Seeing that Wang Fugui had completely stopped moving, Young Master Wang, who had been drunkenly slumped over, suddenly found his strength.
He lunged forward like a wailing ghost, clutching the corpse and crying out in a loud voice:
“Father!! Father! How could you leave like this! Your son is unfilial; I failed to save you!”
—Deeply moving, extraordinarily sorrowful, beating his chest and stomping his feet, wailing loudly.
If Nan Zhi hadn't known he was faking death just moments ago, she might have truly believed Young Master Wang was a filial son.
Manager Wang's crying was even more exaggerated than Young Master Wang's. Tears and snot flowed freely, his face was a mask of gray despair, and his white hair trembled incessantly.
“Fugui... you fool... you fool... ”
“It's all this old man's fault, all my fault... ”
He crouched on the ground, his back heaving with sobs as if his entire spirit had been drained away.
Such loyalty?
Nan Zhi was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but look at Wanniang.
The latter's expression was indifferent, showing none of the joy one might expect from having achieved a great revenge.
“Li Shu was the Head Brewer who followed my father in the early years. He was also Wang Fugui's master.”
“He truly raised Wang Fugui as if he were his own son.”
Wanniang's eyes held a hint of emptiness as she let out a cold laugh:
“The fact that Wang Fugui was able to smoothly take over the Qu family business back then was partly due to him.”
“Heh, when my father was alive, he treated him well. Every year he received gifts, and the seasonal offerings never lacked. When his mother passed away, my father even had someone give him two hundred taels of silver.”
“But as soon as my Qu family fell into ruin, he couldn't wait to side with Wang Fugui, helping him win over the distillery managers and settle the shopkeepers... ”
“He treats Wang Fugui like a biological son, yet he doesn't realize that the man only saw him as a useful old dog!”
Wanniang's form became increasingly transparent. She completely ignored Manager Wang's grief and spoke with biting sarcasm:
“What, don't you know? That day in the jail, Wang Fugui had already decided to let you take the fall for the poisonous wine case.”
“It's laughable that you only know how he respected you on the surface, to the point you wouldn't dare talk back, while in private, he couldn't wait for you to kick the bucket!”
—She wanted to say more vicious things, but suddenly remembered something and reluctantly swallowed them back.
In detail, how was she any different from Manager Wang?
They were both people deceived by Wang Fugui's honest and loyal facade. Who wasn't pitiable?
“This old man... this old man knows.”
Manager Wang turned his head blankly, two tear stains still hanging on his face. His white hair matched his weathered face, but the words he spoke were chillingly cold:
“Young Mistress, back then, this old man also knew your Qu family was wronged.”
“Master Qu was kind to me during his life, and I am not an ungrateful person.”
“It's just that in this old man's life, I only regret one thing. I have no son. Even when I die, there will be no one to carry my funeral jar or wail at my spirit tablet.”
“Fugui might have wronged others, but he never wronged me!”
“When he was an apprentice, he warmed my feet and washed my legs, washed my bedding and made my bed, cooked and poured tea. At such a young age, he worked all day like an ox.”
“Once, during the winter, I caught a cold. I woke up to see Fugui holding my feet in his arms, pressing them against his chest to warm them... ”
“Hearts are made of flesh. This old man has no son, but to speak sacrilegiously, in my heart, Fugui was my son! The Young Master is my grandson... ”
“Li Shu!”
Young Master Wang shoved Manager Wang aside, his brow filled with disgust. “What nonsense are you talking about! Why bring up the past?!”
A flash of dejection appeared in Manager Wang's eyes, but he said nothing more.
He simply wiped away his tears and suddenly knelt on the ground, kowtowing heavily to Wanniang several times:
“Don't the stories say it? The dead cannot return to life. Young Mistress, since you are already dead, can't you just let this matter go?”
“Now Fugui... is already dead. He gave his own life to repay the thirty-seven lives of the Qu family; that should be enough.”
“I beg you to stay your hand. Let the Young Master go, and let the Wang family go. Can you do that?”
Seeing Wanniang didn't react, Manager Wang turned in another direction and kowtowed incessantly to Nan Zhi, his eyes filled with pleading:
“Lord Nan, I beg you to save the Wang family and let the Young Master go! Today's events must never be known by outsiders!”
“Once people find out, the Wang family will be finished, and the reputation of ‘Immortal Brew’ will be ruined!”
“The Young Master is young; he has a good father-in-law and a bright future ahead of him. He is destined to be a high official. If the Wang family is finished, if the Wang family is finished... ”
“This old man kowtows to you! For your great kindness, I will serve you as an ox or a horse in my next life to repay you. I beg of you!”
Watching all of this, Qu Wan only felt it was absurd.
A weak old man pleading bitterly, a son who had lost his father looking at her with eyes full of resentment.
Right now, she was exactly like the villain in a storybook.
But the instigator of all this had died so simply and quickly.
If it weren't for Wang Fugui's evil deeds, she would still have her parents and a happy family. Why would there be a solitary grave and her wandering aimlessly?
“That's quite a funny thing to say. Because a villain was good to you, you can easily toss his evil deeds and crimes against others to the back of your mind?”
“The Wang family's reputation is important, so I should just ignore the Qu family's grievances?”
“Though Wang Fugui is dead, his karmic debts haven't been cleared yet.”
Nan Zhi stepped aside, refusing to accept Manager Wang's bows:
“Manager Wang, let me correct your statement first.”
“First, Wang Fugui got what he deserved. If Wanniang hadn't come to his door today, he would never have admitted to the events of the past. How can you say he ‘gave his life’ to the Qu family?”
“Second, regarding the matter of the Wang family using Qu Wan's remains to brew wine, as an arrest officer of the Demon Suppression Division, I must report it exactly as it happened. I won't embellish it, but I won't hide a single detail either.”
“As for whether those high-ranking officials who drank the tainted ‘Immortal Brew’ will come looking for trouble with your Wang family, and whether that trouble will affect your Young Master's future... ”
Nan Zhi drew out her words, watching Young Master Wang's face grow increasingly pale, before slowly spitting out the final sentence:
“That has nothing to do with me.”
“After all, I am just a lowly butcher’s daughter with a meat shop at home. I still have to rely on your Young Master if I want to live a peaceful life.”
Once these words were out, how could Young Master Wang not understand?
He never imagined that the things he had said in the past were not only known by her but also held in her heart.
“Then what do you want? My father is already dead. Do the grudges from decades ago have to be repaid by me, one by one?”
With tears in his eyes, Young Master Wang roared at Nan Zhi:
“As an arrest officer of the Demon Suppression Division, officially, you should be catching ghosts and demons. Privately, my Wang family invited you here, and you should not have stood by and watched.”
“But now you actually side with this ghost, not only driving my father to his death but also wanting to ruin my Wang family's reputation, cut off my path, and destroy my future!”
“I, Wang Chen, may not hold an official post yet, but I have a few classmates and mentors. My father-in-law, Ma Wuyan, is the maternal uncle of Lord Qi of the Northwest Circuit Bureau of Military Affairs!”
“As long as I don't die today, don't think you'll get away with this! I will surely report you to the Demon Suppression Division, accusing you of ‘consorting with evil spirits, disturbing the balance of Yin and Yang, and failing to save a life’!”
“Look at you, look at you, you're quite passionate. I didn't want to kill you, yet you force my hand... ”
“Originally, I just wanted to give you a beating to vent some frustration.”
“But since you've put it that way, I have no choice but to silence you.”
Nan Zhi swung the wooden stick in her hand and said with a smile:
“I have great respect for my opponents. Tell me, after you die, do you want a burial, a water burial, or cremation?”
“Butcher’s daughter! You don't dare kill me!”
Young Master Wang shrieked, cowering behind Manager Wang like a frightened bird:
“The Demon Suppression Division has the Xiezhi Mirror. If you kill me, you won't escape the death penalty either!”
“Oh, you even know about such secrets. It seems your father-in-law is indeed quite capable.”
Nan Zhi's expression was one of feigned surprise as she brandished the long stick:
“I couldn't tell, but it seems your family's talent for clinging to powerful coattails is hereditary?”
“You said it yourself, I'm a lawless butcher’s daughter. If I kill you, I kill you. And you still ask if I dare... ”
The long stick was raised high and suddenly swung down—
Manager Wang's face turned the color of earth.
Young Master Wang closed his eyes in despair.
Wanniang was about to intervene.
The next moment, the crisp sound of metal clashing rang out. A flash of white light appeared, a sword qi swept past, and the wooden stick snapped in two.
“Ding—”
“Crack!”
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