Halfway through the journey, the rain stopped. Summer rainstorms are like this, coming quickly and going quickly.

"I hope that this incident at Jishidiang will pass quickly like this sudden rain." Ding Xirui murmured.

When they got home, they hurried to Mrs. Lin's courtyard.

"Mom! Sister-in-law!" Ding Xirui shouted.

"Xirui, you're finally back. Dashun said that Dad and the others were put in jail, and you disappeared. I was so worried." Wen Yuexin came forward and held Ding Xirui's hand.

"Yuexin, don't be anxious, just listen to Xirui slowly." Mrs. Lin said.

"Yes." Wen Yuexin Latin Xirui sat down.

"Mom, sister-in-law, Qian Asheng has ulterior motives. He just wants to extort money. Moreover, there may be a criminal gang behind him." Ding Xirui said.

"Xi Rui, tell me quickly, what's going on?" Wen Yuexin became anxious again.

"My father told me that Qian's father was extremely skinny, so I suspected that Qian Asheng was not as filial as he claimed. So, I sent Banxia and Ayi to inquire about the situation near Qian Asheng's home. His home is actually in Xifang District, which is far away from Jishiditang. He came all the way here to get treatment, so there must be something wrong. Banxia went there and really found out some information from the neighbors."

Ding Xirui told Banxia in detail what she had heard.

After listening to this, Mrs. Lin and Wen Yuexin sighed heavily.

"Mom, sister-in-law, I have a terrible guess. Although I don't want to think that way, considering Qian Asheng's behavior, I think it is very likely." Ding Xirui's face became heavy.

"You say." Mrs. Lin came over and held her hand.

"Mr. Qian, he was probably starved to death."

"What?" Mrs. Lin and Wen Yuexin were both shocked, feeling sad.

The house was quiet for a long time.

"When he was taken to Jishiditang, he was already dying. He might have been starving for a long time. Now we are waiting for the results of the coroner's examination. Mr. Qian was extremely thin, Qian Asheng was unfilial, and he had an accomplice. He was capable of doing such a thing."

"Can the coroner find out?"

"There are no external injuries on the body, but the internal organs will have symptoms, and the coroner can identify them."

"Oh! How pitiful." Wen Yuexin turned her head and wiped away her tears.

"Mother, sister-in-law, now is not the time to be sad. We currently have a grasp of the situation, but it is useless. The key is how to let Magistrate Wang know. It will not work without the intervention of the government." Ding Xirui asked.

"Anyone can report unfilial behavior. But if the Lin family comes forward, the matter will become unclear. If we ask the neighbors to come forward, they may be afraid of retaliation. It's probably not possible. It's difficult." Mrs. Lin sighed.

Ding Xirui thought for a moment and asked, "Mom, can we report it anonymously? After we write the letter, we just need to send someone to present it to the county government. Once the county government gets the clues, they will find out the truth after an investigation."

"This may be worth a try. Ruyi, go get some paper and pen." Mrs. Lin ordered.

"But we need to investigate the case of the man surnamed Wu quietly. The government is too powerful and I'm afraid of alerting the enemy," said Ding Xirui.

"What Xirui said makes sense. We can't make this matter public. Send some people in the mansion to investigate quietly. I will go back to the Wen family today to borrow some manpower from them. Xirui, can your Ding family borrow anyone?" Wen Yuexin said.

"It should be no problem. I will go home today as well."

"Then let's write the anonymous letter first."

"Ah."

The three women wrote letters of accusation and assigned people to different areas. Ding Xirui's parents' home was in West Market. Both West Market and West Quarter were smaller, so the Ding family was responsible for the west side; East Market was larger, so the Lin and Wen families were responsible for the east side.

Madam Lin asked Dashun to find a servant who had never been to the yamen and instructed him, "Go to the vicinity of the yamen, find a child or a passerby, give him some silver, and ask him to deliver the letter to the county government. You hide in a secluded place and come back immediately after you see the letter delivered."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Xirui, Yuexin, there is no time to lose. You should set off immediately. I will take care of the household matters." Mrs. Lin continued.

"Okay." Ding Xirui and Wen Yuexin went out.

Nanxing was waiting in the yard, and when he saw Ding Xirui coming out, he immediately walked up to him. He was called by Dashun to listen to his instructions today, so he couldn't follow Ding Xirui.

"Young lady..."

"Nanxing, go get the carriage and come with me to Ding's house. We can talk on the way if there's anything." Ding Xirui interrupted him.

"Yes." Nanxing ran to the backyard, and Ding Xirui and Banxia followed.

The carriage drove all the way to West Market. Ding's father had just heard about Jishidiang from a guest and was about to send someone to the Lin family when he saw Ding Xirui walk in.

"Dad, I want to borrow someone, and I want someone smart." Without any greetings, Ding Xirui spoke directly.

"Okay, come with me to the backyard." Father Ding didn't ask any more questions and pulled Ding Xirui to the backyard.

"Chenpi, go and call those boys in the yard into the house." Father Ding said.

Seven or eight young men arrived at the back hall, and Father Ding said:

"There is an emergency at the son-in-law's house and we need a few people to help. From today on, you will listen to the young lady's instructions."

"Yes!"

"My dear brothers, Qian Asheng from Liuqiao Lane in Xifang District accused Jishiditang of killing his father. However, Qian Asheng is an unfilial person, and everyone in the neighborhood knows about it, so his father was probably killed by him. He also has an accomplice, whose surname is Wu and whose name is Aming. He used to blackmail people in the Xishi Clinic in the early years, and there was a group of scoundrels who followed him to make trouble. Now you need to do three things. First, find out which clinic Wu Aming went to in the early years and the details of the incident. Find out everything clearly. Second, this person is still at Qian Aming's home in Liuqiao Lane today. Find him and follow him. Find out what he does on a daily basis and who he contacts. Pay special attention to the people he contacts, write down their names and characteristics, and write down the locations. Third, go to all the clinics in Xishi to inquire whether there have been any blackmail incidents in recent years, and who did the blackmailing, and write down their names and characteristics."

"Xi Rui, I'm familiar with the clinic in West City. I'll take someone to ask." Father Ding said.

"Okay, thank you, Dad."

"Everyone must be careful, don't get discovered, and don't put yourself in danger, remember!" Ding Xirui emphasized.

"Miss, don't worry, we often go out and are familiar with all kinds of people. We guarantee that things will be done well!" Chen Pi said, patting his chest.

Ding Xirui looked at Chenpi, nodded, then took out his purse, poured out the copper coins and silver, and said:

"Everyone needs to eat and drink outside, and may need to disguise themselves and ask people for information. This money can be used, so everyone can take some."

The young men looked up at Ding's father, but no one reached out.

"Just keep the money the young lady gave you. Remember, the money must be spent wisely and it must be useful, okay?" said Father Ding.

"Yes, sir." Everyone took some copper coins and silver and put them in their pockets.

"Chenpi, take good care of everyone and be careful." Ding Xirui emphasized again.

"Yes, Miss, let's discuss a countermeasure and set off now."

"Ah."

Chen Pi led everyone out. Ding Xirui breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at her father, forced a smile from the corner of her mouth, and said, "Dad, thank you."

"Xirui, you have suffered." Father Ding walked forward and hugged his daughter.

"Dad." Ding Xirui suddenly felt tired and tears fell.

"Don't cry, don't cry, daddy is here." Father Ding patted his daughter's back gently.

"There is no time to waste. I will take Dong Qing with me right away. Do you want to go back to our home or to the Lin family?"

"I have to go back to the Lin family. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are still waiting. We have also made preparations at the county government office. They may have taken action now. I have to go back and wait for news." Ding Xirui sniffed and wiped away his tears.

"Okay, you go back first and don't worry about anything. I will send it to you immediately when I have news." Father Ding said.

"Well, I'm going back then. Don't tell mother about the Lin family's affairs for now."

"Do not worry."

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