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Chapter 64: Unable to Report to the Authorities

Han Yu also raised an eyebrow at Su Wenyue. Having spent these days together, he surely knew his wife’s character. It was possible for anyone else, but Su Wenyue would definitely not let go of Mrs. Wang for her past grievances, let alone help her out. That girl must be up to some other mischief.

“Fourth sister-in-law, this…” Han Hu opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. Why was the fourth sister-in-law so agreeable today? Could it be that his worries about the third sister-in-law being scheming and having motives were correct, making this matter likely related to her?

Han Lin too, hadn’t expected Su Wenyue to speak up for them. His face brightened with delight, “The Fourth Daughter-in-law is the sensible one. That’s exactly the point. Even the Fourth Daughter-in-law says so, so stop harping on my wife. She’s gentle and frail, and as a woman expecting a child, how could she possibly collude with outsiders? That’s sheer nonsense.”

As Su Wenyue listened to Han Lin speak, her smile grew even wider, “That’s just it, third brother. I don’t think this could be the work of our family at all. It must be those who eyed my dowry without gratitude. So don’t suspect anyone without reason. In my opinion, we should report it to the authorities. Such a brazen and vicious thief, who dares to rob our home in broad daylight and even injured Mother to this extent if this person is not caught, not only our home but the whole village won’t have peace. It’s better to report it. I heard that the county town has a constable who is very skilled at solving cases. With his help, we are guaranteed to catch the thief.”

When everyone heard Su Wenyue mention reporting to the authorities, they were all stunned. Peasant families like theirs would quarrel fiercely on any other day but would never report to the authorities. The thought just wouldn’t occur to anyone. Involving the authorities meant trouble, as people without money couldn’t hope for justice—everyone knew that dealing with government officials always cost money.

“How about that? It’s a good idea, isn’t it? Let the government handle this. I’ve heard that the county official in Xinye County is fairly just and incorruptible, with capable subordinates. I believe a minor case like ours would be solved quickly. I can’t wait to see which daring thief had the audacity to lay hands on Mother. He won’t be let off easily!”

“Report, report to the authorities? Fourth Daughter-in-law, you’re not joking, are you? How could we dare disturb the government for such a trivial family matter? The officials are all bloodsuckers; if we really attract their attention, our family would have to bribe them with silver, and not to mention, we could offend the officials and end up in prison.”

Han Lin was genuinely afraid, stuttering as he spoke. Let’s not even talk about how probable it was that the so-called thief had ties with his wife; even without any connection, he wouldn’t dare to provoke government officials. The wealthy think differently, and the fourth daughter-in-law wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Better to keep silent, or someone was bound to suffer.

“What are you saying, third brother? If someone hears it, you’ll be accused of slandering an imperial official. The magistrate of Xinye County is fair and strict, and his constables are good people, nothing like what you’re suggesting. We are the victims here, and if anyone were to be arrested, it should be the thief. Otherwise, how can we, on our own, find the thief? Mother’s injuries cannot be in vain.”

“You, as a woman, what do you know of such matters? It’s easy to say now, but what if the constables turn out to be unreasonable? How will you contend with them then? That would only bring disaster upon the Han family.” Regardless of the reason, Han Lin was staunchly against reporting to the authorities.

Han Hu and Han Ping, however, were somewhat swayed by Su Wenyue’s words. If the county magistrate of Xinye was indeed good, perhaps they could report to the authorities. After all, it was their mother who got hurt. They couldn’t find the thief by themselves, and that grudge was not going to swallow itself. But the ultimate question was whether what the fourth daughter-in-law said was true. They didn’t want to invite trouble, though Han Lin might be simple-minded, he had a point.

“Fourth sister-in-law, from what you are saying, it seems you’re acquainted with the magistrate of Xinye County. Is he truly as just and incorruptible as you claim? He won’t try to take advantage of the situation and demand silver from us? Our family cannot afford that. Mother needs money for recovery,” said Han Ping.

Han Yu listened to Su Wenyue’s idea and a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. His wife was not someone to be taken lightly—coming up with such a good solution so quickly was perfect to deal with Han Lin and Mrs. Wang. Even he had not immediately thought of going to the authorities, considering it’s not an arena for commoners. However, with the connection to the Su Mansion now, it was different. Han Yu knew that Master Su was no ordinary wealthy merchant with connections in Imperial Court; this could mean the authorities wouldn’t be too harsh, not to mention he had heard good things about the magistrate of Xinye County.

“Elder Brother, Second Brother, I am also a member of the Han family. If the Han family has problems, I cannot ignore them. I wouldn’t joke about such a matter. Although I have not met the magistrate of Xinye County, my father and elder brother have, and they’ve interacted with him, praising him as a good official dedicated to the country and its people. That’s why I suggested this. Even if we do need money to handle things later, I am here.”

Hearing Su Wenyue speak so confidently, neither Han Hu nor Han Ping could disbelieve her. But they couldn’t make a decision on such a serious matter alone and looked to Old Man Han and Han Yu: “Father, Fourth Younger Brother, what do you think? Should our family report to the authorities?”

Old Man Han took a couple of puffs on his smoking pipe before responding,

“Fourth Child knows a lot. Let’s listen to Fourth child.”

In his heart, Old Man Han had already guessed something. He understood his partner better than his own sons did. Even though she claimed not to have seen the thief’s face clearly, she probably had a suspicion already, or she wouldn’t have hesitated when speaking. Perhaps there were some concerns, and considering what Han Yu said, Old Man Han had his suspicions too.

Old Man Han was not like Mrs. Yang; although he valued heirs, he wouldn’t ignore everything else for his eldest grandson like Mrs. Yang, who showed blind favoritism. In his view, Mrs. Wang’s mother’s family was way too overbearing. They caused a commotion in the Han family before, and this incident was likely related to the Wang family as well. Such troubles couldn’t continue without consequences. Reporting to the government seemed the best course of action.

Nonetheless, Old Man Han wasn’t knowledgeable about government matters. Even though the Fourth Daughter-in-law said what she did, he still harbored worries and doubts. So he left the decision to his youngest son. Fourth child had always been precise and trustworthy in his actions, and he had several friends in the county town who knew about these matters—he would know what to do. It was best to let Fourth child decide this one.

“You’ve all gone mad; how can we just listen to one side of the story from the

Fourth Daughter-in-law? We must not report to the authorities!”