CHAPTER 244: CHAPTER 241: EVIL INTENTIONS

Du Zhuo ultimately couldn’t bear it and signaled the household general to step forward and assist Du Yi with his wounds.

Du Yi gradually regained his senses, feeling the pain in his abdomen grow more intense, his face paling like paper.

Du Zhuo had no intention of letting Du Yi rest, coldly staring at him and asking, "Who is she? Why are you with her so late?"

Miss Lin, her soul half lost, shrank dumbfoundedly in the corner.

Du Yi hadn’t made up his mind about whether to speak. The servant attending him was dragged over, having endured punishment and a broken leg, he lay sprawled on the ground. Upon seeing Du Zhuo, he confessed everything, "Report to the master, that is the Third Young Master’s concubine, the wool business here has all been entrusted to Aunt Lin by the Third Young Master."

Hearing this, Miss Lin in the corner felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her from head to toe. She shook her head in panic, "No..." but could only utter one word before her voice failed her.

No, what concubine? How could she be a concubine? What nonsense are the Du Family people spouting? She couldn’t agree to this, let alone become an aunt.

Du Zhuo looked towards Du Yi.

Du Yi thought of how big brother’s glance at him just now seemed as if he really wanted to kill him right there. He wished to cover it up, but how could such a thing be concealed?

Du Yi said earnestly, "I know her father is a criminal official. I... absolutely had no intention of taking her into the Prefecture, accepting her as a concubine was just to let her manage business in Xingzhou."

What Du Yi said was earnest.

Miss Lin felt a pang in her chest, as if all the blood in her body was suddenly drained, and she began to tremble, finally managing to utter, "No, I am not a concubine."

Miss Lin looked fiercely at Du Yi, "You said you would marry me as... the main wife, and you even said... the Du Family wouldn’t mind my father’s matters."

Marry her? Even Du Yi was startled, staring at Miss Lin as if she were a lunatic. Had Mrs. Lin not sent him to Xingzhou to sell woolen fabrics, how could he have ended up like this?

Miss Lin saw contempt and dislike in Du Yi’s eyes as if a needle had stabbed into her heart. She didn’t know where the strength came from but suddenly stood up and charged toward Du Yi, reaching out to strangle his throat, "You... deceived me... you lied... you always lied to me..."

Du Yi had not anticipated Lin’s reaction. He was already gravely injured and couldn’t handle such a sudden situation, ending up pinned down by Miss Lin on the deck.

"You madwoman," Du Yi said, prying at Miss Lin’s fingers, "What is your identity... wanting to be my main wife? What lunacy are you speaking... how could I want you, the openly legitimate wife cannot possibly be you... in such a state... let me go."

Miss Lin was ultimately no match for Du Yi’s strength and was forcefully thrown to the side by him.

Miss Lin got up and came towards him again, only for Du Yi to slap her hard across the face this time, intending to strike again but was stopped by Du Zhuo’s reprimand.

Du Zhuo rebuked him for his lack of progress, "Look at your state."

Du Yi had to drop down in defeat, his wounds searing with more pain due to the commotion, feeling as though each breath was like cutting flesh.

Seeing Du Yi like this, Miss Lin clutched at straws, immediately pleading to Du Zhuo for help, "Great... Governor Du, you must see justice for me..."

Du Zhuo glanced at the flower boat not far away, "He intends to marry you, but brings you deeply into the night on a flower boat to revel with courtesans? If I say now you are not Du Yi’s concubine, what identity would you claim to have?"

Miss Lin stood there stunned, a girl not yet married, secretly meeting an outsider on a flower boat late at night; if this became known, Du Yi would not marry her and her cousin would not marry her either. She...

No, she couldn’t be Du Yi’s concubine nor let others know this; she had to persuade Du Family to support her.

Du Zhuo asked, "How did you come to know him?"

Miss Lin quickly replied, "Because I wanted to buy wool, through the Shi Family Trading Team..."

Du Zhuo continued, "How did you find out the Shi Family Trading Team had wool? Had you done business before this?"

Under usual circumstances, Miss Lin could handle such questions, but now... her mind was a chaotic mess.

Du Zhuo said, "I know someone helped you, the steward of the Shi Family Trading Team mentioned it was Princess Jiahui."

Miss Lin was unsure whether to admit or not.

Du Zhuo said, "Did Princess Jiahui ask you to help sell wool in the Northwest?"

Before Miss Lin could answer, Du Zhuo continued, "No, you tried every means to get close to the Du Family, knowing Du Yi was to act today, to kill him."

Miss Lin was once more left dumbstruck, wanting to explain, but Du Zhuo clearly gave her no chance.

Du Zhuo waved his hand, and another person was brought in by the Du Family’s household general. As the torchlight illuminated the person, Miss Lin recognized her; it was Nanny Xu.

Nanny Xu had long lost her usual demeanor, her hair unkempt, eyes slightly lowered, her face less reverent but more malicious.

Du Zhuo said, "This is the nanny by your side. After I rescued Du Yi and you, she attempted to escape amid the chaos and was caught by us; I suspect she was going to report. Who instructed you?"

Faced with Du Zhuo’s interrogation, Miss Lin continuously shook her head, "No... it wasn’t me... I was pushed into the river by someone too, those people wanted to kill me as well."

Miss Lin frantically searched her body for a wound. She had indeed been stabbed, but apparently, due to intervention at the critical moment, the injury wasn’t deep.

Du Zhuo said, "You fell into the water to pretend to be a victim alongside Du Yi, so if he died, no one would suspect you."

"So you were the b**** harming me," Du Yi struggled to get up, wanting to kill Lin himself.

Miss Lin was utterly panicked, "No, no one instructed me. I asked Princess Jiahui to help me with wool trading, so I could take revenge on Chen Family Village and Xie Liangchen.

I didn’t know... assassins would come... I didn’t know someone wanted to kill Du Yi; everything I said is true..."

Miss Lin looked towards Nanny Xu, "Why she was fleeing, I have no idea; I know nothing at all."

Nanny Xu’s expression changed completely, her gaze at Miss Lin turning sharp as if she wanted to pierce through her with it.

Du Zhuo took a torch from the person beside him and shone it on Nanny Xu, "Was it Princess Jiahui who instructed you?"

Nanny Xu simply said, "No one, this servant is wronged."

Du Zhuo said, "Or is there someone else? Let me guess, is it Song Xian?"

Nanny Xu’s body tensed.

Du Zhuo calmly said, "If someone among you is caught and sent to the prison for interrogation, would you all confess that the person behind you is Song Xian?

Unfortunately, the person who sent me the message, helping me rescue Du Yi, was also Song Xian."

Hearing this, Nanny Xu instinctively raised her head.

Du Zhuo said, "This method is indeed brilliant."

Du Yi finally discerned the mystery, looking at Du Zhuo, "Brother, are you saying we were set up?"

Du Zhuo took a deep breath, a faint air of authority on his face, "It was Song Xian who was set up, as for you... you conspired with mountain bandits to murder, and falsely implicated Chen Family Village. No matter who urged you secretly, you cannot escape culpability."

Du Zhuo instructed, "Summon the government office’s people."

"Brother." Du Yi panicked.

The boat had just docked, and Du Zhuo strode ashore. Indeed, Princess Jiahui was the instigator, but had Du Yi not harbored malicious intent, he would not have been duped.

Evil intent leads inevitably to retribution; no one can save them.

"Alas." Du Zhuo sighed; the Du Family’s escape from implication owes Song Xian an immense human debt.

There’s nothing harder to repay in this world than a debt of human gratitude.

...

Xingzhou.

Similarly burdened with a debt of gratitude, Xie Liangchen couldn’t sleep either.

Song Xian had left with people for a long time and had not yet returned. She always felt that the whole matter was not that simple; if everything was truly alright, Song Xian would not have left Chang An.

Her concern for Song Xian was not unfounded but stemmed from a genuine sense that things seemed amiss, making her uneasy at heart.

Thinking of this, Xie Liangchen quickly stepped out of her door.