She Holds the World After Being Reborn
Chapter 435 - 434: You’re getting older, girls like younger guys

Chapter 435: Chapter 434: You’re getting older, girls like younger guys

"My lord, today, other than the lad who delivered meals, no one else came to visit Qin Xiao in prison... We’ve used that lad for so many years without a single issue, and besides, you know, my lord, that lad is both deaf and mute..." spoke the jailer hesitantly.

He thought to himself, that deaf and mute lad was brought here by you, my lord. If there’s an issue, shouldn’t you be the first one to suspect yourself?

Of course, the jailer would never dare to say such a thing, even if he were mad.

Hao Ren glanced at the jailer coldly, his gaze hardly kind, filled with anger and... a murderous intent.

"If it’s not someone from the outside, then it must be someone inside."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire cell fell silent for a moment.

The jailer immediately knelt on the ground: "Boss, that won’t do, I’ve followed you for so many years, you can’t suspect me!"

Qin Xiao was dead.

There had to be an explanation.

Picking a scapegoat to take the blame was not impossible.

Although Hao Ren had never done such a thing before, the one who died was Qin Xiao, after all!

The jailer was extremely anxious.

Hao Ren didn’t even want to see him, and seeing him still blocking the way, lost his patience and kicked the jailer’s shoulder.

After rolling on the ground a couple of times, the jailer cried out in pain.

When he looked up again, he saw Hao Ren examining the cells near where Qin Xiao had been.

Finally, his gaze settled on the ruffian who had previously provoked Yan Lingzhen.

That ruffian was the one closest to Qin Xiao’s cell.

In other words, he was the most likely to have had a conversation with him.

"What did you say to Qin Xiao?" Hao Ren asked directly.

The ruffian picked his ear with his little finger, then carelessly blew the dust from underneath his fingernail right in front of Hao Ren, looking nonchalant: "How could someone like me possibly have a conversation with a notable figure like Qin Xiao?"

"Are you sure you didn’t say anything?" Hao Ren stared at his facial expression, squinting his eyes.

The ruffian waved his hand in exasperation: "Nothing at all, Qin Xiao took his own life by smashing his head against the wall, what does it have to do with me? County Magistrate Hao, don’t take your frustrations out on me, questioning anyone you can find."

At these words, Hao Ren’s face instantly darkened, and he raised his hand: "Bring someone, open the door."

As soon as the ruffian heard Hao Ren calling to open the door, he became alert and quickly got up to corner himself against the wall.

By this point, Hao Ren and the jailer had already entered, one after the other.

"This is the last time I’m asking you, what exactly did you say to Qin Xiao!"

Seeing this, the ruffian scoffed: "Such authority, County Magistrate Hao. I’ve said I had no talk with Qin Xiao, and if you don’t believe it, so be it. I’m going to rest now; feel free to do as you please."

With that, he carelessly threw himself onto the straw mat, exposing his chest indecently, looking very unsightly.

Seeing that Hao Ren was about to get angry, the jailer stepped forward with a keen eye and kicked the ruffian: "Get up, what kind of behavior is this! You’re courting death."

But then, as soon as he received the kick, the ruffian rolled onto the ground, started thrashing about, and burst into loud wails.

"Help! The government officer is beating someone without any reason!"

"Hao Ren is trying to extract a confession by torture!"

He cried fiercely, shouting very loudly, waking up the other prisoners in the cell, and suddenly the inside of the prison became extremely noisy.

Hao Ren’s complexion had turned pitch black.

At that moment, Ji Yuntai, having just been needled, was sitting on a windowsill, and from afar he saw Yan Wanqing pinching fish food and tossing it into the pond. The water was crystal clear, and colorful fish were churning in the pond, stirring up continuous ripples.

He couldn’t help but become lost in the sight.

"Do you like my sister?" A voice suddenly came from beside him.

Ji Yuntai was startled back to his senses and before he could open his mouth,

he saw Yan Lingzhen let out a helpless sigh: "But there are too many people who like my sister. If you were ten years younger, maybe you could compete with my brother-in-law, but as it stands, it won’t do."

"Why not?" Ji Yuntai laughed: "Do I look that old?"

"Age is something you can’t hide," said Yan Lingzhen with a sly twinkle in her eyes, packing up the medicine chest and putting it away in the cabinet. "Mr. Ji may not look old, but my brother-in-law is even younger, and who doesn’t like a young and strong handsome fellow nowadays?"

The cheeky little thing.

At that moment, Ji Yuntai felt a wave of speechlessness in his heart. Was he really that old?

To think he was looked down upon by a girl not yet of age.

"Mr. Ji, don’t lose heart. There are still many girls who like your type," Yan Lingzhen added hastily after thinking that her previous comment might have been a bit much.

After she finished speaking, Ji Yuntai’s complexion soured.

What did she mean by many girls still liked ’his type’?

Ji Yuntai was incredibly indignant.

He had lived for so many years and had never been short of women’s pursuits, had he?

Yet, in front of this little girl, he seemed to have no market value whatsoever.

"Sister!" Yan Lingzhen cried out, sensing that the atmosphere was going south, and hurriedly called to Wanqing, who was still feeding the fish. "Mr. Ji has something he wants to tell you."

Having dropped that line, she immediately headed to the inner room.

Ji Yuntai was completely disheveled by the situation.

What the hell was this?

This girl was too exasperating.

On the other side, Yan Wanqing, looking puzzled, glanced over, and Cong Ge helped her to walk over.

Ji Yuntai hurriedly moved away from the windowsill and made his way to the main entrance.

"Is there something you need, Mr. Ji?"

Her spirits had gradually returned lately and even seemed a bit too vigorous to wear off.

All day and night, she didn’t feel like sleeping but just wanted to go out and about.

As for Xiao Pingfeng, he was getting weaker by the day, eating and then vomiting, weakening, with his entire demeanor listless. From a distance, seeing him reclining on a soft couch, he bore quite the semblance of a consumptive beauty.

Ji Yuntai cleared his throat, "Qin Xiao is dead, and right now, County Magistrate Hao is at his wit’s end in the cell. If the Commandery Princess has the time, let’s go together and see what the situation is."

Yan Wanqing nodded without hesitating, "Let’s go."

She was probably the most idle of everyone present.

Ji Yuntai thought he would be rejected, but Yan Wanqing agreed immediately.

He then felt somewhat uncomfortable, "It’s hot outside. Can your body take it, Commandery Princess?"

"One punch from me might lay you out for half a year," Yan Wanqing raised her eyebrows.

Good lord, all the Yan sisters played by their own rules.

Ji Yuntai chuckled, "Alright, alright, let’s go."

Yan Wanqing, Ji Yuntai, and Cong Ge, the three of them, rode in a carriage out of the residence and soon arrived at the prison.

It was indeed hot outside, but as soon as they entered the prison, a coolness surrounded them.

At that moment, the ruffian was being held down by the jailer on a tiger bench.

Hao Ren was about to give him twenty strokes.

The ruffian was defiant,

"Does the County Magistrate intend to force a confession by torture?"

"In eighteen years, I’ll be back as a hero again!"

He thrashed about, his voice grating and loud.

Hao Ren raised his hand and ordered, "Hit!"

He just didn’t believe in empty talk.

"Your mouth had better be able to withstand these twenty hard strokes!"