Zheng Lin, however, was not afraid of Hongli. His thoughts were always clear, and he wasn't afraid to let others know. Just as he was about to speak, Su Yushan stepped forward, blocking his way, and spoke to Hongli first:
"I'm not going anywhere, I'll just stay in the manor, Fourth Master, this is a misunderstanding." As she spoke, Su Yushan gave Zheng Lin a meaningful look.
"You go back first, I will explain to Fourth Master."
The last time in the western suburbs could be considered a coincidence, but for the two to dare meet in a back alley today—Hongli was not one to tolerate such a thing. He glanced at Zheng Lin, his eyes flashing with cold light.
"Zheng Lin is still up to his old tricks, coveting my woman. Do you think I'll let him go?"
In fact, Zheng Lin did not intend to leave alone. He looked at Su Yushan with deep affection in his eyes, "If we're going to leave, we'll leave together. I won't let you stay here and suffer anymore."
Su Yushan felt a headache coming on. "Young Master Zheng, please stop talking. The more you talk, the more confusing it gets. I can't explain it to you at all!"
She was just thinking about how to tell Hongli about this when Hongli saw the letter in her hand and snatched it away.
When he saw the words on the letter, Hongli's dark eyes narrowed slightly, his knuckles trembled involuntarily, and he angrily tore it up, his eyes filled with disappointment as he glared at her.
"Su Yushan! How dare you! You actually want to elope with someone?"
Sure enough, he misunderstood again!
Exhausted, Su Yushan patiently explained, "I didn't write this letter. Someone impersonated me to frame me. Just now, someone told me that my sister was looking for me. I thought something had happened at home, so I rushed over. I didn't expect to see Zheng Lin here. It's obvious that someone set this up."
She thought she had explained it very clearly, but to her surprise, Hongli treated her coldly and didn't take her words seriously at all. "Keep making things up!"
"I didn't make this up, everything I said is true!" she vehemently denied, but Hongli no longer dared to believe her.
Who can vouch for you?
"I..." Only then did Su Yushan realize that Chang Yue wasn't in the manor, and Xiao Ru had gone to deliver the handkerchief. She was completely alone at the time. In her panic, she suddenly remembered someone...
"That servant, the servant who delivered this message to me, he's definitely up to something!"
Li Yu hurriedly said, "May I ask, Your Highness, what is that servant's name? I will go find him right away."
She was too anxious at the time to ask his name. "I don't know his name, but I remember what he looked like. He was thin, had dark skin, was half a head taller than me, and looked to be about twenty or thirty years old."
She only glanced at it twice and didn't examine it closely, so she doesn't remember it very clearly.
Without any distinctive facial features, it would be difficult to find them, given the large number of servants in the mansion. However, this matter was of great importance, and the Fourth Prince insisted on investigating. Li Yu had no choice but to gather the servants and have Su Gege identify them.
There were forty-two men in the household, ten of whom were over forty years old. Li Yu summoned the remaining thirty-odd men, and Su Yushan identified them one by one. However, she did not see the person who had delivered the message earlier, which surprised her.
Are all the people here?
Li Yu replied truthfully, "One of them went home to observe mourning five days ago, and two others went out to buy things. Those are Afeng and Agui. You should recognize them, Princess. The rest of the people under forty are all here."
After searching around, she still couldn't find the person she had seen. What could she do? She couldn't just falsely accuse someone else to clear her own name, could she?
After much deliberation, she finally decided not to lie and shook her head in disappointment, "Neither."
Left with no other choice, Li Yu had to send everyone away.
During this time, Hongli's heart remained in suspense. He hoped it was truly a misunderstanding, but having already examined everyone in the household, he couldn't find the supposed messenger. This caused his heart to sink deeper and deeper, his disappointment in her growing, and he gritted his teeth in hatred.
"Su Yushan! What else do you have to say?"
Seeing Su Yushan in danger, Zheng Lin, unwilling to see her blamed, took the initiative to take responsibility, saying, "This was all my idea. I wanted to see her, so I had someone make up lies to find her. She didn't know beforehand."
Although he meant well, Su Yushan wouldn't accept his kindness. She bluntly explained the situation to him, "Young Master Zheng, why should you take responsibility for something you didn't do? You are also a victim in this matter. We should try to find the culprit, not take the blame!"
Upon hearing the word "we," Hongli's anger flared, and he sneered, "What a 'deep affection, true love revealed in times of trouble'! Su Yushan, what do you take me for? A witness to your love?"
Before he could finish speaking, Hongli angrily smashed the teacup in his hand. The broken teacup shattered and splashed on the ground, the crisp sound sending shivers down one's spine.
Su Yushan was startled by his sudden action. Zheng Lin instinctively turned around and stood in front of her, afraid that the shards would hurt her.
Seeing this, Hongli became even more furious, secretly hating himself for becoming a laughing stock!
Even though she was terrified, Su Yushan still had to make her point clear: "Fourth Master, can you please let me finish what I have to say? Zheng Lin's letter was forged by someone else, and the person who delivered the message to me was also lying. They deliberately put me and him together so that you would see it, making you suspicious of me and sowing discord between us."
Hongli desperately wanted what she said to be true, but unfortunately she didn't even have a witness. "Everything must be based on evidence. If you have no evidence to prove what you said, then you are lying!"
Being repeatedly framed, Su Yushan was both anxious and angry. Her eyes were red with anger, and her voice trembled noticeably. "I didn't lie. Everything I said is true. Why won't you believe me?"
Because they had once been engaged, because Su Yushan had quarreled with him for Zheng Lin, those past events, like a venomous snake, constantly coiled around Hongli, suffocating him. Suppressing his heartache, Hongli roared fiercely.
"Because this is the second time. I trusted you once, but you betrayed my trust and got entangled with him. How do you think I'll feel?"
Slamming his fist on the armrest, Hongli said no more and immediately ordered, "Guards! Lock Zheng Lin up and interrogate him separately!"
Driven by his male pride, Hongli hated Zheng Lin. He knew that if Zheng Lin fell into his hands, he would surely suffer. Su Yushan, unwilling to implicate Zheng Lin, couldn't help but plead for him.
“Young Master Zheng is innocent, let him go! If you want to punish someone, then punish me.”
Hongli was already annoyed, and upon hearing her plead for him, he became even more jealous. He glared at her and angrily questioned, "What? Feeling sorry for him? Haven't you already forgotten him? How I treat him is none of your business."
This wasn't out of pity, but rather her instinct: "Even if he's just an ordinary person, I can't just stand by and watch him be wronged."
No matter what she says now, Hongli thinks she's acting. His eyes are bloodshot but indifferent as he looks at her. "I will no longer believe your one-sided story!"
Seeing this, Zheng Lin felt even more deeply that Su Yushan was devoted to him and was even more unwilling to let go. Feeling grateful, he gently advised, "Yushan, take care of yourself and don't plead for me anymore. Since I dared to come, I have no fear of the consequences."
He was indeed thinking of her, but after he said those words, she couldn't clear her name no matter what!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
