Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lin Qing was well acquainted with the plot, so finding where Wang Duan hid the stolen funds was not difficult. Before setting out, she had already split the Tianlu Guards into two groups: one half accompanied her to raid the Wang household, while the other half went to search Wang Duan’s concubine’s private residence.

She casually flipped through the documents. One letter bore Wang Duan’s seal, and the handwriting matched his. Unfortunately, the other party who wrote the letter was very cautious; where a seal should have been, there was only a symbol resembling a crow.

According to the story, Wang Duan was a man loyal to Prince Rui. Prince Rui’s successful rebellion owed much to Wang Duan’s efforts. This crow-like symbol must have been Prince Rui’s mark.

She raised the letter in her hand and asked, “Does Lord Wang recognize these items?”

The moment Wang Duan saw the familiar box, he collapsed to the ground, his face rapidly turning ashen. He knew he was completely finished.

“Guards, the evidence is conclusive. Imprison Lord Wang Duan and his family,” Lin Qing ordered. She gathered the letters and was about to leave when Lady Wang, who had been kneeling behind Wang Duan, suddenly called out, “Wait, Officer Lin!”

Lin Qing paused and looked toward Lady Wang.

Since Li Qing’s appearance, Lady Wang’s expression had been particularly grim. She stepped forward and knelt down, saying, “Your servant once accidentally learned something and wishes to inform Your Honor. I beg you to allow me to divorce Wang Duan.”

Wang Duan’s expression changed drastically, but his mouth was blocked. He whimpered helplessly.

Lady Wang sneered, “Wang Duan, I have been frail since childhood and was destined to bear no children. If you wanted to take a concubine, I would not have opposed it. But the one you raised at home did not please you, so you resorted to theft! Since you have trampled on my dignity, why should I care about the Wang family’s reputation? You cannot escape your crimes anyway. We have no affection between us, and I bear no heirs. Why should I risk my life for you?”

Even now, she still felt humiliated recalling the incident. She told Lin Qing, “This matter involves the Marquis of Yongning’s household. Sixteen years ago, I personally saw Wang Duan bring a newborn girl into the Wang family and hand her to a woman surnamed Liu. They conspired to swap the Marquis’s legitimate daughter. The next day, that woman returned holding a baby, claiming the plan succeeded. After much investigation, I discovered that this Liu woman was the Marquis’s wife’s personal nanny.”

Lady Wang snorted coldly. “At the time, I didn’t understand why Wang Duan went to such lengths to replace the Marquis’s legitimate daughter. Now I realize that the baby must have been born to that concubine. A child of a concubine switched to become the Marquis’s cherished legitimate daughter—Wang Duan truly doted on her to the bone.”

Her words caused an uproar among the gathered townsfolk.

In the Great Yuan Dynasty, the status of a concubine’s daughter was even lower than that of a secondary wife’s child. Even among commoners, no respectable family would marry a concubine’s daughter as their wife.

So the Marquis’s legitimate daughter had actually been swapped with Wang Duan’s concubine’s child! The Marquis’s household’s legitimate daughter had been replaced by a concubine’s daughter!

Lin Qing was stunned. She never imagined that, in revealing the stories of herself and Lin Junrou, she had unwittingly uncovered their true origins.

According to the original storyline, Lin Junrou fell in love with Prince Rui. The revelation that Lin Junrou was not the Marquis’s legitimate daughter was fabricated by her rival, who claimed it was the resentment of the Marquis’s late chief nanny who switched a newborn girl with the legitimate daughter. The truth of Lin Junrou’s origin was never mentioned, which allowed her to marry Prince Rui as his legitimate wife under the identity of the Marquis’s daughter.

Now that the label of concubine’s daughter was removed, no matter how much the Marquis’s household tried to cleanse their reputation, the royal family would never agree to Prince Rui marrying Lin Junrou as his legitimate wife.

It seemed she had inadvertently added fuel to the protagonists’ romance.

Lin Qing’s expression remained impassive as she thought this over. However, this matter was not hers to worry about; others should bear the burden—such as the Ministry of Justice, the Marquis of Yongning’s household, or her esteemed superior.

With this in mind, she said, “Lady Wang, rest assured. I will report this matter to His Majesty.”

Lady Wang felt relieved. “Your servant thanks Your Honor.”

After the Tianlu Guards cataloged the Wang family’s assets and imprisoned Wang Duan and his kin in the secret prison of the Tianlu Division, Lin Qing hurried back to report.

The Tianlu Division’s office was located on the southern side of the palace. By the time she arrived, it was nearly noon. Ignoring her rumbling stomach, she rushed into her master’s study, only to find her master absent and a young man sitting where her master usually was.

The young man wore a resplendent golden dragon robe. His long eyebrows stretched to his temples, his eyes cold and star-like, his red lips pressed lightly. He was intently reading a memorial in his hands.

Lin Qing shuddered inwardly. The emperor was here with no guards at the door? That was just asking for trouble!

Li Mingxiao was pondering the content of the memorial. Hearing the noise, he did not lift his head but said, “Water.”

Lin Qing wished she could immediately leave, but seeing no one else in the room besides Li Mingxiao, she pinched her nose and stepped inside, pouring a cup of water from the table and handing it over.

Li Mingxiao took the water and noticed the sleeve was unfamiliar—not from one of his eunuchs. Realizing this was not his private study, he took the cup and said, “You’re back?”

“I, Lin Qing, pay homage to Your Majesty,” Lin Qing quickly knelt and bowed. Living in ancient times meant behaving like an ancient person. If she acted like in the novels, she’d lose her head ten times over.

Li Mingxiao put down the memorial and smiled, “Lin Qing, you may rise. How did the matter proceed?”

Lin Qing recounted everything about the Wang family from beginning to end.

Li Mingxiao’s smile gradually faded.

Lin Qing understood why Li Mingxiao was displeased. Wang Duan’s seized wealth nearly equaled half the national treasury. If one Wang Duan had become this bloated, how many corrupt officials must there be?

Li Mingxiao composed his expression swiftly, as if his previous displeasure had been an illusion, and said, “I did not know the Marquis of Yongning’s household had ties with the Wang family.”

Lin Qing lowered her head in silence, thinking bitterly—You just don’t know yet that this matter involves me too. I am the true daughter!

Li Mingxiao asked, “What did Wang Duan say?”

Lin Qing answered, “Wang Duan said he did not want his daughter to be a concubine’s child, so he sought a better status for her. Since the Marquis’s wife was giving birth, he swapped the babies.”

Li Mingxiao’s lips curled, and he tossed the memorial onto the table. “How much truth do you think there is in that story?”

Lin Qing lowered her gaze. “Perhaps it was just a father’s love.”

Li Mingxiao’s mouth twitched slightly. He was not fooled by such perfunctory words. “Speak plainly.”

Lin Qing replied honestly, “Not a word of it is true.”

The original story never mentioned the heroine’s origins. She had not thought much of it before, but after today, she suspected there was a hidden truth.

Just then, a rumbling sound came from her stomach.

Only the two of them were in the room, and for a moment, the noise rendered them both silent.

Lin Qing covered her face in embarrassment. She probably was the first person to have her stomach audibly grumble in front of the emperor. She was done for—she didn’t want to see anyone ever again.

Li Mingxiao was momentarily stunned, then realized the source of the noise. “Your… stomach growled?”

Lin Qing made a miserable face. What could she say? She knelt again. “I apologize for my disrespect. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

The room fell silent.

Then Li Mingxiao laughed. Perhaps feeling it rude to mock her outright, he restrained his smile but the amusement in his eyes lingered. “Your dedication to the country and its people, disregarding your own self, is truly the rise of Great Yuan.”

A bowl of chicken soup in words—what could Lin Qing say? She might as well laugh. After all, it was the emperor praising her, so she humbly accepted. “Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty. I am unworthy.”

Li Mingxiao stood and said, “Your master has gone to handle a matter and will not return soon. As his disciple, you shall accompany me on a journey.”

Lin Qing glanced outside. The emperor had no guards at the door. “Shall I bring some Tianlu Guards to clear the way?”

“Too many people make a fuss. You alone will suffice,” Li Mingxiao replied as he walked ahead.

Lin Qing patted her already hungry stomach and resigned herself to following him.