Wanjin Lady

Chapter 226 Motive
"Later, the master got drunk and was helped to the back room. Somehow, Widow Wang appeared in your father's room, and the two of them were pulling and tugging at each other—"

Liu Yiyi gritted her teeth and looked at Wen Wan with indignation. "This is the testimony of the madam of Baihua Tower. She said she saw two people struggling on the windowsill. Later, Miss Wang jumped from the third floor and her brains exploded on the spot."

"The prefect said... the master forcibly took possession of a decent woman, raped her, and then murdered her. The evidence is irrefutable—"

"The master kept crying foul, saying he was drunk that night and that it was the widow Wang who broke in and forced a fight with him... She also wanted to commit suicide... The whole thing was staged and directed by the widow Wang..."

"But... no one believed it." Liu Yiyi's eyes welled up with tears. "The prefect was furious and beat your father with twenty boards and tortured him with the torture... Your father couldn't bear it anymore... and finally he gave in..."

"Wanniang...your father is innocent!" Liu Yiyi wiped her tears with a handkerchief. "Your father is a man of chivalry and righteousness. How could he do such a thing to bully men and women? Even if he really wanted to take that widow as a concubine, for the sake of the Wen family's heir, wouldn't I agree?"

Wen Wan pursed her lips, her eyes dark as she murmured, "No one would believe that Widow Wang threw herself into my arms, let alone believe that Widow Wang was willing to sacrifice her life to frame my father."

Liu Yiyi's voice choked with sobs. "That's right. Widow Wang has three sons. One is twelve years old, one is ten years old, and one is six years old. I heard that Widow Wang would break off any piece of bread she had for her three sons to eat. She would rather starve to death than let her children suffer. No one believes that she abandoned her three sons to frame your father..."

A sneer played on Wen Wan's lips. "And my father... had few children... and no sons... which became the motive for the crime."

I have to say, if there really is someone behind this, then this plan... is obviously flawless.

Motive, witnesses, testimony...with these three approaches working together, the evidence of guilt is solid.

Regardless of past and present lives, Wen Wan has never felt that her gender could be an obstacle. Strong people, regardless of gender, never complain about their circumstances.

But at this moment, Wen Wan wanted to curse.

Just because Old Man Wen has no son, he has a motive to commit the crime?
Cheng Yunzhang suddenly asked, "The Baihua Tower is divided into a restaurant in the front and a brothel in the backyard. How did Widow Wang, who was selling fish, end up in the backyard?"

Liu Yiyi had obviously thought of this beforehand. "I asked the old maid, and she said... there were a lot of guests that night, and a few got drunk and started causing trouble... The thugs went to the front yard to break up the fight... It's possible that some of the side doors took advantage of the situation."

"So, it was Widow Wang who ran into the backyard herself?"

Liu Yiyi bit her lip. Widow Wang was dead and there was no evidence. Who knew what Widow Wang was thinking? Why would a good woman run to a brothel?

Wen Wan narrowed her eyes: "Maybe he was instructed by someone."

Cheng Yunzhang and Wen Wan looked at each other, and both saw a hint of understanding in each other's eyes.

Wen Wan sighed, "I'll have to ask my dad about this."

Liu Yiyi knew that Cheng Yunzhang's third sister was the prefect's concubine. She didn't care about anything else. She bent her knees and knelt in front of Cheng Yunzhang to plead, "Master Cheng, my master is really wronged... I have tried everything... but I haven't been able to go in to visit him. I don't know how his health is now. He has just recovered from a serious illness. These twenty boards will kill him! Can you please... can you talk to the prefect... let me go in to see the master... no matter how much money you pay... I am willing to do it——"

Wen Wan quickly helped Liu Yiyi up. "Mother, if Senior Brother Xiuwen has a way, he will definitely do his best. Please get up first—" Cheng Yunzhang also said, "Madam Liu, there is no need to worry. However, there are many suspicious points in this matter. We still need to unravel the mystery to find the truth."

Liu Yiyi stood up while sobbing. Wenwan pinched her hand and helped the exhausted Liu Yiyi to sit down. She caught a glimpse of the few strands of white hair on Liu Yiyi's head and felt sorry for her.

In the past, Liu Yiyi loved beauty and would always wear a hairpin and flowers on her head, wishing she could dress like a peacock. But now, Liu Yiyi only had a wooden hairpin in her hair, no other jewelry. I'm afraid... she was short of money and had already pawned everything she had.

She used to look down on Liu Yiyi for being love-brained, but now, she actually felt that her cheap father was very lucky.

If there is a person who can become love-brained for her and run towards her regardless of everything, she is also willing to become a pig-brained... oh no... love-brained.

Wen Wan asked in a low voice, "Mother, have you ever investigated that Widow Wang?"

"I've been to his house. When his son heard I was from the Wen family, he beat me out with a stick." Liu Yiyi clenched her handkerchief. "I... I can't stand getting angry with a bunch of boys. I asked around with her neighbors, and they said Widow Wang was an honest woman who made a living by sewing and washing to support her son. She was introverted and didn't like interacting with the neighbors. But—"

Liu Yiyi frowned slightly. "There is a woman named Zhang... She calls Widow Wang a whore whenever she mentions her, and says she's not clean... But... I heard that Zhang isn't a kind person either. She likes to take advantage of others, often quarrels with the neighbors, and has no control over her words... I'm afraid her words can't be taken seriously."

Wen Wan nodded, "Mother just said... that she went to the prison to take care of things?"

When this matter was brought up, Liu Yiyi slammed the table fiercely. "Those damn jailers, they took the money but didn't do anything! They said death row prisoners couldn't be visited, yet they kept taking the money!"

Liu Yiyi felt heartbroken when she thought of the dozens of taels of silver she had given away.

They say that if you hit a dog with a meat bun, it will never come back, but the dog still knows to bark a few times!

These jailers took money from her three times, and finally told her that it was impossible to clear the problem. If this wasn't cheating her out of money, what was it?
Wen Wan asked again, "Where's Master Ma? Feng Shuigen said Master Ma disappeared too?"

Mentioning Ma Changshun only deepened Liu Yiyi's worry. "I asked those merchants, and they said they hadn't seen Master Ma since helping the master upstairs. They don't know where he went. I've sent people everywhere to look for him, but he's vanished into thin air. Miss... do you think... Ma Changshun might be the second Shi Jinquan? The master was arrested, and he disappeared right after. Could all of this be a trap he set?"

Wen Wan shook her head. "Trust the people you employ, and don't employ them if you don't trust them. I trust Master Ma."

"If that's really the case..." Liu Yiyi's face flickered with realization. "If Master Ma hadn't betrayed the Master, then his situation... would be very dire."

Wen Wan's heart was pounding.

It seems as if there is an invisible black hand behind all this. First it was Lu Ping, then Old Man Wen, and then Master Ma. Is it Wen Wan's turn next?

But...are these things related?
If all these things were done by the same person, what was his purpose?
Each of these things is like a mystery that cannot be unraveled or pulled apart. No matter how much effort Wen Wan puts in, she cannot see the tip of the iceberg.