I want to punch Xiao Zhian for being love-struck.
Since her rebirth, Lin Huaiyin has never fought such a costly battle.
A small post station, two older brothers, and three thousand elite imperial guards.
There was no Xiao Zhian, no Princess Pingyang, no Shen Congyun, and no old hag from the Shen family. She was the queen of this little inn, able to walk horizontally, vertically, backwards, or even crawl.
If Yu Li were here, it would be perfect.
With the crab claws beside her, Lin Huaiyin thought of Yu Li.
Yu Li had been living in fear and anxiety, unable to enjoy a peaceful day for a long time. Lin Huaiyin felt deeply indebted to her. Now, thinking of Yu Li's foot injury, she recalled that Xuan Ge had always gone to take care of it. She had been too busy to think about it before, but now that Lin Huaiyin thought about it carefully, Yu Li seemed to have been mentioning Xuan Ge a lot lately, and had even prepared an extra large bowl, saying it was for Xuan Ge to drink tea...
Xuan Ge seems to be a general as well?
However, women of the Lin family only take in sons-in-law and do not marry outside the family.
Lin Huaiyin squinted, preparing to greet Xuan Ge with a bow and arrow the next time she saw him.
She stood there lost in thought. The Imperial Guards assumed she was recalling the heartbreaking events of last year's Shangsi Festival and was feeling melancholy. Knowing the fierce nature of the Lin family, they knew it was absolutely impossible to persuade her to leave. They had already prepared everything overnight.
A golden thorn whip was quietly handed to Lin Huaiyin.
A soldier from the Imperial Guard approached and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Third Miss, there are fruits, tea, and snacks, as well as swords, in the tent ahead. Please take a seat, and we will bring the thief here for you to deal with as you see fit."
Upon hearing this, Lin Huaiyin nodded happily, took the whip, and turned to lead Xie Ao and the accompanying imperial guards.
She couldn't refuse everyone's good intentions, even if it meant abusing her power, disregarding military discipline, and possibly being punished by her older brother. But since everyone had decided to do it this way, Lin Huaiyin naturally had to go along with it.
If something happens, she'll take the blame. The older brother can't very well beat her with a baton, and since he can't hit her, he can't hit anyone else either.
My older brother is a great general; we can't favor one over the other, or be unreasonable in protecting our own. Lin Huaiyin felt very reassured.
So, inside the tent, Lin Huaiyin sat comfortably, with Xie Ao holding a stack of fruit, while the Imperial Guards gripped their whips tightly.
The White Lotus Rebels, chained together, came to Lin Huaiyin. At first, everyone thought she would kill them indiscriminately to vent her anger, but then she stated that she would only target the culprits from last year. The Imperial Guards then grabbed the rebels by the hair one by one, washed their faces with water, and showed them to Lin Huaiyin.
These traitors suffered a crushing defeat last night and were severely punished by the Imperial Guards. Now they are all dejected and look utterly inhuman.
Lin Huaiyin, carrying memories of two lifetimes, had long since etched the thief's appearance into her very bones. She knew this was a golden opportunity to bring down Shen Congyun, and she carefully observed every face that came out.
She remembers a total of thirty-five faces.
There were two groups of thieves. One group kidnapped people at the foot of Jiufeng Mountain, while the other group was in the thieves' den and was responsible for guarding her.
Several of them had the characteristics of a minor leader in their appearance and behavior, especially the one who ran away before Shen Congyun arrived, who had a brown mole on his left eyebrow, a very distinctive feature.
At the time, everyone followed his orders. Lin Huaiyin vaguely remembered that when someone tried to grope her, the man with the mole intervened and berated the others for being reckless and that touching her was tantamount to courting death.
Then, the person who truly violated her was Shen Congyun.
Therefore, it is clear that the man with the mole was aware of Shen Congyun's arrangements; he was a key figure.
Lin Huaiyin remembered him, but she didn't know if he had died in the battle last night. Now that she had confirmed everything, she dared not blink.
One thousand three hundred and twenty-three people lined up to be identified.
From dawn to noon, from noon to midday, the sunlight shifts from slanting rays to direct rays, and shadows gradually intertwine.
Amidst the swirling dust, Lin Huaiyin recognized the eleven people, tied them up individually, and escorted them aside.
The Imperial Guards were eager to unleash a massacre, but Lin Huaiyin quickly said that they would be useful for interrogation, thus temporarily sparing these people from physical suffering.
They reaped considerable gains, but they were all just useless little rebels, not even a single leader among them.
Lin Huaiyin couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that last night, while focusing on killing the commanders, he accidentally wiped them all out?
If they can't be found, how can Shen Congyun be linked to the traitor?
Lin Huaiyin was unwilling to give up and asked to do it again after noon.
The Imperial Guards were starving, but they didn't complain at all. Even when food was brought to them, it just sat there uneaten. When the new troop that was relieved arrived, no one left.
Everyone listened carefully to her description of the features and helped her identify them.
The Imperial Guards, with their sharp eyes, circled the man, scrutinizing him and recording his features in unison, their voices rising and falling, stretching on and on, as if chanting—"Left eyebrow, a brown fleshy growth."
Suddenly, a hoarse exclamation burst from the crowd—"Found it!"
"Third Miss, come quick! I've found it!!!"
One of the Imperial Guards, his face flushed, kicked a skinny man to the ground, and the rest of the guards immediately made way for him.
Lin Huaiyin jumped up and ran over, where she saw a thin man on the ground, rolling around with his knees drawn up and groaning.
She crouched down and saw that a piece of flesh was hanging from the man's forehead to his left ear, as if it had been cut off during the battle last night. However, because the scalp was still attached, it looked like a horrifying sight of flesh and skin separated.
"Third Miss, look!"
The imperial guard ripped off the fleshy skin, revealing that it was sewn onto the scalp with fine thread.
"That's not his face!"
The imperial guards grabbed the thin man by the neck and twisted his face to show everyone—the tumor that hadn't been completely removed suddenly became visible.
"Well done! Excellent!"
Lin Huaiyin praised it loudly, as if she had found a treasure!
This person was so ruthless to himself, and even cut off other people's faces to hide his identity before being arrested. The inside story he knew was definitely beyond Lin Huaiyin's expectations!
Lin Huaiyin couldn't wait and wanted to find a place to interrogate him rigorously.
Her ambitions have now swelled. She not only wants to send Shen Congyun to hell, but she also has a vague feeling that if she follows the clues, she might even be able to expose Princess Pingyang as the mastermind behind everything.
If the evidence is conclusive and presented to Xiao Zhian, allowing him to witness firsthand how his sister brought disaster to the country and attempted to kill him, Lin Huaiyin does not believe that Xiao Zhian will remain obstinate.
That's great! Winning this battle is fantastic!
Lin Huaiyin's face flushed with excitement. Seeing her excitement, everyone was also thrilled, even though they didn't understand what was going on, and were eager to see what she would do next.
Just then, the clanging of hooves sounded as the Imperial Guards dismounted and brought news: "His Highness the Crown Prince is leading all officials down the mountain. Except for those ordered to guard the area, everyone else, hurry to greet him!"
"What? His Highness the Crown Prince has come down the mountain?"
Lin Huaiyin was shocked.
Isn't it still three days before we come down the mountain?
What happened to the three-day prayer period?
Xiao Zhian has arrived.
Princess Pingyang and all the officials have arrived.
She was now to kneel and greet them, but she also had to hide herself and avoid Princess Pingyang's spies.
The worst part is that if she sets off back to the capital tomorrow, she will have three fewer days to interrogate the man with the tumor. After that, she will have to travel day and night, and it will be difficult to get him to talk before she returns to the capital. If Princess Pingyang hears about it and tries to silence him, everything will be for nothing.
Lin Huaiyin became increasingly frightened and angry as she thought about it, wanting to smash Xiao Zhian's dog head in.
What on earth is he up to?
He gets unhappy if he doesn't tease her for a day?
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lin Huaiyin dared not speak out in anger, and could only instruct others to keep a close eye on the man with the tumor and wait for her to return for interrogation.
Since Shen Zaiyuan was also present, Lin Huaiyin told Xie'ao to go back to his room to avoid the situation, and then led a group of imperial guards to greet the emperor.
In front of the post station.
Xiao Zhian's half of the imperial carriage led the way, followed closely by Princess Pingyang, with a vast procession of officials stretching as far as the eye could see.
General Lin Cuiyue's "leg is broken," so he cannot come to see the emperor.
Lin Shifeng led the postmaster and a group of generals to greet them, and Lin Huaiyin followed from a distance, intending to kneel down with everyone.
When Xiao Zhian saw her, he was unwilling to let her kneel and felt sorry for her back injury, so he spoke first: "All of you, no need for formalities. Last night's battle was fierce and invincible, which greatly comforted me. I heard that Minister Lin is seriously injured, so I have ordered Lin Shifeng to temporarily take over his duties."
Lin Shifeng clasped his hands and stepped forward: "Your subject receives the decree. May Your Highness live a thousand years."
"Long live Your Highness!"
The soldiers shouted in unison.
Lin Huaiyin was petite and delicate; blending into the crowd was like being lost in a sea of people.
As usual, Xiao Zhian went to the low-lying area to look for her. When he found her, he thought he would see her eyes sparkling with joy at his arrival.
Because he missed her, he couldn't wait three days and was eager to come to her side. He thought that Lin Huaiyin was just as looking forward to seeing him.
When Xiao Zhian found Lin Huaiyin, he only saw her adorned with pearls and jade.
She lowered her head and didn't look at him.
Perhaps she's just shy.
Xiao Zhian thought: She was ashamed to look up at him in the crowd, and did not want people to know that they were in love.
But they were truly in love with each other, and they were still missing a promise.
Xiao Zhian decided that he would have a good talk with her before returning to the capital.
As the Crown Prince's entourage proceeded towards his residence, Xiao Zhian reluctantly turned his gaze away and temporarily departed.
Then Princess Pingyang walked by, surrounded by the crowd.
The two important figures left.
Lin Huaiyin slowly pushed forward to welcome Yu Li. Yu Li had a leg injury, and Lin Huaiyin wondered if they had arranged for her to get off in a carriage. Just thinking about walking all the way down made Lin Huaiyin's heart ache.
Yu Li is her person, so she should be in a very prominent position.
Lin Huaiyin stretched her neck several times.
The court officials walked by one by one, from the first-rank official to the fourth-rank official Shen Zaiyuan, but Yu Li did not appear for a long time.
No, something's not right.
Something's not right.
Lin Huaiyin's heart began to sink little by little.
The Imperial Guards on the left and right were assigned patrol duties and gradually withdrew. Fewer and fewer people were around her, and the number of people arriving at the post station was sparse, marking the end of the event.
Then came the Imperial Guards, who came last.
Upon seeing Lin Huaiyin, the Imperial Guards swarmed around her, surrounding her like stars around the moon.
They lowered their voices and said that although His Highness the Crown Prince had issued a gag order forbidding the spread of the news, many people had personally witnessed her jujube wood bow wreaking havoc on the battlefield last night halfway up the mountain.
They exaggerated their voices, praising Lin Huaiyin's archery skills as divine, saying she was a master archer who could slay traitors. They claimed that in last night's great battle, the female war goddess was far more reliable than the female mountain goddess!
The Imperial Guards were proud, honored, and honored that the Lin family had produced such a brilliant and talented person. They gathered together to praise Lin Huaiyin, and almost wanted to sing her a song.
The sunlight reflected off the armor of the Imperial Guards, creating a dazzling effect.
Lin Huaiyin's heart grew colder and colder.
They all saw it; were Princess Pingyang's spies and henchmen also...?
Just then, an old woman suddenly appeared in the distance and waved to her.
Those were Princess Pingyang's people.
Lin Huaiyin's eyes went unfocused, and her heart sank to the bottom.
It's over.
It's been exposed.
Lin Huaiyin and the Imperial Guards high-fived in celebration, and walked step by step toward the old nanny.
Her steps were unsteady, her body swayed, and her mind was buzzing.
The facts are very clear: last night, Princess Pingyang's men discovered that she was using an arrow. When the news was reported back, Princess Pingyang guessed that she was the murderer of Zhao Changji. Since she could not find her for the time being, she poisoned Yu Li.
Following the old nanny, Lin Huaiyin staggered and didn't know how she ended up in front of Princess Pingyang.
"Madam Shen."
Princess Pingyang raised her hand, gesturing for Lin Huaiyin to sit down.
Lin Huaiyin sat down, dazed and confused.
"There should be a lot to say between us."
Princess Pingyang picked some freshly picked flowers from the mountains, gently shook them, and fanned them to smell them.
"However, I am kind-hearted and understand your anxiety, so I will skip the pleasantries."
Princess Pingyang smiled radiantly, more beautiful than any flower.
"Madam Shen and Lord Shen are a perfect match, and they have a child together. Their love is the envy of me. I pity you for being taken by your brother, and I feel sorry for you for having no one to turn to. I am willing to fight for justice for you and Lord Shen."
Princess Pingyang admired Lin Huaiyin's pale face and laughed, "As long as Madam Shen returns to the capital and tells Father Emperor about this, I guarantee that your little thing will be safe and sound."
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