Chapter 167: Forgery
As soon as he said this, everyone’s gazes in the room fell on Lu Chengjing.
Just as I thought, something was off. Lu Xiucai Scholar was still in his wheelchair just now, but he walked out this time!
Yuan Musheng’s eyes nearly bulged out.
He knew better than anyone how seriously Lu Chengjing was injured. He had gone to get a medicine packet for foot soaks yesterday, so how was he fine today?
Could his medical skill be better than the Divine Doctor’s?
Lu Chengjing let everyone size him up and said to Dan Dajun, “Since the County Magistrate sent you, you must have evidence.”
There was nothing to hide about this, so Dan Dajun nodded and said, “We have a witness.”
He stepped aside and gestured for a middle-aged man in a blue cloth shirt to come forward. “This man personally saw you and your wife pawning the stolen goods from Lu Residence at the pawn shop.”
Lu Chengjing sized up the middle-aged man and asked, “What goods?”
“An ornament,” the middle-aged man said. “A red jade pixiu with Lu Residence’s emblem on it. I’ve been at Lu Residence for twenty years; there’s no way I could be mistaken.”
Lu Chengjing then asked, “Where is that ornament now?”
“You thought the shopkeeper’s price was too low and didn’t pawn it, so it must still be in your hands.” The middle-aged man looked at the newly built house. “Lu Residence lost quite a few things. A search will surely turn them up.”
After the initial shock, Steward Liu also focused on searching for the stolen goods. He demanded that Dan Dajun bring people to search the house and find the stolen items.
Dan Dajun gave Lu Chengjing and Shang Wan an apologetic smile. He had no choice but to obey the County Magistrate’s orders.
Shang Wan gave a half-smile at the confident Steward Liu and said to Dan Dajun, “What if nothing is found? Would that count as a false accusation?”
“If nothing is found, it naturally counts as a false accusation.” Deep down, Dan Dajun didn’t believe Shang Wan and the others would steal from Lu Residence.
He knew Shang Wan was skilled in martial arts and worried she might do something foolish, so he reminded her as if issuing a warning, “By the County Magistrate’s order, anyone who hinders official business will be caned.”
Shang Wan had no intention of stopping them, but she put on an angry expression as if she wanted to hit someone.
Lu Chengjing cooperatively pulled her back and softly persuaded her, barely stopping Shang Wan from really charging out to hit someone.
Dan Dajun gave Lu Chengjing a grateful look. After all, if it came to blows with Shang Wan, he would be the one getting beaten, and all the goodwill he’d built up before would be wiped out—not worth it.
Returning the favor, he immediately ordered his men to search carefully inside without damaging anything.
The constables spread out to search, and Steward Liu also brought people inside to help look. Xiao Huan and Shi Tou, worried they would rummage through things carelessly, each grabbed a kitchen knife and followed a few of them.
The kitchen knives had been sharpened last night, their blades gleaming sharply—they looked extremely keen.
Steward Liu inexplicably felt his legs trembling and stuck close to two guards before feeling a bit better.
The two guards had originally wanted to threaten them, but Shang Wan flung out two stones, and the two guards knelt on the spot, not daring to act rashly.
The middle-aged man shrank his neck, not daring to say more, and hurried off to catch up with Dan Dajun. He needed to help identify the stolen goods.
While the constables were searching, the villagers immediately started discussing. Most didn’t believe Shang Wan and the others would steal things.
Aunt Zhou kept sighing. They had been so happy building the new house—such a fine happy event ruined just like that.
He SIZhi gave his two disciples a look, telling them to go inside and keep watch.
Chu Xu covered Yuan Yuan’s little ears and muttered, his cat-like eyes full of cunning.
Yuan Yuan nodded her little head vigorously and rode off on Xiao Hui.
Shang Wan asked Rong Niangzi to help greet the guests. Once the constables finished searching, they would proceed with the banquet as normal.
Half a shichen later, the search was complete.
The constables had searched inside and out thoroughly, but not a single one of the lost items reported by Lu Residence was found.
Seeing this, Steward Liu secretly signaled the middle-aged man with his eyes. The middle-aged man understood and backed away, shrinking his neck as he tried to slip into the house.
“Hey, that room’s already been searched. Why are you running around?” Gao Yan strode after him and grabbed the middle-aged man’s collar, yanking him out forcefully.
“Let go!” The middle-aged man struggled, but he couldn’t match the strength and instead shook loose the thing he had hidden on him.
Steward Liu hurriedly bent down to pick it up, but Chu Xu, who had appeared out of nowhere, snatched it up like a monkey and ran out, handing it to Shang Wan.
What the middle-aged man dropped was a gold hairpin topped with two round pearls. Lu Chengjing recognized at a glance that it belonged to Madam Lu.
No other reason—he had seen Madam Lu wear it more than once. Besides, all of Madam Lu’s jewelry had a mark at the hairpin’s end: a small carved plum blossom.
This gold hairpin had one too.
This was them trying to frame them since they couldn’t find anything in the search.
Shang Wan immediately handed the gold hairpin to Dan Dajun. “This is Madam Lu’s jewelry. Please help return it to its owner.”
Dan Dajun looked at the plum blossom mark on the hairpin’s end. How could he not see this was an attempt at a frame-up? His face darkened instantly, and he glared fiercely at Steward Liu.
He waved his hand and pointed at Steward Liu and his group. “Seize them and take them back to see the Lord.”
The constables gave Steward Liu no chance to argue, rushing up to gag and bind him.
After this commotion, Dan Dajun had no appetite for the banquet and just wanted to hurry back to report.
Shang Wan was about to ask him to stay when the silent Lin Family members who had been watching started making trouble.
Village Chief Lin took out the deed and land deed, asking Dan Dajun to help drive out Shang Wan and her group—the villains who had seized their house—and kick them out of the village.
“You’re talking nonsense! This is my family’s house! When did it become yours?” Shi Tou jumped out in a hurry, wanting to stab Village Chief Lin.
Her gaze swept over Village Chief Lin’s neck, and Xiao Huan’s face darkened as she touched her knife. Thinking they could reap the benefits with just two pieces of paper—pah!
The villagers also thought Village Chief Lin was going too far. It was clearly the Xiucai Scholar’s house—how had it become the Lin Family’s?
Everyone chimed in, condemning the Lin Family.
“The deed and land deed are in my father’s hands, so the house and land naturally belong to my family. No outsiders get to point fingers at my family’s things.” Lin Jianshan smugly raised his chin, his malicious gaze fixed straight on Shang Wan.
Bet they didn’t expect the deed and land deed to have been in their hands all along, huh?
No matter how nicely the house was built, it would still end up theirs.
Hahaha, he couldn’t wait to see this vicious woman cry her eyes out!
Shang Wan gave him a look as if he were an idiot.
Lin Jianshan’s smug expression froze, and Village Chief Lin also frowned, sensing something wrong.
Why weren’t this couple panicking at all?
His heart pounded, and meeting Shang Wan’s half-smiling almond eyes, a bad premonition shot straight to his forehead.
The next second, Shang Wan’s actions confirmed his guess.
Shang Wan reached into her sleeve and pulled out two pieces of paper as well.
One deed and one land deed.
Lin Jianshan’s eyes instantly widened. “Impossible! Those in your hands must be fake!”
“Real or fake, we can compare them and see.” Shang Wan smiled and handed the deed and land deed to Dan Dajun, asking him to verify.
Dan Dajun placed the two land deeds side by side for comparison and spotted the difference at once. Looking at the two deeds next, anger appeared on his face.
He looked up, glaring furiously at Village Chief Lin. “What dogged nerve! Forging the official seal! Men, bind them and take them back together for the Lord to deal with!”
