The husband I snatched halfway through his life is strange.

Chapter 218 What a pity, it was all burned to the ground.
The noise outside the window was still as loud as ever, with shouts and calls of vendors audible.

A market was set up on East Street.

The officials sent by the imperial court to manage the four cities have all taken up their posts. The new officials, with their decisive actions, have revitalized everything, ordering a 50% reduction in market stall fees on market days.

This delighted the farmers who were setting up stalls, and they came early with their carrying poles.

There were vendors selling fish, chickens and ducks, vegetables grown at home, handicrafts... you name it, they had it all, it was dazzling.

Besides Zexian County, many people come to the market to join in the fun, and they happen to buy whatever they need at home today.

After all, both parties were satisfied with the price at the market.

The air in the private room of the teahouse was stagnant.

He Xuran remained seated, motionless.

Zhu the constable's words were not embellished with fancy words, nor were they exaggerated.

It's just a simple description.

Each word, strung together, forms a sharp knife.

Even though no marks were left on He Xuran, he was in so much pain that he could hardly breathe.

This girl, who should have been pampered and spoiled, has endured countless hardships.

Once Officer Zhu got to this point, he couldn't stop talking.

“It’s heartbreaking to hear such words coming from a young girl like her.”

"Before the younger one took the child back, he made her kowtow twice to the pile of ruins."

"My lord, you don't know, but half of the people in Ze County have been talking behind our backs, laughing at Yu Jingcheng for not caring that he has no son, but treating his daughter like a precious treasure."

Some of the gossip even reached Constable Zhu's ears.

It is said that after Hu Yuniang gave birth to Yu Tingwan, her body was damaged, so much so that she has not conceived in all these years.

It's said that if a woman can't bear children, no matter how beautiful she is, it's useless. The Yu family is well-off; Jingcheng might as well secretly find another one.

Some of the things said were very harsh.

"They even said the couple didn't know how to raise their child. That's why she's expensive to raise and spoiled."

"The little girl overheard this and immediately rushed over to argue with them."

"She's got quite the temper, scolding them all for being penniless and meddling in other people's business. All she does all day is gossip and make herself unpleasant. Instead of wasting her time, she should go back and cook a meal for her kids, so they don't have to stand at the door with their bowls of rice, looking like beggars, staring at the meat in her bowl."

"She also scolded those women, saying that they had a string of sons, but the men were useless and the rice granary was empty. It was clear that the couples were well-matched, but they only cared about having children and not raising them."

He Xuran: ?

It's hard to imagine that the little girl Zhu the constable was talking about was the same person as Yu Tingwan, whom he had met.

How much suffering must one have endured for their temperament to change so drastically?

He had only met Yu Tingwan twice.

The first time at the execution ground.

For the sake of her tragically deceased sister-in-law, the young woman remained calm and composed, showing no panic. She meticulously investigated the circumstances, uncovering the truth and exposing the ugliness of the situation, without uttering a single unnecessary word.

Even he has to be highly regarded.

The second time was at the Wei family's house.

He actually went there specifically for Yu Tingwan.

It's a pity we didn't get to exchange more than a few words.

The girl seemed... not really interested in talking to him.

However, it's understandable. After all, men in poor health are already overworked, so how can they muster the energy?

Thinking of this, He Xuran frowned.

There is some dissatisfaction.

Wei Shen's body...

But he had no grounds to be dissatisfied.

Moreover, according to his investigation, it was Yu Tingwan who was willing to marry him.

"Back when I was a constable, I saw that Yu family girl many times while patrolling various places. She looked like a doll in a New Year's painting, and her body was covered with gold and silver jewelry, which kept jingling."

"Once, she was targeted by a petty thief, but before he could make a move, her father was quick-witted and kicked the man away." This frightened many people at the time.

Everyone knew that Yu Jingcheng was a fierce and ruthless man, and everyone avoided him.

"That little girl is quite something, clearly..."

Officer Zhu gestured with his hand.

"It's only that high."

"She walked over in her delicate embroidered shoes. She asked the little thief, who was writhing in pain on the ground, if she needed to be taken to the clinic."

At this point, he seemed much more relaxed and even couldn't help but smile from the bottom of his heart.

"I kindly took him to get his brain checked."

"The little girl pointed to Yu Jingcheng behind her and said proudly, 'Don't you even know what my father does? You dare to set your sights on her? You're asking for death.'"

Officer Zhu: "She's all cute and fierce, but when she turns to her father, she smiles so sweetly. She says her father is handsome, and even more handsome when he kicks people. She makes Yu Jingcheng blush with delight."

As he spoke, his smile became slightly faint.

"Pity."

"That fire burned everything to the ground."

He didn't notice He Xuran's expression.

"Logically speaking, the fact that the Yu family's house was flooded without any apparent reason is rather suspicious."

"Sir, you don't know, there's a small stream right in front of the Yu family's house. The neighbors all searched for containers to fetch water, but the fire only grew stronger the more they tried to extinguish it."

"Gives people a feeling..."

His expression turned serious: "Even a torrential downpour couldn't stop this disaster from happening."

It will only add fuel to the fire.

"According to the neighbors at the time, everything was fine not long ago, and people even passed by the Yu family's house. In the blink of an eye, there was a loud explosion, and the fire at the Yu family's house got out of control. You could also hear people inside calling for help."

But who would dare to go?

Only Yu Jingcheng had just returned with groceries.

"At that time, the magistrate of Ze County was on the verge of promotion."

People are inherently self-interested; why would they want a backlog of cases that could hinder their promotion?

"Unable to find anything suspicious, and seeing that someone had died, the case of the Yu family fire was hastily closed."

He Xuran's eyes grew colder and colder.

He felt a chill all over his body.

Actually, he wasn't much older than Yu Tingwan.

It's simply because they are of a higher generation and were born later.

They could live a life of luxury and have a smooth and successful journey.

He was able to reach the position of censor not because of favors from his elders, but because of his own abilities.

Who exactly did the Gu family offend?
Was it a twist of fate, or was there some other scheme at play?

It's probably the latter.

Otherwise, why would my brother-in-law send people over to protect him?
He Xuran thought that Grand Tutor Gu must know something. This matter was of great importance, and he couldn't wait to settle things in Ze County and return to the capital to tell Grand Tutor Gu everything.

A letter has been written, and after the trusted confidant sends the list of those to be included in the disaster relief case to the palace, he will naturally come to the Grand Tutor's residence.

Regardless of the grudge, plotting against a newborn baby is truly malicious!

Was the fire at the Yu family's residence an attempt to... eliminate them completely?

Officer Zhu was lost in his thoughts: "But at that time, the family's conditions were really bad. There were several children to raise, and an old, blind mother to care for. Even though it was just one more pair of chopsticks, we really couldn't support them all."

As time went on, he also became worried.

The woman treated the young girl with the same tenderness as always, but secretly she complained that he had taken her home without saying a word.

If your family is wealthy, it's not a big deal.

But which family isn't tightening their belts to make ends meet? You can't let your own children suffer by supporting outsiders.