Chapter 628: Heaven’s Will is Hard to Defy
Chapter 628: Chapter 628: Heaven’s Will is Hard to Defy
The journey to the government office was exceptionally difficult. Rain poured down in sheets. The winding streams of rainwater carried away many of the townsfolk’s belongings.
The guards stared at Shen Ningning, afraid she might run off.
Shen Ningning saw the situation clearly. ’They insisted on taking me to the government office in this terrible weather. The so-called investigation is just a pretense. What they really want is to control me.’
When they arrived at the government office, the guards all stood with weapons in hand, their presence grim and imposing.
The Magistrate presiding over the hall was a man over fifty, his grim expression and sullen eyes radiating hostility.
Kneeling below the dais was a drenched maidservant. Hearing footsteps behind her, she glanced back. When she saw it was Shen Ningning, a flicker of guilt crossed her eyes before she quickly lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Shen Ningning glanced at the maid, taking in every detail.
The Magistrate spoke gravely, "Are you Miss Ren, Ren Liuyue?"
Shen Ningning raised an eyebrow slightly. "I am."
"You were not at the Ren Mansion earlier. Did you go out?"
"I went to Mr. Cui’s home."
"Why? You’re a young lady of the Ren Family. Why would you go to someone else’s home instead of staying in your own during such a heavy downpour?"
"The Ren Mansion is in a low-lying area, and the rainwater was backing up. I felt it was unsafe, so I went to my husband’s friend’s house to take shelter from the storm."
There was nothing wrong with her answer, and the Magistrate couldn’t find any fault with it. But today, they were here specifically for her.
The Magistrate suddenly slammed his gavel on the table. "Nonsense! We’ve already investigated. You weren’t at home because you followed Miss Ren Er out. You took advantage of the storm to push her into the raging river. Miss Ren Er’s maidservant saw it with her own eyes."
At that moment, the maidservant beside him began to sob. "Miss Ren, even though my mistress and you don’t share the same mother, you are still family, connected by blood! How could you be so heartless?"
"Lord Prefect, please understand! Our carriage was stuck on the bridge, so my mistress had me help her leave on foot. But as soon as we stepped out of the carriage, we saw Miss Ren charge over and shove Miss Ren Er off the bridge. She was gone in the blink of an eye!"
Shen Ningning scoffed. "What a joke. Me, follow you? If I truly intended to murder Ren Er, why would I use such a foolish method where you could all see me? Besides, if you’re so loyal, and I had just killed your mistress, wouldn’t you have grabbed me and immediately reported it to the government?"
The maidservant’s eyes darted away.
"I was too terrified to react at that moment. By the time I thought to grab you, the bridge had already collapsed, and Miss Ren had fled."
She turned to the Magistrate, crying, "When Mrs. Ren heard the news, she fainted from grief and still hasn’t woken up. Lord Prefect, you must bring justice for Miss Ren Er, who died so unjustly!"
Shen Ningning stared at the Magistrate. On the wall behind him, the patterns looked as if they were embroidered. It didn’t look like a wall, but rather a tall folding screen.
The young woman frowned slightly, focusing her senses. She felt as if someone was watching her from behind the screen.
The Magistrate had already decided on Shen Ningning’s punishment.
"Guards! Take this venomous Miss Ren, give her twenty strikes with the rod, and lock her in a cell. When the Lord Governor has time, I will discuss the matter with him further."
Shen Ningning pulled her gaze away from the screen, her icy stare landing on the Magistrate.
"Where’s the body?"
"What?" The Magistrate was taken aback.
"You’re so certain that Ren Er is dead and that I’m the murderer. Very well, then. I want to see the body."
The Magistrate faltered and immediately looked at the maidservant.
The maidservant stammered, "Well... she was washed away by the water. Miss Ren, are you just trying to play games? Are you hoping to get away with it because there’s no body to prove it?"
Shen Ningning sneered. "How do I know she’s really dead? After all, I haven’t seen her since yesterday. For all I know, you’re the one who secretly killed her!"
The maidservant’s face went deathly pale, guilt flashing in her eyes. She frantically waved her hands. "I didn’t!"
Shen Ningning saw her opening. ’The maid really does know something.’
She pressed her advantage. "You didn’t? Your mistress was washed away, so why was your first instinct to run to the Ren Mansion and declare her dead, instead of gathering the family servants to search for her downstream?"
The maidservant knelt on the floor, her eyes wide with panic.
Shen Ningning continued, "Mrs. Ren fainted from grief. Do you really think you, a lone maid, can come report to the government and force me to confess? I could just as easily say you’re the murderer!"
The maid completely lost her composure. "I didn’t kill her! I just... I just didn’t pull her up! I... I..."
The Magistrate squeezed his eyes shut, his lips tightening into a thin line. ’This idiot!’ he cursed inwardly.
Shen Ningning crossed her arms, a look of understanding dawning in her eyes. She sneered, "So you’re finally telling the truth. You watched her die and did nothing. You’ve got some nerve, seeing her fall into the water and then just standing there as she was swept away."
She pointed directly at the maid. "You’re the one who killed Ren Er!"
The maid covered her face and wailed, "She hit me first! I didn’t mean to let her die, but she was so cruel to me! I... I’m in love with the Young Master, and I agreed to his request to stay by my mistress’s side and find a chance to kill her, but... but I didn’t actually do it! I was just too scared, so I didn’t pull her up."
’So Zhao Lei is involved in this too?’
Once Shen Ningning understood the situation, she immediately addressed the grim-faced Magistrate on the dais. "My lord, everything is now perfectly clear."
"Ren Er’s husband, Zhao Lei, was having an affair with this maid. He incited her to find an opportunity to murder Ren Er. The maid, harboring malicious intent, succeeded today. Fearing she would be implicated, she tried to frame me for the crime."
The Magistrate narrowed his eyes. "What the maid said may be true, but are you sure this matter has nothing to do with you?"
"I’ve heard that you and Miss Ren Er had a bitter argument at the Guangxiu Building over a bolt of thousand gold silk. It was reportedly a very unpleasant affair."
"It’s quite possible you harmed her out of resentment."
He was determined to convict her, regardless of the facts.
Shen Ningning was entirely unafraid, her gaze clear and direct. "My lord, your ability to turn black into white is truly impressive. Ren Er was the one who failed to get the better of me. If anyone was going to harm someone, it would have been her trying to harm me."
"Enough. I see it clearly now. You didn’t call me here to investigate a case, my lord. You brought me here to force a crime upon me."
The Magistrate adamantly refused to concede, insisting, "Miss Ren Er’s death is absolutely connected to you! No matter how silver-tongued you are, you won’t be leaving the government office today. Guards! Lock her up at once."
Suddenly, an urgent voice called out from the doorway.
"You cannot lock her up! She’s not the murderer!"
Shen Ningning turned and, upon seeing who had arrived, froze in astonishment.
When the maidservant saw the newcomer, her face went ashen, and she collapsed to the floor.
Behind the Magistrate, the person sitting behind the screen saw what was happening and sighed softly, murmuring to themself, ’Can it be that the will of heaven is truly impossible to defy?’