Wu Caiwei rode her horse towards the county town, pondering Li Yan'er's words. Li Yan'er had told her that five days ago, a middle-aged man had visited their home. The man's attire and demeanor were unusual, and he looked down on Li's father, saying, "Though your Li family seems alright in this small town, you'd be lost in the crowd if you were in the county. Do you want your descendants to be stuck in this small place forever?"
"Contentment is happiness. Children will find their own fortune," Li's father replied, though the man's words had struck a chord. But since he didn't know the man, he chose not to engage further.
"This is when we're not paying attention to you. If we wanted to crush you, it would be as easy as crushing an ant," the man said meaningfully, with a hidden agenda.
"Who are you?"
"I'm here to help you. If you do as I say, I'll help you connect with the magistrate and ensure you thrive in the city."
Seeing the man's confident expression, Master Li was tempted. However, he wouldn't blindly trust them based on a few words.
The man clearly understood this. "I've heard that you, Master Li, wanted to meet the magistrate some time ago and open a workshop in the east of the city, but you couldn't even get in. I'll speak to the magistrate when I return today. You can try again tomorrow, and you'll have an unexpected harvest."
Master Li understood that the man's enthusiastic help must have a significant motive. After some hesitation, he smiled and said, "Li is just a small businessman and rarely visits the county town. I'm not sure what makes you view me differently."
"I heard your young lady has been close to Liu Xiangjun recently. If you help me lure him out, the task will be complete."
"That simple?" Master Li looked at him with doubtful eyes, knowing that the matter was far more complex than it appeared.
"Don't think that because Liu Xiangjun married into the Wang family, your Li family will benefit. A little inquiry will tell you that the Liu and Wang families are incompatible. If they could, the Wang family would definitely want to kick her out, so how could they help the Li family? As long as your Li family's business grows stronger, your young lady will have no trouble finding a suitable husband," the man persuaded him.
The next day, Master Li did as he was told. To his surprise, as soon as he announced his name, he was immediately granted an audience and met the high-and-mighty magistrate much faster than before.
He presented his gifts and explained his request. The magistrate agreed without a second thought, leaving Master Li in a daze.
On the third day, the man returned. Under the man's coercive persuasion, Master Li nodded. Although he felt pained for his daughter, he had a son to consider and had to think about the future generations of the Li family. Besides, if not Liu Xiangjun, there would be other young men. He would surely find a satisfactory husband for his daughter then.
Thus, Li Yan'er secretly sent a letter to Liu Xiangjun. The next morning, Liu Xiangjun, clutching the letter shyly, arrived at the agreed meeting place. Li Yan'er's letter was simple, inviting him to Yandang Mountain outside the city for a visit. She mentioned that to avoid interference this time, they shouldn't tell anyone. To ensure secrecy, he was asked to bring the letter along. As soon as they met, a group of bandits emerged, put a sack over his head, and took him away.
Wu Caiwei had originally thought that after the last incident, the magistrate had stopped targeting her because he feared her. To her surprise, he had been waiting here, striking from her family. Yes, all signs pointed to the magistrate's instigation. Given his vengeful nature, Liu Xiangjun must be suffering unbearable torture. She had to hurry and save him.
Reaching the city walls, she found the city gates already closed. Wu Caiwei immediately threw out the rope at her waist and used its strength to climb the wall. Silently, she descended the wall and ran at full speed through the streets, soon arriving outside the magistrate's mansion.
He had just emerged from a secret chamber, his excitement growing as he recalled Liu Xiangjun's blood-covered appearance. The last time he had brought so many people to capture Wu Caiwei, she had escaped. To give his men an explanation, he could only find the real culprit and exonerate her. He had deliberated with Master Wang for days but found no way to deal with her. Thus, he had to start with those around her. The reason for capturing Liu Xiangjun today was to see if she had any weaknesses. To his surprise, his mouth was quite tight. He was beaten beyond recognition and refused to speak.
Lost in thought, he suddenly heard a noise and turned his head, only to see Wu Caiwei's sword at his neck.
"I am your uncle, after all. You beat my people so badly on our first meeting, and now you're holding a sword to my neck on our second. It's quite impolite, wouldn't you say?" the magistrate said, feigning composure. He hadn't expected her to find him so quickly and was inwardly distressed.
"Didn't you lure me here? Tell me, where is my brother?" Facing this old fox, Wu Caiwei didn't want to play games and waste time, as any delay meant her brother would suffer longer.
"How would I know where your brother is?" the magistrate feigned ignorance.
Wu Caiwei, taking advantage of his inattention, quickly threw a pill into his mouth. It dissolved instantly. By the time he reacted, the magistrate had already swallowed the pill and asked in panic, "What did you give me?"
"Nothing, just some ordinary medicine for liars. Of course, as the magistrate, a parent to the people, you must be very honest in everything you do and wouldn't target us common folk. As long as you truly haven't captured my brother, nothing will happen. Otherwise, you'll suffer the same fate as Wang Zifeng," Wu Caiwei said, sizing him up meaningfully.
"So, it was you who poisoned him." The magistrate's eyes narrowed unconsciously. He was well aware of his nephew's condition, having helped search for doctors. Yet, after so long, no one could diagnose his poison. He had always found this woman to be quite uncanny, and he believed her words.
"And so what? Does he not deserve it? Should I just let the Wang family bully me and not resist?" Wu Caiwei sneered.
"I really don't know where your brother is. What can you do to help me detoxify?" At this moment, the magistrate couldn't admit anything. If he were in her shoes, he wouldn't let the other party off easily, so naturally, he didn't believe they could let this matter go so magnanimously.
"It seems you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin." With that, she quickly took out a silver needle and pricked several acupuncture points on his body. The next moment, the magistrate's face began to contort slowly. "What did you do to me?" He endured the pain and glared at her fiercely.