Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

After all, to say that a marshal stationed on the border and in charge of an army of 500,000 had treasoned was somewhat absurd, and the people who admired Marshal Xiao's reputation would probably find it hard to accept. Rather than accepting it, they preferred to believe that Marshal Xiao had been wronged.

Such a scene of alienation between the emperor and the people was not what the emperor desired. Therefore, this time he chose a reason that was more acceptable to the public and more in line with human nature: aiding the enemy.

After all, the common people are familiar with the stories of those powerful figures who, after sitting in high positions for a long time, have been corrupted by power and wealth and gone astray. As long as the people harbor doubts throughout their lives, these doubts will seep into their very being like poison, difficult to eradicate.

This time, the crime, though seemingly milder, is actually more vicious, and this token of the Northern Barbarian royal family will completely nail the Xiao family to the pillar of shame for aiding the enemy.

Xiao Lie clenched his fist tightly, the sharp end of the wolf's fang piercing his palm, but he was completely unaware, his face still bearing a smile, only this smile carried a hint of bloodshed.

He patted Lin Wan'er's face, his eyes filled with cold indifference and pity.

"Lin Wan'er, I gave you a chance. If you had stayed obediently, I could have guaranteed you a worry-free life in the Duke's mansion. But now you have chosen the path of death."

"From now on, you must stay obediently in the West Garden and not take a single step out until you die of old age."

"If you dare to commit suicide or do anything else during this time, I will report your father-in-law's acceptance of bribes and cheating in the imperial examinations to the Emperor in front of all the court officials. Even if His Majesty intends to protect your Lin family, your entire family will still be executed."

"For the rest of your life, you can only stay in that small space in Xiyuan, copying scriptures, chanting Buddhist prayers, and repenting for the rest of your life."

Lin Wan'er stared wide-eyed, filled with terror, as if she had seen a demon.

Her lips trembled for a long time before she managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"Xiao Lie, you're a madman, you can't... do this to me."

"It's too late. Since you made this choice, you should have known what the consequences would be. Remember, be good. The lives of the entire Lin family are now in your hands."

Xiao Lie released his grip, and the woman, as if boneless, collapsed to the ground. Her eyes were wide open, her expression dazed, and she kept muttering to herself.

"No, you can't do this to me..."

But now, Xiao Lie couldn't even bear to look at her. He waved his sleeve and ordered two guards to throw Lin Wan'er back to the West Garden.

Lin Wan'er seemed to have gone mad, desperately grabbing at his clothes and shoes, but she always missed and could only be taken away by force.

Sixteen was also filled with rage, wishing he could tear Lin Wan'er to pieces.

"Your Highness, keeping Lin Wan'er around is a disaster. Why not just give her a dose of poison and kill her?"

"No, Lin Wan'er is someone sent by the emperor, and she involves the Lin family and the Kang Prince's family. If we do one thing, it will affect the whole situation. Killing Lin Wan'er would mean completely breaking ties with these people. We shouldn't get into such trouble for someone like Lin Wan'er until it comes to that."

"But this is just a matter within the inner quarters of our Duke Zhenguo's mansion. As long as we insist that Lin Wan'er died of illness, no one else can say anything."

Xiao Lie sneered, "Those people aren't easy to fool. What if they want to perform an autopsy? What if they want to question the servants in the manor to verify the chain of evidence?"

"Don't do something like this if you can't do it perfectly. Of course, even if you can do it perfectly, it's best not to do it. After all, even if you're innocent, there are plenty of ways for others to smear you."

Sixteen's eyes widened. "Your Highness, are you saying they might fabricate evidence?"

"It's hard to say. Lin Wan'er is dead. If they can use this to bring down the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, that would be a huge profit. How do you know they won't use this opportunity to do something else?"

"So, Lin Wan'er needs to live well now. If she dies, that would be a real problem."

From that day on, the West Garden was surrounded by guards like an iron barrel.

The letter that was sent to the Lin residence was intercepted by the guards on its way.

Lin Yue waited for a long time but did not receive a message from Lin Wan'er. He also noticed that there was something unusual happening at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Suspicious, he couldn't help but go to the mansion to investigate.

This time, Xiao Lie actually smiled and had the servant open the door for him, and then led him into the main hall.

"Your Highness, I wonder how my ignorant daughter is doing these days? I haven't seen her for a long time and I miss her dearly. Even my wife often mentions her."

"A family is connected by blood, so it's normal for your father-in-law to be worried about her. It's just that you've come at an inopportune time. These past few days, the Crown Princess has been kneeling before the Buddha to repent. She won't listen to anyone who calls her. She's just too guilty and deserves to serve the Bodhisattva for the rest of her life in order to find a moment of peace."

Hearing Xiao Lie's strange words, Lin Yue's forehead twitched, and he felt a sense of foreboding. He felt as if he were sitting on a bed of nails, and it was extremely unbearable.

He could only force a smile and try to find out what was wrong his daughter had done to make her so remorseful.

Xiao Lie shook his head and sighed softly, "I don't know either. I asked her repeatedly, and she only said that she was full of sins. If she didn't atone for them, not only would she go to the eighteenth level of hell, but the Lin family would also have a hard time getting off."

"I am also very puzzled and feel that there may be some other hidden reason. I wonder if Lord Lin can enlighten me?"

Lin Yue was now truly certain that Xiao Lie was aware of the scheme and was subtly trying to warn him.

They even said that the Lin family rarely met a good end. In Lin Yue's heart, these words were no different from a gleaming guillotine, revealing their murderous intent.

Lin Yueqian chuckled, his forehead already beaded with sweat.

"This...it was just my daughter being silly and playing around."

"Oh, is that so? I find it quite plausible."

Meeting the young man's deep, cold eyes, Lin Yue's expression froze, and the surroundings fell silent.

The two stared at each other for a long time. Lin Yue actually sensed a chill beneath Lin Yue's nonchalant exterior, as if he were confronting not some young nobleman, but a cunning and calculating politician. One wrong move, and the whole game would be lost.

For a moment, he even felt a little regretful.

Should he not have gotten involved in this struggle between the royal family and the Xiao family?

The moment the idea popped into his head, his brain went blank, and he could no longer think of anything else.

Lin Yue didn't even know why he left with a stiff smile, his mind only filled with Xiao Lie's ambiguous smile, which concealed a chilling coldness.

He glanced back at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and suddenly realized how tall the vermilion gates were, how imposing the two stone lions in front of the gates were, and even the gilded plaque above was unusually grand and majestic.

The four characters "Zhenguo Gongfu" were personally inscribed by the founding emperor. In terms of merit and achievements, the Xiao family should be among the top noble families in the entire capital.

Thinking of this, Lin Yue suddenly became a little clear-headed and hurriedly left.

When gods fight, mortals suffer. He... shouldn't have gotten involved in this conflict.