When the officer heard Xi Qingyue’s words, his eyes narrowed slightly. This child looked young but was not easy to deal with.
He pressed on aggressively, “Where did you sell the wild boar and ginseng? How much silver did you get in total? Tell us clearly, and we will verify it.”
Xi Qingyue understood the officer’s intentions upon hearing this. She replied calmly, “The wild boar sold at Fulou Restaurant for over seven taels of silver, and the ginseng sold at Huichun Pharmacy for one hundred seventy taels. Go ahead and check now. I haven’t stolen anything or robbed anyone. I’ll wait right here for you to verify everything before you come back.”
“What? Over a hundred taels of silver?” Xi Erniu’s eyes went wide as he listened.
The villagers gathered around were also shocked by the number. They never expected Xi Qingyue to earn so much silver in just two days. It seemed she had really turned her luck around.
The officers’ faces showed greed upon hearing this, and the leading officer’s tone turned harsh as he demanded, “If you can kill a wild boar, killing a man would be easy enough. Besides, you have a motive. Men, search her house and see if there are any stolen goods.”
Xi Weilan stood in front of the house, spreading her arms to block the way, but Xi Qingyue pulled her to her side.
Standing in front of the leading officer, Xi Qingyue looked at him with a sarcastic tone. “You accuse me without evidence just because you feel like it. If being able to hunt a wild boar means I can kill a man, then you carry a weapon yourself—does that mean every murder in the world is your doing?”
At this, the leading officer’s face turned pale with rage, and the other officers also looked grim.
The villagers of Liushu Village were stunned for a moment, only snapping out of it when the leading officer drew his sword. They quickly stepped forward to mediate.
“Officer, please calm down. She’s still young. She never went deep into the mountains before. She only did it because she had no other choice. It was pure luck that she hunted the wild boar. It has nothing to do with Master Wang’s death.”
The speaker was Han Xiucai, the village scholar. He had heard that Xi Qingyue bought a mule cart and came to take a look, only to find the officers harassing her.
The officers ignored him, their eyes still fixed on Xi Qingyue.
“At such a young age, you dare to slander government officials. Quite bold. Blocking us from entering—could it be that you really have stolen goods hidden in there?” The officer’s eyes showed a hint of murderous intent.
Xi Qingyue shook her head sternly. “You want to search just because you say so? If you find nothing, will you make up another excuse to frame me? Don’t we need to settle this clearly? What happens if you find nothing? I still need to earn my living from now on. Do I have to report every silver I earn to your office just to make it easier for you to frame me?”
“What a sharp-tongued girl. What do you take us government officials for?” the officer retorted angrily.
Xi Qingyue smiled nonchalantly and said, “Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing now? Accusing me unfairly? Xi Erniu’s house burned down by accident because of his own carelessness. He has no evidence but slanders me, and you believe him? If no stolen goods are found, that’s a false accusation, and he should be flogged fifty times, right?”
By now, Han Xiucai had walked over to stand beside Xi Qingyue. He looked sternly at the officers and spoke with a hint of warning.
“Yue girl is right. I am the village scholar and understand the laws of our dynasty. Do you think the county magistrate would approve of you bullying a child like this?”
The leading officer’s expression flickered for a moment, then he pointed at Xi Erniu and said, “We came here because of his report. If we find nothing, we’ll flog him. That should be acceptable, shouldn’t it?”
He still felt that Xi Qingyue’s deliberate blocking was a sign of guilt. Not searching would leave him unsatisfied.
When Xi Erniu heard this, his legs went weak. He quickly said, “Officer, I’m telling the truth. She went to town the day before yesterday and was back in less than half an hour. Ask the other villagers if you don’t believe me.”
At this, the officers turned to the other villagers.
Aunt Wang quickly shook her head. “I don’t know. None of us saw when Daya went to town that day. You can’t trust what Xi Erniu says.”
The others also shook their heads. “We didn’t see anything either. That day was too chaotic. We even forgot what time she came back.”
Hearing the villagers’ answers, Xi Erniu’s face turned pale. If they couldn’t find a large amount of silver, and these people refused to testify for him, he would really be flogged.
Xi Qingyue had already stepped aside from the doorway and gestured for them to enter. “Please go ahead.”
The officers rushed into the thatched cottage eagerly, while the other villagers waited outside.
The officers searched the main room and two bedrooms back and forth several times. In less than half an hour, they came out with dark faces, glaring at Xi Erniu.
The villagers didn’t understand until Han Xiucai curiously went in for a look and burst into laughter.
The three rooms contained nothing beyond the bed and chairs that had been brought out today—just a few worn-out bundles, some old clothes, and old bedding. It was so clean that even mice wouldn’t bother to come steal anything.
Xi Erniu suddenly pointed excitedly at the woodshed and kitchen, shouting, “There’s the woodshed and the kitchen! The silver could be hidden there too!”
The officers went in again for another look but still found nothing.
Just then, Xi Weilan pointed her little finger at a small mud hut next to the woodshed, her childish voice soft and innocent. “They haven’t searched the outhouse yet.”
Hearing this, the crowd burst into laughter, while the officers’ faces grew even darker. They grabbed Xi Erniu and dragged him away.
Xi Erniu kept struggling, shouting, “Officer, I’m not lying! It was her! She must have hidden it!”
Watching their retreating figures, Xi Qingyue thought to herself, “I was still too soft. Last night, I should have had the Wang moneylender’s entire family killed. If they were dead, no one would be spreading rumors, and there would be no trouble. And Xi Erniu—he needs to be dealt with too.”
Soon, the villagers dispersed, but Han Xiucai stayed behind.
“Uncle Han, do you have something to talk about? Please, sit down,” Xi Qingyue said, pointing to a lounge chair.
Han Xiucai nodded and naturally sat down on the rocking chair, giving it a little shake. “Not bad, Yue girl. This chair is really comfortable—even better than those rich landlords’ chairs. It’s a good thing those officers didn’t pay attention to it, or they might have gotten greedy and taken it.”
Xi Qingyue sat down on another rocking chair, while Xi Weilan pulled up a small stool and sat next to her.
“Uncle Han, do you mean those people would just openly take things? They don’t need chairs, do they?” Xi Qingyue asked, puzzled. Was she underestimating some things?
Han Xiucai nodded. “Yes, but not always. It’s not unheard of. If they take a liking to something, they’ll find an excuse to take it, or maybe leave you a few copper coins. Yue girl, you’re still young. There are some things you don’t understand yet. I came specially because I heard you bought a mule cart. I wanted to give you some advice.”
“Please, go ahead, Uncle Han.”
Han Xiucai then spoke slowly. “The Great Jing Kingdom is not at peace right now. You saw it today—the low-level officers in the county office are like this, let alone the higher officials. On top of that, the Northern Yue kingdom is eying us. It’s only a matter of time before war breaks out. If that happens, our Baiquan County will suffer sooner or later. Don’t spend your silver recklessly; save it well. Since you have a mule cart, prepare some food that can be stored for a long time and is easy to carry. When that day comes, you’ll be ready.”
"Also, don’t flaunt your wealth when you’re outside. Most of the villagers in Liushu Village are decent folks, and those with bad behavior have all been driven away by the village head. Still, you can’t rule out the possibility that someone might get other ideas, so be cautious in everything."
Upon hearing this, Xi Qingyue countered, "Even if a fight does break out, why must we leave?"
