Chapter 49: The Emperor is here?

Lin Jiaojiao had not even been in the dungeon for two hours when the jailer came over to tell her that someone had come to visit.

Who would come to visit her? Lin Jiaojiao knew that she had no relatives or friends in this era, so there shouldn't be anyone coming to visit. As she raised her eyes, she saw a tall figure; the visitor was none other than Lu Zhenting!

"General Lu, why are you here?" Seeing him, an inexplicable feeling of joy surged in Lin Jiaojiao's heart. "Have the wet nurse and the child gone back? Are they both alright?"

"I have already settled them in. Don't worry, they are at my mansion now and will be fine," Lu Zhenting comforted her.

He had originally thought she had only entered the Dali Temple to assist with the investigation, but once he entered the Dali Temple and asked around, he finally understood the situation.

No matter what, he did not believe that Lin Jiaojiao would cause the witness to die!

"Lin Guniang, you have suffered. I will find a way to get you out," he said, glancing back at the jailer who was eating peanuts. "If it really comes to it, I'll just take you out by force; they won't be able to do anything to me."

"Even if you take me away by force, that corrupt official will chase you to the General's Mansion," Lin Jiaojiao shook her head sadly. "I lost him face in front of the Emperor; I reckon he hates me to the bone!"

"The Emperor is here?" Lu Zhenting was startled. He had never expected the Emperor to come to the Dali Temple. "When did he come?"

"It was when my emergency resuscitation of the witness failed in the courtroom," Lin Jiaojiao recalled. "I even returned his handkerchief to him."

"What handkerchief?" Lu Zhenting's breath hitched. How could she have the Emperor's handkerchief?!

"It's just the handkerchief he lent me that night." Lin Jiaojiao felt a bit ashamed at the thought of her nosebleed.

And now, the "culprit" was standing right in front of her. Fortunately, the lighting here was poor, otherwise he would have seen her face flushed with shame.

"A handkerchief is a personal item of the Emperor," Lu Zhenting felt terrible. He hurriedly reached his hand through the gap in the wooden bars of the cell, wanting to grab Lin Jiaojiao's hand. "How could he lend his handkerchief to you?"

"I had an internal heat-induced nosebleed that day, and I accidentally bumped into him while walking in your General's Mansion," Lin Jiaojiao's voice grew quieter as she spoke, feeling guilty and her cheeks growing hotter. "I couldn't find my own handkerchief, so he lent me his..."

"Who knew he was the current Emperor? He only said he was your friend, here to see Song Shijie..."

Lu Zhenting suddenly remembered what happened that night: he had originally wanted to let Lin Jiaojiao check the wounds on his body, but she had suddenly covered her nose and ran away. He guessed that must have been when she bumped into the Emperor who had come to visit the mansion.

Not long after, Steward Xu came to report, telling him that "Young Master Qin" had arrived. He understood in his heart that it was the Emperor, so he hurried to welcome him.

But who would have thought that this Emperor would actually bump into Lin Jiaojiao!

And even lend her such a private item as a handkerchief!

Lin Jiaojiao did not understand palace etiquette; she didn't know that person was the Emperor, and she even used his handkerchief to wipe her nosebleed!

If this matter were to spread, the people in the Imperial Palace wouldn't know what to think!

However... Lu Zhenting thought again, the Emperor shouldn't have taken a fancy to Lin Jiaojiao, otherwise he would have already fished her out and taken her back to the Imperial Palace.

Thinking of this, Lu Zhenting felt a sense of relief. The thing to do now was to find a way to help Lin Jiaojiao clear her name as soon as possible and get her out of the Dali Temple prison.

In order to make Lin Jiaojiao feel happier, Lu Zhenting said: "By the way, Pei Aosong has given me the household register for you and the child."

"Really?" Lin Jiaojiao's eyes lit up, and she cheered, "That's truly wonderful! From now on, the child and I are free people! Thank you, General Lu! Mwah!"

"What does 'mwah' mean?" Lu Zhenting was puzzled.

Lin Jiaojiao stuck out her tongue in embarrassment. She really was! How did she accidentally say those three words!

Fortunately, people in ancient times didn't know modern slang, so she bluffed, "'Mwah' just means thank you very much!"

"Oh, then there's no need for 'mwah'," Lu Zhenting understood. He looked at Lin Jiaojiao and said solemnly, "Lin Guniang, I know how to lead troops in battle, but I am not good at handling cases. If you have any way to overturn the case, tell me as soon as possible, and I will handle it for you."

"Perfect! You can help me!" Lin Jiaojiao clapped her hands, as if she had found a savior. "Go find a few more people with excellent medical skills to perform an autopsy with you, and help me prove that the witness didn't die because of my emergency heart compression!"

"Alright, as soon as I leave the Dali Temple, I will immediately go to the Imperial Hospital to find people," Lu Zhenting agreed.

He thought for a moment and added, "When I go back, I will inform Shijie about this. He knows how to investigate cases; perhaps he will have more ways to help you clear your suspicion."

"That works too." Lin Jiaojiao nodded in agreement; she highly recognized Song Shijie's ability to handle cases.

At the very least, Song Shijie wouldn't easily jump to conclusions, and he truly had a pair of eyes that could see through people's hearts. If he could help think of a way, that would be for the best.

Since Song Shijie was mentioned, Lu Zhenting thought that Lin Jiaojiao was now a free person, so he asked, "Lin Guniang, do you really intend to marry Shijie?"

"Uh, this..." Lin Jiaojiao was momentarily speechless. She mumbled, "Let's talk about that after I get out of this Dali Temple. By the way, how are his injuries?"

"He is perfectly fine!" Seeing that she was still concerned about Song Shijie's injuries while in prison, Lu Zhenting felt both depressed and sour. "Why do you ask about his injuries every day, but don't treat mine!"

"Don't misunderstand, I am a doctor, a doctor," Lin Jiaojiao saw Lu Zhenting's poor expression and hurriedly explained, "What doctor doesn't care about their own patients?"

"That night, the incident happened suddenly, and I had an internal heat-induced nosebleed!"

She then asked as a follow-up, "How is your mother? Are her legs any better?"

"She can barely get out of bed, but she still needs your treatment," Lu Zhenting said with a grateful and solemn face. "Lin Guniang, thank you for your treatment, mwah!"

When Lu Zhenting said the last three words, Lin Jiaojiao's face instantly turned hot.

"No need to thank me, no need to thank me." Lin Jiaojiao hurriedly waved her hands and turned her back, fearing that Lu Zhenting would see her blushing and heart-racing appearance.

"Time's up! Time's up!" At this moment, the jailer began to urge them. Lu Zhenting could only say goodbye to Lin Jiaojiao before turning to leave the Dali Temple.

Not long after Lu Zhenting left, another visitor came to the dungeon.

This person was wearing a black cloak and a hood, looking very mysterious.

He handed a tael of silver to the jailer. The jailer was a sensible man, nodding repeatedly as he let the person in. "Sir, the visiting time cannot exceed one stick of incense. May I ask who you are here to visit?"

"I'm here to visit the woman surnamed Mo." The visitor lowered his hood and replied in a low voice.

"Alright, please go in." The jailer let him in.

After entering the women's prison, the man walked straight to the door of Mo Siniang's cell, silently watching Mo Siniang singing nursery rhymes to soothe a child.

"I've come to see you," the visitor said in a low and somewhat aged voice, his tone slightly choked. "It's been half a year, are you alright?"

Mo Siniang did not pay any attention to the man, still just humming the tune.

"For the past few months, your father has been busy with suppressing bandits. Last month, I wiped out a nest of bandits who were kidnapping women. The leader was surnamed Cai..."

Mo Siniang's eyes were slightly dazed, but she still made no other movements, as if the visitor did not exist.

"Your mother originally wanted to come to the Capital from Jiangzhou with me to see you, but she caught a cold and developed a cough. She hasn't been able to get out of bed for two months..."

Only then did Mo Siniang slowly lift those eyes filled with dried blood and tears to look at him, laughing crazily, "It's good that she's dead, it's good that she's dead. If she's dead, she doesn't have to suffer. Hahahaha, it's good that she's dead!"

The visitor sighed and shook his head, knowing that this daughter was hopelessly insane.

He gently wiped the corner of his eyes and turned to leave, but Lin Jiaojiao in the neighboring cell called out to him, "Sir, your wife has had a cold and cough for more than two months, does she have a rattling sound in her chest?"

The visitor looked towards the sound, and through the dim candlelight, he saw Lin Jiaojiao. He was stunned for a moment the instant he saw her, and he subconsciously asked, "Young lady, are you Lin Zhiyue?"

Lin Jiaojiao was baffled by the question: "What Zhiyue???" ===== CHAPTER 50 =====