On the Day of the Grand Wedding, My Wife Was Acting Strange - Chapter 31:

Chapter 31: Spare Me, Your Highness!

“Hahahahaha.” Lin Zhen held Zhang Li’s hand as they walked out of the casino, laughing heartily. “Gu Yunting, you tried to twist the truth and force an honest man to lie, but you didn’t expect that General Mao wouldn’t stoop to such despicable tactics!”

Gu Yunting, furious, jumped down from his horse, using the momentum to whip Mao Mengji’s helmet with his riding crop.

“BOOM!”

“Ugh…”

Mao Mengji let out a pained groan. It wasn’t that it hurt, but the intense resonance from the whip hitting the helmet almost deafened him.

“Raise your head!” Gu Yunting shouted, spittle flying everywhere. “I’ll ask you again, who started the fight!”

Mao Mengji was still dazed, as if a giant hornet had flown into his ear, stinging his eardrum relentlessly. He couldn’t even hear what Gu Yunting was saying.

Seeing this, Gu Yunting grew even more anxious and struck Mao Mengji’s head again with his whip.

“BOOM!”

“Argh!!”

Mao Mengji swayed a few times, blood seeping from his ears, but he still said nothing.

Gu Yunting was about to explode from anger, while Lin Zhen was grinning broadly.

This was a perfect example of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice. Forcing someone who didn’t know how to lie to lie, and when they wouldn’t, beating them—was it really necessary to try to throw mud on him like this? This kind of behavior would only make subordinates lose heart.

A general capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the Marquis of Champion was now practically handed over to him.

“Old Gu, you’re quite generous!”

This sudden remark left Gu Yunting puzzled. He didn’t understand what Lin Zhen meant but heard Lin Zhen deliberately speaking loudly to the fat man.

“Fatty, go tell Bao She of the Capital Magistrate’s Office that today the Commandant of the Guards, Pei Qian, led his men in a public brawl with the Gu family’s troops on the streets, resulting in heavy casualties and panic among the citizens. Tell him to handle it as he sees fit.”

Pei Qian, who had been hiding in the crowd watching the commotion, turned pale upon hearing this.

Big brother! I was just watching the show, what did I do to offend you? With that one sentence, you’re pushing me into a pit of death!

“Your Highness! Your Highness!” Pei Qian quickly jumped out from the crowd, not even reaching Lin Zhen before sliding into a kneel like a football star, pleading, “Your Highness, spare me! I have always been loyal to you and have never done anything wrong!”

Pei Qian knelt on the ground, clasping his hands together in a prayer-like gesture, bowing repeatedly like those who burn incense to Buddha but don’t actually believe.

“Oh? I never said you did anything wrong.” Lin Zhen’s fake smile was terrifying, making Pei Qian feel something was terribly wrong.

Could it be that Lin Zhen already knew he had been secretly bought off by Gu Yunting?

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare anymore! Please, Your Highness, take back your words, or I’m as good as dead!”

“What did you do wrong? Why are you saying you wouldn’t dare anymore?”

Pei Qian wasn’t sure if Lin Zhen was testing him. What if he wasn’t?

“I really haven’t done anything wrong! Please, Your Highness, spare me!”

“Hehehehe.” That classic night owl screech echoed again. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell Bao She to let you have your fun to the extreme before dying.”

“Your Highness, spare me, Your Highness, spare me!” Pei Qian was so scared he almost wet himself. Seeing Lin Zhen unmoved, he crawled to Fatty’s feet, begging bitterly, “Fatty, Fatty, I’ve done so much for you, please help me beg His Highness!”

“Uh… Big brother…” Fatty moved his lips, but Lin Zhen shot him a glare, forcing him to shut up.

“Silence!”

Lin Zhen hated Pei Qian to the core, even more than Gu Beichen.

In the original plot, he was like an unnoticed parasite clinging to the Lin family’s mighty lion. His entire family lived off the Lin family. After Lin Zhenxian’s death, he repaid kindness with betrayal, not only failing to rescue Lin Zhen but being the first to lead troops into the Lin residence, capturing Lin Zhen and handing him to Gu Beichen.

He was the traitor Lin Zhen had suspected from the very start!

Such a person had to die. Lin Zhen hadn’t found time to deal with him these past few days, and now the opportunity was perfect.

Sure enough, upon hearing Lin Zhen’s words, Pei Qian turned pale and sat dumbfounded on the ground. He was sure Lin Zhen knew he had been bribed.

Desperately, he turned to Gu Yunting and ran toward him frantically.

“Gu Yunting! Gu Yunting, save me! I’ll return the silver, just save me!”

“Get lost! I don’t even know you!”

If the Lin family wanted him dead, even the Emperor wouldn’t care, let alone Gu Yunting, who had given him silver months ago.

Lin Zhen waved his hand. “Fatty, take him away.”

“Yes.”

“Fatty… Fatty, save me!”

“Save you?” Fatty walked up to Pei Qian and kicked his helmet off. “You dog! You must have colluded with the Gu family to harm my big brother! Today, Fatty will personally clean house!”

Fatty grabbed his hair with one hand and dragged him out of the crowd.

“Fatty, I know I was wrong!”

“Fatty… Your Highness…”

The cries faded into the distance. Lin Zhen finally let out a heavy breath.

Damn it, the traitor who turned him into a human swine was finally dealt with.

Gu Yunting was irritated seeing Lin Zhen’s confident demeanor. Ignoring the bleeding Mao Mengji, he stood facing Lin Zhen, hands behind his back.

“Lin Zhen, do you think the Emperor will believe your lies? You led soldiers to commit violence, the entire city saw it. It’s an undeniable fact!”

Lin Zhen casually replied, “Wrong, it was your people who made the first move. We acted in self-defense. General Mao admitted that personally.”

“In that case, let’s enter the palace and see how the Emperor will rule!”

“As you wish.”

Lin Zhen wasn’t afraid of him. Murong Yan might favor the Gu family, but she wasn’t someone who would indulge them blindly. With such a major incident inside the capital, no Emperor could ignore it. Punishment was inevitable. But whom to punish—that was another story.

…

“What? The Gu family and Lin family fought openly on the streets?”

Murong Yan’s already large eyes widened further upon hearing the report. “This is absurd! Two great families disregarding their dignity and acting so shamelessly?”

Huanhua said, “According to the Hundred Riders Division’s report, Gu family’s retainer Mao Mengji led the White Robe Cavalry to threaten Lin Zhen at Yuanda Casino. At that time, Wang Peng—who is that Chariot Cavalry Captain Fatty Wang—arrived with troops, and both sides started fighting.”

“Who made the first move?”

“Mao Mengji, and he admitted it himself.”

“Outrageous! What kind of retainers has Gu Yunting raised, disregarding the law and fighting on the streets? Summon both of them to the palace.”

As Murong Yan finished speaking, a eunuch outside announced.

“Your Majesty, Gu Yunting and Lin Zhen request an audience.”

“Perfect timing, summon them in!”

“Summon!”

Lin Zhen exchanged a friendly glance with Wushe, who nodded slightly with a smile.

It’s said the King is easy to meet, but the little devils are hard to deal with. Eunuchs serving the Emperor weren’t ordinary people. They were cunning old foxes, and it wouldn’t hurt to make connections.

Moreover, in the original plot, Wushe was a clever eunuch, good at reading the situation, and often gave Murong Yan advice, earning her favor.

Compared to Lin Zhen’s calmness, Gu Yunting looked anxious and angry.

He strode into the hall and knelt.

“Subject Gu Yunting greets Your Majesty.”

“Rise.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Lin Zhen greeted casually, wearing his usual frivolous smile, “Subject Lin Zhen greets Your Majesty.”

Murong Yan hated Lin Zhen’s attitude the most, as if he never took her seriously. Although she didn’t understand why Mao Mengji would say such things, she still suspected Lin Zhen was behind all this.

Suppressing her anger, she thought to herself that no matter what Lin Zhen said today, she absolutely wouldn’t punish the Gu family.

“What brings you two here today?”

“Your Majesty,” Gu Yunting immediately spoke, “I accuse Lin Zhen of leading his people to commit violence in the streets, injuring and killing over a hundred of my guards, causing panic among the citizens. His crimes are unforgivable!”

Murong Yan looked at the relaxed Lin Zhen and felt a bit puzzled.

Could it be that he was once again confident of winning?

“Lin Zhen, what do you have to say?”

“Replying to Your Majesty, I have nothing to say.”

“Hmm?”

“What?”

Not just Murong Yan, even Gu Yunting and Huanhua, who was watching the drama, were stunned.

Didn’t he usually have a sharp tongue? Why wasn’t he saying anything now?

Gu Yunting felt a bad premonition welling up inside.

This brat was definitely plotting something.

And it was certainly not just Mao Mengji’s confession. There must be something more…