Chapter 302 The unknown secret

Lin Pianran still looked indifferent.

“If you don’t want others to know, don’t do it for yourself.”

"I just made a reasonable inference based on the abnormal behavior of you and Han Zimo."

After hearing this, the old lady hit her head in regret.

It's all because they did things so drastically that they aroused suspicion so easily.

All their calculations were due to their greed, which led to the loss of Jingzhou.

"My wife was injured during childbirth and was extremely weak. She was bedridden all day and was completely unable to take care of the child. The old general left the child with me and asked me to take care of both children at the same time."

"I didn't expect that half a year later, my wife would suddenly pass away."

"I took the opportunity to swap the identities of the two children. Of course, this was done with the old general's tacit approval."

After hearing this, Lin Pianran was still not surprised.

In fact, she also suspected this, but it was just a suspicion after all, without any basis.

The reason she was suspicious was because the second wife's unscrupulous behavior seemed against human ethics and too unreasonable.

After all, this incident happened more than 30 years ago, so there must not be many people who know about it. Only by directly interrogating the parties involved can we learn more about the truth.

Sure enough, her suspicions were finally confirmed.

Lin Pianran asked calmly, "I've checked my grandmother's identity. She was the daughter of a general. She's been healthy since childhood, and this is her second child. Logically, a second birth would be smoother than the first, and less likely to cause a difficult labor."

"What I can't understand is why she got hurt after giving birth? What caused the injury?"

“This…this…”

"How should I know this?"

The old lady covered her face to hide the panic on her face.

But Lin Pianran is not so easy to fool.

She stared at the old lady intently, as if she wanted to stare a big hole in her body.

After several breaths, the old lady was still like a turtle, curled up in her shell, motionless.

Is this the rhythm of pretending to be dead?

Lin Pianran lost her patience.

He coldly ordered the secret guards around him, "If she doesn't talk properly, take her away and torture her!"

When the old lady heard this, she immediately panicked.

I quickly pleaded with tears in my eyes, "I really don't know..."

"I don't want to argue with you. Either confess immediately or I'll torture you. There's no third option."

A secret guard stepped forward, grabbed the old lady by the collar, and prepared to go to the torture chamber.

The old lady was so frightened that her face turned pale in an instant.

She lay on the ground, trembling all over.

"Maybe he was drugged, but I don't know the details."

"Who gave me the drug?"

"Yes...it was ordered by the old general himself, but I really don't know the specific reason."

"After Madam Cui passed away, the old general proposed exchanging the two children. I felt that this would only benefit my children, so I readily agreed."

Lin Pianran asked again, "Is the old general and his first wife, Madam Cui, not on good terms?

The old lady fell into deep memories.

"The old general and Madam Cui's families are old friends. They've known each other since childhood, and their relationship has always been good after they got married. However, around the time Madam Cui became pregnant with her second child, their relationship suddenly began to drift apart."

"As for the reason, I don't know either."

"Besides Madam Cui and you, does the old general have any other concubines or maids?"

"There is another concubine named Ye. It turns out she also lives in the mansion."

"Later, the old general took her to Yunhai Villa, which was located in a county town south of the capital. It was said to be very large and beautiful, nestled against the mountains and beside the water, and quite magnificent."

"More than a decade ago, the old general would always stay there for several months every year. In recent years, he rarely returned to the capital."

The more Lin Pianran listened, the more mysterious it seemed, and the more confused she felt.

It feels like being in a thick fog and losing direction.

As an old general of the Duke of Protectorate's Mansion, he is not at home all year round. What a strange phenomenon!

"Then how do you usually keep in touch with the old general?"

"That Aunt Xu beside me was assigned to me by the old general. Usually, when I want to contact him, I give her the letter I've written, and she will find a way to deliver it."

It seems that the Duke of Huguo's Mansion may not only have Madam Xu as a spy, there must be other people.

Lin Pianran looked at Han Chaolin and lowered his voice seriously, "Third brother, check the manpower in the mansion again."

Han Chaolin nodded solemnly.

He also didn't expect that his sister was so capable and could find out so much.

It's really impressive.

Lin Pianran thought for a moment and then asked, "What is the old general's attitude towards his three sons?"

"The old general was once a brave warrior, but when Madam Cui was pregnant with her second child, he suddenly became lame in one leg and has never been to the battlefield since then."

"The old general was extremely strict with Madam Cui's two sons. He made them practice martial arts from a young age. When they grew up, he sent them all to the battlefield at the age of sixteen or seventeen. He rarely paid any attention to them in other days."

"For so many years, the two brothers have been staying at the border and rarely returned to the capital. But relatively speaking, the old general has been much kinder to my son Han Zimo and has shown more kindness. He urged me to tell Han Zimo not to practice martial arts, but to stay in the capital and follow the path of a civil official."

The more Lin Pianran listened, the more she felt that there was something wrong with this old general.

This guy doesn't look like a real father at all.

But, the wife and children would not mistake their husband and father, right?

It seems that if I have the chance, I will have to meet this old general.

She is looking forward to it!

"You and the old general were also involved in the evil things that the second wife did to the first wife, right?"

The old lady lowered her head, paused for a long time, and did not speak.

"Is this question difficult to answer? I don't have the patience to wait for you to come up with an excuse."

The old lady raised her head slightly, her eyes somewhat evasive.

Finally, he mustered up the courage to say, "The old general gave some hints, but because he was away from the mansion for a long time, he didn't ask about many things in the mansion."

"He only provides a framework and some suggestions, but he doesn't care about the specific implementation methods."

Lin Pianran asked again, "Then the old general knows about the evil deeds that Han Zimo and Zhu Yufang have done, right?"

"Every one or two months, I will write a letter to give you a detailed report on the situation in the mansion. If there is anything important that requires instructions, the old general will write back."

Remote control? This old man is quite amazing!

But why doesn't he return to the capital?

Is there something important in Yunhai Villa that attracts him?

Lin Pianran was very puzzled.

There is a lot of information that was reviewed this time, and I need to digest it carefully.

Finally, Lin Pianran instructed the secret guards, "First, keep a close eye on the old lady and provide her with three meals a day. If she remembers anything important, please tell me immediately."

The secret guards responded repeatedly.

After walking out of the cell with Han Chaolin and returning to the ground, Lin Pianran couldn't help but take several deep breaths. The air above was still fresher.

Lin Pianran looked solemn.

"Third brother, I always feel that the old general is full of mystery and his behavior is very strange."