Chapter 85 Imperial Edict

"Mr. Yinbai, please calm down! Since you must go back to report, please allow me to disguise you and sneak back to the General's Mansion!"

Ru Dong acted decisively, turning to Lin Zhijie: "Master, it seems the situation is urgent, and Miss must know immediately! Please send someone with me to the General's Mansion!"

She was afraid that Yin Bai would faint.

Lin Zhijie's lips trembled, unable to speak, as if he had suffered a huge blow; he could only nod weakly.

Liu Shi suppressed her grief and wiped away her tears: "Alright...alright...I'll go! Ziyuan, let's go together!"

Led by Ru Dong, the three of them quietly left the Lin residence and headed to the General's Mansion and Ruixue Tower as quickly as possible.

Inside the warm pavilion of Ruixue Tower, Xie Sangning sat upright in the main seat, unconsciously twirling a chess piece between her fingers.

When the group reached her, no one spoke. Yin Bai seemed to be carefully choosing his words, extremely anxious, pacing back and forth.

Liu sat pale-faced at the lower end of the table, while Lin Ziyuan sat close to his mother, his young and handsome face also filled with anger.

Xie Sangning frowned, her mind agitated.

Seeing Yin Bai like this, she mentally prepared herself, thinking it must be something serious.

"Enough! Yin Bai! You've been pacing back and forth without saying a word. What's going on?"

Xie Sangning spoke, finally making Yin Bai stop in his tracks.

Yin Bai took a deep breath:

"Sang Ning...you...you need to be prepared..."

"Lin Wantang wasn't rendered mute by ordinary fright back then! She saw... saw something she shouldn't have seen at your mother's funeral! It shocked her into fainting!"

"She said she was only six years old that year, just a little girl, and your mother, her closest aunt... suddenly passed away."

“She was scared, and she didn’t understand what death meant. She just felt that there were many people in the funeral hall, it was very noisy, the smell of incense and candles made her feel uncomfortable, and the adults were all crying, no one cared about her.”

"When she was keeping vigil at night, the child couldn't hold his urine. He didn't dare to say anything, so he sneaked out on his own."

She had just pulled up her trousers when she heard voices coming from the side gate…

"She was scared, thinking it was a servant on night watch. Afraid of being discovered and scolded for sneaking out, she quickly hid behind a pile of miscellaneous items covered with tarpaulin."

Yin Bai's breathing became heavy: "She heard an old woman's voice, and the old woman said, 'Hurry up! Pack this slut's corpse properly! The Empress said she'll die a horrible death, never to be reincarnated!'"

Xie Sangning's fingers, which were holding the chess piece, suddenly froze!

She had a guess.

A guess she dared not delve into.

"Lin Wantang didn't understand at the time, but she heard another high-pitched male voice, like a eunuch, flattering the old woman."

Yin Bai glanced at Xie Sangning's expression and continued, "The eunuch said, 'Don't worry, Granny Qiu, we're quick. We'll get Lin Ruyue's body out of here unnoticed soon…'"

The name Lin Ruyue struck like a thunderbolt!

Xie Sangning's upright body swayed almost imperceptibly, and her face drained of all color in an instant, turning deathly pale!

Those usually calm and deep eyes suddenly narrowed, as if a storm was gathering deep within their pupils!

"Granny Qiu! She heard that eunuch call that old woman Granny Qiu!"

"That Granny Qiu even laughed smugly, saying that the Empress's revenge had finally been achieved! She also said that she would throw your mother's body into a mass grave to feed the wild dogs! She even replaced the body, saying that she would make the people of the General's Mansion and the Lin Mansion worship a lowly palace maid for generations to come!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Sangning felt something explode in her mind!

What's the meaning?

Is Yin Bai joking?

No, that's not right. He's not that kind of person, and he would never joke about his own mother!

Mother… Mother’s body… was replaced?!

They were thrown into a mass grave?!

Were they fed to stray dogs?

And what the Lin family and the General's Mansion have been worshipping and commemorating for over a decade... is the corpse of an unknown palace maid?!

The overwhelming sense of absurdity made her momentarily unsteady on her feet.

For a moment, she felt as if she couldn't feel her own heartbeat.

"That Granny Qiu, she even said that the Lin family and the General's Mansion... are a complete joke! A bunch of fools being manipulated by the Empress!"

"puff--!"

Liu, sitting below, could no longer bear it. She felt a sweet taste in her throat, spat out a mouthful of blood, and her body went limp as she fell backward!

Liu and her sister-in-law Lin Ruyue had always been as close as sisters. Now, after hearing the whole story in such detail, she finally couldn't hold back anymore.

She couldn't accept it! She couldn't accept that her sister-in-law was being treated like this even after her death!

"Mother!" Lin Ziyuan's eyes widened in horror as he hurriedly helped his mother up!

Xie Sangning remained seated, her back ramrod straight.

His face was expressionless, not even a tremor of his eyelashes.

Only those eyes.

Finally, the silence was broken.

Her hands, which were resting on her knees, had somehow become clenched tightly!

Her fingernails dug deep into her palms, and drops of bright red blood trickled down between her fingers, falling one by one onto the hem of her plain white dress, spreading into shocking blood flowers!

She felt no pain at all.

The warm room was deathly silent.

Time seemed to stand still.

I don't know how much time passed.

Xie Sangning slowly raised her head.

"Empress..."

"Snap!"

She actually crushed the armrest of Xie Sangning's chair!

The hard splinter was deeply embedded in her palm!

She was completely unaware.

Two hours later, Liu was helped out of the general's mansion by Lin Ziyuan and returned to the Lin residence with Xie Sangning's instructions.

Inside Ruixue Tower, Ruchun and the other three dared not utter a sound.

But there are always those who are blind to the danger, such as the eunuch who appeared at the gate of the general's mansion to announce the imperial edict.

Xie Sangning arrived at the door with Ru Chun's help.

"Xie Sangning, the eldest daughter of the Xie family of the General of the Nation's Mansion—" the eunuch's shrill voice deliberately rose, "Kneel down—receive the imperial decree!"

Xie Sangning slowly knelt down and kowtowed.

No one could see Xie Sangning's face.

Only the earth felt the scalding liquid.

One drop.

Two drops.

It quickly seeped into the dust and disappeared without a trace.

"Your daughter, Xie Sangning, is the eldest daughter of General Xie Zhenting, a woman of distinguished lineage."

"I have heard that you have taken pity on the aspirations of poor families to pursue education, and have generously donated funds, spending huge sums of money without hesitation."

"It takes ten years to grow a tree; peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path is formed on their own."

"Your contributions to the nation are deeply appreciated by me."

"By imperial decree, you are hereby granted the title of Princess of Jianing County, and bestowed with an imperial seal. In addition, you are granted five hundred taels of pure gold and bolts of cloth... Respectfully yours!"

Satire.

How ironic.

He had just learned that his mother's death had brought him no peace, and that the empress of this empire had even thrown him into a mass grave where he was torn apart by wild dogs!

He was immediately reminded that he had cultivated talent for this corrupt court, and that his father was still guarding the country for this court!

The lengthy imperial edict was finally read aloud.

"Xie Sangning, accept the imperial decree and express your gratitude!"

The eunuch dragged out his words, with a hint of condescension.

Xie Sangning slowly raised her head.

She reached out her hands and steadily took the heavy, cold, bright yellow scroll.

"Your humble servant, Xie Sangning—"

"Thank you,"

She bent down again, her forehead hitting the ground hard.

"Your Majesty - Long - En -!"