Chapter 618 Taking the Blame
Lin Shusheng received his mother's look and immediately understood what she meant.
“Mother, Yue Sha is so filial, she is much better than Yue E.”
Lin Shusheng knew in his heart that his mother had fallen into her stingy habit again. In the early years, the family was not very wealthy, and he was the only one who had to go to school. His mother was used to calculating money and was always reluctant to spend it on the girls.
Actually, the mother and son had another secret.
Lin Shusheng had a little cousin who was very cute. She came to visit from out of town when she was only three years old.
His cousin from his aunt's side was somewhat pitiful; she was sent to the Lin family because his aunt and uncle had a strained relationship.
The two fought so fiercely they wanted to kill each other, and they argued about getting a divorce. They didn't care about his cousin, the little girl, who was eating and living at the Lin family's house. This gave Old Mrs. Lin some ideas.
Since a girl can't carry on the family line and is an orphan, it's better to sell her to a broker at a high price. The money can then be used to send the son to school.
Back then, a stranger came to the village to take in children and immediately took a liking to Lin Shusheng's cousin.
He was seven years old at the time and clearly remembered that his mother sold his cousin to pay him twenty taels of silver for tuition, which was then used to hire a famous scholar to teach him.
Later, when his aunt came to ask, his mother said that the child had run away. His aunt felt relieved, as if she had gotten rid of a burden.
His mother did all this for his own good.
If it weren't for his mother's constant consideration for him, he wouldn't be where he is today.
Lin Shusheng understood, but now that he was the Prefect of Jingzhao, a high-ranking official of the third rank, not to mention his private property, Qin Shi had left behind a large sum of money that he had nowhere to spend, so there was no need to be stingy with small amounts of money.
In truth, Lin Yuesha can live off him for a few more years. She'll get married in a few more years and can then work for the Lin family's benefit.
"Moonlight, take Haoran for a stroll in the garden. They say the moon is fullest on the sixteenth, and it's tonight."
Lin Shusheng had something to say to Old Madam Lin, so he hurriedly chased people out.
Lin Yuesha immediately agreed, coaxing Lin Haoran, "Shall we play hide-and-seek?"
"All right."
Lin Haoran has been in a better mood these past few days. The siblings have made a pact: one of them will hide, and the other will be responsible for finding him.
Lin Haoran hid, and Lin Yuesha immediately gave Bai Cha a wink.
There was a tea room next to the side room behind Old Mrs. Lin, where the conversation between the two could be heard very clearly.
Because Lin Shusheng wanted to have a private conversation with Old Madam Lin, the maids were sent back to their rooms, leaving the tea room empty.
After Lin Yuesha came in, if you listened carefully, you could hear Lin Shusheng's voice.
“Mother, we can’t keep Qin’s affair a secret, so I plan to take the initiative.”
Lin Shusheng had a plan. After careful consideration, he realized that he could scheme against the Qin family and make them owe him a favor.
"Her body has been found?"
Recently, Old Mrs. Lin has been feeling quite startled. She has dreamt several times in the middle of the night that Qin Shi came to her to ask for Lin Haoran. She wanted to find a shaman to perform a ritual, but doing so would only make her seem guilty, so Old Mrs. Lin could only endure it.
"The courtyard lacks human presence. Let Yue Sha accompany you for your meal; the more people there are, the more the yin energy will dissipate."
Lin Shusheng comforted Old Madam Lin, saying that Jiao Niang was the one who killed the person, and that the grievances should be investigated and the debts should be settled. Qin Shi hadn't even looked for Jiao Niang yet, so how could she have come to them?
When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out; once dead, that's it.
"I've already arranged for someone to go to the Jingzhao Yin's office tomorrow to file a complaint, claiming that he was Qin's lover and that he demanded money from her, which she refused, leading to a crime of passion..."
Lin Shusheng told Old Madam Lin about his plan: he would take the opportunity to suppress the matter and then go to the Qin family to discuss it.
“If the Qin family has a lover, it’s not just about me being cuckolded; it damages the reputation of the entire Qin family and makes people gossip about me behind my back.”
Lin Shusheng's face suddenly contorted into a ferocious expression, and he let out two cackling laughs.
To suppress him, the Qin family had to give him benefits, thus incurring his great favor.
This time, Lin Shusheng reaped the benefits without lifting a finger, leaving everything to the Qin family to handle themselves.
"Brilliant idea! My son is so smart!"
Old Mrs. Lin was very pleased. As long as her son could rise to prominence, what did it matter if Qin Shi died? Besides, that woman was annoying and always put on airs towards her, her mother-in-law. Now that she was dead, Old Mrs. Lin was in charge of the Lin family and acted like a tyrant.
“Mother, no matter who I marry as my second wife in the future, she will never surpass you.”
Lin Shusheng leaned against Old Madam Lin's chest, his emotions genuine and heartfelt.
"Isn't it about marrying a beautiful woman?"
Grandma Lin patted Lin Shusheng's head. After all, Jiaoniang had given birth to two sons, so she should at least have a proper title.
“Mother, your son is now the Prefect of the Capital. Countless daughters of noble families dream of becoming the Prefect’s wife. You, a woman from a humble background, could never become the principal wife even if you gave birth to a hundred sons.”
Lin Shusheng was smug. No matter how beautiful the bride was, she was still young. If he had the chance to marry a well-bred young woman from a high-class family, he would not miss it!
In the tea room, Lin Yuesha dared not listen anymore. She quickly went out to find Lin Haoran, and then went to the main kitchen to make little rabbit pastries to coax him. When the moon was high in the sky, she finally took him to the old lady's place.
Back in her room, Lin Yuesha collapsed into a chair, feeling ashamed to have such a father.
Lin Shusheng had a brilliant plan, meticulously scheming and plotting step by step. By eliminating the Qin family, he ended up making it seem like they owed him something.
The next day, just as Lin Shusheng had predicted, someone went to the Jingzhao Yin's office to turn himself in, claiming to be Qin's lover.
Lin Shusheng immediately suppressed the case and had the man tied up and sent to the Qin family.
"Brother-in-law, what's going on?"
Upon receiving the news, Master Qin rushed down from the yamen, thinking that something terrible had happened at his residence, but he never expected to see this scene.
"Let him speak."
Lin Shusheng, with a solemn expression, threw the person to the ground, then closed his eyes with a pained look on his face.
"I am a performer in the Butterfly Troupe, and my name is Cai Die (Colorful Butterfly)."
The speaker was a fair-skinned and handsome man, "This humble servant has some connection with Lady Qin, the wife of the Prefect of the Capital..."
They had a good relationship, so they spoke very cryptically.
"What do you mean by 'some connection'? Is that how you said it in the government office?"
Lin Shusheng immediately went mad, startling everyone in the room. The Qin family's patriarch, matriarch, Mr. Qin, and Mrs. Zhou were all present.
Seeing this situation, Zhou felt that something was wrong.
"He's Qin's lover, but it was Madam Qin who actively seduced this scoundrel!"
The butterfly wept bitterly, filled with remorse.
Qin Shi loved listening to the Butterfly Troupe's operas and had praised Cai Die before his death, so the Qin family members were skeptical of his words.
"Qin offered her benefits and persuaded her servants to comply with her wishes. She said that in recent years, Lord Lin had been busy with official duties from early morning to late at night and had rarely been able to spend time with her, leaving her feeling very lonely..."
While saying these things, Cai Die also had to secretly praise Lin Shusheng, which was exhausting for him.
He was guilty of murder and could not escape beheading. He had a twin brother who died of illness a few days ago.
He was originally one of Lin Shusheng's men, so he devised a plan. He went to confess, and had his already deceased younger brother take the blame for him, so that no one would find out.
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