LOT – Chapter 178 Degrading Oneself

This old couple really took the cake—at a time like this, they still had the audacity to scold someone.

Lin Mo wasn’t about to indulge them. With two sharp slaps, she sent them to their knees.

“Kneel! And at this point, you still dare to blame Lord Li? Lord Li is a good man, but you two are anything but!”

“To be so rude in front of the Prince—watch out for your heads!”

What Lin Mo said was indeed correct, but somehow it sounded… oddly off.

Bai Xiao: “Mo Mo, do you know what idiom you resemble right now?”

Lin Mo: “Dashing and heroic? I know I look extra dashing and heroic at this moment!”

Bai Xiao: “No! You currently resemble the Third Prince’s lackey—a real bootlicker. I hadn’t put my finger on it, but your words just now were the epitome of sucking up.”

Lin Mo: …

The others, hearing Bai Xiao say this, suddenly understood.

No wonder something felt strange—it was the aura of someone abusing their power to intimidate others.

The Lin family father and son in the crowd sighed in unison and turned their heads.

To think they were from a respectable, high-ranking family… and yet they produced someone who abuses their power like this!

[I quit, I quit! I’m so righteous, and you’re saying I’m abusing my power? Fine, let them handle it themselves—I’ll just watch the show.]

And just like that, Lin Mo gave up, stepping back entirely.

Third Prince: … “What am I supposed to do if you leave? I’m not very good at scolding people!”

He had been hiding behind Lin Mo, enjoying the spectacle of her scolding.

“Li Lin’an, right? This matter has little to do with you, so step aside. As for your parents, I will have them taken away. They’ve already violated the laws of Dayong; they will receive the punishment their crimes deserve. But don’t worry—whatever verdict they receive will not affect you.”

A good official should not be influenced by such parents.

The Third Prince had some impression of Li Lin’an; he was steady in speech and action, a bit stubborn, but a good man.

“No, no! We didn’t commit any crime! We only came up with this plan because our daughter ran away. We were worried about the Zhao family blaming us!”

“Lin’an! We are your biological parents! Ignoring your parents is unfilial! How can an unfilial person hold office? Your Highness, you can’t allow this!”

The Third Prince barely glanced at the disgusting couple.

“What does unfilial mean? Filial children respect parents who are kind. If the parents are cruel, children not being filial is perfectly normal.”

“Besides, here, I am the ruler, Li Lin’an is the official. Can he dare to disobey me? If you still think this isn’t right, I will request an imperial edict from the Emperor himself. Whose words would anyone dare defy?”

The Li couple were genuinely terrified. If the Emperor issued a decree, there would be no way to turn back.

Soon, they were taken away. Meanwhile, the Zhao family’s betrothal gifts had been partially pilfered by the Li couple, and the dowry they sent over was meager.

The Zhao family had already sent the dowry and the maid; their betrothal gifts needed to be returned.

In most families, daughters who were valued would take the betrothal gifts with their dowry as personal property.

A husband could not freely use the wife’s private dowry—that would bring ridicule.

Thus, in respectable families, the mother’s dowry would typically be inherited by both sons and daughters.

The Li family’s actions were truly disgusting.

Bai Xiao: “That matter’s settled. What a juicy drama!”

Lin Mo: “Juicy, indeed. Now, where has Miss Li run off to?”

Others were curious as well. With the Li couple arrested, the runaway bride should be apprehended too.

Bai Xiao did some digging and let out a gloating laugh.

“She’s being kept in the rear quarters by the son of a wealthy merchant. That merchant has been secretly keeping an eye on things. Once he found out the Li family got in trouble, she was sent to live with the other concubines.”

“If the Li family had tricked him successfully, the merchant’s son might have married her. But there are too many ‘ifs’ in that story.”

Lin Mo felt immensely satisfied upon hearing this. Serves her right!

Li Lin’an felt a pang of sourness at the news about his sister.

He could do nothing about his parents, but he still cared about his sister.

When they were children, the siblings relied on each other. Their parents rarely cared—most of the time, they were either drinking and gambling outside or quarreling.

Later, after he earned money through copying texts, the family’s situation improved.

When he had to go out to study, he thought it was better to send money home rather than bring his sister along, and the parents seemed a bit better off once there was some money.

But he never expected he had misjudged everything.

Miss Li was now crying in a small room.

“My brother is a high-ranking official! If you dare keep me here, he won’t forgive you!”

Dozens of people sat in this small courtyard. Favored women had one room each, while the less favored shared two or three per room.

A nearby concubine, seeing her crying, said: “Young lady, what were you thinking, running off with him? We were forced into selling ourselves because we couldn’t survive outside. Your brother is an official—why do something so shameful?”

“Wang Shou’en isn’t a good man—didn’t you investigate him?”

Miss Li cried even harder at this.

“I didn’t know he was deceiving me! He said he would marry me, that’s why I went with him!”

Another concubine shook her head in frustration.

“You are degrading yourself! You were supposed to marry into the Zhao Hanlin family—wouldn’t that have been better? People wish they could marry into such families, and the Zhao family has a good reputation. When I was outside, I was bullied and the Zhao family’s young lady saved me. Why did you make such a foolish choice?”

They all longed for freedom and hoped to marry someone of integrity, but this girl willingly degraded herself. Now, she faced the consequences.

Her body had also been taken by that scoundrel Wang Shou’en. A once-promising official’s daughter had been ruined in this way. Even if she left here later, her reputation would be tarnished.