Queen's Development

Chapter 94 The Truth
Lin Yuduan was sitting on the Luohan bed in the open room of the main room, holding a book in his hand, pretending to be chanting, but actually listening to the movement outside with his ears up.

Xiaomei was sitting in the duty room, and faintly heard Zhu Lingling's voice crying outside, "Someone died! Someone died", she felt a little strange, and just wanted to go out to have a look, but she was afraid that the eldest son would find out and beat her. I had no choice but to suppress my curiosity and still sit there waiting for the door.

Unexpectedly, not long after, there was a sound of footsteps outside, Xiaomei got up and went out to look, only to find that the princes and concubines were surrounded by everyone.

She had very sharp eyes, and at a glance she saw that Hongyu, Zizhu and Zhu Lingling were being escorted by several wives, and their faces were all pale.

Xiaomei hastily stepped forward and bowed her knees: "I have seen the prince and concubine!"

Lin Tao narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly: "Where is the eldest son?"

Seeing the face of the prince as frosty and the concubine's solemn expression, Xiaomei didn't dare to say more, she stretched out her finger and pointed in the direction of the main room.

Lin Tao strode towards the main room of Lingfeng Courtyard.

Princess Li hurriedly followed.

At this time, Lin Yu had already heard the commotion outside, and quickly ran out with a book: "Father, Wangfei!"

Lin Tao said in a deep voice, "Where is your inner study?"

Lin Yu was a little dazed, and before she could speak, Zhu Lingling said, "My lord, the eldest son's inner study is over there!"

Her finger pointed to the east wing.

Lin Yu was taken aback.

Lin Tao strode towards the East Wing.

When the servant dragged out the corpse from under the Arhat's bed in the north dark room of the east wing, Lin Tao immediately looked at Lin Yu.

Lin Yu's eyes widened, and the book in his hand fell to the ground with a "slap".

He murmured: "She...how can she...impossible..."

Princess Li's voice was gentle: "Ayu, what is 'impossible'?"

Lin Yu didn't even look at Princess Li, she closed her lips tightly and said nothing.

Lin Tao ordered his entourage, Guan Yue: "Check it out!"

Guan Yue's family has worked as clerks in the Qingzhou government office for generations, and Guan Yue herself has been a clerk for many years. She was rescued by Lin Tao by chance, so she came to Lin Tao's side to serve her.

When Guan Yue took a few servants to examine the corpse, Lin Tao and Princess Li came to Mingjian and sat down on both sides of the Mingjian Eight Immortals table.

Lin Tao told Xizhao, the servant: "Go to Qinglian Courtyard and invite the Second Young Master and the servant girl from the Second Young Master's Courtyard!"

The maid who died was a maid from Lin Jia's courtyard, so she had to call Lin Jia over anyway.

Lin Yu knelt on the ground in a daze. Hearing Lin Tao's words, he suddenly realized and kowtowed: "Father, this maid is the maid of my second younger brother. My son doesn't know why he came to his room!"

Concubine Li took a sip of the teacup, her face solemn: "My lord, when Ajia comes, let's ask again, we can't let innocent children bear the crime for nothing!"

A moment later, Lin Jia, who was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, walked in with the setting sun, followed by water dragonfly and hollyhock.

Lin Tao looked at the slender Lin Jia, explained the ins and outs of the matter, and then subconsciously lowered his voice: "Ajia, what's going on?"

Lin Jia thought for a while, and said: "Xiliu brought me tea yesterday evening, because she was too reckless, she spilled the tea on me, I quarreled with her, she ran out crying, I ignored her."

Concubine Li said with a half-smile, "In that case, do you have any witnesses?"

Yuzhi agreed, and was about to go out, when Shui An suddenly stepped out, pushed Yuzhi aside, first bowed her knees and saluted, and then said loudly: "My lord and concubine, I have something to report!"

Afraid of being stopped by others, she hurriedly said: "My lord, my concubine, Xiliu has been taken over by the second son, Xiliu told the servants that she is pregnant and belongs to the second son, presumably the second son refused to admit it, You killed Xiliu, and intentionally set the blame on the Eldest Young Master!"

Yu Zhi took a look at Shui Nian, came out of the line and saluted properly, and said slowly: "Princess Wang, this servant has been serving the Second Young Master last night, and this servant can guarantee that Second Young Master did not leave Qinglian Courtyard last night, Qinglian The servants on duty in the hospital's office can also prove it!"

Ah Cheng, who was on duty, immediately came out, proving that Lin Jia had never been out of Qinglianyuan.

Shui Xing glanced at Concubine Li, saw that she was silent and didn't look at herself at all, and said in her heart: The concubine arranged me to be next to the Second Young Master, originally for the purpose of harming the Second Young Master. Got the princess's trust!
She immediately said: "My lord, after Xiliu ran out last night, the servant saw Yu Zhi and A Cheng going out, and the second young master followed after a while, and he came back about half an hour later!"

Princess Li sighed, and looked helplessly at Lin Tao: "My lord, this child Ajia..."

Yuzhi knelt on the ground, straightened her back and said: "My lord and concubine, how can I prove that the second young master has gone out with the testimony of Shui Nian alone? What if Shui Nian was ordered by someone to kill the second young master?"

Concubine Li did not expect that the usually silent maid next to Lin Jia would be so brave at this moment, she smiled coldly and looked at Yuzhi with coldness in her big eyes.

Yuzhi was not afraid, she met Princess Li's gaze, and then turned to Lin Tao: "My lord, the body was found in the eldest son's study, how can the people from our Qinglian courtyard enter Lingfeng courtyard? Why don't you ask me?" The person on duty in the duty room of Lingfeng Academy?"

Lin Tao looked at Yuzhi with deep phoenix eyes, and thought: The maid beside Ajia is loyal and protects the Lord, and she has a good mouth!
He put down the teacup: "Call the people in the rotating room of Lingfeng Court to come over too!"

After Xiaomei was called in, she timidly kowtowed, not daring to look at anyone, lying on the ground and said: "Sister Xiliu did come to look for the eldest son yesterday evening, and the eldest son went out with Miss Xiliu. After tea time, the eldest son came back by himself..."

Lin Yu didn't expect that the situation was obviously favorable to him, but this Xiaomei stepped forward and said something that was unfavorable to him.

He was extremely angry and looked at Xiaomei viciously.

At this moment, Guan Yue, who was examining the corpse, came in: "My lord, the female corpse died of drowning, and she was four months pregnant."

Lin Tao stared at Guan Yue: "Are you sure you are four months pregnant?"

Guan Yue answered "Yes".

Princess Li sighed for a long time, and said: "My lord, this child, Ajia, is real. Even if the maid in the room is pregnant, what is it? I will take over the room after I report it! This child actually gave a good girl to her." drowned..."

Lin Tao sneered, and looked at Princess Li with phoenix eyes like ice: "How can you be sure that this child must belong to Ajia?"

Princess Li glanced at Shui Ning, her big eyes were full of innocence: "My lord, it was Ajia's own maid who said it!"

Lin Tao looked at Lin Jia.

Lin Jia smiled brightly on his handsome face, and a pair of cute little canine teeth appeared and disappeared: "Princess, if Xiliu is indeed four months pregnant, it is October now, and it was June four months ago." Yes, but since the eighth day of May, my son has been accompanying Master Xia of Zhizhou to arrange the prevention and control of locusts in various counties of Qingzhou. He didn't return to the palace until August, and then his son went out again in a few days, and he didn't return to the palace until October! "

After all, Lin Jia and Lin Tao's beautiful long phoenix eyes, which were almost exactly the same as Lin Tao, smiled, and said, "Princess, I don't know that I can obtain virginity from hundreds of miles away and make people pregnant!"

Having said this, Lin Tao actually understood everything, and ordered Guan Yue: "The Hongyu and Zizhu in the Lingfeng Courtyard are not able to serve the eldest son, and they will be punished thirty times; , Yuzhi and Acheng loyally protect the lord, each rewarded with 100 taels of silver!"

Guan Yue answered "yes" and went to execute it.

When Hongyu and Zizhu heard this, their whole bodies froze - hitting them with thirty sticks would definitely kill them!

The two of them trembled and looked at Lin Yu, with tears rolling down their noses: "My lord! Help me, my lord! Help me, my lord! Help——"

Lin Yu knelt there without saying a word.

He knew that his father knew what he had done, but he was just a servant girl. Although his father was angry, he only scolded and beat him a few times, but he was not afraid.

And as long as he firmly refuses to admit it.

Shui Xing was also frightened, her face was panicked, she rushed towards Princess Li in a panic, and hugged Princess Li's thigh: "Princess, help! Help! Concubine, slave—"

Concubine Li never took the maidservant's life seriously, her brows were raised upright, her big eyes were full of disgust: "Don't drag this lowly maidservant away!"

Seeing the prince winking at him, Guan Yue hurriedly waved to the servants.

The boys rushed up and grabbed the red jade, purple pearl and water anemone, gagged their mouths and dragged them to the yard.

Hearing the dull sound of wooden sticks hitting the human body one after another in the courtyard, Lin Tao glanced at Princess Li, then at Lin Jia: "Ajia, Ayu, follow me to the study outside."

Lin Jia answered "Yes", winked at Yu Zhi and A Cheng, and followed her father out.

Lin Yu also followed.

Yu Zhi and A Cheng took the opportunity to follow and went out.

Seeing Yu Zhi and A Cheng following Lin Jia, Lin Tao thought of their loyalty to Lin Jia, so he didn't say anything.

There is a purple gold incense burner on the red sandalwood shelf in the outer study, and there is agarwood burning in it, and the elegant fragrance permeates the spacious study.

After Lin Tao sat down on the red sandalwood carved armchair behind the desk, he first ordered Guan Yue: "Shut the eldest son into the west wing room to contemplate his mistakes behind closed doors, and let him out in a month."

After Lin Yu was taken away by Guan Yue, Lin Tao looked at Lin Jia: "Tell me, what's going on?"

Lin Jia looked up at his father, thought for a while, and then said: "Father, Xiliu is the secret work of Concubine Li who put it in my room. She poisoned my tea several times, and I saw through it. Later, elder brother fell in love with it." She, after making her pregnant, threw her into the well of Shuijing Pavilion, trying to frame me, but Zhu Lingling saw it. After Yuzhi learned about it from Zhu Lingling, she told me, and I ordered someone to fish it out that night. Take Xiliu's body and send it to eldest brother's study, and use his own way to counteract his body."

He looked at Lin Tao with clear eyes: "The next father should have seen it!"

In fact, Lin Tao had already guessed it. He looked at Lin Jia quietly, and said, "This palace...you should not stay here anymore. Your imperial uncle has ordered someone to send a letter asking you to go to the capital at the end of the year."

Lin Jia answered "Yes".

Lin Tao looked at his son sadly.

This is his eldest son, the son he loves the most. He may be someone else's son in the future. I'm afraid he won't be able to recognize his own father...

Unknowingly, Lin Tao's eyes became moist: "In the remaining two months, you still have to work hard and make some achievements in the position of general judge, so that others can't say anything! In addition, if you have time, please tell me more. Stay with me, in the future... I don't know if you will return to Qingzhou again..."

Lin Jia let out a "hmm", feeling a little sad in her heart.

Lin Jia originally thought that he would spend the last two months in Qingzhou peacefully, but later he realized that he was wrong.

(End of this chapter)