Chapter 71: Cui Banxian Won't Start

Watching Chen Ping storm off in anger, there was a heavy silence in the air.

The elder hesitated for a long time before turning to Chen Xiaobei and saying, "Maybe we should report it to the authorities. We need to get to the bottom of this, and it would be good to give Anbang some closure. Otherwise, people will be living in fear."

Chen Xiaobei nodded. Yes, if the truth wasn't uncovered, he would forever carry the suspicion.

They say "three people make a tiger," and if the rumors spread long enough, it might eventually seem like he framed Chen Anbang to become the village chief.

"Alright, I'll go to the county office first thing tomorrow morning."

The crowd slowly dispersed, but Chen Xiaobei couldn't sleep.

His mind rapidly processed the events of the past few days, but he still had no clue.

Chen Anbang's death was definitely not an accident.

Someone had intentionally caused it, but what was the purpose? Was it for revenge or was it aimed at targeting him?

And who could get their hands on a bamboo viper, a snake not even found in Dacang Kingdom?

Since Liu Tie had dared to speak to him about it, it cleared him of suspicion. But honestly, the Liu family had no reason to target such a small figure.

As he tossed and turned, Cui Hongyu, worried about him, cautiously asked, "Husband, who do you think could be so ruthless?"

Chen Xiaobei turned around and glanced in the direction of Cui Hongyu. Although the room was dark, he knew she was looking at him with great concern.

"I don't know who it is, let's wait until tomorrow when the county office sends someone to investigate."

"Husband, do you think this could be aimed at you, like Chen Ping said, making everyone believe you wanted to become the village chief?"

Chen Xiaobei sighed.

"Although I'm unskilled, I haven't made any deep enemies. Who could be so upset about me having a better life?"

The two of them chatted aimlessly like this until the sky began to lighten the next morning.

In this era, a death in a wealthy family was a grand affair, a big spectacle. But for ordinary people, it was a considerable expense.

A thin coffin was still exorbitantly expensive, which is why tragic scenes of selling oneself to bury a parent were not uncommon.

So, today's construction progress was affected. Some of the craftsmen had to go to Chen Anbang's home to mourn, and others had to lend a hand.

Thus, Chen Xiaobei decided to inform Lidong that today's work would be paused.

Of course, the work stopped, but Lidong and Dayong had received a special task: to stay and guard Chen Xiaobei's house.

Ensure the safety of Cui Hongyu and Chen Qiao'er, and prevent Chen Ping from causing trouble again.

Once everything was arranged, Chen Xiaobei quickly hitched the donkey cart and hurriedly headed towards the county office.

The county magistrate, Hu Fan, listened to his complaint responsibly and immediately sent Elder He and his men to accompany Chen Xiaobei to Hetou Village.

When the officials arrived, Chen Ping immediately rushed up to Elder He and began crying, accusing Chen Xiaobei of all sorts of atrocities against his grandfather.

After all, the Liu family had made sure of this, and Elder He was well aware.

Gently patting Chen Ping's shoulder, he spoke in a low voice to comfort him, "Chen Ping, right? Don't be so agitated. If Chen Xiaobei dared to bring us here, it means he has a clear conscience. Don't worry, we will get to the bottom of this."

Chen Ping was very dissatisfied with this response, but with the official's words, he didn't dare to argue further.

"Please, sir, bring justice for me."

Elder He nodded, pulled him aside, and asked for a detailed account of the situation from that day.

Once he had listened, he had the dead bamboo vipers brought over.

"Sir, look at how that man cut the snakes into pieces right away. This clearly means he was trying to silence them."

Chen Xiaobei had the same reaction, and Elder He almost laughed out loud.

Holding back his amusement, he nodded. "I understand, and I'm sorry for your loss."

"I'll ask you this, did your grandfather have any enemies?"

Chen Ping shook his head. "He didn't have any enemies. Most people in the village are from our family, and my grandfather was of a high rank, also the village chief."

"What about people from other villages?"

"My grandfather didn't have many dealings with outsiders. Aside from going to the town to report, the only one who would come to visit was Cui Banxian, who occasionally came to have a drink with my grandfather."

Elder He nodded. It was common for fortune-tellers to drink with the village chief, so there was nothing suspicious about it.

But when he said this, Chen Xiaobei's heart sank.

Yesterday, Chen Xiaowei had told him that Cui Banxian had been to Hetou Village.

And Cui Banxian often drank with the village chief.

Was this really just a coincidence?

Yes, Elder He, hearing Chen Xiaowei's doubts, slightly shook his head.

"Cui Banxian often drinking with him just shows that the two have a good relationship. Besides, Mr. Sun Aimin is known for wandering the streets, that's normal."

"Furthermore, this bamboo viper isn't native to our area. How could a fortune teller possibly get his hands on one?"

Chen Xiaobei's view, however, was the exact opposite of Elder He's. Cui Banxian, who knew people from all walks of life, could easily acquire such a venomous snake. It was likely that the other villagers were simple folk, and where could they get such a thing?

But the official in front of him didn't accept his opinion, which made him feel a bit frustrated.

Alright, if you won't accept my opinion, I'll just have to solve this mystery myself.

To avoid alerting anyone, Chen Xiaobei only called Chen Xiaowei to accompany him to Cui's village.

Two sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boys would likely lower Cui Banxian's guard.

Sure enough, when Cui Banxian saw them, he greeted them with a smile. "Captain Chen, what brings you to my place?"

Chen Xiaobei deliberately frowned. "Hey, did you go to our village yesterday?"

Cui Banxian's smile stiffened a bit as he nodded. "Ah, I go there all the time, what's the problem?"

"Sigh, yesterday, Chen Anbang suddenly died in a strange way. Chen Ping reported it to the authorities, and the county officials sent someone. Someone saw you went there yesterday, and Head Constable He sent me to check on things."

Cui Banxian hesitated for a moment, then suddenly started wailing loudly, "Brother Chen, why did you suddenly leave? My heart hurts so much. What am I supposed to do now?"

His cries sounded more like a wife mourning her husband. What's this? How could someone with no connection cry like that?

Chen Xiaobei stood there quietly, not in a rush, and didn't speak up to comfort him.

After a few more loud wails, Cui Banxian finally couldn't keep it up and stopped.

"Captain Chen, what's the meaning of your visit? Do you suspect that I harmed Chen Anbang?"

Chen Xiaobei shook his head. "Not at all. I just wanted to ask if you've seen any strangers visit Chen Anbang's house or be near his door."

Cui Banxian shook his head like a rattle drum, "No, no, I didn't see anyone, not a soul."

Chen Xiaobei casually asked a few more questions before signaling to Chen Xiaowei to leave.

"Brother Xiaobei, you don't really think he killed the village chief, do you?"

Chen Xiaobei didn't respond, but he understood that Cui Banxian's answers had already raised some doubts.