"How dare you! Our Lin family is a noble house of princes and marquises, yet you have brought such disgrace upon us!"

  "Lin Zhiqing, as a mere woman, how could you be so ruthless and cruel!"

  "That was your cousin! You poisoned her, leaving her in a a. Have you nard for familial bonds?"

  The sharp reprimands jolted Lin Zhiqing awake from her groggy state, her mind still foggy from pulling an all-nighter at work.

  Where was she? Lin Zhiqing opened her eyes to find herself kneeling on the ground. She instinctively sed her surroundings.

  A grand hall.

  At the head of the room sat a man on a redwood chair.

  He had a stern face, a bck beard, and a jade hairpin adorned his hair. His eyes, sharp and pierg, seemed to fsh with thunder, instilling fear in anyone who met his gaze.

  He sat at the ter of the hall, fnked by rows of people oher side. Their expressied from cold indiffereo smirking amusement, some even reveling in her misfortune.

  This is... Lin Zhiqing's eyes narrowed, and she quickly lowered her head to hide her shock.

  If the man's attire was gehe a-style clothing he wore must have been exquisitely crafted, with silk and craftsmanship unlike anything she had ever seen.

  And if the onlookers weren't actors, their emotions were undoubtedly real!

  No!

  There were no cameras, no director yelling "Cut."

  Realizing that this wasn't a staged se, Lin Zhiqing instinctively reached up to touch her face.

  The smooth, delicate texture made her pause. No, this wasn't right—she had been breaking out from all the te nights at work. Her skin shouldn't feel this fwless!

  She looked down at her hands—slender, well-defined, and clearly those of someone who had lived a life of privilege. These were not the hands of an overworked borer like herself.

  Putting it all together, she must have transmigrated into the body of a woman who shared her name.

  But this transmigration was far too abrupt.

  Lin Zhiqing searched her memories for any information about this unfamiliar pce but came up empty.

  The moment, the stern, bck-bearded man in the ter flicked his sleeve and decred, "Hmph! Having itted such a grave crime, and with you remaining silent, I, Lin gli, shall have you executed to appease the aors of the Lin family!"

  Lin Zhiqing's eyes narrowed as she watched guards dressed in traditional attire approach her. She quickly posed herself.

  The man named Lin gli had accused her of a serious crime!

  As a psychologist, Lin Zhiqing instinctively analyzed his microexpressions.

  Microexpression psychology is the study of the subtle, involuntary expressions that reveal a person's true emotions. It is part of the broader field of psychological stress microreas.

  These expressions represent human instincts and are nearly impossible to fake or ceal.

  For example, when people are afraid, their eyes widen involuntarily; when they are anxious, their gaze bees erratic. These are universal human traits.

  When analyzed in specifitexts and among particur groups, the accuraicroexpression analysis exceed 80%.

  This is why w enfort often uses microexpressions to interrogate suspects.

  This is microexpression psychology!

  At this moment, Lin gli's anger was unmistakable—his brows furrowed, his expression cold. Yet, there was no trace of pity, regret, or disappoi in his demeanor.

  This ure, unadulterated rage!

  But within that rage, Lin gli's nostrils fred, and his brows twitched as if he were suppressing his fury.

  He sat at the ter, his expression stern, his hair perfectly groomed, and his clothing immacute—clearly a man who valued propriety.

  As the Xingju Shu: Zheng Guan states: "Not a single hair out of pce, every thread in order."

  When speaking to Lin Zhiqing, he was decisive and rigid, leaving no room for anyone else to interject.

  This indicated that Lin gli was the primary deaker here.

  Anger, restraint, a focus on propriety, and...

  Impartiality?

  This otential opening... Lin Zhiqi a slight sense of relief.

  It seemed that Lin gli was angry about her as, but his attitude toward her personally was still unclear.

  What about the other onlookers?

  From her brief recolle, the people around her mostly dispyed disgust, mockery, and schadenfreude.

  It seemed no one wanted her to live.

  But she had to survive!

  She had no memories of the inal host, but she couldn't fet Lin gli's words: "That was your cousin! You poisoned her, leaving her in a a. Have you nard for familial bonds?"

  In this situation, there were only two possibilities.

  Ohe inal host hadn't harmed her cousin and had been framed, sacrificed, fully accused.

  Two, the inal host had do.

  But regardless of which sario was true, Lin Zhiqing had only oh to survival...

  Denial!

  Whether the inal host had do or not, she couldn't admit to anything!

  With this in mind, Lin Zhiqing's eyes sparkled with determination. She raised her hand to stop the guards who were about to seize her:

  "Wait!"

  She slowly rose to her feet, brushing off her skirt. "I am i!"

  Her voice was clear and firm, like a spring of fresh water.

  The hall erupted in murmurs.

  Hearing her words, Lin gli's eyes narrowed, and a hint of suspi appeared in his furious expression. "You cim innoce? If you are i, why did you poison your cousin?"

  His tone was icy, devoid of aion. "Bring Bihuan forward!"

  As soon as he spoke, a womaen and bloodied, was dragged into the hall by two guards. She had clearly been tortured.

  "Miss, I'm sorry," the woman avoided Lin Zhiqing's gaze. "The pain was too much... You shouldn't have poisohe eldest miss..."

  "You vile creature!" Lin gli's expression remained cold, his eyes sharp. "Your personal maid has fessed that you ordered her to poison the pastries. How dare you still deny it!"

  Lin Zhiqing's heart sank as she stared at Bihuan.

  No wohey were so certain she had harmed her cousin—they had a witness.

  Her gaze hardened as she locked eyes with Lin gli. "That's where you're wrong. To vict me based solely on this maid's testimony is hardly ving."

  "Why not let me front her and crify the truth? Otherwise, any stray dog could she Lin family."

  Lin Zhiqing raised her voice, ensuring everyone in the hall could hear her.

  Her words stirred the crowd, and whispers filled the room.

  "Hmph!" Lin gli's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the shiftiions of those around him. "Very well, I'll let you die with crity!"

  "Bihuan, ret the process of Lin Zhiqing you to poison the pastries. Don't leave out a siail!" His voice was emotionless, but Bihuan trembled untrolbly.

  She looked at Lin Zhiqing, her expression pained. "Miss, just fess..."

  Before she could finish, Lin Zhiqing interrupted with a frown. "Expihing clearly. Why would I poison my cousin?"

  Bihuan was taken aback. Something about the miss seemed different, but she didn't dwell on it. Instead, she wiped her reddened eyes and began:

  "Today is the anniversary of your father's death. You ordered me to buy paper money aly burn it. Afterward, you locked yourself in your room..."

  Before Bihuan could finish, Lin gli's expression darkened.

  The crowd erupted in e.

  "Your father was a traitor! He's been dead for over five years, yet you dared to burn paper money for him? Are y t ruin upon the Lin family?"

  "How disgraceful! Utterly disgraceful!"

  "A father who itted treason, and a daughter who shamelessly honors him. Truly, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!"

  Lin Zhiqing didn't miss the crucial information in their words.

  Treason—what a grave accusation!

  [--------------------------------------------]

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