Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

Wang Meizhu lowered her head slightly: "A-Qiang... was asked by me to come along. I was worried about safety on the road, so I brought a man along for courage."

Zhang Sanlang nodded, as if he agreed with this statement.

Then he looked at A-Qiang, who was squatting against the wall in the corner: "Liu Daqiang, are you a shop assistant at Zhang's shop?"

Liu Daqiang raised his head, glanced quickly at Wang Meizhu, then lowered his head again: "Yes, Zhang Yashi."

"How long have you been working at Zhang's shop?"

It's been almost a year.

"Are you also from Wangjiazhuang?"

"Yes."

"Are you from the same village as Wang Meizhu?"

Liu Daqiang's Adam's apple bobbed slightly: "Yes. From the same village."

Zhang Sanlang leaned back in his chair. "Wang Meizhu just said she's going back to her parents' home to visit relatives, and she's worried about her safety on the way, so she wants you to come along. When did it become the servants' turn to accompany the mistress of the house on her way home? Does Manager Zhang even know that?"

Liu Daqiang fell silent.

Zhang Sanlang didn't press further, but turned to Fang Zhong'an and winked, "Fang Tiesi, since he's unwilling to talk here, take Liu Daqiang to the interrogation room. Take their statements separately."

Fang Zhong'an responded and went out to call in two servants from the torture chamber, who then took Liu Daqiang away.

Only Zhang Sanlang, Xu Zheng, Granny Wang, Wang Meizhu, and Fang Zhiming, Fang Zhong'an's only son, were left in the house. He was only twenty-two years old.

Quiet.

Absolute silence.

Granny Wang stood by the door with her hands hanging down, like a piece of wood.

Zhang Sanlang carefully examined Wang Meizhu, without rushing to ask questions.

Wang Meizhu knelt on the spot, her hands clasped together, her nails digging into her palms.

She was waiting for Zhang Sanlang to speak, but after waiting for a long time, Zhang Sanlang showed no intention of speaking.

She glanced up at him, then looked down again.

Zhang Sanlang is waiting.

The worst thing you can do during an interrogation is to reveal your hand first.

He knew Wang Meizhu had something to hide, and knowing her personality, she would eventually betray him.

Sure enough, Wang Meizhu, her forehead gradually beaded with sweat, spoke first: "Zhang, I only went back to my parents' home for two days. Why am I being detained and interrogated in the torture chamber? What crime have I committed?"

Zhang Sanlang sneered, "Your mother-in-law died in the cesspool outside Yongning Nunnery. Her body was discovered yesterday, and a notice board was posted to identify her. The whole county is buzzing about it. You, as her daughter-in-law, are less concerned than the nun of Yongning Nunnery?"

"Manager Zhang is in a daze and unable to manage affairs, while Old Manager Zhang is bedridden. You, the head of the household, have closed the doors today and disappeared early this morning with the staff. If you have nothing to hide, why are you running away?"

Wang Meizhu's face paled for a moment, then returned to normal: "This humble woman...this humble woman didn't know her mother-in-law had died. This humble woman was just going back to her parents' home..."

Zhang Sanlang interrupted her, "Nonsense! The nun of Yongning Nunnery knows you! Should I call her here to confront you? Also, Han the mute who carries the chamber pots outside the nunnery has seen you too!"

"He said a few days ago a female benefactor in a blue silk dress stayed at the nunnery for two nights and was waiting for someone at the back door. That female benefactor is you, Wang Meizhu. Now confess the truth!"

Wang Meizhu's shoulders trembled slightly, but she still kept her lips tightly pressed together.

"You can't hide what you've done even if you don't speak. You're the eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family, so it's only natural for you to visit her at the nunnery. But who were you waiting for as you stood at the back door?"

Wang Meizhu burst into tears.

She raised her hand to wipe it, her sleeve brushing against her face, leaving a gray mark, but she still didn't say anything.

Zhang Sanlang did not urge her.

Xu Zheng picked up his pen again, dipped it in ink, and waited.

After a while, Fang Zhong'an rushed in excitedly, carrying a stack of documents. "Clerk Zhang, Liu Daqiang has confessed!"

Zhang Sanlang sneered at Wang Meizhu, "Good! Liu Daqiang will surely confess that Wang Meizhu is the murderer, and his testimony is enough to convict her. Men, take this woman to the women's jail..."

Upon hearing that A-Qiang had confessed, and after hearing Zhang Sanlang say that this would lead to a conviction, Wang Meizhu hurriedly interrupted, "This woman...this woman did not kill her mother-in-law. This woman only..."

Zhang Sanlang glanced at her, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "What are you?"

Wang Meizhu's shoulders began to tremble, tears streamed down her face, and sobs escaped her throat, first as suppressed whimpers, then gradually turning into unrestrained wailing.

Granny Wang glanced at Zhang Sanlang. He nodded slightly.

Granny Wang went over, squatted down next to Wang Meizhu, and patted her on the back: "Don't cry. Just answer whatever the clerk asks. What's the use of crying?"

Wang Meizhu's sobs gradually subsided, turning into intermittent sobs.

Zhang Sanlang waited until her crying had completely stopped before speaking: "Wang Meizhu, if you are the murderer, it's useless not to confess. If you are innocent, you should explain yourself clearly. Cry enough and then make things clear."

Wang Meizhu wiped her face with her sleeve and sniffed, "This humble woman...this humble woman says."

Zhang Sanlang leaned back in his chair, his body relaxing. Xu Zheng's pen tip quickly fell to the ground.

"A while ago, my father-in-law had a stroke, and my eldest son was incoherent, with no one taking care of the shop. I thought to myself, Bao-ge'er needs to go to school, and we need money for everything, so I can't just watch the shop go bankrupt."

"At first, I did my best. I opened the door before dawn and closed it at the end of the afternoon, checking the accounts one by one without being careless. But as time went on, I began to feel resentful."

"My father-in-law and eldest son need to drink herbal medicine every day, and each dose costs at least several hundred coins. The shop has a lot of cash, but it's all tied up in the books. Most of the profits are used to buy more goods, so we only have about thirty or fifty strings of cash in spare money."

"This humble woman has calculated that the medicine for just the father and son alone costs two or three strings of cash a month. Bao-ge'er's tuition and expenses at school will add another one or two strings of cash each month..."

After rambling on for a while, seeing that Zhang Sanlang didn't interrupt her, she continued, "I've been wondering where the Zhang family's savings accumulated over generations are hidden. I've searched the main house, the bedroom, the wardrobes, and even under the bed, but I still can't find it."

"When the woman couldn't find her, she remembered that her mother-in-law must have some savings. So she went to Yongning Nunnery to see her and told her about her family's difficulties. Her mother-in-law softened after hearing this."

"She said she still had 300 mu of land under her dowry. She was willing to give up the deed to 100 mu of land and transfer it to her eldest son's name. From then on, the rent from the land would be used to supplement our household expenses."

Wang Meizhu's lips twitched: "When I heard that, I was overjoyed. One hundred acres of land is worth at least a thousand strings of cash. Even if we don't sell it, the rent each year will be thirty to fifty strings of cash, enough for our daily expenses."

"But then the old woman said something that chilled my heart. She said she planned to donate the remaining two hundred acres to Yongning Nunnery. The abbess promised her the position of abbot, and she could live out her days in the nunnery, with no worries about food or clothing."

"My mind was reeling. Two hundred acres of land, how wonderful it would be if it were given to me! Even if not all of it, half would be fine. But she donated it all to the nunnery, leaving only one hundred acres for my eldest son."

Wang Meizhu gripped the hem of her clothes tightly: "I went back and told A-Qiang about it. He... he's from Wangjiazhuang, and we grew up together. He's worked in the shop all these years, and I always tell him what's wrong."