Arrested on the street
The Eastern Palace.
Jiade Hall.
The court officials looked solemn.
The assassination of Zhao Changji, the Minister of War, was a shocking event, especially considering that a high-ranking official of the third rank was killed right under the emperor's nose.
The city gates were closed, martial law was declared in the capital, and the Imperial Guards, the Jingzhao Prefecture, the Dali Temple, the Censorate, and the Ministry of Justice were all mobilized. The heads of all these departments gathered in the Jiade Hall to meet with the Crown Prince Xiao Zhian, who was in charge of the country, and requested that the matter be investigated and dealt with severely.
The court officials in the palace presented their proposals one after another.
Xiao Zhian sat on the high throne, half listening and half ignoring, his attention focused on the blood-stained bamboo arrow on the storage table. The only time he was distracted was when he looked at Lin Cuiyue, the eldest son of the Lin family and the elder brother of Lin Huaiyin, who was in charge of patrolling the imperial city.
After much deliberation, he did not designate anyone to handle the case, but said that they would discuss it again at the morning court the next day, and then dismissed the officials.
The court officials were unwilling, but dared not say anything, and left one by one.
The vast Jiade Hall was quiet and still.
Xiao Zhian stared at the desk, remaining silent for a long time.
Two arrows.
One arrow is precious and priceless; the other has been deliberately stripped of its ornamentation and polished into a simple bamboo arrow.
One faction drew attention, highlighting the credibility of the secret edict; the other disguised its identity to evade investigation.
One was used to deliver a message, and the other to commit murder; the arrangement was meticulous, demonstrating the archer's keen intellect.
Xiao Zhian originally thought it was Lin Huaiyin, as all the evidence pointed to her, and he believed she was capable of killing Zhao Changji with an arrow.
However, if both cases are dismissed as Lin Huaiyin's childish misbehavior, the flaws are too obvious—Lin Huaiyin cannot figure out the theft at the Ministry of War and Zhao Shangshu's possible collusion with the White Lotus Sect on her own. She is just a young woman, not a superhuman, unless she relies on the Lin family's influence.
However, the Lin family, a century-old military commandery, is known for its integrity and loyalty. Whether for public or private reasons, they would directly request imperial orders to dispatch troops to eradicate the White Lotus Sect, and then collect evidence of Zhao Shangshu's crimes to bring him to justice in a fair and just manner.
Disregarding the law and resorting to vigilante justice is an insult to the Lin family and is certainly not the behavior of a member of the Lin family.
There's more to this than meets the eye.
Xiao Zhian thought for a moment and realized that the evidence pointed directly to Lin Huaiyin. It seemed that the real mastermind was trying to smear the Lin family.
As for forging the Crown Prince's secret edict, causing trouble at the Temple of the Two Kings, and attempting to drag his own sister, Princess Pingyang, into the mess, it was probably to provoke his suspicion of the Lin family.
Xiao Zhian was well aware that the Lin family and the Yuan Cong Imperial Guards were an impregnable fortress protecting the capital. If the Lin family was stable, the country would be stable. However, such a behemoth that was loyal, honest, and did not engage in factionalism or politics, and had stood for two hundred years, was bound to attract attention.
Regardless of others, even Xiao Zhian himself would often try to ask the Lin family for help when he was in financial difficulty.
He's really being targeted.
Xiao Zhian chuckled to himself.
It seems that the court is outwardly calm, but underneath there are undercurrents surging.
His phoenix eyes darkened as he became interested. After a moment's thought, he remembered Zhao Changji, the Minister of War.
This person was silenced, and on the surface there was no way to verify the truth. However, regardless of whether he colluded with the White Lotus Sect, he would definitely submit an urgent memorial to the throne to clear his name regarding the theft from the Ministry of War.
However, this urgent memorial has not yet reached Xiao Zhian's desk, so the problem must lie with the Secretariat.
Shen Congyun, the Grand Secretary.
Xiao Zhian identified the suspects as well as the Zhongshu Sheren (a type of official in charge of reviewing and delivering urgent memorials).
As for who to send to investigate...
"Has Qin Luo returned?" Xiao Zhian asked.
"Your Highness," Xuan Ge, the personal guard, reported, "Lord Qin has been waiting outside the palace for quite some time."
"Summon him in, and Du Yu as well."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Xuan Ge immediately summoned him.
Qin Luo entered the hall and presented a memorial detailing the White Lotus Rebels and the stolen military equipment. He lowered his head quietly and held his breath.
He achieved a great victory at the Erwang Temple, capturing the White Lotus Rebels and recovering the stolen weapons, which was a great achievement. However, the matter was suspicious and involved Princess Pingyang, so he dared not show his joy.
Princess Pingyang is His Highness's own younger sister. Her title, residence, and treatment far exceed what a princess should be entitled to. As His Highness's close advisor, he knows better than anyone how much His Highness dotes on Princess Pingyang.
Princess Pingyang harbored White Lotus rebels, no wonder they have been so difficult to eradicate. He dared not even think of such a speculation. Moreover, on his way back to the city, he encountered the Imperial Guards blocking the city gates. A major case of a third-rank official being assassinated occurred in the capital. In short, these are turbulent times. He does not seek rewards, but only to avoid punishment.
He waited anxiously for the imperial decree, thinking to himself that the next step would be a thorough investigation of the Ministry of War and the mysterious archers.
After reading the memorial, Xiao Zhian picked up his vermilion brush and wrote red ink on it.
The Crown Prince no longer needs eunuchs; Xuan Ge will send the memorial back to Qin Luo.
Qin Luo unfolded the document and saw that His Highness had actually entrusted him with investigating both the Erwang Temple case and the assassination of Zhao Changji.
What a profound trust and high regard this is!
Qin Luo was extremely excited, secretly taking stock of the White Lotus Sect, the Ministry of War, and that mysterious archer.
He vowed to turn the Crown Prince upside down and find out the whole truth.
However, Xiao Zhian remained indifferent, succinctly pointing out the direction: "Just investigate casually. Keep a close eye on the Secretariat and find out about the urgent memorials that Zhao Changji has suppressed."
Qin Luo was quite surprised to hear this. He didn't understand why His Highness had asked him to investigate the case and then told him to investigate whatever he wanted, as if His Highness didn't care about the result at all.
However, His Highness the Crown Prince had been overseeing the country for nine years, and he had served him for nine years as well. His Highness's mind was different from that of ordinary people, so once the order was given, he would simply follow it.
"Your Highness, I will obey your decree." He accepted the order and took his leave.
Immediately afterwards, Du Yu entered the palace to pay his respects.
"Your Highness, this humble servant pays his respects." Du Yu lowered his head, like a defeated rooster.
As the head of the Eastern Palace generals, he actually watched helplessly as the person the Crown Prince wanted to promote died right before his eyes, and was only a step away. He saw the arrow fall from the sky, and by the time he chased after it, Zhao Changji was already a corpse.
He failed in his duty, he made a mistake, and he should be punished.
However, Xiao Zhian's gaze was fixed on the arrow, and without blinking, he directly ordered: "Keep an eye on Zhao Changji's only son, Zhao Yanxiu, and don't let him die."
"Yes." Du Yu responded with a fist and palm salute, "This subordinate will take care of it immediately."
"Go."
Xiao Zhian dismissed him and picked up the unstained arrow.
The fragrance filled his nostrils, and he was certain that whether Zhao Changji was colluding with the White Lotus Sect or forming a faction within the Central Secretariat, his son Zhao Yanxiu must have known. It would be better to leave him out in the open and use him as bait than to bring him in for questioning.
As for Lin Huaiyin, the suspicion has not been completely cleared, or perhaps she has other accomplices. Xiao Zhian decided to see for himself whether it was her or not, and her little hands reached out randomly.
——
Martial law was declared in the imperial city.
While the Imperial Guards were conducting street inspections, Lin Huaiyin and her two companions had already returned to the Lin family home and retrieved a stack of moldy silver notes—a total of 800,000 taels.
The Lin family is extremely wealthy, rolling in money.
When Lin Huaiyin was very young, she heard her mother say that the imperial court valued the Lin family, but the highest a member of the Lin family could become was a general. Since emperors had nothing left to reward them with, they focused on accumulating wealth. Over the past two hundred years, the Lin family had accumulated enough wealth to buy the entire empire. However, the Lin family had never liked extravagance, so outsiders could not see the truth.
What Shen Congyun thought was a huge sum of money—a mere 800,000 taels—was actually just a drop in the ocean for the Lin family.
Lin Huaiyin chuckled as she pictured Shen Congyun's pretentious face.
When she went to collect the banknotes, she hid in the carriage and didn't get out; she didn't dare go home.
The oxcart swayed and rocked, and her heart rose and fell with it. She couldn't explain why she didn't dare to go back to see her mother and sister. Facing Yu Li and Xie Ao, whom she thought she would never have to go to the Shen family again, she also had unspeakable suffering.
The Lin family's enemy, on the surface, is Shen Congyun, but in reality, it is Princess Pingyang. She cannot leave, nor can she leave. She must go back, keep Shen Congyun in check while fighting until the adulterous couple is all dead, and protect everyone in the Lin family from harm before she can face going home.
She had no choice but to humble herself and lead Yu Li and Xie Ao on their continued adventures.
Inside the carriage, Yu Li still had a smile on her face, but the excitement in her eyes was gone. Lin Huaiyin felt very sorry for her, but there was nothing she could do.
Outside the carriage, imperial guards would occasionally pass by. Crab claws would show their faces to identify themselves. The guards would recognize them as their own and, without suspicion, would let them pass.
The oxcart kept going without stopping.
Outside the carriage, there was a great deal of discussion. One moment it was the Imperial City Guard arresting the White Lotus Rebels, and the next it was the assassination of the Minister of War.
Crab Claw guessed that it was Lin Huaiyin who did it, and his heart was filled with excitement. He wanted to jump up and announce to the world—My young lady did it! My young lady is amazing!
After the car had been traveling for a long time, Yu Li suddenly moved, as if she had remembered something important. She hesitated for a moment, then took out a small bundle, her eyes shining with a strange light.
A rare hint of coquettishness appeared on Yu Li's face, and Lin Huaiyin immediately perked up, asking with great interest, "What's wrong? What good stuff?"
"This is--"
"Stop!"
"Damn it!"
Before Yu Li could speak, the sound of horses' hooves came frantically, spreading out to both sides as if to surround the oxcart. The burly man shouted repeatedly, "Stop! Stop immediately!"
The oxcart slowly came to a stop.
The clanging and clattering of armor against swords echoed with the hoofbeats of horses.
Who is this man, clad in armor and wielding a weapon, riding his horse through the street?
Lin Huaiyin and Yu Li fell silent instantly.
Outside the carriage, the oxcart was surrounded, and the road ahead was blocked. Xie'ao secretly realized that something was wrong, but seeing that the people who came were just ordinary imperial guards, she calmly negotiated: "What, are you still going to investigate? Shall we get off the carriage, or will you get on?"
"this--"
Seven or eight imperial guards looked at each other, then clasped their hands in greeting to Crab Ao: "Miss Crab Ao, please wait a moment."
"Why wait?" Crab Ao smiled and returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute: "Yuan Cong Imperial Guards treat everyone equally. Whether it is a superior or a subordinate, you may investigate at will. I'm just afraid that if we delay too long, we will be scolded when we return to the Shen residence."
"this--"
The group hesitated, their faces showing distress. They thought to themselves that the Third Miss's personal maid was someone they had watched grow up in the training grounds. They knew her inside and out, and were extremely familiar with her. Why would they investigate her? It would only cause her to be scolded, and the thought of that was truly unbearable.
They didn't want to investigate, letting everyone they met pass by, but—
Hesitant and unsure how to speak, the group hesitated. Seeing this, Crab Claw thought to himself that there was a chance, and seized the opportunity to whip his whip, laughing, "Then I'm off! It's getting dark, and it would be scary if the murderer you've captured suddenly appeared!"
"Crack!" She lashed the ox's back with her whip, and the carriage creaked and began to move.
They managed to escape by sheer luck.
Lin Huaiyin and Yu Li breathed a sigh of relief, but then another horse suddenly appeared outside. The man's voice was deep and authoritative—"Halt."
In an instant, the crab claw shivered and got goosebumps all over its body.
Lin Cuiyue, clad in gleaming armor with dragon and phoenix patterns floating on his chest mirror reflecting the crimson sunset, rode a brown steed as he galloped towards them.
He observed Xie Ao's reaction, rode his horse to the front of the carriage, and hearing no movement from inside, and no one coming out to pay their respects, Lin Cuiyue's suspicions deepened—
He personally examined the bamboo arrow that killed Minister Zhao; it was made of extremely rare Xiangfei bamboo. Although it was rough-polished, it couldn't fool his eyes.
He personally inspected the site, looking back from the angle of his spear against the bamboo arrow, and there it was—the top of the Iron Buddha Temple.
At a distance of four hundred paces, a single sword strike to the throat. Lin Cuiyue didn't want to boast about such miraculous archery skills, but his third sister, Lin Huaiyin, was exceptionally talented, with no one able to surpass her in archery skills, making her the prime suspect.
What's more, it just so happens that today, Xie'ao and Yuli suddenly came home and said that their third sister had not come with them. Lin Cuiyue guessed that as long as their third sister was in the car now, the charge would be set in stone.
As it was his duty, he had to verify the information, and coming in person was the best he could do to protect his sister.
Lin Cuiyue reached out and touched the carriage curtain; whether to lift it or not was a matter of a single thought.
Inside the carriage, Lin Huaiyin was drenched in sweat, her face filled with despair.
Oh no, I've been caught red-handed by my older brother.
The jujube wood bow, the armor-piercing awl, the gyrfalcon's first feather, and the clothes covered in dust from the tower top—none of them had been dealt with in time. Lin Huaiyin trembled as she crushed the scrolls, wishing she could stomp them to pieces and make them disappear. Cold sweat poured down her soles, palms, and nose.
Her mind was a complete mess. She didn't know how to explain herself if she was taken away. It was at this moment that she finally realized how much trouble she had caused her older brother.
After Minister Zhao was assassinated, his elder brother, as the Commander of the Imperial Guards, was responsible for the defense of the capital and was the person primarily responsible.
How could I be so stupid? I should have shot at the chair leg, shot at the roof beam, made him fall to his death, or crushed him to death. I should have made it an accident. Causing trouble right under my older brother's nose, wasn't that just asking for death?
Lin Huaiyin was filled with remorse, her head hanging low, waiting to be punished. Her older brother was the most impartial and would definitely put her in jail...
The thought of going to prison made her bones ache. The carriage curtain swayed, and a ruthless hand gently tugged at the opposite side. Lin Cuiyue's leopard eyes locked onto his target.
She really is here! Lin Cuiyue gritted his teeth, his cheeks aching from the tension. What's with the little thing shaking, stepping on things, and hiding things? That big bag underneath must be evidence of the bow and arrow.
Having confirmed his suspicions, Lin Cuiyue really wanted to gouge out his own eyes, pretending that she wasn't there and that he was blind!
Caught red-handed, what is he to do?! His own sister assassinated a court official; the Lin family and the Imperial Guards are doomed!
The brother and sister, one afraid and the other even more afraid, awkwardly stared at each other through the curtain.
After struggling for a while, Lin Cuiyue decided to take him back and interrogate him while also informing His Highness the Crown Prince.
Having made up his mind, he glanced at the crab claw, signaling her to obediently catch the carriage and follow.
Xie Ao understood his meaning, gripped the whip tightly, and thought to himself that he couldn't arrest people here; he should go to the Shen residence and drag Shen Congyun down with him! It was Madam Shen who had committed the crime!
Thinking this, she raised her whip and made up her mind—even if it takes an ox to run itself to death, she must take the young lady to the Shen family!
However, Lin Cuiyue saw through her little trick at a glance, gave her a look, and the Imperial Guards rode forward to block her way.
Alright, she was completely at her wit's end. Lin Huaiyin gave up her illusions and began to wonder if she could talk about that nightmare, and to what extent she should talk about it, in case her older brother didn't believe her. Unexpectedly, a figure suddenly darted out from the side, ran up to Lin Cuiyue, and spread his arms like wings.
"Big brother!"
Upon hearing the call from the newcomer, Lin Cuiyue's face flushed red, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the reins.
Lin Huaiyin, who was inside the car, also jumped and almost bit her tongue.
The person who came was Su Jinggui, her childhood sweetheart and the only son of the Su family with whom she was once engaged.
Why is he here? What is he here for?
Lin Huaiyin was in a state of utter confusion.
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