TGCFNM -Chapter 548 Chu Ling Has Something to Say

Because Chu Ling had something to say, Lu Shi brought everyone to the study.

Yuan Luo, not particularly interested in court affairs, voluntarily stayed outside to keep watch, allowing them to speak freely inside.

Inside the room, Lu Shi gestured for everyone to sit.

The study still had hot tea; Wan Sanjin poured a cup for Chu Ling.

Chu Ling held the cup and took a few sips, gradually calming herself.

Ghost Scholar and Bai Su, along with the others, looked at Chu Ling with concern. They clearly knew how severely she had been injured. If Bai Su hadn’t been able to touch her in time, Chu Ling would have been dead long ago.

Now, the old wound suddenly throbbed painfully, and no one knew why.

Chu Ling put down the cup and, looking at everyone who cared for her, slowly began to speak.

She started by explaining her identity—that she was the second young lady of the Chu family.

“…I—I was probably adopted by my father and mother. I don’t know where they adopted me from, but they treated me extremely well. From childhood until now, as long as I carefully hid my face, my life has been quite comfortable.”

Chu Ling knew she had to hide her face because she wasn’t a supporting female character transmigrating into a book—she was cannon-fodder, meaning she had been born directly into this world. From the beginning, she had lived in this world and had been raised well by the parents of this world.

“My parents protected me, very well, so almost all the news about me outside was bad news. People thought I liked Fu Qingyu, just like they liked him. That’s why Wan Sanjin came to Sishui County to find me.”

Wan Sanjin smiled awkwardly. “At that time, we really didn’t know anything…”

Chu Ling continued, “But actually, I wasn’t on some assignment as a county official—I was planning to leave the Chu family. At that time, the Chu family seemed shrouded in a dense fog; the entire household had become unusually cautious and quiet. One day, my parents suddenly looked worried, as if something major was about to happen.”

“Later, everyone found out that General Chu was indeed plotting rebellion. Even the soldiers were prepared, and Chu Yue was informed. After learning this, Chu Yue killed General Chu. The story that spread was that General Chu had chosen to end his own life to prove his innocence, and thus the Chu family was saved.”

“But a month before that, my parents used the excuse that I was chasing after Fu Qingyu to have the main household lady arrange for me to take on the identity of a distant nephew. That way, I could leave the Chu family for Sishui County first. Meanwhile, the Chu family also had a ‘fake young lady’ who, as before, stayed in the second household courtyard with my parents. Only after the Chu family faced trouble did the three of them secretly leave together at night.”

Lu Shi nodded. “I understand. So the plan was to get you out first, then your parents would find a way to leave. Eventually, the three of you would reunite and leave the capital—and the Chu family—far behind.”

Chu Ling nodded. “Yes, but things went wrong. On the night the Chu family ran into trouble, I was struck on the back of my head and hung from the beam, staged to look like I had committed suicide… As for my parents, according to Chu Rou, the three left together that day and then disappeared without a trace.”

“So today, Your Excellency was testing Chu Yue, to see if she was the one who acted—after all, she had killed once in her previous life?” Wan Sanjin asked.

Chu Ling nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

Lu Shi waved his hand. “Let’s not talk about Chu Yue’s previous life for now. Just speaking of the present… are you certain that your family’s ‘deaths’ were all connected to the main household?”

Chu Ling nodded. “I am certain. Although I survived, because of the severe injury to the back of my head, it took me a long time to recover. Only now have my memories returned. As for my parents…”

Wan Sanjin didn’t know what to say. He only cast a worried glance at Chu Ling before speaking slowly, “I asked my elder brothers to look, but your parents went missing. There’s been no information at all…”

“It’s not a disappearance.” Chu Ling’s tears fell unconsciously from the corners of her eyes. “Tonight, when I tested Chu Yue, I confirmed it… my parents… were killed.”

“So you asked her why she killed your entire family?” Lu Shi frowned, still unable to understand.

The second branch of the Chu family had always maintained a low-profile and incompetent image. They could never have affected the main branch in any way. Moreover, the soldiers General Chu was preparing for rebellion had only been informed by Chu Yue of the main branch, so the second branch would have no influence on Chu Yue.

Then why go to such lengths to kill the second branch?

“Precognition! Wu Ting was killed because of her so-called precognition!” Wan Sanjin said.

“So, the second branch in the future, the little Chu in the future, also became her stumbling block. That’s why she wanted to eliminate them early,” Lu Shi said, incredulous, yet Chu Ling nodded in affirmation.

Chu Ling then told them about Fu Qingyu and Chu Yue’s collaboration, and also mentioned the Empress Dowager. If Chu Yue’s precognition was real, then in the end, the winners would be the Empress Dowager and Fu Qingyu, and Fu Qingyu would smoothly succeed to the throne.

Lu Shi shook his head decisively. “Impossible. This can’t be.”

Chu Ling knew it was impossible too, but if even catching Chu Yue in the dead of night could result in Fu Qingyu forcibly taking her away, what chance did they really have?

“This matter is beyond the capability of just the few of us. We need someone to help. I’ll think of a way,” Lu Shi said solemnly.

Everyone nodded, though worry lingered in their eyes.

Lu Shi continued, “Their cooperation is indeed troublesome, so we must find a way to separate them… First, Xiao Chu, investigate the abandoned manor outside the capital. Say that it’s the place where the former Crown Princess was killed. Since Fu Qingyu is her son, he should naturally investigate the case for his mother.”

“Second, Nangong Rong was the one who framed the Crown Prince back then. Now that the Crown Prince’s case has been reopened, do you think Nangong Rong can walk away unscathed? I’ll have Prince Rui and Prince Su petition the Emperor so that His Majesty can deal with him.”

“Finally, I have been ordered to investigate the Lanyue case, but Chu Yue raided Lu Mansion at night, trying to poison me. This clearly shows a guilty conscience—she hopes to destroy the evidence so that the case need not be investigated further… But the true purpose of Lanyue is rebellion, so it must be investigated. I will also decide, depending on the situation, whether to mention before the Emperor that the Empress Dowager interceded. His Majesty might release them because of her, since their relationship is very close, and even Fu Qingyu was acknowledged by the Empress Dowager…”

After hearing this, everyone felt it was the best approach.

Chu Ling nodded in agreement; she knew how to handle it.

She couldn’t kill Chu Yue immediately because Chu Yue had powerful backing, allies to help her. But she was not weak either—she could take it step by step, until Chu Yue no longer had a chance to recover.

Moreover, what use could Chu Yue possibly have for Fu Qingyu now?

“All right, everyone go back and rest. We start work tomorrow,” Lu Shi decided, and everyone left.

At the same time, in the Imperial Palace…

A group of imperial physicians surrounded the unconscious Chu Yue, helpless and unsure how to treat her.

Qingtong was on the verge of tears, while Fu Qingyu watched calmly. When the physicians proved utterly incapable, he turned and went to the Empress Dowager’s palace.