Chapter 141

Chapter 141

"Your Honor, I've been wronged! I never told him to poison his brother! He poisoned his brother first, then came to me for help, and only then did I give him some silver for burial expenses!"

Upon hearing Yan Da shift all blame onto him, Wei Linshui was incensed. "Your Honor, please investigate thoroughly! I didn't even know him before this. How could I have deliberately poisoned my brother and then sought him out?"

"Stop spouting nonsense, or I'll tear your mouth apart!" At this point, Wei Linshui, like a cornered dog, lunged at Yan Da, grabbing his throat to prevent him from revealing the truth.

"Silence!" The Prefect struck his gavel, and bailiffs separated and restrained the two men.

"Yan Da, you speak first. If Wei Linshui dares to disrupt the court again, he will receive thirty strokes of the rod!"

Only then did Yan Da recount the events. "My younger brother is named Yan Er. He’s a fool, understands nothing, no better than an animal, only knowing how to eat, drink, and relieve himself." Yan Da forced a bitter smile and continued, "In fact, he’s worse than an animal. Even a dog knows to go outside to relieve itself, but he just soils his pants."

"My father took care of him while he was alive, washing his soiled pants six times a day, six times! Rain or shine, without fail! I truly couldn’t manage it, so after my father passed away, I barely looked after him."

Because he had such a brother, Yan Da had never been able to find a wife.

Years ago, someone introduced him to a lame young man. He didn’t mind, thinking that since both of them had their difficulties, they could support each other after marrying, and having a child would give them hope for the future.

But his father firmly opposed it, fearing that once Yan Da had his own family, he would neglect his brother.

Yan Da resented it deeply—he hated this burden—but there was nothing he could do. After all, this was his own brother; he couldn’t just throw him out.

Then one day, someone suddenly stopped him and proposed a deal: they would give him ten taels of silver to poison his brother, asking if he was willing.

Yan Da agreed without a second thought. Even without the ten taels, he would have poisoned him for nothing! With this burden, he could never turn his life around.

The next day, the person brought Yan Da a packet of poison and ten taels of silver. Yan Da mixed the poison into his brother’s food and watched as his foolish brother ate it, then writhed on the ground in pain, clutching his stomach.

He felt a mix of sorrow and joy—with his brother dead, he would have no family left, but he could use the silver to repair his house and marry the lame youth...

It took half an hour for the fool to die. Yan Da quickly followed the instructions, stripping off his brother’s dirty clothes, carefully cleaning him, and dressing him in an old set of his own clothes.

Early the next morning, two men came to help him carry the body to the entrance of Mixue Shop.

At first, Yan Da didn’t know that Wei Linshui was the one behind it. But during the commotion, Wan Liang exchanged a few words with him, and he realized that Wei Linshui had sent them all.

What happened next was that the authorities arrived, took the body away, and he waited anxiously for the outcome.

"Every word I’ve said is true. There’s still half of the unused poison left, along with the silver Master Wei gave me, all hidden in a chest at my home."

The Prefect sent someone to retrieve the items. Half an hour later, they returned with the evidence. The poison was powdered aconite, a highly toxic and rare substance that someone like Yan Da, a commoner, could not easily obtain.

This essentially confirmed that Wei Linshui was the mastermind behind it all.

Wei Linshui’s face turned ashen. He stared fixedly at Vice Prefect Zhao, pleading, "Your Honor... Your Honor, help me..."

Vice Prefect Zhao, like a flustered hen, shouted hoarsely, "This man is utterly wicked! Take him away and await punishment!"

The Prefect glanced at him. "Why the hurry?"

"This humble official finds such a cruel and ruthless person despicable. The evidence is conclusive, and he can no longer deny it. Take him away for sentencing after the session!"

"Your Honor!" Wei Linshui’s eyes bulged with rage, his teeth clenched so tightly they nearly shattered.

Vice Prefect Zhao stared back at him, his gaze deep and threatening. If Wei Linshui dared to say another word, his wife, children, and elderly parents would not survive.

In the end, Wei Linshui had no choice but to lower his head in resignation. The Prefect waved his hand, and the bailiffs dragged both men away.

Only then did Vice Prefect Zhao relax, quickly wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. "The weather is really hot, huh..."

"Since the matter has been resolved, and Chen Qingyan has been proven innocent, he may return home. The seal on the shop can also be removed."

"Thank you, Your Honor, for your discerning judgment." The two knelt and expressed their gratitude.

"Qing Yan, I remember you. Your policy essay during the Prefectural Exam was excellent. I hope this incident won’t affect you, and that you’ll perform well in the Autumn Examinations."

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Honor. This student will live up to your expectations!"

After leaving the yamen, the two let out a long sigh of relief simultaneously, then looked at each other and laughed.

"Big brother! Sister-in-law!" Not far away, someone who had been waiting for a long time ran over.

Chen Qingsong excitedly grabbed his brother’s hand, examining him from head to toe to make sure he was unharmed before relaxing, his voice choked with emotion. "You scared me to death!"

Chen Qingyan patted his younger brother’s shoulder. "What’s there to be afraid of? You’re grown up now. You should be able to hold the family together when I’m not around."

"Big brother is right. I won’t be like this next time."

Wang Ying flicked his head. "What next time? Once is enough for something like this!"

The group surrounded the two as they walked out. As they approached the carriage, Wang Ying noticed Liu Changyi’s parents were there. The two hurried forward to bow and express their thanks.

"Get up quickly." Qin Furong helped them up with both hands. "It’s good that you’re safe! You have no idea how anxious Chang Yi has been these past few days. He was practically begging his father to release you."

Liu Changyi scratched his head sheepishly.

Chen Qingyan bowed deeply to Lord Liu. "Thank you, Uncle, for your efforts in helping."

"It’s nothing, it wasn’t much effort. It was all your husband’s doing."

If Wang Ying hadn’t been sharp-eyed and recognized that the troublemaker over the past few days was the same person, they wouldn’t have been able to follow the clues and uncover the mastermind.

Simply put, Wei Linshui was too bold and lawless, thinking Wang Ying would be as easy to manipulate as others he had encountered before, not realizing he had kicked a brick wall.

To celebrate Chen Qingyan’s safe release, Wang Ying booked a banquet at Jixiang Restaurant that evening, specially inviting the Liu family to join.

Li Shi and Fang Ling were still unaware of the incident, thinking it was just a simple dinner between the two families.

During the meal, everyone tacitly avoided mentioning Chen Qingyan’s arrest, only discussing the engagement arrangements for Liu Changyi and Chen Qingyun.

Qin Furong said, "I was thinking we could set up a few tables at Hongyun Restaurant on the day of the children’s engagement. You should all come and join the celebration."

"Alright." Li Shi and Fang Ling nodded in agreement.

As the elders discussed the wedding plans, Liu Changyi and Chen Qingyun blushed deeply, occasionally stealing glances at each other before quickly looking down. Their shy demeanor made the elders laugh heartily.

*

With the matter settled, the next day Chen Qingyan packed his things, and the three brothers returned to the prefectural school to continue their studies.

However, Wang Ying’s shop faced a new challenge. Although the truth had come to light and the shop’s seal had been removed, the reputation of Mixue was ruined.

When people mentioned their bamboo-tube ice pops, most would shake their heads and wave their hands. Forget ten coins, they wouldn’t even eat them for free.

Not a single customer showed up all morning. Even when Ma Qianzi went out with the cart to sell them, he barely sold any.

Returning to the shop, everyone felt disheartened. Lin Sui said, "I’d rather it be as busy as before. Even though it was tiring, at least we made money and felt happy."

Ma Qianzi agreed, "Yeah, before when I went out selling ice pops with the cart, people would surround me to buy them as soon as I entered the alley. Now, no one even asks."

Wang Ying's expression remained unchanged, thinking that if worse came to worst, he could always stop selling popsicles and switch directly to the ice business.

Wei Linshui had already been arrested, and his actions were likely to result in a sentence of exile. The other two ice-selling businesses in the city had been suppressed by the Wei family over the years, leaving them with significantly smaller ice reserves.

If he made his move now and took over the city’s ice-selling business...

The Experimental Fields could produce as much ice as needed, and he could dig an ice cellar outside to maintain a cover. This would be much more convenient and safer than making popsicles or shaved ice. Even if someone grew suspicious, there would be no evidence that the ice had appeared out of nowhere.

The problem was how to sell the ice. They hadn't been in the prefectural city long and didn't have many connections. Most ordinary people couldn’t afford ice, and only wealthy households were willing to spend money on ice for cooling.

Just as he was worrying about this, as if answering his prayers, the shopkeeper from Yang's Trading Company across the street came over.

"Your shop is open again."

Wang Ying said with a bitter smile. "Yes, but business is quite slow..."

"Ah, there’s nothing to be done about that. Everyone knows you were framed, but the common people don’t. They take rumor as truth and are naturally afraid to buy from you."

"That’s true. Is there something I can help you with, Shopkeeper Yang?"

"Oh, right. Do you sell large blocks of ice? The Wei family’s ice cellar has been sealed, and the other two ice sellers in the city have already had their stock rushed. It’s hard to find ice now, so I thought I’d ask you."

"We do! Our ice cellar happens to have plenty of ice in stock. If we can’t sell popsicles, we can always sell ice."

"What about the price?"

Wang Ying said, "We’re old business associates, so I won’t charge you high prices. I’ll sell it to you for the same price you used to pay. If you buy in bulk, I can even give you a discount."

"That’s perfect! Then deliver four blocks of ice to me tomorrow—two in the morning and two in the afternoon. The weather has been so hot lately, my youngest son has broken out in prickly heat."

"Sure, I’ll have someone deliver them to you tomorrow."

Shopkeeper Yang paid a deposit and arranged for four blocks of ice to be delivered every day, except on rainy days, until mid-July.

A single three-foot-long block of ice sold for three hundred coins. Over more than a month, this would add up to forty or fifty strings of coins—the Yang family really had deep pockets.

Wang Ying said, "Our ice cellar has plenty of ice. If you know anyone else who needs ice, please help spread the word."

"Will do."

After Shopkeeper Yang left, Wang Ying excitedly called out, "Pack things up—we’re no longer selling popsicles!"

The others asked in confusion, "Then what are we selling?"

"We’re switching to selling ice!"

Wang Ying had Tian Ju take down the shop’s sign, and within a few days, it was replaced with a new plaque reading "Wang Family Ice Shop."

This year was a real scorcher of a year, and many wealthy households in the city needed ice. With Shopkeeper Yang’s help in promoting the business, the shop’s business quickly took off.

Customers came in a steady stream to place orders every day. Moreover, since Wang Ying had brought down the Wei family, no one dared to cause trouble for him anymore.

From then on, they had truly gained a firm foothold in the city.