Chapter 54 She’s Really a Good Person

Chapter 54: She Really Is a Good Person

"Let go! Who do you think you are, daring to stop me!" Yao Shi's voice was shrill as she struggled to free her wrist from the grip, but she couldn't budge it.

Chen Hui shoved her hand away, causing Yao Shi to stagger backward. The maid who had accompanied her rushed forward to steady her, the maid's face still bearing a bright red slap mark.

"Ma'am, we have wounded inside. Please keep your voice down."

"I don't answer to you. Get out of my way!" Seeing Chen Hui's gentle demeanor, Yao Shi's arrogance flared up again.

She grabbed Lin Sui's sleeve, her glare sharp enough to flay Lin Sui alive.

Gritting her teeth, she hissed, "If I had known it would come to this, I should have drowned you the day you were born! You cold-blooded beast, not even sparing your own brother!"

"Is Madam Yao referring to herself? A monster who'd turn on her own daughter—isn’t it only natural that she’d give birth to someone like me?" Lin Sui yanked her sleeve back from Yao Shi's grasp.

She had once doubted herself, wondering if she had done something wrong to deserve her mother's coldness.

Later, her heart turned cold, and she stopped expecting anything. If Yao Shi favored Lin Ting, so be it—she was just some woman, after all. If she didn’t care for Lin Sui, Lin Sui wouldn’t care for her either.

But today, Lin Sui finally saw clearly—this woman had never treated her as a daughter.

When both she and Lin Heng were taken by the tiger demon, Yao Shi’s eyes were only on Lin Heng, not sparing a single question for her.

When Lin Heng accused her of harming him, Yao Shi didn’t hesitate for even a moment before condemning her.

Back on the mountain, she really should have—

Lin Sui clenched her fists. If Hui Niang hadn’t arrived in time with news that her brother was still alive, she would've caved in Lin Heng's skull with that club.

Recalling the events on the mountain, Lin Sui’s thoughts drifted. Her gaze drifted past Yao Shi, landing on Lin Heng.

Lin Heng was also watching them, but when their eyes met, his were filled with fear and evasion.

"You vile, unfilial wretch, daring to insult your own mother! From this day forward, you are no longer part of our General’s household!" Yao Shi kept ranting.

Once finished, she turned to Bai Xiuming. "Lord Bai, this monster tried to murder my son and caused the death of the Marchioness of Jinyang’s son. Shouldn’t she be arrested immediately?"

"Since when does Madam General interfere with the Bright Mirror Bureau’s affairs?"

Yao Shi, her blood boiling, wasn't cowed under Bai Xiuming’s questioning. She shot back fiercely, "Is what I said wrong? Last night, Lord Bai could have rescued my son, yet you deliberately delayed until this morning to bring them back.

Now, the culprit who harmed my son is standing right here, yet you do nothing! When my husband learns of this, he will surely accuse you of dereliction of duty!"

Bai Xiuming’s tone remained calm. "There’s no need for haste, Madam General. The General of Anxi will arrive shortly. The truth will be clear then."

Yao Shi thought with contempt. Bai Xiuming’s arrogance wouldn’t last long. Once her husband saw their son in such a state, he would fight Bai Xiuming to the death.

With that thought, she threw Lin Sui one last hateful look before returning to Lin Heng’s side, where his pained cries continued.

After witnessing the scene, A Chan finally gathered her skirts and descended the steps, walking toward Chen Hui and Lin Sui.

Chen Hui looked up at A Chan, seeing the color in her cheeks, and thought to herself that Bai Xiuming had taken good care of her last night. She felt somewhat relieved.

"Did you find your brother?" A Chan asked Lin Sui.

Lin Sui nodded, some tension leaving her face. "Yes. He lost a lot of blood, but he’s been given medicine. He hasn’t woken yet."

Noticing the many eyes on them, Chen Hui whispered, "Let’s go inside first."

A Chan followed the two into the side room, and the door closed behind them, shutting out the staring eyes.

The room was sparsely furnished, with a wooden bed against the wall where a young man lay still.

His head and upper body were wrapped in bandages, indicating serious injuries.

Seeing A Chan’s gaze linger on Gao Luo’s bandages, Lin Sui said quietly, "Lin Heng blamed Xue Zhao who shot Xiao Luo with an arrow and caused him to take a header down the slope, hitting his head."

Chen Hui glanced at Gao Luo and praised, "When I found him, he had broken off the arrow shaft himself, leaving only the head still in the wound. He even applied folk remedies to stop the bleeding. Without that, he wouldn’t have lasted so long."

All she had done was carry him down the mountain and hand him over to the Bright Mirror Bureau guards who arrived later. Truth was, Gao Luo had saved himself.

"As long as he’s alive, that’s what matters."

A Chan could tell that Gao Luo was Lin Sui’s rock.

Even when Yao Shi was slinging such awful words at her, Lin Sui remained unmoved. But if something had happened to Gao Luo, she wouldn’t be this composed.

Chen Hui added, "Don’t take your mother’s words to heart. Everything you did was because the tiger demon made you. You didn’t kill anyone—no judge would hold you responsible."

Lin Sui shook her head. "I’m not worried, nor do I fear death. When the tiger demon took me, I was already prepared not to return."

She had even considered making sure Lin Heng went down with her, even if the tiger demon killed her.

Lin Sui looked at A Chan. If not for her, she wouldn’t be sitting here in one piece now, waiting for her brother to wake.

As for how A Chan had persuaded the tiger demon, or the meaning behind their conversation—Lin Sui didn’t care.

All she needed to remember was that A Chan and Hui Niang had saved her and her brother’s lives.

"I thought you wouldn’t spare Lin Heng," A Chan admitted, curious. When she had made the bet with the tiger demon, she had truly believed she would win.

Though Lin Sui had initially only broken Lin Heng’s legs before leaving, A Chan had expected her to return to finish him off after catching up with the others.

There was a mean streak in Lin Sui—when pushed to the brink, she could be terrifying.

"Originally, I wasn’t going to," Lin Sui recounted her experience on the mountain. "With the specters guiding me, I quickly caught up with the others—except the one who died. After that, I went back to Lin Heng, intending to make him answer with his life for my brother. But then Hui Niang arrived."

Chen Hui nodded. "We asked Lin Heng a few questions. After hearing his answers, we decided to spare him—for now."

"What questions?" A Chan asked.

"Madam General treats Lin Sui poorly because she’s set in her superstitions, believing Lin Sui curses her. But what about Lin Heng? Where does his hostility toward Lin Sui come from? And why was he so fixated on Gao Luo, Lin Sui’s brother, whom she hadn’t seen in two years?"

"Jealousy?" A Chan guessed, then shook her head. "He doesn’t even regard Lin Sui—why would he care about her brother?"

"We grilled Lin Heng. We asked why he went to Huangxi Village and why he had it out for Gao Luo. He actually admitted that both times, it was Lin Sui’s foster sister, Lin Ting, who suggested it."

A Chan was slightly surprised. "Why would he listen to Lin Ting? Is a full-grown man so easily manipulated?"

Lin Sui scoffed. "If it were anyone else, I might doubt it. But Lin Ting—she's got that gift. You’ve never been to the General’s residence, so you haven’t seen how the entire household revolves around her."

On her first day back at the General’s residence, Lin Ting had caught a cold. Yao Shi and Lin Heng had acted as if the sky was falling, hovering over her day and night.

Lin Sui had been left cooling her heels in the main hall for half a day without a single glance her way.

From that day on, she couldn't stand Lin Ting.

All the maids in the household went on about how wonderful "Second Miss" was, yet none could put their finger on what exactly made her so wonderful. To Lin Sui, the whole thing was ridiculous.

A-Chan squinted slightly: "You and Lin Ting don't get along, so she wanted to use someone else to kill your brother, to force you to cut ties with the Lin family?"

"Perhaps. She's never been happy to see me doing well, and I can't stand her myself. I just didn’t expect her to be so ruthless."

"Are General Lin and your eldest brother as fond of Lin Ting as your mother and Lin Heng are?" A-Chan asked again.

Lin Sui frowned in thought before hesitantly replying, "They treat her well too, but not to the point of spoiling her rotten. There were two times when I caught Lin Ting making mistakes, and though Father could have punished her, he let it slide."

"Such a scheming person, yet so well-liked—how amusing." A-Chan's eyes gleamed. General Lin didn't strike her as so unreasonable. Unlike his wife, why would he favor an adopted daughter more?

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and Feng Yang's voice came through: "Miss Ji, Miss Lin, The Lord requests you."

Leaving Chen Hui behind, A-Chan and Lin Sui stood and walked to the door. Upon opening it, A-Chan saw that both people and corpses in the courtyard were gone, and Bai Xiuming was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Lord Bai?" A-Chan asked.

"His Lordship is in the Grand Princess’s courtyard," Feng Yang replied, guiding them out. "The Heir Apparent to the Duke of Liguo, the Marquis of Jinyang, and others have already arrived and are gathered there."

A-Chan understood. "Summoning me for an interrogation?"

Feng Yang quickly denied it. "Miss Ji, you jest."

A-Chan wasn’t as optimistic as Feng Yang. As soon as she stepped into the Grand Princess’s courtyard and entered the main hall, every seated figure turned to stare.

The most familiar face there was the Marquis of Jinyang, though he looked much more haggard than when she’d last seen him. The loss of his son in middle age must have hit him hard—oh well, he’d get used to it eventually.

A-Chan’s gaze slid past the Marquis and landed on General Lin Cheng.

He seemed much more composed than his wife, at least not lunging at Lin Sui to sever ties the moment he saw her. His expression was calm.

The other three were strangers to her. The youngest among them, dressed in fine robes with a jade crown, was remarkably handsome and seemed around Bai Xiuming’s age. Seated at the lower left, he appeared to hold the highest status.

A-Chan guessed this must be the Heir Apparent to the Duke of Liguo.

No seat had been prepared for her, so she, Lin Sui, and Feng Yang stood in the center, under everyone's scrutiny.

"Lord Bai, my son says this woman was in cahoots with the tiger demon, almost got them killed. As the Bright Mirror Bureau Commander, shouldn’t you give us an explanation?"

The first to speak was the short, stout Count of Ningyuan, whose imposing presence belied his stature.

"Ji Chan, what do you have to say?" Bai Xiuming’s voice was indifferent, as if they were strangers.

A-Chan turned her lively eyes to the Count. "My lord, don’t go making wild accusations. Had I truly conspired with the tiger demon, what you’d see today wouldn’t be your son, but a pile of picked-clean bones."

"Preposterous!"

Feng Yang, standing beside A-Chan, clasped his hands toward the Count. "My lord, the tiger demon’s mountain temple was littered with thirty-odd skeletons, and over a dozen villagers from Huangxi Village were turned into tiger ghosts. Miss Ji isn't exaggerating."

This was what Feng Yang admired most about A-Chan—coming out unharmed from that vicious demon was no ordinary feat.

Unfortunately, these nobles only cared about their precious sons.

"And what of her deliberately letting the tiger demon play its hunting game, causing my son’s legs to be broken?" the Count pressed.

"Oh, my mistake then," A-Chan conceded sweetly. "Next time I encounter a demon, I’ll tell it to just gobble them up rather than rack my brains to devise an escape plan."

"Silver-tongued wench! My son didn’t escape—his legs were deliberately broken." The Count glared venomously at Lin Cheng. "General Lin has raised a fine daughter, what a vicious little thing."

Lin Cheng remained silent. A-Chan rolled her eyes. "Oh please, just two broken legs—he’s still alive. Had Lin Sui not shown mercy, and had I not stalled the tiger demon to lure it away, you’d be planning a funeral right now instead of sitting here accusing me."

"How dare a nobody like you address me this way!" The Count’s face darkened.

"Count of Ningyuan, regardless, this young lady did save several lives by confronting the tiger demon," the heir cut in, setting down his teacup.

The Count shot him a wary glance and huffed. "Who knows if her words are true?"

Though he grumbled, he backed down—after all, broken legs could heal, and his son was still alive.

Once the Count finished venting, the Marquis of Jinyang, silent until now, finally spoke. "Ah Chan, Xue Zhao was your brother. Tell me, how did he die?"

A-Chan’s face contorted in revulsion. "Marquis, don't pretend we're family. My mother bore only me."

Ignoring her, the Marquis drilled into her with his gaze. "Since you were with that tiger demon, you must know how my son truly died."

"Of course." A-Chan met his gaze. "In fact, it’s all thanks to your excellent teachings, Marquis. Had you not trained your son in such exquisite archery, the tiger demon might not have taken notice of him."

The others leaned forward, intrigued at this revelation, eyes locked on A-Chan.

"What did Zhao’er do?"

Her almond-shaped eyes swept over them. "You all must know by now—before heading up the mountain, your sons and brothers forced a village boy to guide them. After using him, they turned him into target practice, each taking a shot."

At this, the nobles went pale.

Such acts, if kept private, could be smoothed over. But aired openly, the censors would have a field day.

"Stop dancing around the truth," the Marquis growled.

Noting their discomfort, A-Chan’s voice took on a singsong quality. "Funny how that works, Marquis—the final arrow that struck the boy was loosed by your son, the best damn archer of the bunch.

The tiger demon must have admired his prowess, for it hounded him without mercy, eager to make him its tiger ghost. Too bad your son fought back to the death, enraging the beast—and so, he perished."

A-Chan told the story so convincingly she nearly believed it herself.

Though she’d had the tiger demon crush Xue Zhao, she’d given him a hero's send-off. Really, she was being generous.

"Any further questions?" Bai Xiuming shot A-Chan a searching look but didn’t refute her.

The Heir Apparent rose first. "None. This mess was my brother's doing. We're indebted to these ladies for saving him."

With that, he bowed to A-Chan and Lin Sui.

His words marked the end of the matter. Whether out of deference to someone’s influence or genuine belief in their innocence, he wouldn’t press the matter—at least not openly.

Not everyone accepted this outcome, especially not the grieving Marquis.

But he had no proof.

A-Chan watched the Marquis storm out, pleased.

Then Lin Cheng stood and approached Lin Sui. "Let’s talk outside."

A-Chan glanced at Lin Sui, who dropped her gaze and mumbled, "Mm."