The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family-Chapter 630: The Crime of Annihilation (5)_1

The soldiers left behind went for tea, but they refused to move Pei Qian and Pei Wendong to the County Government Office’s dungeon. The leader, when leaving, said, "Let them keep watch in the yard, Magistrate Huang! This is the Ministry of Justice handling the case. When we need you, just cooperate!"

Seeing that, Magistrate Huang gave up.

Qian Wanxiu, seeing nothing was achieved, cursed bitterly to herself. Such a good opportunity—with that wretched Pei Qin not around, only a few little wretches—it’s unbelievable that they can’t handle them!

But it was the Ministry of Justice handling the case, and Magistrate Huang, as a mere County Magistrate, had no authority to meddle without directives from above.

Seeing Magistrate Huang wanting to interfere, Old Scholar Fang didn’t return home either. He found a place to stay in town and kept a constant watch on the situation around Liu’er Alley.

Now, Pei Qian and Pei Wendong were only worried about their eldest sister and brother-in-law. Watching Jiujiu pucker her little lips crying for mommy and daddy only increased their worries.

Xiao Yong kept comforting them, "My father will definitely ensure Sister Qin and her husband return safely!"

Zhang Gengshan looked at Jiujiu, who was quietly wiping tears. But the fear now was that someone might assassinate the young master and the young mistress en route. The young miss was only a year old and had to endure all this.

From Yuanyang County to Capital Jingcheng was a thousand miles away, and Pei Qin and Mo Heng sat in the prison cart, jostling to the point of nearly falling apart.

The mute guard and Feng Wei who followed closely didn’t dare to relax for a moment, fearing an ambush along the way.

Mo Heng saw Pei Qin’s complexion turn pale, as her time of the month came early. He embraced her, "Lean on me."

Pei Qin, already worn out from the jolting ride, didn’t know how many pieces her backside was in. Glancing up at Mo Heng and seeing he also looked unwell, she said, "Give it up! If you can’t hold on, just tell me." It would be a shame if he died before he had a chance for revenge because of her.

Mo Heng pulled her into his arms to lean against him, "I will make sure to die after you."

"Are you cursing me, you short-lived ghost?" After all the care taken to rejuvenate him, it was still unknown how many years he could last. And now he wanted her to die first!

Mo Heng didn’t speak but massaged her hair, urging her to sleep for a bit. "We’ll arrive soon."

Feng Wei became even more vigilant, arranging for the mute guard to watch during the day and himself at night. It was crucial that nobody could strike at this time.

However, they reached Capital Jingcheng without incident, and nothing unexpected happened.

Fang Liuming and Fang Fu had just settled down in Capital Jingcheng when they received the news that Consort Yu in the palace had been poisoned by soy sauce. Even though the soy sauce sold outside was not found to be poisoned, could something that had entered the Emperor’s mouth and caused poisoning still be allowed to exist in the world?

The shopkeeper and assistants in the store, along with Chen Gua and Cui Liang, were all thrown into the dungeon.

As the prison cart entered the capital, Mo Heng shielded Pei Qin in his embrace.

He had also once walked the streets of Capital Jingcheng. Young Master Mojiu from Bei Zhili, although seldom seen outside, was still recognized by someone. "Is that the Mo family’s Young Master Mojiu!? How has he ended up imprisoned in a cart!?"

When the crowd heard it was Mo Heng, the Mojiu expelled from the Mo family, whom had mysteriously vanished for several years and now reappeared in Capital Jingcheng in a prison cart, they wondered what on earth had happened.

Mo Heng kept a composed face, ignoring the crowd’s ’spectacle’.

Soon someone noticed the woman he protected in his arms, her hair done up in a married woman’s style, leaning close against him—which clearly suggested a significant relationship.

As the prison cart headed towards the Ministry of Justice, people found out that it held Pei Qin, the imperial merchant of soy sauce, and also the one who introduced sweet potatoes. But how did she come to be connected with Young Master Mojiu?

The news of Mo Heng’s appearance in Capital Jingcheng spread quickly. Some ladies and young misses refused to believe it and sent people to find out the details. What was the relationship between him and Pei Qin, who grew sweet potatoes and made soy sauce?

Shen Songming watched the prison cart enter the Dungeons of the Ministry of Justice, his face darkening as he stepped out. If this matter were handed to the Ministry of Justice, within the jurisdiction of his uncle, he could still have a say. But now that they were taken to the Ministry of Justice, he just hoped that Mo Heng, the blind man, could protect Pei Qin.

Coming from the Ministry of Justice and hearing the discussions and inquires, Shen Songming saw the maid-like woman before him and let out a cold laugh in impatience, "Mo Heng has taken Pei Qin as his wife, and their daughter already calls him daddy. You don’t know that!?"

Mo Heng married Pei Qin!?

The illustrious Young Master Mojiu of the Mo family actually married a country woman and fathered a daughter!?

Disbelief! Unacceptable!

To this day, there are those who still hold him dear, and yet he now lives in exile, having married the country girl Pei Qin. And now she was embroiled in such a great disaster, facing the danger of beheading, an ordeal too much for many women to bear.

While the issue of poisoned soy sauce involving Pei Qin had not blown up, the news of Mo Heng taking Pei Qin as his wife and having a daughter quickly became the talk of Capital Jingcheng.

Meanwhile, the main characters, Mo Heng and Pei Qin, were locked together in the Dungeon of Ministry of Justice—the death row cells.

"I wanted to experience it last time and didn’t get to, but this time it’s a proper experience indeed—look up to see rats, look down to see cockroaches! The rats are quite big too. If we get hungry later, we can roast one to eat!" Pei Qin kicked the broken mat on the ground, pushing the straw together.

Mo Heng arranged the straw into a bed and laid the broken mat on top, "Sit down and rest for now. We’ll wash up once we get out."

A prison guard escorting them overheard and couldn’t help but sneer, "Thinking of getting out after entering this death cell? What a pipe dream! Everyone in the palace, including the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, were poisoned by soy sauce. For this crime worthy of extermination, even ten heads wouldn’t be enough for execution!"

The Minister of Justice came in person to interrogate them, and upon seeing it was really Mo Heng, he was momentarily stunned.

"Sir Mo, how have you been?" Mo Heng faintly looked up and greeted him.