Chapter 120 Aren't you worried about his safety at all?
At that time, Lin Wan'er was in her mother's courtyard paying her respects.
Just then, a servant came in and reported this matter.
In name only, Li Mo is the future son-in-law of the Lin family. Now that something has happened, the Lin family servants will definitely report it to him immediately upon hearing the news.
Lin's mother was also startled by the sudden news and jumped up.
"What did you say?!"
Li Mo is seriously injured and unconscious.
So, this marriage...
"Clang!"
Before Lin's mother could process the news, Qingdai broke a teacup with such a loud noise that everyone in the room turned to look at her.
"This servant deserves to die!"
Qingdai's face turned deathly pale. She hurriedly knelt down and frantically tried to pick up the broken pieces to cover up her loss of composure.
However, those trembling hands clearly fell into Lin's mother's eyes.
Lin's mother's gaze followed Qingdai's trembling hand upwards, finally settling on her forehead.
There was a noticeable scar there. Although it was covered by her bangs, the bruises on it were still visible and quite conspicuous.
"Qingdai, you're usually quite composed, what's wrong with you today?" Lin's mother's displeased voice rang out.
"And your forehead, did you really bump into it while walking?"
Qingdai trembled instantly, completely flustered and at a loss for what to do.
Lin Wan'er barely managed to suppress the turmoil in her heart and turned to her mother, saying, "Mother, perhaps Qingdai was too shocked when she suddenly heard the news, which is why she made a mistake."
"As for the injury on her head, her daughter can testify that it was indeed caused by her accidentally bumping into the pillar."
Immediately, Lin Wan'er pretended her eyes were red and gently touched the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Her voice was tinged with sorrow: "Mother, Young Master Li... after all, he is still my fiancé in name only. Now that he has suffered such a disaster and his life is uncertain, it is only right and proper that I go to the Li residence to visit him and see if I can help in any way, so that I can... have peace of mind!"
Lin's mother, unsuspecting, waved her hand and sighed, "Go ahead, take some tonics with you, and convey the Lin family's concern. Just make a brief visit; don't stay too long to avoid causing unnecessary trouble."
"I understand, thank you, Mother."
Lin Wan'er hurriedly bowed and retreated with her head bowed.
The moment she was out of her mother's sight, the sorrow on Lin Wan'er's face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, gloomy expression.
She had to check on Li Mo's condition immediately, and he absolutely could not wake up at this crucial moment.
As soon as Qingdai left Madam Lin's courtyard, her legs began to tremble, and she could barely stand.
"Miss, what if Young Master Li... he... he's not dead?"
"What if he wakes up and identifies me as his servant?"
Lin Wan'er helped Qingdai stand up, her eyes flashing with a series of changes before finally erupting with ruthlessness and determination.
"So, we absolutely cannot let him wake up, otherwise, we're all doomed."
Qingdai was also frightened by the fierceness in her eyes and became incoherent.
"Miss, what should we do now? This servant...this servant dares not go to the Li residence..."
"You must go!" Lin Wan'er said in a low voice, tightly gripping Qingdai's cold hand.
"Don't you want to go and check for yourself whether he's really dead or not? Or is this just a smokescreen put up by the enemy?"
"How can we plan our next steps with peace of mind if we don't see it with our own eyes?"
Looking at Qingdai's terrified face, she continued to analyze the situation: "Furthermore, quite a few people saw us together at Zuixianlou last night. We might be approached by someone soon to ask questions. There's no escaping it."
After saying that, she reached out and personally tidied up the stray hairs on Qingdai's forehead, covering the bruise even more thoroughly.
"If anyone asks, just admit it openly: last night, Li Mo and I only dined in the private room. As for when he left, you went to the bathroom and he wasn't there, understand?"
Qingdai took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and nodded.
As Lin Wan'er expected, just as she boarded the carriage, someone from the Jingzhao Yin's office came to deliver a message. They asked her to come to the office to explain the events surrounding her dinner with Li Mo at Zuixianlou the previous night.
Lin Wan'er had already prepared her response to the question posed by Prefect Pang Zheng.
"Your Excellency, yesterday was indeed a small gathering with Young Master Li at Zuixianlou to celebrate his success in the autumn imperial examination. However, he claimed that he had something urgent to attend to and had to leave temporarily, without explaining the specific reason. I didn't press him further, but after waiting for an incense stick to burn, he still hadn't returned."
I assumed that Young Master Li had perhaps returned home to attend to important matters, so I settled the bill and left Zuixianlou with my maid. After that… I never saw Young Master Li again until this morning when I heard the news of his untimely death.
Lin Wan'er spoke earnestly, her face showing concern for her fiancé, completely distancing herself from the situation.
Qingdai, who was standing to the side, added to Lin Wan'er's words as agreed beforehand: "Your Excellency is wise. I was by your side all night. Everything you said is true. After Young Master Li left, I went to the washroom to look for him, but when I came back, he was nowhere to be found. Later, you paid the bill and left, and went straight back to the manor. The coachman can also testify to this."
Upon hearing this, Pang Zheng stroked his beard and frowned in thought.
Lin Wan'er's explanation sounded perfect, without any flaws. He was about to have them sign and leave when a steady voice rang out from the side and back of the courtroom.
"Mr. Pang, I have a few questions I would like to ask Miss Lin."
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Xiao Jingheng slowly walking out from behind the screen. His expression was calm, but his gaze was like the most precise ruler, instantly landing on Lin Wan'er.
Lin Wan'er and Qingdai were both taken aback, and at the same time, their hearts sank!
What's going on with Prince Xiao? Could he have been listening from the back the whole time?
Xiao Jingheng ignored the tense expressions of the two and stared directly at Lin Wan'er.
"Miss Lin, according to you, you are still engaged to Li Mo. Last night, you were in a normal mood during dinner with him, but suddenly left without saying goodbye, is that right?"
Lin Wan'er thought for a moment and nodded: "Yes."
Xiao Jingheng: "As his fiancée, knowing that he might be out on business and hadn't returned for a long time, wouldn't you be at all worried about his safety? Didn't you even send anyone to look for him or ask the restaurant staff? Is that reasonable?"
Faced with Xiao Jingheng's question, Lin Wan'er's heart tightened at first, and then her mind began to race as she thought of a solution.
“Your Highness is right to remind me of this matter…it was indeed my oversight.”
She lowered her head slightly, revealing a slender neck, as if she were sad: "But... at the banquet, Young Master Li once said that although he had passed the imperial examination, he repeatedly mentioned that he was not very satisfied with his ranking, and his words contained a lot of... frustration and resentment at not being able to fulfill his ambitions."
"When he left midway, he looked gloomy. I thought he was feeling down and wanted to be alone. I thought that he might need his own space now, and if I went to find him, I might offend him and hurt his feelings."
Her eyes welled up with tears, and her tone was filled with self-blame and heartache:
"If I had known he would be harmed by villains, I would have gone to find him no matter what, and would never have let him be alone in danger. Now, I deeply regret it..."
As Lin Wan'er spoke, she picked up a handkerchief and gently wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes, her tone mournful and moving.
No sooner had he finished speaking than Xiao Jingheng launched into a barrage of questions.
"Who said that Young Master Li was harmed by a villain?"
Lin Wan'er paused in wiping away her tears, her heart leaped into her throat, and her face paled slightly.
But then, it quickly switched to 'surprise' and 'worry'.
"Isn't that... the case?"
"But now the whole street is buzzing with the news that Young Master Li was murdered by villains and his body is lying in the street. Could it be... that there's more to this story?"
As she said this, her gaze remained fixed on Xiao Jingheng, as if trying to glean the answer from his expression.
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