son, don't mess around

Chapter 813 Where Did This Old Man Come From?

The Lü residence was shrouded in a white haze.

The mansion was deserted, and most of the servants and maids had been dismissed.

A light rain was still falling from the sky, and the courtyard was muddy. Lin Jiangnian, dressed in a black robe, appeared in the front yard, gazing calmly ahead.

Inside the main hall of the courtyard, a lone coffin stood forlornly.

A cold wind made the white lanterns under the eaves sway, and a chilling aura enveloped the white wreaths not far away. The scene was rather gloomy and terrifying.

The young mistress of the prestigious Lü family and the legitimate daughter of the Tao family, her funeral was so desolate.

There was hardly anyone in the entire front yard.

Only in the brazier placed in front of the coffin were there still ashes of freshly burned white paper, faintly glowing red.

The air was filled with the smell of paper ash.

Lu Fusheng stood under the eaves, calmly watching Lin Jiangnian. His aged face showed little emotion, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

Lin Jiangnian strode to the front of the hall, slowly stopped, and looked at the coffin in front of him.

Standing before the coffin, Lin Jiangnian calmly stepped forward and offered incense.

After placing the incense sticks, he looked up again at the coffin, his gaze indifferent.

“There is no life-or-death feud between us, but the Jiangnan case is ultimately inextricably linked to you. Now that you are dead, our grievances are considered settled, but…”

"The matter is far from over."

Lin Jiang spoke softly, his voice low but clear in the quiet Chen Hall.

The message was clearly heard by Lü Fusheng, who was not far away.

He looked up and stared at Lin Jiangnian in his line of sight, his expression still slightly gloomy, but his eyes shone with a deep intensity.

After offering incense, Lin Jiangnian turned around and looked at Lü Fusheng beside him.

"Lord Lü, I have a few questions I would like to ask you."

Lu Fusheng remained calm: "Your Highness, please ask away."

Lin Jiangnian looked at him and asked, "Young Madam Lü, did you really die by suicide?"

Lu Fusheng said in a low voice, "When Ya'er's body was found, she had hanged herself in her room. When the maids in the manor found her, Ya'er's body was already cold. Apart from that, there were no other injuries on her body."

"She did indeed die by suicide!"

Lu Fusheng's tone was tinged with sadness.

Lin Jiangnian's eyes were sharp: "May I have a look at the young mistress's corpse?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Fusheng glanced at Lin Jiangnian, his expression somber, and said, "This... I'm afraid that won't work."

"Ya'er was a member of my Lü family. Now that she is dead, she should be laid to rest. It would be best not to disturb her any further."

Lin Jiangnian did not insist, and then asked, "Is the maid who was the first to see Madam Lü hang herself still in the manor?"

Lu Fusheng said, "Of course it is."

"May I see her, Your Highness?"

Lu Fusheng gave Lin Jiangnian a deep look, his face still showing little emotion. After a moment, he nodded: "No problem."

Before long, a maid appeared trembling in the front hall.

"Master?"

The maid's face showed obvious panic. She glanced cautiously at Lin Jiangnian and said, "This servant greets Your Highness..."

As she spoke, the maidservant hurriedly knelt down on the ground, her head bowed low.

"Stand up."

Lin Jiangnian glanced at her.

The maidservant then rose tremblingly.

"Keep your head up."

The maid raised her head, revealing a pale and nervous face.

Why are you so nervous?

Lin Jiangnian looked at her and asked.

"I...I'm scared..."

"What are you afraid of?"

The maid dared not continue speaking.

"fear me?"

The maid nodded tremblingly.

Lin Jiangnian glanced at Lü Fusheng, then turned his gaze back to the maid: "I heard that you were the first to discover your young mistress's body?"

Upon hearing this, the maid's face turned even paler, and she stammered, "No, that's right, it was indeed this servant who discovered it..."

Under Lin Jiangnian's persistent questioning, the maid finally stammered out the story of that day.

"This servant is a maid who serves the young mistress. Two days ago, I was preparing to serve the young mistress as usual in the morning. But when I arrived at the door of the young mistress's room, the young mistress did not come out for a long time."

"So, I knocked on the door... but after knocking for a long time, there was no response. I was anxious and worried, so I broke down the door..."

"And then, they discovered that the young mistress had hanged herself..."

The maid looked terrified, as if she had seen something horrifying; she trembled with fear and unease.

Her account was largely consistent with the rumors circulating outside. Her descriptions were also almost identical.

Lin Jiangnian stared at the maid in front of him for a long time. Finally, as the maid trembled uncontrollably, he slowly withdrew his gaze.

"I see."

He spoke calmly.

Tao Ya had no wounds, and the room was closed, making it a sealed-off space.

In this light, it does indeed appear to be suicide.

only……

Was it really suicide?

Lin Jiangnian narrowed his eyes and stared at the maid in front of him. Just then, a series of noisy footsteps came from outside the hall.

Immediately afterwards, several figures appeared in the courtyard.

Before the person even appeared, several cries could be heard.

Lin Jiangnian looked up and saw seven or eight figures in his line of sight. The one in the lead was an elderly man with a vigorous spirit, who looked to be around forty or fifty years old.

Beside the old man were several women, their faces filled with sorrow.

"My daughter, you died such a terrible death..."

"Your mother has come to see you..."

The sound of crying rang out, and the figures quickly approached.

Upon spotting Lin Jiangnian's figure under the eaves of the hall, the elderly man at the head of the group abruptly stopped in his tracks, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Lin Jiangnian?!"

A look of horror flashed in the old man's eyes, followed by a surge of dark anger.

He suddenly looked at Lü Fusheng under the eaves on the other side, his voice low and somber: "What happened? How did he get here?!"

Lu Fusheng calmly said, "His Highness the Crown Prince has come to offer incense and condolences for Ya'er!"

Upon hearing this, the old man's eyes flashed with anger: "This is outrageous!"

A condolence ceremony?

He killed Ya'er, and yet he dares to come and see her?!

The old man glared angrily at Lin Jiangnian: "Lin Jiangnian, you killed my daughter, and you still dare to come to my door?!"

At this moment, the seven or eight people behind the old man also stopped. The women forgot to cry and stared blankly at the young man in the corridor, gradually realizing his identity.

Lin Jiangnian?
The Crown Prince of Lin?!

In an instant, an uproar erupted!
Why is he here? !
Everyone present looked stunned, and when they came to their senses, they were furious.

Lin Jiangnian looked at the indignant old man and recognized his identity.

Tao Shichang!
Tao Ya's biological father!
Of course, to be precise, it was the father of the eldest daughter of the Tao family.

He is also the behind-the-scenes power holder of the Tao family in the capital!

Why wouldn't I dare to come?

Faced with the crowd's anger, Lin Jiangnian remained calm: "Your daughter's death has nothing to do with me. I did not kill her."

Tao Shichang's eyes were grim as he questioned, "If it weren't for you breaking into the Lü family's house at night, harassing my daughter, defiling her, and ruining Ya'er's reputation, causing this matter to spread and my daughter to be unable to face anyone, she wouldn't have been able to think of taking her own life!" "This matter is inextricably linked to you; you are the murderer!"

Tao Shichang spoke with absolute certainty, staring intently at Lin Jiangnian, his anger unforgivable.

Lin Jiangnian glanced at him and curled his lip: "Whether I am a murderer or not is for the government to decide. It's not something you old thing can decide with your mouth."

These words nearly made Tao Shichang's eyes turn black with anger.

Official conclusion?

Even the Jingzhao Prefecture doesn't dare to interfere. He thinks he can distort the truth just because he's the heir apparent and no one dares to interfere.

Tao Shichang roared, "Lin Jiangnian, you killed my daughter and haven't shown any remorse. Do you really think you can do whatever you want in the capital just because you're the heir?"

"My Tao family will never let this go so easily!"

"This enmity is irreconcilable between the Tao family and you!"

Faced with the old man's provocation, Lin Jiangnian had no intention of giving him face.

"You are my mortal enemy?"

Lin Jiangnian scoffed, "Since that's the case, this young master will have to settle accounts with you properly!"

As he spoke, Lin Jiangnian strode into the courtyard.

“Three months ago, I was assassinated by a group of mysterious assassins in Chujiang City. While investigating the assassins, I discovered the branch of your Tao family in Jiangnan... Tao Yuan, you should be familiar with this person, right?”

When Tao Shichang heard this name, his expression changed drastically: "You, what did you say?"

"That Tao Yuan, his relationship with your Tao family isn't simple, is it? He participated in the assassination plot against me, he's one of the murderers, and behind Tao Yuan, there's a mastermind behind him..."

At this point, Lin Jiangnian's tone shifted: "My father was a prince of a different surname personally appointed by the late emperor, and I, the heir apparent, was also appointed by the late emperor as the heir apparent of the Prince of Lin. To assassinate me would be treason..."

"Am I right?"

At this point, Tao Shichang's expression had changed unpredictably and was extremely ugly. How could he not hear the threat in Lin Jiangnian's tone?

“My Tao family in the capital has no connection whatsoever with Tao Yuan. Everything they have done has absolutely nothing to do with my Tao family in the capital.”

Lin Jiangnian scoffed: "Whether it matters or not is not up to you to decide."

"No matter what, Tao Yuan is still a member of your Tao family. As for the people who instigated him behind the scenes..."

Tao Shichang's face darkened, and he gritted his teeth: "You're framing me!"

"Why don't you?"

Lin Jiangnian sneered: "Your daughter's death has nothing to do with me, you old fool, yet you still spout nonsense..."

"You don't really think that I, the young master, would take an old man like you seriously, do you?"

At this moment, Lin Jiangnian's tone was arrogant and domineering, showing Tao Shichang absolutely no respect.

The Tao family is not the Lü family, and this old man in front of me is not Lü Fusheng.

As the former Minister of Personnel, Lü Fusheng wielded immense power, with his protégés spread throughout the court. At least on the surface, Lin Jiangnian still had to give him some face.

Just like Lü Fusheng, he no longer had any disagreements with Lin Jiangnian. Despite being wary of Lin Jiangnian's status, he never completely broke off relations with him. Today, he even allowed Lin Jiangnian to come to his residence to offer condolences.

But Tao Shichang was different.

In terms of power and influence, the Tao family in the capital is far inferior to the Lü family. There are at least eighty, if not a hundred, such prominent families in the capital. Compared to ordinary prominent families, the Tao family is indeed a top-tier family.

But in Lin Jiangnian's eyes, the Tao family didn't even interest him.

The reason I didn't take action against the Tao family during this trip to Beijing was because my subordinates had already thoroughly investigated the Tao family's background.

If Tao Shichang speaks politely today, Lin Jiangnian will not bother arguing with him, considering that his daughter has died.

But this old man was so aggressive from the start that Lin Jiangnian naturally wouldn't tolerate him.

Tao Shichang was visibly furious, his face flushed red. He pointed at Lin Jiangnian and said, "You, you..."

He was so angry that he was trembling all over, and the two women next to him quickly stepped forward to comfort him.

"Lin Jiangnian, you've gone too far!"

At that moment, another young man stepped out from beside Tao Shichang, staring at him with indignation: "You killed your cousin Tao Ya, and you still dare to speak so rudely? Do you have any respect for the law?!"

Lin Jiangnian glanced at the stranger and asked, "Who do you think you are?"

The young man raised his head and proudly declared, "My name is Wu Yuan, heir to the Wu family of Beijing!"

"Never heard of it, where did this random cat or dog come from?"

Lin Jiangnian's disdainful tone immediately ignited Wu Yuan's anger. He had long disliked the arrogant and domineering attitude of this Prince Lin. Now, seeing him being so humiliated and ignored, Wu Yuan stepped forward: "Don't think that just because you are the Prince Lin, you can act recklessly. This is the capital, not your Prince Lin's residence!"

"If you dare to speak disrespectfully to Uncle Tao again, I will teach you a lesson today!"

"hehe!"

Lin Jiangnian had no interest in paying any attention to this random cat or dog that had appeared out of nowhere.

He glanced at Tao Shichang, whose face was gloomy: "Old man, if you're not satisfied, feel free to come and seek revenge on me anytime."

"However, when I, the young master, come and settle accounts with you, you better not cry and beg for mercy."

Such arrogant words made Tao Shichang's face even more embarrassed. He pointed at Lin Jiangnian with trembling hands, too angry to say a word.

Then, Lin Jiangnian turned back to look at Lü Fusheng, who had remained silent, and said, "Thank you for your hospitality today, Lord Lü. I will visit you again when I have time!"

Lu Fusheng's eyes darkened slightly. This Prince Lin wanted to trick him before he left.

After saying that, Lin Jiangnian turned and walked away, completely ignoring Wu Yuan, who was standing to the side, his face full of indignation and his sleeves rolled up in anger.

It felt like he'd punched a pillow; the humiliation of being ignored surged to his head, making him feel blood rush to his head and filled with anger, causing him to lose his temper.

"Stop!"

A furious shout came from behind, and Wu Yuan rushed towards Lin Jiangnian.

"Yuan'er, don't be so presumptuous!"

Tao Shichang’s deep voice rang out, but it was too late.

Wu Yuan was furious, only thinking that the Prince of Lin was all alone today, without any guards by his side.

He needs to be taught a lesson.

Lin Jiangnian didn't even turn around. When he heard the whistling wind of the fist approaching from behind, he simply flicked his sleeve. In an instant, a gale surged from his sleeve, and a powerful aura burst forth. Wu Yuan, who had just approached, was blasted away by this powerful aura.

"boom!"

He fell heavily to the ground, looking disheveled and pale, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"So he only learned a smattering of skills, no wonder he was so arrogant."

Lin Jiangnian stopped and looked back at Wu Yuan, who was lying on the ground. He could tell what the boy was thinking at a glance.

Want to show off?

They want to step on him, the heir apparent of the Prince of Lin, to seize the throne?
Indeed, countless纨绔 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) in the capital harbored this ambition. As long as they could trample on him, even if it wasn't a real trampling, they would do it.

For these scions of prominent families, it was indeed an opportunity to show off!
"You're done!"

Lin Jiangnian gave him a harmless smile: "You dare to lay a hand on me, you little brat, are you plotting a rebellion?"

"The Wu family, is it? Just wait until your entire clan is exterminated."

The light, indifferent voice sent a shiver down Wu Yuan's spine, who had just been humiliated by being forced to the ground.

Kill the nine tribes?
He had no idea how serious the situation was.

Just then, footsteps sounded again outside the courtyard. Immediately afterwards, the voices of servants rang out from outside the door.

"The leader of the Secret Observatory has arrived!"

The head of the Secret Astronomical Bureau?!

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuan felt a surge of excitement.

I've heard that the head of the Secret Observatory is impartial, incorruptible, and fearless of powerful figures. In the past year, he has dealt with countless influential people, and his reputation in the capital has soared.

Even if they are members of the royal family, he will never tolerate them if they commit a crime. Those who fall into his hands will be held accountable for their wrongdoings.

So what if he is the heir apparent of the Prince of Lin?
In an instant, a hint of surprise flashed in Wu Yuan's eyes.

But the next second, Lin Jiangnian's voice rang in his ears again.

"Chief Chen? You've come at the perfect time."

"This fellow just attempted to assassinate me, the Crown Prince, and was plotting a rebellion. He deserves to die..."

"According to the laws of Da Ning, shouldn't this result in the confiscation of the family property and the execution of nine generations of relatives?"

"I'll leave this to you!"

Wu Yuan's smile suddenly froze.

……

(End of this chapter)