The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 436 Pei Qin, You Must Abide by the Women’s Code (1)_1

Chapter 436: Chapter 436 Pei Qin, You Must Abide by the Women’s Code (1)_1

Lady Qian was seething with boundless fury. Pei Qin actually dared to frame the Qian family, dared to provoke them!

"We didn’t do it means we didn’t do it! Without evidence, even the Government Office cannot convict or arrest us!" Pei Zongli frowned.

Zhao Yaocheng looked at him, "You’re thinking too simply! Without evidence, they’ll force a confession. As long as they get a confession, they can arrest and convict." If Wu Dongsi was determined to convict Jun Chao and the others, they would only be able to bring out Lady Qian. It all depended on how far Lady Qian was willing to go to help.

Lady Qian wanted to accuse Pei Qin of false accusation, but Pei Qin had only reported the case. The County Government Office that was investigating didn’t have any complaints against them. However, if they let the situation develop, it would definitely involve the Qian family in the end. She glared at Zhao Yaocheng with cold eyes, "Don’t let them make baseless accusations!"

Zhao Yaocheng also added, "Under severe torture, wrongful cases are bound to occur!" He had been at the Government Office for seven or eight years and was well aware of the prison guard’s methods. The scholars like Jun Chao would not be able to withstand it.

Grinding her teeth in annoyance, Lady Qian said, "Let’s wait a bit longer; I’ve written to my family but haven’t received a reply yet!"

Zhao Yaocheng urged her to hurry.

Pei Qin, however, was in no rush.

Neither was Wu Dongsi in any hurry—he just threw Zhao Junchao, Zhang Shiqian, and the others into the dungeon, waiting for developments before proceeding with their interrogation.

Zhang Shiqian wanted to tell the truth—they had only spiked her drink with an aphrodisiac and hadn’t succeeded in their intent; they hadn’t committed theft! The person who tried to assassinate Pei Qin had nothing to do with them.

Zhao Junchao wouldn’t allow it. Pei Qin had just been rewarded by The Imperial Court, and at this time, if they were accused of drugging her to rape her, the stain of that crime, once established, would never be removed. Their reputation would be ruined, marriage prospects thwarted, and the imperial examinations were out of the question. They had not committed theft and would not admit to any crime. "...As long as we hold out, my family will surely negotiate with the Qian family for a solution! If it’s Lady Qian who acted against us, we absolutely won’t take the blame!" Lady Qian, a well-to-do young lady from a rich family, was forced by Pei Qin to become a mere concubine elevated to wife; she must hate Pei Qin even more and want her dead—only the Qian family would likely have the financial means to hire an assassin!

Zhang Shiqian was helpless; his family had no connections, and couldn’t even visit him. He had to listen to Zhao Junchao, say what he said, just to be able to leave with him.

At Old Pei’s House, Pei Wenlee was making a fuss about calling off her engagement. "Their family has always looked down on us. That Zhao Junchao also despises me for not being pretty enough, for having a bad temper. He’s also the one that lowly woman didn’t want. Now that he’s in jail, it’s the perfect time for me to break off the engagement! I won’t marry him!"

Lady Chen also felt sorry for her daughter. With such an incident, Zhao Junchao’s future prospects were certainly doomed. The two families had agreed on the marriage out of desperation. Her daughter would surely have a hard life if she married into their family, it would be better to take this opportunity to call off the marriage.

Pei Houli disagreed with breaking off the engagement, "Dalang’s academic honors are still pending, and if we call off the engagement now, the Zhao family could bite us back, leading to more losses than gains! We would also be subject to gossip for agreeing to the marriage when it suited us, and breaking it off when there’s trouble, thus seen as ungrateful!"

"Dalang’s academic honors are as good as confirmed! Even if the Government Office questions us, they dare not say anything! Corruption, bribery, dereliction of duty—if Dalang’s academic honors are annulled, Zhao Yaocheng would have to be in jail for the rest of his life! They wouldn’t dare to ruin things!" Lady Chen said, berating at the mention of her eldest son’s academic honors. It was clearly that little wretch who had sabotaged them behind the scenes; otherwise, her Dalang would have already achieved academic success! And Zhao Yaocheng had merely intercepted the sabotage, nothing more.

Pei Houli still disagreed, "Don’t act rashly!"

Upon hearing this, Lady Zhu also strongly opposed, as her grandson’s academic honors were important!

Old Pei was also reluctant to be affiliated with the Zhao family through marriage. With animosity from an engagement, how could they help and support each other in the future? The Zhaos were not easy to deal with; breaking off the engagement would not be simple.

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