Chapter 86 Such a secret exists?

Yao Qingling had thought it was just a private, intimate moment, but now Lian Chengtai was giving her a shameful truth.

She had long understood that Zhan Xingzhuo didn't like her, and all the warmth he showed was just a deception; after the divorce, she also thought that she would never have any emotional fluctuations because of Zhan Xingzhuo again.

But when this humiliation was placed before her, Yao Qingling felt as if her clothes had been ripped off.

Dignity is gone, and clothes barely cover their bodies.

Zhan Xingzhuo may not love her, but does he treat her as a plaything, or even a prostitute for others to watch?

He resented the Grand Princess for forcing him to marry her, and in order to express his resentment and show his deep affection for Zhou Zhining, he trampled on her like this.

But no matter what, she is his wife. Doesn't he need to maintain his dignity and self-respect as a man?

Yao Qingling clenched her fists so tightly that she couldn't feel the pain even when her nails dug into her palms.

At this moment, she felt only hatred.

She hated Zhan Xingzhuo for deceiving and humiliating her.

He shouldn't have just gone to Los Angeles!

Lian Chengtian couldn't see Yao Qingling's expression under the conical hat, but he could see that she was silent and stiff as a wooden statue, probably about to faint from anger.

Lian Chengtian thought he had avenged Zhan Xingzhuo, glanced at Yao Qingling dismissively, and said to the real estate agent, "The house she can't afford, I'll take it."

Lin Shiyuan watched the whole process.

He glanced at Yao Qingling, whose body was stiff, then at Prince Xin, his gaze icy cold.

Bu Fang, who was behind Prince Xin, sensed the killing intent and turned around to stand in front of Prince Xin in a defensive stance.

Lian Chengtai raised an eyebrow and glanced at Lin Shiyuan indifferently.

He considered himself to be unparalleled in appearance, yet there were others who were even more exquisitely handsome than him.

Prince Xin narrowed his eyes slightly, his face showing displeasure.

A good-for-nothing pretty boy dares to confront royalty like this!

But then Lin Shiyuan spoke calmly: "Madam Yao has never remembered Prince Xin, yet Prince Xin remembers her so clearly because of a painting. However, Physician Zhan sent the painting to Prince Xin only out of friendship, to recognize him through the painting."

“The Prince of Xin’s indulging in fantasies is not the behavior of a gentleman, and it also undermines the dignity of the royal family.”

Lien Cheng-tai frowned.

Not to mention ordinary people, even those with a little official rank would bow and scrape before him, looking like slaves; but this pretty boy actually dared to lecture him.

Lien Cheng-tai began to seriously examine Lin Shi-yuan.

A tall and upright posture, and a gaze that looks down on everyone else—not everyone has that.

Especially that murderous aura, like a sword slashing down from a great height, coming straight at you...

The servant beside him probably remembered something and whispered a few words in his ear. When Lian Chengtai looked at Lin Shiyuan again, his eyes became more wary, and his frivolousness disappeared.

But he didn't say anything nice.

He chuckled and said, "I just called him a pretty boy, but it turns out he's the former General Zhennan."

"A general who was dismissed from his post and the daughter of a general who was divorced actually came together. Is this a case of 'fellow sufferers in the same boat'?"

He glanced at Yao Qingling, then looked at Lin Shiyuan with a teasing gaze. "General Lin has just been exonerated... Oh, I remember, my imperial brother fined you quite a bit of silver, didn't he?"

"No wonder you don't have money to buy a house." Her gaze shifted to Yao Qingling. "I heard you took all your dowry with you. Doesn't your Marquis of Zhongyong's family like to marry into wealth? Did they allow you to support your husband?"

"Oh, right. She's just a discarded woman. Kicking her out of the house is the least shameful thing."

Yao Qingling finally understood why the Prince of Xin was not the rightful emperor.

With that kind of brain and that gossipy mouth, he deserves to be banished from the capital and can only be a leisurely prince.

Yao Qingling sneered: "I heard that Zhou Zhining, a remnant of the criminals, is hiding in the Duke of Shen's villa. But I think the Duke of Shen is a man of principle and would never do such a thing."

"I just remembered, Prince Xin and Zhou Zhining are also from the same school. Prince Xin has no shortage of mansions in the capital, so why is he suddenly buying houses with such a large sum of money? Which beauty is he hiding away?"

“Sigh…” She suddenly shook her head, giving Prince Xin a deep look. “Zhou Zhining had nowhere to hide before, so she had to sacrifice herself and marry Wang Xuan. How come now that the case has been reopened, you all have become brave again and dare to take on this hot potato?”

She subtly mocked Prince Xin for being cowardly and spineless, saying that he dared not do the things he didn't dare to do back then, and he still doesn't dare to do them now.

If he dares, he must admit to harboring criminals.

Block him from both ends.

Prince Xin's face darkened: "Yao Qingling, stop talking nonsense! Who said I'm hiding Zhou Zhining!"

His gaze flickered slightly.

Yao Qingling keenly noticed the change in his eyes, and said calmly, "If you don't have it, you don't have it. Why are you so eager to deny it? Are you feeling guilty?"

"After I left Zhan Xingzhuo, I'll keep to myself and your group."

"I am innocent and clean, I dare not get involved in dirty business."

"Young Master Lin, let's go and take a look at other places."

King Xin: "..."

He watched helplessly as Yao Qingling left.

She's just an orphan girl from a marquis's family, yet she doesn't even respect him, a prince!

But did Zhan Xingzhuo mention anything to Yao Qingling?

Why did Yao Qingling think he would hide Zhou Zhining?

After being driven out of the new residence by the Grand Princess of Deyang, Zhou Zhining had nowhere to go.

At that time, Zhan Xingzhuo was imprisoned in the new mansion. He wrote a long letter and had his servant smuggle it out, entrusting Tao Weixian to take in the mother and son.

Before Zhan Xingzhuo went to Luozhou, he told them that Zhou Zhining actually had another ledger—which included their names.

Grand Tutor Zhou left that thing with Zhou Zhining so that she and her young son could save their lives and be rescued.

However, even during the most difficult times, Zhou Zhining did not hand over the ledger, preferring to endure Wang Xuan's inhuman torture.

Zhou Zhining said that she would rather die than let her fellow disciples be harmed.

After hearing this, Prince Xin and the others remained silent for a long time.

Back then, in order to protect themselves, they severed ties with the Zhou family; but Zhou Zhining, with her frail female body, always protected them.

Tao Weixian risked his life to hide her in Hengwu Villa.

But no one knew who had written those big characters on the gate.

With the Shen family mansion in chaos, Zhou Zhining could no longer hide in the villa.

Lian Chengtai then thought of buying another house to move Zhou Zhining out.

After returning to his residence, Lian Chengtai went to his study and wrote a letter to Zhan Xingzhuo.

In his letter, besides asking whether Zhan Xingzhuo had told Yao Qingling the secret of the ledger, he also wrote that Yao Qingling was with Lin Shiyuan.

"...A dismissed general, destitute and impoverished, was accompanied by Yao, who bought a house with him; after the divorce, Yao truly lacked ambition and degenerated greatly."

As Lian Chengtai wrote this, he thought of how Yao Qingling and Lin Shiyuan were ridiculed by Fang Ya for not being able to pay, and he felt a sense of satisfaction.

He stuffed the letter into a bamboo tube; his attendant brought a carrier pigeon.

In the night sky, a gray carrier pigeon flapped its wings.

Not long after it flew, a lithe figure leaped into the air and intercepted the carrier pigeon.

At this moment, Lin Shiyuan was dressed in all black and his face was covered.

He took the carrier pigeon, removed the bamboo tube hanging from his foot, read the message, put the letter back, and released the pigeon.

He glanced indifferently in the direction of the Prince's Mansion.

Lin Shiyuan only wanted to sneak into the Prince's mansion at night to look for that painting.

Unexpectedly, a carrier pigeon was released from the mansion.

Account books?

Such a secret?