Taiji Hall
After receiving the Emperor’s promise, Lin Zhengbei clearly relaxed.
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for trusting this humble servant.”
He sincerely bowed to the Emperor.
The Emperor was almost speechless because of this reckless man.
When did I ever say I trusted him?
Lin Zhengbei simply assumed things on his own, and he was surprisingly good at twisting people’s words.
Forget it.
There was no point arguing with someone who was about to die.
“General Shi, what are you waiting for? Do you expect me to issue another imperial order?”
Just because the Emperor did not argue with Lin Zhengbei did not mean he was not angry.
He simply took his frustration out on Shi Yue.
“This humble servant obeys.”
Shi Yue knew the Emperor was venting his anger on him.
He quickly accepted the order and left the hall.
The earlier argument had taken a long time, and by now it was already time to end the morning court session.
Normally, the officials would head to the dining hall prepared for them to eat breakfast.
But today, no one even dared to mention it.
The entire Taiji Hall was silent.
Only Chen Yuanqing was still kneeling on the floor.
He looked to be in terrible condition.
Lin Zhengbei’s two kicks had been full of anger, and Chen Yuanqing had coughed up a great deal of blood.
Although he had stopped coughing blood…
His face was deathly pale, and he swayed while kneeling. It was obvious that he had been seriously injured.
However, no one present felt sorry for him.
Not even his own father, Duke Chen, showed any sympathy. Instead, he looked as though he wanted to kill himself.
On top of that, Chen Yuanqing was now suspected of falsely accusing Duke Yong.
The Emperor could neither allow him to stand nor order the imperial physician to treat him.
So Chen Yuanqing simply continued kneeling there.
Everyone was waiting.
They were waiting for General Shi and his men to return with the results of the search.
…
Duke Yong’s Residence
Shi Yue led the Imperial Guards and completely surrounded Duke Yong’s residence.
It was impossible to hide such a large operation.
Before long, everyone in the capital knew that Duke Yong’s household was in serious trouble.
When Shi Yue entered the estate, the family had just finished breakfast.
It was normally a quiet time of the morning.
The wives of the three branches of the family were gathered in the Hall of Fortune and Longevity, chatting with the Old Madam.
The sudden arrival of so many soldiers frightened everyone.
“General, may I ask why you have come to our residence?”
Unlike her three daughters-in-law, whose faces had turned pale, the Old Madam remained calm.
“Old Madam, I have been ordered to search Duke Yong’s residence. I ask for your cooperation.”
Shi Yue respectfully bowed to her.
“Search the Duke’s residence?”
Wang Qingwan cried out in shock.
“Where is my husband? Isn’t he attending court? What exactly has happened?”
Shi Yue ignored her.
“What about my daughter, Xin’er? Will she be implicated because of our family? She’s such a filial child. I hope she won’t be frightened.”
Shi Yue looked at Wang Qingwan with pity.
She still had no idea that the “filial daughter” she was talking about was the very person who had reported her maternal family to the Emperor.
He wondered how the Duchess would react once she learned the truth.
Still, nothing had been found yet, so he could not treat the Duke’s family disrespectfully.
As a military general, Shi Yue sympathized with Lin Zhengbei.
People often said that once the birds were gone, the bow was put away.
But now, the Jin Kingdom in the north was still watching the border like a hungry tiger.
The birds were not even gone yet, and the Emperor was already putting away the bow.
It truly was a depressing assignment.
“Old Madam, this way, please.”
He remained very respectful toward her.
The Old Madam took a deep breath.
“Thank you, General. Everyone, come with me.”
With that, she led the way outside.
“Mother… What about Xin’er? Will she be dragged down because of us?”
Ignoring her own fear, Wang Qingwan grabbed the Old Madam’s arm with trembling hands.
“Be quiet.”
It was rare for the Old Madam to lose her temper in front of others.
She shook Wang Qingwan’s hand away and, supported by Nanny Qian, walked straight toward the training ground without looking back.
By the time they arrived, nearly everyone in the residence had gathered there.
Just as Lin Suisui had described…
The family members stood together in one group, while the servants stood separately.
Because the Old Madam was elderly, Shi Yue allowed Nanny Qian to continue supporting her.
“Grandmother…”
Lin Yue’er and Lin Zhongting quickly stepped forward and took over supporting the Old Madam.
Lin Zhongting was Lin Zhengbei’s youngest son.
He was only twelve years old and studied at Qingshan Academy.
Although young, he remained unusually calm during this crisis.
The Old Madam gently patted his hand with satisfaction.
“Grandmother, I’m worried about Father.”
Instead of comforting her frightened mother, Lin Yue’er chose to stay beside the Old Madam.
To her, her grandmother had always felt much closer than her own mother.
“Good child, don’t be afraid. We will all be fine.”
Among all her granddaughters, Lin Yue’er resembled the Old Madam the most.
Because of that, the Old Madam had always loved her a little more.
“As long as everyone is safe, Grandmother, we were all terrified just now.”
Lin Yue’er stepped aside so the Old Madam could see Lin Xue’er.
Lin Xue’er’s face was pale.
If Lin Mu’er from the second branch had not been supporting her, she would have collapsed.
Lin Mu’er was Lin Zhengnan’s legitimate daughter, only eleven years old.
She was frightened herself, yet she still supported Lin Xue’er, who was older and taller than she was.
It showed how well the Duke’s family had raised its legitimate daughters.
Lin Xue’er’s birth mother, a concubine, was also among the crowd.
She had rarely returned to the residence over the years.
Wang Qingwan had always been skilled at controlling the household, so after returning, the concubine did not dare get too close to her own daughter to avoid suspicion.
As a result, Lin Xue’er was not close to her either.
At this moment, the concubine herself was so frightened that she could barely stand, much less take care of Lin Xue’er.
“Stand up straight. Do not disgrace the backbone of our Duke’s residence.”
The Old Madam did not speak loudly, but her voice carried unquestionable authority.
Everyone present, whether master or servant, heard her clearly.
“They’re only searching the residence. Why panic? Even if the sky falls, your Duke will be the one standing in front to hold it up.”
Perhaps it was the calm confidence in the Old Madam’s voice.
Slowly, everyone stopped panicking and regained their composure.
…
Meanwhile, Shi Yue…
Although he sympathized with Duke Yong…
Since he had been given this unpleasant duty, he intended to carry it out thoroughly.
According to Chen Yuanqing’s accusation, there were two important tasks.
The first was to find the secret letter of treason hidden in Lin Zhengbei’s study.
The second was to capture the so-called Princess of the Jin Kingdom.
The soldiers searching the study were carefully checking every book on the shelves.
The letter was supposedly hidden inside one of them.
Meanwhile, the soldiers searching for the Jin princess continued examining every courtyard one by one.
Just as the Emperor had said…
They did not even overlook rat holes, yet they still found no trace of the princess.
To make sure she had not disguised herself among the crowd, Shi Yue took out the household register and began calling everyone’s names.
Each servant was checked one by one.
None of them seemed suspicious.
Then he moved on to the family members.
After checking every name on the register, there was still no sign of anyone who could be the Jin princess.
Shi Yue quietly let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed Duke Yong had discovered the danger long ago and had already eliminated the threat.
Just then…
Wang Qingwan, who appeared calm on the outside but was filled with fear inside, suddenly felt that something was missing.
“Mother, it’s windy in the front. Let’s stand farther back.”
After receiving a subtle signal from the Old Madam, Lin Yue’er quietly guided her mother toward the rear of the group.