Chapter 36 Secrets

"Like winter."

“This servant is here!” Ru Dong immediately stepped forward.

"Take him to the side hall, so he doesn't get the floor dirty later." Xie Sangning's voice was as gentle as if she were giving an ordinary instruction.

"Take good care of him and make him say everything he needs to say."

"Yes!" Ru Dong responded, waving her hand without hesitation.

Two strong female servants immediately stepped forward and, like iron clamps, lifted the limp Uncle Fu from both sides, half-dragging and half-pulling him away from the main hall.

The door to the side hall was tightly closed, blocking the Lin family's surprised and uncertain gazes.

——

Inside the side hall.

"Thump!"

Uncle Fu was slammed to the ground without any mercy.

Without wasting any words, Ru Dong stomped hard on Uncle Fu's hand.

"Ah—!" Uncle Fu let out a bloodcurdling scream like a pig being slaughtered.

The screams reached the main hall, and the Lin family members turned pale with fright. The Lin family had always been a scholarly family, and they had never heard such a terrible scream before.

"Shut up! You're disturbing my young lady's peace and quiet. You old bones can't afford to pay for that!"

She crouched down and drew a gleaming dagger from her waist, its sharp blade gleaming in the dim light.

She slowly and deliberately slapped Uncle Fu's face with the blade of the knife.

"You've been with the Lin family for decades, haven't you? The Lin family has treated you very well."

"What a pity, people's hearts can't be tamed."

"Tell me, who has been sending you to impersonate my young lady and drain the Lin family's coffers all these years?"

Despite the pain, Uncle Fu stammered, "This old servant...this old servant doesn't know...is it...isn't it Miss Xie..."

A flash of light!

Uncle Fu's left little finger snapped off instantly!

Blood gushed out instantly, splattering on the ground and spreading a glaring red!

"Ah!!! My hand! My hand!!"

Uncle Fu's screams were heart-wrenching, and his body convulsed from the excruciating pain.

Ru Dong remained expressionless, disdainfully flicking the blood off the blade.

"If you dare mention Miss Xie again, the next knife will be on your hand."

"Think carefully, who told you to do this? Where did all the money go? Spit out every single word! Don't utter a single lie..."

......

The Lin family members in the main hall could clearly hear the screams from the side hall growing louder and more distorted; the wailing sent chills down their spines.

Everyone looked at Xie Sangning, who was sitting calmly in his seat, sipping tea without changing his expression.

Lin Ziyuan touched his neck, remembering how he had scolded her earlier...

Is it possible that I'll be the one who dies soon?

Inside the side hall.

The excruciating pain and fear of death completely shattered Fauber's will.

"I'll talk! I'll talk! It's...it's the Second Miss! It's Xie Wuyou, the Second Miss of the General's Mansion!"

"Where's the evidence?"

Uncle Fu wept uncontrollably: "It's her! I have her jade pendant here! Ten years ago, she sent someone to find this old servant..."

"She said... as long as this old servant delivers the letter on time every month... and... and sends the silver to the place she designates... she will guarantee this old servant and his family a life of wealth..."

"Each time I receive a silver note, I will take it to the money exchange in the west of the city and deposit it there using my jade pendant... In the middle of each month, I will use the jade pendant to collect my payment..."

......

Xie Sangning lowered her eyes and listened to Ru Dong's report with her eyes closed.

"Xie Wuyou..."

To be honest, given Xie Wuyou's current mental capacity, it's impossible for a six-year-old like her to come up with such a solution.

If she could come up with this idea, then pigs could fly.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Sang Ning has misunderstood all these years. Let Sang Ning investigate this matter."

"No! We were just careless! That's how we got scammed..."

“It’s because you’re worried that you’re confused, Sang Ning understands.” Xie Sang Ning gently pressed her grandmother’s trembling hands. “From now on, I’ll take care of everything.”

"As for this ungrateful old bastard..." She turned her gaze toward the side hall, as if looking at a dead man, "Ru Dong, chop off his hands, take him back to the villa, spare his life, don't let him die."

The Lin family was taken aback; she seemed to be different from what they had expected...

Lin Zhijie seemed to have made up his mind, and suddenly said, "Ning girl, come with your grandfather to the study."

The two entered the study, and the study door closed gently behind Xie Sangning, shutting out the noise from the outside.

The room was dimly lit, with only a lone lamp flickering on the desk.

Lin Zhijie gestured for Xie Sangning to sit down. After a long silence, he slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed on Xie Sangning with a heavy and worried expression.

“Ning girl…” His voice was dry and hoarse, as if he hadn’t spoken in a long time, “I called you here today because there are some… old things that you should know.”

Xie Sangning's heart stirred slightly, but his expression remained calm: "Please speak, Grandpa."

Lin Zhijie's gaze traced her face closely, his eyes filled with complex emotions: tenderness, reminiscence, and deep fear.

“You…look too much like your mother.”

He sighed, "Especially those eyes, and that stubbornness... they're exactly the same as her back then."

He paused for a moment, his tone grave: "A few days ago, you attended the Empress Dowager's flower-viewing banquet... presumably, you saw... that person?"

Xie Sangning's eyes flashed, and she instantly understood who her grandfather was referring to: the current emperor, Pei Yan.

She nodded slightly: "Yes, I have seen the imperial carriage and the emperor's countenance from afar."

"I've seen you from afar... Good, it's good that I've seen you from afar!" Lin Zhijie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then suddenly clenched his fist. "But he will eventually see you clearly! There are too many people and too many eyes in the palace. If he doesn't see you today, he will see you tomorrow!"

"Ning girl, listen to me. From now on, if you can avoid any imperial summons, palace banquets, or celebrations, do so! If you absolutely cannot avoid them... please be very careful! Be extremely careful!"

These words surprised Xie Sangning: "Grandpa, what do you mean? Your granddaughter doesn't understand."

Lin Zhijie closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with the pain and resentment that had been suppressed for decades.

"Because...that person, when he was still a prince in the Prince's residence...had an almost pathological obsession with your mother!"

Xie Sangning's heart sank.

"Your mother, Lin Ruyue, was a beauty in her youth, and her name was famous throughout Jinling. She and the then First Prince, Pei Yan, were childhood sweethearts."

Lin Zhijie's voice was filled with cold mockery: "Alas, the falling flowers are willing, but the flowing water is heartless! Your mother's heart was long ago tied to your father, Xie Zhenting, that unromantic martial artist! Pei Yan... he couldn't get what he wanted, so he harbored hatred!"

"At that time, the Lin family ranked among the top three in Jinling, enjoying great influence. I couldn't bear to see my daughter entangled with the royal family, and I was even more afraid that she would be drawn into the struggle for the throne and unable to extricate herself. So I swallowed my pride and went to the late emperor for help..."

Lin Zhijie's voice trembled slightly with excitement: "At the cost of the Lin family's merits and a little bit of influence, I humbly request the late emperor to grant your mother and Zhenting a marriage! The late emperor... granted it."