Chapter 152: Who is Setting Up a Stage and Performing Outside the Grand General's Estate?

If it were only those three mother and children, she could still flatly deny them and send them packing. But with the addition of her unruly and reckless father, she truly feared she would be utterly disgraced and driven out of the Grand General's Estate.

"What is happening here? And who are these people gathering to cause a disturbance in front of the Grand General's Estate? Do they realize they are violating the law?" Chu Mu asked, feigning ignorance.

The moment his voice fell, a string of angry curses rang out.

"Damn it all, what Grand General's Estate or whatever! Give me money, I want to buy wine... *hiccup*... buy wine... My son saved your general... and died... died! You must compensate me with money for a son... If you don't, I will become the father of you... of your general. Make him support me in my old age and call me father!"

Madam Lin scrambled to her feet from her husband's body, while Old Man Lin, clutching his aged lower back, climbed up from the ground, muttering curses.

No matter how foolish or reckless Old Man Lin was, he still knew what should not be said—things that could cost lives if uttered aloud. For instance, the fact that his eldest son was not actually dead; not a single word of that could be leaked. He knew very well that the four members of their family had come to the Grand General's Estate today to extort silver. As long as they could get money to buy wine, let alone cause a scene in front of the Grand General's Estate, he would gladly sleep outside its gates every single day.

Chu Mu's expression sank. Was this man truly the father of Lin Feihu and Lin Jiaojiao?

At that moment, Deputy General Zhang also hurried over, arriving just in time to hear Old Man Lin's grand declaration. His expression instantly turned grim.

Where had this scoundrel come from, daring to bully Miss Lin?

Earlier, he had heard the report from the servant who came to inform him that someone was impersonating Miss Lin's biological parents and siblings to seek refuge at the estate. What utter nonsense! Back then, he was the one who had gone to the Lin family village, guided by the local village head. At that time, apart from Miss Lin herself, there was not a single other soul in the Lin household. Moreover, Miss Lin would never have deceived him or intentionally concealed the existence of other family members. These scoundrels must have been dug up by someone specifically to splash mud on Miss Lin.

Thinking of this, Deputy General Zhang cast a suspicious glance toward Madam Shen.

Chu Mu also noticed the hurriedly approaching Deputy General Zhang. Right now, he needed an explanation—why were there other members of the Lin family appearing here? Yet, he knew that in his current condition, Deputy General Zhang would not disclose anything to him.

"Deputy General Zhang, you've come just in time. Miss Lin and I are both women, so it is inconvenient for us to question them. Go over and thoroughly interrogate who these people really are and why they are causing a scene outside my general's estate."

He wanted to see whether Deputy General Zhang genuinely had no idea other Lin family members existed and was unwittingly helping Lin Jiaojiao conceal the truth, or if he was truly being kept completely in the dark by her.

"Understood, this subordinate will go right now." Even without Madam Shen's instruction, he would have gone to interrogate them anyway.

Regarding Miss Lin's reputation, how could he stand by and ignore this?

Deputy General Zhang stepped forward, grabbed Old Man Lin by the collar, and demanded forcefully, "Who on earth hired you to come here and slander Miss Lin! Speak the truth at once!"

"Aiwo... Murder... Murder! The people of the Grand General's Estate are going to murder the father of the man who saved their general..." Madam Lin wailed loudly at the side, though she only yelled and did not dare approach Deputy General Zhang, leaving Old Man Lin to be dangled like a helpless chick.

Lin Tiezhu cowered behind his mother, not daring to make a sound; while the martial officer wouldn't dare touch his mother, he certainly wouldn't hesitate to beat up the town drunk and himself.

Madam Lin's youngest son, following his mother's frantic cues, also burst into tears and screams, "Don't kill my father! Don't kill my father!"

Deputy General Zhang's face was as dark as soot. Truly a pack of shameless wretches! He was merely conducting a routine interrogation; when had he ever said he was going to kill them?

"Shut your mouths! Who on earth sent you to smear the Grand General's Estate? Deputy Lin's parents died years ago, and Miss Lin was the only one left in the family. I was the one who went to Lin Family Village to find the village head and bring Miss Lin back. How dare you impersonate Deputy Lin's family and cause a ruckus at the estate gates? What on earth are your intentions?"

With so many onlookers whispering, after this scene, the reputations of Miss Lin and the Grand General's Estate would be ruined beyond recognition.

Hearing this, Old Man Lin felt his legs tremble with terror as he was hoisted in the air, but upon hearing Deputy General Zhang claim that he had died years ago, a surge of inexplicable defiance rose within him, and he retorted, "What kind of dogsh*t are you spouting? I am still kicking and alive! How did I turn up dead in your mouth?"

With a grim expression, Deputy General Zhang tightened his grip on Old Man Lin's collar. Old Man Lin instantly felt a wave of suffocation wash over him. Rolling his eyes to the side, he caught sight of Lin Jiaojiao.

Overjoyed, he pointed trembling hands at Lin Jiaojiao and let out gasping, intermittent cries, "Jiao... Jiaojiao... I am... Your father... Your father!"

With his daughter here, relying on General Chu's fondness for her, let's see who would dare show him any disrespect! Little did Old Man Lin know that Lin Jiaojiao had been there all along, standing quietly before Deputy General Zhang even arrived.

Lin Jiaojiao wished she could step forward and replace Deputy General Zhang, strangling this reckless old immortal with her own hands. Why hadn't he died alongside her mother all those years ago? Why did he still linger in this world, dragging out an ignoble existence? Every day he remained dead drunk, ignoring all worldly affairs. If he had simply died, this farce of a shameless shrew coming to ruin her reputation today would never have happened.

Lin Jiaojiao watched coldly as Old Man Lin appealed to her for help. Right now, she wished Deputy General Zhang would choke the life out of him; how could she possibly save him?

Seeing Lin Jiaojiao standing there like a wooden post, completely motionless, Old Man Lin instantly understood something. He burst into abusive curses, "You ungrateful little wretch, cheap-boned slut! What are you still standing there for? Why don't you tell this blind wretch to let go of your old man! Don't think that just because you've spent a few years in the Grand General's Estate, you're no longer my flesh and blood..."

The more Old Man Lin cursed, the more vicious his words became, causing Deputy General Zhang to instinctively tighten his grip further until Old Man Lin could no longer squeak out a sound.

"Deputy General Zhang, stop! Are you trying to strangle him to death? Everyone is watching."

A cold reprimand from Chu Mu snapped Deputy General Zhang back to his senses, and he slightly loosened his grip on Old Man Lin's hand. That had been close—he had nearly killed this old beast.

Chu Mu turned his gaze to Lin Jiaojiao and demanded, "Miss Lin, do you truly not recognize who these people are?"

Lin Jiaojiao looked as though she were about to weep, covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief as she said in heartbreak, "Sister does not believe me? Jiaojiao has already suffered enough by losing her only brother. Now I am being falsely accused by people coming to my door claiming kinship. Sister is willing to believe a pack of rogues rather than trust Jiaojiao—does sister loathe Jiaojiao so much? Or perhaps... sister is acquainted with these people and has already decided that every word they say is the truth?"

As she spoke, pearl-like tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. "If I still had family alive in this world, Jiaojiao would never have chosen to depend on others. Even a life of coarse tea and plain rice would be preferable, just to remain by my loved ones' side, rather than staying in someone else's estate and facing humiliation at every turn."

She would flatly refuse to acknowledge these maggots. As long as she stubbornly insisted that Madam Shen had deliberately hired people to frame her, these slurs would never stick to her.

Chu Mu was momentarily stunned, his expression turning ugly. He had not expected Lin Jiaojiao to shift all the blame onto Ah Zhao. What a formidable Lin Jiaojiao! Did she truly think he had no way to deal with her?

Just at that moment, a voice rang out from the crowd.

"Make way immediately, idle bystanders! The Grand General has returned to the estate!"

Chu Mu and Lin Jiaojiao both turned their heads toward the street corner simultaneously.

It was Ah Zhao! Brother Mu had returned!

Accompanying Shen Zhao were also Zhang Liang and Liu Zhong. The general's health had only partially recovered, yet he insisted on returning to the estate from the military camp. How could they rest easy letting the general travel back alone? Having settled affairs at the camp, they had escorted the general all the way to the estate gates.

Shen Zhao was half-reclined inside the carriage, carefully perusing the ledger handed to him by Han Wenzai. Suddenly hearing the commotion outside, he lifted the carriage curtain.

Goodness gracious. Was someone setting up a stage and putting on a play right in front of the estate gates? One wave had barely settled before another rose at the Grand General's Estate—what on earth was happening this time?