RPAGF Chapter 246 The Scandal Was Discovered
Chapter 246 The Scandal Was Discovered
Su Xiaoxiao, Xiao Ran and Yang Qi returned to their respective rooms, washed up, changed into clean clothes, and felt much more refreshed.
Seeing the delicious food on the table, the three of them stopped being polite and started to eat with relish.
After eating, Yang Qi couldn't help but sigh.
"I've been accustomed to a life of luxury since I was a child. These past few days of being captured and taken to the mountains have been like hell on earth. I never want to go through this again! I must find out who is colluding with the bandits and make him suffer!"
Xiao Ran was also filled with righteous indignation and said, "Yes, this revenge must be avenged. The pain and suffering that Tang Ze has endured must be returned to that person tenfold or a hundredfold!"
After Yang Qi vented his anger, he suddenly thought of something.
"By the way, Xiao Ran, what's going on with Ding Lin? I feel like the way he looks at you isn't right, like something's up!"
Su Xiaoxiao also agreed.
"I also think that Ding Lin is not right. Should we go ask him?"
"Yeah! That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Just as he finished speaking, Manager Guan came back from the yamen.
Xiao Ran asked, "Has the stuff been delivered?"
"Master, Madam, please rest assured. I have relayed everything you have instructed me to do. County Magistrate Cui said he will immediately send someone secretly out of the city to suppress the bandits."
"That's good! Those guys who were kidnapped up the mountain can finally come back safely."
Xiao Ran added, "Manager Guan, call Ding Lin over. I have a feeling he has something to say."
"Hey, I'll call him over right away."
Soon, Manager Guan came with Ding Lin.
When Ding Lin saw Xiao Ran, he knelt down excitedly again.
"Master, I am guilty!"
Xiao Ran and the others looked stunned.
Xiao Ran pulled Ding Lin up and said, "If you have anything to say, let's get up and talk it over!"
Ding Lin refused to stand up and cried, "I shouldn't have left the house without permission. I'm so sorry for you and my late wife!"
Just now, Manager Guan arranged a separate place for him to rest. Not only did he not treat him as a servant, he also did not pursue the matter of him leaving the house without permission. He spoke to him in a kind manner, prepared rich food for him, and gave him corresponding silver.
But when he thought about what happened back then, he was filled with remorse.
If he had been braver at the time and had not left, but returned to the mansion and told the truth, would his wife not have died so early?
Xiao Ran asked, "What happened? Why do you say that? How have you wronged my mother?"
"Master, I had my own reasons for leaving the mansion. Please trust me."
"I remember that year, there was a maid named He Ya who left the mansion with you."
"Yes."
"If I remember correctly, He Ya stole something from the mansion and ran away because she was afraid of being discovered and blamed. So, you two ran away together?"
With tears in his eyes, Ding Lin looked up at Xiao Ran.
"Master, Madam is so kind to us. We would never do anything to offend Madam, let alone steal things from the mansion. He Ya was wrongly accused. She didn't steal anything from the mansion at all. Someone framed her!"
Xiao Ran was slightly surprised. "You are just servants in the mansion. Who would frame you two?"
"This……"
Ding Lin was about to tell the truth, but when he looked at the other people in the room, he swallowed the words back.
Xiao Ran saw what Ding Lin was thinking and said bluntly, "There are no outsiders here. Just say what you want to say!"
"Master, this matter concerns the reputation of the mansion! I dare not speak carelessly."
Hearing this, Xiao Ran seemed to have thought of something and ordered, "Since this concerns the reputation of the mansion, it means someone has already damaged the reputation of the mansion. So why are you hesitating? Just say it! I command you, say it now!"
Ding Lin hesitated for a long time before speaking, "The Madam had already promised this old slave and He Ya that she would arrange our marriage after the New Year. But one day, He Ya, under Madam's order, went to the study to find the master. Unexpectedly, she saw someone else in the study besides the master!"
Xiao Ran narrowed his eyes slightly, his eyes full of anger.
"It's Dai Zhi!"
Su Xiaoxiao, Yang Qi and Manager Guan were all shocked.
Ding Lin's cloudy pupils shrank slightly.
"Master...you...you know everything?"
"After my mother died, Xiao Wenchang couldn't wait to make Dai Zhi his wife. I suspected there was something wrong between them, but I never thought they would be together so early!"
Xiao Ran pointed upwards and shouted, "Xiao Wenchang! Are you worthy of my mother?"
"Master, calm down! He Ya was terrified at the time. She didn't expect Dai Zhi to climb onto the master's bed with the mistress on her back. In her panic, she bumped into a flower pot, making a noise. He Ya was so scared that she ran away immediately, thinking she hadn't been discovered, but she had already been exposed."
Su Xiaoxiao walked to Xiao Ran, held his hand, and comforted him silently.
Ding Lin sighed and continued, "The Madam was not feeling well at the time, and He Ya was afraid that if she knew about this, her condition would worsen, so she kept it a secret. She thought that with time, the matter would be over. But she never expected that one day when she was out shopping, a group of people dragged her into a deserted alley and beat her to death with fists and kicks until she was motionless and breathing weakly!"
"If I hadn't happened to be out that day and accidentally found her dying, she would have died outside long ago."
When talking about the sad things that happened back then, Ding Lin burst into tears.
He Ya is the love of his life. Without He Ya, he really doesn't know what the meaning of life is.
Xiao Ran clenched his fists and his eyes widened in anger.
"When Xiao Wenchang and Dai Zhi's scandal was discovered, they started killing people to silence them!"
"Yes, Master. They were certain that He Ya would die, so they charged her with theft and wanted to hunt her down! When I saw He Ya's miserable condition, I was terrified. After I settled He Ya down and found a doctor, I hurried back to the mansion, intending to report He Ya's beating to the mistress. However, a friend who worked as a servant in the mansion secretly told me that we had been expelled from the mansion and were being hunted down. The charge was that we had stolen the master's property, and they told me to run away quickly, otherwise, we would be beaten to death if caught!"
Ding Lin was silent for a moment, then continued, "I was so panicked at the time, and I was worried about He Ya's safety, so I had no choice but to leave. But...but I never thought that Madam would...actually die at such a young age!"
After saying that, he lowered his head and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his washed-out sleeves.
The more Xiao Ran thought about it, the angrier he became. "Ding Lin, where is He Ya now? Can you bring her to see me? I want her to tell me in detail what happened back then! Also, my mother was fine back then, so why did her condition suddenly worsen? He Ya, as an elderly person close to my mother, must know the situation here!"