Chapter 255 Proving Your Innocence
Yao Qingling's eyes flickered slightly, feigning confusion: "Golden Feather Silk? Are you referring to the Golden Feather Silk of the Yu family, the imperial merchants of Jinzhou?"
Lin Shiyuan's dark eyes were like frozen ink, cold and hard, and his voice was even colder: "Madam Yao knows, which further explains the problem."
Yao Qingling laughed heartily a few times: "Of course I know. Hui Bafang does business all over the country. As long as there are good goods, even if they are from other countries, as long as there are channels, Hui Bafang can buy them. Jinzhou is close to the northern border, but it is still within the territory of Li Kingdom. I am in the business of goods from both the north and south. If I don't even know about Golden Feather Silk, wouldn't that make me a laughing stock?"
Lin Shiyuan snorted and stared coldly at her, his eyes seeming to say: Since you know this, there's a strong suspicion that you used it for personal purposes.
Yao Qingling glanced at the guards behind him, including the man in black cloth, with a half-smile: "My lord just said that someone reported that I was hiding the Golden Feather Silk. Could you tell me which sharp-eyed person was able to see into my house through the wall?"
"You don't need to know that," Lin Shiyuan replied calmly.
"If I were to say that I have only heard of it and have never seen it, would you believe me, sir?"
Lin Shiyuan looked at her calmly, as if trying to discern the truth from her expression.
Yao Qingling remained expressionless, letting him scrutinize her.
Lin Shiyuan stared at her for a while, seemingly at an impasse. The man in black stepped forward and said, "Whether you have any hidden items or not, we'll find out by searching inside. That's the simplest way to prove your innocence."
"Madam Yao, do you dare let us in to search?"
Yao Qingling took a deep breath, her face displeased: "This is the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence. Although it is a declining family, it is still an official family. You can search it as you please. What about the dignity of my Marquis's residence?"
"Madam Yao," the man said, bowing slightly, "it's not that we absolutely have to investigate, but since someone reported it, we should at least take a look, shouldn't we?"
As he spoke, he turned to look at Lin Shiyuan: "My lord, I heard that you used to work under Madam Yao. I wonder if this stalemate is due to your old friendship?"
Lin Shiyuan's face turned cold, his cold eyes revealing a sharp side as he narrowed his eyes slightly: "Are you teaching me how to do things?"
The man lowered his head: "This subordinate wouldn't dare. However, this subordinate is worried that Madam Yao might deliberately delay and move the items, which would make it difficult for you to explain yourself, sir."
Lin Shiyuan's eyes flickered, and his gaze toward Yao Qingling was like a cruel knife scraping against flesh.
“Ha…” Yao Qingling laughed, “Everyone says that Lord Lin is impartial and decisive in investigating cases. He once executed several disobedient officials on the spot, which shocked many people. I also remember that after Lord Lin was reinstated, he quickly distanced himself from me. Even when passing by the entrance of Hui Bafang, he would take a detour.”
Lin Shiyuan's face flashed with unease, and he said angrily, "Shut up! I'm not someone you, a woman, can talk to!"
These words were clearly a slap in the face to him, accusing him of being ungrateful.
The two men turned on each other in front of all the guards.
A look of humiliation and anger flashed across Yao Qingling's face. She clenched her fist, then released it, and said sarcastically, "This humble woman should not speak recklessly. If I were to use kindness to get Lord Lin to show leniency, thus ruining your reputation and future, I would become a sinner."
“I’m just a small business owner at Hui Ba Fang. I’m neither an official nor a powerful person, so I have no protective charm. I can’t shoulder my own responsibilities, nor can I shoulder the future of others.”
Lou Yue, realizing that Yao Qingling had agreed to let people in to search, said anxiously, "Miss, we don't have that Golden Feather Silk. Letting them in to search is just reckless."
“We servants don’t care, but the young master is so young. What if he gets frightened? Can he take responsibility?”
Xia Chan chimed in, "Exactly. Lord Lin is so eager to claim credit and get promoted. He can go find someone else. Just because Miss has been kind to him and is easy to talk to, does she have to be bullied? Does she have to become a stepping stone for his promotion?"
“If they say they can’t find anything, they can just stuff something in there and then say we’re hoarding gold feather silk.”
These words were even more outrageous than Lou Yue's, and with a loud slap, she received a hard slap in the face.
It was the man in black who did it.
"How dare you! You've dared to slander our lord!"
Xia Chan covered her face, her eyes immediately reddening, and she glared angrily at the man in black.
Seeing this, Nie Yun also drew her sword. As the head instructor of the Mulan Academy, her move prompted the other guards to draw their swords as well.
Immediately afterward, the guards brought by Lin Shiyuan drew their swords.
Tensions were high between the two sides.
Lin Shiyuan's face darkened considerably. He said, "Madam Yao, how dare you, a mere commoner, resist the government's search?"
The Dragon Roar Sword he carried with him gleamed with a cold light in the sunlight.
The sword tip was aimed directly at Yao Qingling's face.
Yao Qingling's lips were pressed into a tight line, her fingers clenched, and the veins on her forehead bulged out with anger.
She spat out each word through clenched teeth: "If not, how will you compensate me, sir?"
Lin Shiyuan looked at her intently: "You can prove your innocence."
That is, there was no compensation whatsoever; they were simply searched, and then told that it was all a misunderstanding.
Lin Shiyuan then said, "Madam Yao, out of consideration for our past relationship, I'll remind you again: the consequences of voluntarily allowing a search are different from those of a forced search."
As he spoke, the tip of the sword trembled slightly, its cold light reflecting off Yao Qingling's face. Even without the sword touching her skin, one could feel its sharpness and coldness.
This reminds one that Lin Shiyuan was known as the "butcher of men," and he also killed five thousand surrendered soldiers from Ying Kingdom.
He kills without blinking an eye; he's bloodthirsty.
He came from a poor family and had no connections in the court. He didn't need to give face to anyone and had no social skills. He was only loyal to the emperor.
If anyone disobeys, this sword will fall on their neck.
Xia Chan was furious. She covered her face and rushed forward to demand justice, causing Lin Shiyuan's sword tip to twitch. Yao Qingling reached out a hand and forcefully pulled Xia Chan back, gritting her teeth and saying hatefully, "Let them search!"
Seeing that she had relented, Lin Shiyuan simply made a gesture, and the guards rushed inside.
They went inside along with the man in black.
Outside the courtyard, Yao Qingling and Lin Shiyuan were still staring at each other, their expressions tense and ready to fight.
Yao Qingling said, "Sir, won't you go in and take a look?"
Lin Shiyuan casually sat down on a stone chair nearby: "No need, I trust them."
Then, he looked down.
The stone chair was hollowed out underneath, and a small charcoal stove was placed inside to warm the chair, no wonder it wasn't cold to sit on.
The man, unhurriedly, picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a cup of hot tea, and said slowly, "Madam Yao is good at business; you've even discovered such ingenious and lewd techniques."
"Who did you do business with? Were there any people in the palace? Or did you have contact with imperial merchants or local officials?"
Yao Qingling knew he wasn't chatting, but interrogating her.
She said, "It's naturally easy for imperial merchants to do business. Nobles in the capital love fine things, and even nobles in the palace say they're good. The higher-ups set an example, so the common people naturally want to enjoy them as well."
Lin Shiyuan's expression changed, and his eyes flashed with a fierce light. Yao Qingling slowly said, "However, I am a law-abiding merchant. Knowing that the tribute items were not something ordinary people could use, and that I could not bear the consequences, I naturally took the initiative to avoid them."
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