Chapter 619 Compensation
Years ago, Lin Shusheng saved him, so Cai Die is doing this to repay his kindness.
"you……"
Lin Shusheng clutched his chest, feigning seriousness, and said, "A true man should be loyal to his country; how can he spend his days indulging in romantic entanglements? Qin Shi, she..."
The Qin family members were stunned and found it hard to accept, but no one questioned the Qin family's actions.
"The Qin family has given me silver and jewelry as rewards many times, and I have sold my body in return."
As agreed beforehand, Cai Die continued to smear Qin Shi, saying, "A few days ago, I went to the gambling house to play a few rounds, but I ended up losing everything and coming out naked. So I thought of Qin Shi and getting some money from her to spend."
Cai Die lied through her teeth, and then Qin Shi refused to accept the threats and used her position as the wife of the Prefect of the Capital to threaten him, trying to make him disappear.
"In a fit of anger, I stabbed her several times with a dagger."
That's the gist of the story. After committing the murder, Cai Die was constantly plagued by nightmares. He was a bit lazy and not a particularly wicked person, but he couldn't bear the psychological pressure, so he came to the authorities to turn himself in.
"Your Qin family has truly raised a fine daughter!"
Lin Shu was so angry that he trembled all over, and then turned around and accused Lin Shu of the crime.
"Impossible, how could the Qin family..."
Everyone fell silent, and finally Zhou stepped forward. Qin was a cunning woman; she really didn't seem like the type to do something so foolish.
"Where did you hide the body?"
After a long silence, Old Master Qin took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and asked.
Qin was his daughter, whom he had raised with great care. For her to do something that brought shame to the Qin family ancestors, he would have wanted to whip her corpse even after she died.
However, the Qin family could not accept the one-sided account of an actor and had to investigate further.
"It's...the very house where Young Master Yu committed the murder."
Cai Die's eyes flickered as she explained, "There are so many people in the capital right now, only that place is quiet."
“Father-in-law, I have no choice. If this gets out, it won’t just be a matter of me being cuckolded and ridiculed.”
Lin Shusheng looked dejected. "I had a bad feeling about Qin Shi's disappearance for so many days. I sent people out to investigate secretly, but they didn't find anything."
"In this matter, the Qin family has wronged you."
Old Master Qin stated that he would suppress the matter and invite someone to come and discuss it later.
Lin Shusheng insisted on taking Cai Die away to keep her under guard, and the Qin family had no objection. Instead, they followed Cai Die's instructions and went to the gambling house he frequented to gather information.
“Master, Master, what Cai Die said is true, she did lose a lot of money.”
The Qin family sent people to investigate secretly, going through everything Cai Die had said. They also sent people to Taipingfang, where a foul stench was already emanating from the house where the incident occurred.
“Since Young Master Yu committed the crime, many residents in the neighborhood have moved away. When I took some people to investigate, we even encountered people moving out. They said that recently someone had been drying salted fish and it smelled fishy.”
After the servant finished speaking, he lowered his head and said nothing more.
"Alright, you can go now."
Old Master Qin aged several years in an instant, covering his face with his hands. This was a matter in which the Qin family had wronged the Lin family.
"Father, now that my sister is gone, let's put aside the fact that my brother-in-law's position as the legal wife is vacant, but our two families..."
Master Qin was very anxious. The two families shared common interests and could not be allowed to fall apart just because the Qin family was gone. Therefore, the Qin family had to give the Lin family an explanation and compensation.
"How should we compensate her? Who should we find to marry in place of Qin?"
Arranged marriage is the best solution, but the maids from the collateral branches are either too young or already married, leaving only Qin Nanyan of marriageable age.
In the capital, there have been instances where nieces have married into wealthy families in place of their deceased aunts to raise children. I wonder if the Qin family could follow suit.
If that's the case, although people might talk about it and whisper behind our backs, it also tells everyone that the relationship between the two families is unbreakable.
"There are no secrets that stay hidden forever; you can't keep fire under the table."
The news that Qin had an affair and was killed by her lover could not be kept secret, and rumors were bound to spread, and someone would inevitably take the opportunity to sow discord between the two families.
"My brother-in-law is quite talented and has been favored by the Emperor, so..."
Master Qin spoke up, saying that this relationship must be maintained.
"Never mind, once Nan Yan marries into the family, she will be the wife of the Prefect of the Capital. It's better than marrying a nobody without any official position."
The Protector General's family is a good family, but the two families are not yet engaged, so it doesn't count as violating the marriage agreement.
"Yue'e and Nanyan are also close sisters, so they will become even closer in the future."
When Master Qin learned of this, he was confused, and the Qin family's actions put them at a disadvantage, so they could only resort to bad tricks to cover it up.
When Zhou heard this news in her room, she felt as if the sky had fallen.
"Master, master!"
Zhou fell to the ground, dragging Master Qin's leg and shouting, "Our Nan Yan is so beautiful, how can she marry an old man!"
An old man is one thing, but he's Qin Nanyan's uncle! Isn't this a violation of social norms? It's laughable.
"This is Father's will. What can I, your master, do?"
At first, Master Qin was unwilling and reluctant, but then he felt it was good. At least his daughter was going to the Lin family and would become the wife of the Prefect of the Capital, which was closer to her than his sister.
The wives of high-ranking officials of the third rank were definitely superior to the daughters of other noble families in the capital.
Furthermore, after the incident at the last flower-viewing banquet at the Prince's Mansion, Qin Nanyan lost her qualification to be the Princess Consort of Luo.
"Young master of the Protectorate General's Mansion, stop dreaming. They are an enemy family. How could they possibly be interested in Nanyan?"
After saying this, Master Qin kicked Zhou Shi hard, sending her rolling three times on the spot until she crashed into a chair and stopped.
“A doting mother spoils her son. If you have to blame someone, blame Nan Yan for being so useless. If she had been chosen by the Prince of Luo, she would have married earlier and wouldn’t be an old maid.”
Before leaving, Master Qin warned Madam Zhou, "I'm telling you this now, if you cause any trouble, Nan Yan will not be able to marry your brother-in-law, and I will definitely send you back to your parents' home."
Zhou's family used to be quite well-off, but after Old Master Zhou died, they declined.
If Zhou were to be divorced and sent back to her family at this time, she would only be able to spend the rest of her life with a solitary lamp and a Buddhist temple.
Outside the door, Qin Nanyan held back her tears and ran away as fast as she could.
She didn't understand why this was happening. Her aunt had done something shameful, yet she had spent her whole life trying to make amends. Could she run away? Could she hide? What about her mother?
Although my mother is sometimes confused and has some minor flaws, I love her the most.
Qin Nanyan returned to her room, trying hard to hold back her tears; she didn't want anyone to see it.
In the afternoon, Zhou entered Qin Nanyan's courtyard with a smile.
“The Mid-Autumn Festival has just passed, and the Double Ninth Festival is coming soon. Your maternal grandmother misses you very much. You mentioned wanting to go to Cangzhou before, so how about your mother sends you there?”
Despite her inner pain, Zhou deceived her daughter.
If Qin Nanyan hadn't overheard her parents' conversation, she definitely would have gone. However, at this moment, she didn't want to. Qin Nanyan knew very well what kind of person her father was. If she didn't marry Lin Shusheng, her father would really divorce her mother!
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