Chapter 150: The Verdict

Chapter 150: The Verdict

"Nonsense!"

Mrs. Zheng was furious, Ling Xiang still had the prescription from back then!

In front of the elder madam and so many relatives from the Western Lin household, how could she bear the accusation of plotting against her stepdaughter!

"How could I possibly drink medicine to induce labor, risking my own child... If Yunjiao was a boy at that time, or if I had harmed myself, it would have been too late for regrets!"

Mrs. Zheng, twisting her handkerchief, glared fiercely at Ling Xiang, unsure who had influenced this girl, but she wasn't going to let her ruin her reputation so easily!

Ling Xiang met her gaze and retorted, "Madam, didn’t you say that if your injuries were too minor, the household wouldn’t send the elder daughter away? You insisted on seeing blood."

"You were also afraid that the elder daughter might really hurt your belly, so you had me kick her away..."

It was her first time doing such a thing; she couldn’t control her force and ended up seriously hurting the elder daughter.

That was her greatest sin.

Mrs. Zheng coldly smiled, "Ling Xiang, how can you fabricate such lies?"

"The elder daughter is my stepdaughter, and she was raised in my courtyard. If anything happened to her, I couldn’t explain it away!"

"By your account, it seems I wasn’t harming the elder daughter but rather harming myself!"

"How could there be such a foolish stepmother in the world? I had only been married to your father for just over a year; would I be foolish enough to do such a thing?"

Ling Xiang: "I... I..."

Back then, the madam had indeed instructed her to do so! It was a plan to drive away the elder daughter!

Mrs. Zheng, seeing Ling Xiang's dumbfounded expression, feigned a sudden realization and quickly turned the tables, "So, it was you who drugged me to induce labor. I always wondered how a mere bump from a four-year-old could cause bleeding!"

"Back then, you were desperate to become the master's concubine, weren’t you? First, you harmed me, and now you're trying to harm me again!"

"It seems that dismissing you was indeed the right decision!"

Ling Xiang was left speechless.

She hadn’t expected that, even with the evidence right before her eyes, Mrs. Zheng could still twist the truth so blatantly.

Standing up, Ling Xiang said in a mournful voice, "Madam, if you insist on accusing me, I'm truly helpless."

"I am but a mere servant; how could I dare to harm you in a bid for favor?"

She glanced at the ladies from both households and said to Elder Madam Lin, "...nor would I, after over a decade, walk into the lion’s den to harm you."

Having said this, she clenched her fists and charged toward a pillar in the side room.

If she couldn’t clear her name alive, she would do so in death! It would be her atonement.

Elder Madam Lin hastily ordered the maids, "Grab her!"

The attending maids rushed to hold Ling Xiang back. She didn’t hit the pillar, but her sobs left her weak.

This made it hard for anyone to doubt her words. Who would wait over a decade just to seek death?

Mrs. Zheng's face showed embarrassment, her eyes reddening as she dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief.

She appeared to be quite aggrieved.

Internally, she seethed with hatred towards Ling Xiang, thinking, after all these years, why return to Jiang Qian to create such chaos!

Elder Madam Lin, after a moment of silence, commanded, "Bring her here."

The maids assisted Ling Xiang to kneel again in front of the elder madam.

Elder Madam Lin looked at her and said, "Setting aside the truth for now, the fact that you kicked the elder daughter is undeniable, and Lin House’s decision to dismiss you was not wrong."

Ling Xiang’s hair was disheveled, yet she still nodded in agreement.

If she hadn't been blinded by folly, how could she have agreed to carry out such malicious deeds!

The hardships she faced over the years were the consequences of her misdeeds.

Elder Madam Lin continued, "...I also believe you truly wished to die."

Lin Huabin and Mrs. Zheng both changed their expressions drastically.

The people from Western Lin House also couldn't believe it. How could the elder madam say such a thing!

This showed no favoritism at all!

Ling Xiang, too, widened her eyes in disbelief, looking at the elder madam, "Elder madam... I..."

Elder Madam Lin raised her hand to stop her, "You need not say more."

She spoke calmly, "The truth of the matter can be easily investigated. Certainly, you were not the only one involved."

"You are no longer a servant under our Lin House’s jurisdiction. But based on what you've said and the 'evidence' you hold, even if you take this to the authorities, you cannot accuse the master of any crime. There's no need for you to cause further disturbances in the Lin household."

"Considering your remorseful heart..."

Elder Madam Lin turned to her eldest daughter-in-law, "Take good care of her, give her some silver, and let her live her life well."

The main wife bowed her head and said, "Yes."

Elder Madam Lin asked Ling Xiang, "Do you have anything else to say?"

Ling Xiang blinked blankly, realizing she had nothing more to add.

Lin Huabin frowned and stepped forward, "Mother."

"How can we let such a person go? If this gets out, how will Mrs. Zheng face society?"

"As her father, I would also bear the reputation of being unkind."

Lin Huabin meaningfully added, "Mother, I think what the madam said makes sense. Perhaps your decision was too hasty. Please reconsider."

Elder Madam Lin closed her eyes briefly.

It seemed unlikely that Mrs. Zheng would make such a foolish mistake.

But if there were other reasons, that would be a different matter.

It all depends on whether Mrs. Zheng's desires outweigh her caution!

"Yunwan, come here."

Elder Madam Lin opened her eyes and called Lin Yunwan to her side. Holding her hand affectionately, she disregarded Lin Huabin and said, "Good child, you are the one who has suffered the most these years."

"I know you never harmed your birth mother. The madam's bleeding during pregnancy was not your fault."

"You should not have been relegated to the countryside; you ought to have grown up in the mansion with your sisters, learning music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and needlework..."

"It was us, the elders, who failed in our duties."

Lin Yunwan felt a warmth in her heart, "Elder madam, a junior cannot fault their elders..."

But the elder madam unexpectedly took the blame upon herself.

Even Lin Yunwan’s biological father had never gone to such lengths!

Elder Madam Lin held her hand tightly, smiling faintly.

Mrs. Zheng's face turned rigid.

What did the elder madam mean by this? Was she implying that she was harsh to her stepdaughter? It seemed she was being directly blamed for the stepdaughter’s misfortune.

But Mrs. Zheng dared not contradict the elder madam, her mother-in-law.

She couldn’t prove her innocence through death like Ling Xiang; after all, she was the second wife of the Eastern Lin House! How could she engage in such disgraceful acts like a common servant?

Yet, the looks she received from the people of the Western Lin House were different now.

The mistress of the Western Lin House, smiling at Lin Yunwan, said, "I always said this child stood out, looking different from the other girls. Her character is also exceptionally good."

This was an acknowledgment of what Elder Madam Lin had said.

"The second house's eldest daughter is innocent!"

"All those rumors about her being cruel from a young age were concocted by her stepmother to frame her."

"A stepmother is still a stepmother, with too harsh a heart."

Someone from the Western Lin House murmured this quietly. Though not loud enough for the Eastern Lin House to hear, it reflected the thoughts of many.

Lin Yunjiao stepped back, her face losing color.

"How could this be possible!"

"It was clearly Lin Yunwan who bumped into her mother, causing her inability to be born."

"How has it turned into her mother harming Lin Yunwan... Impossible! The elder madam must be mistaken. It's Ling Xiang who's lying. How could the elder madam believe a servant who was dismissed!"

Lin Huabin's face turned red.

"With so many clan members watching, how can mother handle it this way!"

"Where does this leave my dignity?"

"Mother always does this, she cares the least about me."

"Mother..."

Lin Huabin bowed his head, his voice lowered.

Elder Madam Lin suddenly slammed the table, "What more do you want to say! What kind of father are you!"

"That was too harsh; some respect should be left for the second master."

With the elder madam's outburst, the main wife of the first house stood up and whispered to the children, "Everyone, please leave."

The others left together. Mama Fan pulled Lin Yunjiao out, while Mrs. Zheng knelt on the ground, not daring to move.