Chapter 58 It was I who invited Lord Bai.
"The Mingjing Division, what are they doing here?" Lin Cheng looked puzzled upon hearing this and immediately stood up and strode out.
He had no dealings with the Mingjing Division, and there were no demons or monsters in his residence, so why would they come to his door?
Seeing his father walk out, Lin Yi quickly followed. The others, seeing this, had no time to pay attention to Lin Sui anymore and all left the house.
Before Lin Cheng even left the courtyard, Bai Xiuming, dressed in a crimson official robe and with a long sword at his waist, led dozens of Mingjing Guards in and surrounded the entire courtyard.
Lin Cheng stopped in his tracks. He had long heard of the Mingjing Division's domineering nature, but he never expected that Bai Xiuming, a mere fourth-rank official, would dare to trespass into the residence of a second-rank general. Even he felt a slight anger.
"Lord Bai, what brings you so many men into my residence?"
"Arrest the traitors."
"Is Lord Bai joking with me?" Although Lin Cheng was certain that he had not done anything that could be called treason, he still felt a little nervous when he heard the words "traitor."
Could it be that something unexpected has happened in the military that I am unaware of, and that has implicated me?
But if something really happened in the army, it shouldn't be the Mingjing Division sending people.
Before he could figure it out, Bai Xiuming said, "General Lin, why don't you ask your own daughter?"
Lin Cheng was taken aback. He turned to look at Lin Ting, but Lin Ting was cowering beside Huang Shi, looking completely bewildered.
At this moment, Lin Sui came out of the room: "It was Lord Bai who I invited."
"Lin Sui, are you crazy! Are you trying to kill our whole family?" Yao's voice was shrill. If Lin Yi hadn't stopped her, she would have already pounced on Lin Sui.
"Little sister, what exactly is going on?" Lin Yi asked, though puzzled, but still remained rational.
"That's a question for... Uncle and Aunt, oh, and my second sister. As the one who carried out the order, you should know very well."
A flicker of fear flashed in Yao Dingbang's eyes when his name was called, but he quickly concealed it. He forced a smile and said, "What are you saying, niece? You can't just make up charges against me because you resent us."
"Is it all made up? That someone has been consuming Zhancao for years and using its special abilities to control the Lin family? Uncle, you don't think I'd dare report you to the Mingjing Division without any evidence, do you?"
Hearing her accurately pronounce the name of the herb, Yao Dingbang swayed. It's over!
But he still stubbornly defended himself, saying, "This is slander. I have absolutely never done such a thing."
"Could it be that something happened to your Lin family and you're deliberately trying to frame us?" Madam Huang glared angrily at Lin Sui.
Lin Sui stopped arguing with them and looked at Lin Ting, asking her, "Do the pills made from Zhan Cao taste good? Does it feel good to have everyone favoring you? Is that why you've been able to eat such smelly pills for decades?"
"Lin Sui, what nonsense are you talking about!" Lin Ting stubbornly denied it.
Lin Sui laughed out loud: "Do you know that taking Zhan Cao for many years will shorten your lifespan? The favor you have received over the years has all been earned at the cost of your life. You have been taking it for more than ten years, and now you only have less than ten years left to live."
Lin Ting suddenly froze, and she unconsciously looked at Huang Shi beside her: "You're lying to me!"
"If you don't believe me, the officials from the Mingjing Division are right here. They will tell you the truth."
Seeing Lin Sui's unwavering determination, Lin Ting was already seven-tenths convinced.
The Mingjing Division members who were watching the spectacle at the Lin family's residence did not refute Lin Sui's words, and seemed to be confirming what she said.
"Mother, Mother, say something!" Lin Ting suddenly turned around, grabbing Huang Shi's arm tightly, her eyes filled with disbelief. "Didn't you make me keep taking medicine? Didn't you say this kind of medicine would only be good for the body? Say something!"
Suddenly, Huang shook off Lin Ting's hand and turned to Bai Xiuming with a dry laugh, "Sir, don't listen to her nonsense. I gave her to the Lin family years ago. She has no relation to our family at all, and I have no idea what medicine she's taking."
"What did you say?" Lin Ting probably never expected that the last straw that broke her back was placed on her by her own mother.
"You were the one who told me that the Yao family, relying on their power, took me away from you. You had people give me medicine since I was little so that I could stay with the Yao family and pave the way for my father. Now you're saying it has nothing to do with me?"
"There was no connection to begin with. Don't try to pin your own actions on us." Huang's skin was exceptionally thick; even so, she still stubbornly refused to admit it.
Lin Ting suddenly burst into a bitter laugh, feeling like she was a joke.
“My lord, I have evidence.” Lin Ting suddenly stopped smiling and said to Bai Xiuming, “Ever since I was old enough to understand, she has been passing me notes and letters through my maid. I have kept them all. These are all evidence.”
"What?! Why didn't you destroy them?!" Huang finally couldn't hold back and screamed.
She clearly instructed Lin Ting every time to destroy all their correspondence and to make sure it was never discovered.
Lin Ting readily agreed, but she never expected that Lin Ting would actually go against her word.
Lin Ting stared at her twin brother, who was avoiding her gaze, and her biological father, and suddenly lost all her strength.
"Of course it's to keep as a memento. Mother said she misses me, and I miss you all too. So I followed Father and Mother's instructions and took those awful-smelling pills every day to make Yao Shi and Lin Heng obey me completely, thus replacing Lin Sui. Didn't I do a good job? Father and Mother kept praising me in their letters, didn't they?"
Just then, Yao Dingbang suddenly knelt down with a thud: "My lord, I confess! I was bewitched and used improper means. I did this because I wanted to take advantage of Lin Ting and gain some benefits from my brother-in-law. How could I dare to have any treacherous thoughts? I beg you, my lord, to investigate!"
Yao Dingbang kowtowed repeatedly, and soon his forehead was covered in bruises.
Bai Xiuming watched as he nearly knocked himself unconscious, and finally spoke: "Originally, I also thought this was a minor case, but Miss Lin's words gave me a new perspective."
"Wh-what?"
Lin Sui's voice rang out from behind Yao Dingbang: "Uncle, my father is a second-rank general of the current dynasty, stationed on the border of Xiling, fighting against foreign tribes for many years. My elder brother is now a member of the Imperial Guard, protecting His Majesty's safety."
Yet you instructed your daughter to drug them, secretly placing them under your control. If you didn't harbor treasonous intentions, why would you target them? You clearly intend to interfere with the border troops stationed at Xiling and even plot against His Majesty!
"I didn't!" Yao Dingbang almost jumped up, staring at Lin Sui as if he wanted to devour her alive.
He never imagined that Lin Sui would be so vicious; she actually pinned the charge of treason on him.
Lin Sui looked down at Yao Dingbang and said, "Your actions have proven that you have developed disloyal intentions towards His Majesty."
"My lord, she only harbors resentment towards me, which is why she deliberately slandered me. I only wanted to use them to get promoted, and I haven't done anything yet. You can check if you don't believe me. I wouldn't dare to covet military power, nor would I dare to harm His Majesty!"
Bai Xiuming lowered his eyes, his beautiful peach blossom eyes filled with laughter: "But I think what she said makes a lot of sense. Manipulating border generals, hehe, their crime deserves to be punished."
"No, no, sir, I'm innocent! I'm..."
Before Yao Dingbang could say anything more, he was silenced by the Mingjing Guards who swarmed him and dragged away.
The Huang family and the Yao brothers, who had initially held onto a sliver of hope, all collapsed to the ground. It was all over; their entire family was doomed.
Everything was normal until Lin Ting was put in special shackles by two Mingjing Guards. Before she was taken away, Yao screamed and pounced on the two men, scratching them frantically in an attempt to stop them.
Even Lin Cheng was about to erupt, but Lin Yi, who was standing to the side, stopped him with quick reflexes.
The father and son started fighting on the spot. It was clear that Lin Yi's cultivation was inferior to Lin Cheng's, and he was constantly being suppressed by him. However, he successfully prevented Lin Cheng from attacking the Mingjing Division guards.
Bai Xiuming watched with great interest for a long time before commenting, "General Lin's cultivation is quite remarkable, with few rivals among the three realms. Young General Lin, on the other hand, is exceptionally talented and has a promising future."
Jiang Kai, who was standing nearby, stepped forward and asked, "Sir, it seems that General Lin and his wife are deeply influenced by Zhan Cao. What should we do about them?"
"Take everyone in this mansion back and check them one by one."
"Understood, sir." Jiang Kai immediately ordered his men to begin arresting people. Those inside the mansion and those outside should be arrested as well; in short, no one should be let go.
"Feng Yang".
"Your subordinate is here."
"Search the Lin family's courtyard and see if there are any surprises."
"Yes." Feng Yang accepted the order and left with his men.
At this point, Lin Yi was about to give up. He had been slapped twice by Lin Cheng. Because Lin Cheng was his biological son, he didn't kill him, but he was so eager to save Lin Ting that he hit him harder, causing Lin Yi to spit out blood.
"Big brother, are you alright?" Lin Sui helped Lin Yi, who was stumbling backward. Although she wanted to curse, she knew that her father was probably influenced by Zhan Cao.
Lin Yi wiped the blood from his mouth: "It's nothing, just some internal injuries."
After Lin Yi left, Lin Cheng wanted to chase after the Mingjing Guards who had taken Lin Ting away.
He had only taken two steps when a white light flashed, and Bai Xiuming's blade was already at Lin Cheng's neck.
"Men, put shackles on General Lin."
Ultimately, Zhan Cao's control was no match for his own life, and Lin Cheng dared not make a move.
After coming down from the battlefield, he could clearly sense the murderous intent emanating from those around him.
He was certain that if he dared to make a move, Bai Xiuming would dare to strike.
The Mingjing Guards behind Bai Xiuming brought up heavy shackles and quickly handcuffed Lin Cheng's hands, feet, and neck.
Then Bai Xiuming looked at Lin Yi: "Young General Lin..."
"I will return to the Mingjing Division with Lord Bai for investigation."
"Thank you for your cooperation, young general."
At this moment, the Lin residence was completely sealed off, with the Mingjing Division guarding all exits. The commotion drew almost all the residents from the surrounding area to come and see what was happening.
People gathered at a distance, whispering among themselves, all speculating whether the general's mansion had committed some offense and had been ransacked.
Ah Chan had just finished dinner and was relaxing in the courtyard when she heard someone outside shouting that something had happened at the General's Mansion. She grabbed Chen Hui and tried to run outside.
Unfortunately, she couldn't pull Chen Hui away. Chen Hui grabbed her hand and said with a smile, "What's the rush? The General's Mansion isn't going anywhere. You just finished eating, so walk slowly to avoid stomach upset later."
"I'm just eager to know what happened. If I don't watch the excitement, I won't be able to sleep tonight," Achan muttered, but still obediently slowed down her pace.
When they went outside, there were already more and more people gathered there.
She and Chen Hui pushed through the crowd and found a spot near the main gate of the General's Mansion so they could have a better view.
Sure enough, not long after, they saw the Mingjing Guards escorting a group of people out of the main gate of the General's Mansion.
Of those who came out first, Achan only recognized one person, Lin Ting. She was wearing shackles and had lost her former arrogance.
"It's true what they say, fortunes change. Lin Sui is indeed decisive. He found the evidence this morning and sent them all to the Mingjing Division this afternoon."
Achan was very satisfied with the lively atmosphere.
Before long, the Lin family members were also brought out one after another, and Lin Cheng was locked up tightly. The surrounding people who recognized Lin Cheng were in an uproar.
Achan wasn't worried about Lin Cheng. She was quite familiar with Bai Xiuming's style of doing things. The Lin family were the victims, and if no problems were found, they should be fine.
The last to emerge were Lin Yi and Lin Sui, a brother and sister, with Bai Xiuming leading a group of Mingjing Guards behind them.
Seeing that Lin Sui looked relaxed, A Chan felt relieved.
At this moment, Lin Sui also saw A Chan and secretly turned her head to smile at her.
Having resolved the issues with Lin Ting and the Yao family, it felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and Lin Sui felt completely relaxed.
The sharp edges she had deliberately erected against everyone have finally softened.
She was simply caught in a vicious cycle. Everyone around her had been connected to Lin Ting before. She thought she was in a dead end, resented everyone, and desperately wanted to escape this situation.
Later, after meeting Achan, she slowly realized that the outside world wasn't as narrow-minded as she had imagined. Not everyone was as biased and unreasonable as Yao Shi; it was her environment that was distorted and wrong, and she just needed to break free from it.
Now, she has personally destroyed that twisted world.
Achan smiled sweetly at Lin Sui and secretly waved.
The next moment, Bai Xiuming's gaze precisely caught her.
Achan quickly withdrew her hand, turned her face away, and pretended to be a bystander watching the commotion.
Unfortunately, Bai Xiuming had no intention of letting her go. He not only came over, but also brought Lin Sui and Lin Yi with him.
"Lord Bai, what a coincidence! Are you out on business?" Seeing that she couldn't avoid it, Achan had no choice but to give him a pretty smile.
"Don't you know why I'm here?"
Ah Chan gave me a look that said, "Of course I don't know."
"Then explain to me why Lin Sui knows about Zhan Cao."
"I saw it in a book." Bai Xiuming had asked this question before at the Mingjing Division, and Lin Sui had given the same answer. But now he asked A Chan, and Lin Sui was worried that A Chan would let something slip and drag her into it.
Bai Xiuming ignored Lin Sui and continued to look at A Chan.
Achan's eyes flickered, and she echoed Lin Sui, "Yes, Lin Sui really likes reading."
"Oh, do you know that the existence of Zhan Cao was erased many years ago? No book in the Great Xia dares to record this thing."
Achan was dumbfounded. "Isn't your Great Xia too domineering? That's just a blade of grass!"
"Have you figured out how to explain this?" After a while, Bai Xiuming finally asked.
Achan pouted: "I've thought it through. I'm the one who told her."
"You're the one who made Lin Yi immune to Zhan Cao's influence?" Bai Xiuming always manages to pinpoint the most important point.
Unable to refute it, Achan could only continue nodding: "It's me."
"Very good." Bai Xiuming turned to his subordinate and ordered, "Take her back with you and cooperate with the investigation."
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