Chapter 3: Deceiving Him

Ling Shen said, “Sister-in-law was also very good to Brother. Since she came, she has taken good care of him. Brother’s health has been good.”

Ling Xiao’s gaze swept over him, and Ling Shen shut his mouth awkwardly.

Mrs. Lin sighed, “She’s really a sensible girl. Since she came, she has taken care of Brother Ling and served us all. This time, it’s not her fault.”

Mrs. Lin looked at Ling Xiao and said earnestly, “Brother Ling entrusted her to us before he left. She’s just like that, don’t be too hard on her, don’t let her down.”

Ling Xiao’s face darkened, and he pursed his lips tightly. “Mother, you should rest. I’ll handle the rest.”

He turned and left.

Ling Shen quickly followed.

“Brother, what are you going to do? Are you going to confront the Rong family? After all, they are high-ranking officials. If we provoke them, we might…”

Ling Xiao had just reached the courtyard when two guards stepped forward and saluted, “Your Highness.”

Ling Shen was stunned, his face froze. “Ah?”

Ling Xiao’s eyes were cold and sinister. “Bring Rong Shi Chang here, I’ll interrogate him personally.”

An hour later.

The guards dragged a man tied up like a dumpling into the courtyard.

“Your Highness, he’s here.”

The guards set up a grandmaster’s chair in the courtyard. Ling Xiao walked over, lifted his robe, and looked at the man who had been thrown to the ground with cold eyes.

“This is Rong Shi Chang.”

The spirit hall faced the courtyard. Jiang Yao was kneeling in the spirit hall, and when she heard the commotion, she turned her head. When she saw Rong Shi Chang being thrown in, her face changed slightly.

The guard took two steps forward and pulled off the cloth gagging Rong Shi Chang’s mouth.

Rong Shi Chang immediately cursed, “You dare! I’m the son of the Rong family! You dare to tie me up? I’ll make you all pay!”

Ling Xiao’s face remained impassive, his knuckles lightly tapped against his arm. He said calmly, “Too noisy.”

The guard drew a dagger from his waist, stepped on Rong Shi Chang’s wrist, and then plunged the dagger into his back.

“Ah!” Rong Shi Chang screamed in agony.

The dagger went straight through him, piercing his body.

Yao’s pupils constricted, shocked by the ruthless move.

Rong Shi Chang was still screaming, and the guard warned, “Shut up, or it will be your other hand next. Your Highness still needs to interrogate you, and I will cut your tongue off first.”

Rong Shi Chang was so scared that he trembled all over. His face was pale, and he no longer had any arrogance. Instead, he was terrified of Ling Xiao, trembling as he said, “Spare me, spare me, please spare me.”

“Last night, Brother passed away. He said it was because he was injured by a group of thugs. Those thugs, they came…”

Ling Xiao’s voice was calm, but the killing intent in his eyes was already surging.

Rong Shi Chang turned his head sharply, and only then did he realize that he was tied up in front of the spirit hall.

“Brother Ling is back!”

Rong Shi Chang hurriedly defended himself, “I… I have nothing to do with it! It’s all… “

Ling Xiao swept his sword, and the guard drew another dagger, aiming it at Rong Shi Chang.

Rong Shi Chang’s face was filled with terror, and he cried out in a hoarse voice, “It’s true! It’s true!”

He pointed at Jiang Yao with his remaining good hand, “It’s her! This bitch seduced me! She said she was tired of being with Ling Chen, that sick man, and wanted to remarry! She wanted power and wealth, so she clung to me, she’s a fox spirit!”

As if he had finally found his voice, he bit at Jiang Yao, “It’s her! Everyone in Xingfeng knows that she seduced me, she cried and begged me, and even sent people to bring me here. I didn’t expect this poisonous woman to actually kill Ling Chen, she deliberately delayed things to make me get injured, just to make me…”

Ling Xiao’s dark eyes swept towards Jiang Yao.

Yao pushed herself up from the cushion and walked slowly out of the spirit hall, looking at the man with a ferocious face. “Tell me, when did you ask me out, and when did we meet in private? My husband was in good health, and I took care of him every step of the way. Everyone in the Ling family can testify!”

Ling Shen was stunned.

Rong Shi Chang immediately cursed, “We met in private! We went to the county fair together, but it was actually a private meeting! She seduced me in every way!”

Yao’s voice was filled with sarcasm, “Are you sure?”

“Of course! This bitch seduced me…”

Ling Shen immediately shouted, “You’re lying! Sister-in-law hasn’t left the house since she was followed in the county! She only went to the county again to buy medicine for Brother!”

These words made Rong Shi Chang’s face change.

He glared at Jiang Yao, “This bitch, she’s actually lying!”

“I… I must have remembered wrong, actually…” Rong Shi Chang hurriedly changed his story.

Jiang Yao said coldly, “If you really saw her, you should have exposed her when you said that she never left Brother Ling’s side.”

“You!”

Ling Shen cursed, “You’re still trying to slander Sister-in-law! You scoundrel, you’re still talking back even at this point!”

Ling Xiao looked at Jiang Yao, his dark eyes unreadable.

Yao met his gaze with clear and bright eyes, showing no fear.

“Your Highness.” The guard asked for instructions.

Ling Xiao’s voice was sharp, “Cut his tongue off.”

Rong Shi Chang’s face turned pale instantly when he heard this. He cursed without any restraint, “You dare to cut off my tongue? My father is a high-ranking official, if he finds out, he will definitely not let you off… Ah!”

Before he could finish his words, a scream rang out. The guard grabbed his jaw and quickly cut off his tongue with a dagger.

Ling Shen was so scared that he didn’t dare to look up again.

Yao stared at Rong Shi Chang, “You killed my husband, you will definitely pay for it!”

Ling Xiao gave an order, “Don’t let him suffer too much.”

“Yes.”

The guard received the order and immediately drew a whip from his waist, whipping Rong Shi Chang again and again.

Rong Shi Chang’s tongue had already been cut off, and he could no longer scream in pain. He could only whimper and groan, like a rat in a gutter.

Just then, a shout came from outside, “The Rong family is here!”

The guard, Qingyu, was about to whip Rong Shi Chang again when he turned his head to look at Ling Xiao. Seeing that his master didn’t stop him, he continued to whip.

When the Rong family rushed into the courtyard, they saw that their own son had been beaten to a bloody pulp.

“Ah!” The head of the Rong family trembled with anger, pointing at Ling Xiao, “You dare to injure my son!”

The guard drew his sword from its scabbard and pointed it at the head of the Rong family, shouting, “Insolence! Kneel down when you see the Military Marquis!”

The head of the Rong family’s face suddenly froze, “What?”

The guard showed his badge, and the head of the Rong family immediately knelt down. The two words on the badge shocked him to his core.

—Military Marquis.

This man was only a Military Marquis, but he was the one who had stormed into the imperial palace and beheaded the rebellious Prince Yong, helping the current emperor ascend the throne.

This rising star, even in a remote place like Yunzhou, had been heard of.

But he never expected that this man would be Brother Ling’s brother.

The head of the Rong family’s face turned pale, and he broke out in a cold sweat. He stammered, “This official has failed to discipline his son properly, and he has caused trouble for the Military Marquis’s brother. I apologize.”

Ling Xiao said calmly, “The Rong family is being too modest. What kind of trouble could your son cause? The Rong family has been bribing Prince Yong with tens of thousands of taels of silver, and you are guilty of treason.”

The head of the Rong family was so scared that he knelt down with a thud, “I… I was blinded by greed!”

During the struggle for the throne, Prince Yong was the most powerful, so the Rong family naturally paid their respects and showed their loyalty.

Who would have thought that the situation would change so quickly? In the struggle for the throne, Prince Yong was defeated, he attempted to seize the throne and rebel, but was captured by Prince Jing, who was stationed in the capital.

Now that Prince Jing had ascended the throne, the officials and courtiers naturally had to face a reckoning. But the emperor was merciful, and in order to stabilize the court, he pardoned all officials who had not directly participated in the rebellion.

The Rong family thought they were safe, but who would have thought that Brother Ling was the emperor’s most important supporter and had now been appointed as a Military Marquis.

And his son had harmed the Military Marquis’s brother.

At this point, the head of the Rong family was so scared that he trembled, and he couldn’t even speak properly.

Ling Xiao’s voice was sharp, “The Rong family is a remnant of the rebel faction. Even if you beg me, I cannot show favoritism. Take the Rong family into custody and bring them back to the capital for trial.”

The head of the Rong family’s face turned pale, and he begged for mercy, “Military Marquis!”

But the guards immediately rushed forward, gagged him, and dragged him away.

Rong Shi Chang had been hoping that his father would come to his rescue, but when he turned his head and saw that his father was being dragged away, his face turned pale. His mouth was full of blood, and he could only whimper and groan, unable to scream. He could only lie there and continue to be punished.

Rong Shi Chang gradually lost consciousness, as if he had been beaten into a pile of rotten flesh.

Jiang Yao’s sleeves trembled slightly. She was not used to such a bloody scene, but she stared at it with wide eyes, watching!

Ling Shen was so scared that he turned his head and didn’t dare to look again.

Ling Xiao raised his eyes and saw Jiang Yao’s red eyes staring at the bloody and mangled Rong Shi Chang.

The guard, Qingyu, finished whipping Rong Shi Chang and came forward to salute, “Your Highness, he’s done.”

Ling Xiao looked at the rotten flesh, and said coldly, “Clean it up.”

“Yes.”

Several guards quickly wrapped the mangled body in a shroud and carried it away.

The courtyard finally returned to peace.

Ling Shen, unable to bear the bloody scene, hid back inside.

Ling Xiao stood up, and the sound of his heavy footsteps echoed.

Jiang Yao was originally kneeling, but when she felt the oppressive aura, a sense of fear spread through her. She instinctively wanted to step back, but she held back.

She had to kill, she had to retreat, she had to survive.

Her face was wet with tears, her eyes were red and swollen, and her expression was filled with a hint of alertness.

Ling Xiao stood above her, his voice sharp, “I only let you go because of my brother’s face. Otherwise, you would have met the same fate as Rong Shi Chang today.”

Jiang Yao’s whole body froze, she pursed her lips tightly and didn’t say anything.

What could she say? Could she expect this bloodthirsty man to reason with her?

Seeing that she didn’t respond, he guessed that she was scared. He also felt that he was being a bit too harsh on this helpless woman.

He looked at the top of her head, his eyes drawn to the scar on her neck. It hadn’t been bandaged, and the wound was still healing.

Her slender and fair neck seemed to make the bright red scar even more striking.

Her skin was so delicate that even a light touch would leave a mark.

He withdrew his gaze and turned to leave.

As soon as he returned to the main hall, Mrs. Lin rushed forward, “Brother Ling, what was all that commotion? I heard you became an official, what happened suddenly…”

Ling Xiao pressed Mrs. Lin’s shoulder and said, “Mother, I’m back this time to take my brother back to the capital. After we finish Brother’s funeral, I’ll arrange for two people to guard the house, and we’ll go to the capital.”

Mrs. Lin took a while to react, “My son, you’ve been away for so long, you’ve really been busy with official matters.”

Ling Shen suddenly asked, “What about Sister-in-law?”

Ling Xiao said calmly, “Let her stay here and guard the house.”

Mrs. Lin frowned, “She’s just a woman, she’s already been harassed by the son of the Rong family, who knows who else will bully her in the future? Besides, some of our uncles and aunts are not good people either. If she’s abandoned by her husband, she’ll definitely be in trouble.”

“Ah, Brother specially told us to take good care of Sister-in-law before he left.” Ling Shen also said.

Mrs. Lin wiped away her tears and sighed, “Although Brother bought her, she was properly married into the Ling family. She’s a Ling wife, so we can’t just abandon her. Otherwise, what would people say about the Ling family? Besides, she’s a sensible girl, and I really like her. She’s familiar with the capital, and she can keep me company.”

Mrs. Lin only had one son and no daughters. It was only after this daughter-in-law entered the family that she felt the warmth of having a daughter. After all, a son couldn’t compare to a daughter’s closeness.

Ling Xiao responded indifferently, “As you wish.”