Chapter 15: No Conditions for Committing the Crime

“Qin Lang, don’t slander me. Do you think the Imperial Guard is just for show?” Lin Zhiyi said, her voice cold as she looked at him.

In the past few days, through Chai Ya and Fang Mama, Lin Zhiyi had gotten a good understanding of the laws of this era.

After sunset, the city gates and neighborhood gates would close.

At night, people were forbidden to walk the streets without a reason.

The Imperial Guard, led by the Jinwu Wei and other patrol forces, would inspect the streets, and violators could be punished.

“Besides, with so many items in my dowry, how could I have carried them away on my own? If I had used a carriage, how could there have been no noise?” Lin Zhiyi continued, kneeling in front of the court. “I beg the magistrate to clear my name.”

Lord Feng conducted a brief investigation, and after questioning Lin Zhiyi again, he decided to release her.

The reason was that Lin Zhiyi had never had the opportunity to take her dowry.

Lord Feng suspected that it was the Qin family themselves who had stolen their own property, raising a false alarm.

Although the Qin family was unhappy with this outcome, there was nothing they could do.

Qin Lang, frustrated, sneered at Lin Zhiyi, “A discarded woman like you should just take care of yourself from now on. Don’t expect any pity.”

Lin Zhiyi scoffed in response, “Master Qin, with all the effort you’re putting in, perhaps you should worry more about your own future. After all, the meal you’re eating now is one that was earned through the favor of a woman. You should hold onto it tightly.”

Her words struck a nerve, and a burst of laughter erupted in the court, directed at Qin Lang.

Embarrassed, Qin Lang wished he could disappear into the ground.

In the original story, Qin Lang only had one son, who was Lin Zhiyi’s child.

After He Jiaojiao entered the family, no children had been born.

Lin Zhiyi suspected that Qin Lang was just a decorative pillow.

The original protagonist, after two years of marriage, had finally conceived.

Otherwise, Old Madam Qin wouldn’t have been so fond of the child.

Lin Zhiyi gave Chai Ya a slight nod.

Chai Ya immediately understood and handed a small wooden box to Qin Lang.

“Master Qin, this is a wedding gift from our young lady to you and Miss He,” she said.

Qin Lang furrowed his brows. Lin Zhiyi was giving him a wedding gift?

He immediately felt a sense of pride, thinking that Lin Zhiyi must still care for him and was trying to win him back.

“Lin Zhiyi, don’t waste your time. I don’t want anything from you,” he said, trying to hide his emotions.

Lin Zhiyi coldly replied, “Master Qin, you think too much. Don’t you want to open it and take a look?”

Qin Lang glanced at her with increased disdain. Even now, she was still putting on a front!

He opened the box, and when he saw the bloody contents inside, he almost threw it away in shock.

“Master Qin, I suggest you take care of your son. Chai Ya, let’s go!” Lin Zhiyi said, turning to leave.

By the time Lin Zhiyi had exited the government office, the Qin family had only just realized what had happened.

Old Madam Qin stared at the bloodied piece of flesh in the box, her eyes wide in disbelief. “What? Is this my grandson? Lin Zhiyi lost the child?”

The women who had accompanied Lin Zhiyi were curious about the gift she gave to Qin Lang after being abandoned, and didn’t leave immediately.

They were gossips by nature, and with their quick legs, they could easily catch up with Lin Zhiyi, or if they didn’t, they could always go to Fang Mama’s house to collect their reward.

“Ha! Stop pretending, Lin Zhiyi was forced to lose the baby by you!” one of the women shouted.

“Yes, you heartless family! If not for the Lin family, how would the Qin family have come so far?” another chimed in.

“You will be struck by lightning and have no descendants!” they continued.

The insults flew until the bailiffs came out, at which point the women quickly dispersed, fleeing.

Old Madam Qin, already heartbroken over losing the dowry, could not bear the additional blow of losing her grandson. With the insults weighing heavily on her, she fainted.

Lord Feng ordered Qin Lang to take his people back, and he would send someone to investigate who could be bold enough to steal such a large sum of property.

Since Lord Feng had spoken, Qin Lang had no choice but to leave the court with his family.

Meanwhile, the Qin family’s servants were seized as soon as they left the court by people from the Chen Ji Servants’ Agency.

They begged the Qin family to save them, but the Qin family was unmoved because they didn’t have the money to redeem these people.

As Lin Zhiyi was about to get into her carriage, the servants managed to break free from their captors and shouted to her, “Madam, we know our mistakes, please spare us!”

“Yes, Madam, we truly regret it, we should never have served these heartless people as our masters.”

…

Outside the court, a chorus of wails could be heard.

Lin Zhiyi acted as if she didn’t hear anything and got into the carriage.

Everyone must be responsible for their own actions!

Watching the carriage move further away, the servants regretted it deeply.

As for the Qin family, they looked at them with a flash of hatred in their eyes.

The Qin family, of course, pretended not to notice. They returned to the Qin residence only to find that not only had the house been locked, but the few belongings left inside had been thrown out.

The most noticeable were the dowry boxes, which could be sold for some silver.

The two carriages that had been left at the Qin residence had already been taken away by Da Lin when the Qin family went to the court.

By now, people had gathered around outside, pointing fingers at the Qin family.

Qin Da Lang tried to drive them away but ended up getting a beating from the crowd.

Although the people didn’t have a favorable view of Lin Zhiyi, they respected Lin Fu for his contributions to the people. They couldn’t stand the ungratefulness of the Qin family.

They weren’t going to show any mercy to the Qin family.

Qin Lang had an official position and they couldn’t touch him, but when it came to Qin Da Lang, they showed no hesitation in confronting him.

These people had been instigated by Fang Mama, who was leading the way in stirring up public opinion.

At that moment, Old Madam Qin had regained consciousness. As soon as she opened her eyes, she heard the harsh words being directed at the Qin family. When she learned her eldest son had been beaten, she rolled her eyes and fainted again.

Qin Lang, being a scholar, still cared about his reputation. He quickly noticed his colleague in the crowd and hurriedly covered his face. “Let’s leave,” he said to the Qin family.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhiyi was on her way to the city gates.

At the ten-mile pavilion outside the city gates, the prisoners being exiled were waiting there for their families to see them off for the last time.

The Lin family was also waiting there.

Mrs. Song, Lin Zhiyi’s mother, looked at the other families who were seeing off their loved ones, wiping away her tears as she gazed into the distance.

The Lin family knew that Mrs. Song was waiting for someone.

In the past few days in prison, Mrs. Song had cried her eyes swollen.

She couldn’t understand how her daughter, whom she had raised with such care, could be so cruel and force her husband to write the severance letter.

Lin Zhiyi’s eldest brother, Lin Xiuran, looked at his mother’s condition with deep sympathy.

His mother had become much more haggard in these past few days.

What hurt her the most wasn’t the Lin family’s downfall, but her little sister’s decision to sever ties with the family.

She hadn’t been able to eat or sleep properly, worried that her sister had suffered so much in the Qin family that she was forced to break all ties.

Just as she was about to collapse from exhaustion, Lin Xiuran hurriedly stepped forward to support her, saying, “Mother, my little sister was just confused for a moment when she severed ties with the Lin family. I believe that one day, she will come to understand.”

Mrs. Song nodded, her eyes red.

At this moment, a mocking laugh came from the distance, “Ha~ confused for a moment? I think she is determined to sever all ties with the Lin family.”