Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 12 Disgraced
Lu Ying then summoned a trusted steward and ordered, "Go and investigate Fayuan Temple. Did the third young lady of the Lin family go there to offer incense before the New Year? Who did she meet? What did she do? I need the results before dawn."

"Yes!"

The butler responded and then disappeared into the night.

In fact, Lu Ying was already seven or eight parts convinced at this moment.

All the unusual things that happened when the Lin family proposed marriage now had a reasonable explanation. The reason they were so humble and the wedding date was set so hastily was now clear.

What a century-old family! What clever tactics they employ!
Having served as an official for many years, he had long since developed the habit of seeking evidence in everything. This letter was suspicious; the person behind it and their purpose were unclear. What if it was a ploy by a political enemy to sow discord between the Lu and Lin families? If he rashly reacted, wouldn't he be playing right into their hands?

An investigation is necessary.

The investigation process was simpler than expected.

Within an hour, the old steward hurriedly returned, his face grave.

"Master, we've investigated thoroughly. The young novice monk at Fayuan Temple remembers very clearly that Miss Lin did indeed go to offer incense on the day before the New Year, and she stayed alone in the back hall for quite a long time."

All the information matched the contents of that anonymous letter perfectly.

Lu Ying didn't say a word more, but simply gave the order.

"After dawn, load everything the Lin family sent into the truck and send it back without leaving a single item behind."

"Then tell them that the Lu family will not go through with this marriage."

"Yes!"

The butler withdrew.

Lu Ying glanced at her son, whose face was filled with grief and indignation, and sighed softly, "Go back to sleep. I will definitely get an explanation for this matter."

"Yes!" At this moment, Lu Jingcheng could not say anything. He could only suppress his frustration, bow his head, and then take his leave.

After he left, Lu Ying raised her teacup, took a small sip, and her eyes were filled with coldness.

The next morning, a shocking piece of news swept through the entire upper-class circles of the capital.

The engagement has been called off at the home of Vice Minister Lu of the Ministry of Personnel!

Moreover, in the most ruthless and humiliating way, everything sent by the Lin family, including the bright red marriage certificate, was returned untouched!
This isn't just breaking off an engagement; this is insulting the Lin family to their very noses!

For a time, the entire capital was abuzz with discussion, and countless eyes were fixed on the Lin and Lu families, waiting to see how this drama would end.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the Lin family was so oppressive that it could drip water.

The patriarch, Lin Hong, sat in the main hall, looking at the returned items, his face turning purple with anger, and his whole body trembling.

The Lin family has been established in the capital for a century. When have they ever suffered such humiliation?

"Lu Ying! This is outrageous!"

Lin Hong slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. "Prepare the car! I'm going to go and ask him myself what Lu Ying is up to! If he doesn't give me an explanation today, the Lin family will never let him off the hook!"

At this time, Lin Hong was completely unaware of his daughter's scandalous affair. His legal wife kept the matter a secret, only thinking about getting her daughter married off as soon as possible and passing this bombshell to someone else.

Therefore, Lin Hong was filled with anger and confusion. Soon, the Lin family's carriages and horses arrived menacingly in front of the Lu residence.

Surprisingly, the gates of the Lu residence were wide open, and Lu Ying, dressed in casual clothes, stood with his hands behind his back in front of the gate, as if he had expected him to come.

"Minister Lu! What do you mean by this!" Lin Hong demanded angrily as soon as he got out of the carriage. "The marriage alliance between my Lin family and your Lu family is a wonderful thing. Why do you have to humiliate my Lin family like this?"

Faced with Lin Hong's accusations, Lu Ying merely smiled slightly, but her smile carried a chilling coldness.

"Patriarch Lin, please calm down. As for why my Lu family broke off the engagement, that's a matter you shouldn't be asking me."

He paused, then said meaningfully, "Why don't you go back and ask your precious daughter what kind of good deeds she's been up to?"

Lin Hong was taken aback, not yet realizing the deeper meaning behind those words.

Just then, a clear voice, filled with suppressed anger, came from inside the Lu residence.

"Father, there's no point in talking to this kind of person!"

Lu Jingcheng strode out, his eyes bloodshot, staring intently at Lin Hong, completely disregarding the other party's status as an elder and the reputation of both families, unleashing all the anger he had suppressed all night!
"Patriarch Lin! How dare you question me? What does your Lin family take me for? The biggest bastard in the capital?!"

"Before the New Year, at Fayuan Temple, your daughter, Miss Lin, had a secret rendezvous with her lover in the serene Buddhist sanctuary! Now she's pregnant and is eager to have my Lu family act as her bastard, to raise that illegitimate child of who-knows-who!"

"Although I, Lu Jingcheng, am not talented, I have studied the classics for over ten years and understand the meaning of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame! Your Lin family has committed such a despicable act, yet you still have the nerve to come here and question us?!"

"You Lin family can keep this green hat for yourselves! I, Lu Jingcheng, cannot accept it!"

His words were like thunderclaps, exploding among the crowd.

Lin Hong was struck dumb, frozen in place, his mind blank. He had spent half his life in the military, making ruthless decisions in the officialdom, but he had never been like this before, being pointed at and cursed in front of a whole street.

He wanted to refute, to angrily denounce the other party for slander. But Lu Jingcheng's bloodshot eyes, his suppressed rage, were not at all fake.

Moreover, the daughter's recent strange behavior, the wife's evasive attitude, and this extremely rushed marriage... all the clues suddenly came together.

A chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and Lin Hong felt dizzy and his vision went black.

"Patriarch Lin," Lu Ying, who had been silent all along, finally spoke. Her voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable coldness, "My Lu family is too small to accommodate such a great figure as your Lin family. Please leave. From now on, the matter of marriage between our two families shall never be mentioned again."

After saying that, he didn't even bother to look at Lin Hong again, turned around, flicked his sleeves, and walked back into the mansion.

boom!
The gates of the Lu residence slammed shut in front of Lin Hong, like a resounding slap across his face, and also a slap across the face of the entire Lin family.

Lin Hong climbed onto the carriage in a daze and fled the scene in a disheveled state.

That afternoon, this shocking scandal spread throughout the capital with astonishing speed. From royalty and nobility to commoners, almost everyone was talking about the Lin family's remarkable affair.

The storytellers were overjoyed and immediately turned the story into new tales, such as "The Beautiful Woman Secretly conceives, and Scholar Lu angrily breaks off the engagement" and "The Amorous Case at Fayuan Temple," which were sung in various teahouses and taverns, drawing cheers from the audience.

What followed was the complete disgrace and ruin of Lin Yan, the third young lady of the Lin family.

Chen Ye, the instigator of all this, was sitting under the eaves of the courtyard, leisurely eating a bowl of plain noodles.

After finishing his meal, he wiped his mouth and then opened the system panel.

(End of this chapter)