Ye Haoxuan straightened his body, thinking that with Feng Suyunâs case, he should be almost done.
Feng Suyun wasnât from the Lian Family. According to the Lian siblings, Feng Suyunâs family used to be city residents who didnât need to do farm work, which explained why her fingers were without calluses.
But unexpectedly, she wasnât Feng Suyun.
"This commoner girlâs name is Huang Manli." Feng Suyun noticed Ye Haoxuanâs eyes darken and lowered her head as she spoke, "I am Huang Manli, a resident of Jingzhou, two hundred li away from here. My parents run a grocery shop, and I have one older brother and one younger brother. A month ago, a group of people suddenly stormed into our house and took my family and me away. They even burned down our grocery store."
"The officials from the government office said our family was arrested because the sugar we sold killed someone."
Ye Haoxuan then asked, "Since they arrested you, how did you get out and end up in Heng River?"
"It was the people from the government office who released me," now referring to herself as Huang Manli, "They told me to atone for my crimes by accomplishing a task for them; if successful, they would release my parents."
"What task did they ask you to do?"
Huang Manli continued, "They wanted me to go to Heng River and find a way to infiltrate the county office."
"And then?"
The cold voice made her shiver, but she mustered up the courage to speak, "They didnât say much else, only instructed me to find a way into County Magistrate Zhongâs residence. They didnât make any arrangements for me, so without money or knowledge of the way, I had no choice but to find a caravan heading to Heng River and hitch a ride."
"On the journey, I met Feng Suyun, who was traveling alone to find her relatives. She was about my age and height. During our conversations, I learned she had met the Lian Family when she was younger. I realized that once I arrived at Heng River, I wouldnât have anyone to rely on, nor did I know how to enter the county office, so I decided to take her place, just so I could have a place to stay in Heng River."
"I didnât expect to have it so easy once at the Lian Family. In a couple of days, County Magistrate Zhong came to inspect the river. I initially went there to gather information but coincidentally ended up catching County Magistrate Zhongâs attention, and he took me back to his residence. The rest, Your Highness, you already know."
"Bravo, bravo..." Li Luru couldnât help but applaud, "What a scheme within a scheme. First replacing Feng Suyun, then posing as even Lian Xueâer, and next trying to imitate the Ye Familyâs maiden. You have my admiration!" She gave Huang Manli a thumbs-up.
Even though Huang Manli was usually thick-skinned, her face turned red at that moment.
"Miss Li, I was desperate." She paused and continued, "My parents are still in prison; I could only act according to orders."
"Your Highness, I beg you to save my parents. I was forced into this; I didnât want to deceive anyone. Once at the Zhong Residence, everything was dictated by the Zhong Family. There was nothing I could do."
Upon hearing this, Ye Haoxuan raised his hand slightly, "Let me ask you, where is the real Feng Suyun?"
"She was left at the inn when the caravan stopped for the night," she replied.
In truth, she had locked her in the inn and then took Feng Suyunâs place from there on.
"Since it was the government office in Jingzhou that ordered you, why are you telling me this?"
"Your Highness, my parents are innocent. My family has operated the grocery shop for generations, and weâve eaten that sugar ourselves without any issues. How could it have caused a death?"