After being forced to leave the marriage, I became the wife of a top scholar.

Chapter 80: The Dispute Ended at the Government Office

Since Bai Qinglian received the message from the man in black that day, she has not received any further reports from him. Five days have passed since then.

Why did it take so long to go to Linjia Village?
Bai Qinglian couldn't help but get excited again at this thought. If her people really did disappear in Linjia Village, then Lin Yunche must be the man in black that day. Lin Yunche and Bai Wanqing have really shot themselves in the foot this time.

"Chuntao! Chuntao!" Bai Qinglian excitedly called Chuntao in.

When Chun Tao heard the Third Miss call her, she didn't dare to delay and immediately put down her work and went into the room to listen to her instructions.

"What has Bai Wanqing been doing these past few days? Has she gone to Linjia Village?" Bai Qinglian asked.

Chun Tao frowned. "Miss, the eldest young lady is still going to the clinic every day these past few days, but I don't know about the others."

Bai Qinglian rolled her eyes at Chun Tao after hearing this. That girl was just stupid and not nearly as useful as Xia Yu.

"Alright, go and find out if Li Ding has gone home, or if anyone who knew him has seen him. Send me the news as soon as you have any information," Bai Qinglian instructed.

Chuntao immediately agreed and then left.

Bai Qinglian went to Chen's house, wanting to ask Chen for Li Ding's indenture.

"Mother, please give me Li Ding's indenture," Bai Qinglian said coquettishly to Madam Chen as soon as she entered the room.

Madam Chen looked at her daughter suspiciously. She had always only cared about using people and never cared about indentures. Why had she suddenly changed her mind today? "Li Ding? What do you want an indenture for?"

"It's nothing, it's just that with the contract, it's easier for me to do things! Otherwise, he wouldn't listen to me!" Bai Qinglian continued.

Madam Chen frowned. "Are you going to cause trouble again, Lian'er? You really need to rein in your temper. Ever since what happened with Young Master Zhang, your father has been very disappointed in you. You can't do anything out of line again, understand?"

Bai Qinglian obediently replied, "I know. I know everything."

"That indenture..." Bai Qinglian clung to Chen's arm and shook it again. Chen finally softened. It was just an indenture anyway, so she gave it to her. When she took out the indenture and handed it to Bai Qinglian, she didn't forget to remind her again: "Don't make trouble anymore, or not only your father, but I won't help you anymore either."

Bai Qinglian hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the contract.

Upon returning to the courtyard, Bai Qinglian received Chun Tao's latest message: "Miss, Li Ding hasn't come home. Several people who usually see him are also wondering why they haven't seen him for several days."

"It's as if he's disappeared."

Bai Qinglian sneered, "Disappeared. Good thing she's disappeared!"

She handed the indenture she had obtained from the Chen family to Chun Tao, saying, "Go to Li Ding's house again now, take this indenture, tell her your identity, and then have them report to the authorities that Li Ding has disappeared."

"Yes!" Chun Tao took the indenture and went to the Li family.

Bai Qinglian smiled smugly. This time, she had really gone all out, not only putting herself in the mess but also dragging the entire Bai family and the Lin family into it.
"Aren't you, Bai Wanqing, sensible and loving towards your father?"

"Now the Bai family and my father are about to be dragged down by you. Let's see what you can do to extricate yourself from this mess."

Bai Qinglian just wanted to hurt Bai Wanqing, and this time she was willing to go to any lengths. The Chen family and Cheng Nan were no longer on her radar.

Just as she expected, the county magistrate soon sent people to the Bai family to look for her.

"We would like to ask the Bai family head and Miss Bai to come with us!" The official still held the Bai family in high regard, so his attitude was quite respectful.

Bai Chenming was somewhat surprised to see government officials suddenly arrive at his home. Hearing that they were looking for not only him but also Qinglian, he was suddenly bewildered. "Sir, is there some misunderstanding? Our Bai family has never done anything illegal. Why are we suddenly being targeted?"

Having been in business for so many years, Bai Chenming naturally knew the rules and even slipped some bribe money to the officials.

The official was secretly pleased and said to Master Bai, "Master Bai, why are you asking us about this? Didn't you report it to the government office?"

Bai Chenming was momentarily stunned. Then, seeing Bai Qinglian emerge from the backyard, he rushed to his third daughter and demanded, "Did you go to the government office to file a complaint?"

Bai Qinglian shook her head, "Father, I didn't."

Bai Chenming was completely bewildered, but the officials were waiting at the door, and more and more people were coming to watch the commotion. So he took Bai Qinglian and immediately got into the carriage, following the officials all the way to the county government office.

When Magistrate Hu saw that Master Bai had arrived, he nodded slightly to him, and Bai Chenming was finally less nervous than before.

"Master Bai, your servant Li Ding has gone missing. Are you aware of this?" Magistrate Hu asked in the courtroom.

Bai Chenming realized this was a trial. He recognized the people in the courtroom; they were Li Ding's relatives. When Li Ding was sold into the Bai family, it was his sister-in-law who helped him sign the papers. He had no idea Li Ding had disappeared, yet these people had already taken the matter to the county government.

"Your Excellency, I have no idea!" Master Bai replied, looking completely bewildered.

Then Magistrate Hu looked at Bai Qinglian beside Bai Chenming and asked, "I heard that Li Ding works for Miss Bai. Does Miss Bai know Li Ding's whereabouts?"

Bai Qinglian bit her lip, neither nodding nor shaking her head, but rather looking like she had something on her mind but couldn't say it.

This made Bai Chenming panic, wondering what had happened at home again. Bai Qinglian's behavior was also noticed by Lord Hu, who said, "If you know anything, you must speak up, otherwise, once I investigate, you may be suspected of harboring a criminal."

Covering up? Bai Chenming was startled when such a huge accusation was slapped on his head.

Bai Qinglian looked at her father. Bai Chenming was unsure of what to do and didn't want his daughter to speak, but Lord Hu directly rebuked Bai Yuanwai: "Bai Yuanwai, if Miss Bai doesn't speak, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Upon hearing Lord Hu's reprimand, the surrounding officials raised the sticks in their hands. It seemed that Bai Chenming had no choice but to nod to Bai Qinglian if he could not say anything and was about to be tortured.

Bai Qinglian bowed slightly and replied obediently, "My lord, Li Ding does indeed obey my orders. A few days ago, I asked him to do a errand, and I haven't seen him since then."

After hearing this, Lord Hu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then tell me, what task did you give him?"

Bai Qinglian glanced at her father and stammered, "A few days ago, I discovered that men in black had infiltrated the Bai family. Li Ding accidentally found out about this and told me about it."

"I was scared and hadn't found any evidence, so I didn't dare tell my father. I asked Li Ding to find out the identity of the man in black. But just when I had a clue, he disappeared."

Bai Qinglian's answers were always perfectly timed, and Bai Chenming began to feel uneasy. "Lian'er! There are some things you can't say carelessly. What black-clad man? How could such a small place like Huai'an County have such a person?"

"How could someone sneak into our yard without being discovered? What kind of skills would that take?" Bai Chenming tried to dismiss the whole thing as childish nonsense.

But Bai Qinglian said, "My lord, you see, I told you that even if I told my father, he wouldn't believe me, so I asked Li Ding to investigate."

Bai Chenming's face turned very ugly when he saw Bai Qinglian say this, but when he met Lord Hu's warning look, he could only sigh and say nothing more.

Lord Hu continued the conversation, asking, "You said you've already found some clues?"

Bai Qinglian nodded, "Reporting to you, sir, it was Li Ding who came back and told me. He said he was startled when he discovered that the man in black had an injured arm, so he headed towards Linjia Village outside the city."

"So Li Ding went to Linjia Village a few days ago and I haven't seen him since."

Bai Qinglian's words made Bai Chenming's face turn red with anger. He understood. Bai Qinglian wanted to harm Lin Yunche. She hadn't given up yet; she also wanted to harm Qing'er.

I just didn't expect her to be so indifferent this time, going so far as to slander people to this extent.
"My lord, what this girl said was just childish talk. Our servants went to Linjia Village to find the future son-in-law. What does that have to do with any man in black? Lian'er, think carefully. There are some things you should never say carelessly."

Bai Chenming almost took Bai Qinglian away on the spot, afraid that she would say another word.

But Bai Qinglian was determined this time. The whole family had seen Huang Yuanwai's attitude towards her a couple of days ago, and her lie that she was the most favored concubine even as a concubine was blatantly exposed.

It's all because of Bai Wanqing.

If she could agree to let Doctor Luo treat Master Huang, she wouldn't have to put up with this humiliation.

Since Bai Wanqing was targeting her so much, she naturally couldn't let go of any opportunity to make her suffer.

"Father, aren't you afraid that my eldest sister and her future brother-in-law have done something shameful that will implicate the Bai family?"

"We have now discovered the man in black, and some of our servants have gone missing because of this. If anything is found out, Lord Hu, please have mercy. This matter has nothing to do with our Bai family. We know nothing about it."

Bai Qinglian is shifting all the blame onto Bai Wanqing and Lin Yunche.

Bai Chenming could no longer stand; he let out a roar and then fainted, startling Bai Qinglian who quickly caught him.
Lord Hu was also startled and immediately ordered his clerk to bring out the yamen doctor.

"Since they went missing in Linjia Village, let's go there to search. Hey, where are you?"

At Magistrate Hu's command, the officials on both sides shouted in unison to come forward and obey.

"Go to Linjia Village now and search for anyone named Li Ding. Also, bring back Lin Yunche, the eldest son-in-law of the Bai family. I want to interrogate him personally."

"Yes!" The officers acknowledged the order and left.

(End of this chapter)