Farmer's eldest sister becomes rich

Chapter 235 Copying Evidence

"What do you mean, Brother Chuan?" The woman gently put down her chopsticks, waiting to hear what happened next with some curiosity.

"Aunt, let's talk about it in detail after lunch."

An Yue was puzzled when she heard what Gu Mingchuan said.

In her mind, she carefully recalled her interactions with Gu Mingchuan.

The first time was near his home, when An Yue came back from town and saw him seriously injured, and then she had no choice but to save him.

The second time, he came to the county government with the village chief and An Nian to get the land deed. They met briefly at the bridgehead and didn't even say a serious word.

The third time was when he set up a stall to sell raspberries and was troubled by the son of a salt merchant. Fortunately, he helped him and was able to get out of trouble.

As for the chief clerk, we only met each other twice.

Apart from this, An Yue couldn't think of any other connection with Gu Mingchuan.

Several people were having lunch around a round table, chatting and laughing from time to time.

During the meal, the woman occasionally asked about An Yue's family situation and living conditions.

An Yue answered all the questions truthfully.

Soon, lunch was over.

The woman asked An Yue to move over and have some tea, and the servants began to clear the dishes from the table.

Combining their previous and subsequent conversations, An Yue learned that the chief clerk's name was Hongyi, the woman's name was Qinglian, and they were Gu Mingchuan's aunt and niece.

I don’t know anything else for now.

After lunch, the servants poured each of them a cup of tea.

The woman Gu Qinglian occasionally asked about Anyue's past life, and couldn't help crying when she heard the sad parts.

"Ah, after hearing what the girl said, the siblings are really miserable. Their parents died at a young age, and it is really not easy to live with their brother."

After the woman finished speaking, she raised her hand and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

An Yue pretended to be calm and said, "Well! Fortunately, my grandparents took me in along the way, so I didn't have to suffer too much."

"Ms. An Yue, do you know the cause of your parents' death?" Gu Mingchuan, who was sitting opposite An Yue, suddenly asked.

When asked suddenly by Gu Mingchuan, she held her breath unconsciously and her body stiffened instinctively for a few breaths.

After a long while, An Yue calmed down and asked, "What do you mean, sir?"

Gu Mingchuan slowly stood up, walked to An Yue, and asked calmly, "Why did your parents die? Have you never doubted it?"

An Yue lowered her eyes slightly, and said in a depressed mood: "We are just peasants from the countryside, so what can we do even if we are suspected?"

Gu Mingchuan took out something similar to a token from his arms and showed it to An Yue.

"Miss An Yue, have you ever seen this thing?"

An Yue raised her hand and took the thing from Gu Mingchuan's hand. She didn't say anything, but stared at the thing.

A closer look revealed that it was a white jade pendant with a handle, in the shape of a cylinder with a screw cap and a base, and it was exquisite and translucent.

Looking up along the pendant rope, there is a word "wind" embroidered on the top, which makes it obvious that it is something worn by scholars.

An Yue looked at the object in front of her and felt as if she had seen it before, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it.

The woman, Gu Qinglian, stood up from her seat, walked quickly to An Yue, and stared at the pendant with eyes as if she had seen an old friend.

She turned to Gu Mingchuan and asked, "Brother Chuan, if I remember correctly, this is something that belonged to your parents?"

At this moment, Gu Mingchuan looked very heavy and serious.

He frowned and replied: "As my aunt said, this is indeed my parents' personal belongings."

"It's just that this pendant is the one in mother's hand."

The chief clerk also stood up and asked, "Mingchuan, what does this have to do with Miss An Yue?"

Gu Mingchuan didn't say anything else, but turned to look at An Yue.

An Yue was still studying the pendant in her hand.

Suddenly, An Yue recalled the memories of the original owner.

An Yue was thinking in her heart: [What if they are the murderers who killed my father and mother? If they reveal it today, wouldn’t it be a good opportunity to silence them? ]

A memory from a few years ago came to my mind when I accidentally saw my father hiding something at home.

An Yue remembered that what she saw at that time was very similar to what she had in her hand now.

She clearly remembered that her father had specifically told her that she must pretend that she had seen nothing and not tell anyone, including her mother and brother.

When An Yue recalled this, she was brought back to reality by the pendant in her hand.

She slowly said, "I've never seen it before."

After hearing this, Gu Mingchuan took a few steps back in disappointment.

He muttered in despair: "Impossible, absolutely impossible."

"Brother Chuan, have you found out the whereabouts of your father's pendant?" The woman Gu Qinglian looked a little dazed.

Gu Mingchuan grabbed An Yue's arms with both hands and said excitedly: "No, you must have seen it!"

An Yue was held tightly by his arm and kept shaking, and she felt dizzy.

She tried hard to break free from him, but he held her too tightly.

The woman, Gu Qinglian, hurried forward and persuaded Gu Mingchuan, "Brother Chuan, calm down."

After hearing what his aunt said, Gu Mingchuan regained some of his sanity, but he still didn't let go of her hand.

He pleaded with An Yue anxiously: "Miss An Yue, please tell me, this matter is very important to me."

An Yue rubbed her arm that was pinched and hurt, looking at the young man in front of her, feeling conflicted.

An Yue didn't know Gu Mingchuan at all. She even suspected that this meeting was arranged by Gu Mingchuan on purpose.

An Yue didn't say anything. She thought again and again in her heart: [What if they are the murderers who killed my father and mother? Now they are in the tiger's mouth. Aren't they going to be silenced? ]

What my father has specifically entrusted to me is a matter of great importance. It is better not to speak of it without knowing the truth.

The woman, Gu Qinglian, stepped forward and said softly to An Yue, "Miss, if you know, please tell us in detail. We will reward you handsomely."

She lamented, "Alas! Over the years, Brother Chuan has been unable to let go of this matter."

"In that case, let's talk about the pendant first! Let me know your intentions."

Chief Clerk Zhao Hongyi stepped forward, smiled, patted his chest and assured: "Miss An Yue, I promise you, we will never hurt you, you are safe."

"Regarding the pendant, the story began a few years ago."

"In the early winter of that year, the imperial court carried out a major overhaul of the government and conducted a strict investigation into the tax collection in various places."

"Mingchuan's father is Gu Qingfeng. As the prefectural magistrate, he was asked to assist the special envoy sent by the higher-ups to visit the tax collection points in various towns."

"After many investigations, we found that local officials in several towns were involved in corruption and bribery."

"After they have finished their interrogation and collected all the evidence, they are ready to return to the court to report."

The chief clerk said this and slammed the table in anger: "But who would have known... who would have known that those officials have such great powers."

"They bribed the special envoy privately and tampered with the evidence."

"When Gu Qingfeng discovered that the evidence had been tampered with, he immediately copied a copy of it and put it in the pendant he was wearing."