NCCnovel Chapter 98 Unparalleled Beauty
Chapter 98 Unparalleled Beauty
The alley where Granny Chen died was just two streets away from where Ye Wanning and the others lived.
There hadn't been a murder like this in the county for a long time, and people were filled with fear.
The Chen and Ye families lived close by, and many people heard Chen's wife and Ye Wanning arguing that day. When the county magistrate came to the Ye family's door with his men, Ye Wanning had already anticipated this outcome.
"Where is your wife? Let her come out and speak." The county magistrate frowned slightly when he saw that only Yunzhi came out. He had heard that Yunzhi was not the only one who had quarreled with Granny Chen; Widow Ye was also involved. However, Yunzhi was quite pretty, but he didn't know what Widow Ye looked like.
Yunzhi was somewhat embarrassed, so she slipped a silver note to the county magistrate and said, "My wife is very timid. Please feel free to ask me anything, and I will definitely tell you everything I know."
The magistrate was quite surprised to hear Yunzhi speak in a way that was very different from usual. "There are some things that you would like to ask your wife to come out and explain clearly. Don't wait until people get impatient. If I take her to the yamen and she gets a beating, it won't look good."
"No, please ask first. If you have any questions after you ask, then Madam will come and explain them to you." Yunzhi cursed her bad luck inwardly, never expecting to encounter such a thing.
Even if they hated Granny Chen, they wouldn't take such a big risk to kill her.
Perhaps Granny Chen offended too many people, which is why she was targeted for revenge. It is said that Granny Chen still had all her money on her, so it doesn't seem like a robbery.
The magistrate accepted Yunzhi's silver notes, and his tone softened. "Alright, then tell me what exactly happened that day?"
Yunzhi explained what happened: "It was just a quarrel between neighbors, but my wife is always low-key and tolerant, so she didn't take Chen Pozi's matter to heart. You are an upright official, so you will surely understand what happened between us."
"Judging from your appearance, you certainly don't seem like someone who would commit murder. However, I need to investigate thoroughly. I would like to ask your wife to come out and say something, so as not to waste my time and delay the investigation." The county magistrate always had to find a way to close the case. No matter who committed the murder, there had to be a result, as it was related to his political achievements.
The county magistrate and his entourage stood in the courtyard, the gate was open, and a large crowd of onlookers had gathered outside.
Many of them were neighbors from the neighborhood, and most of them had never seen what Ye Wanning looked like. They couldn't help but wonder why this widow Ye was making excuses and refusing to come out.
Logically speaking, at this point, he should come out quickly to prove his innocence.
However, some people who had seen Ye Wanning thought that if these people saw her appearance, there would be even more trouble. There was always trouble around a widow's house, and this widow Ye was a stunning beauty. There would be no peace and quiet for her.
Since the county magistrate had already said so, Ye Wanning had no choice but to come out.
"Yunzhi, don't make things difficult for the magistrate. He's just following the rules." Everyone held their breath the moment Ye Wanning came out of the house.
Even though the county magistrate had seen a lot of the world, he couldn't take his eyes off Ye Wanning when she came out.
At this moment, someone exclaimed, "No wonder Scholar Zhao couldn't forget her; her beauty is so stunning that even the people in the paintings can't compare to one ten-thousandth of her."
"Yes, I've never seen such a stunning beauty before. I think Granny Chen is just jealous of her, that's why she keeps causing trouble. How could such a beauty possibly kill someone? Look at her hands, they're so delicate, how could she possibly hold a knife?"
“I also think it couldn’t be her, and that Yunzhi is even less likely, she looks very timid. I’ve met Granny Chen before, she’s big and burly, even if Yunzhi and Widow Ye were to fight her together, they wouldn’t be a match for Granny Chen.”
……
Everyone chimed in, siding with Ye Wanning. The men, in particular, couldn't take their eyes off her. Had they known earlier that Widow Ye was so beautiful, they certainly would have tried to seduce her.
Even the county magistrate thought so; he was completely unaware that such a beautiful widow existed within his territory.
"You...you are Widow Ye?" The county magistrate stared at Ye Wanning, unable to look away, and subconsciously swallowed.
Ye Wanning said, "I heard everything you and Yunzhi said just now. You are our magistrate, and you certainly wouldn't wrong any innocent person. Chen Pozi and I only had some unpleasant encounters, but it didn't amount to murder. Besides, as you saw, we are just some weak women who can't even kill a chicken. How could we dare to take up a knife and kill someone?"
"That's true. You don't look like the type to kill people." The magistrate had already taken a biased view. "However, the investigation must still be conducted. Please don't mind?"
“Of course, my courtyard is only this big, and I haven’t left the house these days. Everyone can be a witness, so please feel free to search.” Ye Wanning stepped aside, unafraid of being searched.
The magistrate turned to look at the constables, who then went inside to search the house. After a short while, they found nothing suspicious.
Before leaving, the county magistrate took a few steps forward and said, "It must have been difficult for you to settle here all alone. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, feel free to come to me. Just as you said, I am the local official, and I have the final say in all matters concerning the county."
Upon hearing this, Ye Wanning understood the magistrate's implication.
Her previous moves with Yunzhi were all due to similar reasons. While exceptional beauty is an added bonus in aristocratic families, it is a burden for ordinary people.
Ye Wanning didn't want to show up, but she had no choice because Granny Chen's death was so suspicious.
Now that the county magistrate has his eye on her, she knows it's time to move again.
However, since Granny Chen should have just died, it would seem that she was guilty if she moved house now.
Zhao Chuan is relatively easy to deal with, since he hasn't passed the imperial examination yet. If he dares to do anything, we can simply accuse him of misconduct and ruin his path to the imperial examination.
But a local official like the county magistrate, as he himself said, has the power to make decisions about anything in the county.
The more Ye Wanning thought about it, the more her head ached.
After the county magistrate and his entourage left, mournful music came from the Chen family across the street again. This morning, the two sons of the Chen family had knocked on the door and said that if they were the ones who did it, they would definitely make them pay.
Ye Wanning sighed silently, told Yunzhi to close the door, and worried for a long time. In the evening, a little beggar came to the door and said that a young master had given her a letter.