"Is that so? Then who do you think told you?" Feng Jin pressed on, her gaze fixed on Ling Mohan, awaiting his reply. "The person who said it must be a gossiping busybody, someone who loves to stir up trouble. If I ever find out who it is, I'll give them a good lesson, see if they dare to spread rumors anymore!"
As Feng Jin spoke, she watched Ling Mohan intently, waiting for his response.
Ling Mohan remained silent. Instead, he took a sip of tea, a hint of guilt coloring his face as he concealed his slight embarrassment.
This was his first time attempting such a maneuver, and he'd been caught red-handed so quickly. It seemed spreading rumors wasn't his forte, and he should probably refrain from such activities in the future.
"That person is indeed detestable. If I catch them, I'll get justice for my wife."
He couldn't possibly admit to such a shameful act. All he could do was brace himself and agree, hoping Feng Jin wouldn't press him further. If she did, he genuinely didn't know how he'd manage to keep up the pretense.
"So, you also think this person is extremely detestable?"
"Absolutely!" Ling Mohan's voice, tinged with guilt, was louder this time.
"Oh..." Feng Jin's tone dripped with disbelief. She was curious to see how long Ling Mohan could maintain his act.
Seeing that Feng Jin didn't push the matter further, the man breathed a sigh of relief. His heart, which had been pounding, began to settle. Just as he was fully relaxing, Feng Jin unexpectedly asked,
"However, I heard from Lin Yuwei that the one spreading rumors was you?"
Feng Jin's words detonated like a time bomb next to Ling Mohan, leaving him completely flustered and momentarily forgetting to put down the cup in his hand.
"What is it? Could it really have been you?"
Upon hearing Feng Jin's voice, the man snapped back to reality and quickly denied it, "Of course not! How can you listen to her nonsensical words? Besides, does she have any proof? Did she see it with her own eyes or hear it with her own ears? I've already spoken to Chu Chenyi about this. Are they going to slander me without concrete evidence, just based on hearsay?"
In his haste to defend himself, Ling Mohan's tone unconsciously became more forceful.
The more someone rushed to explain and conceal something, the more easily their true intentions were revealed. From his vehement defense, Feng Jin could already confirm that this whole affair was indeed Ling Mohan's doing.
Her initial disbelief had now turned into complete certainty, leaving Feng Jin utterly speechless. She couldn't fathom why Ling Mohan would engage in such behavior.
"What's wrong? Don't you believe what I'm saying?"
Sensing Feng Jin's peculiar demeanor, Ling Mohan quickly asked.
"Are you still going to keep pretending?"
No longer wanting to play along, Feng Jin directly confronted him.
As expected, Ling Mohan's expression faltered. Realizing he could no longer conceal it, he admitted directly, "It was indeed me who spoke."
Once the man confessed, Feng Jin abruptly stood up and walked towards Ling Mohan, looming over him and scrutinizing him.
"Why would you do such a thing? You're a grown man, why would you behave like this? Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed if this gets out?"
She genuinely couldn't understand why Ling Mohan had acted this way. Wasn't he concerned about the shame it would bring?
She felt embarrassed on his behalf. She couldn't comprehend what he was thinking at the time to do such a thing.
Caught red-handed, a flicker of embarrassment crossed Ling Mohan's face.
This was an impulsive act on his part. The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them. But alas, the words were already spoken, and there was no turning back. Even if he wanted to retract them, he no longer had the chance.
Who could have predicted that Chu Chenyi would also act so impulsively, unable to hold back and immediately confront Lin Yuwei? Now, things had escalated to this point.
His original intention was to deny everything, but he never expected Feng Jin to be so sharp, grasping the situation with just a few hints. He couldn't hide it from her.
"It was an impulse on my part. I just wanted to give Chu Chenyi a heads-up, to urge him to keep Lin Yuwei in check, so she wouldn't fill your head with such nonsense every day. Who could have imagined that these two would actually argue over it, and that all of this would reach your ears?"
If he had known this would happen, he certainly wouldn't have done it.
Feng Jin sighed helplessly, "Now, you can only pray that Chu Chenyi doesn't betray you, or you'll be thoroughly humiliated."
She felt ashamed just thinking about this matter spreading. Ling Mohan would undoubtedly be mortified.
"He probably won't..."
The man's voice lacked conviction. He only had about a fifty-fifty chance that Chu Chenyi would keep quiet about it.
It seemed he still needed to find an opportunity to have a serious talk with Chu Chenyi and ensure he kept his mouth shut permanently.
"That's not certain."
Feng Jin toyed with the cup in her hand. She suspected that even if Chu Chenyi didn't reveal it, Lin Yuwei would certainly find out. Whether she would spread the word or not was another matter, but Ling Mohan was bound to be embarrassed.
"If it's embarrassing, then we'll be embarrassed together."
Even if he was going down, he'd drag someone with him. If his actions were exposed, he'd make sure to pull Chu Chenyi down with him. At worst, they could be humiliated together, at least he'd have company.
Feng Jin sighed again, a worried frown creasing her brow. Why hadn't he thought of this earlier? He was truly bringing this upon himself.
"I'm going to bring the children back. Your own problem, you'll have to figure out yourself."
She had no good solution for this predicament. After all, people's tongues were their own to control, so she'd let Ling Mohan handle it. She'd use this time to pick up Da Bao and Er Bao.
This time, Feng Jin's task was straightforward. She smoothly brought Da Bao and Er Bao back. As they were leaving, Old Master Ling still reminded her to bring the children back the next day.
The constant back and forth of sending and fetching was ultimately tiring for the children. She was already contemplating whether to let them stay with Old Master Ling for a while when they were older, to avoid all this hassle.
As she passed by the ancestral hall, the surrounding area was still under constant guard by the Black Armored Army, day and night, without any sign of relaxation. Even when Ling Muzhu delivered supplies, they had to be inspected and confirmed before being sent in. However, she hadn't seen Second Master Ling at all.
Today, as usual, after handing over the supplies to the guards, Ling Muzhu was about to leave. As he turned, he spotted Feng Jin standing behind him with two children. He stepped forward, "Greetings, Elder Sister-in-law."
"The imperial examinations are imminent. You're still delivering meals three times a day. Don't let it delay your studies."
"Everything is prepared. Thank you for your concern, Elder Sister-in-law. I was just worried that Father, being confined inside, might not be eating well. I've prepared Father's favorite dishes, hoping to bring him some comfort."