Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 85 The people will not fight against the officials

"What my brother has, you will naturally have too! From now on, in Qinghe County, with our brothers working together, what great things can't we accomplish?"

Accompanied by a sharp, throbbing pain in his brain, as if countless steel needles were churning inside his skull, Zheng Tu slowly opened his eyes.

As the vision gradually cleared, Ximen Qing's all-too-familiar voice came to their ears.

Zheng Tu looked down at the contract in his hand for a 30% share of the herbal medicine shop. When he looked up again, he met Ximen Qing's eager gaze, which was exactly the same as in his previous life.

Yes, it's back again.

Zheng Tu slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, and the heavy knot in his chest dissipated.

I won the bet! This time, I won the bet again!

Without further hesitation, he clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "I am deeply honored by your high regard, brother. How could I possibly refuse? I will leave everything to your arrangements!"

Ximen Qing was overjoyed upon hearing this, slapping the table and laughing, "Excellent! Great! It's settled then!"

He immediately summoned Dai'an and instructed him in detail: "Go and visit Second Uncle Ying, Third Uncle Xie, Fourth Uncle Sun, and tell them that your eldest uncle wants to hold a sworn brotherhood ceremony for all of you, including the newly sworn brother Zheng Er, at the Jade Emperor Temple on the third day of the month, and instruct them..."

.........

While Ximen Qing and Dai An'er were talking, Zheng Tu leaned back in his chair, picked up the teacup in front of him, and took a small sip.

As the warm tea enters the throat, its aroma spreads across the tongue, carrying a hint of bitterness followed by a sweet aftertaste.

Zheng Tu used this opportunity to suppress the turmoil in his heart and quietly organize his thoughts.

If we follow the list of names that Wu Song investigated in his previous life, then the murderers who harmed Wu Da and Pan Jinlian are among "Wang Qilang", "Jiang Zhushan" and "Ximen Qing", and they used a slow-acting poison that accumulated over time.

But according to Wu Song, his sister-in-law Pan Jinlian also died.

If it was Ximen Qing who did it, it is strange. There is a motive for harming Wu Da, but why would he harm Pan Jinlian?

Zheng Tu pondered the matter deeply, but could not find a solution.

Just then, Ximen Qing dismissed Dai'an and turned to sit down.

Zheng Tu looked directly at Ximen Qing and asked bluntly:

"Brother, tell me the truth, do you... have any plans to deal with Wu Dalang?"

Ximen Qing was taken aback upon hearing this, a thoughtful expression on his face. He then asked, "Brother, do you intend to deal with that short fellow, Gu Shupi?"

Before Zheng Tu could answer, he continued, "If that's the case, dealing with him isn't difficult. I can only think of three methods at the moment, so I'll tell you one first—"

"I'll find two ruffians for you to cause trouble for him. One will carry a forged IOU, and the other will act as guarantor. They'll just say that Wu Da owes money and won't pay it back."

They'll beat him until his head is bleeding, then hand him over to the authorities. With some money, they can get a familiar clerk in the yamen to "take care" of him, making a false confession easy. In the end, he'll be convicted of defaulting on a debt and assaulting his creditor. At best, he'll be bankrupt; at worst, he'll be destitute, hehe…”

Ximen Qing spoke casually, as if he were just talking about the weather that day.

"But I've heard that he has a brother named Wu Er, who is the head constable who killed the tiger with his bare hands on Jingyang Ridge. He's on duty in Yanggu County and has quite a reputation. If we mess with Wu Da, how could Wu Er let it go? This is a real problem."

After Ximen Qing finished speaking, he frowned slightly, clearly thinking of a solution.

Zheng Tu was secretly astonished upon hearing this.

What a blatant case of false accusation and collusion between officials and gentry! By remaining completely hidden behind the scenes, they can ruin a family's fortune and ensure they can never recover.

Such methods are truly ruthless and cunning. No wonder there is a saying that "the people cannot fight against the officials." The ancients were right!

Zheng Tu quickly waved his hand, refusing, "No, no! Brother, you misunderstand. Wu Da and Wu Er are my beloved relatives and brothers. How could I have such thoughts?"

Upon hearing this, Ximen Qing nodded, his expression softening slightly: "In that case, I was overthinking it."

Then, his usual teasing expression resurfaced, and he leaned closer, whispering with a smile, "Brother Zheng, you really do share my interests! I've always said, a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Zheng Tu interrupted him helplessly, but felt relieved, having finally figured out Ximen Qing's thoughts.

Judging from his reaction just now, this should not have been his doing.

Having eliminated one person, Zheng Tu felt somewhat relieved, but the truth remained shrouded in mystery and difficult to discern.

He couldn't bear to stay any longer, so he got up to say goodbye.

Since the murderer is among "Wang Qilang," "Jiang Zhushan," and others, we must find a way to investigate and find out the truth as soon as possible.

He stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Brother, I'll take my leave now."

Ximen Qing was in the midst of his sworn brotherhood ceremony and was unwilling to let the man go.

Pulling on Zheng Tu's sleeve, she wouldn't let him leave: "Second Brother Zheng, we have nothing else to do, why don't we go with you to the brothels and alleys to listen to some music? Wouldn't that be delightful? I heard there's a new girl who sings exceptionally well, we can go and have a good listen together!"

Zheng Tu was in no mood for such things at the moment, and politely declined, saying, "I have some trivial matters to attend to. I'll accompany you another day, brother."

"Hey, what's the matter?" Ximen Qing persisted. "Today, you and I, brothers, have settled such an important matter; we should celebrate!"

Zheng Tu declined repeatedly, but Ximen Qing tried to persuade him to stay.

After being asked and refused three times, Zheng Tu had no choice but to tell the truth: "To be honest, I have a very urgent matter to attend to, which cannot be delayed."

Seeing that Zheng Tu's expression was solemn and genuine, Ximen Qing reluctantly released him, saying, "In that case, brother, go ahead. If you encounter any difficulties, come and find me anytime!"

.........

Let's go back to the Wu family.

Pan Jinlian chased away the little monkey Qiao Yunge who barged in without warning, crying and cursing. The faint blush that had risen on her foxy face when she talked with Zheng Tu earlier was still there.

The blush spread from her cheeks to her ears, like peach blossoms in March soaked in morning dew, adding to her beauty.

It turns out that when Zheng Tu visited Wu Da's condition earlier, he had a very heartfelt conversation with her.

She still vividly remembers how the two of them talked:

"Sister-in-law, please take good care of Brother Wu. Once he recovers, if you truly cannot get along with him, I will step in and mediate to help you and Brother Wu divorce. Since this was a forced marriage to begin with, there is no need to continue."

"This...how can this be allowed? Won't the neighbors gossip? Wu Da...would he agree to this?"

"I have my own ways of dealing with the gossip in the neighborhood. As for Brother Wu, he is kind-hearted and gentle. If he knows you really don't want to stay, he probably won't force you. This two-story house was built by selling my sister-in-law's hairpins and combs, so I will repay you the money. I will make sure my sister-in-law doesn't suffer any loss."

Pan Jinlian savored these words; they were truly the most beautiful words imaginable. Her eyes glistened with tears, and her heart felt as if a jar of honey had been overturned.

Uncle Zheng... how come he understands women's thoughts so well?

Thinking of Uncle Zheng's imposing figure and his tender nature, the beautiful woman felt half of her body go limp, as if all her muscles and bones had been removed.

He quickly propped himself up on the table to prevent himself from falling over.