Chapter 548: Suspicion

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

On the third day since the notice had been posted, a surprising silence lingered; no one had come forward to voice any complaints.

The bandits emerging from the mountains to gather information surprisingly refrained from causing trouble, at least for the time being.

The yamen showed no signs of a case backlog.

Su Bin found himself with an unusual amount of free time, prompting him to delve into the details of a case previously adjudicated by the former governor.

Over the preceding six months, the prior governor had only dealt with a singular murder case.

The widow, Zhang Liner, had enticed w.a.n.g Nian, a resident from the same street. Following their intimate encounter, Zhang Liner berated w.a.n.g Nian for not formalizing their relations.h.i.+p. The ensuing argument escalated, leading to w.a.n.g Nians fatal stabbing by Zhang Liner.

Upon her arrest, Zhang Liner readily confessed to the murder and was subsequently sentenced to execution after the autumn season, currently confined in a solitary cell.

Remarkably, hers was the sole occupant in the dozens of cells, transformed into temporary water prisons due to the rain before repairs.

Despite the grim circ.u.mstances, Zhang Liner maintained a stoic demeanor, exhibiting neither agitation nor any inclination to escape. Her only pursuit seemed to be a quiet wait for the impending autumn death.

Upon Su Bins initial examination, a sense of unease enveloped the case. Zhang Liner, in her early twenties, was renowned for her beauty. Despite the demise of all her husbands family members, the two remaining family shops should have provided sufficient income through rent collection, eliminating the threat of starvation.

Furthermore, numerous suitors were eager to vie for her hand, making it puzzling that she would become entangled with w.a.n.g Nian. w.a.n.g Nian, aged over 30 with a facial scar and a tarnished reputation, seemed an unlikely candidate for an affair, let alone a tragic end in Chen Liners bed.

Chen Liner openly confessed to being the perpetrator of w.a.n.g Nians murder.

Su Bin had interrogated Poxed Face w.a.n.g and Liu Dazhuang, but Madam Zhangs confession wasnt extracted through torture; she merely signed it.

While repairing the government office, Su Bin and Mr. Chen clandestinely revisited the case, uncovering additional points of suspicion.

It was alleged that w.a.n.g Nian, the victim, had colluded with mountain bandits, habitually bullying individuals in the vicinity.

Chen Liner, an orphan adopted by her husbands family, lacked knowledge of her biological familys whereabouts.

Despite being a child bride, she received exceptional treatment from her husbands family, never experiencing any mistreatment.

Upon reaching maturity, they successfully married, and she bore a son and later a daughter.

However, misfortune struck her household.

Initially, her in-laws faced a fatal accident, resulting in their demise.

Soon after, her husband fell critically ill and pa.s.sed away.

Subsequently, her son and daughter were abducted by mountain bandits. Before she could sell the family shop to rescue them, the bandits cruelly tore them apart.

During this tumultuous period, she appeared to have descended into a state of madness.

Subsequently, w.a.n.g Nian, a fellow resident of the same street, enlisted the services of a doctor to aid in Chen Liners recovery from her madness.

As she slowly regained her mental faculties, no one antic.i.p.ated her forming a romantic relations.h.i.+p with w.a.n.g Nian.

w.a.n.g Nian, desiring marriage, proposed to Chen Liner. Upon learning of her reluctance, he suggested becoming his official wife. However, this proposition proved impossible due to w.a.n.g Nians existing marriage; his wifes brother held a prominent position among the mountain bandits and enjoyed the favor of their leader. Divorcing his wife would likely result in severe consequences, possibly costing him his life.

Tragically, the situation took a dark turn one life was ended by a fatal stabbing, while the other faced a death sentence.

Following Chen Liners imprisonment, her two shops were compensated to w.a.n.g Nians family, but tensions flared with w.a.n.g Nians formidable wife.

Chen Liners uncles and brothers expressed a desire to contest the owners.h.i.+p of the shops. In response, w.a.n.g Nians wife issued a stern warning: If you want to avoid ruin, come and try to take them!

Faced with this intimidating threat, those seeking to claim the shops reluctantly abandoned their pursuit.

Speculation among the locals pointed to the mountain bandits as the orchestrators of the tragedies in Chen Liners household. Allegedly, her parents-in-laws demise, initially deemed an accident, was orchestrated by the bandits. Similarly, her husbands demise was attributed to illness following a beating by the bandits, and the children met their tragic end at the hands of the same criminals. The masterminds behind this series of misfortunes were believed to be w.a.n.g Nian and his wife..