On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Mrs. Zheng raised her head and looked at Lin Zhen with tearful eyes. She nodded heavily and then shook her head painfully.

She gasped and began to speak incoherently, her voice trembling with deep fear:

"Dalang and his family moved here later. I remember that Liu was less than 20 years old at that time... a beautiful and charming girl... who wouldn't praise the Zheng family for their good fortune?"

Her eyes revealed a nostalgia for that beautiful era, which was then replaced by a deeper pain.

"Zheng Laocai isn't a human being... He's an old beast! He raped me in my early years, and then he started to have his eyes on Liu... He's an old adulterer! His wife (Grandma Youmeng) is frail and a Buddhist, and she often goes to the nunnery in town, often staying there for days at a time."

She swallowed, her eyes flashing with great fear, and her voice was extremely low, as if she was afraid of being heard:

"That old bastard took advantage of the old woman's absence and forced himself on Liu. I remember one time. I happened to be up at night that night, and in a daze, I saw a figure sneaking out from over there and sneaking into Dalang's yard. I didn't pay much attention at the time, thinking that the old guy had gotten up at night and walked in the wrong way... Damn it! Damn it! I wish I had shouted earlier!!"

"Later, Liu secretly cried to me, saying she didn't dare to shout. The old beast grabbed her brother's neck and said he would strangle the child to death if he dared to make a sound, and then drive the whole family out and starve them to death! Liu...what could she do..."

Cheng Xuan listened on the side, her face pale, her lips trembling, and her hand gripping the hilt of the sword shaking slightly from the force. This was more specific and more outrageous than Lin Zhen's previous description!

The hatred in her eyes for the old beast burned to the extreme.

"This matter was kept secret for several years. During this time, Liu even had an abortion. Dalang was an honest and dutiful man, working in the fields every day to make a living. He had no idea that his wife was being raped by that old beast in the next room..."

"That night, it seemed like the old beast had been drinking and went to Dalang's house again. He made too much noise and was caught red-handed by Dalang who was coming home from the fields wanting to give his wife a surprise!"

The old man's face showed the fear of the scene at that time:

"Dalang is usually such an honest man, but at that moment, his eyes went red and he rushed in like a madman! I lived in the next room and heard Dalang yelling and questioning his father! He said, 'Why! Why did you do this to her! She's my wife!'"

"Then they started fighting. There was a lot of tugging and pulling, and they knocked over tables and chairs. There was a lot of noise. Then I heard a muffled thud, and then... there was... no sound..."

Mrs. Zheng's voice was strangely calm, a memory of horror etched into her bones.

"The next day, word spread throughout the village that Zheng Laocai had died, having been pushed by Dalang and crashed into the corner of his own altar."

She suddenly grabbed Lin Zhen's wrist, and her skinny fingers burst out with amazing strength, her nails almost digging into the flesh!

Her eyes were bloodshot and she shouted sharply:

"Sir! I swear to heaven! I swear to heaven! Dalang didn't mean to do it! He didn't mean to kill his father! It was just a tug! It was an accident! It was really just... just... a tug!!!"

"Pull?" Lin Zhen's eyes were as sharp as a hawk. "Then why did the government convict him of patricide? And what about the adultery?"

"Government?!" Mrs. Zheng retracted her hand abruptly, as if stung by a poisonous bee. Her face was filled with immense fear and contempt. "Government? The county magistrate? He's just an evil spirit in official disguise!"

Her voice was distorted with anger.

"Don't look at the fact that Old Lady Zheng (Grandma Youmeng) is a Buddhist, but she's not a good person at all! She knew I was raped by Old Mr. Zheng, but she didn't say anything. She even beat me and called me shameless! In fact, she and the county magistrate had long been..."

The old man seemed to be hesitant about something. He looked around and lowered his voice, almost whispering:

"She and the county magistrate have been having a shameful affair for a long time! And it's not just with the county magistrate! She's been restless since she was young!"

"When something happened, she didn't ask any questions and insisted that Dalang had deliberately killed his father! She was the one who reported it to the authorities! She was the one who testified!"

"Wait a minute." Lin Zhen interrupted her, "According to you, Dalang is not her son?"

"Of course not! Her mother died a long time ago."

"The county magistrate went to court and didn't even give Dalang a chance to speak. As soon as Dalang shouted, 'Dad was the one who raped my wife first!', the bailiff grabbed his mouth and gave him a good beating. After that... he asked more questions... and beat him again!"

"In the end, he only asked that bitch old woman! Whatever that bitch said was his! She cried and screamed that Dalang was disobedient and had been plotting to take over the family property, and that Liu was immoral and had seduced her father-in-law, and so on."

Mrs. Zheng was so angry that she was shaking all over. "They colluded with each other just to seize Mr. Zheng's family property and land!"

This sudden, darker inside story made Lin Zhen and Cheng Xuan hold their breath in shock!

This is not only an ethical tragedy, but also a collusion between officials and bandits, disregarding human lives and embezzling private property!

"There are even worse ones!" Mother Zheng seemed to have opened up. Her hatred for that gang overwhelmed her fear. She continued with gritted teeth, "That county magistrate's subordinates are not clean! Those bandits who were causing trouble outside Cangzhou City in those years were his dogs! They collected protection money! They kidnapped and extorted! They were sworn brothers with the head constable in the county government! Who knows how many dirty things they've done in secret!"

"Mr. Zheng is not a good guy either!" Mrs. Zheng spat, full of contempt.

"He's also connected to the bandit leader Zuoshandiao! How did he manage to save up all that money back then? He was selling stolen goods and lending money at high interest rates for Zuoshandiao! He's harmed so many people! He deserves it!"

This series of revelations has completely lifted the dusty lid!

The tragedy that year was not an isolated case, but was entangled in a huge, life-consuming corruption network of dirty land transactions, collusion between officials and bandits, and personal moral corruption!

Lin Zhen's face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water was about to drip out of it.

Cheng Xuan was so angry that she was shaking all over. If Lin Zhen hadn't stopped her with his eyes, she would have almost drawn her sword again!

"I understand, old lady. Don't worry." Lin Zhen suppressed his surging anger and nodded solemnly to Mrs. Zheng. "What you said today is of vital importance."

He gestured to Chengxuan to take out some silver. Chengxuan understood and took out a small piece of silver and handed it to Mrs. Zheng.

Mrs. Zheng looked at the silver, a glimmer of light flashed in her cloudy eyes, and then she waved her hands in fear, as if it was not silver but a hot potato: "No! Sir! No! I... I only ask for one thing..."

She suddenly struggled to stand up, and regardless of her old body, she knelt in front of Lin Zhen with a "thump"!

Tears welled up again: "Master! I can tell you're a big shot who can make the decision! Please! Please, please, stand up for Dalang and his wife and clear their name! Please! After all these years, it's time for our village to take a break!!"

As she spoke, she kowtowed heavily.

"Old lady! Please get up!" Lin Zhen and Cheng Xuan hurriedly helped her up.

Lin Zhen looked at her old face covered with traces of tears and dust, and his heart felt heavy, as if a huge rock weighed on it.

He said in a deep voice, "I promise you! This memorial archway will definitely fall! Zheng Dalang and Liu's innocence will definitely be cleared!"

After receiving this promise, Mrs. Zheng seemed to have exhausted all her strength. She collapsed on the ground, only murmuring with tears in her eyes: "That's good... That's good... God has eyes..."

Lin Zhen and Cheng Xuan helped Mrs. Zheng into the house and settled her down. They left some silver and money behind before quietly leaving this dim little house that held so many secrets.

Mounting their horses again, the two men continued walking in silence along the village road.

The sky was getting darker at this time, and the huge blue-black archway cast a longer and deeper shadow in the dim twilight, like a dormant monster, coldly overlooking the village that it had nailed to the pillar of shame.

Chengxuan's pretty face was tense and her eyebrows were twisted into a knot.

"Lin Zhen..." She turned her head to look at Lin Zhen, who also had a stern expression on his face, and her bright eyes were full of confusion.

"How could your government be so corrupt?"