Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Temporary Peace

But Lin Lin had no chance to escape for the moment.

Although the disciple of the Celestial Master of Qingcheng Mountain had not said she was innocent, Lin Lin was no longer subjected to further interrogation.

For one thing, there was a new cause of death; for another, the return of the Heir Apparent was far more important than the trial. The Princess Dowager was eager to reunite with her grandson after their separation and was even less willing to let these messy affairs affect her grandson's mood, so the trial broke up in a flurry.

Lin Lin was carried out of the main hall, through winding corridors, and past several courtyard gates, until she was brought to a simple room far less ornate than the hall she had just been in.

The room had a large communal bed with five bedding sets laid out, and both the bed and the furnishings were in complete disarray.

This had been searched earlier.

Lin Lin was placed on a bunk at the edge, and the servants left.

By this point, her body—beaten to the point of being shattered and scattered—could no longer hold on, even if Lin Lin wanted to stay conscious and learn more about her surroundings. The moment she was set down, she fell into a deep sleep.

......

......

"...Anyway, we really did see her arguing with Yao Ying in the garden, and after that, Yao Ying died."

"...The coroner from the Qizhou Government Office was just brought in to examine her, and it's confirmed she died before falling into the water."

"...That still doesn't mean she's not the killer. Didn't that Celestial Master's disciple also say? It could be that poison was administered first, and then she was pushed into the water."

"...The Commandery Prince was only joking. He was making it clear he wouldn't be judging the case."

Lin Lin didn't know how long she had been unconscious when fragmented voices reached her ears.

She woke with a start, but immediately held back her tension, because she recognized the voices as those of the four female apprentices from earlier in the hall.

She kept her eyes closed, feigning unconsciousness, feeling the dim candlelight beyond her eyelids and listening to their conversation.

From their words, she learned that the prince's household had ultimately brought in the government, and the coroner had confirmed that Yao Ying had indeed been poisoned.

So the three of them were arguing over whether Lin Lin was the murderer.

Qiao Man and Huang Qin seemed to still insist that Lin Lin was the killer, while Zhang Yalan had changed her mind, which greatly displeased the other two, and their voices rose involuntarily.

"Zhang Yalan, you said earlier that she privately cursed Yao Ying to die."

"That's right, Zhang Yalan. You were the first to point out to the Secretary that Lin Lin killed Yao Ying."

"You were closest to Lin Lin. If you hadn't stepped forward to testify, we wouldn't have spoken up either."

At their accusations, Zhang Yalan's voice fell silent for a moment.

"I was the first to testify." Her voice was low. "I even still maintain now that Lin Lin wanted to kill Yao Ying, but... this time, it probably wasn't her doing."

Qiao Man and Huang Qin muttered in dissatisfaction.

"Think about it," Zhang Yalan's voice rose. "If she had a poison like that, undetectable by anyone, why would she bother pushing the person into the water? And leave so many clues behind—first letting you see her arguing alone with Yao Ying in the garden, with Yao Ying even clutching Lin Lin's hairpin in her hand. That would be too stupid!"

Qiao Man and Huang Qin fell silent.

"With so many holes in the story, she was caught immediately." Zhang Yalan's voice lowered. "She was nearly beaten to death. She wanted Yao Ying dead because of the fight over the position of Physician Liao's disciple. But if Yao Ying died and she was beaten to death too, what would she have gained from that?"

Lin Lin nodded inwardly—yes, exactly, exactly.

"So you're saying she was wronged," Qiao Man's voice said.

"She was framed," Zhang Yalan said. "Because she had a conflict with Yao Ying, she was the most convenient suspect, the perfect one to cover for the real killer."

The room fell silent as Qiao Man and Huang Qin were convinced.

"What's going on here? How could someone have poisoned Yao Ying?" Their voices were filled with fear. "This is the Prince of Qi's Mansion. We've been kept in this separate courtyard since we arrived, always accompanied by the Imperial Physicians, with no contact with anyone here."

Zhang Yalan couldn't answer that question and tried to reassure the two: "Let the authorities investigate. Earlier, everyone assumed it was a personal dispute between Lin Lin and Yao Ying that led to murder. The Secretary wanted to wrap it up quickly, and the mansion didn't want to get involved. Now that it's been discovered to be poisoning, they'll certainly investigate thoroughly."

"Yes, yes. With a murderer at large, the mansion isn't safe either." Qiao Man and Huang Qin breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Let's just wait quietly," Zhang Yalan said.

As she spoke, Lin Lin heard the rustling sound of someone approaching, and a hand gently touched her forehead.

"I hope she doesn't run a fever tonight, otherwise..." Zhang Yalan's voice said softly. "Let's find her some medicine. The Secretary doesn't care about her, and the mansion's people don't care about her either. At this rate, she'll die from her injuries."

Qiao Man muttered: "The beating was indeed harsh. At the time, I thought she was already dead."

"She's always looked down on us because of her status. This time, she'll definitely resent us even more..." Huang Qin said.

"It wasn't us who beat her. She won't," Zhang Yalan said.

"We did testify against her."

"Enough. You two go prepare the topical medicine, and I'll boil something for her to take internally."

With the voices fading, footsteps gradually receded, and the room fell quiet. Lin Lin lay on the bed and let out a soft breath—it seemed she wouldn't be beaten to death for now.

Lin Lin drifted back into unconsciousness. She simply couldn't hold on any longer, and now that she knew she was temporarily safe, she let the women change her clothes, apply medicine, and pour medicine down her throat without waking again.

When she woke up next, daylight was already bright. The room was quiet and empty, the mess had been cleaned up, and the thick smell of medicine in the air had replaced yesterday's stench of blood.

Lin Lin's spirits were much better, and she discovered something remarkable about this body.

Though the outside was still a mess of torn flesh, the inside was already fine.

She could even get out of bed directly.

She was certain the original owner of this body had been beaten to death.

The shattered internal organs had actually healed completely.

This—no matter how good the medicine was, it couldn't achieve this. Even modern technology couldn't.

Was it because of the new soul that had transmigrated in?

Lin Lin's mind wandered as she looked around the room, once again confirming this was not the era or world she knew.

Unfortunately, she had only inherited the body, not any memories. She knew nothing about herself or the people around her.

From outside the door came the patter of footsteps, followed by voices.

"...I warn you, do not conceal anything—tell everything you know! Otherwise, this time it will be an official interrogation, and once you enter the government prison, you can forget about remaining in the Imperial Medical Academy!"

"Secretary, we have not concealed anything. We have told all that we know."

As the words were spoken, the door was pushed open. Secretary Chen caught sight of Lin Lin lying on the bed with her eyes closed and barked loudly, "Wake up!"

Though she had no memories of the original body, she was quite skilled at putting on an act. Lin Lin trembled as if startled, opening her eyes. Seeing Secretary Chen, she cried out in a fearful, shaky voice, "Don't hit me."

It seemed her consciousness was still stuck in yesterday's beating.

Seeing her like this, Secretary Chen barked sternly, "Tell the truth of what happened, and no one will strike you."

Lin Lin's expression was one of terror: "Secretary, I truly did not kill Yao Ying. It really wasn't me." With that, she began to weep.

The woman's cries were shrill and thin, grating on the nerves. Secretary Chen raised his voice to drown her out: "What were you arguing with Yao Ying about in the garden that day? When you were seized then, you ran straight out instead of answering properly—that is why you were beaten with the cane. If you do not speak properly today, you will be subjected to punishment again!"

Lin Lin thought to herself, how would she know what she argued with Yao Ying about in the garden...

But pretending to have lost her memory would not do.

If she claimed the beating had made her lose her memory at a time like this, Secretary Chen would likely beat her until her memory returned.

She had no desire to suffer again.

Since Yao Ying was dead and no one else knew the truth, whatever she said would be taken as fact.

"I..." Lin Lin said in a trembling voice, "I only told her to withdraw from the competition to become Physician Liao's disciple and yield the position to me. She refused, so I cursed at her and said I would take revenge..."

At this point she burst into loud sobs.

"But I never imagined she would actually die!"