Shocking Mountain Moon

Chapter 76 Legend
Qiu Heng didn't think deeply about the answer, but she already knew that Xue Han was smarter than she expected.

Perhaps, sooner or later, he would find out who she was, because she was destined to be unable to avoid him. He would have to worry about what to do with him then.

After receiving Qiu Heng's next instructions, Tao Da arranged for Chen San to deliver the account books recording Yuan Chenghai's crimes such as occupying fertile land to Censor Yan.

Censor Yan obtained the account book on his way home from work.

At that time, the account book wrapped in stones flew over and hit the foot of Censor Yan. Censor Yan was so frightened that he fell to the ground and his eyes went black.

When he took out the account book from under his butt and took a look at it, his eyesight cleared up and the pain in his butt disappeared. He grabbed the account book, got up and ran.

That night, Tao Da and the other two got together. Chen San talked about Censor Yan's reaction at that time and couldn't help laughing: "You didn't see how fast Censor Yan ran——"

Tao Da slapped him in the face: "How dare you laugh! If you scare the censor into something bad, the important work will be delayed!"

Chen San rubbed his head. He had always been cheerful since Yuan Chenghai died. "Don't worry, Brother Tao. I know my limits. The censor will take it seriously when he sees the account book running so fast, right?"

Tao Da nodded heavily: "Of course. Since Brother Que asked us to deliver the account book to Censor Yan, it means that Censor Yan can be relied on."

Chen San sighed: "When I said I wanted to use the account book to file a complaint with the emperor, Brother Que stopped me. It turns out that it's not that the account book is useless, but that it should be used only at this time."

Although Chen San was impatient, he was not stupid. He understood that since Yuan Chenghai was dead, there would be much less resistance in investigating his crimes.

"Brother Que is truly amazing. He took Yuan's life without anyone noticing, and not only brought disgrace upon him, but also destroyed his reputation and made him infamous forever." The taciturn Liu Er rarely expressed his thoughts.

Tao Da sighed softly: "Yes, Brother Que is really amazing."

I don’t know if there will ever be a day when I will see the true appearance of the Magpie brothers.

"Brother Tao, Brother Liu, what shall we do once the matter of Yuan the thief is completely resolved?"

Chen San's question stumped Tao Da.

Yeah, what can they do?

My family is gone, and I feel sad when I go back to my hometown. Should I stay in Beijing? But what can I do if I stay in Beijing?
It seemed good to set up a tea stall and work as a peddler, and live a stable life. But after experiencing such a big event as working together to kill Yuan Ze, there was always resentment in my heart.

Maybe, I'll ask Brother Magpie when I get a chance.

This thought flashed through Tao Da's mind, and he said, "Let's not think about this now. Let's wait until Sanniang takes Si Niang away from Yuan's house completely."

Yuan Chenghai's death is still under investigation, so Nie Sanniang and her sisters cannot act rashly, but Tao Da and the other two know that they don't have to wait too long.

"That's right. Let's talk about it after Sanniang reunites with us." Chen San thought of the gossip he heard while walking around the streets and laughed, "Did you hear what people said about the thief Yuan? They all said he was punished by God, so he died of laughter."

The news of Yuan Chenghai's death gradually spread, but ordinary people didn't know that he died of poisoning. Besides, death from poisoning is not as suitable as dying of laughter, which is the fate of a traitor being punished by heaven.

People love to hear that bad people will get their comeuppance.

Chen San finished laughing and curled his lips: "God doesn't care."

If God had eyes, he would not have allowed Yuan Shikai to continue to do evil until now. Those who were killed by Yuan Shikai will never come back.

Tao Da patted Chen San on the shoulder and said nothing.

Noticing that the atmosphere had become gloomy, Chen San laughed again: "I heard something even funnier. Many people said that there was a ghost last night."

"Haunted?" Although Liu Er is a quiet man, he loves to listen to strange stories.

Tao Da also laughed: "I also heard it from the customers at the tea stall. I guess they were just dazzled and spread rumors."

Chen San was not convinced: "One person is dazzled, so it is impossible that so many people are dazzled, right? It is said that dozens of people saw it with their own eyes. A female ghost appeared in Qinglian Lake last night... Later, the female ghost came ashore, and her long hair dragged on the ground..."

Liu Er listened attentively. The next day, Qiu Heng went to Qiansong Hall and found that the first wife Zhao, the second wife Lan, and the Qiu Xuan sisters were all there.

The old lady drank her sweet soup and glanced at Qiu Heng who was late, and she was very angry.

The two daughters-in-law and four granddaughters all came to pay their respects to her and stayed. Only the sixth girl was exempted from paying her respects. She was the one who sent someone to call her, and she came so late!

At first I exempted this girl from paying her respects because I was afraid that she would be unlucky, but why do I feel so unbalanced now?

Otherwise - the old lady just thought of the word "or else" and shuddered violently.

Forget it.

Qiu Heng sat silently with her sisters.

The old lady continued to chat with her two daughters-in-law.

Zhao and Lan were totally confused and had no idea what the old lady was talking about.

Although the old lady would scold her daughter-in-law whenever she wanted, she seldom talked to her daughter-in-law for a long time. She would just come to pay her respects on ordinary days. What happened today?
"Ahem." The old lady felt that it was about time and everyone was present, so she cleared her throat and asked, "Have you heard about the Zhongyuan Festival?"

In the presence of the old lady and Zhao, Lan rarely spoke first, and this time was no exception.

Zhao asked flatteringly: "You mean——"

The old lady raised her eyebrows: "Qinglian Lake is haunted!"

When these words came out, everyone had different expressions, and Qiu Heng's expression was the most interesting: "Grandma, is it true?"

Could this be talking about her?
"Many people saw it with their own eyes. It was a water ghost with long hair trailing on the ground." The old lady was most satisfied with Qiu Heng's performance.

With such a sensational rumor, why are everyone else acting like idiots?

Qiu Heng remained silent.

It’s confirmed, it’s her.

Would she not leave behind a horrific legend for Qinglian Lake?
When they heard that many people had seen it with their own eyes, they all asked for details. The old lady told them what she had heard, took a sip of tea, and glanced at her granddaughters one by one: "Grandma said before that you should not go out in July. Was she right?"

"Grandma is right." The five people said in unison.

The old lady was completely satisfied and put down her teacup: "Let's go."

While ordinary people were discussing the Qinglian Lake ghost, the court was alarmed by another incident: Censor Yan impeached Yuan Chenghai for several crimes.

Many officials exchanged glances and felt uneasy about Yuan Chenghai’s posthumous reputation: What a familiar feeling!

This was what happened to Han Wu not long ago. He was an important official of the country and trusted by the emperor. But after his death, the entire Han family was ruined when an investigation was conducted.

Unlike most people who were waiting secretly to watch the fun, the officials who went to the southeast to investigate the "hemp paper" incident felt like the sky was falling.

How come the account book recording Yuan Chenghai's crimes only appeared after his death? This is really a trap!

One of the officials, named Huang, either could not bear it or something else, and he hanged himself that night.

Emperor Jingping was still considering who to send to the southeast to investigate the case. He was furious when he heard this and directly imprisoned the officials who had previously gone to the southeast and interrogated them severely.

Under heavy pressure, after the first person spoke, their mouths were pried open one by one, and they confessed their crimes while crying bitterly.

(End of this chapter)