Chapter 166: Praying for Blessings

Lin Hao decided to stay indoors more. When Madam Lin went to offer incense, she made an excuse to decline.

"A-Hao, you're really not coming?" Madam Lin felt a bit regretful.

It was much like having no companion while shopping; it was bound to be a little boring.

Madam Lin's trip to offer incense wasn't truly about praying to the gods and Buddhas, but rather a formality to pray for Lin Chan's blessings. Lin Chan's "illness" had to improve bit by bit; there was no rushing it.

"I won't be going. Mother, please come back early."

"Alright then. I'll return after having the vegetarian meal at Tianyuan Temple."

There were many temples in the capital, with Qinglu Temple in the outskirts being the most famous. Since Madam Lin wasn't truly praying for the Buddha to heal her daughter's illness, she couldn't be bothered to travel so far and chose Tianyuan Temple within the city instead.

It didn't take long to get from the General's Mansion to Tianyuan Temple. After dressing appropriately, Madam Lin departed in her carriage.

Lin Hao practiced her martial arts, fed Lin Xiaohua, accompanied the Old Madam for lunch, and then went to Jiaoyue Residence to chat with Lin Chan for a while. As she watched, it became afternoon, yet Madam Lin had not returned.

Just as she was about to send someone to Tianyuan Temple to check, a maid who had accompanied Madam Lin for incense returned in a hurry.

"Second Young Lady, Madam sent a maid back to inform you that something happened at Tianyuan Temple, and she might be late returning."

"What happened?" Lin Hao's tone was calm, but her heart tightened.

Could it be that her mother had gotten into a fight with a lady from another household?

As this thought flashed through her mind, she heard the maid say, "A headless female corpse has appeared in Tianyuan Temple."

Lin Hao was startled. "A headless female corpse?"

The maid's face was pale, looking as if she were about to cry. "Madam discovered it, so she cannot leave for the time being; she has to wait for the officials to arrive."

Lin Hao thought for a moment and went to the Old Madam. "Grandmother, Mother discovered a headless female corpse at Tianyuan Temple and cannot return immediately. I am going to see what the situation is."

"Go on. Send word promptly if anything happens." The Old Madam never restricted Lin Hao from going out with her sisters, though she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Her daughter was truly the same as always, always getting inexplicably caught up in things.

Lin Hao took Baozhu and headed straight for Tianyuan Temple.

At this moment, nothing unusual could be seen from the outside of Tianyuan Temple, but when Lin Hao tried to enter, she was stopped by a gatekeeping monk. "Female benefactor, please stay back. Tianyuan Temple is not open to the public today."

Lin Hao politely bowed. "My mother is Madam Lin of the General's Mansion, and she is currently within your temple. I am worried about her and have come to check; I hope, Master, that you can grant me convenience."

Hearing Lin Hao identify herself, the gatekeeping monk did not stop her again.

Tianyuan Temple was located in the West City, and wealthy families frequently came to offer incense. Consequently, the monks had become somewhat more tactful and would not easily offend anyone.

A young novice monk led the way for Lin Hao. As they walked, Lin Hao began to inquire, "Little Master, I heard your temple discovered a female corpse. Do you know her identity?"

The young novice had a face full of terror and shook his head. "I don't know. There is no head."

Lin Hao fell silent.

It really was a headless female corpse. She wondered how frightened her mother must have been when she discovered it.

She couldn't help but feel a moment of heartache for Madam Lin and quickened her pace.

Passing through several moon gates, Lin Hao saw a crowd gathered in the distance and knew Madam Lin was there.

It turned out the female corpse had been discovered outside.

Her footsteps grew even faster, forcing the young novice to jog to keep up. "Female benefactor, do not rush, the body is still there."

Lin Hao's lip twitched slightly.

It wasn't as if she was in a hurry to see a corpse.

The constables had already arrived. As Lin Hao approached, she heard Madam Lin explaining the circumstances of the discovery to an officer: "After I finished offering incense, I wasn't in the mood for the vegetarian meal, so I decided to go for a walk..."

In reality, the vegetarian meal smelled too delicious, but since she had to maintain the appearance of being unable to eat due to her daughter's illness, she had no choice but to avoid it to keep her appetite in check.

"I accidentally discovered a shoe, half-buried in the dirt and half sticking out. Out of curiosity, I kicked it with my foot—"

"And then you discovered the body?" the head constable asked.

Madam Lin shook her head. "No, just a shoe."

The constable was puzzled. "Then how did you discover the body?"

Madam Lin pointed to the shoe still lying on the ground. "I discovered a shoe."

The constable failed to react for a moment.

Madam Lin sighed. "Head Constable Liu, look, this is clearly a woman's shoe, right?"

Head Constable Liu nodded.

The shoe, having endured wind and rain while buried in the dirt, was already quite worn, and even its original color was indistinguishable, but one could not mistake its silhouette and size.

Madam Lin scanned the surroundings, spotted Lin Hao, and momentarily pushed Head Constable Liu to the back of her mind. "A-Hao, why are you here?"

Lin Hao walked over and stood beside Madam Lin. "I heard something happened here and was worried about you."

The eyes of Head Constable Liu, who was eager to understand the situation, twitched.

He had never seen a noble lady so cooperative in an investigation, providing such detailed descriptions. He couldn't see even a hint of why this lady would need to be worried.

"Ahem, Madam Lin, please continue."

Madam Lin squeezed Lin Hao's hand and continued, "Why would there be a woman's shoe in the gardens of Tianyuan Temple? I felt something was wrong, so I had my maid fetch a flower hoe and dig around the spot where the shoe was found. I didn't expect to dig up a corpse..."

Head Constable Liu's gaze instinctively fell upon the face of the maid behind Madam Lin, only to see that the maid's face was deathly pale, clearly having not yet recovered from the horror of digging up a corpse.

He looked at Lin Hao again and saw helplessness in the young girl's eyes.

Lin Hao was indeed helpless.

This wasn't a case of her mother discovering a female corpse; it was clearly her mother who had dug it up...

Fortunately, she was already used to it. Lin Hao supported Madam Lin and looked at the corpse on the ground.

The corpse was covered with a straw mat, concealed tightly from head to toe.

Having gathered enough information, Head Constable Liu cupped his hands toward Madam Lin. "Thanks to Madam Lin's kindness, this female corpse has had the chance to see the light of day."

Lin Hao's eyebrows twitched slightly.

From the constable's words, it seemed her mother was completely cleared of suspicion.

Perhaps due to a telepathic connection between mother and daughter, Madam Lin explained in a low voice, "The body is mostly decayed; she has been dead for some time."

Lin Hao understood.

"Does Head Constable Liu have anything else to ask?"

Head Constable Liu hurriedly waved his hands. "Nothing for now. Thank you for your cooperation."

Madam Lin smiled. "Then I shall take my daughter back to the mansion first. I hope Head Constable Liu finds the murderer soon so that this poor soul can receive justice. I will consider it as accumulating blessings for my eldest daughter; perhaps then my daughter will recover fully."

Head Constable Liu knew that the eldest Miss Lin had proactively broken her engagement due to her severe illness. Hearing this, he said, "Rest assured, Madam Lin, your daughter will surely get better."

"I take your word for it." Madam Lin nodded and led Lin Hao away from Tianyuan Temple.

On the way back, Lin Hao asked, "Mother, you weren't frightened, were you?"

To suddenly encounter a mostly decayed, headless female corpse—no matter how brave one was, the shock would not be small.

Madam Lin's complexion was indeed not great. She let out a deep sigh. "I wasn't frightened, but it was a bit nauseating. The image of that corpse keeps flashing before my eyes. I was hungry before, but now I can't even eat dinner."

"Then you go back first. I'll go to the shop I frequent to buy some appetizing snacks for you."

"Go and come back quickly," Madam Lin instructed before returning to the mansion.