Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

Li Xiaonuan didn't officially wake up until three days later. The investigation into the rumors had been largely completed, and those involved had been detained. Most of those who had been instigated and incited were given a beating and then released.

Because the victim, Li Xiaonuan, had not yet woken up, the case could not be formally tried. Following instructions from Prince Jing, the officials in the government office were quite efficient. They traced the case to Chu Lin's wet nurse's youngest son the very next day.

However, because Wei Bian knew in advance and made arrangements, Chu Lin was not implicated. But Granny Wu and Xia Lian were used as scapegoats and sent to the government jail. Only then did the two realize they had been instigated by Chu Lin's wet nurse.

The Wei family was implicated in this matter, but Wei Yu, the person involved, did not come forward to respond. It's obvious that the rumor was just that—a rumor. Furthermore, Qi Ji also remained silent, not saying a word in defense of Li Xiaonuan, making everyone find the rumor even more absurd and laughable.

As for Wang Tu, everyone said he harbored a grudge and wanted to confuse the public to take revenge on Li Xiaonuan. Wang Tu's mother, Wang Huangshi, as the instigator, was imprisoned in the government jail along with Xu Yan's sister-in-law.

Xu Yan, needless to say, was one of those summoned. Unfortunately, before the officials arrived at the Zhou landlord's house, she had already been subjected to family discipline and was on the verge of death. In order for the case to proceed smoothly, the officials had no choice but to call a doctor to save Xu Yan.

Prince Jing's subordinates were quite capable; they discovered that the matter was related to the steward of the Zhou landlord's household. The steward had been bewitched by Xu Yan, and the two had a relationship. Xu Yan used this to blackmail him, forcing him to pay many beggars to spread the rumors.

Although Li Xiaonuan had woken up, she was still not in good spirits. Therefore, the case was delayed for a few more days. Only when the swelling on Li Xiaonuan's knees began to subside did she feel better. She then sent someone to inform the authorities that she could appear in court the next day.

On the night of Li Xiaonuan's accident, more and more people gathered outside the courtyard. Fearing something bad would happen, her relatives left one after another. Although her second aunt, Tang, and her third uncle's family wanted to stay, they were refused by the village head and clan chief of Zhoucun.

Although the old lady had given Li Xiaonuan a beating, she still made sure to take all the money with her before leaving. She planned not to return a single penny of it to Li Xiaonuan and the others, because she was truly angry about what Li Xiaonuan had said.

After Li Xiaonuan woke up, she knew that her family was struggling to make ends meet again, so she asked Li Xiaoyang to go to the Wei residence to get the five hundred taels of silver from Wei Yu.

Before Li Xiaoyang left, Li Xiaonuan instructed him: "Don't be polite with them. No matter how much they give you, accept it all. After all, they owe me."

Li Xiaoyang agreed, slung a basket over his shoulder, filled it with canned peaches and plums, and headed to the Wei residence. When he returned, all the canned goods in his basket had been converted into silver and banknotes.

"These five thousand taels of silver notes were given by the Second Young Master Wei. These three thousand taels of silver notes were given by the Eldest Young Master Wei. And these five hundred taels of silver were paid from the restaurant's account. Also, this bottle of ointment was given by the servant, who said it has a miraculous effect on bone injuries."

Li Xiaonuan nodded and asked Li Xiaoyang to find an empty jar. She buried the five thousand taels of silver notes deep under her bed. As for the remaining three thousand taels, Li Xiaonuan planned to use part of it for her father's and second uncle's medical expenses, and part for buying land. The Su family also agreed with this arrangement.

Of the remaining five hundred taels of silver, Li Xiaonuan kept fifty taels for household expenses, and had Li Xiaogang use the rest to pay for part of the medical bills the next day with the Tibetan herbal medicine. With the silver, Su felt more confident and began to prepare various tonics for Li Xiaonuan every day.

Ten days later, when Li Xiaonuan appeared in court, her face, which still bore visible bruises, had begun to regain its color. Because Li Xiaonuan had injured her knee, the magistrate exempted her from the kneeling ceremony and allowed her to participate in the trial while sitting on Li Xiaoyang's specially made stretcher.

Now it's very clear that the court hearing was just a formality. Although Xu Yan was still alive, she didn't receive the same treatment as Li Xiaonuan. Half-dead, she lay on the ground, barely managing to say:

“My lord, I also need to confess about someone else. That person is Li Xiaonuan’s cousin, Li Xiaoqian. It was she who said that Li Xiaonuan was having an affair with the Second Young Master Wei, which is why I was so sure of spreading the rumor.”

Upon hearing this, the magistrate slammed his gavel and asked, "Does the offender know that falsely accusing someone is a serious crime?"

Xu Yan curled her lips and said sternly, "Everything I have said is true. I hope Your Excellency will investigate thoroughly."

Li Xiaonuan met Xu Yan's provocative gaze and said coldly, "Sir, since someone has accused my cousin, why don't you invite her to court to defend herself?"

Aunt Tang had been waiting outside the government office early this morning, hoping to cheer on Li Xiaonuan during the court hearing. However, she found it hard to believe that her own daughter had suddenly been implicated.

No wonder Xiaoqian absolutely refused to come this morning when I asked her to. Now that I think about it, Xiaoqian did act a bit strangely during her stay at Li Xiaonuan's house. It's just that I was so focused on her father at the time that I didn't notice it in time.

Now that she knew, it was too late. Although Mrs. Tang was heartbroken by her daughter's actions and dissatisfied with Li Xiaonuan's lack of compassion, she didn't plead with Li Xiaonuan, after all, Xiaoqian had truly made a mistake. And Li Xiaonuan was the one who saved Li Dacai.

The magistrate sent out his constables to summon Xiaoqian and resumed the interrogation. Xu Yan's case was put aside for now; the next to be interrogated were Xu Yan's sister-in-law and Wang Tu's mother, Wang Huangshi. Neither of them had ever seen such a scene before, and they both confessed everything clearly and without hesitation.

Since Wu Mama's nephew, who had given them the silver, was also present, the magistrate ordered someone to retrieve the silver from their home. Because the two women had played a crucial role in spreading this rumor, the magistrate sentenced them to twenty slaps to the face, thirty strokes of the cane, and six months of hard labor. If similar cases occurred afterward, their tongues would be removed.

Those two were just paper tigers. Once the verdict was handed down, they both went to Li Xiaonuan, hoping to get a lighter sentence.

Having suffered so much in this matter, Li Xiaonuan was no longer willing to be kind and directly refused, saying, "I've given you many chances before, but you were all ungrateful. Now, I can only say that I will never let those who tried to harm me off lightly."

Seeing that they had nowhere to turn for help, the two women began to wail and howl, their cries interspersed with insults directed at Li Xiaonuan. The magistrate, enraged, ordered each of them to receive ten more slaps in the face before they finally shut their mouths in fear.

The magistrate ordered the two women to be dragged to another location for execution, and then began interrogating Granny Wu and Xia Lian. Li Xiaonuan naturally didn't remember these two women, nor did she know what grudge she had against them. But she was certain that these two women had been used as pawns and then pushed out as scapegoats.

Those two women, true to their background in the inner quarters, constantly changed their story during the interrogation, using clever words to defend themselves and deny everything. They repeatedly steered the conversation towards Chu Lin's wet nurse's youngest son.

Unfortunately, the magistrate, having been instructed by Wei Bian, deliberately changed the subject. After a battle of wits, the magistrate sentenced the two to be permanently degraded and sent to work in a labor camp. The two were filled with regret, hating Chu Lin for his cunning and Li Xiaonuan for not obediently letting them scheme to their deaths.