WSMTATMC C141

Chapter 141

“Your Excellency, I’ve been wronged! I never ordered him to poison my younger brother. It was clearly he who first poisoned my brother to death and then came to me, saying he wanted to help. Only then did I give him some silver as burial expenses!”

When Yan Da heard him throw the blame onto him, he nearly fainted backwards and cried out, “My lord, please look clearly into this! I didn’t even know him before. How could I deliberately poison my own brother and then go looking for him?”

“You dare keep spouting nonsense—watch me tear your mouth apart!” Finding himself exposed, Wei Linshui panicked like a cornered dog. He lunged at Yan Da, seizing him by the neck to stop him from speaking the full truth.

“Silence!” The prefect slammed the gavel on the desk. The yamen runners hurried forward to pull them apart and restrain them firmly.

“Yan Da, you speak first. If Wei Linshui dares to disrupt the court again, he will immediately be given thirty strokes of the heavy rod!”

Yan Da finally gathered himself and recounted the matter. “My younger brother was called Yan Liu. He was born a fool, not knowing anything, about the same as livestock. Every day all he knew was eating, drinking, urinating, and defecating.” He gave a bitter smile and added, “In truth, not even as good as animals. At least dogs know to relieve themselves outside; he would only foul his own trousers.”

“When my father was alive, he always took care of my brother, washing his trousers six times a day. Six times, through summer heat and winter chill, never missing a day! I truly could not do it. After my father passed away, I stopped managing him as much.”

Because of such a brother in the household, Yan Da had never been able to marry a wife. Years earlier, someone had offered him a match with a lame-limbed youth. He hadn’t minded, thinking life was hard for everyone and that marriage would mean having someone to rely on. With a child in the future, there would be hope for life ahead.

But his father forcibly blocked the marriage, fearing that if Yan Da married and had his own family, he would stop caring for the foolish brother.

Yan Da’s heart was filled with hatred—he loathed that burdensome drag on his life! Yet he had no choice; no matter how much a burden, it was still his own blood brother. He couldn’t just drive him out.

Later, one day, someone stopped him and proposed a deal: he would be given silver if he was willing to poison his brother.

Without even needing to think, Yan Da agreed. To be honest, he didn’t need silver—he had dreamed countless times of poisoning the fool. That drag had chained him his whole life!

The next day, the man delivered both the poison and the silver. Yan Da mixed the poison into the food and watched with his own eyes as the foolish younger brother ate it, clutched his stomach, and writhed on the ground in agony.

Yan Da felt both sorrow and joy tangled together. With his brother dead, he no longer had any living family. But with his brother dead, he could finally use the silver to repair the house and marry that lame youth…

The fool tossed around in pain for half an hour before finally dying. Yan Da quickly stripped off his filthy clothing, carefully washed the body clean, and redressed him in his own worn clothes.

The next morning, a man arrived and carried the corpse to the entrance of the Mixue shop.

At first, Yan Da didn’t realize the one behind this scheme was Wei Linshui. Only when commotion broke out and Wan Liang said a few words did he finally learn it was Wei Linshui who had orchestrated it all.

Later, when the authorities took the corpse back to investigate, Yan Da could only wait nervously for the results.

“Every word this humble one has spoken is absolutely true. The poison wasn’t completely used—the other half and the silver given by Boss Wei are still in my cupboard at home.”

The prefect immediately ordered people to retrieve them. Within half an hour, they returned with the evidence: the poison was wu mo powder, a highly lethal and extremely rare substance that no commoner like Yan Da could have easily acquired.

At this point, it was nearly beyond question that the true mastermind was Wei Linshui.

Wei Linshui’s face turned ashen with despair. He stared directly at Vice-Magistrate Zhao. “My lord… my lord, please help me…”

Zhao’s temper exploded. Like a startled pheasant, he flared up and shouted, “Such a heinous criminal—why haven’t you dragged him off at once to await sentencing?!”

The prefect glanced sideways at him. “What are you so anxious about?”

“This subordinate merely feels that one so heartless and vicious deserves no mercy. Now that the evidence is conclusive and he cannot refute it, he should be removed without delay to await judgment!”

“My lord!” Wei Linshui’s eyes bulged, his teeth clenched so hard he nearly snapped them.

But Zhao fixed him with a sharp, oppressive gaze. With such a look, Wei Linshui dared not utter even another word. He knew that if he spoke further, his wife and children at home would surely not survive.

In the end, Wei Linshui had no choice but to lower his head in compromise. The prefect waved his hand, and the yamen runners dragged him away.

Only then did Vice-Magistrate Zhao finally feel relief, hurriedly lifting his sleeve to wipe the sweat on his face. “This heat, truly unbearable…”

“The case is resolved. Chen Qingyan was falsely accused; he may return home. The store seal may also be lifted.”

“Thank you, my lord, for discerning the truth!” The people knelt to express their gratitude.

“Chen Qingyan,” the prefect said, “I remember you. During the prefectural exam, your essay answers were excellent. I hope this matter does not affect your focus—at the upcoming provincial exam, make sure to perform your best.”

“Thank you for your grace, my lord. I will not fail your expectations!”

Leaving the yamen, everyone let out a collective long breath, glancing at each other before breaking into smiles.

“Brother, sister-in-law!” From not far away, Chen Qingyan’s younger brother came rushing over.

Looking him up and down from head to toe, making sure his elder brother was unharmed, he finally felt at ease. His voice choked as he said, “You scared me half to death!”

Chen Qingyan patted his shoulder. “What’s there to be afraid of? You’re already this grown, yet you still panic like this?”

“Big brother is right. Next time, I won’t behave like that again.”

Wang Ying flicked his forehead. “There won’t be a next time! Once is more than enough for an ordeal like this.”

Everyone gathered around Chen Qingyan, escorting him as they headed out. Near the carriage, Wang Ying saw that Liu Changyi’s parents had also come, and quickly went to bow in thanks.

“Get up quickly.” Qin Furong came close and patted him. “As long as you’re fine, that’s what matters! You have no idea how worried Changyi was these past few days—utterly beside himself.”

Liu Changyi scratched his head in embarrassment.

Chen Qingyan bowed to Master Liu as well. “Thank you, Uncle, for your trouble and effort.”

“It was nothing, hardly troublesome. All thanks to your husband, really. If not for Wang Ying’s sharp eyes in spotting the same fellow causing trouble these days, we wouldn’t have been able to trace it back to the real instigator.”

Truly, Wei Linshui had overestimated himself—lawless, thinking Wang Ying was easy to toy with, just like those he had squeezed in the past. Little did he know, this time he had kicked solid iron.

That evening, to celebrate Chen Qingyan’s peaceful release, Wang Ying booked a full banquet table at Jixiang Restaurant and invited the Liu family to join them.

Madam Li and Fang Ling, not knowing the whole affair, assumed it was just a gathering for a family meal.

At the banquet, everyone tacitly avoided mentioning Chen Qingyan’s arrest, instead chatting about Liu Changyi and Chen Qingyun’s engagement.

Qin Furong said, “I was thinking that on the day of their engagement, we should hold a banquet at Hongyun Restaurant, and invite everyone over to share in the joy.”

“Good idea.” Both Madam Li and Fang Ling agreed readily.

While the elders discussed the marriage, Liu Changyi and Chen Qingyun blushed red, not daring to glance at each other for more than a second before shyly lowering their heads again. Their bashful appearance sent the whole table of elders laughing heartily.

With the matter settled, the next day Chen Qingyan packed up, and the three brothers returned to the government school to continue their studies.

But back at Wang Ying’s shop, fresh troubles arose.

Although the case had been resolved and the seal taken down, the Mixue shop’s reputation had been utterly ruined.

At the mention of their bamboo-tube ice pops, most people now shook their heads. No one dared buy them, not even if given for free.

That entire morning, not a single customer walked in. Even when Ma Qianzi took the cart out to sell, he could barely move any at all.

Back at the shop, everyone felt their spirits low. Lin Sui sighed, “It was far better those days when we were running ourselves ragged. At least though tired, we actually made money—that was a happy feeling.”

Ma Qianzi agreed. “That’s right. Before, when I pushed the cart down an alley, people would immediately gather to buy. Now, no one even asks.”

Yet Wang Ying remained calm. He was already thinking: if the situation for ice pops didn’t improve, he might as well quit and start selling large ice blocks directly.

With Wei Linshui arrested, he would likely be sentenced and exiled soon. For years, the Wei family had monopolized and suppressed the ice trade in the city, leaving the other merchants barely surviving. Ice supplies were low.

If he seized the opportunity now and took the market into his own hands…

Their experimental fields guaranteed ice supply. They could even dig another hidden ice cellar outside to cover their tracks. Unlike processed ice pops, selling plain ice was straightforward, profitable, and difficult for anyone to question.

But the problem was distribution. Their circle in Fucheng was still small. Commoners rarely could afford ice—it was mainly the wealthy families who used it to cool off in summer.

As he worried over it, an opportunity presented itself. The steward of the Yang Trading Firm came knocking.

“Ah, so your shop has reopened.”

Wang Ying smiled bitterly. “Yes, but business has been pitiful…”

“What can you do? Everyone knows you were falsely accused, but common folk hear gossip and don’t dare take the risk of buying.”

“That is true. May I ask if Steward Yang has business with us today?”

“Yes. Do you sell large ice blocks? The Wei family’s ice cellar has been sealed. The stock at other places has already been bought out. It’s hard to get ice in the city right now, so I came to ask.”

“Sell? Of course we sell! We happen to have plenty in our own cellar. If popsicles won’t sell, ice will do just fine.”

“And the price?”

“We’re old acquaintances. I won’t overcharge you. Whatever price you bought from others before, I’ll match it here. If you buy more, I can even give you a discount.”

“That’s excellent. Then tomorrow, deliver one ice block to me in the morning, and one again in the afternoon. These days are sweltering, and my young son has even broken out in heat rashes.”

“Alright, tomorrow I’ll have someone deliver it.”

Steward Yang left a deposit and arranged for daily deliveries (except on rainy days) until mid-July.

Each block was three feet long, sold for 300 copper coins. Over a month, it added up to more than five taels of silver—showing just how wealthy the Yang family was.

Wang Ying added, “We have plenty of stock. If Steward Yang knows others who want ice, please introduce them.”

“Consider it done.”

After Yang departed, Wang Ying joyfully called out, “Pack it up! We won’t be selling popsicles anymore!”

Everyone was puzzled. “Then what will we sell?”

“Ice!”

He had Tian Ju take down the Mixue signboard. Within a few days, a new sign went up—“Wang’s Ice Shop.”

That summer was particularly fierce with heat, and demand for ice among the wealthy soared. With Steward Yang spreading the word, their business quickly boomed!

Day after day, people came to order ice in droves. With Wei’s downfall, no one dared cause them trouble.

At last, Wang Ying and his shop had truly established themselves in Fucheng.