Chapter 352 To Live or to Die
Although the jailer didn't know much, Lin Shiyuan didn't intend to tell him.
This was the girl's salvation, and he didn't want Yao Qingling to be sad or upset because of it.
She didn't have many people around her, and Xia Chan was genuinely protective of her.
Qingling was stunned, and it took her some time to process this information.
This is a lot of information.
After a while, she asked, "What about the others? What about you? Where did you go after Yongning Temple collapsed? And how did you find the evidence of Prince Xin's crimes?"
She was eager to know everything and bombarded him with questions.
It also seems like an attempt to divert some of her emotions towards the cicadas by asking other questions.
Lin Shiyuan held her in his arms, while holding Zhao'er in his other arm.
"When the explosion occurred at Yongning Temple, I managed to escape in time, but I was seriously injured. My subordinates rescued me and arranged for me to recuperate at a farmhouse outside the city."
When Qingling heard that he was seriously injured, she couldn't sit still and got up to examine his wounds: "Where are you hurt? Let me see."
Lin Shiyuan pressed her hand down and glanced at Lou Yue and Tao Ye: "What are you looking at? There will be plenty of opportunities for you to see them later."
These frivolous words left Qingling unsure how to react.
How could this person... Never mind, as long as he's behaving himself in front of her, it's all good.
Lin Shiyuan continued, "After that, my subordinates kept a close eye on the news in the city, and I knew everything you did."
He glanced at Yao Qingling. "I know you're going through a tough time, but I can't come to your rescue. But I know you believe in me."
Qingling held his hand, nodded, and said softly, "Yes, I believe the man I chose will not abandon me."
Therefore, she was never afraid, no matter how difficult things got.
What she feared was that he would die, and that no one would see him die.
Lin Shiyuan continued, "Prince Xin took away the iron ore and smelting equipment from Yongning Temple and arranged for an explosion, thinking he could hide everything. However, he didn't know that I had raised a fine wolf."
As he said this, a pleased smile curled at the corners of his lips.
He tamed the white wolf, intending it to be Qingling's guardian beast, but it had an unexpected use.
Wolves have a keen sense of smell.
Lin Shiyuan devised a plan to send the white wolf to the area below Yongning Temple.
Although the explosion left the place smelling of various things, the iron had been smelted there for a year, and some of those smells would never disappear.
Humans can't smell it, but wolves can. Since Lin Shiyuan had previously found iron ore, he had the white wolf search again following the scent. They found the weapons that Prince Xin had already forged, as well as the remaining iron ore and tools.
The physical evidence is conclusive.
Shao Wen-Chu and Tao Wei-Xian, two young masters, had close ties with Prince Xin, and Lin Shi-Yuan immediately set his sights on them.
He sent men to arrest them and imprisoned them with the white wolf for two days.
These two men were used to watching fights between humans and animals in casinos, but when their roles were reversed and they had to fight wolves themselves, they were terrified.
Answer whatever you are asked.
"...You'll know what happened after that," Lin Shiyuan said after recounting the whole story.
Although Qingling was in prison, he spoke of his harrowing experiences with such calmness, as if he were listening to someone else's story.
She knew he said it on purpose to avoid scaring her.
She smiled and said, "Li Bai is really good. If I have the chance to go out later, I will definitely reward it well."
Lou Yue also said, "I'll cook it something delicious."
Tao Ye complained, "Wolves eat raw meat. Besides, Young Master Lin has raised Li Bai for so long, it should only recognize him as its master and won't eat other people's food."
Lou Yue pouted: "Then I'll eat it myself."
When she goes out, she'll make spicy diced chicken, braised pork hock, and stinky mandarin fish. Since summer is here, she'll make sweet lotus seed and lily bulb soup as an after-dinner snack…
Then, her gaze dimmed: "Miss, Young Master Lin, can we still get out?"
They colluded with bandits, which enraged the imperial court, and they were sentenced to death.
Even though the Prince Xin's rebellion occurred, it could not change their fate.
Lou Yue's eyes were filled with sadness as she sniffed, "It's alright, I'm not afraid."
Tao Ye glanced at He Yin and said to Lin Shiyuan, "Young Master Lin, He Yin is the daughter of Imperial Physician He. She's just here to treat Miss's health; she's a female physician. She knows nothing about what we're doing. Could you please plead with the Emperor to spare He Yin's life?"
Lou Yue nodded repeatedly: "That's right, her father is an imperial physician. She's still unmarried and belongs to his household. Can't her father plead for her?"
He Yin shook her head. Her fingers were wrapped in strips of cloth, preventing her from making any movements. But at this moment, ignoring the pain, she grabbed Yao Qingling's clothes and shook her head at her again.
She couldn't speak or use sign language; she could only desperately convey her meaning through her eyes.
She didn't want to leave them.
She was merely an illegitimate daughter of the He family, and her father did not care about her. If her uncle had not sent her to Yao Qingling, she might already be the wife of some servant or a plaything with some special fetish.
She can be herself with Yao Qingling.
She would rather die than continue to follow Yao Qingling.
Qingling understood what she was resisting and patted her hand reassuringly: "We respect your wishes." After a pause, she smiled at Lin Shiyuan, "Besides, we don't necessarily have to die."
She believed that with Lin Shiyuan around, they would not die.
Lin Shiyuan fell silent and looked at Qing Ling.
Qingling twitched her brow slightly: "What? Does His Majesty still intend to execute us?"
Lin Shiyuan said, "The debate is still going on in the court."
However, few people spoke up for Yao Qingling, while some powerful officials harbored resentment towards her and were unwilling to let her have an easy time.
Even though Lin Shiyuan himself had made great contributions by exposing Prince Xin, the emperor was still dissatisfied with him for concealing his affair with Yao Qingling.
Lin Shiyuan repeatedly pleaded with the emperor to forgive Yao Qingling, which angered the emperor, who ordered him to return to his residence and reflect on his actions.
All he can do now is make Yao Qingling more comfortable in prison, freeing her from the harassment of snakes, insects, and rats, and from the abuse of eating spoiled food and drinking foul water.
"I'm sorry, Qingling, I've let you down."
Qingling forced a smile: "What's the big deal? We know what kind of emperor he is."
She lowered her eyes, unable to hide her disappointment.
She laughed again: "Actually, we've lived a pretty exciting life. I've been with you, and I've found love in this life, we..."
She wanted to say something more, but it was as if something was blocking her throat, and she couldn't speak.
Lin Shiyuan gripped her shoulders, kneading them repeatedly, so tightly it felt like he wanted to embed her into his body. He said in a low voice, "I won't let you die. Let's think of another way, there will always be a result."
"He hasn't ordered your execution yet because he's still hesitating. You know, there are many in the court who want you dead, but outside, the common people don't want you to die. They're pleading for your life."
Qingling's eyes lit up: "Plead for me? They don't mind if I'm colluding with bandits?"
Prince Xin wanted to imprison her in a cage and parade her through the streets, letting her be drowned in the spittle of the people.
Lin Shiyuan said, "There are still reasonable people among the common people. When they can't buy cheap rice or cheap goods and have to go to the shops run by officials and wealthy merchants to buy things that cost two or three times more, they will know how good yours is."
“They are very pragmatic. Although Sheng Dahe robbed Yongning Temple and many wealthy merchants, they didn’t rob the common people. He brought a lot of cheap goods from the south, and your shop has employed many vagrants. Everyone has seen that.”
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