The room was pitch black. Jiang Chuting took out a tinderbox, blew on it, and quickly surveyed the room by the dim light. Besides a few empty bookshelves, there was only a desk.
Jiang Chuting ran his fingers across the desk, his hand covered in dust, indicating that it had indeed been abandoned for a long time.
Finding nothing amiss, he hurried up to the second floor, then the third. The vast space was completely empty, and he found no hidden mechanisms.
That's strange.
As Jiang Chuting went downstairs, she couldn't help but ponder, "Could it be that Lin Xuan has already discovered the evidence that Zi Que hid here all those years ago?"
Or perhaps, the hairpin led him here not for any evidence at all.
Back on the first floor, Jiang Chuting examined the area carefully again. As she got close to a wall, the hairpin in her bosom began to feel faintly hot again.
Jiang Chuting raised his hand and gently tapped the wall. He looked around and checked everything, but found no traps. Had he missed something?
Finally, after taking a few steps, he returned to the desk, fumbled around for a moment, and found a protrusion on the back. He gently twisted it, and the wall behind him slowly opened, letting in light.
Jiang Chuting's vision immediately became clearer.
So, there really was a hidden room with mechanisms. He hadn't even noticed it before.
Jiang Chuting stood up, stepped inside, and the mechanical door behind him closed with a click.
After walking through a long corridor lined with luminous pearls illuminating the walls on both sides, and ending at a dozen or so steps, Jiang Chuting's heart skipped a beat for some unknown reason before she slowly descended the stairs.
The further down I went, the more I felt enveloped by a chilling aura.
Before Jiang Chuting came to Qilan Pavilion to investigate, he had already made several guesses and was mentally prepared for all kinds of unexpected events. However, when he arrived at this underground secret room and saw what was arranged inside, he was still shocked and lost in thought.
—The coffin was completely black, the walls were covered with yellow talismans, there was an ever-burning lamp, and there was a memorial tablet inscribed with "The Spirit Tablet of My Deceased Husband Yun Zique".
This is not a dark room, but Zique's tomb!
Jiang Chuting felt a chill run through his body and it took him a long time to calm down. He rushed to the coffin uncontrollably, then looked up at the talismans drawn with cinnabar, his breath trembling.
He witnessed Zique being buried back then, so why is there a coffin here?
Could it be that the funeral was just a cover-up, and Zique's real body is actually here?
No one else would do this, but it's not surprising that Lin Xi would be so heartless.
That's why the hairpin suddenly led him here, because Zique had already suffered all kinds of confinement from the Lin family during his lifetime, and he didn't want even his corpse to be trapped in this suffocating cage after his death!
Zi Que wanted him to take him away.
"Zi Que, Zi Que... is it really you?"
Jiang Chuting was in a state of confusion, her eyes reddening. She raised her hand, but just as she touched the coffin, more than ten arrows shot through the air.
Jiang Chuting hurriedly spun around to dodge, but almost without a moment, wave after wave of arrows came hurtling towards him. His skills were already weakened, and he was almost injured by the arrows because he couldn't avoid them in time. In the end, he could only be forced into a corner. The arrows stopped, but he didn't know what he was stepping on. A black object fell from the sky, and the moment it landed, the loud bang made the ground tremble.
Jiang Chuting couldn't avoid it at all; he was trapped inside like prey.
This was a large cage made of fine iron, and Jiang Chuting tried his best but couldn't budge it an inch.
It was just carelessness. How could Lin Xi not have set up a trap to protect the place where Zi Que's coffin was?
He stood in the middle of the iron cage, looking quietly through the bars at the coffin, and suddenly his mind calmed down.
The calmer you are, the more your heart sinks.
Before he came to Qilan Pavilion, he didn't know what was inside, but he was trapped here by the traps, and Lin Xi would find out sooner or later. Once Lin Xi found out, it would be the same as Lin Zhi finding out too.
His finding Zi Que's coffin was an accident, but also a fact. At this critical moment, Lin Xi only needed to give it a little push, and Lin Zhi's previously suppressed dark emotions would completely collapse, and he wouldn't listen to any of his explanations.
Moreover, in order to completely break him and Lin Zhi up, she will definitely do more than just fan the flames. She will seize this opportunity to add fuel to the fire and make things worse, leaving him and Lin Zhi with no room for maneuver.
Jiang Chuting's already pale face turned ashen. He rubbed his aching chest and sat cross-legged on the spot.
At this point, besides waiting anxiously, he was completely helpless.
The room was beautifully decorated and brightly lit. A small incense burner on the table emitted a deep, rich fragrance, making the air feel heavier.
Lin Xi examined her fingers without saying a word, while Li Ruoshuang sat below, silently twisting her handkerchief with her head down.
In the silence, Chun Tao hurried in, but after glancing at Li Ruoshuang, she didn't say anything.
Lin Xi said, "Ruoshuang, you should go back first."
"Yes." Li Ruoshuang quickly stood up and said, "Ruoshuang takes her leave."
Chun Tao saw her off and closed the door. Lin Xi frowned and looked at her first, asking, "What's going on so late at night? Is there some noise over there?"
Chun Tao's eyes held a mixture of disdain and excitement as she hurriedly reported to Lin Xi, "Yes, it's truly gratifying! Before Madam could even set a trap, he jumped right into it!"
Lin Xi immediately sat up straight, her eyes widening slightly: "You mean, he broke into the secret room??"
Chun Tao nodded vigorously: "Yes, Madam, he is already trapped in the trap at this time. Even if he has unparalleled martial arts skills, he cannot escape!"
Lin Xi dreamed of separating Lin Zhi and Jiang Chuting, but she knew that since her previous attack had failed and she was now in the Lin residence, she couldn't act rashly.
Lin Zhi is currently still angry because she believed her words. If she were to actually do something to Jiang Chuting now, Lin Zhi would hate her even more.
Therefore, she endured and waited for the right moment, hoping that when the conflict between the two of them intensified, she would use Yun Zique's belongings to lure Jiang Chuting to Qilan Pavilion, where he would discover Zique's coffin and have Lin Zhi confirm that Jiang Chuting came to the Lin residence for Zique's sake and that Jiang Chuting did not love him at all.
Lin Xi understands Lin Zhi; in some ways, his personality is very similar to hers—he's prone to extremism and impulsiveness.
If only he could do something irreversible under such extreme and impulsive influence.
Then she proceeded to the final step.
Once Jiang Chuting leaves the Lin residence, no one can blame her for either death or injury.
Unexpectedly, the plan to start tomorrow was realized tonight.
Lin Xi's expression shifted for a while, then she suddenly said in a gloomy voice, "Why does he know about Qilan Pavilion?" There are so many places in the Lin family mansion, why did he specifically break into Qilan Pavilion and find Zi Que's location?
Chun Tao thought for a moment and said, "Maybe, maybe he saw that there were no guards in Qilan Pavilion, so he went in to investigate and stumbled upon it by accident."
Jiang Chuting would be walking around the mansion. In order to lower his guard and lure him into a trap, Lin Xi had already removed all the guards from Qilan Pavilion long ago.
Although the person was captured, Lin Xi felt no joy or pride at being freed from her schemes and control. On the contrary, she was filled with intense hatred.
If it weren't to sever Lin Zhi's feelings, how could she possibly allow that man to meet Zi Que again?
Lin Xi stood up, paced back and forth a couple of times, and gritted her teeth as she ordered, "Just do it according to the previous plan."
“Yes, Madam.” Chun Tao clenched her fist and snorted coldly, “This time we will definitely drive that man out of the Lin family.”
In the room filled with the smell of alcohol, Lin Zhi staggered to his feet, kicking one of the empty wine jars, which rolled several times before coming to a stop.
As I sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing my throbbing temples, someone knocked urgently on the door.
"Young Master! Young Master! Young Master, open the door!"
Lin Zhi was already extremely irritable, and on top of that, he had drunk too much and had a headache. Hearing the incessant knocking and the loud noise, he grabbed something and slammed it down with a loud bang, then roared in a hoarse voice, "Get out!"
The person outside seemed startled and remained silent for a while, but they didn't give up. The knocking started again, and someone called out, "Young Master, it's Chun Tao! I have something urgent to tell you!"
Lin Zhi recognized her voice at this moment. Chun Tao was Lin Xi's personal maid, and her coming over so late must mean she had something urgent to attend to, just as Lin Xi had said.
Lin Zhi rubbed his face to wake himself up and got up to open the door.
"What's wrong with my mother? Is she feeling unwell again?"
“Madam, Madam, she, she…” Chun Tao said anxiously, but she couldn’t get the words out after stammering for a long time.
Lin Zhi said impatiently, "Speak quickly if you have something to say."
Chun Tao stamped her foot, as if she had made up her mind, and said to Lin Zhidao, "Young Master, as you know, Madam really had deep feelings for Young Master Yun. Back then, Madam was really reluctant to let him go, so the coffin where Young Master Yun was buried only contained some of his old belongings. His real body was coated with anti-corrosion medicine and kept in a dark room in Qilan Pavilion. Madam would occasionally go there to talk to Young Master Yun to ease her longing."
Lin Zhi's face remained blank for a long time before she asked, "Are you saying that my father's body has actually been in the mansion all along?"
“Yes.” Chun Tao bit her lip, looking at his face, which appeared even more somber due to the backlighting, and felt a sudden unease, but she still insisted on continuing: “Originally, not many people knew about this, but for some reason, someone still managed to take advantage of the situation. Today, someone actually broke in and almost stole the coffin. When Madam found out, she was so emotional that she fainted. She didn’t want you to know about this, but Chun Tao still feels, feels…”
A hint of indignation appeared on her face: "I felt that this matter was also related to the young master, and I couldn't just be kept in the dark like this, so I took it upon myself to come and find you."
Lin Zhi's eyes seemed shrouded in endless shadows, dark and devoid of light. After a moment of deathly silence, he asked in a low voice, word by word, "Who broke in?"
Chun Tao felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze. She clasped her hands tightly together and told him the truth: "It's that... Jiang Chuting. He's trapped in the mechanical cage now, young master, look..."
Lin Zhi's lips twitched slightly, his expression calm as expected. After a moment, he simply chuckled softly, "It really was him."
After an unknown amount of time, there was finally movement from the other side of the passage.
Jiang Chuting stood up, his mind uneasy, staring intently at the stairs. Someone had discovered his imprisonment and reported it to their master, but he didn't know whether it was Lin Xi or Lin Zhi who had come.
He quickly received an answer. Jiang Chuting clenched his fists and saw the purple-clad, hair-tied boy appear in his line of sight.
Lin Zhi glanced at the coffin before walking to the iron cage. He looked him over and asked in a seemingly normal tone, "How could you be so careless?"
There was no storm as expected, but this only made Jiang Chuting's heart more and more uneasy.
Jiang Chuting took a step forward, grabbed the iron bars, and said earnestly, "I came here to investigate something and discovered this place by accident. I didn't know this place was..."
"Oh? My house is so big, and you just happened to find it, even discovering the mechanism and entering the secret room. It seems your sincerity moved the heavens." Lin Zhi gazed at him quietly for a moment, then asked, "Is this your real purpose in coming to the Lin residence?"
"No!" Jiang Chuting didn't expect him to think so absurdly, and hurriedly denied it: "I really came back with you. If I just wanted to come to the Lin residence, I wouldn't need to go to such lengths to deceive and use you. You can understand that, right?"
"Even if it isn't, you really want to steal the coffin, don't you?"
"I……"
“Only by trying to move the coffin will the mechanism be triggered, and then you will be locked up like this, pitifully.” Lin Zhi raised his hand and tapped the iron bars twice, looking at him and saying, “You will be locked up like this, so pitifully.”
Jiang Chuting was taken aback. In the heat of the moment, he did indeed want to take Zique away, as his life had been too bitter.
Jiang Chuting had no way to defend himself, and said, "The deceased should be properly buried, not..."
"What do you mean, 'not what'?!" Lin Zhi suddenly raised his voice, his eyes cold and sneer, "Who do you think you are to him? Wife or concubine? What business is it of yours where he is buried? Do you think you have the right to interfere?!"
Jiang Chuting felt a sharp pain in her eyes. After a pause, she looked directly at him with reddened eyes and said, "We've known each other for a while, and I can't just ignore this. Your father doesn't like this place. When I met him, he was running away before his wedding to clear his head, but he was a servant and couldn't escape. He was forced into the marriage. Lin Zhi, you're from the Lin family, you grew up in the Lin family, and you only believe what your family says, which is only natural. But now, I also need your trust. If we continue to be suspicious like this, I'm afraid we won't last much longer."
Lin Zhi seemed not to hear the last sentence, and signaled someone to open the mechanism. The iron cage rose off the ground, and he pulled Jiang Chuting out, facing him directly and demanding, "He doesn't like it here, he doesn't like my mother, he only loves you, is that what you mean?"
Jiang Chuting met his gaze, and after a moment said, "That's right, that's exactly what I mean."
Lin Zhitong's eyes suddenly narrowed, turning bloodshot, and her breathing became heavy.
Jiang Chuting continued, "Your father didn't love your mother. To him, the Lin family mansion was just a prison. He was forced to marry your mother, and the person he truly loved was me. But even after his death, your mother still wouldn't let him go, keeping his coffin here. I pitied him, so I wanted to take him away. Lin Zhi, you've been deceived by your grandmother and your mother for so many years. It's time to wake up and stop being a fool with your eyes covered."
Lin Zhi grabbed his collar, her expression icy, and gritted her teeth: "Try uttering another word of nonsense!"
The two were extremely close. Jiang Chuting could smell the strong smell of alcohol on him, clearly feel his hot breath, and see his almost murderous expression.
It was as if if he opened his mouth again, he would really be devoured alive.
Jiang Chuting wasn't afraid of him; she just felt sad and sorry for him.
During his stay at the Lin residence these past few days, he and Lin Zhi had been locked in a tug-of-war. He didn't want things to continue like this; it was too painful and torturous.
If he wants Lin Zhi to understand him, everything must be laid out clearly and openly. He can't be vague just to avoid making Lin Zhi even angrier.
“I’m telling the truth, how can you call it nonsense?” Jiang Chuting’s hair was slightly disheveled, and her face was as pale as paper. She said in a low voice, “The day you discovered my identity, it was indeed your mother who led people to try to ambush me. Lin Zhi, you asked her, didn’t you? She didn’t admit it, did she? She’s the one who’s talking nonsense.”
Lin Zhi's forehead veins throbbed as he shoved him back a few steps, his back slamming against the wall, and roared, "I told you to shut up!"
Jiang Chuting coughed violently from the impact, and after a while, she finally caught her breath and said weakly, "Your mother isn't as magnanimous as she appears to you. She won't let me be with you; she'll only try every means to make me leave you. Lin Zhi, I love you, and I don't want there to be a day when I have to leave you."
Lin Zhi sneered: "Then let me ask you, what has my mother done to you these past few days while you've been in the Lin residence? Did she also kidnap you to frame you today? Can you stop making excuses for wanting to leave!"
“I did find this place today based on a clue I got myself, but this is where your father’s coffin is kept, a place so important to your mother. There wasn’t even a guard when I came in. Do you dare say she didn’t do it on purpose? I don’t expect you to forgive me immediately, but please don’t push me out with your mother anymore, okay?” Jiang Chuting’s tone was almost pleading at the end.
Lin Zhi paused for a moment, then shook his head and sneered, "Knowing there's no way to deny what happened today, you planned to pin it all on my mother before I even arrived, right? Do you really think what you're saying is credible? You even said she wanted to kill you, and I'd be grateful if you didn't hurt her again!"
His unchanging attitude deeply hurt Jiang Chuting, leaving her utterly disappointed.
He initially felt that he had deceived Lin Zhi and was indeed in the wrong. He would not give up as long as Lin Zhi was willing to forgive him and not betray their relationship.
But now, even if the evidence were presented to him, Lin Zhi would probably only think that he was framing his mother.
This is a dead end; there's no solution.
Upon hearing his last sentence, Jiang Chuting suddenly felt a surge of anger, the metallic taste of blood rising in his throat. He struggled to control himself, his chest heaving as he looked at him, his voice already somewhat hoarse: "Since you think I don't love you and that I'm going to hurt your mother, wouldn't it be better for me to leave you?"
This was a disheartened question directed at Lin Zhi, but to this drunken man whose reason had been completely burned away, it didn't sound like that at all.
"Leave me?" Lin Zhi's expression twisted. "Fine, so all that high-sounding talk about how wronged you felt earlier was just a setup for this moment, wasn't it? You think you can escape after messing with me?"
Lin Zhi grabbed his wrist forcefully and dragged him a few steps away from the coffin without saying a word, his eyes burning with madness.
"You say he loves you, and you love him, right? Well then, let him see for himself."
Before he could even say what he was looking at, Jiang Chuting's vision went black, and he fell to the side. Lin Zhi not only didn't help him up, but let him fall to the ground, then covered him with her body and began to violently tear at his clothes.
Jiang Chuting opened her eyes in a daze, and after a moment she realized what he was doing, she tried to stop him, but he quickly wrapped his wrist with his belt.
Now that his power has been depleted and his body is weak, he is at a complete disadvantage compared to Lin Zhi.
Jiang Chuting's eyes were red, and her voice was almost squeezed out of her throat: "Lin Zhi, stop immediately."
"Why stop? Don't you like it? You were quite cooperative before, but now you're unwilling to cooperate in a different place?" Lin Zhi sneered, tossing aside the small cloth bag that had come loose from his arms. The broken hairpin fell out, and Lin Zhi merely glanced at it, her dark eyes seeming to flash with two sinister ghostly flames. She pinched his chin hard and said, "He must be very happy to see that you still carry the hairpin I gave you. However, he won't be happy for long."
Jiang Chuting, trembling all over, could no longer control herself, turned her head to the side, and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The person on top of him paused for only a moment before violently tearing off his last piece of clothing.
...
In the dimly lit room, a few soft coughs could be heard from time to time. Jiang Chuting had been running a fever for two days and had been lying in bed for two days as well. She was suffering from persistent abdominal pain and could hardly move. To make matters worse, she only had 10% of her internal energy left.
A servant came in and cleared away the untouched food from the table. Jiang Chuting called out to them in a hoarse voice, "Excuse me, where is Lin Zhi now?"
The maids didn't ignore him as before. After exchanging glances, one of them said, "Young Master is having dinner with Miss Li."
Jiang Chuting coughed twice more before saying in a low voice, "Thank you for informing me."
Jiang Chuting rummaged through his bundle for a while, took out a medicine bottle, took a pill, and then hugged his sword and lay back down on the bed. Despite having a high fever, he felt ice-cold all over.
I slept in a daze for an unknown amount of time, and then, out of a subconscious sense of alertness, I suddenly opened my eyes.
Candles were lit inside the room, and Lin Xi was standing in front of his bed, with her subordinates behind her.
Jiang Chu quickly sat up and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.
His black hair was disheveled, his clothes were rumpled, and he looked weak and wretched from being severely beaten. His face was deathly pale, but his eyes held a sharp, piercing light that made him someone not to be underestimated.
Lin Xi looked him up and down, then clicked her tongue twice and said, "Look at your pathetic state. If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place?"
Jiang Chuting's throat was dry and hoarse, and speaking felt like being cut by a knife: "I will return those words to you in the near future, without changing a single one."
Lin Xi: "Oh?"
Jiang Chuting: "Do you think you can hide this from Lin Zhi forever? He will find out the truth about what happened back then sooner or later."
Lin Xi laughed, seemingly finding him amusing: "The truth? What I say to Lin Zhi is the truth. Just like back then, you're nothing but a rejected dog. Do you think you can beat me?"
Jiang Chuting, panting heavily, said, "Lin Zhi is a person, not a tool for you to manipulate. For your so-called victory, you're going to deceive him and disregard his wishes like this?"
"I disregard his wishes?" Lin Xi smiled and said with pity, "He is the child I carried and gave birth to with great difficulty. I love him and indulge him. How could I disregard his wishes?"
Jiang Chuting stared at her coldly.
"You definitely wouldn't believe me anyway, so I'll give you a chance. Give up on that idea now." Lin Xi said no more, raising her hand to signal several subordinates to come forward. Jiang Chuting drew his sword to fight back, but the result was predictable. Even with all his strength, he couldn't defeat so many people.
He was subdued and his acupoints were pressed.
Lin Xi led him to a room filled with a heavy fragrance, and had him thrown behind a screen. His body was stiff, unable to move or speak.
Jiang Chuting was closing her eyes, trying to break through the acupoint, when a familiar voice suddenly came from outside, "Mother, are you feeling better?"
Jiang Chuting suddenly opened her eyes; it was Lin Zhi who had arrived.
"I wasn't feeling well at first, but seeing you come has made me feel much better," Lin Xi said gently.
After talking for a while, Lin Xi said to Lin Zhi with concern, "I heard... he has been sick for several days. Lin Zhi, when will this cycle of revenge end? I don't want anyone to die in the manor. Why don't we just let him go?"
Lin Zhi seemed to have been touched on a sore spot, and suddenly burst into anger: "Impossible!" Realizing that her tone was too harsh, she quickly softened her tone, but it still sounded like she was gritting her teeth: "Absolutely not. Mother, I told you before that I kept him in the manor to find ways to torment him and vent your anger. Let him be sick, he won't die, he brought it on himself."
Every word was clear and distinct. Jiang Chuting lowered her eyelashes, her face pale and calm.
Lin Xi sighed, "Why do this?"
Lin Xi lowered her voice and asked, "Lin Zhi, tell me, are you telling the truth? Are you really willing to do this?"
Lin Zhi paused, then said in a deep voice, "I don't love him, so what's there to be reluctant about? Right now, I just want him to suffer. The more he suffers, the happier I am."
Lin Xi said helplessly, "I can't persuade you, but... since you've decided to marry Ruoshuang, you should still consider her feelings."
Marriage? Lin Zhi is going to marry Li Ruoshuang?
No amount of harsh words could outweigh the immense impact of those two words. Jiang Chuting's heart trembled coldly, and the expression on her face instantly crumbled.
He couldn't believe it.
Even though Lin Zhi said many heartless things, he firmly believed that Lin Zhi deliberately approached Li Ruoshuang because she was angry, in order to get revenge on him and make him feel bad, and that she would not really do anything with her.
He wished he had misheard, that Lin Xi was deliberately provoking him, hoping to hear Lin Zhi's denial. However, the next moment, Lin Zhi said, "Yes, I will. If Shuang understands me, she won't care so much."
"I've already picked a few auspicious dates, the closest one being next month. Come and check them out with me."
"Mother, you should take good care of yourself first and don't overwork yourself. Ruoshuang and I will discuss the rest."
"I'm willing to go to the trouble of this kind of thing. Besides, you and Ruoshuang have known each other since childhood and are good friends. I'm very happy that you're together..."
On the other side of the screen, Lin Xiwen continued speaking gently, and Lin Zhi occasionally responded with a few words, but Jiang Chuting was so heartbroken and in pain that she couldn't hear anything anymore.
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