The truth behind the kidnapping during the Shangsi Festival.

"Stop kneeling, quickly close their chins and ask the doctor to take a look." Lin Huaiyin put away the jade talisman and hurried to get down to business.

The Imperial Guards were still reeling from the shock of Lin Huaiyin taking out the Crown Prince's Jade Talisman. Upon hearing her command, they immediately rose and obeyed.

Lin Huaiyin's gaze swept over Lin Shifeng, who happened to be looking at her with narrowed eyes. The two siblings locked eyes.

"Half a year has passed, and my little sister has become quite capable." Lin Shifeng stood up and smiled at her, but the smile did not reach his eyes. His eagle eyes were full of scrutiny, as if he were looking at a newly acquired spy from an enemy country, as if he wanted to pry open her skull with a dagger, reach into her brain, dig out her brain, and interrogate her to death.

This is terrifying! Lin Huaiyin withdrew her gaze and turned her head away. She was annoyed that she had inadvertently become too high-profile and exposed her relationship with Xiao Zhian. She should have known better than to bring the jade talisman and pretend to ask Xiao Zhian for permission. He would have definitely agreed.

It's a mess.

Lin Huaiyin's little heart pounded. She knew all too well that her brother, Lin Shifeng, was not as easily fooled as Lin Cuiyue, and he wouldn't fall for her sweet talk. He must be wondering right now what her relationship with His Highness the Crown Prince was, and why he even gave her the jade talisman.

She had to give him an explanation immediately, or he would keep staring at her.

In her panic, Lin Huaiyin looked around, her eyes darting about. When she spotted the man with the fleshy tumor, she immediately had an idea. She hurriedly untied the rope hanging the fleshy pieces, found a cloak to drape over him, and even kindly gave him a bowl of ginger tea, saying, "Please tell me all the details of what happened on the Shangsi Festival last year, from beginning to end."

She said "please" and even offered tea, her attitude was so good it was almost eerie, as if she were asking someone to tell her an unrelated story.

All eleven "traitors" felt that this white lotus was a bit outrageous, and secretly wondered if they had made her sick last year.

Seeing Lin Huaiyin like this, the man with the tumor remembered his daughter who used to pour him tea and massage his back after a long day of work. Thinking of what he had done last year, he was filled with regret. Seeing so many men present, including her brother, he gritted his teeth and couldn't speak.

"Speak quickly." Lin Huaiyin couldn't bear Lin Shifeng's gaze any longer, so she urged, "Speak boldly. I've married that scoundrel now, and I need your help to get out of this mess."

Upon hearing this, all the imperial guards turned their heads in unison, linking the word "thief" with "marriage" in Lin Huaiyin's words, and thought of Shen Congyun.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, their faces ashen, and gathered around.

Lin Shifeng's eyebrows were sharp as if carved by a knife, and he immediately stood there with a fierce expression. He strode towards the man with the fleshy tumor.

Looking down at him, he pursed his thin, pale lips, lowered his eyes, and coldly uttered a single word: "Speak."

This sound was completely different from the previous petty skirmishes and casual interrogations. The stench of battlefield blood erupted forth. The tumor-ridden man swallowed hard and immediately spilled the beans, recounting everything from receiving orders to the hunt, the capture, the imprisonment, the drugging, the handing over to Shen Congyun, and the retreat…

The truth was gradually revealed by the man with the tumor.

How an innocent and carefree fourteen-year-old girl was tricked and fell into a den of evil was clearly and meticulously presented to everyone.

No one was breathing in the tent.

The Imperial Guards had thick, red necks, their eyes bulging as if about to burst, their fists clenching and cracking, their boots grinding the tung oil cloth with all their might.

When Xie'ao first heard the truth, she thought of how the vicious and wicked Shen Congyun had plotted to humiliate her mistress, forced her to marry him, and then tortured her in every way after marrying him. Her heart was breaking, her face turned as white as paper, and she looked at Lin Huaiyin with tears in her eyes.

Lin Huaiyin, however, was delivering ginger tea to the other eleven "traitors".

The "traitors" were filled with shame and had no way to refuse. Holding the ginger tea, they remained silent.

Everyone froze into stone statues.

Lin Huaiyin, like a pale yellow butterfly, flitted through the stone forest, serving tea and water.

After the man with the tumor finished explaining, Lin Huaiyin interjected at the opportune moment: "It was His Highness the Crown Prince who found out the truth and reminded me, giving me a chance to take revenge."

Lin Huaiyin gave an impeccable reason to legitimize her relationship with Xiao Zhian, because if everything went smoothly, she would have to deal with Shen Congyun when she returned to the capital, and there was no need to hide it now, so she could use it to appease Lin Shifeng.

However, Lin Shifeng didn't care when he heard this. He was already tired of Lin Huaiyin's incessant footsteps, tired of her shoes blowing bubbles as she walked around. Why did she have to show off, why did she have to appear capable? Couldn't she just sit down and say, "Brother, my shoes are wet, quickly get me a new pair?" Is it so hard to just open her mouth?

Lin Shifeng was extremely irritated. He grabbed Lin Huaiyin's sleeve, pulled her into the chair, and looked at her narrow shoulders and thin neck, which seemed so fragile that they could break at the slightest touch. He said fiercely in her ear, "Do you even remember that your surname is Lin? What else are you hiding from us? Tell us all at once."

After saying that, Lin Shifeng stopped right next to her ear, without making a sound.

The entire tent was deathly silent.

The Imperial Guards stared at Lin Huaiyin's back, thinking of how she had dominated the battlefield last night, shining so brightly. She should have been a proud being like a goddess in the heavens. If they hadn't heard it with their own ears, who would have thought that she had been so badly harmed by Shen Congyun?

It turns out that the White Lotus Sect incident was a trap from beginning to end. The current Grand Secretary, Shen Congyun, colluded with the White Lotus Sect traitors and did such a beastly thing to the Third Miss. What exactly was he plotting? What other schemes did he have up his sleeve?

The Imperial Guards remained silent. Now that Shen Congyun was no longer at the post station, they had no way to find him and slaughter him. They had to be patient and wait for Lin Huaiyin to tell them the truth.

Crab claws were blocked behind Lin Shifeng, unable to get close to Lin Huaiyin. At this moment, she understood more than ever why Lin Huaiyin insisted on sending her away from the Shen Mansion.

Having left the Shen family mansion and distanced herself from Shen Congyun, she was free and safe, leaving only Miss and Yu Li to continue their struggle.

However, just now, the young lady said that Yu Li had an accident and hurriedly dragged her here.

Crab Ao immediately realized that Lin Huaiyin had come here for Yu Li.

Lin Huaiyin was pinned to the chair by Lin Shifeng. She knew her brother was angry because she had concealed the truth from the family. She also knew her brother would be even angrier in the future because the truth she had concealed was far more than just the Shangsi Festival, and she could not reveal it all for the time being.

The most important thing now is to save Yu Li, but we can't make a big fuss and attract Princess Pingyang's attention.

Following Xiao Zhian's advice, the most urgent task is to find the White Lotus Sect traitors active around Princess Pingyang, who are the ones the tumor-ridden man mentioned earlier, the ones who gave the orders.

Lin Huaiyin carefully considered her words and told Lin Shifeng, "Second brother, don't be angry. This is the only matter, nothing else. Moreover, the secret investigation to avoid alerting the enemy is His Highness the Crown Prince's intention. I also want to find out why Shen Congyun harmed me. I came here overnight to ask these people for help to continue digging deeper into Shen Congyun's accomplices."

As she spoke, she turned to the man with the tumor and said, "I need to know all the people you've come into contact with, including those who summoned you, brought you to the capital, trained you, and gave you orders. Please think carefully about all their characteristics."

"And you too." Lin Huaiyin turned to the other eleven people. "If you have any clues, tell me. Also, please tell the other thousand-plus brothers. Any little bit of information is fine, the more the better."

Upon hearing her words, the eleven immediately took action, accompanied by the Imperial Guards, and went to different camps to announce the news and gather information.

Lin Shifeng stood behind Lin Huaiyin without moving.

Because Lin Huaiyin's logic is flawed—if His Highness the Crown Prince wants to investigate Shen Congyun, he can't possibly approach her alone. The only normal and correct approach would be to contact the Lin family, including his father and brothers, but he would absolutely never approach Lin Huaiyin privately.

For the Crown Prince and his minister's wife to communicate in private is like walking a tightrope over a precipice; one wrong step and they would be doomed. His Highness the Crown Prince would not be so foolish.

Lin Shifeng felt that the real situation was that his incredibly clever third sister had discovered that something was wrong with Shen Congyun, but did not want him and his father and brothers to get involved rashly. So she secretly approached His Highness the Crown Prince and asked him for help. The fact that His Highness the Crown Prince helped to keep it a secret from the Lin family was quite intriguing.

Is there anything His Highness the Crown Prince must conceal?

With ease, Lin Shifeng thought of the Erwang Temple, where the traitors were being harbored.

As he took another step forward, the name Princess Pingyang came to mind.

With this thought in mind, Lin Shifeng then recalled that Princess Pingyang had been imprisoned in the imperial mausoleum for a whole year when she was young, and that Shen Congyun was the son of a mausoleum guard.

Imperial Mausoleum, Princess, Shen Congyun, Grand Secretary, White Lotus Sect, Lin Family.

A crystal-clear line ran through Lin Shifeng's mind, and he immediately realized that if they continued to dig deeper, they would inevitably uncover Princess Pingyang. His Highness the Crown Prince doted on Princess Pingyang and would never allow them to expose her. Moreover, since the princess was involved in a crime, His Highness the Crown Prince could not remain unscathed. This was why His Highness ordered Lin Huaiyin to use the jade talisman to appease the traitor. His Highness intended to stop digging at this point and only target Shen Congyun.

Having figured out all the details, Lin Shifeng couldn't help but sneer: How could a crown prince be so protective of his own? The Lin family has stood for two hundred years, loyal and righteous, and would never serve such a foolish ruler.

"Go!" Lin Shifeng immediately ordered, "Summon all those skilled in portrait painting. Dig three feet into the ground and find all the traitors!"

"yes!"

The Imperial Guards obeyed and departed.

Just then, the military doctor arrived and cleaned the wound and applied medicine to the man with the sarcoma.

Seeing Lin Shifeng's anger, the man with the tumor felt a pang of sadness. Lin Huaiyin quickly comforted him, assuring him that the previous deal was absolutely valid and that she had the Crown Prince's Jade Talisman to ensure the safety of all of them.

"No." The man with the tumor shook his head and explained, "Young lady, you misunderstand. What goes around comes around. We harmed you, so we deserve what we get. I just feel guilty for not being able to help."

"How could they not be of any help?" Lin Huaiyin didn't believe it. "You must have had contact with them, at least they must have given you orders—"

“They all wear masks,” the man with the tumor shook his head again. “I can’t even recognize their voices, let alone identify them. We were all robbed by bandits and sold in the human market. We were passed from one person to another until we reached the capital. We don’t even remember how many times we changed hands. When we finally got to that place, it was all in the dark, and we had black cloths over our heads. When we arrived, people told us that the White Lotus had descended to earth. They said that as long as we were willing to work with them, the White Lotus Goddess would protect us and allow us to go home and reunite with our families.”

"So we don't know anything about his appearance or where he is. The only person we've met and can identify is Lord Shen," the man with the tumor said, bowing his head dejectedly.

Lin Huaiyin, Lin Shifeng, and the imperial guards in the camp all realized that he was not lying.

Lin Huaiyin didn't ask any further questions, but her hand in her sleeve slowly clenched, her nails digging into her palm.

She never expected that after going this far and getting through all the obstacles, she would still have gained nothing. Princess Pingyang was so cautious in her actions that she was practically watertight and impenetrable.

Unable to insert a needle, unable to gather information, and unable to find anyone close to Princess Pingyang, what can Yu Li do?

However, they couldn't make a big fuss and arrest everyone in Princess Pingyang's courtyard for interrogation.

Are we just going to watch Yu Li go, go...?

Lin Huaiyin was suddenly at a loss.

If only there were a drug that could knock out everyone instantly, I could take down all of Princess Pingyang's people!

Unable to find a way in, Lin Huaiyin started thinking of unconventional methods when a hand suddenly landed on her right shoulder.

She and Lin Shifeng turned around at the same time.

“Miss,” Crab Claw said, his eyes red, “When I was looking for you just now, I saw a groom feeding hay in the stable.”

Lin Huaiyin's eyes widened: "And then?"

“That man looks very familiar; I think I’ve seen him at the people’s market outside the city.” Crab Ao, fearing she wouldn’t believe him, added, “We were short-handed for the temple repairs, and I went to the people’s market. There were indeed many strong, robust men from other provinces being sold to the capital. I’ve seen that groom several times; like me, he only browses and doesn’t buy anything—”

"quick!"

Lin Shifeng and Lin Huaiyin said in unison, "Take us to him!"