The Husband I Snatched Is Not Right!-Chapter 218: What a Shame, All Burned to Ashes

Chapter 218: Chapter 218: What a Shame, All Burned to Ashes

The commotion outside remained the same, with cries of hawking still audible.

A market had been set up over on East Street.

The officials sent by the Court to manage the four cities had all assumed their duties. As the saying goes, a new official solutions old issues with vigor, so they ordered the market stall fees to be halved.

This delighted the vendors immensely, and they came early carrying their goods on yokes.

Fish sellers, chicken and duck vendors, sellers of homegrown vegetables, handicrafts sellers... there was everything, dazzling the eyes of onlookers.

Besides Ze County, many citizens came to join the bustle, and whatever their homes lacked, they managed to buy today.

After all, the prices in the market were satisfactory to both parties.

But in the teahouse’s private room, the air was stagnant.

He Xuran was still sitting there, motionless.

The words of Constable Zhu were simple, devoid of any embellishments or exaggerations.

Just a straightforward narrative.

But strung together, every word turned into a sharp knife.

Even though they left no scars on He Xuran, he found it hard to breathe from the pain.

The young girl, who should have grown up cherished and loved, had no idea how much suffering she had endured.

Having reached this point, Constable Zhu couldn’t stop talking.

"When the words came out of that little girl’s mouth, it made even me feel a pang in my heart."

"Before I led the child back, I had her kowtow twice to the ruins."

"Sir, you wouldn’t know, but half of Ze County had gossiped behind their backs, laughing at Yu Jingcheng for not caring about having no sons, yet treating his daughter as a treasure."

Some rumors had reached Constable Zhu’s ears.

It was said that after Hu Yuniang gave birth to Yu Tingwan, her body was damaged, resulting in no further pregnancies over the years.

They said no matter how beautiful a woman is, if she cannot bear children, it is of no use. The Yu Family was well-off, and Jingcheng should quietly find someone else.

"Some words are hard to hear."

"They also said that the couple doesn’t know how to raise children, which is why she grew up spoiled and demanding."

"It seems this talk reached the little girl’s ears, and she immediately rushed over to argue with them."

"She exuded such presence, scolding them for being so poor they clinked and meddling in other people’s business. They spent their days gossiping, making themselves unbearable. And rather than using their free time like this, they should go home to cook a meal for their own children to keep them from eating at the doorway with dirty faces looking like beggars staring at her bowl of meat."

"She further berated those women, saying although they gave birth to many sons, their husbands were useless, and the grain bins in their homes were empty. Clearly, they were matched pairs, who only gave birth without raising their children."

He Xuran: ?

It was hard to imagine that the young girl in Constable Zhu’s words was the same Yu Tingwan he had met.

How much hardship had she faced to have such a drastic change in temperament?

He had only seen Yu Tingwan twice.

The first time was at the execution ground.

The girl was calm and composed for the sake of her tragically deceased sister-in-law, with no sign of panic, methodically uncovering the truth and exposing the ugliness without a single superfluous word.

Even he had to hold her in higher regard.

The second time was at the Wei Family.

He had actually come specifically for Yu Tingwan that time.

Unfortunately, they didn’t exchange many words.

The girl seemed... not very keen on interacting with him.

This was understandable, considering his poor health, he could hardly muster any spirit.

Thinking of this, He Xuran frowned deeply.

There was more than a little dissatisfaction.

Wei Shen’s health...

But he had no grounds for dissatisfaction.

Moreover, according to his investigation, Yu Tingwan was willing to marry him out of her own will.

"Back when I was still a constable, patrolling the area, I saw the Yu Family girl multiple times. She looked like a doll from a New Year’s painting, adorned with gold and silver jewelry, which tinkled non-stop."

"Once, she caught the eye of a petty thief who was yet to make his move and her father quickly and decisively kicked him away."

This startled a good number of citizens at the time too.

Everyone knew Yu Jingcheng was fierce, avoiding him like the plague.

"That little girl, though..."

Constable Zhu gestured with his hands.

"About this tall."

"She walked over in her delicate embroidered shoes and asked the petty thief writhing in pain on the ground if he wanted her to take him to a medical center."

At this point, he visibly relaxed and couldn’t help but let out a heartfelt laugh.

"Offering to kindly take him to have his brain checked."

"The little girl pointed at Yu Jingcheng behind her, proudly saying he should ask around about what her father does before daring to get any ideas about her, courting death."

Constable Zhu added, "She looked fierce, yet turned to her father with a sweet smile, complimenting him for being dashing and saying his kicking looked even more dashing. It made Yu Jingcheng beam with pride."

As he spoke, his smile faded slightly.

"What a pity."

"That fire burned everything to the ground."

He didn’t notice the expression on He Xuran’s face.

"Logically, the sudden fire at the Yu Family is quite suspicious."

"Sir, you wouldn’t know, but there’s a small creek right by the Yu Family’s entrance. Neighbors scrambled to fetch water, but instead of putting out the flames, they grew even stronger."

"It gave the feeling..."

His face turned serious: "Even a downpour couldn’t have stopped this disaster from happening."

Only adding fuel to the fire.

"According to the neighbors at the time, not long before, everything was fine. Someone even passed by the Yu Family entrance. Yet in the blink of an eye, a loud explosion was heard, and the fire at the Yu Family was out of control. You could even hear cries for help from inside."

But who would dare go in?

Only Yu Jingcheng who had just returned after buying groceries.

"At that time, the County Magistrate of Ze County was on the cusp of promotion."

People are naturally self-serving, unwilling to let unresolved cases stack up and affect their promotions.

"Unable to unearth any inconsistencies, seeing that lives were lost causing negative impacts, the case of the Yu Family fire was hastily concluded."

He Xuran’s eyes grew colder.

His entire body felt chilled.

In fact, compared to Yu Tingwan, he wasn’t much older.

However, by seniority, he was born later.

But he was clothed in silk and satin, his journey smooth.

Reaching the position of Imperial Censor wasn’t due to favors from elders but because of his own capabilities.

Who exactly did the Gu Family offend?

Was it a mishap or deliberate scheming?

Most likely the latter.

Otherwise, why would his brother-in-law send people to protect him at all costs?

He Xuran thought, Grand Tutor Gu must know something. This matter is significant, and he couldn’t wait to settle the affairs in Ze County before returning to the Capital to inform Grand Tutor Gu of everything.

He had already written a letter, and after his trusted aide delivered the disaster relief case list to the Imperial Palace, he would visit the Grand Tutor Mansion.

But no matter the grievances, to plot against a newborn infant was truly malicious!

The fire at the Yu Family, was this an attempt to... eradicate them completely?

Constable Zhu was lost in his own thoughts: "Back then, my family conditions were poor, with several children to raise, and an old blind mother to support. Though another pair of chopsticks wasn’t much, it was still too much to bear."

After a while, he grew troubled.

His wife remained as caring as ever to the little girl, but behind closed doors, she resented him for bringing her back home without a word.

If the family was well-off, it wouldn’t be an issue.

But every family was living frugally, how could they let their own children suffer to raise outsiders?