Lady, let me explain.

Chapter 123 The Truth
"Is he also here to burn down the archives?"

Lin Yi carefully sensed the surroundings and discovered that another person was hiding in the courtyard.

The person in the courtyard doesn't seem to be a lookout...

Lin Yi was puzzled, and when he heard the person inside the house come out, he immediately concealed himself.

A man in black emerged from the archives, looked around the courtyard, and then fixed his gaze on one spot.

A man emerged from behind the stone lantern, dressed in the uniform of an officer from the Eastern Depot: "I was planning to wait until you left the inner courtyard before calling the patrolling captains to arrest you, but you've been quite alert."

The man in black took a half step back and observed the scene.

The head of the Eastern Depot said, "Don't bother looking, it's just me."

The man in black turned and ran, but the head of the Eastern Depot immediately chased after him and swung his meteor hammer at him.

The two exchanged blows and practiced several moves before the man in black drew a brocade spring knife.

Lin Yi watched the show from the sidelines... Embroidered Spring Blade, and this man in black was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The two fought fiercely, their swords and hammers clanging constantly. In Lin Yi's opinion, the two were of average martial arts skills, but Ding Baiying's level was also quite ordinary in the martial arts world.

He looked at it for a moment and then lost interest. He opened the window of the archives and threw in a tinderbox.

The kerosene ignited instantly, spreading throughout the entire archive.

The two people in the courtyard were startled when they saw a sudden burst of flames inside the house.

The head of the Eastern Depot said, "You little thief, you have accomplices among you!"

The man in black did not answer, eager to escape, and his swordsmanship became even more ferocious.

Lin Yi thought for a moment, then leaped out, slapped the East Depot leader to death with one hand, and subdued the man in black, carrying him out of the courtyard.

After walking two miles, Lin Yi looked back and saw that fires were already burning in the direction of the archives. He casually tossed aside the man in black, and with a flick of his wrist, removed his mask.

"Who gave you permission to burn down the archives?"

The man in black gripped his embroidered spring knife tightly and said, "It was you who burned down the archives!"

Lin Yi casually waved his hand, sending the man in black flying two zhang away, rolling several times on the ground before coming to a stop. The embroidered spring knife also flew out of his hand, along with a small booklet.

He sat up, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He quickly raised his hand to signal, and after a moment, said, "It was a mysterious woman who made me do it... She had something on me, and I was forced into it."

"I thought you were so tough..." Lin Yi sneered. He stepped forward and picked up the booklet: "Did you steal this from the archives?"

The booklet's cover read: "Summary of the Construction of the Treasure Ship".

He casually flipped through it and found that this was the revenge carriage that Emperor Xuanzhi rode when he fell into the water, and the person in charge of its construction was Guo Zhen, a eunuch from the Eastern Depot.

"If I ask and you answer, you can live; if you dare to lie, your head will roll."

Lin Yi put away the booklet and memorized his face: "What's your name?"

“Shen Lian…”

"identity."

"A centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"Who is that woman?"

"I don't know her identity, nor do I know who she works for. All I know is... her name is Ding Baiying!"

Lin Yi thought to himself, "As expected." As far as he knew, not long after he left Mount Hua, Ding Baiying also came down the mountain.

This kind of woman, who is determined to rebel, is very career-oriented and will certainly not stay obediently on Mount Hua.

"Is Guo Zhen really dead?"

"Yes... Guo Zhen died a month ago."

Lin Yi smiled. It seemed his guess was correct; it was indeed Prince Xin who orchestrated Emperor Xuanzhi's drowning, but unfortunately, the emperor didn't drown...

Emperor Xuanzhi had no sons, only his younger brother, so the throne could only be inherited by him.

But Emperor Xuanzhi was young and vigorous, cultivated his character, and did not indulge in wine and women... Prince Xin could not wait any longer.

"How did you contact Ding Baiying?" "Renshoufang, Qingfeng Teahouse." Shen Lian looked up at him. "I wonder why you, sir, ordered the burning of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's archives?"

"You're quite bold."

Lin Yi shook his head, leaped onto the wall, and returned to his residence.

After checking on Li Qiushui and Tianshan Tonglao to make sure they hadn't caused any trouble, Lin Yi took out the booklet.

The only information available is that Guo Zhen was behind the tampering with the Emperor's treasure ship.

However, Guo Zhen was already dead, the trail went cold, and there was no evidence of Guo Zhen colluding with Prince Xin.

Therefore, this booklet was useless to him unless he handed it over to the Eastern Depot, but that would not be in his interest.

……

The following morning, Ding Baiying entered the mansion to pay her respects.

Upon hearing that Lin Yi had entered the capital, she knew she couldn't hide from him, since she had already become a member of Lin Yi's household.

“This servant went down the mountain without permission. Please punish me, sir.”

She knelt on the ground, her plump buttocks sticking out.

Lin Yi took a sip of tea before looking at her.

Do you think I'm easy to talk to?

He walked up to her and slapped her hard.

Snapped!
"This servant dares not, please forgive me, sir."

Her pleas for mercy were all flat and straightforward, without a trace of emotion.

Lin Yi rubbed the large buttocks and shook his head: "Is it worth it for you to work so hard for Prince Xin?"

Ding Baiying said, "We are not doing this for Prince Xin, but for the sake of the world! The eunuch faction is causing havoc in the court and the country, and the people are suffering. Although we are just ants, without Prince Xin's status and power, and not as skilled in martial arts as you, sir... we still want to do our best for the world."

Lin Yi laughed and said, "Then let me tell you, when Prince Xin comes to power, the first thing he'll do is eliminate you and your fellow disciples. Are you still willing to do that? By the way, you're already mine, so you can live."

Ding Baiying looked up at him, her expression changed, and she paused before saying, "The Prince of Xin is benevolent and righteous, why has he gone to such lengths?"

"Don't you understand the saying 'serving a ruler is like serving a tiger'?" Lin Yi said. "The sinking of the treasure ship and the assassination of the emperor were planned by him and carried out by you. Once he becomes emperor, will he allow himself to have even the slightest stain on his record?"

Ding Baiying's expression remained calm: "The damage to the treasure ship and the Emperor falling into the water were accidents. The Eastern Depot has already closed the case. Where did you hear this rumor, sir?"

Lin Yi smiled and tossed the "Records of the Construction of the Treasure Ship" to her.

Ding Baiying picked up the booklet and her expression changed drastically.

"Guo Zhen was Lu Wenzhao's accomplice, wasn't he? You were the ones who killed him... Now you're killing Guo Zhen to silence him, but once Prince Xin ascends the throne, do you think he'll let you off the hook?"

Ding Baiying gripped the booklet tightly, her expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

Lin Yi patted her head: "I advise you not to get involved in this. You think you are changing the world, but even if Prince Xin ascends the throne, the world will not change... Go back to the courtyard, wash up and get dressed. Tonight, I will deflower you."

Ding Baiying blushed immediately and couldn't help but glare at Lin Yi.

"Yes."

She took the booklet, got up, and left.

As Ding Baiying left the courtyard and passed through the passageway, she saw a woman walking towards her and instinctively said, "Hello, Miss Wang."

She froze as soon as she finished speaking. This woman was not Wang Yuyan, but she looked about 60% like her.

Li Qiushui also stopped and looked at her: "Miss Wang, which Miss Wang?"

Although it was a question, Li Qiushui already had an answer.

She has a granddaughter in Suzhou named Wang Yuyan... This person clearly mistook her for Wang Yuyan.

Li Qiushui realized what was happening and immediately grasped the key point: Lin Yi and Wang Yuyan still had a relationship?
Li Qiushui pulled Ding Baiying aside and said gently with a smile, "Young lady, do you know Yu Yan?"

(End of this chapter)