After hearing her gossip, all the civil and military officials went crazy.

Chapter 32 I like the smell of old people

Hearing Fang Lingchu's words and the sound of her vomiting, everyone was curious about what Wang Daya and Li Dabao had done.

Upon hearing Ma Caidie's words, Lin Daya immediately said, "Sir, I did not commit adultery. This slut is framing me. Sir, you must investigate thoroughly."

Then they started crying and wailing, their cries nearly turning the entire Yingtian Prefecture upside down.

Lord Zhang, thoroughly annoyed, slammed his fist on the table to silence him, saying, "Silence! In the courtroom, no shouting or yelling is permitted, or you will be flogged."

Then a yamen runner came forward, seemingly about to take Lin Daya away and beat her with a board.

Lin Daya was too scared to shout anymore, but she kept insisting that she was innocent.

"My lord, she cheated on me and is now accusing me! I raised my child all by myself, thinking that marrying a daughter-in-law would bring me happiness. But she cheated on me and is now being falsely accused! Who knows if she secretly put that undergarment there herself? I don't want to live anymore."

Upon hearing Lin Daya's words, the audience began to waver.

Netizen #1: I think Lin Daya makes a lot of sense. Maybe her daughter-in-law cheated on her husband and was afraid of being discovered, so she really did leave her mother-in-law's undergarment there.

Netizen #2: I feel that this daughter-in-law is not lying. Who would steal someone else's undergarment?

Netizen #3: I also think it's the mother-in-law. Just look at her promiscuous appearance; you can tell she definitely likes other men.

Upon hearing this, a couple came to watch the spectacle. She looked directly at her husband, as if she would have made a big scene if it were her.

Netizen #4: I know this daughter-in-law. I live on the same street as them. When this daughter of an official first married into the Wang family, she was as beautiful as a fairy. How come she turned out like this in such a short time?

Netizen #5: This girl is a good girl, she would never cheat on someone, there must be some misunderstanding.

At this time, the officers and soldiers had brought up the third person, Li Dabao.

As was customary, Lord Zhang asked, "Who is below?"

Li Dabao said tremblingly, "I...I am Li Dabao, a commoner from Feishi Street."

Lord Zhang asked, "Do you know why we arrested you?"

Looking at the slightly plump old woman next to him, whose hair was now disheveled, and then at Ma Caidie, who was thin but had a straight back and no fear on her face, Li Dabao was a little scared and didn't know what to say. He could only try to get away with it by lying.

"This humble subject does not know, this humble subject is innocent, Your Excellency."

At this moment, Fang Lingchu also vomited, but when she saw Li Dabao, whose face wasn't particularly handsome and had a dark mole, she seemed to be reminded of something again, and felt a little nauseous again.

Seeing her like this, the Crown Prince could only have a screen set up to separate them so that Fang Lingchu could not see their faces.

At the same time, the Crown Prince was somewhat resentful of that gossip, who kept showing Fang Lingchu all sorts of nonsense every day.

Lord Zhang slammed his hand on the table and asked sternly, "Someone has accused you of adultery with Wang Linshi. Do you admit it?"

Li Dabao glanced furtively at the old woman beside him and said, "I am innocent, sir. I work honestly at home and have never committed adultery. Please investigate, sir."

Lord Zhang had someone unwrap a cloth wrapped with something and said, "Do you recognize this?"

Li Dabao glanced at it hastily, then immediately looked away and said, "This humble subject does not recognize you."

Seeing Li Dabao's stubborn denial, Lord Zhang threw the items at his face and said, "These are all stolen goods found under your bed, and you say you don't recognize them?"

Then a slightly yellowish-green undergarment floated out. Upon seeing it, some of the people immediately recognized it as Lin Daya's.

After all, she's wearing green clothes right now, and she usually loves green.

Lord Zhang then looked at Lin Daya and asked, "Lin Daya, do you recognize this?"

Lin Daya stared wide-eyed at the undergarment that floated in front of her, and was so frightened that she fainted.

Fang Lingchu glanced at the figure lying on the ground and asked, "Who fainted?"

Strawberry glanced at it and said, "It looks like Lin Daya."

Fang Lingchu nodded and then asked the system, "What does Li Dabao like about Lin Daya?"

Actually, everyone was quite curious. This Lin Daya looked to be over fifty years old. Perhaps because of years of hard work, her face was wrinkled, and the years had left obvious marks on her face. Even though she was now being well-fed, apart from being a little fat, no other signs of aging could be seen.

The system said: [She had an old-age smell, and Li Dabao had a peculiar preference for women older than himself. He could tolerate it when he had a wife, but later his wife died, he had no children, and his parents passed away, leaving him all alone. He was already somewhat distinctive in appearance, and most families wouldn't consider him, so he couldn't find a wife. Later, Lin Daya and her family moved in, and he immediately fell for the Lin Daya who had been ravaged by time.]

Fang Lingchu didn't understand. There was an old lady in her family, but she didn't smell any old-age odor.

The system, aware of Fang Lingchu's confusion, explained: "At Lin Daya's age, the 'old person smell' isn't usually that pronounced. It's just that Lin Daya is probably supporting her family alone, which is quite tiring, so the smell is stronger, especially after she's finished working..."

Fang Lingchu took a sniff, and it seemed she knew she could smell it.

The system continued: "The two of them love to play on the grass after finishing their work; it's so exciting."

Fang Lingchu quickly called for a stop; she wasn't someone with particularly strong tastes.

The system spoke with such intonation and rhythm that she could almost picture it all.

Li Dabao was initially startled when he heard a woman's voice, but after hearing what she said next, he knew he was doomed.

Then he recounted Lin Daya's schemes and plans in detail.

It also mentioned Wang Qi, and then Lord Zhang called Wang Qi out.

With delicate features, he possessed a scholarly air and a very refined and kind face.

This was Fang Lingchu's first impression of this person.

Wang Qi bowed politely: "This humble subject, Wang Qi, greets Your Highness, Princess, and Lord Zhang."

Wang Qi stood up in such agony because he saw His Highness the Crown Prince. If his talent was recognized by the Crown Prince and he became a retainer of the Crown Prince, he wouldn't even need to pay attention to the Ma family.

If Fang Lingchu knew what he was thinking, she would definitely say: "Ordinary yet confident, commonly known as a 'plain-confident man'."

Lord Zhang, seemingly oblivious to Wang Qi's subtle maneuvers, directly asked, "Li Dabao accuses you of plotting against your wife, intending to seize her dowry, and instigating murder. Do you plead guilty?"

Wang Qi immediately said, "I am innocent. I know nothing about what Li Dabao and my mother said. I was just invited from the academy. I also know nothing about Cai Die being tied up and about to be drowned."

As soon as Wang Qi finished speaking, Ma Caidie said, "Sir, he knows. In fact, he was the one who went to find someone to humiliate me. Unfortunately, he was too late. His mother tricked me into sleeping in a room with a man. When that man came in, I knocked him unconscious. He just happened to see me trying to take the man away, so he assumed I was having an affair."

(End of this chapter)