put on an act of innocence as soon as the officers arrived.

“Pah!” Xue Wanning couldn’t help but spit near the man. “How dare you play the victim! If it weren’t for if my friend hadn’t been threatened, I wouldn’t even touch y-you’re filthy!”

“You woman, you’re insulting me! I’ll sue you! Sue you!”

Knowing he would likely end up detained for a few days again, the burly man didn’t want to let the others off easily either. He rolled around on the ground, pleading with the officers to take them all in for questioning.

Xue Wanning, who had inherited her master’s temperament, was not one to be intimidated. She stared at the “lump of meat” writhing on the ground and retorted, “Do you think I’m afraid of you? Let me tell you, I have connections!”

The two standing nearby couldn’t help but rub their foreheads at the chaotic scene. Shouldn’t the priority be finding Lu Jiahao and Lu Jiazheng?

Amid the commotion, Cheng Yi was the first to lose her patience. “Enough arguing!” She glared at the group before walking over to Lu Er and asking, “Where is Lu Jiahao? Where is he?”

Lu Er, held firmly by the officers, was completely stunned. He had only been following his young master’s orders. How had he ended up implicated in this mess?

“Officers, this really has nothing to do with me!” Lu Er’s legs trembled with fear. Seeing Cheng Yi approach, he hurriedly pleaded, “Madam, please save me! It really wasn’t me. I was just following Second Young Master’s orders!”

Cheng Yi narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him. “Where is he? And where have Lu Jiazheng and their wives gone?”

Before leaving, Cheng Yi had checked their rooms to confirm her suspicions: Lu Jiazheng, Lu Jiahao, and their wives were all absent from the inn.

Lu Er stared at her in terror, hesitating for a long moment before finally saying, “The young masters went to the brothel. The young mistresses were sent to another inn to rest by the young masters.”

“Heh!” Cheng Yi let out a scornful laugh. “So, calling us out so late was just a trap, wasn’t it? You gathered all these people, were you trying to make Old Master Lu lose his youngest son, who’s on his way to the capital for the imperial exams?”

Her tone was severe, silencing even those who had been bickering nearby.

“Madam, spare me! I beg for your forgiveness! I’ll do anything for you, even be your ox or horse!” Lu Er hadn’t expected her to uncover the entire plan he and his young master had devised. He broke down, weeping and begging for mercy.

“Hmph! A treacherous servant like you doesn’t deserve to stay by our side!” With that, Lu Jiahe turned to leave, intending to return to her husband’s side.

“Lady, wait. Did you say your husband is on his way to the capital for the imperial exams?”

An officer quickly stepped forward, blocking Cheng Yi’s path.

Cheng Yi glanced sideways at him and nodded.

“Does your husband hold an official scholarly rank?”

How should she answer? She had no idea!

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yi turned toward Lu Jiahe’s direction and waved, signaling him to come over.

Lu Jiahe, who had been standing still all this time, quickly ran over upon seeing the gesture. “What’s wrong?” he asked, looking at Cheng Yi with a puzzled expression, then glanced at the soldiers nearby.

“Do you hold an official scholarly rank?” Cheng Yi recalled the novels she had read, they did mention that one must be a Xiucai to take the imperial exams in the capital. However, she knew nothing about this dynasty and couldn’t answer the question herself.

Lu Jiahe nodded upon hearing this. “Yes, I am a Xiucai.”

“Oh.” Cheng Yi turned back to the soldiers and said, “He is a Xiucai.”

“Conspiring to assassinate someone with an official scholarly rank is a serious offense. We will definitely punish this severely. Please come with us to the government office for now.”

“Alright.” Lu Jiahe saw no issue with this arrangement, though it would delay their journey to the capital.

Cheng Yi’s mind raced. “Should we bring the mastermind behind this to the government office as well?”

The soldiers, having heard the woman’s earlier words, knew she was not someone to be trifled with. As long as her request was reasonable, they had no intention of refusing.

“Very well.”

“Good. He knows where to find him, so let him lead the way.” With that, Cheng Yi pointed at Lu Er, who was already shackled in iron chains.

To prevent any betrayal, Cheng Yi deliberately walked up to Lu Er and threatened, “Leniency for confession, severity for resistance.”

Lu Er was filled with regret. He never expected that not only had he failed to complete the task assigned by his young master, but he had also implicated his own people. In hopes of gaining forgiveness from Lu Jiahe and the others, he agreed to Cheng Yi’s demand and led them to the brothel to find the culprit.

Meanwhile, inside the brothel, Lu Jiahao was drinking wine fed to him by a beauty while disdainfully eyeing his older brother, Lu Jiazheng, who sat across from him, refusing to drink and silently tapping a wooden fish with his eyes closed.

“Is it really necessary, brother? Did that one incident scare you so much?” Lu Jiahao snatched the wooden fish from Lu Jiazheng and threw it to the ground.

Lu Jiazheng opened his eyes at the sound, stood up, and retrieved his wooden fish. “This was a gift from the master. It must not be desecrated.”

“Tch!” Lu Jiahao sneered. “Don’t worry, brother. After tonight, there will be no more Lu Jiahe in the Lu family. Even if we don’t pass the exams, the family fortune will belong to the two of us from now on.”

Lu Jiazheng’s expression immediately darkened. “What have you done again?”

“Don’t look at me like that, as if you weren’t the same before,” Lu Jiahao said, amused by the nervous look on his brother’s face. “Just leave it to me. Your dear younger brother has already taken care of everything. From now on, you don’t need to chant scriptures every day.”

He leaned in, squinting, and whispered to Lu Jiazheng, “Soon, we will be the First Master and Second Master of the Lu family.”

Clap! Clap! Clap!

“Stop the music! Stop the music!”

A group of soldiers entered and summoned the madam, instructing her to tell the performers on stage to cease playing.

The common folk do not contend with officials. Upon hearing this, the madam immediately signaled to stop the cheerful music that was playing, then stepped forward with a smile and said, “Sir Official, it’s not quite appropriate for you to bring so many people here so late at night, is it?”

The leading officer ignored the madam’s words and had his colleagues escort Lu Er inside to identify someone.

Lu Jiahao, who had been sitting to the side sipping wine and preparing to watch the show, immediately changed his expression when he saw Lu Er enter along with Lu Jiahe and his wife.

“Over there,” Lu Er pointed in the direction of his young master.

The leading officer followed the direction of his finger, then led a few men over with the intention of taking the two back to the yamen for questioning.

“What are you doing? I am the young master of the Lu family in Bianjing!” Lu Jiahao shook off the officer’s hand gripping his arm and glared at them furiously.

With witnesses, evidence, and the parties involved all present, the officers had no fear that he would deny the charges.

“We suspect you are involved in a case of inciting injury and are taking you back for investigation,” the officer said coldly, staring at the man before him. He then personally opened the shackles and pressed him down onto the table.

“Take him away!”

“Nonsense! I’ve been here all night. How can you prove I’m connected to the case you’re talking about? Let me tell you, I hold an official rank! You can’t treat me like this!”

Lu Jiahao grew frantic. He shouted and glared viciously at Lu Jiahe and his wife standing by the door.

After the group followed the officers back to the government office, the county magistrate hurried over from his home. He first questioned Lu Jiahe and Cheng Yi about the events of the evening and inquired about their relationship with the suspects, then allowed them to return home, instructing them to come back to the yamen the next day after the officers brought the Lu family members to resolve the matter.

The following evening, Lu Zhengliang and his wife hurriedly arrived from Bianjing. They first went to the inn to find Lu Jiahe and Cheng Yi to ask about the previous night’s events, and then the group headed to the government office together to try and secure the release of Lu Jiazheng and his brother.

“Father! Father! It really wasn’t me! It was all Lu Er’s doing! You have to save me! I still need to go to the capital for the exams to bring glory to the Lu family!”

Having lived a life of privilege since childhood, Lu Jiahao had spent the previous night in jail and now looked utterly disheveled and haggard. In contrast, Lu Jiazheng knelt on the ground with an air of “a clear conscience fears no accusation,” calmly watching the others.

Lu Zhengliang stared coldly at his once most beloved second son. The previous night, upon hearing the news, he had been so enraged that he smashed everything in his room to pieces.

He had always thought some conflict among the three brothers was normal, and because of Diao Yuqing’s influence, he had often turned a blind eye to the two bullying Lu Jiahe.

But he never expected that this unfilial son would now attempt to take the life of his own brother! This made Lu Zhengliang reflect deeply on his past actions, wondering if his negligence had led to this grave disaster.

“Unfilial wretch!” Lu Jiazheng fumed, his beard bristling with anger. Unable to restrain himself, he kicked the kneeling man.

Lu Jiahao, who had been stubbornly arguing and making excuses, stopped his crying and fussing after his father’s kick. Having never been beaten before, he knew his father was truly furious and immediately adopted a submissive, repentant posture, kneeling before him.

If Lu Jiahao were not his own son, he would have gladly skinned him alive.

Lu Zhengliang glared at his second son, then turned to the magistrate and said, “Your Honor, I have some matters I’d like to discuss with my youngest son and daughter-in-law. I wonder if there might be a room here, I could borrow for a moment.”

The magistrate, aware of Lu Zhengliang’s status, could mostly guess that he intended to pin the blame on the servant from the previous night. “Certainly,” he replied, then instructed a guard to lead the group to a study at the back.