Hu Fan nodded, "Sun Jian, are you willing to cooperate with this official's investigation and sketch the likenesses of Sun Gui and Sun Qing?"
At this moment, Sun Jian had no other option but to agree. Refusal would imply guilt. He resolutely said, "I am willing to cooperate, but I am a rough man and do not know how to draw."
"It matters not. The county office has a professional artist. You only need to tell him if the sketch is accurate or not." After speaking, Hu Fan stood up, "Of course, you will have to trouble yourself for a few days and stay in the detention cell."
Sun Jian paid no mind to this. He knew that with his skills, escaping prison would be a simple matter. It was just not the right time to break ties.
With everything settled, Chen Xiaobei hurried back to Hetou Village with Chen Xiaobo.
By the time they returned to the village, the sky was already bright.
They saw Yang Zhi sitting under the large locust tree, chatting enthusiastically with several village guards.
Upon seeing Chen Xiaobei, Yang Zhi quickly stepped forward, feigning concern, and asked knowingly, "Brother Xiaobei, you're back. Was that person from yesterday of any use?"
Chen Xiaobei, unaware of what had happened after he left Xiaojia Town, clasped his hands in greeting. "He was of use, but it's a pity the murderer of Chen Ping has escaped. However, I believe he will soon be brought to justice."
"That's good, that's good. Alright, I'm going back to sleep." Yang Zhi said a couple of sentences and turned to leave. This somewhat surprised Chen Xiaobei. Why was he leaving so abruptly after they were talking so well?
He turned to look at the village guard Chen Daqiang. "What was he talking to you about just now?"
Chen Daqiang scratched his head. "He didn't say much, just chatting aimlessly. Oh, yes, he said there should be fish in the river."
Chen Xiaobei didn't think much of it and drove the donkey cart back to his home.
At home, Cui Hongyu was feeding the chickens, while Chen Qiao'er was diligently practicing calligraphy under the tree.
Hearing the sound of the donkey cart and seeing Chen Xiaobei return, Chen Qiao'er immediately hopped and skipped to greet him.
Cui Hongyu also quickly came forward to help him unload the cart and tethered the donkey to graze.
Cui Hongyu's eyes were bloodshot, and she had dark circles under them. She clearly hadn't slept well last night; it had been another sleepless night.
Just as Chen Xiaobei was about to speak, Chen Qiao'er spoke first.
"Brother, brother, I found eight eggs this morning!" she excitedly reported her accomplishments.
Chen Xiaobei nodded in approval and gently tapped Chen Qiao'er's small head. "Good. Did you help sister-in-law feed the chickens?"
"Yes, yes, I also fed the little wolf."
Chen Xiaobei turned to look at Cui Hongyu. Cui Hongyu nodded, her smile filled with affection. "Yes, Qiao'er is very capable."
Pleased with her sister-in-law's praise, Chen Qiao'er became even more proud and proudly added, "Brother, brother, I also helped sister-in-law water the vegetable patch."
"Well done. Qiao'er is becoming more and more capable. Alright, continue practicing your calligraphy."
After praising Chen Qiao'er away, Chen Xiaobei's expression turned to one of concern. "You didn't sleep well last night, did you? You were worried about me again."
Cui Hongyu said with some worry, "I wasn't too worried when you left with the officials. I'm just worried about what kind of people Sun Jian and Yang Zhi are. If the officials know you're closely associated with them, will it have any negative impact?"
To be honest, Chen Xiaobei didn't know the true identities of these people. The only certainty was that Yang Zhi was aligned with Liu Rumei, making him half an official.
As for Sun Jian, since his two subordinates were suspected of murdering Chen Ping, they would have to wait for the official investigation results. If Sun Jian was truly unaware, they might still be able to cooperate. If Sun Jian was involved, then they would essentially be strangers from now on.
However, he couldn't reveal these matters for now. He didn't want Cui Hongyu to worry too much.
"Don't worry, they are all decent people. By the way, after we eat, let's go see the river. I heard there are fish in it."
Meanwhile, on Qingniu Mountain.
Led by the village guards, Shi Yan and his group arrived at the construction site of the suspension bridge.
At the site were a few people from the Liu Mansion brought by Ma Xiaoyi, and over a dozen villagers from Hetou Village led by Li Dong.
With fifty copper coins a day, these villagers worked with great enthusiasm. Even the village guard captain Li Dong was reluctant to leave such a high-paying job.
Li Dong was unfamiliar with Shi Yan and his group, having only seen them once or twice.
Despite their unfamiliarity, he knew they were Sun Jian's men and was very enthusiastic. "Brother Shi, look, in two more days, the cables will be installed. All that's left is to lay the wooden planks."
Shi Yan nodded and looked at Ma Xiaoyi and his men. These people clearly weren't villagers from Hetou Village.
"What are they doing here?"
Li Dong explained with a smile, "Oh, they are all craftsmen invited from the county. We've never seen a suspension bridge before. Without their help, this bridge would never get built."
So that's how it is. Shi Yan nodded and found a shady spot to sit down.
Everything was going smoothly. He would need to prepare to descend the mountain soon. He didn't want to linger in this barren wilderness.
After all, coming up the mountain was only to create a diversion. The real objective had already been achieved.
At this moment, Ma Xiaoyi, busy on the iron chains, also spotted Shi Yan.
Although he didn't recognize Shi Yan, he could tell from his appearance that he was from Cangying Mountain.
After waiting for so long, he was finally seeing someone from Cangying Mountain. Ma Xiaoyi felt a slight thrill. He had two purposes for being here: one was to help Chen Xiaobei build the suspension bridge, and the other was to monitor Sun Jian and his movements.
Now that Sun Jian's men had shown themselves, it was a good omen.
Ma Xiaoyi was unaware of everything that had transpired downhill. He had no idea that what had happened was not a good omen for him.
Meanwhile, outside Xiaojia Town.
Having captured so many people from Cangying Mountain, Liu Rumei dared not return to Qingniu County openly. Therefore, she found a patch of woods outside the town to serve as a temporary interrogation site.
By mid-morning, all necessary questions had been asked.
Zheng Ke approached Liu Rumei with a grave expression and asked, "Miss, with so many people, how do you plan to deal with them?"
Liu Rumei smiled calmly. "I am not a murderer. Even if they have committed grave offenses, they must ultimately be brought before the Crown Prince for judgment. Therefore, they must be temporarily detained."
"But..." Zheng Ke only managed two words before stopping. Liu Rumei understood his unspoken implication: where to detain them.
Indeed, whether she returned to the capital or not, the residence in Qingniu County no longer belonged to her. Liu Rumei knew her second brother, Liu Yuanwu, would arrive soon.
Therefore, they could not be held at the Liu Mansion, and another place had to be found.
After much thought, there was only one place.
That was to bring them to Hetou Village.
Under the joint custody of Yang Zhi and Chen Xiaobei, it would be most appropriate.
Yang Zhi held a deep animosity towards these people and would surely not be careless. Moreover, the terrain around Hetou Village was complex, and even if these people tried to escape, they would be utterly lost.