“…Have her,” the thief said timidly before kowtowing, “Old Madam, I truly didn’t know the woman in the portrait was the Princess. I thought she was just a maid here!”
“You’re talking nonsense!” He Shi shouted at Old Lady Ning, “Mother, this man is slandering me. You must not believe him!”
Old Lady Ning angrily exclaimed: “Shut up! How dare you call me mother?”
Lin Zhengyang turned and slapped He Shi’s face. He Shi, stunned, covered her cheek and looked at him in disbelief. “My lord!”
Lin Zhengyang roared furiously: “Outrageous! Look at the despicable things you’ve done!”
He Shi fell to her knees, clinging to Lin Zhengyang’s arm and crying: “My lord, please don’t listen to his nonsense. I truly don’t know him. I have always loved Wanwan as my own. I would never harm her!”
Lin Zhengyang gazed at He Shi, too angry to speak. Realizing he could not protect her, He Shi crawled toward Ning Wanwan, asserting: “Wanwan, you must believe your mother. I swear I did not do this.”
Chapter 8: Confession
Her oath was cheap, coming so easily. If she were still the soft-hearted Ning Wanwan, she might have believed her.
Ning Wanwan replied: “I feel that my mother loves me so much that she would never arrange to harm me.”
He Shi’s eyes brightened, and she nodded vigorously: “Yes, yes, Wanwan is right. You believe me!”
“In that case…” Ning Wanwan smiled slightly and turned to Fuyiyi: “Fuyiyi, give him thirty lashes and send him to the authorities.”
Lin Zhengyang intervened: “Sending him to the authorities might not be wise. After all, this is our family matter.”
“If the Jingzhao Yin finds out, it might damage the reputation of the Ning Guogong Mansion.”
Lin Yutong’s mother was confident that the Ning Guogong Mansion would not report to the authorities to protect their reputation. By denying knowledge of the thief, his testimony alone wouldn’t convict them.
However, if the Jingzhao Yin were to interrogate the thief, they would investigate his background and notify his clan to testify, leaving Lin Yutong’s mother unable to deny their involvement. Confirming their connection to the thief would irreparably damage their reputation in Biandu City.
