Ling Yun saw that his father He Yuting only went to Ding's house, and when he came back, he looked dejected and lost, and an ominous premonition suddenly arose in his heart.
He looked at his father with a pair of sharp eyes like an eagle, full of inquiry, "Dad, can you tell me what happened?"
He Yuting did not answer, but changed the subject and said, "Zhichao, have you been to the Shangshu Mansion of the Ministry of Justice in the past two days?"
Ling Yun shook his head, "I have been busy with Cheng Qi's funeral these two days, and I haven't had time to go yet. There are still some unsolved cases at the Ministry of Punishment, and Cheng Qi's matter has been almost settled. I want to go tomorrow Mr. Lu, let’s check out the progress of the case. What do your parents think?”
He Yuting couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. Without even thinking about it, he refused bluntly: "No!"
Ling Yun was stunned for a moment, "Why?"
He Yuting's face was dark, his lips were trembling, and he said angrily: "Why are there so many? I said I don't want you to go, so you are not allowed to go. Why are you asking so many questions? Don't you even listen to your own father?..."
In his excitement, he suddenly coughed violently, opened his mouth and choked out a mouthful of blood.
Princess Chang Qing and Ling Yun were immediately panicked and at a loss.
Princess Chang Qing's arms tightly wrapped around He Yuting's trembling body, and she kept rubbing his front and back, and said in a somewhat reproachful tone: "Consort, please tell me if you have anything to do." Well, why are you so excited?"...
He Yuting closed his eyes to steady his mind, and when he opened his eyes again, the expression on his face was much calmer, "Now that Cheng Qi's case has been basically settled, the remaining details will be handled by the people from the Criminal Department. Please stop interfering in this matter. Zhichao, you promised me and your mother that you would come back as soon as Cheng Qi’s case is concluded."
Looking at He Yuting's nervous and uneasy expression, Princess Chang Qing suddenly felt inexplicably moved in her heart, "On this matter, the prince-in-law's thoughts and my opinions have finally reached a consensus. It's really rare! He was always with her before. I played devil's advocate and encouraged Zhichao to investigate Cheng Qi's case."
Thinking of this, he also echoed: "Yes, Lin'er, your father said yes, please agree quickly and don't make your father anxious anymore."
Looking at his parents' earnest eyes, Ling Yun nodded silently.
He Yuting breathed a sigh of relief, and then said: "You have to promise me one more thing: from now on, you will completely cut off all contact with Lu Wenzheng, and don't have anything to do with the Shangshu Mansion of the Ministry of Justice!"
Ling Yun was a little confused at this time, and lost his voice: "Why?"
He Yuting said: "Lu Wen is an ominous person. You will be dragged down by him if you are with him. Moreover, he has always had a deep relationship with your father in the past. I really don't want my son to mix with my enemies." , making everything passive, and in the end nothing can end.”
Ling Yun frowned slightly and said, "I don't understand what dad means."
He Yuting said expressionlessly: "You will understand in the future..."
Ling Yun stared at him with stern eyes and said firmly and persistently: "Dad, what happened, please tell me?..."
The look in his eyes was sharp and deep, as if he was trying to penetrate the secret in the other person's heart, which made He Yuting panic for no reason.
He avoided his son's sharp eyes, glanced sideways with flickering eyes, and said in a low voice that he could hardly hear himself, "It's okay, nothing happened..."
There is no three hundred taels of silver here. Ling Yun was obviously dissatisfied with his father's vague prevarication.
He pondered for a moment, considered the tone and way of speaking, and said softly: "Dad, are you in any trouble, or is someone threatening you? Tell me and mother, and we can find a solution together..."
He Yuting felt that his head began to hurt. He put his hand on his forehead and said dumbly: "It's really nothing..."
The more evasive he looked, the more Ling Yun suspected that his father must be hiding something from him.
He carefully glanced at He Yuting's livid face, bit his lip and said, "Dad, I am your son. Actually, you..."
Before Ling Yun could say anything else, He Yuting suddenly became furious.
He stared at his son with a pair of scarlet eyes, and the coldness in his eyes seemed to devour the person in front of him.
"I've told you several times that nothing happened. Why are you still asking so many questions? I'm very uncomfortable now and don't want to see you again. You should go out first!..."
Looking at his father's almost roaring look, Ling Yun couldn't help but be stunned and speechless for a long time.
Princess Chang Qing also looked at him with some confusion and said, "Consort, what's wrong with you? Why are you yelling at your son so much?"
He Yuting also realized at this time that his emotions were out of control. He let out a long sigh and lowered his head slumpedly, hiding the complicated and unclear emotions in the shadows under his eyes.
Ling Yun frowned, seemingly speechless and helpless at his father's outburst. Without saying a word, he turned around and walked out the door.
"Zhichao." Looking at his son's eclipsed expression, He Yuting felt sad in his heart. He tried his best to suppress the turbulent emotions in his eyes, and couldn't help shouting behind him.
Ling Yun's eyes swirled slightly and he stopped involuntarily.
"sorry."
"It's okay, dad." Ling Yun slightly raised the corners of his mouth, his face was quiet and calm, and his forbearance and tolerance were clearly visible.
He Yuting calmed down his chaotic thoughts, and his originally confused eyes gradually became clear. He pondered for a moment and continued to pick up the unfinished topic.
"My father is still telling you about the same thing just now. Promise me that from now on, you will never have any contact with Lu Wenzheng, and you will never have anything to do with the Minister of Justice, okay?"
Ling Yun's face was frozen for a moment, and a heavy cloud formed in his pupils. He lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. When he raised his head again, the look in his eyes was extremely determined.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I can promise you not to interfere in Cheng Qi's case or to work for Mr. Lu, but I can't promise you this.
"Master Lu has been very kind to me. You are not unaware of the deep friendship between Master Lu and I for so many years. Now you suddenly ask me to cut off all contact with Master Lu. Please forgive me for not being able to accept it."
After saying that, he bowed to He Yuting and turned away, leaving only a lonely figure behind.
He Yuting stared blankly at Ling Yun's figure fading away, and the hands hanging by his sides clenched unconsciously. He felt like his heart was being cut by a dull knife, and it was throbbing in pain...
Ding Yurong, the housekeeper of Ding Mansion, has been a little uneasy these days.
People from the Shangshu Mansion of the Ministry of Punishment have been here several times. From the beginning of He Chengqi's suspected murder case, they have been investigating the case meticulously, peeling off the cocoons and pressing forward step by step.
As the saying goes: If you don't do anything bad, don't be afraid of ghosts. It was precisely because he felt guilty first that he became even more frightened and suspicious.
After dinner that day, he felt a little unwell, so he went to bed early to rest.
In the haze, someone seemed to be calling his name: "Butler Ding, Butler Ding..."
It was a woman's voice, plaintive and long, which made people feel creepy.
He sat up involuntarily, got off the brocade couch, followed the source of the sound and walked out of the room step by step.
Finally, he came to a dry well in the back garden. It suddenly occurred to him that this was the well where the girl Xiaocui had thrown herself into the well a few days ago and died. He felt that his scalp was exploding and his hairs stood on end.
He turned around to leave, but heard a woman's voice from behind: "Butler Ding..."
Looking back, I saw the girl Xiaocui standing behind her with disheveled hair, her face pale and her eyes dull.
Ding Yurong was so frightened that he sat up from the brocade couch with a cry of "Ah!...", his heart pounding wildly and his whole body dripping with sweat.
He stayed for a long time, and finally let out a long breath, "Fortunately, it was a dream..."
At this time, the door suddenly "popped". He calmed down and asked, "Who?"
The person outside the door replied: "It's me, Ding Cheng."
Ding Cheng? A servant from a humble background in Ding Mansion.
Ding Yurong said impatiently: "What time has it been and you still come to disturb me! If you have anything to do, come back tomorrow."
Ding Cheng is a loyal and honest person, timid and afraid of getting into trouble. Now that Ding Yurong has spoken out, how can he dare to make a mistake? Unexpectedly, his behavior this time was a bit abnormal. Instead of walking away in fear, he directly opened the door and walked in without hesitation.
Ding Yurong said angrily: "Ding Cheng, you are so rude!"
Ding Cheng said: "Steward Ding, please forgive me. I was forced to come to you because I had no choice but to come to you. My mother is seriously ill but has no money to delay medical treatment, so I had to ask the steward to borrow some money."
Ding Yurong sighed, "Ding Cheng, you have been in the house for so many years and you have served the master with all your heart. Now that your mother is ill and in urgent need of money, it is not in vain to temporarily advance some salary to show the master's thoughtfulness to his subordinates. It is also true that There is nothing wrong with that.
"But you can do these things whenever you have free time during the day. Why do you do it so late at night and so secretly? It's as if you're afraid that people will know."
Ding Cheng said: "I am really afraid that others will know, because the amount of silver I want to borrow this time is very large, and I am unable to repay it."
Ding Yurong was stunned, "What do you mean by this?"
Ding Cheng did not answer, but stared sadly into Ding Yurong's eyes, "Steward Ding, do you agree or not?"
Ding Yurong's breathing suddenly became rapid, his back heaved, as if he was trying his best to resist the urge to erupt like a volcano, and said in a trembling voice: "You... how much do you want to borrow?"
Ding Cheng didn't hesitate at all, he stretched out two fingers and said: "Two thousand taels of silver!"
Two thousand taels of silver? ! Is this Ding Cheng crazy? Ding Yurong took a deep breath unconsciously.
His deep eyes were filled with a dark and deep scrutiny, and he stared at him without blinking, and sneered: "Ding Cheng, you are such a big talker! - Tell me, what secrets do you know? "...
