Becoming the Villain's Discarded Wife
Chapter 455 Plea for Mercy_1

Chapter 455: Chapter 455 Plea for Mercy_1

Qiuju, who had already collapsed on the ground, jerked her head up when she heard this conversation.

"Zhiyu, what is really going on?"

Mrs. Lin looked at the pitiful figure of Qiuju and felt uneasy, urging her little grandson to explain.

Upon hearing this, Tian Fu, who was standing nearby, felt a chill run down his spine. He looked at Shen Zhiyu, his throat tightening in fear of what the young boy might say next.

"Grandma, the fingerprints on the IOU are incorrect."

He pointed to a section of the IOU.

"Little master, we need to be cautious about our words." Tian’s wife glared, her voice tinted with hostility.

A tael of silver was a considerable sum of money. Their family of three was planning to escape the city along with others. How could they survive on the road without food supplies?

If this lad ruined their plans with his careless words, wouldn’t they be the ones at a loss?

Seeing her disrespect to the young master, a guard immediately drew his sword.

Gazing at the chilling steel of the sword, Ms. Tian’s face registered fear.

Although her personality was feisty, she was, after all, fearful of death.

"Everyone knows that when writing an IOU, usually only the debtor signs and stamps it. In some cases, both parties sign and stamp it jointly.

If they want to find a witness, they will go to the Yahang to find a guarantor.

The paper, ink, and seal used in the Yahang are unique, and they are not cheap."

The young boy stood there, his gaze cooling as it landed on Tian Fu.

"Yo-young master, I..." Tian Fu originally held Shen Zhiyu in disregard.

Regardless of his high status, how thorough could a young child be in discerning the genuineness of an item?

However, his comments had unsettled Tian Fu, causing his heart to hammer away anxiously.

Ms. Tian, who had spent more than ten years living with Tian Fu, could naturally perceive his unease.

"The paper and ink of your IOU are from Yahang, but the seal is incorrect.

The Yahang’s seal is made specially by adding medicinal oil to maintain its color and prevent it from darkening with the passage of time. Although the fingerprints on your IOU are vibrant, the color of the seal does not match.

I guess that Tian Heng came to ask you for the silver but knowing your cunning nature, requested to issue an IOU at Yahang with the presence of a witness. In the end, however, he probably regretted it during the signing process, leaving behind this invalid IOU. As for these fingerprints, I think you must have stamped them yourself and it hasn’t been long since."

After Shen Zhiyu finished speaking, there was silence all around. Even Mrs. Lin found it somewhat unbelievable.

"Zhiyu, how did you learn so much about this? You’re amazing!"

"Grandma, I discovered it when mother took me to the Yahang last time." The young boy felt a bit embarrassed and his ears turned slightly red as he spoke.

"Young master, how could that be! We were only kind enough to lend a tael of silver to Wenwen’s father. If we had not lent that money, how could their Wenwen have survived? Moreover, the IOU was written and stamped by my brother-in-law himself. How could it possibly be stamped by us?"

Ms. Tian forced a smile onto her face while, inwardly, she cursed Shen Zhiyu thousands of times.

If it weren’t for this little devil, they would have already taken the grain and left by now. Perhaps they would have already left the city!

"Well, there is seal ink staining his clothing hem."

Xiaomi, with her keen eyes, pointed to the hem of Tian Fu’s garment.

Tian Fu was wearing a grey cotton shirt. There was a clear red stain on the hem of his shirt.

Before he could wipe away the stain, the head guard compared the color of the stain with the IOU.

In the end, he even grabbed Tian Fu’s hand and pressed it to the IOU for further comparison.

"The seal matches perfectly, the ink is identical, and even the fingerprints align," the guard reported.

Mrs. Lin glanced at the couple and sneered within her heart.

They truly did not deserve to be called brother and sister-in-law!

"Do you have anything else to say?" she demanded.

"Madam, it’s all a misunderstanding, we don’t need the grain, we don’t," pleaded Ms. Tian, seeking mercy as she wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

If it weren’t for these two children meddling in their affairs, they would have already left by now!

Who could have expected that Shen Zhiyu would be able to see through their counterfeit IOU?!

"Take them to the county magistrate."

Mrs. Lin ordered as if she hadn’t heard them, only patting the little girl behind her comfortingly.

The guards moved quickly, immobilizing the couple in just a few moments. Tian Fu, who had already injured his hand, was in so much pain that he screamed out loud, inspiring laughter from the crowd.

"Qiuju, Qiuju, beg for us! We won’t dare again, we won’t! Qiuju, hurry!"

Ms. Tian raised a ruckus, crying and shouting for Qiuju, hoping she would beg for them.

Witnessing the couple’s pitiful state, Xu Qiuju felt compassion despite herself. Hesitating for a while, she eventually sighed.

Mrs. Lin, seeing her reaction, disapproved silently.

"Madam, my brother and sister-in-law realize their mistake. I beg you, please be lenient and spare them."

Xu Qiuju fell to her knees, regret written all over her face.

The madam and the young master had come to her aid, and yet she had...

Xu Qiuju knew she was in the wrong. However, thinking of her pitiable husband, she could only bear with it.

Her loving husband was their only blood relative. Now that her brother-in-law was gone, she felt compelled not to burn bridges with her sister-in-law.

"If you’ve chosen to forgive them, what else can I say?"

Mrs. Lin shook her head, drained. Although Xu Qiuju was a pitiable person, she also seemed to deserve what had transpired.

She was a widow struggling to make ends meet, and yet her brother-in-law and sister-in-law not only added insult to injury, but also decidedly attempted to deceive her of her food.

Despite all this, she had chosen forgiveness.

Those who are pitiable must certainly have a hateful side!

"What a foolish woman!"

Some spectators who had come to watch the excitement spoke up, finding the sight too pathetic for words.

And she was still being generous even now, after being bullied like this!

Wenwen watched her mother pleading for her uncle and aunt, her big eyes filled with bewilderment.

Why was her mother helping those who wanted to take her away, even after everything they had done?

In the past, her uncle and aunt had always called her a burden, taking away whatever they liked from their house, and her cousin endlessly snatched her bread.

Why was her mother still pleading for them, even after her aunt had attempted to sell off Wenwen?

The little girl was puzzled.

Xiaomi saw her confusion, but could only pat her comfortingly.

Adults were strange, always giving consideration to many things, then retreating time and time again to the point where they ended up with nothing.

"Aunt, you must think about this carefully. We will not help you like this again," Shen Zhiyu said with some displeasure.

They had interfered not just because they saw Tian Heng attempting to take the food, but also because he was planning to take Wenwen away.

He couldn’t understand how a mother could fail to protect her daughter and even plead for those who had tried to take her away.