Chapter 198 The Plague
Xie Zhenting's anger surged in his chest, veins throbbed on his forehead, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. Slander! This was blatant slander!
How could his Ning girl do such a heinous thing?!
But the person rebuking him was Lin Zhijie! His deceased wife's father! His nominal father-in-law!
He couldn't be hit, and he couldn't be scolded too harshly either! The frustration was driving him to the brink of explosion!
"father in law!"
Xie Zhenting's voice was forced out through clenched teeth, "This matter... there must be a misunderstanding! Ning'er... she would never..."
"Misunderstand?!"
Lin Zhijie jumped up like an old cat whose tail had been stepped on, pointing at Xie Zhenting's nose, spitting almost onto his face, "Xie Zhenting! You're still protecting that vicious bastard?! A misunderstanding?! What misunderstanding could have infected my entire Lin family with this deadly disease!"
He turned to the crowd and said, “You be the judge! I, Lin Zhijie, have spent my life practicing medicine and helping people. When have I ever made such a deep grudge against anyone? Only Xie Sangning! Only she! She hates that our Lin family has not helped her or stood up for her for the past ten years!”
"She's taking revenge! Blatant revenge! She wants to wipe out my Lin family line, to make it completely extinct!"
The crowd erupted in uproar!
Countless gazes were fixed on the tightly closed carriage curtain, filled with shock, fear, and disdain.
Just then, a hesitant voice rang out from the crowd: "But...but...Old Master Lin, didn't we hear a few days ago that Miss Xie generously gave the Lin family a large sum of money to tide them over? If she really intended to take revenge...why did she give them money?"
The speaker was a middle-aged man with an honest-looking face.
This question calmed down some of the emotions that had been stirred up.
Yes, it doesn't seem logically sound.
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhijie's face immediately showed even more grief and indignation, even tinged with sarcasm: "Silver?"
He let out a bitter laugh, "Hahaha... What is that little bit of silver to Miss Xie? To Xie Sangning, who is richer than a country, it's just a drop in the ocean! What did she buy by giving away that little bit of money? She bought a reputation for benevolence! She bought silence from the gossip! She made everyone think that Xie Sangning was extremely kind and righteous!"
He pointed sharply at the plaque hanging high above the general's mansion, his voice rising abruptly with accusation: "She just wants to use these petty favors to lull the world into a false sense of security and cover up the malice in her heart!"
"Once everyone thinks she's kind and benevolent, she'll secretly send this deadly doctor and this deadly poison to my Lin family! She'll wipe out the entire Lin family, and she'll still have a good reputation! Tell me! How vicious and insidious is she?!"
He managed to make perfect sense of logic in his accusations!
The crowd erupted in chaos once again!
Many people who were initially hesitant now looked at the General's Mansion with fear and disgust!
"Oh my god... so that's how it is..."
"That's terrifying! They even dared to attack their own maternal grandfather's family!"
"So Miss Xie has such a vicious mind..."
"For the sake of reputation, they even harm their own family... It's truly..."
The murmurs buzzed like flies, and malicious speculations grew wildly like poisonous vines.
Just then, the carriage curtain was gently lifted from the inside by a slender hand.
With her face as pale as paper, Xie Sangning slowly stepped down from the carriage with Ru Chun's help.
Her steps were unsteady, and her body swayed precariously, as if a gust of wind could blow her over.
Those eyes were now filled with disbelief and sorrow.
She looked at the hysterical Lin Zhijie, then at the "weak" coughing and evasive Lin Wantang, and finally at the unfamiliar faces pointing and whispering about her. A single, crystal-clear tear finally slipped down her pale cheek.
"Grandpa..." This address was filled with filial piety and grievance. "You...you slandered me like this in public. Are you trying to...try to drive me to my death?"
She took a deep breath, as if using all her strength: "I, Xie Sangning! I swear to heaven! I have never done such a heinous thing! I never even thought of causing the Lin family to be infected with the plague! The plague is a natural disaster, and once it spreads, it will cause immense suffering! Even if I, Xie Sangning, am torn to pieces, I cannot bear this eternal infamy! The Lin family... is my closest blood relatives!"
Her accusations were sincere and heartfelt, every word dripping with grief.
That grief-stricken and desperate look in his eyes, that fragile and precarious appearance, instantly touched the hearts of some onlookers.
Yes, it's true. How is it any different from killing a woman who is accused in public by her own family and whose reputation is ruined?
"Father!" Xie Sangning suddenly turned to Xie Zhenting, "Please go to the palace immediately! Immediately! Beg His Majesty! Send imperial physicians! Send the best imperial physicians to the Lin family! Examine them carefully! Investigate thoroughly! See if the Lin family has contracted an epidemic! If it is indeed an epidemic, be sure to request the imperial physicians to treat the Lin family!"
Xie Zhenting felt as if his heart was being torn apart when he saw his daughter's pale and desperate face!
His eyes instantly welled up with tears. What a load of rubbish about his father-in-law, what a load of rubbish about his reputation—none of that mattered at that moment!
All he knew was that his precious daughter had been driven to the brink! Even if Ruyue knew, she would surely disobey her father!
"Alright! Ning'er! Father will go right now!" Xie Zhenting roared, "Bring me my horse! Quickly!!"
The sound of horses' hooves rang out rapidly, quickly disappearing at the end of the long street, heading straight for the palace.
An eerie stalemate ensued in front of the general's mansion.
Lin Zhijie and Lin Wantang felt extremely conflicted looking at Xie Sangning's "heartbreaking" appearance. Her acting skills were truly unmatched.
Lin Wantang coughed lightly to cover her expression, afraid of giving herself away.
Lin Zhijie still maintained an expression of deep grief and indignation, as if he might faint from anger at any moment.
Lin Wantang leaned weakly against her maid, coughing incessantly, her mouth tightly covered with a handkerchief.
Xie Sangning was protected in the middle by Ru Chun and several loyal servants. She lowered her head and her shoulders trembled slightly, as if she was crying silently, letting the surrounding gazes, whether sympathetic, questioning, or indifferent, scrutinize her.
——
Inside the Imperial Study, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.
Pei Yan was reviewing memorials and seemed to be in a good mood.
Desheng Gonggong stood by.
The silence was broken by hurried footsteps.
A young eunuch entered and reported: "Your Majesty! General Xie Zhenting, the Protector of the Nation, requests an audience! He says it is an extremely urgent matter!"
Pei Yan frowned slightly, put down the vermilion brush, and a hint of barely perceptible annoyance flashed in his eyes: "Xie Zhenting? He just returned to the capital, what trouble is he causing now? Let him in!"
A moment later, Xie Zhenting strode in, not even having time to perform the full curtsy, and knelt down on one knee with a thud, his voice urgent and hoarse: "Your Majesty! Your subject Xie Zhenting deserves to die! I beg Your Majesty to immediately send the imperial physician! Send the best imperial physician to the Lin family!"
Pei Yan was taken aback by his appearance: "The Lin family? What happened? Why is Xie Qing so panicked?"
"Your Majesty!" Xie Zhenting raised his head, his tiger-like eyes filled with tears.
"My father-in-law, Lin Zhijie, along with my niece Lin Wantang, blocked the gate of my residence this morning, accusing my daughter Sang Ning... Sang Ning... she deliberately let a wolf into the house, and the divine physician she sent was the real culprit... causing the entire Lin family to be infected with a deadly epidemic! Now she has a high fever and is coughing up blood, and her life is hanging by a thread!"
"What?!"
Pei Yan suddenly stood up from the dragon throne, his face instantly filled with horror!
An epidemic?!
This is no small matter! Especially in the capital city, a crucial location! If it gets out of control, the consequences will be unimaginable!
"Really?! Who made the diagnosis?!" he demanded sharply.
"It was Lin Zhijie herself who said it, and a doctor has also given her a preliminary examination..." Xie Zhenting hurriedly replied, adding urgently, "But my daughter Sang Ning vehemently denies this accusation! She swears on her life that this is absolutely not true! She also implores Your Majesty to send the head of the Imperial Medical Academy and a team of skilled imperial physicians to the Lin family for a thorough investigation!"
"If it weren't for the plague... I beg Your Majesty to restore my innocence!"
Pei Yan's pupils contracted slightly, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts.
Have the Xie and Lin families fallen out? Xie Sangning is accused of using the plague to harm her maternal clan?
If this charge is proven true, Xie Sangning and the entire Xie family will be utterly disgraced!
At this moment, Pei Yan actually hoped that it really was an epidemic.
It's unclear when it started, but Pei Yan's hatred and fear of Xie Sangning had caused him to lose his rationality as a ruler.
"Desheng!" Pei Yan ordered in a deep voice, "Immediately issue an imperial decree! Order the Imperial Medical Academy to lead the Right Chief Physician and three imperial physicians skilled in epidemic diseases to the Lin residence at top speed! Conduct a thorough examination! There must be no mistakes! Report back immediately with any results!"
"As you command!" Eunuch Desheng bowed and accepted the order, then quickly withdrew to make arrangements.
Pei Yan looked at Xie Zhenting, who was still kneeling on the ground, his eyes flashing with a light that was hard to discern as genuine or feigned, and sighed: "Minister Xie, rise. This matter... I will certainly handle it impartially. If the Lin family is indeed suffering from an epidemic, I will investigate thoroughly! If anyone is deliberately slandering... I will not let them off lightly!"
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!" Xie Zhenting kowtowed heavily, his heart filled with trepidation.
He only hoped that the imperial physician would arrive soon to prove Ning'er's innocence!
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