Chapter 221 Conviction
Over the years, the silver mined normally from the silver mines has been sent to the south, and another open space has been opened up underground for alchemists to refine elixirs and develop heavy gunpowder.
Besides these, there were some secrets, but before Lin Fei could dig them out, she discovered that the government and the Lin family had long been colluding. She was utterly despondent until she discovered that Princess Chang Le had escaped unscathed at the auction that night, and then she began to pay attention to the affairs of the Lancheng government. Only then did her hope rekindle.
However, thinking of something, Lin Fei's expression became listless:
“Princess, you have detained the Lin family members today, so you must already know everything. I confessed too late. Perhaps I should have told you when I went to the Fire Tree Silver Flower Shop that day.”
What she said was almost identical to what Ren Shun had found out or what Qi Yuxuan had guessed, making her even more convinced of Lin Fei's words. Upon hearing this, she took the dagger from Lin Fei's hand and placed it on the table.
"It's not too late. You've already done a great service by capturing the fugitive Lin Chengyao. How does it feel to personally kill your enemy?"
The little girl standing in front of him pursed her lips slightly, "That's so satisfying!"
"What you just told me was only a general outline. The specific details will need to be written down in your statement. Are you willing to come back to the capital with me to testify?"
Lin Fei's eyes widened in shock, and she didn't understand what the princess had said for a long time.
She dragged Lin Chengyao's body back to the Lin family home, already prepared to die. Regardless of whether Lin Chengyao was guilty or not, she had killed someone after all. She never imagined that she would have a chance to redeem herself.
"You don't want to?"
Lin Fei had already knelt down, then kowtowed deeply, her voice trembling: "This humble woman is willing!"
After Lin Fei left, tears of gratitude streaming down her face, silence returned to the room. Only then did Qi Yuxuan silently utter two words:
"Prince Duan..."
The carefree prince, whom she had never paid attention to in her past life, has appeared on the opposite side of her time and time again in this life.
He secretly rescued Gu Linyan, raised alchemists, and sent people skilled in the poisons of Nanyue to protect Xiao Yuyao—and now there are traces of his interference in Longxi as well.
The pill that Lin Fei just described looks exactly like the one Qu Qing is taking, and both are taken daily, so it's clear that they must have come from the same person.
“If you find Prince Duan an eyesore, I can go and kill him.”
Ren Shun knelt down.
Qi Yuxuan pinched her brow, feeling a bit of a headache.
"Your role by my side is to follow orders and do things your way. If you've forgotten that over time, I'll remind you today. Only when you've completed all the tasks I assign will you have the right to question me or volunteer. Do you understand?"
Upon hearing this, Ren Shun immediately thought of Xiao Yuyao, whom he had lost due to carelessness and underestimation of her.
He changed from kneeling on one knee to kneeling on both knees, his stubborn lips pressed into a straight line, "I know I was wrong."
Qi Yuxuan didn't speak or ask him to get up. She just pondered for a while and then suddenly smelled a faint scent of blood in the air.
She then turned her gaze to Ren Shun, who was kneeling motionless on the ground: "Are you injured?"
"...minor injury."
Qi Yuxuan frowned: "If you are injured, go to the doctor immediately. If your injury delays your work, it will be a dereliction of duty on your part."
These words were so cold that Ren Shun remained silent, lowered his eyes, slumped his shoulders slightly, and got up to leave the room.
Her expression was clearly not like this when Xiahou Yin was injured.
Ren Shun couldn't quite explain what he was expecting. In the few months he had been by Qi Yuxuan's side, he had seen her in many different ways: acting coquettishly in front of elders, being both kind and strict with the maids, being gentle and sincere with her friends... Most of the time, she had a calm demeanor with no expression, issuing orders to him and making him do things as if it were his due.
He always reminded himself that he was doing things for her because of the Mother-Child Gu, because of the three-year verbal agreement, and also to appease his seemingly rebellious but actually adoring older brother.
But I don't know when it started, he always wanted to get her attention, sometimes by questioning her, sometimes by meddling, and just now—
For the first time ever, he tensed his arm, which he had accidentally injured that day, so that the shallow wound would burst open and bleed, so that she would know that not only Xiahou Yin was injured, but he was also injured while protecting her.
But he didn't get the expected result, like a little wolf who tried to beg for mercy but was chased away.
The night sky in Lancheng was much the same as in the capital. He looked up at the waning moon for a while before feeling something cold fall on his face. It had started snowing again.
The snow continued to fall from midnight until the next morning. When Qi Yuxuan got up, there were already two thick snowmen piled up outside her room at the inn where she was staying.
Zheng Yanling and her maids got up early to build them, hoping that Qi Yuxuan would feel relieved to see the two snowmen when she woke up.
"Yu Xuan, look, this Bao Bao, the Jade-Clad Justice, is you, and this red-clad heroine is me. Don't we look alike?"
Zheng Yanling was just a noblewoman with neither a title nor an official position, so there was no need for her to take risks. Therefore, Qi Yuxuan did not take her with her when she went out. Even so, Zheng Yanling heard from other people how dangerous yesterday had been.
She tossed and turned all night and couldn't sleep well. When she got up and put on her clothes, she saw Qi Yuxuan's guards standing dumbfounded in the courtyard, catching snow with their faces. That's when she came up with a plan to build a snowman for Qi Yuxuan early in the morning.
At this moment, the two snowmen only had eyes, noses, and mouths. If it weren't for the crescent moon on their foreheads and the red cloak on the other one, Qi Yuxuan wouldn't be able to tell them apart. However, since her friend said so, she agreed.
"It looks just like it! Did you build it yourself? Isn't it cold?"
However, Zheng Yanling's smile slowly faded because she could see that Qi Yuxuan was forcing herself not to spoil her mood.
"Yu Xuan, I just wanted to do something to make you happy... I know about what happened with the Lin family, so don't be too sad..."
Qi Yuxuan shook her head: "The matter has not yet been investigated. Even if the evidence is conclusive, this is what I, as the governor of Longxi, should do. No matter how the emperor decides the verdict, I will not be sad."
If the entire Lin family is ultimately convicted, she was distracted and wondered what would happen to her uncles, Lin Kuangzheng and Lin Hui, who were far away in the capital.
Zheng Yanling carefully observed her and, seeing no trace of sadness in her expression, felt somewhat relieved.
"Well... I was just asking casually. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. But if, I mean if, the Lin family is convicted this time, how would they be sentenced according to the newly revised laws based solely on the crimes that have been uncovered so far?"
During her time at the girls' school, she excelled only in archery and horsemanship, while her grades in other subjects were mediocre. She was not familiar with the laws of Qi, and besides, she only knew that the Lin family was involved in crimes such as bribery and prostitution, but she did not know the specifics, which is why she asked this question.
Qi Yuxuan lowered her eyes and withdrew her gaze from the snowman.
“The principal offender shall be executed by slow slicing or beheading; male relatives of three generations aged sixteen or older shall be beheaded; those under sixteen shall be enslaved; female relatives aged sixty or older shall be exiled; and those under sixty shall be confiscated and sent to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution).
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com