“Make sure everyone knows that Sixth Young Master Huo Feng, before even getting married, has been carrying on an affair with his fiancée’s half-sister—a faithless, promiscuous man devoid of loyalty.”
“When the fire broke out, he showed no sense of responsibility as a man, actually abandoning a woman to her fate—a shameless scoundrel…”
“In short, portray this Young Master Huo in the worst possible light. Make sure everyone knows he’s an utterly wicked villain who doesn’t deserve to be called human!”
“Let all people shake their heads at the mere mention of him, immediately associating him with the label ‘scumbag’.”
“You two should seize this opportunity to thoroughly ruin the reputation of the Sixth Young Master of Jing Wang Manor, making him too ashamed to show his face in public ever again.”
The two maids were extremely loyal, raising no objections to Lin Pianran’s decision whatsoever.
They obediently nodded in agreement, “We’ll follow your instructions completely, Young Miss! We’ll definitely accomplish this.”
Lin Pianran took out twenty taels of silver, giving ten to each, “This is your reward for being clever and quick-witted!”
The two maids exchanged glances, happily accepting, “Thank you, Young Miss!”
Then they vanished in an instant, off to spread the news everywhere.
In just one night, a series of vicious incidents had occurred: throat-slitting murder, theft, snake bites injuring people, and fires burning victims.
It was like pouring a bowl of water into boiling oil—constant turmoil.
Many people were like startled birds, filled with anxiety and fear.
Everyone closely watched for follow-up developments in these events.
When Consort De heard that her mother had been brutally murdered with her throat slit, she was overcome with grief.
As the youngest daughter of the Lin family, she had been Old Madam Lin’s most beloved child, even more so than her two elder brothers.
The tragic death of Old Madam Lin caught her completely off guard.
Who could have done this?
She wept bitterly for a long time, her eyes now red and swollen.
How could she possibly swallow this insult?
She secretly vowed to find the murderer and have them torn limb from limb.
After freshening up, she went to request an audience with Qin Wudi.
Moved by her filial devotion, Qin Wudi permitted her to bring two princesses to pay respects to Old Madam Lin.
Consort De knelt before Qin Wudi, her face sorrowful as she wept, “Your Majesty, you are this humble consort’s heaven. Now that such tragedy has befallen my maternal family, I beg you to grant me justice! Wuwuwu…”
“My mother always treated others with kindness, never offending anyone, yet she suffered this violent death. How can I, as her daughter, bear this! Wuwuwu…”
“You must order the Ministry of Justice and Dali Temple to capture the murderer and secure justice for my mother! We cannot let such an evil-doer roam free!”
“At the Royal Hunting Ground, there’s actually been a series of horrifying incidents.”
“First wild wolves attacked people during the day, then at night there were deliberate snake releases harming people, theft of property, the brutal murder of a minister’s birth mother, and arson attacks—one after another.”
“This humble consort believes these cases reveal the camp’s defensive capabilities to be utterly inadequate, and the Yulin Jun’s night patrols have proven completely ineffective. This has allowed these criminals to operate so brazenly, committing crimes consecutively without fear.”
“I boldly speculate that these might all be the work of the same group of people.”
“Their audacious and arrogant actions stem from two reasons: first, the inadequate defense of the camp lacks deterrent effect; second, they completely disregard the authorities. This is a challenge to the imperial authority!…”
“Your Majesty, the murderer must be brought to justice to uphold the court’s discipline!…”
After Consort De finished her impassioned plea, she remained prostrated for a long time without rising.
Qin Wudi looked down at the grief-stricken Consort De and spoke with authority, “I will order the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice to apprehend the criminal as soon as possible. For now, you should go pay your respects to Old Madam Lin. The deceased is gone! Do not grieve excessively—you must take care of your health…”
After this reassurance, Consort De finally left, satisfied.
The sorrow on her face faded slightly.
Her eyes were filled with thick calculation.
She hoped her earlier words would allow her schemes to succeed.
It was not in vain that she had used her mother’s tragic death to advance her agenda.
She would wait a few more days to see the results!
Qin Wudi then summoned the head of the Shadow Guard and commanded, “Have people closely monitor the developments of this matter. I want to see who is stirring up trouble behind the scenes!”
After giving the order, his expression turned as dark as water, with murderous intent spreading relentlessly in his eyes.
The events of the past two days were filled with strangeness and unpredictability.
Even earlier, there had been signs that some matters were slipping from his control.
As an ambitious emperor with great talent and bold vision, his policy was “internal consolidation and external expansion.”
In external affairs, he had a sharp blade—Wei Zixing—to help him pacify the barbarians and other nations.
Over the years, he had used this blade effectively, and it had demonstrated its invincible value.
Thus, in recent years, although he no longer supported and relied on Empress Wei’s faction as heavily as before, he had never deliberately suppressed them.
A month ago, however, Wei Zixing suddenly disappeared on his way back to Jing under imperial decree and had been missing ever since.
Though furious, Qin Wudi could find no useful information.
Although Wei Zixing’s nephew, Bai Wuji, was also brave and skilled in battle, he was still young.
He had just turned eighteen last year and, while showing promise as a formidable force on the battlefield, was inexperienced and needed more training.
For now, Qin Wudi could not do without Wei Zixing.
He did not wish for anything to happen to him.
This blade still had to help him expand his territory and realize his ambitious dreams.
Internally, he rejected the Laozi’s doctrine of inaction, promoted Confucianism, and adopted a centralized system to firmly grasp imperial power.
Any minor disturbance in the court could hardly escape his notice.
Lately, he had grown highly suspicious, viewing everyone as a potential suspect—except for Empress Wei’s faction.
Wei Zixing was the pillar of Empress Wei’s faction; they would never undermine their own foundation.
He even suspected his other sons.
He dared not let his guard down in the slightest.
Perhaps the events of last night would allow him to detect traces of the hidden hand behind it all.
Thinking this, he ordered the elderly eunuch beside him, “Summon the Dali Temple Minister Chen Yanshu, the Shangshu of Ministry of Justice Wan Moxuan, and the Yulin Jun Commander Liu Quan’an for an audience!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The elderly eunuch dashed out swiftly to relay the order.
Soon, the news that the emperor had personally ordered the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice to investigate the case quickly spread like wildfire.
The Ministry of Justice promptly obtained search warrants and began searching various residences and compounds for the stolen goods.
However, after all that effort, with nearly a thousand constables mobilized, they still came up empty-handed.
It was as if the missing items had vanished into thin air.
The authorities were also at a loss, and the case came to a standstill, making no further progress.
After noon.
The Lin family cleared out a large courtyard and temporarily set it up as a mourning hall for people to come and pay their respects.