Chapter 48
"Your Excellency, please be aware that I have never done such a thing, let alone written this letter. Please ask someone to compare the handwriting." Li Lin'an said coldly.
He Jizhong had anticipated this statement.
So does Lu Ming.
He wasn't so naive as to think that a ghostwritten letter alone could incriminate Li Lin'an. Ever since Zhao Tinglan's imprisonment in the mansion was exposed, he had sensed that someone must be behind this.
So he thought, if he couldn't do something, the people behind the scenes would definitely be able to do it. Even if he misjudged the situation, what would it matter?
Now that you are in a desperate situation, why not give it a try?
The sun sets in the west, and dusk gradually fills the sky.
In the backyard of the Li Mansion, a high mound of earth had formed in the empty space left by the removal of the rockery. A sweat-drenched attendant suddenly paused with the tip of his shovel, his expression changing.
"Manager Wang!" he said nervously, "There seems to be something buried underneath!"
Steward Wang stepped forward quickly.
The other followers also felt the touch from under the shovel tip.
"There is indeed a hard object!"
The steward said without hesitation: "Keep digging!"
This buried object is not small.
The attendants first surveyed the area and called in more people to help dig. As shovelfuls of dirt were lifted, the full outline of the six-foot object gradually emerged.
The steward's expression froze, and he turned and ran quickly towards the study.
"Master, we dug something out!"
Li Shufeng's expression was stern: "What on earth is it?"
"It looks like... a coffin." The manager whispered.
Jiang He was horrified when he heard this: "Coffin?! What's in it?"
"The coffin has not been opened for inspection yet..." said the steward, looking at Li Shufeng with an inquiring look.
…
The Taoist priest standing beside the deep pit stepped forward, bowed, and said solemnly, "Master Li, please look, this is the source of the evil spirit."
Li Shufeng lowered his eyes and looked into the pit.
A coffin was clearly visible.
Unlike ordinary coffins, this one was wrapped in chains and painted with golden runes. A closer look at the faded runes showed it had been buried here for a long time.
Li Shufeng's eyes darkened.
He had originally speculated that, aside from the Zhao Tinglan incident, the others were simply exploitative speculation, and even the theory of evil was nonsense. Before digging, he had specifically ordered an inspection of the area around the yard, and indeed, no signs of tampering were found.
Now this coffin is definitely not a temporary burial!
Recalling that the construction of this courtyard was entrusted to his second son, he thought that only he could have buried the coffin here, away from public sight.
It seems that there is indeed someone behind the scenes plotting this, and it is also true that the second son is doing something shady. But who knows when someone got hold of it and used the incident at Qianyuan Hall to expose it all!
"Open the coffin."
Li Shufeng closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he spoke in a calm tone.
Several followers bravely descended into the pit and jointly lifted the coffin lid. The dim twilight streamed into the coffin, startling the insects and ants that had gathered on the corpse and sending them scattering. A pungent stench of decay filled the air.
After seeing the situation in the coffin clearly, one of the followers screamed and several people hurriedly climbed out of the deep pit.
There was a female corpse lying in the coffin.
Although her face was difficult to discern, her hair adorned with pearls and jade and her wedding gown were particularly striking. The gown hadn't faded, its gold embroidery still shone brightly, and the layers of folds spread out, revealing an eerie splendor.
"She died in her wedding dress. No wonder she was so resentful!" Jiang He was so frightened that he took several steps back. Supported by a young eunuch, he waved his hands repeatedly and dared not look directly at her.
The Taoist said solemnly, "This coffin is surrounded by a soul-locking formation. According to this evil spell, the soul is trapped within the puppet. Now that the body has been exposed, we must immediately find the puppet used to cast the spell."
Li Shufeng's face was grim, and he hesitated to speak. Seeing Jiang He staring at him intently, he could only order the steward: "Search for it."
The steward led a group of servants to search the backyard. Seeing everyone coming in and out and rummaging through boxes and cabinets, Wang Shi could no longer sit still.
Under the guidance of the Taoist priest, a servant discovered the secret compartment in Li Lin'an's study and quickly took out a wooden box from it.
"Madam, a wooden man was really found in the second master's room!" A maid came in hurriedly and reported to Wang in a low voice.
Wang's face changed drastically. She no longer cared about her usual dignified demeanor and immediately ran into the garden.
"Master!" she said urgently, "Someone must have hidden this thing in Lin An's room and deliberately framed him! You must seek justice for Lin An!"
Jiang He was still in the mansion, and she couldn't bear to see her child being charged with this false crime!
Li Shufeng took a last look at the note under the puppet in the box - it clearly stated Zhao Wuyou's birth date and name.
How could he make a mistake in his second son's handwriting?
"Send this thing to the Beijing government." He closed the wooden box and handed it to the steward.
"Master!" Wang almost screamed.
Master, are you trying to prove Lin An's guilt?
She wanted to say something, but saw Li Shufeng with a gloomy face, raising his hand and slapping her.
"Even now, you still want to protect that evil creature! If you hadn't doted on him so much, he wouldn't have gotten to this point!"
Wang was beaten so hard that she staggered a few steps. Fortunately, the maid was quick to catch her and prevent her from falling to the ground.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She just stared blankly at Li Shufeng. After more than twenty years of marriage, this was the first time the master had laid hands on her, and in front of so many servants and outsiders...
Shame and anger were secondary. At this moment, there was only one thought in her mind: the master was determined to abandon Lin An!
What should she do with her Lin An?
"In that case, I'll go back to the yamen first." Jiang He pretended not to notice what had happened and sighed softly, "I believe Lord Li will make the fair judgment."
"Ultimately, it's my fault for not raising my son well," Li Shufeng said. "I will return to the capital with Eunuch Jiang to deal with this matter."
…
Jiang He nodded naturally.
The group left Li's house.
The coffin was closed again and quietly carried out through the back door. However, even through the back door, it could not escape the eyes and ears of the ubiquitous and nosy people.
The news of the coffin being carried out of Li's house spread quickly.
More and more people flocked to the government office, and even officials began to send people to investigate the matter.
"Sir, Eunuch Jiang has returned to the yamen, and Lord Li has also come with him."
The yamen runners who returned early went in to report.
He Jizhong was stunned when he heard this.
Li Lin'an's fingers in his sleeves tightened unconsciously.
My father actually came in person?!
He still didn't understand the situation at home, but his father's presence at this moment hinted that something was wrong.
The flurry of discussion outside the hall flooded into Li Lin'an's ears like a tide, and he felt a tense sensation in his spine. His nails dug deep into his palms, but he felt no pain at all.
Fine beads of cold sweat oozed from his forehead. He realized that this look must make him look guilty and uneasy in the eyes of others. This thought made it increasingly difficult for him to maintain his composure.
Zhao Tinglan looked at him and his expression changed slightly, a sneer flashed across his eyes.
Are you finally unable to pretend anymore?
She had thought that this beast would never lose his composure in front of others.
It seems that seeing that he is about to lose everything, he is starting to panic?
That innate superiority had long been ingrained in his bones. Perhaps he believed he was born superior to others, a status he could never lose. It was this certainty that allowed him to harbor such unbridled evil beneath his gentle exterior!
Now that this privilege is about to be lost, the illusion of "never losing" has been shattered, and he finally tasted the panic.
This beast who is used to inflicting pain and fear on people deserves to experience the feeling of being surrounded by pain!
"Sir," an officer stepped forward to report, "with the assistance of Lord Li, we have unearthed a female corpse in the courtyard of the Second Young Master Li's residence. The location is almost identical to what Miss Zhao described."
When Zhao Tinglan heard this, tears instantly filled his eyes.
It’s Wuyou! She finally found her sister!
The people outside the hall were suddenly in an uproar.
"This dream is actually true!"
"After all, they are sisters, connected by blood."
"It seems that what Miss Zhao said is true. Who was it that said he was crazy before?"
"Huh, don't you agree?"
"I never expected such a reversal..."
"I'll just watch the fun from now on, but I won't make any rash conclusions..."
Listening to these discussions, Suifeng shook his head secretly.
That being said, next time they encounter a similar situation, these people will still be led astray by a few words.
He said that one should use their own brains to think things through. If they don't have that kind of brain, at least keep their mouths shut and don't talk nonsense. Follow these two rules and you'll be sure to stay on track.
In the hall, the officer presented the box containing the puppet to He Jizhong.
After a closer look, He Jizhong asked Zhao Tinglan again for confirmation: "Is your sister's name Zhao Wuyou?"
Zhao Tinglan fought back tears and nodded, "That's right."
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the hall. Several villagers from Shitou Village were escorting He Qingyang to file a complaint. They were here on Suifeng's orders.
"Sir, this man murdered Zhao Tinglan's entire in-laws..." The villagers recounted the tragic events of that day, and finally said, "Everyone in the village, young and old, can testify that this man was the perpetrator."
The people listening to the trial in the hall were suddenly in an uproar, and their eyes looked at Zhao Tinglan with more pity.
This poor woman first lost her own sister, then was imprisoned and humiliated by villains, and now even her husband's family has been wiped out. Her life is truly full of misfortunes.
He Qingyang has been in a trance since he committed the crime. He has been unable to sleep for days and nights. Whenever he closes his eyes, he dreams of bloody wronged spirits seeking revenge.
At this moment, he was even more frantic in the court. When he suddenly saw Lu Ming's face, his eyes were bloodshot and he rushed forward like a madman. He grabbed Lu Ming's collar and roared, "It's you! Even if you are younger, I recognize you! If it weren't for your sweet talk, how could I have been so blinded by greed and harmed my aunt's family! Now I can't live in peace day and night!"
As he said this, he was about to punch someone, but fortunately, the yamen runners on both sides were quick-witted and held him down.
The onlookers immediately understood: the older Lu Ming was none other than his father, Lu Zhong. Therefore, it was Lu Zhong who had instructed the man to kill and silence him. And according to Lu Ming's previous confession, his father's actions were all directed by Li Lin'an. So, the one who truly wanted to wipe out Zhao Tinglan's entire family was Li Lin'an!
This Li Lin'an is truly vicious! Harming his sister and kidnapping her wasn't enough, he even wanted to wipe out her entire family!
Li Lin'an's face changed suddenly when he heard this. He never expected that the guy Lu Zhong found was so useless. Not only did he fail to frame others for the murder, but he confessed the truth in court!
Li Shufeng's expression was solemn: "My son has committed such a serious crime. Lord He should deal with it impartially."
He Jizhong was stunned when he heard this.
It turns out that Lord Li came here to kill his own relatives for the greater good!
Li Lin'an looked at his father in disbelief: "Dad! I've never done anything like this!"
How could my father condemn him in court? Even if he didn't care about his life or death, did he not care about the honor or disgrace of the Li family?
Li Shufeng's eyes were stern: "My Li family doesn't have a shameless villain like you who ruins the family's reputation!"
He originally thought that his son had been well-behaved since childhood and knew how to control his behavior. If he disciplined him more strictly, he would never be able to raise someone who could shoulder the responsibility of the family.
Now it seems that he was wrong from the beginning.
This rebuke was like ice water poured over his head, and Li Linan felt cold all over.
"Dad..." he called, with no warmth in his eyes.
"If you still recognize me as your father, then don't try to deny it." Li Shufeng's eyes were slightly red, but his tone was unyielding. "Since you have made a mistake, you should take responsibility."
Li Linan's hands in his sleeves kept shaking.
His father was going to abandon him!
He couldn't understand why. His father had always valued him the most, and his mother was also proud of him. He was the future head of the Li family!
At this moment, his thoughts were in turmoil, his emotions on the verge of collapse, and he suddenly let out a shrill cry: "It wasn't me! I didn't do that at all! How could I do such a self-destructive thing?"
That's definitely not his usual self. If it's not him, then we shouldn't destroy everything about him! This is all wrong!
Seeing Li Lin'an acting like a madman, Li Shufeng's eyes were filled with disappointment. "The evidence of this rebellious son's guilt is solid. Lord He, please deal with him according to the law."
He Jizhong nodded.
According to the law, if a criminal refuses to plead guilty in court, but there is irrefutable evidence, he or she should be detained pending trial. Once the evidence is compiled, even if the criminal refuses to plead guilty, he or she will not be able to escape the law.
He calculated in his mind: humiliation, imprisonment, murder, witchcraft, coercion to take the blame... multiple crimes combined, he would not be able to escape the death penalty of slow slicing.
"Come here, take the prisoner to the jail first!"
The police immediately stepped forward and escorted Li Linan away from the court.
He was soon escorted away by the bailiffs and was about to be thrown into prison.
As soon as he was taken out of the court, he was met with a barrage of curses.
Listening to these unbearable insults, Li Linan's face became gloomy.
How dare these lowly creatures, like ants, spit at him in such a condescending manner? Who the hell do they think they are!
His sinister gaze prowled the crowd like a poisonous snake, and suddenly met a pair of cold and sharp eyes.
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