Chapter 309 The Death of Lin Yingyu
Shu Heng immediately ordered his secret guards to thoroughly investigate Yingxiang Pavilion, only to discover that while it ostensibly dealt in perfumes and powders, it secretly sold various forbidden drugs with bizarre effects, involving the private affairs of many noble families.
Jiang was unlucky to run into the net at that moment.
However, this matter involved too many people, and after careful consideration, Shu Heng decided that it was not advisable to investigate it further. Instead, he used the matter of dealing with Jiang Shi as a way to make an example of her.
Shu Heng also wanted to seek justice for Xiao Yeming.
Those thirty lashes nearly cost this meritorious official his life; both morally and legally, it was an excessive and harsh punishment.
However, Linglang argued, "Xiao Yeming is an official from outside the palace. He trespassed into the palace's backyard without an imperial edict. What's wrong with punishing him according to the law?"
Because the imperial aunt stood on the high ground of "etiquette and law".
If a subject trespasses into the inner courtyard of the Grand Princess's residence, let alone being flogged thirty times, even being killed on the spot would be difficult to refute legally.
If the matter is pursued aggressively, Linglang could turn the tables and accuse Xiao Yeming of having ulterior motives.
At that time, not only will justice not be served, but Xiao Yeming's reputation and even his life may be in danger.
However, it was precisely because Xiao Yeming broke into the backyard and interrupted the conspiracy that Lu Zhaoruo absorbed less poison.
Fortunately, Qing Lexian has already prepared the antidote.
The next day.
News spread from the Qi family that Madam Jiang had contracted a "serious illness" and needed to recuperate. She was sent to a family nunnery outside the city to practice Buddhism while keeping her hair intact, and was never to return to the mansion.
Wan Ningniang's situation in the Qi family suddenly became worse than that of a servant.
Qi Liang already despised her intensely, and now he treats her as if she doesn't exist.
The "noble concubine" position that Lady Jiang had promised her also vanished.
Looking at her missing four fingers, and then thinking that Lu Zhaoruo was safe and sound and living a glorious life, she felt a burning hatred in her heart.
then.
She took it upon herself to beat a drum and report the matter to the emperor, spreading the word throughout the city.
Shu Heng summoned Lu Zhaoruo to the palace again.
Faced with Wan Ningniang's accusations, Lu Zhaoruo remained calm and recounted the events of the past one by one. From how Wan Miaoniang's maid Gui'er lured her to Sweetwater Lane, to the various concealments and schemes of Li Xiu and his sister, and even the truth about Wan Miaoniang's illness and suicidal thoughts, she revealed everything.
She looked down at Wan Ningniang, who was kneeling on the ground with a face full of disbelief, and said clearly, "Back then, your elder sister tricked me into personally delivering the dress to you. And what happened? Your elder sister, Wan Miaoniang, conspired with Li Xiu to lure me into the Shuyu Courtyard, intending to have Li Xiu defile me and force me to become his mistress!"
“Your elder sister is suffering from a disease. Even though she takes medicine every day, she is only barely clinging to life. She has long been determined to die. Even if Li Xiu really destroys me, she will not escape death.”
“Li Xiu forced her to entertain clients, and beat her up at the slightest provocation. For a thousand taels of silver, she pushed me into this mess, and that silver is meant for you!”
Lu Zhaoruo's words were like knives: "Because Li Xiu has taken a liking to you."
"Everything your older sister did wasn't to take the blame for me, but for you, her younger sister!"
"If anyone forced her to her death, Wan Ningniang, that person is yourself!"
Her eyes were filled with disdain:
"But what about you? You're heartless, selfish, and arrogant!"
“I never owed your older sister anything, she owed me! I didn’t pursue the matter because I thought it was not easy for us women, and I even agreed to take care of you.”
"Now, you actually have the nerve to come and appeal to the Emperor? Who are you accusing? Are you accusing your own sister, who schemed for you and conspired with Li Xiu to harm me?"
Wan Ning's mother's eyes were bloodshot as she screamed hoarsely, "No! That's not how it is! You're talking nonsense! That's not the truth!"
Lu Zhaoruo's expression remained unchanged; she simply looked calmly at Shu Heng.
Shu Heng nodded slightly, and the eunuch led a person into the hall.
It was Gui'er, Wan Miaoniang's personal maid back then.
Fortunately, Lu Zhaoruo had anticipated this.
Through Gui'er's narration, the conspiracy in Sweetwater Lane back then, and all the dirty details, were completely exposed.
The truth has come out.
Wan Ning's mother collapsed to the ground, her body ice-cold.
Do I regret it? How could I not regret it!
If she had stayed quietly by Lu Zhaoruo's side, under his protection, how could she have ended up like this? Perhaps she would already be living the life she always dreamed of.
Ultimately, the confrontation before the emperor ended with Lu Zhaoruo being found not guilty.
Wan Ningniang, on the orders of Qi Liang who rushed to the scene, was forced to drink a medicinal soup, which caused her unborn child to die. She was then ruthlessly expelled from the Qi family mansion and left to wander the streets once again.
As dusk settled, Lu Zhaoruo's carriage slowly came to a stop beside Wan Ningniang, who was huddled in a street corner.
Lu Zhaoruo bent down, her gaze icy, and asked, word by word, "Wan Ningniang, tell me the truth, how exactly did Lü'er die?"
Upon hearing this, Wan Ning's mother first burst into maniacal laughter, then her face contorted in a grotesque grimace as she hissed viciously, "Fool! You're utterly stupid! How could she possibly die?"
She suddenly stretched out her hand and made a fierce downward slamming motion: "Naturally, I picked up the small hoe from the ground and smashed it down hard on the back of her head like this!"
Then, she pushed forward with both hands, her eyes flashing with a horrifying light: "And then... just like that, I pushed her down the valley! Hahaha... She died a horrible death, her brains were spilling out, and she couldn't even scream..."
Lu Zhaoruo closed her eyes, and two lines of clear tears slid down her cheeks.
That night, Wan Ningniang was found dead in a dark alley.
His death was gruesome; he suffered a severe blow to the back of his head, fracturing his skull, as if he had been brutally killed by a hoe.
Deep within the dark and damp prison.
Lin Yingyu gripped the cold bars tightly with both hands and screamed at the door, "I want to see Yunxiu! Let me see Lady Yunxiu! She'll regret it if she doesn't come!"
The jailers watched coldly, and no one paid any attention.
Unbeknownst to her, Yunxiu was already in dire straits, stripped of her title and confined to her quarters.
Her only hope lay in that secret that could condemn Yunxiu to eternal damnation.
Five years ago, on Guiyu Island.
Yunxiu secretly goes to the island to find a woman whose birth date and time are exactly the same as hers.
Her whispered conversation with her trusted maid by the mine was overheard by Lin Yingyu, who happened to be there collecting spices.
The next day.
Lin Yingyu did not make a fuss, but went to Yunxiu alone. She did not ask for money, but only took the hairpin from Yunxiu's hair as a "token". She also made a promise: "If I need your help in the future, you must do your best. Otherwise, if this matter is spread, not to mention your position as a princess, I am afraid your life will be in danger."
Yunxiu, in shock and anger, wanted to silence her, but Lin Yingyu calmly said, "I have already told three people about this. If I die, the secret will be made public immediately."
Yunxiu killed all of Lin Yingyu's parents and brothers, but Lin Yingyu laughed: "It doesn't matter, it's not them anyway."
Only then was Yunxiu forced to become her secret backer, helping her get out of prison, enter the capital, and open Yingxiang Pavilion.
Now, Lin Yingyu, who is imprisoned, still wants to use this last bargaining chip to exchange for a glimmer of hope.
Although Yunxiu herself was in grave danger, she was still filled with anxiety and begged Linglang to allow her to visit him in prison.
Shu Linglang questioned, "Xiuer, why did you go to that island back then? Why did you help her get out of prison? Of course I don't believe it. With your personality, you wouldn't have befriended her."
Yunxiu felt guilty, but still insisted, "Mother, I really went on a trip, and it was just a normal friendship with her."
Linglang doted on her and allowed her to secretly visit him late at night.
After returning from the prison, Yunxiu was pale and knelt down, begging Linglang to save Lin Yingyu.
Linglang is still trying to come up with a solution.
News then spread that shortly after Yunxiu left, Lin Yingyu committed suicide in prison out of fear of punishment.
Upon hearing the news, Yunxiu was struck as if by lightning, feeling as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had caved in.
After Linglang left, she was terrified when her father, Yun Jing, quietly appeared.
He dismissed those around him and said calmly, "Don't be afraid. Your father has already taken care of everything for you."
"No one else in the world knew about Lin Yingyu's secret. That secret went with her."
Yunxiu looked up in horror: "Father...you...you knew all along? When..."
Yun Jing's gaze suddenly sharpened like a knife, interrupting her, and he asked in a deep voice, "What I want to know more is when and where you overheard those words?"
The truth about her background: she wasn't Linglang's biological daughter; the chase on the shores of Linhai; and the fact that she was just an orphan he took in along the way to deceive Linglang.
Yunxiu felt ice-cold all over and collapsed to the ground.
It turns out that her father not only knew about Lin Yingyu's threat, but also had long understood the root of all her fears.
She cried, trembling, "It was five years ago... I was playing around and went to my father's library. I accidentally... opened the mechanism in the secret room and overheard your conversation with that man in black..."
Before he could finish speaking...
Yun Jing suddenly leaned down and grabbed her neck tightly!
Yunxiu felt a sudden tightness in her chest, her eyes filled with terror.
Yun Jing's face was inches away from hers, his gaze fierce as he stared at her, saying each word slowly and deliberately, "Remember. You heard nothing, you know nothing. Understand?"
Yunxiu was in tears and blinked frantically to signal.
Yun Jing abruptly released her grip, then gently stroked her hair, his tone becoming unusually loving, as if the ruthlessness from before had never existed: "Silly child, you are naturally my and the Grand Princess's legitimate offspring, the noble and precious Lady Yunxiu, who has been pampered since childhood..."
Yunxiu was still in shock and trembling all over. She could only nod obediently, "Yes... I understand, Father."
Yun Jing straightened up, put his hands behind his back, looked out the window, and said in a calm tone: "As for Lin Yingyu... she knew things she shouldn't have known, so she deserves to die."
He turned his head slightly, glancing at his trembling daughter out of the corner of his eye, and added casually, "As for Lu Zhaoruo, whom you hate... she naturally deserves to die too."
Upon hearing this, Yunxiu was overjoyed.
She rushed to Yun Jing's side and took his arm, saying, "Thank you, Father! Father loves Xiu'er the most!"
The fact that her father was willing to kill Lu Zhaoruo for her sake naturally shows his affection.
Even though she wasn't her father's biological daughter.
Yun Jing lowered his eyes, looking at his daughter's completely trusting smile. His smile deepened, but it also revealed a chillingly sinister aura.
Lin Yingyu is dead.
He was strangled to death.
She was not willing to accept it!
Lin Yingyu is intelligent and quick-witted, and possesses a wealth of knowledge about the future. She should have been able to manipulate those outdated ancient people at will! How could she have ended up like this?
She was even more unwilling! Lu Zhaoruo... just Lu Zhaoruo! How could an ancient woman who only knew how to embroider and was bound by etiquette be able to turn danger into safety time and time again, how could she win Xiao Yeming's admiration and the emperor's favor, and reach the end?
She, holding the trump card, suffered a crushing defeat and was about to be crushed like an ant.
The so-called powerful figure she had painstakingly climbed up to not only failed to help her but also made her take the blame. Now, Yunxiu, whom she had been waiting for, said she was powerless to help.
And that idiot Pang Ying hasn't come to see her even once.
In the hazy state of consciousness, Shen Rongzhi's gentle yet timid face appeared clearly before my eyes.
The man she once despised, used, and then discarded like trash, even though he ended up in poverty, at least... had once been genuinely infatuated with her.
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