Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter 46: Framed

The village chief's wife returned home, feeling somewhat sad, but mostly indignant, unable to understand why those in power could kill people at will.

Back in my room, I looked at the jewelry on the table. The pieces, though not particularly exquisite or luxurious, were shimmering with a crystal-clear light.

"Madam is finally back." A strange voice suddenly came from the room, startling the village chief's wife so much that she couldn't speak for a moment.

Looking around but not seeing anyone, just as I was wondering if I was hallucinating, a person dressed in black suddenly appeared in the corner.

"Greetings, Madam." He nodded, took a small box from his pocket, and placed it on the table.

The village chief's wife looked at him in horror, "What are you going to do?"

"I am the princess's subordinate. The princess ordered me to convey her words." He mentioned the princess, and his tone immediately became respectful. The village chief's wife was furious, because it was that woman who had made her an unwanted widow.

“Madam, there’s no need to be angry,” he said softly. “As long as you listen to the princess, the princess can ensure that you live a carefree life like a noblewoman.”

This sentence appealed to her, and she quickly calmed down. "What would a princess want as a concubine?"

“It’s very simple. Go to the government office and sue Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu for murder for money. Don’t worry, the princess will help you seek justice.” As he spoke, he opened the box, revealing the gold inside. The glittering gold made the village chief’s wife stare in disbelief.

She readily agreed, and the man quickly left, leaving behind only a box of gold.

Gold has a fatal attraction for people's hearts.

The next morning, the village chief's wife got ready and came to Ji Meiqing's door.

It was too early; they weren't even fully awake yet. She knocked several times before someone finally came to open the door.

"It's you." Ji Meiqing rubbed her eyes and couldn't help but yawn. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to apologize." She smiled.

"Apologize?" Ji Meiqing looked at her in astonishment. "What do you want to apologize for? Have we ever crossed paths?"

“We were indeed wrong about the land distribution last time, so I wanted to come here on behalf of my husband to apologize.”

"This... has nothing to do with me." Ji Meiqing pondered, somewhat curious about the village chief's wife who had been acting strangely today. She wondered if she really wanted to agree to this or what.

"I will announce it to the public. So, the main reason I came here is to say that I hope you won't mind if I have wronged you in the past. I'm afraid it won't happen again." She smiled helplessly and said self-deprecatingly, "I guess this is what they mean by 'good and evil will be rewarded in the end'."

"Oh." She still didn't quite understand. After the village chief's wife rambled on for a while, she left. Ji Meiqing watched her back and felt completely bewildered.

He closed the door and went back to rest.

She lay back down on the bed, but her sleepiness was gradually fading. Her behavior just now had been too strange. Ji Meiqing thought for a long time but couldn't figure out what had been so odd.

She got out of bed and slowly walked to the window. Everything outside seemed ordinary, but something out of place always caught her eye.

Upon discovering this, Ji Meiqing quickly ran to Lu Yu's room, where he was still resting. Without a second thought, Ji Meiqing broke down the door and entered.

"Brother Lu, something terrible has happened!" she cried out, pointing to the bulge on the bed. "A large group of soldiers have arrived outside. Wake up quickly!"

Lu Yu was woken up by her and looked at her while rubbing his eyes. Ji Meiqing didn't say a word before a group of men suddenly rushed in and tied them up.

For several days in a row, misfortune struck. Ji Meiqing thought back and realized that she wasn't being adorned by the God of Wealth, but rather that she had caught the eye of the King of the Underworld, which was why he kept showing his face every now and then.

"We've probably gotten ourselves into some trouble this time," she sighed.

That princess is not someone to be trifled with. I never expected to run into such a tough nut to crack this time. What bad luck!

The two were taken directly to the government office and, without being asked any questions, were taken away. After the gavel struck and they uttered a lot of incoherent nonsense, they were finally taken away.

"You two are guilty: Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu. The wife of the village chief of Xiaohexi Village, Madam Mei, has accused you two of conspiring to murder the village chief. The evidence is conclusive, and you can plead guilty. What else do you have to say?" The official was quite direct, not even asking whether they were innocent or not, and immediately convicted them.

Ji Meiqing thought for a moment, and then said, "If I don't confess, will you use torture to force me to confess to this fabricated crime?"

"Since you have committed a crime and the evidence is conclusive, even without torture, I will make you confess and submit to the law!"

"Where's the evidence?" Ji Meiqing retorted. "Where is the evidence you're talking about, sir?"

"Bring this up!" he shouted, and someone brought over the indictment.

The county magistrate opened the document and read aloud: "The guilty woman Ji Meiqing and the criminal Lu Yu conspired to murder the village chief of Xiahexi Village. We have the plaintiff Mei's complaint, and other evidence..."

"Stop!" Ji Meiqing suddenly said, "Sir, aren't you going to ask where the village chief was before he died, and where we are? And what you said about murder for money, don't you think that's a bit far-fetched?"

"You... you..."

“We have done nothing wrong, but if you continue to act as an accomplice to evil, I think it won’t be long before you suffer the same fate as us,” Ji Meiqing said calmly.

Lu Yu remained expressionless until he was told what to do, then slowly said, "If you don't have solid evidence, you can release us. Otherwise, it will be a big joke if word gets out."

"You are suspects. What if we release you now and you run away?"

"The sir just said we were criminals, why have he changed his mind now?" Ji Meiqing asked again. "Could it be that the sir's mind is too busy and he can't remember?"

"I...you dare say I'm mentally unstable!" Sensing the hidden meaning in her words, the county magistrate immediately became furious, his beard bristling and eyes wide with rage.

She was bound tightly from head to toe, so she couldn't shrug. "I didn't say that. Please don't wrong this humble person, sir."

"Men, take them to jail!" The county magistrate waved his hand without thinking, preparing to have them all taken in, but was suddenly stopped.

"Wait a moment." The door was suddenly opened, and a group of people came in from outside. The woman in the lead led the way, followed by a group of maids, and walked inside, standing directly behind Ji Meiqing.

"I am Princess Xunhua. I was just passing by and came to see what had happened." After she finished speaking, she looked around again and finally fixed her gaze on Ji Meiqing.