Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 87

Qing Zhishu saw the date above, which further confirmed the suspicion in her heart.

This entry in the ledger recorded the batch of grain that Lu Huacheng had delivered to Qingzhou before his death.

Suppressing the tumultuous waves in her heart, Qing Zhishu truthfully said, “This batch of grain was indeed delivered by my father. As far as I know, it was introduced by the Wang family.”

The air stilled for a moment. Princess Changning’s expression was grave. She looked at Qing Zhishu and slowly asked, “If Lu Huacheng was involved in the Wang family’s selling of raw iron, do you know what the consequence is for you?”

“I know,” Qing Zhishu’s tone was steady, but her palms were already slick with a thin layer of sweat.

She secretly took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

Privately selling raw iron was a capital offense. For the immediate three generations of the family, the lighter punishment was the revocation of scholarly titles, and the heavier was exile for thousands of miles.

She, Lu Sheng, and Lu Qi were all within the three generations.

Based on her understanding of her father, Qing Zhishu was certain he wouldn’t be involved in the raw iron trade, but thinking about what had happened in the hills behind Luer Village and at home made her less than absolutely sure.

Although Ding Laizi had seen her father quarrel with Wang Haoyong, it didn’t mean her father was definitely innocent.

“Did you find something?”

Although Qing Zhishu’s expression was unchanged, Princess Changning could still tell that she must have learned something.

“Two strange things happened at home after my father died.”

Qing Zhishu recounted everything, from her grandaunt falling down the slope to Lu Huacheng’s grave being dug up.

“They must be looking for something,” Princess Changning asserted. “Did Lu Huacheng leave any personal belongings?”

After hearing this, she felt that Lu Huacheng was highly suspected of being involved in the raw iron trade case.

Qing Zhishu shook her head slightly. “This batch of grain my father delivered was raised in the village. He was robbed by mountain bandits, and the money from the sale was also stolen. To repay the debt, the family pawned everything of even slight value.”

She had checked all the items in the house one by one, and they were all ordinary things.

“There was nothing special.”

“What about the burial objects?” Princess Changning asked after a moment of thought.

Lu Huacheng’s grave had been damaged, perhaps the people were looking for something in his grave goods.

“None,” Qing Zhishu replied.

At the time, the money from pawning things was just enough to pay off the outside debt. Lu Huacheng’s funeral and burial items were paid for by her grandaunt, and they were newly purchased items, not old family belongings.

“This is strange. I’ll send more people to investigate,” Princess Changning pondered for a long time, murmuring.

There were many unexplained things about what happened in Luer Village.

According to the timeline, first, the village head, Lu Lizheng, saw something at the graveyard, which led to her being pushed down the slope. The strange thing about this was that Lu Lizheng didn’t die in the end, but the assailant never reappeared.

Then, Lu Huacheng’s grave was dug up, but nothing was lost, and judging by the method of the crime, it seemed to lack any organization.

These two incidents might be related, but it’s not certain that they are truly connected.

Or perhaps these two incidents have nothing to do with the raw iron smuggling case they are investigating now.

“Hand over the military grain depot accounts you have to Ruan Peng for processing,” Princess Changning instructed.

Since the accounts involved Lu Huacheng, Qing Zhishu, as a relative, needed to recuse herself.

“Understood.”

“You don’t need to worry too much. Perhaps Lu Huacheng was not involved,” Princess Changning reflected.

They had compiled over thirty names in total, most of which were probably just to confuse things. They needed further investigation to confirm.

Binhe County, County Yamen Jail.

It was almost noon. The jailer had just finished lunch and was leaning back in his chair, dozing off.

Suddenly, a sound of greetings came from outside the main gate of the jail.

“Officer Zhuo, why are you here today?”

“I’m here to find someone.”

Hearing Zhuo Yu’s voice outside the door, the jailer’s sleepiness largely disappeared. He quickly wiped his face, got up from the chair, and walked out.

“Officer Zhuo,” the jailer bowed to the stepping-in Zhuo Yu.

“Old Li, I heard you became a grandfather a few days ago?” Zhuo Yu said with a smile.

“Yes, my daughter-in-law gave birth to a precious little girl,” the jailer happily replied.

“Congratulations. Don’t forget to invite me to the full moon banquet.”

“Definitely. Officer Zhuo must come and have a drink.” The jailer’s eyes glanced behind Zhuo Yu. “You are…?”

Liu Yun held a paper package in her hand. Seeing the jailer look over, she lowered her head slightly.

“Was someone named Lu Yu locked up early this morning?” Zhuo Yu stopped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.

“Yes, there was.” The jailer’s eyes darted around. He lowered his voice slightly, sounding a bit troubled. “They said she killed someone and was arrested. Do you know her?”

“She’s my wife’s cousin. Her wife came to bring her some things,” Zhuo Yu said, glancing at Liu Yun behind him. “Open the package and show it to him.”

Liu Yun opened the paper package. Inside were two pieces of sesame pancake and a few pieces of stewed meat.

The jailer looked at them, eased his expression, and led them towards the women’s jail. “She’s over there.”

The jail cells were made of stacked stones, with only a small, less than one-foot-square window on the high outer wall. The light inside was dim, and there was a damp, musty smell.

Lu Yu, as a murder suspect, was isolated in a single cell. The jailer led them to the cell door and, giving face to Zhuo Yu, unlocked it and let Liu Yun in.

Lu Yu was sitting on a pile of withered grass. Hearing the sound of the chain, she calmly raised her head.

When her eyes fell on Liu Yun, a hint of surprise flashed in Lu Yu’s eyes. When she saw Zhuo Yu behind her, her face darkened.

“Yu’er.”

As soon as the cell door opened, Liu Yun quickly stepped in, walked to Lu Yu’s side, and held her, looking her up and down.

Liu Yun was afraid that Lu Yu would worry, so she had deliberately changed her clothes before coming and endured the pain in her ankle to walk normally.

Zhuo Yu didn’t go in. Instead, he signaled to the jailer beside him. The jailer reattached the chain, and the two walked outside a bit.

Seeing Zhuo Yu walk away, Lu Yu spoke with a stern face, “Didn’t I tell you to find Ah Kun? Why did you find Zhuo Yu?”

Her tone was impatient, and her words were full of blame.

Seeing Lu Yu’s cold face for the first time, Liu Yun was stunned. When she recovered, her heart was filled with grievance, and her eyes immediately reddened. “I went to find Ah Kun. The gatekeeper at the Governor’s Mansion said he wasn’t in Binhe County and wouldn’t be back for a few days. I, I was worried about you, so I looked for Officer Zhuo.”

Lu Yu fell silent after hearing this. She held Liu Yun’s hand, softened her voice, and gently said, “It was my fault just now. I was too anxious. Yun’er, don’t blame me.”

She thought Liu Yun had acted on her own and hadn’t gone to find Ah Kun, which was why she said those words.

Liu Yun shook her head. Even though she felt wronged, her worry and a belly full of questions quickly overshadowed it. “Yu’er, what should I do now? Why would they say you killed someone? And who are Zhou Dan and the others?”

“Go to the Governor’s Mansion again tomorrow, give the gatekeeper some money, and ask when exactly Ah Kun will be back,” Lu Yu instructed. “I told you this morning, I didn’t kill anyone. They arrested the wrong person.”

“You don’t need to worry. As soon as Ah Kun is back, I’ll be able to leave.”

Two cells away, Zhuo Yu lowered his voice and asked the jailer, “Do you know what’s going on?”

The people who made the arrest were Yamen runners, not people from their patrol office. Zhuo Yu had only heard a little from Lu Sheng and wasn’t entirely clear about Lu Yu’s situation.

“Three bodies were found in the dry well of that ruined temple in the western suburbs last month.” The jailer’s eyes moved. He continued, “The victims’ families identified the bodies and reported it to the authorities, saying they had a grudge against Lu Yu and suspected she was the killer.”

“Did they find evidence?” Zhuo Yu asked.

The bodies were identified last month, and they only arrested her now, so Zhuo Yu guessed they must have found evidence.

“They found a witness,” the jailer said.

When Yamen runners brought someone in, they would explain the situation of the prisoner clearly to the jailer.

“If there’s a witness, why haven’t they interrogated her directly?” Zhuo Yu asked.

She noticed Lu Yu’s clothes looked relatively clean, not like someone who had been to court.

With a witness, it seemed unnatural not to interrogate the person after arrest.

“I heard it might be related to that person at the pier. She’s not in the county right now, and the higher-ups are a bit uncertain.”

The jailer’s words were not too vague, and Zhuo Yu understood.

Lu Yu’s matter was not something she could interfere with.

Now, more than Lu Yu, Zhuo Yu was worried about Liu Yun. Based on her reaction today, Liu Yun likely didn’t know some things.

Before leaving, Zhuo Yu escorted Liu Yun out and then returned to Lu Yu’s cell.

“Did you kill the person?” Zhuo Yu asked directly.

Lu Yu shook her head, her expression firm. “I haven’t killed anyone.”

Zhuo Yu looked at her deeply, and said earnestly, “Lu Yu, it doesn’t matter if you take a wrong turn for a moment. It’s not too late to turn back in time. Think about Liu Yun and your child.”

Lu Yu looked at her without answering. Zhuo Yu didn’t linger any longer.

The words had been spoken. How to choose was Lu Yu’s own business.

After a day of anxious worry, before Liu Yun could go to the Governor’s Mansion, Lu Yu was released.

“Yu’er.”

Seeing Lu Yu push the door and walk in, Liu Yun immediately dropped the wooden bucket in her hand and walked towards her in surprise.

Overcome with excitement, she forgot about the injury to her foot, and she was clearly limping as she walked.

“What happened to your foot?” Lu Yu supported her.

“It’s nothing, nothing. I just twisted it accidentally,” Liu Yun said happily. “It’ll be fine after a few days of rest.”

Liu Yun had injured her ankle. Lu Sheng had given her time off and told her to rest at home before returning to work.

“Hmm.” Lu Yu examined her foot, and seeing that it was indeed nothing serious, she didn’t say anything more.

“I’ll go boil some water for you.”

Liu Yun was about to go fetch water again, but Lu Yu stopped her, taking the wooden bucket from her hand. “You rest. I can do it myself.”

“I’ll go get you some porridge.”

Liu Yun had woken up early to cook porridge, originally planning to eat and then go wait at the Governor’s Mansion, so she could find Ah Kun as soon as he returned.

Seeing her joy, Lu Yu didn’t stop her. Watching Liu Yun’s limping figure, a touch of sadness welled up in her heart.

This feeling was the same as the one she had when she and Liu Yun left Luer Village—a bitterness woven with heartache and guilt.

Lu Yu ate her meal and went to wash up. Not long after, Lu Sheng came to find Liu Yun with a few patches of medicinal plaster.

“Qi Nan brought it. Her sister made it. It’s very effective for sprains,” Lu Sheng handed her the plaster.

Since Qi Bei came to Luer Village, she had been apprenticing under Doctor Ding. She was already able to make some simple plasters.

Yesterday, Liu Yun was in a hurry to find Lu Sheng. After waking up, she returned to the wine shop without checking her foot. Qi Nan saw the medicinal plaster at home and brought a few patches over in the morning when delivering wine.

“It’s really too much trouble for her. I’ll thank her properly later.”

Liu Yun was grateful to Qi Nan for her help with yesterday’s events, but she was so worried about Lu Yu that she hadn’t had a chance to thank her.

“Xiao Yu is back?” Seeing the joy on her face, Lu Sheng asked.

“Yes, she came back this morning.”

“That’s good.” Lu Sheng was relieved but couldn’t help but remind her, “Sister Yun, about Lu Yu’s job at the pier, you should persuade her to quit as soon as possible.”

Yesterday, Zhuo Yu returned and directly told Lu Sheng that Lu Yu’s matter was beyond their control, and the deaths of those three people must be related to her, even if Lu Yu didn’t personally kill them.

The best outcome for Lu Yu was to extricate herself quickly, if she hadn’t gotten too deep yet.

“Hmm.” Liu Yun’s eyebrows drooped. “I’ll talk to her properly later.”

She had already brought it up with Lu Yu twice, but hadn’t been able to convince her.

Last night, she was so worried about Lu Yu that she couldn’t sleep until midnight. She had meticulously thought through everything.

The more she thought, the more startled she was, and the more she regretted it.

If she hadn’t agreed to Lu Yu back then, hadn’t thought about being with Lu Yu, but instead helped her find a good marriage, would things have been different?

Then they wouldn’t have been caught by Mrs. Huang for adultery, Lu Yu wouldn’t have been driven out of Luer Village, and she wouldn’t have gone down this wrong path like she is now.

She was older than Lu Yu. The fact that things had developed this way was her failure.

After seeing Lu Sheng off, Lu Yu came out of the bathhouse, drying her hair.

Liu Yun took the towel from her hand and started drying her hair for her, as she always did.

With her thoughts turning over and over, Liu Yun finally made up her mind and called out, “Yu’er.”

Lu Yu turned to face Liu Yun and spoke first, saying, “As soon as the house loan is paid off, I’ll quit the job at the pier.”

The loan was for one year, so it would take another year to pay it off.

One year was too long.

“Yu’er, a year is too long. I’m really scared,” Liu Yun grabbed her hand and shook her head, pleading softly, “Let’s sell the house. If we sell it, we can pay off the loan.”

Liu Yun didn’t want to live in fear anymore.

Lu Yu looked at her for a while, and finally, not wanting to make her sad anymore, she agreed, “Okay.”

“Really?!” Tears still slid down Liu Yun’s eyes, but this time they were tears of joy.

“Yes.” Lu Yu wiped her tears. “You’re pregnant.”

Early July.

Lu Sheng had planned to go to Qingzhou on the second day of the month, but something delayed her just before she left.

Liu Yun had a miscarriage.

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