Chapter 669 Deduction
Killing Lin Shusheng would be easy, but Jiao Niang was unwilling to do it herself. Instead, she wanted to see him die a painful death, betrayed by everyone. What could be more satisfying than sowing discord between father and daughter?
Of the two young ladies in the Lin family, only Lin Yue'e has this ability.
Jiao Niang couldn't be wrong. She had heard Lin Shusheng say that Lin Yue'e was extremely suspicious and vicious at a young age. She was indifferent after pushing the Imperial Censor's daughter into the water and causing her to drown, and she didn't even have nightmares.
"Were you raised by my father near Taipingfang?"
Lin Yue'e looked dazed. She had had doubts before, but only briefly.
When she told her mother about it, she was scolded by her mother, Qin.
Madam Qin said that Lin Shusheng had made a vow years ago to grow old with her, with no wavering in his heart. Even after their marriage for many years, including the later birth of Lin Haoran, Lin Shusheng remained steadfast and the most reliable person.
"Mother, how can you be so sure? Things are always going to happen, but there will always be unexpected events."
Lin Yue'e recalled that she had asked the same question back then.
"A secret, because we share a secret."
Qin smiled mysteriously and gave Lin Yue'e another example, "When you and Nan Yan and her sisters went boating, you pushed the young lady from the Imperial Censor's family, and that young lady eventually drowned. Why didn't the others say anything?"
Because if word got out, and he didn't save the person in time, he would get into trouble for no reason, offend the Lin family, and might even escalate the matter.
Weighing the pros and cons, everyone keeps it to themselves and pretends not to see it.
After careful consideration, Lin Yue'e concluded that this was the truth: the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. The young lady who dared to stand up would be isolated by the others, but that wouldn't change the outcome.
But what exactly did Mother mean by saying that? Did she have something on Father's hands, so she concluded that Father wouldn't dare to have any disloyal intentions?
"Does my mother know that my father is keeping a mistress?"
Lin Yue'e closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her eyes were clear.
"If your mother knew, would Haowen, Haowu, and I still be alive today?"
Jiao Niang crossed her arms and said with a coquettish smile, "You should know your mother's character better than anyone else."
For nearly ten years, Jiao Niang lived in Taipingfang incognito to hide herself. She rarely went out and waited for Lin Shusheng in the small garden of the mansion every day, experiencing disappointment and hope, in a cycle of disappointment and hope.
"Then what makes you so arrogant? Even if my mother is gone, do you think you can become my father's second wife because of your lowly status?"
When the tiger is away, the monkeys reign supreme, and Lin Yue'e is nothing more than a monkey trainer. As long as she remains in the Lin family, the concubines can forget about ever having a legitimate status. The fact that she entered the household as a servant shows that her father still cares about his reputation.
"I waited for almost ten years, relying on patience."
Jiao Niang turned her head and stared at Lin Yue'e meaningfully, saying, "I don't care about titles or status; the key is to live a long life."
"You bitch, what do you mean by that?"
Lin Yue'e quickly stepped forward to ask, only to see Jiao Niang's charming back view.
"What is the pipa implying?"
Lin Yue'e stroked her chin, feeling that Jiao Niang's initiative to approach her was not simply to provoke her.
"This servant does not understand. Could it be that there is something fishy about Madam's death?"
After Qin Shi passed away, all the servants in the courtyard were sold off, and not a single one was left.
Judging from Lin Shusheng's actions, he was not as Qin Shi perceived him to be.
“I’ve always suspected that my mother’s death wasn’t as simple as it seemed.”
Lin Yue'e found a chair and sat down. After Yu Zicheng was arrested and imprisoned a while ago, people in the capital were in a state of panic. If he really had accomplices, he wouldn't have caused trouble at this time.
Father is only in charge of handling this case. Torture and forced confessions are the job of the Five Cities Garrison. Instead of seeking help from Prince Luo and Xu Da, why are you causing trouble for the Lin family? Isn't that a bit far-fetched?
Furthermore, there's another point: Father's mistress lived in Taipingfang, and Mother's body was also found in Taipingfang...
If the father killed the mother, it would perfectly explain everything.
“Miss, everything must be based on evidence; this is just your deduction.”
Pipa wiped away a cold sweat. She wanted to persuade Lin Yue'e to pretend to be confused, but found that she had no right to do so. However, she had a premonition that if the matter were investigated further, things would take an unexpected turn.
"Yes, I have no evidence."
Lin Yue'e composed herself, took the pipa back to her room, opened her small box, and casually took out a few silver notes, handing them to the pipa. "Tomorrow, go out of the manor and try to find the shopkeeper my mother left behind. He's my mother's confidant..."
My mother left the mansion early that morning, without any prior warning.
Lin Yue'e whispered, "First, find the servants in the courtyard who have been sold off; perhaps we can get some clues."
For the two days that Lin Yue'e was waiting for news, Lin Yuesha did not leave the mansion. She hid in the courtyard every day and lived peacefully with Lin Yue'e.
Grandma Lin focused her energy on Lin Haowen and Lin Haowu. The two boys, though young, had inherited Lin Shusheng's intelligence in their studies, and the newly hired tutor in the household praised them highly.
"Miss, Sister Xiangye is here again."
Xiangye was Zhuang's maid. She had come once before, but Lin Yuesha had to send food to her several times because of family matters.
A moment later, Xiangye arrived in a hurry.
"Miss Yue Sha, Madam just instructed me to pay my respects to the old lady, so I'm bothering you again."
During this period, Zhuang's appetite worsened, and she visibly withered away. In just over a month, she became skin and bones.
The household affairs, big and small, were all decided by Madam Zhuang. If this continued, Zhuang's health would suffer even more.
"Madam sent me to speak with the old lady, hoping to invite you to stay at the Zhuang family's residence for a few days."
Zhuang gave Old Madam Lin a set of jewelry and a jade ruyi ornament as a gift, and Old Madam Lin immediately accepted it upon seeing it.
Lin Yuesha would be a freeloader if she stayed at the mansion, receiving ginseng and bird's nest tonics every day, but she would only eat and not do any work. It would be better to send her to the Zhuang family, which would save the Lin family some expenses.
“Miss Yue Sha, Madam said she was very sorry to come to pick you up when Lord Lin was injured, but…”
Xiangye hesitated, her words trailing off. Her mistress had been having trouble sleeping lately, constantly dreaming of her deceased eldest daughter-in-law, Fang Shi. Not only that, but she also frequently talked nonsense, causing her, as a servant, great anxiety.
"Sister Xiangye, I originally planned to visit Aunt Zhuang, but my father was injured a few days ago, which is why I was delayed."
When Lin Yuesha thought about what Zhuang had done, she couldn't bring herself to like Zhuang at all; she even felt an instinctive aversion to her.
The sins a person has committed will not be lessened by sincerely eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist prayers. Madam Qi is dead, the Qi family has been wiped out, so many lives have been lost, where can we seek justice, where can we seek fairness?
Twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the culprit, Zhuang, has hidden herself well, becoming the wife of a second-rank official and a model of a high-ranking lady in the capital.
What's the big deal if you can't eat? It's better to die sooner and go to hell to atone for your sins!
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