The daily life of a space tycoon raising children, doting on his husband, and farming.

Chapter 15 Good Wife

"Okay," Shang Wan answered subconsciously, then realized something was wrong.

As husband and wife, Lu Chengjing would definitely recognize the original owner's handwriting. The copy she made, while not exactly identical, was completely unrelated. How could Lu Chengjing not recognize it?
Realizing she had been exposed, Shang Wan tried to explain, "Um, I..."

"Don't use your left hand to write next time." Lu Chengjing lowered his eyes and stared at the words on the paper. "I'll write you a calligraphy template after we get out, and you can practice according to it."

Ok?
Shang Wan blinked. She hadn't even made up any lies yet, and she'd already gotten away with it?
She feigned embarrassment, saying, "I accidentally bumped my right wrist, and it hurts when I hold a pen, so I have to use my left hand. I didn't expect you to notice that; you're really amazing."

Lu Chengjing glanced at her, thinking to himself, "Your right hand, which hurts when you hold a pen, is holding the oil lamp steadily, without even a wobble."

However, if he's exposed, he'll have to figure out a way to cover it up, which isn't worth it.

After Lu Chengjing finally finished reading the letter, Shang Wan couldn't ask him directly what it said, so she could only try to find out indirectly.

Do you think there's any connection between the matter mentioned in the letter and Tian Sheng poisoning Li Wenhua?

Lu Chengjing calmly threw the question back at him, "What do you think?"

"I only asked you because I didn't know," Shang Wan retorted, passing the buck. "You're a scholar, you can't possibly not know either, can you?"

This attempt to provoke is extremely clumsy.

His gaze swept over the soft bedding covering him, and Lu Chengjing's eyes narrowed slightly before he finally relented.

"Tian Sheng has sent people to the capital to make arrangements, and he is expected to be promoted to magistrate of Ying County. Before the court issues the transfer order, it will send special people to conduct a secret investigation. If Tian Sheng's reputation is damaged, no matter how much money he spends, the promotion will fall through."

Shang Wan frowned as she listened. What did this have to do with Tian Sheng poisoning Li Wenhua?
She said, "I don't understand. Could you explain in more detail?"

Shang Wan used to be very concerned about saving face, and even if she didn't understand, she wouldn't ask so directly. Lu Chengjing silently noted down yet another difference.

He said slowly, "Once, Li Wenhua drank too much at a banquet and mentioned that Tian Sheng had a strange quirk."

He paused slightly, and only when urged by Shang Wan's gaze did he whisper three words, "Good wife."

Shangwan: Tsk tsk, the gossip wasn't for nothing.

Lu Chengjing continued his analysis, "According to what you said, Tian Sheng had an affair with Zhang, the wife of Li Can. Tian Sheng took action against Li Wenhua at a crucial moment in his promotion, perhaps because Li Wenhua knew about his affair with Zhang."

If Li Wenhua exposes the matter, Tian Sheng will not only be unable to get promoted, but he might not even be able to keep his current position.

If Shang Wan were in Li Wenhua's shoes, and learned that her daughter-in-law was having an affair with her subordinate, she would definitely beat the subordinate to death.

Promotion? Bah! Send this disgusting bastard to meet the King of Hell with a single blow.

If we put ourselves in Tian Sheng's shoes, she would probably also target Li Wenhua, but she wouldn't delegate the task to someone else, since the more people who know, the greater the danger.

“We have two witnesses now. Once Niu Baoqing wakes up, I’ll take him and Geng Hao to the county government to file a lawsuit against Tian Sheng and get you out.” Shang Wan put down the oil lamp and blew it out.

The light immediately faded, and the cell returned to darkness.

Lu Chengjing glanced at the oil lamp emitting a wisp of smoke and shook his head. "No. The new magistrate has not yet arrived. Tian Sheng is currently in charge of all the affairs of the yamen. If you go to the yamen to file a complaint, it will be like lambs to the slaughter."

"Then let's find another official," Shang Wan pondered, stroking her chin. "How about a prefect?"

Dongning County was located within the territory of Qingyang Prefecture, and the prefect's surname was An.

"Lord An has an excellent reputation; the common people call him 'Little Upright Official' in private. If he's willing to reopen this case, he'll surely get to the bottom of the poisoning." Lu Chengjing clearly knew more about officials than Shang Wan. Shang Wan immediately decided, "Let's go with him."

Lu Chengjing frowned, "But it takes a whole day to travel from the county town to the prefectural city by carriage, and Niu Baoqing still has two knife wounds on his stomach. The carriage ride will be bumpy, I'm afraid..."

"You're quite kind-hearted." Shang Wan curled her lips. "He poisoned Li Wenhua and then framed you, causing you to be locked up in jail, crippled, and with your hands and legs broken, and you don't even care?"

Lu Chengjing's face paled, and after a long silence, he said in a low voice, "This is not the time to argue. Niu Baoqing is a witness, and he must live."

Shang Wan nodded, as long as she knew how to handle her own vase.

It's true that Niu Baoqing was forced by Tian Sheng to poison the wine, but while his family's lives mattered, Li Wenhua and Lu Chengjing's lives didn't?
People are selfish. If Lu Chengjing really chooses not to hold a grudge against Niu Baoqing, Shang Wan will have to consider divorcing him.

After all, the enemies of the Holy Father are happy, while those around him are truly miserable, and she doesn't want to be implicated.

Shang Wan said, "If we can't take Niu Baoqing to the prefectural city, how about we invite Lord An to the county office?"

Lu Chengjing looked up at her, and he felt that the woman in front of him wasn't asking him to, but rather trying to take him away.

He said, “Lord An is in charge of all affairs in Qingyang Prefecture and is very busy with official duties. Even if you invite him and he is willing to come, he will have to arrange the affairs of the prefecture first and bring his guards. It is impossible for him to make a round trip within two days.”

In fact, he could have waited until he was escorted to the prefectural city in two days, and then asked Lord An to retry the case.

However, given Lord An's reputation, Tian Sheng, being a cautious man, would not give him the opportunity to speak in front of Lord An.

If he were Tian Sheng, to be on the safe side, he would simply go all the way and fake his death before he was escorted to the prefectural city. After all, he had always been sickly, and Tian Sheng had connections in the capital; with a little maneuvering, he could easily cover things up.

After much deliberation, the best course of action was to retry the case in Dongning County.

A dark glint flashed in Shang Wan's eyes. "Two days is enough."

“Hijacking an official of the imperial court is a capital offense punishable by the execution of the entire family.” Lu Chengjing stared at her. “You must not act recklessly.”

Shang Wan, who really wanted to poach him: "..."

It's a pity that everything in the space was lost during the transmigration. Otherwise, I could have fed Lord An some of the hallucinogen that the base developed to deal with mutated beasts, and I guarantee he would have obediently come to Dongning County.

She turned and leaned against the table. "I can't invite them, and I can't take them away. What's your solution?"

Lu Chengjing pondered for a moment and said, "I have a purple bamboo flute in my study. Take it to Master Liaokong, the abbot of Qingchi Temple, tell him about this, and ask him for help."

He believed that with the skills of the woman in front of him, she could easily take the purple bamboo flute from the Lu family.

In fact, Shangwan has already released it.

Last night, she saw that the purple bamboo flute was pretty and didn't take up much space, so she casually tossed it into her spatial storage. It's still lying in the small wooden house with a bunch of books and paintings right now.

"Alright, I'll go to Qingchi Temple after dawn."

Having finished speaking, Shang Wan prepared to leave with the bedding, but when her gaze swept over Lu Chengjing's thin, pale face and the sour-smelling thin blanket on the ground, she immediately changed her mind.

It was still dark, and the yamen runners were still snoring, so there was no rush.

"Excuse me." She pushed Lu Chengjing inside, and under Lu Chengjing's surprised gaze, she pulled a corner of the quilt over her waist, closed her eyes, and went to sleep.

(End of this chapter)