Chapter 55 Framing and Implicating

Last night, the young lady said there would be a fine show this morning.

Sure enough.

Unexpectedly wonderful.

This grand drama even involved the most powerful Emperor of the Great Qin.

How could it not be wonderful?

Lin Aodong knelt in the grand hall, crawling forward a few steps before bowing heavily to the ground several times, crying out in immense grief and sorrow.

"This humble subject only learned of the matter later on."

"Yesterday, as this humble subject was holding the mourning rituals for my late mother, I was busy the entire day. From morning until night, I was running about on my feet, unable to spare a moment even to drink a sip of water."

"In the evening, this humble subject retired early and only learned of this incident this morning."

"As for who killed Princess Huai'an? After much deliberation, this humble subject can only suspect one person!"

"In the dead of night, when everyone else was fast asleep, only those who remained awake could possibly have committed the crime."

"Yet among the entire Lin household, the only person who did not sleep last night was my unfilial adopted daughter, Lin Pianran. She was on night-watch duty by the mourning hall, and over the past two days, she has been deeply at odds with her third sister."

"This humble subject strongly suspects that she deliberately framed her third sister, Lin Chuyan. Such a cold-blooded and ungrateful foster daughter is truly abominable. This humble subject implores Your Majesty to inflict severe punishment!"

"Lin Pianran is a child adopted by my late primary wife. Such an unrootable 'unappreciative wolf' must never be condoned. Since she dared to commit such an outrageous and rebellious act, our Lin family can no longer tolerate such a child!"

"From this moment onward, our Lin family is willing to sever all ties with Lin Pianran, and her fate shall have no further connection to the Lin family whatsoever."

Lin Aosong quickly chimed in beside him, "Your Majesty, Lin Pianran is not of the Lin family's bloodline after all. She has always been unruly and possesses an extremely eccentric disposition. Since she has committed such a rebellious act, our Lin family can no longer shield or harbor her."

"We members of the Lin family are willing to execute justice by severing ties with family, and we confess all of Lin Pianran's vile deeds without reservation. We beg Your Majesty to make a wise ruling."

Hearing this, Zhao Xuerou inwardly sighed, marveling at how quickly her husband's mind worked.

What a brilliant idea!

Pushing Lin Pianran out to take the blame.

Looking at the row of Lin family members kneeling in the hall, Lin Pianran's eyes were sharp as blades.

Heh, they wanted to use her as a scapegoat!

How could things be that cheap?

In their dreams!

Many gazes converged upon Lin Pianran.

She kept her head lowered, uttering not a single word.

No one could see the expression on her face, nor could anyone guess what she was thinking.

Huo Yucheng was so anxious he nearly leaped to his feet.

He stared at Lin Pianran, his eyes slightly red with fury.

Baili Qingyun stepped closer and held back the furious Huo Yucheng, "Wait and observe a little longer. Don't be impatient; the Sixth Young Miss surely has other countermeasures!"

Upon hearing the statements of the Lin family, the Emperor was moved to an angry laugh. He had been wise and discerning for the better part of his life.

He saw right through the petty schemes of the Lin family at a single glance.

They simply wanted their foster daughter to shoulder the crime of murdering the princess!

Yet as an emperor and a father, he only wished for the true culprit to be punished. He had not yet reached the point of senility where he would allow his subjects to brazenly tell lies with their eyes open.

Trying to fool him?

No chance.

Emperor Wu of Qin stared at the crowd below with eyes as sharp as an eagle's. "Who is Lin Pianran? Step forward and answer!"

Lin Pianran walked to the center of the grand hall, knelt, and paid her respects. "This subject's daughter Lin Pianran pays homage to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

Her voice was crisp and melodious, like pearls falling upon a jade plate.

The young lady possessed fine features, and her skin was so delicate it seemed a breath could break it, resembling the finest mutton-fat white jade.

Her figure was exceptionally slender, giving her a somewhat fragile and delicate appearance.

Yet her eyes were clear and bright, and her expression revealed unyielding defiance and tenacity.

"Rise! What say you to the accusations leveled against you by your foster father?"

Lin Pianran stood up and said with absolute composure, "This humble daughter has much to say."

"Normally speaking, the late Madam Lin was surrounded by children and grandchildren, yet last night, your humble subject was assigned to keep watch over the mourning hall with only two maidservants. As a junior, however, your humble subject harbored no complaints whatsoever."

"Later on, five 'ghost-faced men' forced their way into the mourning hall, shouting and brandishing weapons to kill your humble subject. Fortunately, the Imperial Guards patrolling the night subdued the five villains."

"According to the confessions of those five men, they were sent by my third sister, Lin Chuyan, under the pretext that keeping watch alone would scare your humble subject half to death. The Imperial Guards can testify to these matters."

"No sooner had the Imperial Guards departed than Consort De sent people to summon your humble subject to her palace. She went so far as to blame the disappearance of Princess Huai'an upon your humble subject as well. When your humble subject attempted to explain to Consort De, she stubbornly insisted, had this humble subject bound hand and foot, and locked away in an empty room in the side hall."

"Your humble subject has constantly been suppressed and bullied by the members of the Lin family, who have pinned all sorts of unwarranted crimes upon me. Your humble subject truly cannot bear such a weight!"

"Within the Lin family, your humble subject has always been cautious in speech and conduct, obedient and well-behaved."

"Yet the moment trouble arises for the Lin family, my foster father wishes to push your humble subject forward to take the blame. How could this frail little body of mine possess such great capability? Sob, sob, sob..."

"His Majesty is infinitely wise; I beg Your Majesty to uphold justice for your humble subject and grant the Lin family a path to survival for me!"

"Be it my foster father, my second uncle, or Consort De, their baseless accusations against your humble subject have no foundation whatsoever and are entirely fabricated out of thin air."

"Your humble subject has no relatives to rely upon, nor can I allow myself to be bullied by them in this manner!"

"A crime as grave as murdering the princess is something your humble subject can never, ever bear! Sob, sob, sob..."

"Everything your humble subject did last night is verified by numerous witnesses, and the death of Princess Huai'an has not the slightest connection to me whatsoever!"

"I implore Your Majesty and the lords present to thoroughly investigate this matter. Your humble subject utters not a single false word."

Emperor Wu of Qin nodded slightly.

It seemed the young lady was far from foolish!

These remarks were remarkably clear in logic, expressing everything that needed to be said thoroughly and distinctly.

He turned his gaze toward the commander of the Imperial Guards. Liu Quan'an, the commander, quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, what Lin Pianran has stated is entirely the truth. Last night, she had zero opportunity to commit murder and subsequently conceal the corpse within Lin Chuyan's chambers."

"Lord Lin's words contain numerous falsehoods and amount to nothing more than personal, subjective guesswork without any factual basis."

These words were delivered without the slightest trace of mercy, effectively delivering a fierce slap across the faces of the Lin family members in full view of everyone.

None of those present were fools; who among them could fail to see through the hidden motives of the Lin family?

In their hearts, they could not help but feel utter contempt for the despicable actions of the Lin family.

Emperor Wu of Qin gazed once more at the gathered members of the Lin family and asked, "Lord Lin, do you have anything else to say?"

By this time, Lin Aodong was drenched in cold sweat.

Pressing his forehead against the floor, he said in a voice heavy with grief, "Could it be that before Consort De took Lin Pianran away, she secretly made a move against Princess Huai'an?"

"Consort De's people and those five ghost-faced men appeared back-to-back with barely any interval between them. One must ask how the Sixth Young Miss could possibly have managed to commit murder and still transport the body into the courtyard of the Third Young Miss?"