Chapter 146 Her older brother doesn't like her at all.
Meanwhile, after escaping from under Chu Yan's nose, Xiao Lingxi did not immediately return to the Marquis's camp, but went to the place where Xiao Jingheng was imprisoned.
She bribed the guards with silver to get a visitation period of one incense stick's time.
"Big brother! Something terrible has happened, the Third Prince..."
Upon seeing Xiao Jingheng, Xiao Lingxi felt as if she had found her pillar of support and immediately recounted all her discoveries.
"...Brother, I suspect the Third Prince is plotting against the Crown Prince, and Lin Wan'er is also colluding with him. He just tried to kill me!"
Recalling what had just happened, Xiao Lingxi still felt a lingering fear, as if she had narrowly escaped death.
Xiao Jingheng's originally calm expression suddenly changed after hearing her words.
"Did they touch you? Are you injured?" Xiao Jingheng stepped forward, put his hands on Xiao Lingxi's shoulders, and quickly scanned her body with his eyes.
Xiao Lingxi shook her head, her voice still trembling with tears: "No. I... I pretended to have a stomachache and luckily escaped this ordeal."
"Brother, what should we do now?"
"The Third Prince controls the court, and His Majesty is bedridden. When will you be able to leave? Is there anything I can do to help you?"
As she spoke, Xiao Lingxi shed tears, her voice choked with sobs.
Xiao Jingheng placed one hand on her shoulder and solemnly instructed her, word by word: "Listen, right now, don't do anything."
"After you return, stay obediently in your mother's tent. No matter what happens, do not go out, and do not try to get close to the Crown Prince or investigate anything. Do not mention what happened today to anyone, especially your mother, understand?"
Xiao Lingxi was puzzled: "But... someone wants to harm the Crown Prince. Shouldn't we try to tell His Majesty? Or tell Shen..."
"No!" Xiao Jingheng interrupted her sharply, his tone more severe than ever before.
"If you act rashly, not only will you fail to save the Crown Prince, but you will also alert the enemy and put the entire Marquis's mansion in a hopeless situation."
Hearing his elder brother's solemn expression, Xiao Lingxi paused for a few seconds.
My older brother had never had such a serious expression before.
She knew the matter was of great importance, and although she had doubts and worries, she nodded forcefully, forcing back her tears.
"Okay, big brother, I'll be good, I won't go anywhere."
Xiao Jingheng's expression softened slightly, and he continued to give her a few more instructions before urging her to leave.
"I understand, elder brother. Don't worry, I will take good care of second brother and protect myself and mother."
When the visiting time was over, Xiao Lingxi left the tent, turning back every few steps.
Although my elder brother was temporarily detained, he received clear instructions, which calmed my previously panicked mind somewhat.
She believed that her older brother must have other plans and would definitely not cause her any trouble.
However, when Xiao Lingxi returned to the Marquis's camp, she saw Lin Wan'er coming out from afar, head held high, still dressed as the most noble lady in the capital, her back straight and her eyebrows showing a hint of pride.
She was completely different from her usual aloof and serene demeanor.
However, Lin Wan'er did not notice Xiao Lingxi and gracefully departed surrounded by her maids.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Lingxi's heart sank. Before Lin Wan'er could go far, he slipped into his mother's tent.
Upon entering, one sees Madam Liu looking worried, her brows furrowed.
"Mother?!"
Xiao Lingxi strode forward and asked nervously, "I just saw Lin Wan'er leave from here. What was she doing here? Is she planning something bad?"
Xiao Lingxi's voice carried a hint of lingering fear and tension.
She was almost certain that Lin Wan'er and the Third Prince were in cahoots.
Madam Liu looked up, sighed deeply, patted her daughter's hand, and said in a complicated tone, "She came to 'help'."
"Help?" Xiao Lingxi frowned. "Help with what?"
Would Lin Wan'er really be so kind?
"She said that as long as your elder brother is willing to marry her as the Crown Prince's wife, the Grand Tutor's Mansion will step in to protect your father and your elder brother. Grand Tutor Lin has a long-standing reputation among civil officials. Now that the Third Prince and Prince Cheng are in control of the government, they still have to give Lin Chengzhong some face."
"Furthermore, she also said she could persuade the Third Prince to 'turn a blind eye' during the investigation and find a scapegoat to exonerate your elder brother."
"What?!"
Xiao Lingxi was struck dumb and cried out in alarm!
"She's taking advantage of someone in distress! It's utterly shameless!"
Xiao Lingxi was so angry that she trembled all over.
"My brother doesn't like her at all. How could she be so despicable as to threaten him into marrying her?"
Lady Liu was surprised by Xiao Lingxi's reaction and frowned: "That's not how it works. In terms of talent, appearance, and status, Lin Wan'er is more than a match for our Marquis's mansion."
"But...but my brother..." My brother likes Xiaoyu.
What will happen to Su Xiaoyu if he marries Lin Wan'er?
She didn't want Lin Wan'er, that two-faced, hypocritical and pretentious woman, to be her sister-in-law!
Xiao Lingxi was so anxious that she didn't know how to explain, and could only say, "Oh dear, Mother, in short, we can't let her marry into the Marquis's mansion."
Liu said, "Do you have some misunderstanding about her? Lin Wan'er said that since Li Mo's incident, her reputation has also been affected. Furthermore, she said that she has long been secretly in love with your elder brother and vowed to marry no one but him in this life, but she has never found an opportunity to say it."
Now that the Marquis's mansion is in peril, only in this way will Grand Tutor Lin do everything in his power to intervene on its behalf and preserve its century-old foundation.
Xiao Lingxi was stunned.
The ghost has long admired her; the ghost has secretly pledged her heart to her!
That despicable woman, Lin Wan'er, actually said such distorted and disgusting things.
In her haste, Xiao Lingxi blurted out.
"Mother! This is absolutely unacceptable! Lin Wan'er is vicious and colludes with the Third Prince to harm the Crown Prince, my elder brother, and the Marquis's mansion! How can such a woman marry my elder brother as the heir apparent? Her marriage will only sow the seeds of disaster for the Marquis's mansion! Even if my elder brother gets out safely, the Marquis's mansion will still be controlled by her and the Third Prince!"
Xiao Lingxi's shout caused the candlelight in the tent to flicker.
Liu was completely stunned by the amount of information in her words and jumped up.
"What did you say?!"
-
The following day, the emperor's condition finally improved, and he was able to go out for walks.
After several days of investigation, Shen Guangnian also found evidence that the Crown Prince's imperial horse, "Zhaoye," had been framed. Furthermore, the appearance of the tiger in the mountains was also a deliberate act.
On this day, in the main tent, the Emperor, Prince Cheng, the Third Prince, Shen Guangnian, and all the ministers gathered together.
The atmosphere inside the tent was heavy; you could hear a pin drop.
Shen Guangnian stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this old servant was ordered to investigate the case of the Crown Prince's fall from his horse. It has now been confirmed that the Crown Prince's imperial horse 'Zhaoye' was indeed ambushed with a 'hair needle,' which was removed in public by Physician He."
As soon as he finished speaking, a young eunuch behind him immediately presented a tray. On a piece of parchment, sixteen tiny silver needles, as fine as hair, were neatly arranged, their tips gleaming with an icy blue light in the sunlight.
"Your Majesty, gentlemen, please take a look," Shen Guangnian introduced.
"This item is called 'ox-hair needle,' named for its fineness, which is as fine as a hair. Its forging process is extremely difficult and is not something that our Great Chu possesses. According to research, it is a product of a foreign island in the South Seas. It is insidious and can be hidden in the lining of a saddle pad or deep within the mane."
"The needle tip is coated with a deadly poison. At first, the horse will only feel like it's being bitten by a mosquito and will be fine. But as the horse gallops and its muscles tremble, the poison will slowly penetrate into its flesh and spread, directly invading its veins. Even the finest steed will suffer unbearable pain, go mad and lose control, and may even... die from exhaustion."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present gasped.
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