The news of the murder at the Ren residence spread like wildfire throughout all the mansions overnight.
People are paying more and more attention to this case, and all sorts of speculations and rumors are circulating.
The fact that Grandma Ren died tragically made the case a hot topic of discussion among everyone who knew about it, and soon it became known to all.
People also privately referred to Ren Chuanhe as the "Green-Headed General".
Rumors spread like wildfire, and many officials from the prefectural government and the Ministry of Justice, as well as many generals, heard about the matter. They all found excuses to come to Ren's residence, ostensibly to inquire about the case, but in reality, they came to watch the spectacle.
Ren Chuanhe's mother, Madam Ren, was so angry over the series of events that had occurred in the past two days that she almost lost her mind.
First, after the eldest son was married off in a marriage exchange, a group of frogs appeared in the bridal chamber, causing her to lose face in front of many relatives.
Immediately afterwards, all the money in the house disappeared, including all of Mrs. Ren's valuable jewelry and her dowry.
Now that her eldest daughter-in-law has been murdered and the suspect is her eldest son, Madam Ren has a new grudge against her, so she blames all the blame on the already deceased Lin Jinghui.
In front of everyone, Madam Ren spoke loudly without any restraint: "It's likely that Lin had a lover before she got married, which is why her lover infiltrated the mansion and raped and then killed her!"
These words were like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone present stunned.
Lin Daoqing, in particular, turned deathly pale instantly, as if the blood in his body had frozen at that moment.
"Shut up!" Ren Guiwang quickly stopped Madam Ren, his voice filled with obvious anger.
Madam Ren did not stop there. She merely restrained herself slightly and continued to mutter in a low voice, "You wretch, it's good that you're dead."
Lin Daoqing's anger surged to his head. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, almost unable to resist drawing it to kill the vicious woman on the spot.
He never imagined that Madam Ren would slander his daughter like this, blaming her death on her affair with an outsider, and even saying that she was killed by that man.
"General Ren," Lin Daoqing said to Ren Guiwang, suppressing his anger, "My daughter has always been well-behaved and sensible, never leaving the house. How could she possibly know any outsider lovers? This is clearly fabricated!" His voice trembled with anger.
Then, he turned to Lin Daowei and the other officials, his eyes burning with rage, "Your Excellencies, you must do everything in your power to find the real culprit, clear my daughter's name, and avenge her!"
"Yes, Second Brother." Lin Daowei replied. He looked at Ren Chuanhe and said loudly, "Second Brother, I have a suspect in mind."
Seeing Lin Daoqing's agitated state, Ren Guiwang quickly comforted him, saying, "Daoqing, there's no doubt that your daughter has no lover. Now that the case has occurred, we should calmly handle the aftermath, which will be beneficial for both our families."
To quell Lin Daoqing's anger, Ren Guiwang stepped forward and lowered his voice, telling him the truth: "Actually, Chuanhe wasn't there at the time. After you left, he stayed in the study, discussing the marriage exchange with me. So, you shouldn't suspect that Chuanhe was behind it."
After hearing Ren Guiwang's explanation, Lin Daoqing's anger subsided somewhat.
But he couldn't help but sigh: "Sigh, it's all my fault for agreeing to this marriage arrangement back then, otherwise so much trouble wouldn't have happened."
Ren Guiwang nodded in agreement: "Yes, if we hadn't exchanged marriages, perhaps we wouldn't have had so much trouble."
He paused briefly, then continued, "However, it's too late to say all this now. I suggest you send your mother and wife back to their residence first, and then come back so we can discuss your daughter's funeral arrangements and how to make amends for your family."
Ren Guiwang stood by the lake, the wailing of Granny Lin and Madam Cheng coming from the direction of the stable echoing in his ears. The sorrowful cries lingered in his ears like a demonic sound, making him feel extremely annoyed.
He frowned, cursing inwardly: These two women are such a nuisance, making a scene in my house.
The incessant wailing echoed through the Ren residence, making General Ren feel extremely unlucky, and he wished he could send them away immediately.
In order to get rid of the Lin family as soon as possible, Ren Guiwang smiled at Lin Daoqing and said, "Daoqing, you don't need to wait two more years. In a few days, I will arrange for your eldest son to join the Imperial Guard. This is a very rare and good job. He will be guarding the Emperor."
Lin Daoqing's eyes lit up upon hearing this. He knew, of course, that the Imperial Guards had excellent status and treatment, and that his family would be immensely honored if his son joined the Imperial Guards.
After a moment's thought, he immediately replied, "Yes, General Ren, thank you for giving my son this opportunity."
After receiving Lin Daoqing's affirmative reply, Ren Guiwang felt somewhat relieved.
He then suggested to Lin Daoqing, "Why don't you have your third brother take the officers and leave here to investigate the cause of Lin's death? If you can find the real culprit, that would be best; if you can't, you can't wrongly accuse my eldest son, after all, he was indeed discussing things with me in the study at the time."
Ren Guiwang frankly stated, "What I discussed with my eldest son at the time was the matter of a marriage exchange."
Lin Daoqing nodded, then turned and took a few steps, saying to Lin Daowei, "Third brother, take the men and leave the Ren residence first, then slowly investigate the cause of your second niece's death. Young Master Ren cannot be the murder suspect."
Lin Daowei glanced at Lin Daoqing, then at Ren Guiwang. Although somewhat reluctant, he still agreed, "Alright, Second Brother, I understand." With that, he waved his hand and hurriedly left the Ren residence with the officials from the government office.
As Lin Daowei walked, he thought to himself, "Your own daughter has been murdered, and you're not even worried, so why should I be?"
He was somewhat disappointed by Lin Daoqing's attitude, that he would actually use his own daughter's life to exchange for his eldest son's position. "Selling his daughter for personal gain is a disgrace to the Lin family."
He was dissatisfied but helpless, and could only do as his second brother instructed.
Lin Daoqing rushed to the stable and saw his wife and Cheng Shi still wailing there, and he couldn't help but feel anxious.
He stepped forward quickly and whispered, "The dead cannot be brought back to life. We still have to think about the living. If you keep crying and making a scene in the General's Mansion, you will anger the people there, and our family will be in trouble."
Old Mrs. Lin and Mrs. Cheng were terrified when they heard this. Their crying gradually stopped, but they still sobbed from time to time.
Lin Daoqing continued, "Ahui is such a pitiful child, but we can't just let it go. Now is a good opportunity. We can use her death to make some demands on the General's Mansion and also get Aqiao a good position."
Hearing this, Granny Lin and Madam Cheng felt that there was some truth to it, so they stopped crying, got up and walked outside. As they walked, they began to quietly discuss the conditions they wanted to ask the General's Mansion.
Old Mrs. Lin declared vehemently, "Since Ah Hui is dead, we can't let her die in vain. We want gold and silver, we want a promotion, we want..."
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