Chapter 116 - 108: Who Lost the Silver?

Chapter 116: Chapter 108: Who Lost the Silver?

"Aren’t those government officials? What are they doing here in Huangtuo Village?"

"Exactly. You don’t think someone in our village committed a crime, do you?"

"Looks like they’re heading toward Hu Changlin’s place!"

"I know what this is about. It must be about the Bai Family losing their silver. Just this morning, Old Mrs. Bai dragged her whole family over to Hu Changlin’s house. She claimed Zhao Lan and Bai Zhi stole thirty taels of silver from her and demanded they cough it up, or she’d haul them off to the authorities."

"What a joke. The whole village saw Zhao Lan and Bai Zhi leave the Bai Family. They didn’t even have a single decent set of clothes, so how could they have possibly taken thirty taels of the Bai Family’s silver? Besides, with how poor the Bai Family is, do they even have thirty taels to lose?"

Doctor Lu seemed to pop out of nowhere and snorted. "They still owe me four taels of silver for my fee. If that woman has thirty taels, I’ll eat my hat."

"Come on, let’s go have a look! We have to see how this drama plays out."

The crowd surged toward Hu Changlin’s home.

The carriage stopped outside the Hu Family’s courtyard. The shrill clamor from Old Mrs. Bai and Liu inside abruptly ceased at the sound of a horse’s whinny. The entire family whipped their heads around to look outside.

They saw two constables in official uniforms, long sabers at their waists, looking down at them from horseback.

"Is this the home of Hu Changlin?" The constable’s voice, stern and cold, rang out, making the Bai family members tremble instantly.

Hu Changlin hurried forward with a deferential smile. "Sirs, I am Hu Changlin."

Just then, the carriage curtain was pulled aside, and Meng Nan emerged. The driver quickly set a footstool in place for him.

"This is Lord Meng. He has come specifically to adjudicate the case of the stolen silver." The Jin guard swung himself off his horse and stood beside Meng Nan.

The carriage curtain was lifted once more, and Bai Zhi’s petite figure appeared in the entryway. She didn’t rush to disembark. Instead, she stood there, looking down upon the Bai family members in the courtyard. Her expression was neutral, but her gaze was as sharp as a blade, and it seemed to pierce each and every one of them.

The Bai family members trembled again, their faces ashen.

Meng Nan walked a few paces into the courtyard and stood before the row of Bai family members. "Who," he asked calmly, "lost the silver?"

Old Mrs. Bai was rendered speechless. Her legs trembled uncontrollably like a leaf in the wind, and she couldn’t get a single word out.

Liu had lost all of her earlier bluster. Not a single sound escaped her usually sharp tongue.

Seeing that no one was answering, Meng Nan turned to look back at Bai Zhi. "Didn’t you say someone had lost their silver?"

Bai Zhi stepped forward, pointing a slender arm at Old Mrs. Bai and the others. "It was them. They showed up here suddenly yesterday evening, insisting that my mother and I stole thirty taels of silver from their family. My mother and I may be poor, but we are not thieves. We couldn’t let our names be slandered like this, which is why I asked you, Your Lordship, to adjudicate this case and grant us justice."

Meng Nan made a sound of understanding. He turned his head to face Old Mrs. Bai again. "Is this true? Did you really lose thirty taels of silver?"

Old Mrs. Bai was filled with regret, but she was in too deep to back down now. She had no choice but to brace herself and say, "Yes, our family did lose thirty taels of silver. It was stolen by those two wretches, Bai Zhi and Zhao Lan. Who else could it have been?"

The Jin guard’s expression turned cold. "Watch your mouth," he said in a low, dangerous voice. "No insults."

Old Mrs. Bai was so frightened her knees nearly buckled, but Liu, who was beside her, managed to hold her up.

Meng Nan asked, "You claim they stole your family’s silver. Do you have any proof?"