The Dark Moonlight returns to the capital, and the mad prince is accused of forcing love.

A sudden gust of wind blew outside the corridor, scattering a tree full of withered leaves.

Lin Zuoqing lowered his head, looking at the green jade hairpin in his hand, his mind filled with what he had just heard.

My grandfather's quirks.

The old lady's indulgence.

The father's background.

And then there's Xu Qianhui's desperate glance back before jumping into the river.

The Duke's mansion, which he thought was upright and noble, was actually so rotten and disgusting inside.

His once-proud bloodline is now filthy and disgusting.

He was nothing but a bastard whose origins were unclear.

A metallic sweetness welled up in my throat.

Lin Zuoqing gritted his teeth and swallowed the blood, then staggered toward Lin Rulan's courtyard.

The lamps were lit in Lin Rulan's courtyard.

She had just taken the hot tea from the maid when she saw Lin Zuoqing step across the threshold, completely soaked.

Rain dripped down the hem of his official robes, his face was frighteningly pale, and he was clutching a blood-stained gold hairpin tightly in his hand.

"Brother?"

Lin Rulan quickly got up and, seeing that he was unsteady on his feet, quickly helped him up.

Lin Zuoqing, however, seemed oblivious, staring at her and asking, "How much do you know about Xu Qianhui?"

This statement came without warning.

Lin Rulan stood there, stunned.

"What's wrong with her?"

"I'm asking you, what exactly did she go through in the manor three years ago?" Lin Zuoqing's voice was extremely low, as if it were being squeezed out from between his teeth.

Lin Rulan's expression changed immediately.

Outside, the wind and rain lashed against the window paper, but inside, it was so quiet that only the soft crackling of a burning candle wick could be heard.

She didn't dare look Lin Zuoqing in the eye, and after a long while she lowered her head and whispered, "I didn't dare to believe it at first."

Lin Zuoqing's Adam's apple bobbed, and the veins on the back of his hand gradually bulged.

"explain."

"Three years ago, my mother suppressed all the news. During that time, many servants in the mansion were replaced, and even the old nanny in the side courtyard was sold off. I only heard people whisper that my cousin was very ill, and it seemed like she had miscarried."

Lin Rulan bit her lip, and tears suddenly fell.

"I always thought those people were talking nonsense. Until last time, in my mother's room, I heard my mother arguing with her. My mother said that her child was gone because she was unlucky, and she had no one to blame but herself."

Lin Zuoqing's vision went black.

He gripped the corner of the table, his fingertips scratching a white mark on the edge.

Seeing his unsteady state, Lin Rulan dared not stop even more.

"Sister Xu really did have a child. After she lost the child, Mother had her sent to Jiangnan and forbade anyone to mention it. Brother, you weren't in the manor at the time, so I didn't dare ask. I thought Mother just disliked her lowly background and was afraid she would cling to the Duke's manor..."

"It's not that I look down on your background."

Lin Zuoqing suddenly spoke.

He looked down at the gold hairpin in his palm; the blood on his fingertips had dried, leaving a dark red stain.

Fu knew perfectly well.

She knew whose child Xu Qianhui was pregnant with, knew what grievances she had suffered, and even that back then, it was Madam Fu who personally escorted Xu Qianhui into his room.

He was very drunk at the time, and when he woke up, he only remembered Xu Qianhui huddled in a corner with her clothes disheveled.

At the time, his mother only said that since they were in love, they should get married after he passed the high school entrance exam.

He believed it.

Later, when Xu Qianhui became pregnant, Madam Fu told him that she had only lied because she coveted the wealth and status of the Duke's mansion.

He believed it too.

Lin Zuoqing felt as if he had been stabbed in the chest.

Those details he had overlooked, the way Xu Qianhui pleaded desperately in the rain, all surged up at this moment.

He suddenly bent over and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

"Brother!"

Lin Rulan turned pale with fright and rushed over to help him.

Lin Zuoqing raised his hand and pushed her away, taking a couple of breaths, but his eyes gradually darkened.

"My father was not born to my grandmother."

"What my grandfather did was also true."

"My mother killed my grandmother."

He spoke as if he were talking about several unrelated things, yet his tone was eerily calm.

Lin Rulan couldn't understand at all; she only saw her brother holding the hairpin and turning to walk away.

"Brother, where are you going?"

Lin Zuoqing did not turn around.

"Get justice for her."

Before dawn, there were few pedestrians on the main streets of the capital.

Lin Zuoqing, soaked to the bone, crossed half the city and stopped outside the Censorate.

The huge Dengwen Drum stood in front of the stone steps, its surface gleaming from the rain.

The gatekeeper recognized him and quickly stepped forward with an umbrella.

"Your Highness, what's wrong...?"

Lin Zuoqing picked up the drumsticks.

Qing Shu chased after them all the way, and when he saw this scene, he was terrified.

"Your Highness, you mustn't! Once the drum of petition sounds, it signifies a complaint to the emperor. You're sending the entire Duke's mansion to the execution ground!"

Lin Zuoqing ignored him.

The first drumbeat made the doors of the shops along the street tremble.

With the second sound, people gradually stopped walking in the rain.

As the third sound rang out, Lin Zuoqing's palm went numb from the shock, and his wound reopened, with blood trickling down his sleeve.

But he still held up the drumsticks.

"Your subject, Minister Lin, hereby accuses Madam Fu of murdering her mother-in-law, plotting against her relatives, and deceiving the court."

"Furthermore, it is hereby stated that the lineage of the Duke of Rong is questionable, his virtue is unworthy of his position, and he is unfit to inherit the title!"

As the last word fell, the whole street erupted in uproar.

Meanwhile, outside the side gate of the Duke's mansion.

Xu Qianhui stood in front of the carriage, driven by Old Huang.

She didn't even glance back at the plaque of the Duke's Mansion, and went straight to the carriage.

Back at the new house, Qingyi stood by the door, holding Bai Ze, to greet them.

Bai Ze happily came up and tugged at her skirt.

Xu Qianhui raised her hand and touched its head, then looked at Qingyi.

She looked a little tired, but still smiled gently.

"It's all in the past, it's all in the past."

......

Xu Qianhui went back to her room and fell asleep immediately, sleeping soundly.

The woman in green stood guard outside, refusing to let anyone in. Even the invitation sent by Chu Yunci was pressed against the corner of the table.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the second day, when the courtyard was filled with sunlight, that Xu Qianhui slowly opened her eyes.

Her hand was still aching, and she got up rather hastily, letting out a muffled groan.

Hearing the commotion, Qingyi brought in a bowl of warm water.

"Miss, you're finally awake! You slept for a whole day and night, and I was so worried!"

Xu Qianhui took the tea and moistened her dry throat.

"How's it going outside?"

The woman in green hesitated, as if she wanted to speak.

"The Duke's mansion has been sealed off. Yesterday morning, news of the heir striking the Dengwen Drum spread throughout the capital. I heard that Madam Fu, the Duke, the second young master, and the fourth young lady have all been taken away by the Jingzhao Prefecture."

Xu Qianhui held the teacup and remained silent for a long time.

She had expected Lin Zuoqing to investigate and have suspicions, but she never imagined he would go to such extremes.

Once the drum of petition sounds, there is no turning back.

He personally pushed the Duke's mansion into the line of fire.

"Oh, right, Dr. Shen is here."

As soon as Qingyi finished speaking, familiar footsteps came from outside the door.

Shen Huaijin was dressed in a moon-white long robe, carrying a medicine box in his hand, and his eyes still held a gentle expression.

However, the two guards following behind him were dressed in the uniforms of the palace guards.

Xu Qianhui glanced at them, and already knew the answer in her heart.

"Qingyi, take Bai Ze out first."