Chapter 44: Condemned by a Thousand People

The Prince of Lanyang’s rear residence.

Inside Qiyuan Garden, Lin Hansu leaned languidly against a bamboo couch, her spring dress outlining her graceful figure.

Her Phoenix eyes were fixed on one spot, the spring tide in her eyes shimmering as if about to overflow, but her gaze was unfocused, clearly lost in thought.

Recently, everything had been going smoothly, and she felt free in every way.

Without the external pressure to survive, her heart lake was prone to ripples.

Perhaps it was the arrival of spring, but she had dreamt of erotic fantasies for two consecutive nights.

In her dreams, she was intimately entangled with Young Master.

During the day, whenever she had a moment to spare, those lascivious scenes from her dreams would uncontrollably surface in her mind.

Making her as damp and muddy as the plum rains of May.

“My Lady, this old one’s husband has returned from the estate outside the city.”

Granny Zhang’s voice came softly, and Lin Hansu returned to her senses, “Oh, let Uncle Zhang come in.”

“Yes.”

Granny Zhang turned to go outside the courtyard to summon him. Lin Hansu got up and sat upright, and taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, she quickly tugged at the inner garment under her spring skirt.

Slightly relieving the discomfort caused by the slight stickiness.

After a moment, accompanied by a series of ‘da da’ hoofbeats, Uncle Zhang, the front yard steward, led a horse into the courtyard.

Even though she didn’t know much about horses, Lin Hansu was deeply attracted by it.

The horse was five feet tall at the shoulder, with a deer’s head and a dragon’s neck, and its build was slender and well-proportioned.

Its coat was silky smooth, all one color, without a single stray hair, and it shimmered with a black, iridescent sheen under the sunlight.

Lin Hansu was delighted and got up to go forward and touch the horse’s head.

Who knew that the horse, which had been lowering its head and seemed docile, suddenly raised its head and opened its mouth to bite her hand.

“My Lady, be careful!”

Fortunately, Uncle Zhang was prepared and quickly tightened the reins, barely preventing the horse from succeeding in its sneak attack. “This Mythical Beast has a very fierce temper. It has bitten several grooms these days while being raised on the estate outside the city!”

Mythical Beast, was the one Lin Hansu had scammed from her father back then.

But their first meeting was not pleasant.

Lin Hansu was embarrassed and cursed, “I’ll castrate you and see if you’re still fierce!”

“My Lady, Mythical Beast is a mare.” The honest Uncle Zhang kindly reminded her.

“Who says a female can’t be castrated!”

Lin Hansu’s threat was answered by Mythical Beast with a loud snort. A lot of sticky, dirty snot spewed out of its large nostrils and sprayed all over Lin Hansu.

“You beast! Uncle Zhang, bring the whip!”

Lin Hansu, who was usually good at managing her emotions, had her composure broken by a horse.

At this moment, Granny Xu walked in quickly, “My Lady, Immortal Master of the State Religion is outside the manor. He says… he says there’s a demon in the manor!”

Because of changing clothes, Lin Hansu was delayed for a while.

It wasn’t because her clothes were dirtied by Mythical Beast, but because she usually liked to wear brightly colored, gorgeous clothes in the rear residence.

Now that Immortal Master of the State Religion was outside the manor, she, as a person in mourning, had to change into plain clothes.

Learning that Young Master was dealing with it alone at the manor gate, Lin Hansu walked quickly all the way.

“What kind of demon is it?”

“A Fox Spirit!”

Hurrying to the inner side of the manor gate’s corridor, she happened to hear Immortal Master of the State Religion identify Ding Suian as a Fox Spirit.

Lin Hansu immediately stopped and exchanged a look with Granny Xu, who was following closely behind.

The two of them realized the danger of this matter at the same time.

Fox Spirit were likely to evoke associations with things like ‘licentious rear residence’. It would be better for her to avoid suspicion and not come out. If she rushed out to protect a small guard, it would almost be equivalent to publicly confirming the crime of ‘illicit relations’.

Through a gap on the side of the corridor, she could just see Ding Suian’s straight back.

It was somewhat similar to the scene when she hid in the house and looked out through the crack in the door.

Even if she couldn’t see the bottom of the steps at the manor gate, she could guess how many people were outside.

“Darkness obscures the heart, bones reveal their form! Fox demon, reveal yourself!”

Before she could think of a plan, Immortal Master of the State Religion’s Demon-Detecting True Incantation, like a sonic boom, wrapped in the early spring breeze, resounded all around.

Lin Hansu was immediately shocked. She had seen the State Religion subdue demons and knew that it had reached the final moment.

If no one helped Young Master, he would surely die.

Rushing out might not save him, and she might lose her reputation and get into trouble.

Such rational thoughts were clearly occupying her mind, but the lotus feet under her skirt had already taken a big step, as if by instinct.

“My Lady, you mustn’t!”

Granny Xu’s Soul Emergence, cried out urgently. Lin Hansu didn’t stop and glanced back at her loyal wet nurse in a hurry.

Her charming, reddish Phoenix eyes seemed to have a thousand words to say, but in the end, they condensed into a resolute look.

Rushing to the steps of the manor gate, she didn’t even have time to look at Ding Suian. Relying entirely on her subconscious reaction, she spread her arms in front of Ding Suian like an old hen protecting her chicks, “This man is a Soldier of the Emperor’s personal army. Please, Immortal Master, take back your Divine Ability. There must be a misunderstanding!”

The attention of The Du Family was originally on Ding Suian, just waiting for the latter to kneel on the ground and make beastly noises, then they would swarm up and beat him to death with random sticks.

Lin Hansu’s intrusion made Second Brother Du overjoyed. He was still worrying about how to implicate her, but she delivered herself to his door.

He immediately gave Third Master Du a look.

Third Master Du’s mood was much more complicated than his second brother’s.

He had admired her for many years, and hadn’t even spoken a few words to her.

A dignified Princess Consort of Lanyang actually jumped out for a mere Soldier!

Where am I inferior to him?

Third Master Du was both jealous and hateful. He suddenly took a step forward, pointed at Lin Hansu, and his anger was mixed with a bit of grievance that was not to be told to outsiders, “The Princess Consort is so protective of this demon, she must be having an affair with the Fox Spirit! She should be stripped and paraded through the streets, then burned to death!”

“No wonder Madam Lin refused to die for the Prince! It turns out she had been secretly colluding with the Fox Spirit!”

“That’s right, that’s right, otherwise how would she have escaped into the Fox Spirit’s room back then!”

“Maybe the Prince’s early death was a joint effort between her and the Fox Spirit.”

The Du Family women took the opportunity to fan the flames.

For a time, condemned by a thousand people, Lin Hansu was tense, her cherry lips were tightly pursed, and she stood unyielding in front of Ding Suian, refusing to take a step back.

Behind her, at arm’s length, Ding Suian could even smell the faint fragrance of osmanthus on Lin Hansu’s body.

At this moment, he was the calmest of everyone present. The basis for the success of all the frame-ups today lay in ‘revealing form’.

Since he had already made complete preparations, he was just playing along with them at this moment.

But the slender but stubborn back in front of him made him feel a lot of emotions. How could such a smart woman not realize the danger of this matter?

Yet she did such a foolish thing.

In the torrent of the world, among all living beings, in more than ten years, the only ones who gave him such favor were Old Ding and this cold-outside-warm-inside Princess Consort.

Hearing his relatives say more and more explicit things, Second Brother Du coughed to avoid offending the imperial power and sighed, “The Princess Consort is bewitched by a demon and it’s not her true intention! But since she has lost her body to the Fox Spirit, our Prince’s Mansion cannot keep her.”

These words made the onlookers feel reasonable.

Let’s not talk about whether Squad Leader Ding is a Fox Spirit or not, just these two people…

One guarding an empty room alone, the other full of youthful vigor.

Illicit relations, illicit relations, it’s only reasonable.

Second Brother Du, who felt he had the victory in his grasp, turned around and respectfully bowed to the Vermilion Robe Patriarch, saying, “May I ask, Immortal Master, how should the Princess Consort be dealt with?”

The State Religion is in charge of the local customs and etiquette. It is justified to inquire about affairs of adultery and punish sinful women.

Although the Princess Consort of Lanyang has an imperial decree, the State Religion cannot deal with her privately, but giving some advice is enough to influence public opinion.

Second Brother Du bowed his head and waited for a reply, but after waiting for a long time, he didn’t hear the Patriarch’s reply.

He raised his head in confusion, but saw that the Patriarch was maintaining the posture of slightly closing his eyes, moving his lips, and pinching his fingers in a magic seal.

However, beads of sweat were seeping from his forehead, as if he was in a state of exhaustion, but still trying to hold on.

Completely different from his usual calmness.

Eh?

The last time the Immortal Master subdued a demon, it didn’t take so much effort!

Second Brother Du was stunned and looked at Ding Suian. The latter didn’t fall to the ground and roar like a beast, or look ferocious as expected.

What’s going on?

On the steps, Ding Suian did not chant scriptures, and the pain in his Shen Ting acupoint arrived as expected.

With the experience of the previous two times, this time he guided his Qi upward, trying to alleviate the pain.

Protective Aura was like a warm current, passing through his Danzhong acupoint, over his Huagai acupoint, then over his Yintang acupoint, and finally reaching his Shen Ting acupoint.

His heart suddenly cleared, and the pain was greatly relieved.

It really worked.

Below the steps, the Vermilion Robe Patriarch was not feeling well either. Ding Suian was very cunning. He didn’t reveal the relic bead bracelet until after the former chanted the Demon-Detecting True Incantation.

The Vermilion Robe Patriarch didn’t recognize this Buddhist Magical Artifact, but now that his Divine Ability was not working, and with the monk next to him whom he had initially ignored, he immediately understood. The damned Buddhist sect had interfered in this matter!

That’s right! Madam Wu used to be a devout Buddhist. It must be that those bald donkeys are also coveting the Prince’s Mansion’s property and secretly set a trap!

The Vermilion Robe Patriarch quickly made a judgment. It was not difficult, but the difficulty lay in the current situation where he could neither advance nor retreat. Outside the Prince’s Mansion, the people were surrounded layer upon layer. If he failed to’subdue the demon’, it would damage the prestige of the State Religion!

The onlookers also gradually noticed the anomaly.

The demon subduing by the river street before the New Year didn’t look like this!

Looking at Ding Young Master, he was standing on the spot without changing his expression.

I’m afraid this time it was a real mistake, right?

Knowing that continuing to hold on would only make it more embarrassing, the Vermilion Robe Patriarch withdrew the magic seal and slowly opened his eyes. He first swept a glance at Zhisheng, then turned to Ding Suian, “Ding Family Young Master, you are a human, not a demon.”

Second Brother Du and Third Master Du looked at the Vermilion Robe Patriarch, their Faces full of astonishment.

Although they didn’t understand what had happened, they had promised half of their family property in exchange for the Immortal Master’s help. How could he give up halfway?

You can’t take the money and not do the work!

The Vermilion Robe Patriarch temporarily ignored The Du Family and continued to look at Ding Suian on the steps, admonishing him with the attitude of a superior, “It must be that you linger in brothels all day long, contaminated with licentious Qi, that made This Seat misidentify you! You, take care of yourself.”

Tsk tsk tsk, he really doesn’t want any Face.

He failed to mess with me, and at the end he has to throw a bucket of dirty water on me.

The Vermilion Robe Patriarch turned and left. The Du Family was suspicious and uncertain, but they didn’t dare to ask questions on the spot, so they had to follow behind and prepare to leave.

At this time, they heard Ding Suian slowly say, “Are you leaving now?”

The Vermilion Robe Patriarch suddenly turned around, the two mustaches on his lips trembling slightly, as if he was so angry that he laughed, “If This Seat wants to leave, do you dare to stop me?”

“Immortal Master’s carriage can naturally come and go as you please.” Ding Suian raised his hand and pointed at The Du Family brothers and relatives one by one, “But he, and she, cannot leave!”

Thanks to: Gu Yueoooo, for the reward~