Chapter 613

The Spring Sacrifice was discussing the Lin family's case, but it was brought up by someone else.

Now seeing Lin Ruojun slowly walk over, the surrounding civil officials finally breathed a sigh of relief; with the Lin family appearing here, they gained a bit more confidence.

Especially Lin Ruojun's identity—she is the young lady of the Princess Consort's manor, the cherished treasure of Cheng Xiaohouye, so her status is naturally extraordinary.

If Lin Ruojun steps forward, it adds even more chance of success; let's see how Xiao Yin manipulates power in the Southern Qi court.

Gu Jiu Ling's brows furrowed tightly, her eyes gaining a hint of sternness.

He Wanshan saw Lin Ruojun approach and hurried forward a step, saying, 'Young lady, have you arrived?'

"We are currently discussing the case of your elder brother's brutal death! Please, young lady, take charge!"

Several other civil officials quickly chimed in: 'Young lady, we suspect Prince Rui's Dragon Spring Sword...'

"It's not Prince Rui!" Lin Ruojun said slowly.

"What... what?" Several civil officials were momentarily speechless, at a loss, looking at Lin Ruojun as if they thought they had misheard.

Lin Ruojun raised her voice slightly, enunciating each word: "My elder brother's death has nothing to do with Prince Rui."

Now everyone heard clearly; Lin Ruojun's words—not only those officials who insisted Xiao Yin wouldn't budge, but even Gu Jiu Ling and Xiao Yin looked at her standing before them with some disbelief.

Lin Ruojun slowly walked to her elder brother's coffin and knelt down.

Her already pale, wan face grew even more anguished; tears instantly seeped from the corners of her eyes.

Cheng Ming, standing beside her, tightly pressed his lips, raised his arm to embrace his wife's shoulders, and hugged her firmly.

His wife had suffered such a great misfortune, yet he was powerless.

Moreover, he was caught between his wife's Lin family and Xiao Yin, unsure how to respond.

At this moment he could only stand silently beside Lin Ruojun.

Gu Jiu Ling's heart stirred slightly; she hadn't expected Lin Ruojun to discern right from wrong this time and not wrong Xiao Yin.

He stepped forward slowly, looked at Lin Ruojun and said, "Young lady, you understand righteousness well, unlike some who confuse right and wrong, black and white."

"I will personally give the young lady an explanation; the Lin family's eldest son will not die unjustly for nothing."

Lin Ruojun knelt before her brother's coffin, both hands gripping its edge tightly.

Yet her inner self was already a wasteland; she had never known where her brother was actually buried.

When she asked her grandmother and mother, they both hemmed and hawed.

Her grandmother, grief-stricken to the point of despair, took her mother and the rest of the Lin family to settle completely in Jiangnan.

After Lin Ruojun asked repeatedly, her mother said she had brought her brother back to Jiangnan and buried him in the Lin family ancestral grave there.

Now Lin Ruojun, seeing this scene before her, realized that several ladies of the Lin family were being used again by others.

The ladies of the Lin family now hate the prince intensely; if they could cause trouble for Prince Rui, they would naturally be willing.

But Lin Ruojun understands that if Prince Rui truly wanted to kill her brother, he could have done it openly in Shang Jing; why would he act covertly, unseen, striking her brother on the river?

Initially, Gu Jiu Ling exposed that Minister Chen Zhuo was gravely ill, and that her brother had given him medicine; her brother had already been ruined in reputation.

At that point her brother was essentially a cripple; since he was already incapacitated, why would Xiao Yin need to make a big show of killing him, only to give others a handle?

Lin Ruojun harbored some prejudice against Xiao Yin and Gu Jiu Ling, but what she found more repulsive was the behind-the-scenes manipulator who stirred up their relationship and murdered her brother.

She stared fixedly at her brother's corpse, a large hole torn in his chest, lying stiffly.

Lin Ruojun's two hands gripped the coffin's edge tightly, her fingers clenching one by one.

Gu Jiu Ling, watching her like that, felt somewhat uneasy as well, then said slowly, "I also examined your brother's corpse just now and found a problem; I don't know if you'd be willing to hear it."

Lin Ruojun wiped away her tears, took a breath, and said: "Please, Princess Consort of Rui, enlighten me!"

Gu Jiu Ling breathed a sigh of relief; since Lin Ruojun could listen calmly to her, she now had a way to turn the situation around.

Gu Jiu Ling turned, looked toward the side where Bai Xiaosheng's expression shifted unpredictably, and said slowly, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, since so many demand a thorough investigation into Lord Lin's death, I have some ideas and would like to ask you to preside over a fair hearing."

Bai Xiaosheng nodded and gave a light smile: "Aunt Imperial, please speak freely."

"Since even the young lady says her brother's death has nothing to do with the Ninth Imperial Uncle, I too would like to hear what the Prince Rui manor actually means."

Gu Jiu Ling silently sneered; this youngster has been becoming increasingly disobedient lately.

He was originally a puppet propped up by Xiao Yin; I didn't expect him to still have many small tricks—those petty thoughts, how could Gu Jiu Ling fail to see them?

Gu Jiu Ling certainly did not want Xiao Yin to be misunderstood by so many people.

In his mind, Xiao Yin remains the youth who once commanded the wind and clouds a few years ago, a great hero of Southern Qi.

How could anyone tolerate others repeatedly splashing filth upon him?

Gu Jiu Ling turned, bent down gently, and helped Lin Ruojun, who was kneeling before the coffin, to her feet.

"The young lady has just given birth; her body is still weak—someone, bring a chair."

"Young lady, please sit and watch the show!"

Cheng Ming hurriedly supported his wife's arm and seated her in the chair.

These days the wife has endured hardship; after giving birth to the child, the Lin family suffered another great misfortune.

She has been uneasy, her mood poor, and now she is even thinner, skin and bone.

Cheng Ming felt heartbroken to death; just earlier he had received news that his elder uncle's remains were discovered at the site where the Crown Prince held the Spring Sacrifice.

He came here with his wife, yet unexpectedly encountered even more misfortunes.

Gu Jiu Ling looked at the anguished Lin Ruojun before her and raised her voice somewhat: "Some unpleasant words I must speak upfront."

"I only want to ask the young lady whether she wishes to find the true culprit who killed her brother? If unwilling, nothing here can be made clear; if we truly want to uncover clues, we must be less respectful toward Lord Lin's corpse."

Lin Ruojun understood Gu Jiu Ling's meaning and gave a faint bitter smile: "Princess Consort of Rui, your medical skill is superb; surely you can answer my doubts."

"Death cannot be revived—I, Lin Ruojun, accept that. If I could give my brother a truth and vindicate him, then if the corpse must be moved, I will follow the Princess Consort's wishes."

Gu Jiu Ling nodded: "If so, then I will have to offend you further."

Gu Jiu Ling turned and ordered two attendants to come over, dragging Lin Jingyuan's entire corpse out of the coffin and sitting it up.

As Gu Jiu Ling made this move, Lin Ruojun suddenly sprang to her feet, staring fixedly at Gu Jiu Ling; this action was clearly a great insult to the dead.