The first to raise the alarm were the maids and servants who rose early to sweep the courtyard.
They discovered a scattered pile of undergarments at the entrance to the servants' quarters and were immediately horrified. They rushed to report the matter to the head matron, Mother Sun, in the general's wife's courtyard.
Mother Sun arrived with her team to investigate and found that these were all garments belonging to the young lady currently residing in the household. She immediately broke down the door to apprehend the culprit.
Upon entering, they were forced back by a foul stench. Covering their noses, they looked inside and found Steward Qian lying unconscious in a pool of vomit, his eyes rolled back.
He was clutching several silk-embroidered undergarments in his arms!
Since the young mistress had married, the only one in the household who wore such youthful styles was the visiting cousin.
For an unmarried young lady to be involved in such a scandal could ruin her reputation!
It might even cost someone their life!
Furious, Mother Sun first ordered the scene to be sealed off. All servants who knew about the incident were confined to the room and forbidden to leave. Then she had Steward Qian bound and taken to the madam's courtyard for judgment.
When Mother Sun's people dragged Steward Qian into Jiang Lizhu's courtyard, both Jiang Ningxin and Lin Siqi had already arrived.
General Lin Yuanduo and Young General Lin Jingxing had left early for military training at the camp and were not home.
However, Lin Siqi had been granted extended leave to recuperate at home due to a lingering cough caused by distress over an incident two years ago. Hearing of trouble at home and concerned for his mother's health, he had come immediately to assess the situation.
Jiang Ningxin, upon receiving the report, had been so overwhelmed with fury and shame that she nearly fainted. She rushed to the main courtyard, threw herself into the arms of General's wife Jiang Lizhu, and began weeping.
"Aunt, you must stand up for Xin'er. If this matter gets out, Xin'er won't be able to go on living."
Her personal maid Liang'er knelt on the ground, crying as well: "Madam, our young lady has always been chaste and proper. She has never encountered such filth before. Her own mother passed away early, and she has always regarded you as her own mother. You must stand up for her."
The younger maid Cui'er stood by, supporting Jiang Ningxin with a look of indignation: "Exactly! Our young lady is not like the second young lady, who flouts convention and pays no heed to gossip. A single word of rumor can be enough to drown a person!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Siqi's expression, which had been impassive, sharpened. "Father established a rule that this matter is not to be mentioned again in the household. Since when was this rule changed without my knowledge?"
Cui'er pressed her lips together; though her face showed resentment, she dared not say more.
Jiang Lizhu's heart softened at her niece's tears, and she too began to cry, drawing Jiang Ningxin into her embrace to comfort her: "Don't worry, Xin'er. There's no need to be afraid. Your aunt will definitely stand up for you."
Mother Sun added, "All the servants who know about this have been confined to that room. Everyone has signed a pledge—if the news leaks, they will be punished collectively. No one would dare spread rumors. You can rest assured, young lady."
Hearing this, Jiang Ningxin sniffled and leaned against Jiang Lizhu's shoulder, casting a teary glance at Lin Siqi. "Brother Siqi, I'm sorry you have to see such a disgraceful scene."
"Life is full of encounters with wicked people. You need not take it to heart," Lin Siqi replied.
He then turned his gaze to Steward Qian, who was bound tightly in the courtyard. The man remained unconscious with his eyes rolled back, his face bruised and swollen from the beating by Mother Sun's people, his body filthy and reeking of foul odor.
The servant who had tied him up splashed several ladles of cold water over his head and slapped his face several times. Seeing that he still hadn't regained consciousness, the servant knelt and reported:
"Steward Qian has drunk too much alcohol and might have passed out. I'm afraid we'll need to summon a physician to perform acupuncture to restore his consciousness."
Cui'er was furious:
"It must be this cunning slave who, emboldened by drink, dared to steal our young lady's clothes! He truly deserves death! We should have the physician wake him with needles, then beat him to death to vent our anger!"
Jiang Lizhu, who had long prayed to Buddha for her husband and son on the battlefield, was unwilling to engage in such torment. Her eyes turned toward her second son, waiting for him to make a decision.
Lin Siqi then walked over to the unconscious Steward Qian, whose eyes were rolled back, and carefully examined him.
Before entering the Hanlin Academy, he had assisted at the Ministry of Justice in organizing case files and had handled several cases.
Thus, with just one glance, he detected the suspicious aspects of this matter.
According to Matron Sun, Steward Qian had stolen over a dozen undergarments. With such a large quantity, the maids in Jiang Ningxin's courtyard would surely have noticed quickly.
Since neither Liang'er nor Cui'er were aware, it could only have happened last night.
That made it even more unreasonable.
Their General Residence held a special status, with more patrolling guards and watchmen than most households.
Even if Steward Qian were sober, he couldn't possibly evade all the guards and sneak into Jiang Ningxin's room unnoticed, let alone in such a drunken, incoherent state where he couldn't even walk straight.
Perhaps someone else had stolen the clothes and left them in the room to frame him.
The thought that someone could move freely within the General Residence without being detected made Lin Siqi's expression grow more cautious.
"Summon a physician immediately for acupuncture," he ordered.
A servant promptly scurried off to fetch the physician.
Lin Siqi intended to wake the man and interrogate him thoroughly.
However, when the physician removed Steward Qian's clothing, Lin Siqi's expression suddenly changed.
Steward Qian's body was covered in blue and purple bruises, evidence of a severe beating. Cui'er was still muttering that he should be beaten daily once he woke up.
But Lin Siqi stepped closer, carefully observing the bruises.
They seemed to have formed at different times?
Moreover, the deepest footprint-shaped bruise on his chest looked somewhat familiar?
Lin Siqi fell silent. As Steward Qian suddenly gasped for breath under the physician's needles, he instructed the surrounding servants:
"Take this man to my room and tie him up. I will interrogate him personally."
Jiang Lizhu, seeing how seriously he was taking Jiang Ningxin's matter, felt greatly relieved. Patting Jiang Ningxin's back, she said, "With your Siqi brother helping, you can set your heart at ease."
A faint smile touched Jiang Ningxin's lips as she timidly and obediently replied, "Okay."
But Lin Siqi paid no attention to their words. His usually calm mind was now occupied with various conjectures, all pointing to that heartbreaking figure from his memories—the one whose mere thought pained him.
Someone who could move freely within the General Residence.
And who, like his elder brother Lin Jingxing, habitually struck three inches below the throat when fighting.
Could it be her?
Not daring to delay, Lin Siqi immediately took the man back to his room.
Liang'er leaned close to Jiang Ningxin to comfort her:
"I've never seen the Second Young Master so urgent. He truly holds our young lady in high regard!"
Jiang Ningxin shyly buried her face in Jiang Lizhu's shoulder, making Jiang Lizhu and Matron Sun exchange glances and burst into laughter.
Jiang Lizhu comforted her niece for quite some time. By the time Jiang Ningxin returned to her own courtyard, Liang'er and Cui'er were already laden with jewelry that Jiang Lizhu had given to console her.
"This design is something I've never seen before—it must be the latest fashion in the capital city!"
Liang'er gazed at the items in the box, her eyes sparkling.
Cui'er, on the other hand, lifted her chin proudly:
"With that one gone, our young lady naturally becomes the apple of the madam's eye. Did you see how anxious Second Master was today? He was practically flying on his feet!"
Jiang Ningxin smiled faintly: "What do you mean 'gone'? Isn't she enjoying a life of leisure in that Heir Apparent's rear courtyard?" After saying this, she cast a cold glance at Cui'er:
"Watch your tongue from now on. The entire residence avoids mentioning my dear sister—why are you babbling nonsense? If there's a next time, you'll be dragged away and slapped."
Cui'er quickly lowered her head and meekly replied, "This maid won't dare again."
Returning to her room, Jiang Ningxin grew furious at the thought of Steward Qian's disgusting, greasy hands rummaging through her wardrobe. She immediately ordered servants to discard all the clothes inside.
After everything was settled, she rested on the couch with a cup of tea, when suddenly she felt something wasn't quite right about the whole affair.
But after turning it over in her mind, she still couldn't pinpoint what it was.
She then sent Liang'er to Lin Siqi's courtyard to investigate, instructing her to report back everything the steward had confessed.
In contrast to the chaos at the General Residence, things remained peaceful overnight at White Cloud Temple.
The next day, after Lin Ruochu and Jinyu had lunch together, a Kun Dao from the temple sent someone to summon them for temple cleaning duties.
This kind of work shouldn't have fallen to them, but the temple's managing personnel seemed intent on making things difficult, having assigned them numerous similar chores.
Lin Ruochu told Jinyu to go ahead first, remaining alone in the room where she removed her clothing to carefully examine her chest and back.
Finding her skin still pristine without a single scar, she couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.
The spiritual medicine given by the Female Ghost was truly remarkable—with effects like this, calling it life-restoring wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Just as she was marveling at this, sudden cramps shot through her lower abdomen.
The pain became unbearable, as if her internal organs were burning.
Clutching her stomach, she collapsed pale-faced onto the floor.