The lobby was quiet, and Mrs. Ruan walked in from the outside tremblingly, supported by her maid Qiu'er.
She has not been in good health during this period; recently she occasionally caught colds and was bedridden. If she hadn't been summoned urgently in the lobby, how could she have dragged her sick body here?
Mrs. Ruan bowed to Mr. Lu tremblingly.
Mr. Lu said: "Old lady, there is no need to be polite, just watch your seat."
Mr. Lu has always respected and taken care of Mrs. Ruan, not to mention that she is still ill.
Mrs. Ruan slowly sat down and said weakly: "Master Lu, I don't know what you want to do when you call me here?"
Lu Wenzheng turned his gaze to Ge and said, "Does the old lady know this woman?"
Mrs. Ruan turned back and glanced at Ge Shi.
Ge Shi sneered and said, "Mrs. Ruan, are you okay?"
The moment Mrs. Ruan saw Ge Shi, her face suddenly became extremely ugly, and the look in her eyes became more and more obscure. After a long while, she let out a long sigh and said, "You - you finally found me..."
Ge Shi glanced sideways at her, his resentful eyes full of mockery, "You're surprised, aren't you?"
Mrs. Ruan breathed a sigh of relief and said slowly: "No, I knew this day would come sooner or later, but I didn't expect it would come so soon."
Ge Shi said angrily: "What a good Mrs. Ruan, you still think it comes so quickly? Do you know how much pain and suffering I have suffered in the past four years? And how many bad things has Li Ruiyun done? …
"Let me ask you: four years ago, you and I had clearly agreed to go to the capital together to sue He Yuting at the Ministry of Punishments, why did you break your promise and leave me? Is it really like what your filial son said? Do you have any other reasons why you can’t do this?”
Mrs. Ruan's face was pale, and her whole body was trembling slightly; her lips were moving, and countless thoughts were swirling in her heart, but she finally stopped talking.
Ling Yun felt extremely heartbroken when he saw his mother like this. His mother's health was not good to begin with, and he was really afraid that her mother would not be able to withstand the strong stimulation, and something would happen to her.
He walked to his mother's side and said softly: "Mom, your health is important. Don't get angry. I believe you have a reason for doing this. There are no outsiders here. Just say what you have to say."
All eyes were focused on Mrs. Ruan.
Everyone was waiting for her explanation, waiting for her to come up with a reason that was both unexpected and reasonable, so as to eliminate the slander and slander against her and prove her innocence.
Mrs. Ruan's complex heart was undergoing unimaginable suffering and torture at this time; unspeakable words rolled in her throat. After hesitation, her voice seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, and it became extremely difficult: " What can I say now? Mrs. Du, what happened four years ago was indeed my fault, I failed you, everything was my fault..."
Ling Yun was stunned for a moment. He was wondering if he had heard wrong just now?
Ge Shi laughed sadly, "Mrs. Ruan, you finally admitted it. I'm right, you are a duplicitous and selfish person!"
Mrs. Ruan's body trembled violently; she lowered her eyelids feebly, covering the unclear emotions in her eyes, and said silently: "You are right, I am indeed very selfish. I originally wanted to help you, But later, when I learned that the person you wanted to sue was actually the famous Prince Consort and now Marquis He Yuting and the Tianxiao Organization, which kills people so much that people talk about it in a ferocious tone, my heart was shaken.
"I was thinking about what it would mean if I offended them. In order that my son Ling Yun's future would not be affected, and in order that I could live in peace in this world, I thought about it over and over again, and finally made a choice that I didn't want to make... "
There was silence in the lobby, everyone was holding their breath and looking complicated.
But Mrs. Ruan was surprisingly calm at this time; her eyes were focused, and she said unhurriedly: "I know very well the character of my son Ling Yun. If he is made aware of this matter, even if he is dismissed from office, he will do whatever it takes to kill him. This matter has been investigated to the end; so in the past four years, I have never said a word to him - and this matter has nothing to do with him..."
After saying that, she stood up slowly, bowed to Lu Wenzheng and said: "Master Lu, I am treacherous and selfish. I concealed a major secret and brought you so much trouble. You deserve to be punished. Please, Lu." The adults are disappointed."
Lu Wenzheng frowned and remained silent. After many years in the Criminal Department, he had never experienced any kind of case, but when faced with the situation before him, he felt the embarrassment and entanglement he had never experienced before.
He slowly grabbed the gavel, struck the case on the table and said: "This case will be tried again tomorrow, withdraw from the court!"...
In Mrs. Ruan's room. Ling Yun and his mother, Mrs. Ruan, sat opposite each other.
It was getting very late at this time. The candlelight projection reflected Mrs. Ruan's dull and sad face.
Ling Yun sat beside the tables in front of her, frowning, thinking hard about something. The candlelight flickered on and off, illuminating his handsome and deep face, making him look gloomy.
Finally, Mrs. Ruan spoke, "Zhichao, what are you thinking about?"
Ling Yun's eyes narrowed slightly and he said solemnly: "I was thinking about something from my childhood."
"What's up?"
Ling Yun said: "Mom, do you still remember when I was six years old? Our neighbor Liu Yun's wife Zhang, who I called her aunt at the time, was bullied by Wang Erhu, the evil young man in the village, and wanted to take her as my wife.
"If my father and mother had not been afraid of the powerful and stepped forward to help, and provided funds to help the couple go to the capital to file a complaint, how could my uncle and aunt have eradicated the bullies, vindicated their grievances, and achieved a happy ending?"
Mrs. Ruan sighed: "It's been more than 20 years, why do you still mention it?"
Ling Yun said: "At that time, Wang Erhu was the county magistrate's brother-in-law. With the county magistrate as his backer, he was domineering and lawless.
"I will never forget that day. He brought people to our house to make trouble. My father was beaten until his nose was bruised and swollen, and his face was covered in blood. I was so scared that I hid in a corner and cried.
"Wang Erhu pulled me over, slapped me, and said viciously, 'Little guy, are you afraid?' I cried and said, 'Afraid.'... Later, my mother severely criticized me and said to me , 'People must have backbone when living. They would rather be beaten to death than surrender in front of evil forces.'
"With the persistence of my father and you, Mr. and Mrs. Liu Yun finally sued the county magistrate and his brother-in-law. Evil will eventually be punished. Under the guidance of my mother, father and master, my character has become stronger and stronger... …”
Mrs. Ruan said: "Zhichao, don't say anything else."
Ling Yun said: "No, I want to say it. People say, 'No one knows more than his father,' but I believe that a son's understanding of his mother is also very profound. And I believe that I am not wrong. You are the only one in the room now." Between the two of us, does mother still have any scruples that prevent her from telling the truth?"
As he spoke, he suddenly stood up, lifted up his clothes and knelt down in front of his mother.
Mrs. Ruan burst into tears and said in a trembling voice: "Actually, I have known for a long time that this matter can be hidden from anyone, but not from you. Good child, it is rare that you understand my mother's heart like this. Even if my mother is dead, I will not hide it from you." No regrets..."
Ling Yun's heart suddenly twitched, "Mom, how could you say that?"
Mrs. Ruan wiped her tears and said, "It's nothing. ... Just wait, I'll get something." After saying that, she got up and walked to the back room.
He turned around for a moment, holding a red cloth bag in his hand.
Mrs. Ruan shook the rope and opened it, only to find a radiant amulet inside. Judging from the quality, it was made of fine platinum.
Mrs. Ruan carefully handed the amulet to Ling Yun.
As soon as Ling Yun put his hands on it, he felt that this thing was extremely out of hand. He expected it to be priceless and extremely valuable.
Under the flickering candlelight, we can see that the front of the amulet is carved with a statue of Guanyin meditating and joining hands; on the back are the four words "Longevity and Wealth" in the middle, surrounded by a line of small characters: "August 22nd in the eighth year of Qingli".
Ling Yun was startled, "Isn't this my birth date? Mom, is this amulet mine? Why have I never seen it before?"
Mrs. Ruan said slowly: "Zhichao, do you still remember what Mrs. Du said in the lobby today? What were the characteristics of the young master of the He family when he disappeared?"
Ling Yun thought for a while and said, "Mrs. Du said that when she carried the young master away, he had a dark red, unicorn-shaped birthmark on his left arm; in addition, there was a jasper unicorn jade pendant hanging around his neck, in his underwear pocket. There is also an amulet inside.
"Later, Mrs. Du met a robber in the forest. In order to escape for her life, she abandoned the young master beside the bushes. At that time, because she was eager to escape, she only took off the jasper unicorn jade pendant from the young master's neck... "
Mrs. Ruan said: "Then do you know the whereabouts of that amulet?"
Ling Yun shook his head and said: "Didn't Mrs. Du say that she left in a hurry and didn't have time to take off the amulet - so the amulet disappeared together with the young master of the He family, and its whereabouts are still unknown."
Mrs. Ruan said dumbly: "Zhichao, do you know where the amulet is now?"
Ling Yun raised his head and saw his mother's face was filled with sadness and her voice was sad. She was staring straight at the amulet in his hand. Her heart sank and she said in a trembling voice: "Mom, you mean, this is... the lost amulet." ?”
Mrs. Ruan nodded with difficulty.
Ling Yun felt a bang on his head and almost fell down. His face turned pale and he murmured: "I don't understand... what on earth is going on?..."
Mrs. Ruan burst into tears and choked with sobs: "Didn't you just say that the amulet disappeared with the young master? Didn't everything become clear? You...you are the child that Mrs. Du Ge took away! …”
At that moment, Ling Yun's mind went blank; he slumped in his chair, as if he was stupid, unable to say a word.
What, I am the child that Gemini took away? In other words, He Yuting is my father, Princess Changqing is my mother, and I am He Yuting's son. I am actually He Yuting's son! …
Ling Yun's expression gradually became stiff, and even the muscles on his face were faintly twitching. He stayed there for a long time and suddenly smiled: "No, this is not true, mother, are you kidding me?... No! No way!..."
