Chapter 113: Growing Suspicion - Rebirth of the Noble Daughter

 Chapter 113: Growing Suspicion

"About a month ago, I went to my mother's room to see my younger brother. As I passed by his courtyard, I saw an old maid sneakily entering his room with a small inconspicuous box. Worried that she might be up to something, I hid in the corridor and watched as she placed the box in a hidden compartment under my brother's bed before quietly leaving."

After hearing this, Feng Jinyao began to grow suspicious.

Feng Yunli was only four years old and barely knew how to read, let alone orchestrate such a thing. It was likely that Concubine Lin was behind it.

"And then? Did you see what was inside the box?"

Feng Yunhe nodded, his expression becoming even more serious.

"It was a few promissory notes, land deeds, and field deeds. I looked closely at the writing. If I'm not mistaken, it seems that Concubine Lin had lent money with high interest, and since the borrowers couldn't repay her, they gave her the deeds as collateral."

Hearing this, Feng Jinyao was quite surprised. Although it was common in large households to lend idle money at interest, the Feng family had always been above such practices, likely due to the efficient management by her mother. The Feng family had never been short of money and had no need for such dealings.

But when did Concubine Lin start doing this and how had she hidden it for so long?

"How do you know it was Concubine Lin?"

"The signatures and seals were in someone else's name, but I recognized her handwriting. She once pretentiously gave my mother a handwritten copy of the 'Heart Sutra,' which I had seen."

Lending money under an alias, Concubine Lin was truly audacious, thinking she had someone to take the fall if things went wrong.

"Why didn't you tell your sister-in-law about this?"

If Madam Wen had known about this, there wouldn't have been any secrets. The only possibility was that Feng Yunhe hadn't told anyone.

Feng Yunhe fell silent, deep in thought.

A month ago, many things hadn't happened yet. Although he knew about it, he wasn't sure if it could bring down Concubine Lin.

Without understanding his father's thoughts, even if the deeds and promissory notes were found, they wouldn't be of much use.

Unfortunately, he couldn't share these thoughts with Feng Jinyao. The conflicts within the main family weren't recent, and he didn't want anyone to know that the eldest legitimate son of the main branch was so wary of a concubine, thus losing face for Madam Wen.

Feng Jinyao, being perceptive, understood his thoughts even without him saying anything.

She sighed, gently stroking Feng Yunhe's hair. "Yunhe, I've told you before, if you stand straight, you don't need to worry about your shadow. Now, let me tell you this: 'When content with what one has, the heart remains at peace; when desiring nothing, one's character stands tall.'"

Though her words were not explicit, Feng Yunhe understood. After a moment, he blushed and lowered his head in apology.

"Aunt, I'm sorry. I wanted to use this to bring down Concubine Lin, so I hesitated, waiting for the right moment to strike, but I forgot that if this matter were exposed by outsiders, it would still put the Feng family at risk. I was selfish."

Hearing his sincere words, Feng Jinyao was relieved.

A precocious child who goes astray and gets involved in these complex household schemes would harm his future prospects.

"It's good you understand. Always remember, you are the future head of the Feng family. You must consider the bigger picture."

Feng Yunhe nodded firmly. If given another chance, he wouldn't let his resentment delay the matter.

The aunt and nephew planned to wait until the courtyard was unrestricted before reporting the matter, but unexpectedly, Feng Jinxu had already investigated most of it.

Holding the box, he opened it to examine the deeds and promissory notes without anger.

The maid who had visited Concubine Lin earlier knelt before him, looking anxious and terrified that her actions would be discovered, leading to her doom.

"Is there anything else besides these?"

"No, my lord. I only handled these. Please spare me, my lord!"

The maid cried and blamed everything on Concubine Lin, thinking that since she was just an abandoned concubine, the lord wouldn't delve deeper.

But Feng Jinxu's calm words chilled her heart with each passing word.

"Last June 19, your grandson got drunk at Yihong House and let it slip that he had been handling these matters for Lin Lang for three years. In other words, a year after Yunli was born, she started lending money under an alias. She cleverly used the name of the Hua family, thinking that if investigated, she could use it as a scapegoat."

The maid's face turned pale with fear. She had forgotten that the lord had been working at the Court of Judicial Review for a long time. It was not difficult for him to trace the entire matter.

"Also last year, your precious grandson killed someone in a fight, and it was Lin Lang who found someone to take the blame, helping him escape. He's now hiding at her maternal home, disguised as a member of the Luo family. That's why she had leverage over you, forcing you to place items used by a smallpox patient in Yunhe's courtyard, causing him to contract the disease, correct?"

Feng Jinxu's light words were spoken calmly, with no visible change in his expression. But the more he spoke, the more terrified everyone around him became.

It was like the calm before the storm, silently invoking fear.

"My lord..."

At this point, the old maid was sweating profusely, too frightened even to beg for her life, only thinking about how to protect the rest of her family.

"It's also my fault for neglecting the first lady and Yunhe in the past, making you all think that the main wife and legitimate son could be easily bullied, and emboldening Lin Lang to the point of trying to take Yunhe's life. Given the current situation, I won't say much more. If you want your family to remain safe and undisturbed, leave a confession and end it yourself."

He put the promissory notes, land deeds, and field deeds back into the box, which Fu Yi, who had been silent, then took away.

Seeing this, the old maid lost all hope of survival.

About a quarter of an hour after Feng Jinxu left, someone reported from the back courtyard that the old maid had committed suicide by running into a pillar.

Fu Yi sneered coldly. "A clean death."

If this matter hadn't involved Concubine Lin, who was Feng Yunli's biological mother, potentially affecting the young master's future, they would have been tied up and sent to Ying Tian Prefecture long ago, without needing any confession.

"Find her grandson and investigate thoroughly the incident where he killed someone. Hand everything over to Yingtian Prefecture."

"Yes, sir!"

Feng Jinxu had promised not to harm her innocent family members, but that didn't include the despicable grandson. If the law didn't deal with him, how could they maintain order and justice?