But in reality, Song Ting had been secretly arranging everything all along, just waiting for today to lure the Red Lotus Cult members into the trap.
However, the person behind the scenes never showed up easily, and Chu Huaixu didn't know who that person was.
Song then secretly ordered his men to investigate. He already suspected that Dong Maolin was a wicked old man, and that's why he had Eleven investigate him.
Based on the clues provided by Huai Xu, it shouldn't be difficult to bring the person behind the scenes to light.
The only problem is that Dong Maolin was too confident, thinking that he could control Huaixu with his Gu poison, and that everyone was as cowardly as he was.
"I have suspected you for quite some time, but it has taken a lot of effort to find evidence. After all, I really don't understand what else you could possibly want, that would allow you to harbor such wolfish ambitions."
"A wolf in sheep's clothing? Hahahaha..." Upon hearing this, Dong Maolin suddenly burst into laughter, but the laughter was hoarse and indistinct, even more unpleasant than crying.
He roared almost hysterically, "You forced me to do this!"
"Over the years, I've been thinking about what we are in the eyes of those who are born into nobility."
Is it a blade of grass, an ant, or a speck of dust beneath your feet?
"Should we be abandoned and sacrificed for the sake of the dragon throne they hold?"
“Our Dong family, starting from my father’s generation, has been loyal to the Chu family’s cause. My eldest brother was not yet twenty years old when he went to the battlefield. I still remember that day when he held me and said that after he drove the Turks back to their homeland, he would come back and teach me to ride horses and practice swordsmanship. Later, we won the battle, but my eldest brother never came back.”
"So many people died in that battle, so many that they couldn't even bring back the bodies of the fallen soldiers. They could only dig a few pits and bury them on the spot. So I didn't even get to see him one last time..."
Dong Maolin was initially very emotional, but after getting lost in his memories, he calmed down, and there were even a few tears in his cloudy eyes.
As a child, he fantasized that when he grew up, he would be like his older brother, possessing excellent martial arts skills and becoming a general with outstanding military achievements, thinking that would be incredibly heroic.
But after his elder brother died in battle, he never had that thought again. However—
"Then there was my eldest son, Junzhou. He was about the same age as my older brother at the time, and he came back alive."
At this point, Dong Maolin smiled, his voice trembling, "I was just seriously injured, losing a leg. Half a month later, the injury worsened, and ultimately there was no cure."
"Although I was heartbroken at the time, I still felt that as a subject, it was my duty to serve the king and the Great Yan with utmost devotion, and I dared not harbor any resentment, much less have any disloyal intentions... But..."
He paused, pointed at Song Ting, and his emotions surged again, almost screaming at the top of his lungs:
"It was you, Song Ting! You aided and abetted the wicked and murdered loyal officials, causing the deaths of 100,000 soldiers in the northern desert! My poor youngest son also became one of those who died unjustly, and I don't even dare to offer him a memorial tablet!"
Dong Maolin's youngest son, Dong Yunxi, admired the prestige of Prince Duan since childhood and was also influenced by his elder brother. Despite his family's objections, he insisted on going to the battlefield.
Based on his friendship with Chu Mingyao, Dong Maolin managed to get his son into the Xuanjia Army.
Dong Yunxi lived up to expectations, making many military achievements in just a few years after joining the army, and later became the deputy general of the second young master Chu Huaiyun.
"I don't know how many years I was heartbroken after Yunzhou left, until Yunxi was born. Only then did I feel like I was alive again. He is my everything! He is my life!"
"He was wholeheartedly devoted to protecting his country, yet he was killed by you despicable people! How can I not hate him, how can I not resent him!"
By the end, Dong Maolin's eyes were bloodshot, and he lunged at Song Ting without regard for anything else!
But he was no match for Song Ting. He didn't even get a touch on Song Ting's sleeve before being kicked to the ground.
"Cough, cough cough... I lost, I lost..."
Dong Maolin coughed up a mouthful of blood, staring at Song Ting with eyes that seemed to want to devour his flesh and drink his blood.
"But Song Ting, you will definitely pay the price for the sins you have committed! You are clearly just an ant, yet you framed loyal officials for power and status. You will die a horrible death!"
He kept cursing, but Song Ting remained unmoved.
"It was Chu Huaixu! You all joined forces against me! That scoundrel Chu Huaixu!"
No wonder he kept delaying handing over the imperial seal; he must have been waiting for him here.
That person had long forgotten the blood feud behind him, forgotten his father, brothers, and mother who had died tragically, and was bewitched by the person in front of him.
"A treacherous woman who has defeated thousands... has actually forgotten the deep-seated hatred and instead colluded with her enemy to plot against me, giving birth to such a son. I wonder what Chu Mingyao is thinking in the afterlife—ah...cough cough..."
Song Ting didn't care how others misunderstood him or didn't believe him. He had acted too ruthlessly over the years, and he would probably never be able to shake off the infamy of being a treacherous minister.
He doesn't care about these things.
But Song Ting couldn't bear to hear anyone slander or insult Chu Huaixu. Upon hearing Dong Maolin's words, it was as if a sore spot had been touched, and a sudden surge of murderous intent arose within her:
"How dare you insult him?!"
The hand gripped Dong Maolin's neck tightly, with such force that the cracking sound of bones shifting could almost be heard.
Because of difficulty breathing, Dong Maolin's eyes widened suddenly, and a gurgling sound kept coming from his throat, like a leaky window, indicating that he was almost out of breath...
But Dong Maolin cannot die yet.
Song then released his grip and said coldly, "Take him away, but don't let him die."
Since being captured on the spot by Song Ting that day, Dong Maolin has been imprisoned in a death row cell.
He originally thought that someone would come to interrogate him soon, and that he would know whether he was killed or tortured to death.
However, let alone interrogation, for some time afterward, the only living creatures he saw were a few mice running around and squeaking at his feet.
The death row cell was dark and dark, without even a candle lit. Dong Maolin was bound to a wooden stake with his limbs tied, and time seemed to pass by unusually slowly.
He had lost track of how long he had been there, and had no idea what the situation was like outside the death row.
Dong Maolin felt as if he were being slowly tortured, with the pain intensifying with each passing minute.
Fear, trepidation, unease, regret, resentment... all sorts of emotions were amplified infinitely in this quiet, silent environment where he was oblivious to dawn and dusk, driving him almost to madness.
"Song Ting! Chu Huaixu! You will both die a horrible death! Song Ting..."
While Dong Maolin was on the verge of collapse, the Song family was also far from peaceful.
For three whole days, there was still no news of Chu Huaixu. Song Ting had to deal with a whole bunch of messy things that Dong Maolin had caused, while keeping a close eye on the secret guards searching for him.
Seeing wave after wave of people being sent out, only to return empty-handed, he felt both anxious and annoyed.
If it weren't for a sliver of reason still holding him back, reminding him of his identity, Song Ting would probably have already given up and left to search for him himself.
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