Lin Hongtao listened, then immediately rolled his eyes and fainted to the ground.
"Young Master, Young Master, wake up! What are we going to do?"
The butler, seeing Lin Hongtao faint, tried to wake him up loudly. However, no matter how much the butler shouted, Lin Hongtao did not wake up. It was unknown whether Lin Hongtao was truly unconscious or faking it.
The servants of the manor, upon learning that the Duke of Lin's mansion was to be confiscated, immediately burst into wails and rushed back to pack their belongings and flee.
But Lin Hongtao's fate was dire. Yan Song, whether he was truly unconscious or faking it, directly ordered people to drag him away.
Then, he ordered that the servants of the Duke of Lin's mansion be prevented from escaping, and all valuables in the Lin mansion were confiscated and sent to the national treasury.
However, in a certain courtyard within the Duke of Lin's mansion, Madam Tao, upon hearing that the Duke of Lin's mansion was to be confiscated and its members executed, was overjoyed.
"Hahaha... Lin Zhenfei, you never thought you'd have this day, did you? You ruined my Tao family back then, it's your just deserts! It's your just deserts!"
Madam Tao's tears fell in her excitement. She raised her hand to touch her still flat stomach, her heart filled with hatred. Even her gaze turned ferocious.
Child, don't blame your mother for being heartless. You cannot come into this world.
Now it was time for her to seek justice for her family.
With this thought in mind, Madam Tao walked out of the courtyard and into Lin Zhenfei's study. She intended to find the ledger and a letter she desired amidst the chaos, to seek justice for her parents.
Her face filled with anxiety, she ransacked Lin Zhenfei's study. Finally, in a hidden compartment above Lin Zhenfei's bookshelf, she found several ledgers and a pile of letters.
Madam Tao opened the ledgers and letters one by one, examining them carefully. She indeed found the ledgers and letters that had framed her parents back then.
After reading the correspondence between Lin Zhenfei and her father's rivals from that year, she realized how cruelly her parents had been wronged. She couldn't help but burst into loud sobs.
"Father, Mother, your daughter will surely clear your names, wuwuwu..."
But just then, someone kicked open the study door. Yan Song entered the study with several soldiers.
"Who are you? Why are you hiding here?" Yan Song asked her sternly, glancing at Madam Tao.
Madam Tao, seeing Yan Song enter, was not afraid. She respectfully performed a deep bow to Yan Song.
"This concubine, Madam Tao, greets Lord Yan."
Hearing this, Yan Song was slightly taken aback.
"You recognize me?"
"Although this concubine has never seen Lord Yan's true appearance, I have heard many tales of Lord Yan's upright and impartial conduct."
Madam Tao was very astute. The first time she met Yan Song, she praised him highly. She believed that no one in the world disliked flattery.
But Yan Song merely sneered at Madam Tao's words.
"Speak honestly, what are you doing rummaging in Lin Zhenfei's study?" Yan Song asked sternly, looking at the items in Madam Tao's hands.
Seeing that Yan Song was not swayed by her words, Madam Tao gambled in her heart that Yan Song was the upright official she was looking for. Thus, she immediately knelt down and exclaimed, "Lord Yan, this humble one has been wronged!"
Hearing this, Yan Song's thick eyebrows furrowed.
"What wrong have you suffered?"
"This concubine was originally Tao Xiangqing, daughter of Tao Zhixing, the salt inspector of Leizhou in the East Sea." Madam Tao said, her words surprising.
"If you know you are the daughter of a convicted official, how dare you expose your identity? Are you not afraid of death?" Yan Song said speechlessly.
"No, Lord Yan, my father was wrongly accused by Lin Zhenfei. He did not falsify accounts back then, nor did he embezzle official salt. These ledgers and letters in my hand are evidence. I beg Lord Yan to help this concubine gain an audience with the Emperor in the palace." Madam Tao said excitedly to Yan Song.
"Even if your father was indeed wronged, this matter happened more than a decade ago, and the verdict has long been passed. If you wish to overturn the verdict and seek justice for your father, this is an act of disrespect to the Emperor's authority. There are very few people in the entire capital who dare to do such a thing, including myself, Yan Song. If you fail to overturn the case, it will implicate the person who helped you. Tao Xiangqing, you... should give up." Yan Song patiently advised her.
"Lord Yan, if I know my father is innocent but do not seek justice for him, if you were in my situation, would you be a timid person, or would you strive with all your might to seek justice for your father and live with honor?"
Madam Tao reasoned with Yan Song, appealing to his emotions.
After she finished speaking, Yan Song pondered for a moment and shook his head helplessly.
"Alas, Tao Xiangqing, I am merely a minor Dali Temple Minister. I am powerless in your father's case. However, I can help you escape the Lin manor and avoid being sold off."
"After you leave the Lin manor, go to Anji Hall. Perhaps someone there can help you." Yan Song kindly advised her.
"Anji Hall? Alright, thank you for your guidance, Lord Yan."
Since entering the Duke of Lin's mansion, Tao Xiangqing had rarely interacted with outsiders. However, she had heard about the renowned Anji Hall from the manor's servants. It was said that the owner of Anji Hall was the Consort of the Cold King.
The Consort of the Cold King was kind-hearted, a skilled physician, hated evil, and was a favorite of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. She would surely be able to help her overturn her father's case.
"Keep what you have in your hands. I will arrange for someone to secretly escort you out of the manor immediately. But you must remember that your escape from the Duke of Lin's mansion has nothing to do with me, Yan Song."
Yan Song said with a serious expression after a moment of thought.
"Yes, this concubine understands!"
With that, Yan Song instructed his trusted confidants to avoid everyone and secretly escort Tao Xiangqing out of the Lin manor through the back courtyard.
Meanwhile, at the Prime Minister Qin's mansion.
Prime Minister Qin Zhihong, after leaving the court and the palace, returned to his mansion with a heart full of unease. Although the Emperor had not punished him in court today regarding the Empress, he was still trembling with fear, as if he had aged decades in an instant.
"My Lord, what is wrong with you? You have been so distracted since returning from court."
Madam Qin saw Qin Zhihong sitting blankly in his chair, lost in thought, and casually asked.
"Madam, our Qin family may be finished." Qin Zhihong replied with a dejected face.
"My Lord, what happened in court today?" Madam Qin asked with a slight frown and a face full of doubt.
"Last night, the Empress attempted to assassinate the Emperor but failed and was executed on the spot by the Emperor. This morning, upon entering the morning court, the Emperor ordered Eunuch Li to read an imperial decree, ordering that all those related to the Empress be apprehended and executed." Qin Zhihong briefly explained to Madam Qin.
"My Lord, what did you say? The Empress assassinated the Emperor? That is a crime punishable by extermination of the entire clan! We have kinship with the Lin family. If the Lin family has an accident, will it implicate our Qin family?" Madam Qin said with a look of horror.