A fierce wife enters the house: She helps up a house full of spineless people.

Two constables dressed in black uniforms, with broadswords at their waists, strode in, followed by several yamen runners. As soon as they entered the courtyard, their faces darkened upon seeing the mess on the ground and the corpses lying under the straw mats.

The lead constable had sharp eyes. He scanned the area and finally fixed his gaze on the village chief, Chen Defu.

"Who reported this to the authorities? What's going on here?"

Chen Defu quickly stepped forward, bowed, and recounted the diagnosis made by Doctor Liu and his own guesses.

"Sir, this is what happened. Chen, the second son's wife, poisoned her mother-in-law's food, killing her. Her husband and daughter-in-law were also poisoned and are now half-dead."

The constable nodded, walked to the straw mat, bent down and lifted a corner.

Old Mrs. Chen's face, contorted with pain, was revealed, her eyes wide open, her death unresolved.

"Coroner!" the head constable shouted.

An elderly man carrying a toolbox walked over, squatted down, and began to examine the area.

The constable walked to the door of the main room and looked at the bowl of braised pork on the ground, which had been eaten and only had soup left.

"The poison is in here?" He pointed to the bowl with his scabbard.

Chen Yang clutched his stomach, leaning against the corner of the wall, sweating profusely from the pain. He nodded weakly, "It's...it's her...it's that poisonous woman..."

The constable's gaze fell on Chen Xiufen, who was huddled in the corner.

As if sensing something, Chen Xiufen slowly raised her head, met the constable's gaze, and grinned.

"I did it," she admitted readily. "It's a pity my good son didn't have the chance to enjoy it; he didn't make it on his way."

These words caused an uproar throughout the courtyard.

The villagers were so frightened that they backed away, looking at Chen Xiufen as if she were a demon crawling out of hell.

"My God, that's incredibly poisonous!"

"How could a human being harm their own mother-in-law, husband, and son?"

"The most poisonous heart is that of a woman; this saying is absolutely true!"

Wang Jinzhu stood on the periphery of the crowd, listening to the discussions, and felt very fortunate.

Fortunately, none of them were greedy for small gains; otherwise, there would have been several more corpses here today.

She glanced at Wang Tianfang and Chen Shi beside her; both of them looked grim. Old Chen, in particular, stared blankly at his wife under the straw mat, his cloudy eyes revealing neither sorrow nor joy. He seemed drained of all his energy, aging ten years in an instant.

"Guards!" Upon hearing Cheng Xiufen's confession, the head constable, without further ado, ordered, "Lock up the poisoner, Chen, and her husband, Chen Yang! Collect their bodies and bring them back to the county office!"

Two constables immediately stepped forward, took out iron chains, and with a "clatter," bound Chen Xiufen's hands and feet. Chen Xiufen did not resist, letting them drag her along, while giggling.

Another constable walked up to Chen Yang, who struggled to stand up, shouting, "Sir, I'm innocent! I don't know anything, I'm a victim too!"

"Whether he is a victim or not, the judge will decide for him when we get back to the yamen!" The yamen runners didn't listen to his explanation at all, and directly lifted him off the ground and put him in chains.

The constable's gaze fell on Liu Yiyi, who was lying unconscious on the door panel.

"What about her? Did she eat too?"

Doctor Liu quickly stepped forward to explain, "Sir, this woman was also poisoned, but she induced vomiting early and survived. However... however, she lost her baby and is now very weak; she may not be able to withstand any further treatment."

The head constable frowned, walked over to look at Liu Yiyi's pale face and the bloodstains beneath her, and waved his hand: "Then let her stay and recover for now."

After saying this, the group, carrying the prisoner and Old Lady Chen's body, hurriedly left.

As soon as the constables left, the villagers erupted in uproar again.

"The second branch of the Chen family is completely finished!"

"If you ask me, the most pitiful one is the eldest son's family. They worked so hard to raise a scholar, only to have such an ungrateful family. Now they've even got relatives who are murderers, and their reputation is ruined."

"Shh, keep your voice down, Boss Chen and the others are over there!"

Following the sound of the voice, everyone looked and saw Chen Shi and Wang Tianfang standing silently not far away, while Old Man Chen sat motionless on his doorstep like a stone statue.

Wang Jinzhu walked over and gently patted Old Man Chen on the back.

"Sir, let's go inside. It's windy outside."

Old Chen slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes looking at Wang Jinzhu. His lips trembled for a long time before he finally managed to utter a single sentence: "A misfortune for our family... a misfortune for our family..."

His voice was hoarse and dry, filled with endless sorrow and exhaustion.

Wang Jinzhu sighed inwardly.

She had no affection for Old Lady Chen whatsoever, and even wished for her to die sooner. But now that the man was truly dead, and his body was being carried away by the officials, seeing Old Lady Chen in this state, she felt a pang of unease.

After all, they had been married for decades. No matter how much favoritism or scheming there was, now that they are separated by death, all that remains is desolation.

"Father, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Now is not the time to grieve. Grandma's body has been taken away by the officials," Wang Jinzhu reminded him.

Hearing this, Chen Shi realized what was happening and knelt down beside Old Man Chen. "Father, Jinzhu is right. Mother's body is at the county government office. We have to wait for official confirmation before we can arrange the funeral. Also, my second brother has been taken away by the officials. Shouldn't we go to the county government office to inquire about the situation?"

When Chen Yang was mentioned, Old Man Chen's body visibly stiffened.

He remained silent for a long time before waving his hand, his voice filled with disgust: "That unfilial son... let him go! It's better if he dies in prison! My Chen family has no son like him!"

He hated Chen Yang, and he hated Chen Xiufen even more. If it weren't for their family's meddling, things wouldn't have come to this.

Seeing that Old Man Chen was agitated, Wang Jinzhu stopped mentioning Chen Yang and simply said, "Then we can only wait. We can only collect the body and make funeral arrangements after the county government has concluded the case and issued the necessary documents. Tianfang, go to town early tomorrow morning, rent an oxcart, and wait for news at home. I reckon we should have news by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

"Okay," Wang Tianfang replied in a muffled voice.

Wang Jinzhu then looked at Old Man Chen and Chen Shi: "Grandpa, Father-in-law, you shouldn't stand here anymore, go back inside and rest. This matter can't be rushed. I'll go make some food, have a little something to eat."

After Wang Jinzhu and her family left, the villagers who had been gathered in the courtyard of the Chen family's second house gradually dispersed.

Chen Shuyan stood alone in the center of the courtyard, like a clay sculpture whose soul had been taken away.

He looked at Liu Yiyi, who was lying unconscious on the door panel, his face showing no concern, only an overwhelming sense of disgust.

Another burden, a woman who can't have children, what's the point of having her?

A surge of anger rose from the bottom of his heart, and Chen Shuyan kicked the water vat next to him.

"Clang!"

The water vat was kicked open and cracked, and water gushed out along the crack, quickly forming a puddle on the ground.

He was breathing heavily, his eyes were bloodshot, and his chest was heaving violently.

It would be better if he were dead.

Only when they're all dead will everything be clean!

He even considered simply throwing Liu Yiyi onto this broken bed, locking the door, and leaving. The world was vast; he could find a new place, hide his identity, and surely survive.

Just then, a faint groan came from the door.

Liu Yiyi woke up.

A sharp pain in her lower abdomen made her curl up, and cold sweat instantly soaked her temples. She struggled to open her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Chen Shuyan standing in the courtyard, his face full of violence and despair.

With just one glance, Liu Yiyi understood the murderous intent and disgust in his eyes.

A chill ran through her heart.

Hoping this man would take pity on her and save her? Impossible. Liu Yiyi gritted her teeth, enduring the excruciating pain, and forced out a few words from her parched throat: "Chen...Shuyan..."

Liu Yiyi's voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear, "If you help me get a doctor, I'll give you five taels of silver."

Five taels of silver!

"Where did you hide your money?" Chen Shuyan asked suspiciously.

"The third brick from the bottom in the west corner is loose. Behind that brick, there are two taels of silver," Liu Yiyi's voice rang out again. "Take it first and get me a doctor and some medicine. Once I'm better, I'll tell you where I hid the remaining five taels."

She wasn't stupid enough to reveal the location of all the money.

Chen Shuyan stared intently at Liu Yiyi. This woman had actually been hiding such a trick up her sleeve!

Chen Shuyan turned and rushed into the room, heading straight to the west wall. Using the dim light coming in from the window, he felt around with his fingers, piece by piece.

Soon, he touched a loose blue brick.

He dug his fingernails into the crack, pried hard, and the brick fell down with a thud. Behind it was a small dent, from which he pulled out two taels of silver.

He stuffed the silver into his pocket, turned around, and walked out of the house.

Liu Yiyi was still lying on the door panel, her face as white as paper, but she kept her eyes open, waiting for him.

When she saw him come out, the corner of her mouth twitched as if she wanted to laugh, but the movement aggravated her wound, causing her to gasp in pain.

Chen Shuyan didn't offer a single word of comfort, nor did he even glance at her again. He walked to the courtyard gate, paused, and coldly uttered, "You'd better not be lying to me."

After saying that, he opened the courtyard gate, strode out, and went to find a doctor for her.