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Chapter 78 Zeng Lingchen's Madness Before His Death

noon the next day.

Upon seeing the suddenly abundant food on the table, Zeng Lingchen suddenly went berserk and yelled at the jailer.

We need to find Shen Yan and Zeng Wenyuan.

He recognized the food immediately; it came from Zuixianlou.

Yesterday's meal wasn't this elaborate.

Shen Yan heard Zeng Lingchen's crazy shouts from inside the cell.

They arrived outside the cell.

Zeng Lingchen gave a bitter laugh and asked Shen Yan:

"Is this my last meal?"

Shen Yan didn't speak, but nodded slightly.

Seeing Shen Yan nod, Zeng Lingchen's heart sank completely.

The fact that no officials from the Ministry of Justice visited him yesterday gave him a bad feeling.

Seeing the table Shen Yan set up today, I've completely given up hope.

He said to himself with a self-deprecating laugh, "The Zeng family is really ruthless. I thought I had only lost my future, but I never expected that I would lose my life as well."

Shen Yan replied, "The more you get from him, the more you will give when he needs it."

Upon hearing Shen Yan's words, Zeng Lingchen suddenly smiled and said.

"Yunniang and I were in love. She was the daughter of the steward in my household, while I was an unloved illegitimate son. We had known each other since childhood and even made a promise that when the results of the imperial examination were announced, I would marry her after I became a successful candidate."

"Then why did you call her a slut?"

Upon hearing Shen Yan's words, Zeng Lingchen's expression changed, and he gritted his teeth, saying:

"She climbed the social ladder by marrying my father as a concubine, and then caused me to be imprisoned. Is it wrong to call her a slut?"

"After she married my father, I considered her dead and focused solely on making something of myself. If she hadn't been shameless enough to invite me to her private residence, I wouldn't have fallen for her trap."

He was seething with hatred as he spoke, his years of forbearance finally about to pay off.

As a child, I often suffered discrimination and contempt because of my mother's low social status.

Therefore, he worked hard and passed the imperial examination without relying on anyone.

His useless elder brother, who enjoyed all the family's resources, is now only a scholar with the same degree as him.

Shen Yan saw that his expression was frantic, and he was already showing signs of madness.

I dared not provoke him by making a sound.

Ultimately, Zeng Lingchen is still not strong enough; if he possessed greater strength...

This matter is hardly a big problem.

The Zeng family made this choice simply because killing Zeng Lingchen was the easiest and most convenient option.

To put it bluntly, his value is not worth the price to pay to resolve this matter.

But all of this is nonsense. If he truly possessed great strength, no one would dare to scheme against him.

Shen Yan listened to Zeng Lingchen for a long time.

From how he suffered injustices as a child to how he sought revenge as an adult.

Then came the story of how he studied diligently and finally passed the imperial examinations, earning the appreciation of Zeng Shihong.

suddenly.

He looked up and saw Shen Yan's face filled with resentment.

"If they don't want me to live, then they can't blame me."

"Um?!"

Before Shen Yan could even ponder the meaning of his words, Zeng Lingchen had already spoken loudly:

"Zeng Shihong wanted to rebel. He conspired with the former crown prince Li Chengde, but the emperor saw through his plot. That's why the crown prince was imprisoned and demoted to Prince Ping."

"He appears righteous and is outwardly a leader of the upright officials, but in reality, he has secretly seized more than 10,000 acres of land from the people. Last year, when the Jiangnan region suffered a disaster, he took the opportunity to buy up the people's land at low prices, which led to thousands of people starving to death this year."

"..."

Upon hearing his words, Shen Yan's expression changed drastically, and he cursed inwardly:

"Zeng Lingchen doesn't want Zeng Shihong to die, he wants me to die, doesn't he?"

He quickly knocked Zeng Lingchen unconscious, not daring to let him spout nonsense any further.

Fortunately, Zeng Wenyuan changed his cell, and there were no other prisoners around.

He dared to say these things, but Shen Yan dared not listen.

In his opinion, Zeng Lingchen had truly gone mad, but Shen Yan could understand his feelings at that moment.

Just one step away from ascending to heaven, he was tricked and fell into the eighteenth level of hell.

Shen Yan dared not let him continue to be delirious, for who knew if he would say something even more shocking.

He prefers to hear gossip and tidbits, not this kind of damning news.

Shen Yan summoned Chen Xiaoshuan.

"Sir, what brings you here?"

"Pour this wine down his throat; this guy talks too much."

After Chen Xiaoshuan finished pouring the wine, Shen Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The prisoners in cell A would often tell Shen Yan about their lives. He listened with great interest to the trivial stories, treating them as gossip.

Zeng Lingchen is the first person to dare to speak out like this, after all, even corrupt officials have families.

Apart from those whose homes were raided and whose entire families were exterminated.

He would dare to say anything so outrageous unless he had no relatives or family.

Seeing Zeng Lingchen unconscious in the cell, Shen Yan shook his head and said:

"You are already very lucky to have been born into the Prime Minister's mansion. Although you have suffered a lot, you have finally obtained something that others can hardly achieve in their entire lives."

Unfortunately, Zeng Lingchen was too sharp and unrestrained, lacking any sense of restraint.

They lack the strength to match it and are unable to protect themselves.

However, something surprised Shen Yan: Zeng Lingchen had just mentioned the person behind the scenes.

They were his father's legal wife and his elder brother.

I thought it would be Yan Fan's faction that would make a move, but it turned out to be an internal power struggle.

Because Yunniang once said that the reason he was given to Zeng Wen as a concubine was related to his elder brother Zeng Huaijin.

Zeng Lingchen's outstanding performance at Zeng Shihong's birthday celebration a few months ago aroused Zeng Huaijin's jealousy, which is why he meticulously set up this scheme.

Of course, Yan Fan's faction certainly played a role in stirring things up after this happened.

After all, with such a scandalous affair unfolding, it would be a waste not to lend a hand.

……

……

Bianjing, Zeng Mansion.

The Zeng Huaijin that Shen Yan was muttering about was now kneeling in the ancestral hall, looking ahead with a fearful expression.

Standing in front of him were his father, Zeng Wencheng, and his uncle, Zeng Wenyuan.

The two men stared at him with livid faces. Zeng Huaijin dared not utter a sound and knelt timidly on the spot.

"Did you instruct Yunniang to do this?"

Zeng Wencheng stared at him with a livid expression.

"It's...it's me. I...I just wanted to teach Zeng Lingchen a lesson."

Upon hearing Zeng Huaijin's words, he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

He didn't care about the life or death of a concubine, but the reputation of the Zeng family could not be damaged.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to give up on Zeng Lingchen so decisively.

Zeng Lingchen is, after all, a scholar who passed the imperial examination, and he will likely grow into a pillar of the family in the future.

"You're a complete pig! No, even a pig is smarter than you. Are you trying to hand over leverage to others so they can attack the Zeng family?!"

"No... I just wanted to put his arrogance to a minimum."

"..."

Zeng Wenyuan, who had been watching from the sidelines for a long time, finally spoke.

"Alright, second brother, this matter is over. I'm sure Huaijin knows he was wrong. Don't be too harsh on him. It's just a pity about Lingchen."

"Yes, yes, yes! Uncle, I know I was wrong."

Zeng Wencheng roared in anger, "How dare you say that!"

Zeng Wenyuan patted him on the shoulder and left the ancestral hall.

Zeng Wencheng's words carried a sense of disappointment and frustration.

"You are the legitimate son, and Ling Chen is the illegitimate son. Everything I have in the future will be yours. If you two get along well, Ling Chen will be a great help to you. I don't know what you're thinking."

Zeng Shihong had two sons. Although he had no title to inherit, his power would eventually need to be taken over after a hundred years.

Originally, Zeng Lingchen stepped forward, and the second branch of the family was far more powerful than his elder brother.

But now Zeng Huaijin himself has ruined it.