Chapter 13 I Will Report to the Authorities

Everyone immediately began shaking their heads vigorously.

Seeing Liu Bingbing’s lost and dejected state, Hua Qinci did not wish for things to escalate further, so she hurriedly said, “Officer, please forgive my cousin for her ignorant actions this time. She’s always been somewhat unstable…”

Constable Zhao studied Liu Bingbing for a while, while Hua Qinci poured him water and pleaded on her behalf. Eventually, Constable Zhao also felt that the young girl was indeed innocent.

Besides, if he brought back a madwoman, he would only be scolded. So he decided to let it go.

As soon as the officers left, Liu Bingbing grew arrogant again, seizing Hua Qinci and shouting to the crowd, “This woman is a liar! She’s been deceiving me all along. You wretched cheat, how dare you trick me? I’ll teach you a lesson today!”

With that, Liu Bingbing began furiously flailing her hands at Hua Qinci.

Hua Qinci was not about to let her have her way. Though wounded, she gripped Liu Bingbing’s hand firmly in warning.

When Liu Bingbing realized she could not reach Hua Qinci, she shouted after the retreating officers, “Sir, I wasn’t lying. It’s her! This woman pretended to be dead just now to lure me into reporting her. Everyone knows I’m slow-witted and timid, so…”

Witnessing Liu Bingbing’s current behavior, Hua Qinci realized that if she did not deal with her harshly today, Liu Bingbing would only become more reckless in the future. Her earlier mercy had clearly been a mistake.

Constable Zhao had already spoken; if he did not now take Hua Qinci, he would be contradicting himself.

“Take her away,” he ordered.

“Well, isn’t this poetic justice? The tables have turned!” someone exclaimed.

“What a dramatic twist!” another echoed.

“Just now it was Miss Liu being arrested for filing a false report, and now it’s the Qin family’s daughter-in-law in trouble? This back-and-forth is dizzying—I can’t make sense of it!”

“It’s the stubborn against the unreasonable—there’ll be no peace in the village now. Yesterday Liu Bingbing made a scene at the wedding and lost face; I suppose today it’s the Qin family’s daughter-in-law’s turn.”

“These two are really at each other’s throats!”

The crowd buzzed with restless chatter.

Hua Qinci, seeing Liu Bingbing so pleased with herself, clenched her jaw in anger. Clearly, her judgment of character had been sorely lacking.

Catching sight of the officers from the corner of her eye, she realized that imprisonment was now unavoidable.

At that moment, Qin Youtian stepped forward and pulled Constable Zhao aside, confessing that he was the one who had tricked Liu Bingbing, claiming it was all just a joke.

Constable Zhao’s anger only deepened.

Qin Youtian discreetly slipped a few silver pieces into Constable Zhao’s sleeve and explained, “Officer, my wife meant no harm. Look, she’s injured now. For making a false report, she’s bound for jail at the county office. She’s always been frail—I’m afraid for her… Please, Brother Zhao, show some leniency! Let me go in her stead.”

Moved by Qin Youtian’s devotion to his wife—Hua Qinci looked as pale as death, after all—and seeing that the matter was not so grave, Constable Zhao, who had always respected such loyalty, relented. He agreed to release Hua Qinci and detain Qin Youtian instead.

“How quickly things change—it was the Qin family’s daughter-in-law who was said to be lying, but now it’s the Qin man himself?”

“Hah! There’s always a taller mountain to climb!”

“This is more exciting than any storybook!”

The crowd’s opinions shifted yet again.

“But didn’t someone just die, only to come back to life? Wasn’t it Miss Liu’s fault for filing a false report? How did it end up being the Qin man’s issue?” Those slow to catch on were left thoroughly confused.

Never in her life had Hua Qinci imagined that in this world, someone would be willing to sacrifice themselves for her.

Even as she watched Qin Youtian being taken away, and Qin Mingyue wept and struck her, she could not understand what had just happened.

When Liu Bingbing saw that Qin Youtian was to be imprisoned, her heart could not bear it. She quickly shouted, protesting, “It was my cousin-in-law and her father cheating people everywhere, not my cousin! Everyone here can testify to that. You officials are arresting the wrong person—I’ll appeal to the magistrate!”