41 Chapter 041
◎Help me get revenge◎
The team that came to welcome Yao Sanniang arrived after noon.
After a night's rest, Yao Sanniang felt better, but she felt uncomfortable. She stayed alone in the room and didn't say a word to anyone for a long time.
Li Jiuyue went to try to persuade him but got no response at all.
She returned to the yard, sat down and couldn't help sighing.
To be fair, she quite admired Yao Sanniang's temperament, but Yao Sanniang was burdened by her biological father, and she was not the same kind of person as them after all.
"Second Madam, the people who are here to pick up Third Madam are here." Jiang Qing came jogging over, with sweat oozing from her temples.
Xie Mingzhuo sat under the porch to enjoy the cool air, holding a freshly printed newspaper in his hand.
The front page of the newspaper was still about the government, saying that the Ministry of Justice had cracked a major case and a serial killer who had been on the run for five years was finally apprehended.
Xie Mingzhuo was aware of this matter. Even when she came to Anlu, she did not cut off contact with the palace.
Her parents and brother often wrote letters to her and asked the Imperial Guard to deliver them secretly.
The case was solved because of a painting, which was created by my father.
He accidentally learned about the case and on a whim, he drew a portrait of the murderer based on the description of the eyewitness in the case file. The portrait was many times more accurate than any previous portrait drawn by the Ministry of Justice painters.
It was a coincidence that the murderer had been on the run for many years and gradually relaxed his vigilance. He suddenly appeared in the capital and was caught red-handed by the detectives of the Ministry of Justice.
This incident was too dramatic, but it made the bored Xie Changfeng find a new goal in life.
His wife and children are busy with their careers, and he is the only one who acts like a mascot emperor every day. It is impossible for him not to feel frustrated.
And now, he has found his direction in life.
Xie Mingzhuo naturally supported him.
The entertainment section of the newspaper also reported on the porcelain competition in the capital. Famous porcelains from all over the country gathered in the capital. After preliminary, re-selection and final rounds, the porcelain king of this porcelain competition was decided.
When the report was published, the porcelain competition had just begun, and no one knew who would eventually become the Porcelain King.
My father was quite fond of porcelain, so Xie Mingzhuo decided that after the Anlu incident was settled, he would take a detour to Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, to pick out some porcelain pieces as gifts for him.
It just so happens that the Wanshou Festival is not far away...
Jiang Qing's words interrupted her thoughts.
Xie Mingzhuo came back to his senses, stood up and said, "Let's pack up and prepare to return to Anlu."
Before they could set off, news suddenly came from the main courtyard that "the third young lady was vomiting blood and unconscious."
Yao Sanniang guessed that someone would come to pick her up, and she also guessed that the person who would come to pick her up was most likely Xie Yu.
The prince is high and mighty, how could he condescend to do such errands?
She was not surprised when she saw Xie Yu.
Xie Yu walked straight into the house, sat down on a chair, and told the servants to pour cold tea. He then said to the others, "I want to have a private conversation with the Third Young Lady. Everyone, please wait outside the door."
The servants in the courtyard were all arranged by the magistrate of Yingshan County. They were not aware of the relationship between the two and naturally did not think much about it.
After the door closed, Xie Yu glanced at Yao Sanniang with a sarcastic expression, "What a mess."
"How are you any better than me?" Yao Sanniang refused to give in.
"Me?" Xie Yu chuckled. "I'm freer than you. At least I don't have to be tied up and sent to the bed of an old widower."
Yao Sanniang's expression remained unchanged. "You don't have to provoke me. You didn't send those people away just to say something bad about me. If you have something to say, just say it."
"If your cleverness was on my father, why would he force you to marry?" Xie Yu said with a tut. "In my opinion, Xie Yu is really not as good as you. Even her attempts to sow discord are so clumsy."
"Sowing discord?"
Xie Yu sneered, "He deliberately sent someone to tell me that you had made a new friend. He just wanted me to find fault with your friend and make you unhappy. I'm not stupid, why would I make things difficult for you? Could it be that my father will still pass the throne of the crown prince to you?"
There was indeed a disagreement between the two, but it had not yet reached the point where they would fight each other.
Yao Sanniang looked down on Xie Yu, and Xie Yu did not regard Yao Sanniang as a threat. He just made a few derogatory remarks about her when they met. Xie Yu really thought that they were incompatible.
Yao Sanniang held the teacup, lowered her eyes to look at the water in the cup, and said slowly, "Are you here to say bad things about him?"
"Xie Ni, don't you want to ask me?" Xie Yu stared intently, as if expecting something, "For example, your mother."
Yao Sanniang placed her fingertips on the rim of the cup and raised her eyes, saying, "I'll know when I get back."
"Since you're so pitiful, I might as well tell you," Xie Yu leaned forward slightly, not missing any expression on her face, "Xie Yu deliberately informed your mother of your departure and also deliberately removed the drug that made you sleep."
"What happened to my mother?" Yao Sanniang's eyes were already bloodshot.
Xie Yu held his chin with both hands and smiled at her: "Dead."
Yao Sanniang did not respond.
"To be precise, he was pushed onto the stairs by the guard and died. My father had him hastily buried, and the guard was only punished with a few dozen lashes."
Yao Sanniang still didn't move.
"It's so pitiful. She didn't even get to see her daughter for the last time. After she died, no one even opened a grave."
Yao Sanniang spat out a mouthful of blood, splashing all over his face.
Before he could come to his senses, Yao Sanniang fell to the ground.
When Xie Mingzhuo and his companions arrived, Yao Sanniang had already been moved onto the bed, her face as pale as gold paper.
Xie Yu went to clean the blood off his face and was not here.
The servants knelt on the ground.
Xie Mingzhuo asked, "Have you called a doctor?"
"I've already gone to invite him." The servant replied timidly, his tone full of fear.
It is not easy to serve the nobles, and now the nobles are vomiting blood and unconscious. Although it has nothing to do with them, who knows if the nobles will vent their anger on them.
"Miss Meng," Lin Fan said, standing outside the door, "I have learned some medical skills, just the basics. I'd like to give it a try."
"Please." Xie Mingzhuo stepped aside.
Lin Fan walked to the bed, borrowed a clean towel from the servant, covered Yao Sanniang's wrist with it, and stretched out his hand to feel her pulse.
After a moment, he withdrew his hand and stood up.
"Mrs. Sanniang was already feeling depressed, and then she became furious and grief-stricken. The stagnant liver qi turned into fire, which then rose up and damaged the stomach meridians. Furthermore, she was imprisoned in a dark room yesterday and had not eaten for a day. Her spleen was weak and her qi was weak, and she was overworked. This forced the blood to flow upwards and caused her to vomit blood."
Li Jiuyue asked hurriedly: "What should I do?"
"It needs to purge the liver and clear the stomach, cool the blood and stop the bleeding. Can Lin write down the prescription..."
"Wait a minute." Xie Yu came over with his hands behind his back, raised his head and glanced at Lin Fan, "You're just a government official, yet you're practicing medicine. Aren't you afraid of getting your head taken away if you treat the wrong disease?"
Lin Fan saluted: "Greetings, Second Young Master."
"Are you Sanniang's new friends?" Xie Yu turned his head and looked at Xie Mingzhuo and the others. "Sanniang used to be naughty, traveling around the world disguised as an escort. It was understandable that she was friends with you, but now she is the daughter of a royal family, and you..."
"Thank you," Yao Sanniang suddenly opened her eyes and said weakly, "Shut up."
Xie Yu: “…”
"Lin Fan, please go and write the prescription and boil the medicine," Yao Sanniang said with all her strength, "Second Mother, you stay here. The rest of you, get out."
Seeing that she was having such difficulty speaking, Xie Yu was too lazy to argue with her and left the yard with the others.
The attendant came and asked, "Second Master, when will you set off?"
"The Third Miss has fallen ill and cannot leave today," Xie Yu instructed, "Send someone back to inform the King, and tell him not to worry."
The attendant received the order and left.
Inside the room, Xie Mingzhuo sat down beside the couch.
Yao Sanniang suddenly grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly, and a tear rolled down the corner of her eye and into her temple.
"Second Mother, help me."
Before Xie Mingzhuo could respond, she grabbed him even tighter, her nails almost piercing his skin, her eyes fierce and determined.
"help me!"
"Okay." Xie Mingzhuo nodded, "I'll help you."
After receiving the reply, Yao Sanniang felt relieved and fainted again.
When Chen Shi learned that Yao Sanniang fell ill and the team needed to stay for a few days, he immediately regretted it.
Lin Fan was such a carefree kid, he didn't need to worry about anything. If he couldn't go home for a few days, it would delay many cases.
But he had already made a promise in front of the prince, and he couldn't go back on his word and run back to Anlu.
He ran to the back kitchen in a depressed mood, found Lin Fan decocting medicine, and sat down next to him. He was startled by the scorching fire and moved away a little.
"How many days will it take to recover?"
Lin Fan: "Two days."
"I didn't know you knew the art of medicine."
"Just the fur."
Chen Shi teased, "You're just scratching the surface. You were only ten years old when you came to Anlu, and I haven't seen you hold a medical book in your hands in all these years. Are you trying to fool people with a few prescriptions you memorized ten years ago?"
"Tuiguan Shen is very observant." Lin Fan was not annoyed and followed his words.
"If it were me, I wouldn't dare ask a half-baked person like you to write a prescription and decoct the medicine." Chen Shi meant something else.
Lin Fan smiled but said nothing.
Yao Sanniang didn't really trust his medical skills, but she didn't dare ask others to treat her.
After going through so much, she probably doesn't trust anyone now.
Asking him to boil the medicine was just an excuse to prevent Xie Yu from finding a doctor for her.
Chen Shi didn't really want him to respond, so he leaned in and whispered, "There's something I need to remind you of."
"Brother Shen, please speak."
"You were just dismissed the day before yesterday, and you happened to save the prince's daughter yesterday. Even Magistrate Tang suspected you did it on purpose. The prince's family will definitely hold a grudge, and some nosy people will also criticize you."
Lin Fan smiled and said, "This is a good thing."
"Good news?" Chen Shi was surprised. "Did your head get stuck in the door?"
"Brother Chen, there are some things I can't tell you right now." Lin Fan said apologetically, "I'll tell you everything after this is over."
"Okay, fine, I won't ask any more questions." Chen Shi raised his hands helplessly, as if surrendering. "But you have to explain clearly, what is the Jinyiwei's checkpoint?"
Anyone who has anything to do with the Jinyiwei will end up in a bad situation.
He didn't want Lin Fan to be implicated for no reason.
Lin Fan: "It's just a coincidence."
"I'll believe you for now."
Half an hour later, the medicine was ready.
Lin Fan knocked on the door with the medicine in his hand. The door opened from the inside and Xie Mingzhuo reached out to take it.
"Miss Meng, the medicine bowl is hot. It's not too late to feed it after it cools down."
Xie Mingzhuo nodded and said, "Thank you for the reminder."
"Second Madam, let me feed Third Madam."
Feng Caiyu and others naturally would not leave the princess alone here. They had been waiting outside the door. Seeing that Xie Mingzhuo was going to personally serve Yao Sanniang the medicine, they subconsciously stepped forward to dissuade him.
"No problem." Xie Mingzhuo took the tray and closed the door.
As soon as the medicine bowl was placed on the bedside, Yao Sanniang woke up.
She glanced at the medicine, but had no intention of drinking it. She just stared blankly at the bed curtains above her head and said, "Second Mother, did you agree to what I said just now?"
"yes."
"What do you want?"
“Depends on what you want to do.”
Yao Sanniang rolled her eyes and looked at her: "I want to avenge my mother."
"Um."
"I want Xie Mi to die."
"good."
"I also want to make sure they can't get what they want, and the result will be the opposite of what they want."
"Can."
Yao Sanniang suddenly burst into tears, buried her head in the quilt, suppressed her voice, and only let out a few sobs occasionally.
She cried for a while and then stopped crying. Then she said in a muffled voice, "You haven't told me what you want yet."
Xie Mingzhuo: "There will be no more wars, and peace will prevail throughout the world."
Yao Sanniang paused, lifted the quilt, and turned to look at Xie Mingzhuo: "I haven't asked you yet why you knew my identity when we first met."
"I have seen the portrait of King Liang, and you bear a striking resemblance to him."
"You..." Yao Sanniang hesitated to speak, with a hint of doubt in her eyes.
Portraits of princes are not as common as cabbages, and no one would be free to paint a prince. Besides, Prince Liang had been away from the capital for decades, and the number of people who remembered his appearance could be counted on one hand.
"Who are you?"
Xie Mingzhuo remained calm: "It's just that the boss has some connections with the Jinyiwei."
The Jinyiwei were very mysterious, so it seemed reasonable that they had a portrait of the prince.
She couldn't call Yao Sanniang "cousin" at this time, for fear that Yao Sanniang would flee back to the palace overnight.
"Forget it." Yao Sanniang closed her eyes in disappointment. "Whatever your identity is, it won't affect our cooperation."
Xie Mingzhuo: "You should gather your strength first, and we can discuss the rest tomorrow."
This illness took three days to recover.
Not only Chen Shi, but even Xie Yu became impatient.
"Sanniang, you are well now. When will you return?"
After three days of recuperation, Yao Sanniang's face regained some color, but she was dressed in mourning clothes, which made her look even thinner and more haggard.
She bought some gold foil, consulted a paper-making craftsman, and personally folded gold ingots for funerals.
"You are quite patient." She glanced at Xie Yu without stopping her hands.
Xie Yu frowned: "Are you being sarcastic?"
"You came to pick me up not because you had to obey my father, nor because of the so-called brotherly love," Yao Sanniang carefully placed the folded gold ingot into the basket. "You've been holding it in for three days, and you're not going to speak?"
Xie Yu was stunned for a moment, then he clapped his hands and praised, "Setbacks really do make people grow. Xie Ni, you've become a different person."
When he heard the news that Yao had died and Xie Ni had been rescued, he realized that this was a great opportunity.
Although he looked down on Xie Ni, he had to admit that Xie Ni was still somewhat capable.
Otherwise, his father wouldn't have said so many times, "It's a pity that Sanniang is a girl," and Xie Yi wouldn't have hated Xie Ni because of this sentence.
"Stop talking nonsense."
"You really don't deserve compliments," Xie Yu shook his head. "You know exactly what I want, and I can also guess what you want. Why bother to put it so clearly?"
Yao Sanniang sneered: "I only cooperate with people who understand."
"Alright." Xie Yu waved his hands helplessly. "Let me be frank. I'm determined to become the Crown Prince, and you want Xie Yi's life now. Why don't we join forces? You help me seize control of the Wang family mine, and I'll help you get rid of Xie Yi."
"Father and Xie Yi are not that easy to fool."
"You're right, but as people age, they tend to be confused, don't they? Xie Yi deliberately led Concubine Yao to see you, just so he could witness the pain you and your daughter were in. Concubine Yao's death was an accident, but it was ultimately related to him. Yet, when father learned of it, he simply let it go. As for Xie Yi, he's a lunatic. Do you know the best way to deal with a lunatic?"
This remark hit Yao Sanniang right in the gut. She lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long moment before calmly answering, "Crazier than him?"
"No, it makes him even more crazy."
"Just you?"
Xie Yu kept it a secret: "You'll know when we get back."
"As long as you can do it, I will tell you Wang Xin's weakness, but whether you can get him on your boat depends on your own ability." Yao Sanniang promised.
Xie Yu showed a satisfied smile: "No problem."
"We'll leave at noon tomorrow. I won't see you off."
After Xie Yu left, Yao Sanniang turned to the screen in the back room and asked, "Did you hear everything?"
"I heard it." Xie Mingzhuo walked around the screen, went to the table in the main room, sat down and said, "He wants to make a fuss about Xie Yi's offspring."
Yao Sanniang scoffed, "Could it be that he's trying to drug him to make him impotent? Xie Yu has always been very cautious about what he eats, so he won't let him succeed so easily."
Xie Mingzhuo nodded in agreement.
Xie Yu was indeed cautious enough, as could be seen from the fact that he hid the pregnant woman near the "Bishan Mausoleum".
But after the pregnant woman was discovered, he gave up so easily, which made Xie Mingzhuo suspicious.
As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. Will Xie Yi really put all his eggs in one basket?
Regardless of what secrets Xie Yi is hiding, Xie Yu is so confident that he can drive Xie Yi crazy. Could it be that he has mastered the relevant information?
Making a fuss about offspring...
The two looked at each other and stood up suddenly.
Yao Sanniang clenched her fists. "Those pregnant women who were rescued?"
Everyone assumed that the pregnant women hiding in Bishan were Xie Yu's children for him to have sons. Xie Yu wanted to make a fuss about Xie Yu's offspring. Was he going to target those pregnant women?
Xie Yi really doesn't seem to care about them, but if one of them is pregnant with a boy and both mother and child happen to have an accident, Xie Yi will definitely feel upset and regretful after finding out.
Could this be Xie Yu's way of driving Xie Yi completely crazy?
Xie Mingzhuo still felt that it was not that simple.
Who could possibly know the sex of a child before it was born? Xie Yu's confidence in his victory proved that his leverage was more than what met the eye.
But no matter what, this matter must be taken seriously.
She asked someone to invite Lin Fan.
As the raft to rescue the daughter of the royal family, Lin Fan is very self-aware. The purpose of his existence is to attract the attention of others and provide a layer of protection for the secrets of Meng Erniang and the other six.
Now that Yao Sanniang and Meng Erniang have reached a cooperation, everyone knows what is going on with each other, and he only needs to obey orders.
"Miss Meng, Third Lady." Lin Fan bowed and saluted.
Xie Mingzhuo motioned him to sit down and asked, "Mr. Lin, how did the government accommodate the woman we rescued earlier?"
"Send them home."
"What about the fetus in the belly?"
"It's entirely up to them," Lin Fan said seriously. "After all, this involves the heir of the Eastern Suburbs Crown Prince, and the government doesn't dare to deal with it arbitrarily. Women who are about to give birth can't be forced to abort their babies."
"How long will it take until the birth?"
Lin Fan didn't understand why she was asking so much, but he still answered seriously, "According to the doctor, one woman had her period within three to five days, while others took about half a month or more."
"Do you still remember the identity of that woman?"
"Remember."
Xie Mingzhuo immediately said, "Mr. Lin, please return to Anlu immediately, find her, and ensure her safety. If you still have the energy to spare, please pay more attention to the safety of the other women."
She was so anxious to save Yao Sanniang that she forgot that these women might be in danger of their lives because of their "loss of chastity".
"Yes." Lin Fan said nothing and turned away.
"Wait," Xie Mingzhuo stopped him, "It's hot and the road is long, bring some dry food and tea."
Lin Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he turned around and said, "Okay, thank you Miss Meng for the reminder."
Only after his figure disappeared outside the courtyard did Yao Sanniang sigh softly, "I wonder if it's a good thing or a bad thing that Lin Fan rescued those women."
From the perspective of justice, rescuing abducted women is naturally a good deed, but for those women, from the moment they are rescued, they will always bear the stigma of "losing chastity".
"It's a good thing." Xie Mingzhuo said decisively.
Yao Sanniang: "But from now on..."
"That's a problem of bad habits. As long as we solve this problem, good things will naturally not turn into bad things."
"Second Mother, sometimes I think you're sophisticated, and sometimes I think you're naive," Yao Sanniang shook her head helplessly. "Solving this problem is harder than climbing to the sky."
Xie Mingzhuo secretly thought that she was a prophet.
Even in later generations, when humans have already reached space, this problem has not been solved.
Xie Mingzhuo is self-aware. She does not have the ability to completely change this trend, but she can educate and guide, and can also provide survival security for women who have suffered this disaster as much as possible.
These things can only be discussed later. The most urgent task is to resolve the rebellion of Prince Liang.
The next day, Yao Sanniang boarded a carriage and, escorted by Xie Yu and Shen Shi, set off back to Anlu.
Depart at noon and arrive at the eastern suburbs of Anlu before noon.
No matter how unhappy Prince Liang was, he had to put on a show and personally stand outside the mansion gate to greet him, bringing the Crown Prince with him.
He was wearing the prince's regular clothes, and he looked very noble. Although the years had carved lines on his face, it was still difficult to conceal his dignified demeanor.
Yao Sanniang got off the carriage and, without giving him a chance to speak, she cried inconsolably, "Father, I am an unfilial daughter. I ran away for fun and was kidnapped by bandits. I'm so worried about you!"
She threw herself into King Liang's arms, hugged him tightly with both hands, strangling him so much that he couldn't breathe and swallowed the words before he could say them.
"My second brother has already told me that when my mother saw that I hadn't returned home all night, she was so anxious that she went out to look for me. She accidentally slipped and fell on the stairs. It's already... it's already..."
She sobbed and continued, "Mother, I'm so sorry. I deserve death. Father, please allow me to observe three years of mourning for you to comfort her soul in heaven."
Three sentences define three things.
She explained to outsiders the reason why the prince's daughter was accidentally abducted; she pretended not to know the real cause of her mother's death to King Liang; she observed mourning for three years and was not allowed to get married during that period.
Yao Sanniang is the daughter of a royal family. Many people in Anlu know Yao Sanniang. If she suddenly disappears during the mourning period, it will definitely arouse suspicion.
Even if King Liang could fool outsiders by using the excuse that "his daughter misses her mother so much that she is bedridden", he would not resort to such means in the short term.
All she wanted was to delay.
Yao Sanniang was so filial, how could King Liang not agree in front of so many people?
He stroked her hair and said kindly, "Sanniang, your filial piety is known to me. I will now agree to let you observe mourning for your mother for three years."
"Thank you, father." Yao Sanniang raised her head, her eyes slightly red. "My daughter was accidentally kidnapped by bandits. Fortunately, Lin Bantou saw through their trick and saved my life."
King Liang looked at the crowd and asked, "Where is Lin Bantou?"
Lin Fan rushed back to Anlu overnight yesterday, and before noon he met up with Xie Mingzhuo and the others, and together they went to the eastern suburbs.
"I, Lin Fan, the humble servant, come to pay my respects to His Majesty."
He stepped out of the line swiftly and was about to kneel down to pay his respects, but was helped up by a pair of hands.
"I've long heard there's a detective named Lin in the county yamen. Meeting him today is truly remarkable. You saved Sanniang, and I'll reward you." Prince Liang stroked his beard, as if thinking. "You're so talented, being a mere yamen runner is an underestimation. Why not come to the palace and become a personal guard?"
The prince's personal guard has a much higher status than the head of the county government. Lin Fan's martial arts skills are excellent, so it is not a disgrace.
Xie Mingzhuo and others: "..."
On the way back, they thought about how King Liang would treat Lin Fan.
He could either be rewarded with gold, silver and treasures, or be allowed to become the head of the class again, or both, but he did not expect King Liang to use such a trick.
Not only did he give enough face, but he also took his future into consideration and kept him under his supervision. How Lin Fan lived in the palace was up to King Liang himself.
Others who don't know the inside story will only envy him, and even if Lin Fan has an accident in the future, they won't think too much about it.
King Liang only needed to express his regrets a few times and take care of his funeral.
Lin Fan had no way to refuse this conspiracy.
If he agreed, he would become a fish on the chopping board, at the mercy of others; if he refused, he would be accused of being ungrateful and disrespectful to the prince.
Yao Sanniang couldn't help but clench her hands hidden in her sleeves.
How could the royal father be so senile? It all depended on whether he was willing to put in the effort. In his eyes, she and her mother were no more useful than the guards in the palace.
"Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness. Lin Fan is humbled." Lin Fan said calmly, "Saving the Third Young Lady was my humble duty. Thanks to my years of experience in handling cases, I was able to discern the bandits' schemes. My status is low, and my skills are mediocre. I would never dare to deceive or blaspheme Your Highness. Catching thieves and criminals and rescuing more victims is my lifelong wish. I hope Your Highness will grant me this."
To put it bluntly, it was because of my experience as a yamen runner that I was able to save the third young lady. I want to continue being a yamen runner in the future so that I can rescue more victims.
As a prince, you can't just care about your own daughter and ignore the safety of others, right?
Chen Shi chimed in, "Lin Fan's case-handling abilities are well-known in Anlu. I've long cherished his talent and have been inviting him to the government office. It's a pity he's stubborn. He bluntly claims the previous magistrate was very kind to him, and he's unwilling to leave easily."
Even the "Bo Le" was brought up, so King Liang really couldn't force him to do something. He couldn't say in front of everyone, "Being my personal guard is more important than being a yamen runner."
"Since you have such an ambition, I will grant your wish. But since you saved Sanniang, I should reward you." King Liang signaled to the butler.
The butler immediately brought out a tray and uncovered the red silk. Underneath were two rows of silver ingots, five in each row, each ingot weighing fifty taels, for a total of five hundred taels.
For an ordinary family, five hundred taels is a huge sum of money, but for the Prince of Liang's Mansion, it is just a drop in the bucket. It is enough to reward a small yamen runner.
Lin Fan had no choice but to accept such a reward.
After a few more pleasantries, King Liang sent everyone away from the eastern suburbs on the pretext of a recent funeral in his palace.
Before entering the mansion, Yao Sanniang looked back at the team.
Xie Mingzhuo and six others were hidden among the entourage. With Lin Fan in front, they were conspicuous, but they were inconspicuous.
Princes of the vassal states were not allowed to have close relations with the government. Prince Liang did not explicitly ask Lin Fan to return to the county government to resume his post, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that it was inevitable that Lin Fan would return to being the head of the class.
He was the savior of the prince's daughter, and no matter how reluctant County Magistrate Fan was, he had to give face to King Liang.
On the way back to the county town, Li Jiuyue smiled and joked, "Team Leader Lin, congratulations."
"Sorry for making fun of me, Manager Li." Lin Fan stuffed the silver box into the net bag beside the horse's belly and rode along beside the carriage.
Chen Shi had already gone ahead with the officials from the government office. There were no outsiders around at this time, so he reported what he had seen and heard after returning to Anlu last night.
"Miss Meng, I returned to Anlu yesterday and searched everywhere for Sun Lian, but to no avail. I only learned that her husband's family divorced her, and her parents refused to acknowledge her, so she disappeared. I'm afraid I wasn't thorough enough in this matter."
Xie Mingzhuo felt guilty as well, but he suppressed it. He lifted the car curtain and said, "It's not that you're not careful enough, but rumors can kill. How are the other women?"
"Those with younger pregnancies all had miscarriages. Some were divorced, while others were taken away from Anlu by their families. Three of those with older pregnancies committed suicide, and the rest were either forced to drown themselves in ponds or had abortions forced upon them. Regardless of life or death, they were sent to nunneries and their hair was chopped off."
Lin Fan lowered his head, his voice growing fainter and fainter, guilt and self-blame almost drowning him.
He stayed awake all night, tossing and turning in his mind, thinking that if he had not insisted on saving those women, they might not have died.
"They will still die," Xie Mingzhuo said calmly, seeing through his thoughts. "They will remain imprisoned until they lose their value, and losing their value means death."
"I know," Lin Fan looked at her, "I just thought it would be good to live a few more days."
His eyes showed both pity for the innocent woman and bitterness at being powerless to change the current situation, but more of it was anger at the East Suburbs' disregard for human life.
"Lin Fan," Xie Mingzhuo said solemnly, "It is your duty to apprehend the criminals and rescue the people. Properly arranging their affairs after rescuing them is not your responsibility. That is the responsibility of your family, your clan, and even the court. You don't need to blame yourself too much."
Lin Fan felt warm in his heart: "Thank you Miss Meng for your enlightenment."
"We have to find Sun Lian first."
"Well, I've asked people to inquire around. When I get back to the county, maybe there will be some results."
However, before the seven people returned to the county town, they learned the sad news that Sun Lian had died outside the city.
Her body was found in an abandoned thatched hut outside the city. Her death was so horrific that it filled the hearts of those who saw it with fear.
The thatched hut is located in the east of the city, which is exactly the place where Xie Mingzhuo and his companions must pass to return to the city.
When they passed by the thatched hut and saw some unusual movement among the crowd, they naturally wanted to find out more.
"I'll go take a look." Lin Fan volunteered.
He jumped off his horse and squeezed into the crowd, then saw a dirty straw mat. Under the mat was a female corpse. Next to the corpse was a newborn baby, who was also dead.
The strong smell of blood filled the house.
"What a sin!"
"Did she die from excessive bleeding during childbirth?"
"Of course it is. The child probably suffocated to death in the womb."
"This Sun family is really pitiful."
"It's pitiful," someone said in a low voice, "but it was a boy. If she could give birth smoothly, she might become the mother of the prince. It seems that she is not destined to have such a fate."
The title of King Liang was inherited by a lower rank. After his death, the crown prince became a county prince, and the county prince's son became the county prince's crown prince.
The discussions of the people around him all entered Lin Fan's ears, as if a heavy hammer hit his heart. His mind went blank for a moment, and then kept buzzing. It was not until Luo Qi couldn't wait to call him that he suddenly came back to his senses.
"You look very unhappy." Luo Qi said honestly.
Lin Fan said nothing, turned around, and strode back to the carriage. His fingers were clenched so tightly that the joints had turned white.
"Miss Meng, you asked me to go back to Anlu to find Sun Lian. Did you guess this result?" After he informed everyone of the death of Sun Lian and her son, he asked while suppressing his anger.
Li Jiuyue, Feng Caiyu and Jiang Qing all turned pale after hearing about Sun Lian's miserable condition.
"It was Xie Yu's words that reminded me." Xie Mingzhuo was mentally prepared and seemed calmer than the others.
In the eyes of certain powerful people, common people were nothing more than ants, ready to become victims of their power struggles at any moment. It wasn't just them; even Sanniang's mother, Yao, had died so carelessly, as if she were just a useless piece of scrap, gone and gone, without stirring the slightest ripple in their hearts.
Sun Lian’s death might be attributed to an accident, but Xie Yu’s words ultimately exposed his intentions.
She did not hesitate to assume the greatest malice towards the other party.
The dead baby might be the only son of Prince Xie Yi in his life. If Xie Yi knew this news, would he regret and go crazy?
In this way, Xie Yu's plan was realized.
Lin Fan is not a fool, on the contrary he is extremely smart.
The moment he heard the words "the biological mother of the prince", he understood the filth and evil behind the matter.
After years of handling cases, this was the first time he almost couldn't control his emotions.
Regardless of whether Xie Yu was involved, the deaths of Sun Lian and those women were closely related to the Prince Liang's Mansion.
"Miss Meng, I should have found her sooner." Lin Fan fell into self-blame again, with a hint of confusion in his eyes, "Why didn't I think more carefully?"
Xie Mingzhuo said calmly, "It was Dongjiao who killed her, not you. If you really want justice for them, let the culprit die as an apology."
"You're right. The murderer should pay the price." Lin Fan jumped on his horse and said, "Miss Meng, I'll report to the authorities immediately. I'll go first."
The young man galloped on his horse and headed straight for the city gate.
"Team Leader Lin is indeed a kind-hearted person." Li Jiuyue returned to the carriage and accidentally saw the blood on Xie Mingzhuo's palm. She hurriedly moved closer to her, not caring about the distinction between high and low. She grabbed her hand and said distressedly, "Your Highness, no matter how angry you are, you must not hurt yourself."
Xie Mingzhuo withdrew his hand and said calmly, "It's okay."
"You're still okay? There are already several bloody marks from pinching."
Li Jiuyue's words fell into the ears of the other four people. Feng Caiyu and Jiang Qing immediately took clean water, medicine and clean towels, and started bandaging her after entering the carriage.
"It's just a minor injury, not as serious as the tragic deaths of those innocent people." Xie Mingzhuo couldn't suppress his guilt and was unwilling to apply medicine.
Feng Caiyu burst into tears upon hearing this: "Your Highness was able to persuade Mr. Lin, why do you still have to blame yourself?"
"It was Dongjiao who harmed them, not Your Highness. Your Highness must not blame yourself anymore." Jiang Qing also advised, "You just asked Mr. Lin to seek justice for them. If you feel unhappy, you can take it out on Dongjiao. It's better than hurting yourself."
Li Jiuyue did not continue to persuade her, but directly took her hand back and helped apply the medicine.
Xie Mingzhuo did not resist this time. She closed her eyes in silence, and suddenly opened them after a moment.
"Yang Da."
"I am here."
"Write to Henan and ask Zong Zhen and Lu Lian why the Wang family's mines haven't been taken over yet."
Xie Yu wanted to seek cooperation with Yao Sanniang simply for the Wang family's mine. He wanted to gain more bargaining chips for himself.
Since he wanted to seize power so much, she wouldn't mind tailoring a beautiful dream for him that would be shattered as soon as he entered it.
【Author’s words】
Another big fat chapter! Hands on hips!
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