My Lady Always Lacks Ambition

Qin Liuxi watched those government officials standing in front of Xie Qikang’s carriage, withdrew her gaze, and slightly tilted her head to speak: "I have a question - you and your father disappeared for ten years, didn’t anyone look for you? Didn’t anyone ever suspect that something might have happened to you, even your neighbors?"

Ling Rong replied, "We were refugees who had to leave our homes because of a disaster year. We’ve only settled in Hui County for two years and lived on the outskirts, where there weren’t many other households. Moreover, my father had a difficult temperament and didn’t get along well with the neighbors. We set up a tea stall in front of our house to sell tea and some snacks."

As strangers who were hard to get along with, naturally, they were shunned and ignored.

"So you mentioned Xie Qikang came to seek refuge with you? Didn’t he live with you?"

Ling Rong said, "He stayed at the academy to study in peace and to discuss scholarly questions with his classmates, so he rarely visited our home."

"And you didn’t have a wedding banquet when you got married?"

Blushing, Ling Rong said, "We weren’t formally married. We just privately paid our respects to heaven and earth, but my father was aware of it and he witnessed it."

She saw Qin Liuxi looking at her as if she was a fool and sheepishly dropped her head, saying, "I know I’m a bit silly."

Qin Liuxi said, "Now that Xie Qikang is dead, even if your and your father’s remains are eventually found, I fear that the case will be hastily closed. After all, ten years have passed, there’s no testimony from the deceased, and most importantly, you have no one to demand justice on your behalf."