In fact, in Xiaocao's opinion, what difference would it make even if the verdict on such a tragic past was overturned
Of course, the nature of this is different after all, and people nowadays should also care about this. Some people have carried a blood feud for a lifetime, all for the sake of clearing the family's name and telling the world that their family is upright. To achieve this goal, they can use any means and give up everything.
If the Lin family's case could be overturned, then at least the current Lin family members would not have to bear the identity of criminals. Even though decades have passed, the constraints on them may have disappeared, but they still dare not mention the family's former glory. Moreover, the fact that the Lin family was able to dominate the Imperial Medical Bureau for one or two hundred years is enough to show that the medical talent of the entire family is engraved in their bones and blood. It is such a waste to just waste it.
I believe that the adoptive father also very much hopes that Lin can be cleared of his grievances.
Wei Tingyu nodded slightly, "The Lin family has saved countless lives, and they are very popular. It seems that many people begged for mercy back then. However, some people are determined to eradicate the Lin family, and the emperor is furious. You know..."
The emperor is furious, so there is no point in trying to persuade him. The more you try to persuade him, the more serious the consequences may be, and even those who plead for him may be implicated.
"Not long after the incident, someone secretly investigated the matter, hoping to overturn Lin's case. However, the final result was not optimistic. The real person behind the scenes was very powerful. If the case was overturned by force, more people would be implicated. Therefore, the matter had to be shelved and the files were secretly sealed. There was no news for a long time afterwards. Later, the matter was probably slowly forgotten."
"Is the file in your hands now?" Xiaocao asked.
"Yes, if you want to overturn the case, just submit the file to the emperor."
Xiaocao was still a little worried. "The Lin family forbids practicing medicine, but my adoptive father..."
"Xuan'er, there is no need to worry too much about this. The emperor is a wise and enlightened ruler. He always pays attention to right and wrong in major matters. The Lin family has gone through such a tragedy, but Divine Doctor Lin has always kept his original aspirations in mind. Over the past few decades, he has saved countless people, all of whom are citizens of the Qi Dynasty. Even if Divine Doctor Lin made a mistake, can't what he did offset that mistake?"
"Tingyu, you are right. Let's submit the case file to the emperor right away. Once the case is overturned, we will bring our adoptive father back immediately."
Seeing Xiaocao's anxious look, Wei Tingyu smiled and said, "Xuan'er, shouldn't we inform Divine Doctor Lin about this matter first? After all, this is related to the Lin family, and we can't take charge of it."
Xiao Cao patted his forehead and said, "I was confused. This is what should happen."
"Xuan'er, you are too concerned." Han said gently, "Don't worry, it seems that the problem is not difficult and will be solved smoothly."
Xiaocao nodded, exhaled, and calmed herself down a little, "Tingyu, where is my adoptive father now? I will go with you to see him." After not seeing him for so many years, Xiaocao didn't want to wait any longer.
"The people are temporarily placed in Nanshan Temple. Xuan'er can go there anytime she wants."
"What are you waiting for? Let's go now."
Everyone could understand Xiaocao's feelings. It was rare to see her like this on weekdays. Nanshan Temple was only ten miles outside the city. It was still noon now. She could run back and forth a few times. Naturally, no one said anything.
After they left, Han quickly ordered people to clean up the yard and prepare it for Doctor Lin to live in. They all knew that if their girl had not been picked up by Doctor Lin, she would have died soon after birth. He not only raised her, but also taught her a lot of skills. Not to mention that he had no wife or children, even if he had a family, it would be the Wen family's duty to support him, and no one in the family would have any objection to this. Of course, those who might have an objection didn't have the Wen family's say at all.
Although he is called adoptive father, he is actually older than Madam Wenren. Now that he is back, there is no possibility of him leaving. He needs a place to live for a long time, so we can't be careless.
Moreover, Han took into consideration that her family's art was inherited from him and she probably learned many things from him, so she copied some of the layouts from Xiaocao and put together a complete set to make the old man comfortable and happy.
While Xiaocao was busy here, she and Wei Tingyu were sitting in the carriage. After she calmed down a little, she thought of a question, "Tingyu, when my adoptive father married me to you, was there any connection between us? Moreover, my household registration is in the imperial city, but I am an orphan, not under the name of my adoptive father."
"I thought Xuan'er would never ask this question."
“It’s different now than it was before.”
"That's right. After all, Xuan'er didn't care at all in the beginning. It took me a lot of effort to warm your heart." Wei Tingyu said with a smile, "I know Xuan'er was just following Divine Doctor Lin's wishes at that time. Besides Divine Doctor Lin, she only cared about his medical skills. Looking at this lovely little girl, she was actually very cold in her bones."
Xiaocao did not deny this. At first, she really did not care about it. Later on, she probably forgot about it and did not pursue anything. Now she wants to find out more, but it is naturally not a big deal.
"When the Lin family's affairs were investigated, my maternal grandfather's family was also involved. Of course, my maternal grandfather was still a child at that time. To be precise, my great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather were involved. It seems that they helped Doctor Lin a little. Doctor Lin is actually a very loyal person. He is very talented in medicine. When needed, if you find him, he will never hesitate to treat you, even though you cannot enter the imperial city.
But later, my great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather passed away one after another, and the relationship seemed to fade a little. However, Xuan'er, you also know that because I was born prematurely and was born weak, my grandfather found Doctor Lin again. At that time, Doctor Lin was nearly fifty years old.
Because of me, Dr. Lin wandered around the imperial city for nearly a year. It can be said that if he hadn't helped me, I might have died a long time ago. Because I was too young, I just don't remember him, but my mother and my grandfather mentioned him from time to time.
In the years that followed, I never met Dr. Lin. The prescriptions I used to recuperate my body were all sent back by him. The first time I officially met him was when he brought you back."
"So, your adoptive father asked you to marry me as a way of repaying a favor?" Xiaocao was a little curious.
Wei Tingyu laughed, "No, Xuan'er, what are you thinking? My mother agreed, and I was willing to do it. In fact, given my situation at the time, the future was unknown, and I still needed your care. Seriously speaking, you were the one who suffered. Besides, although my mother knew about the wedding, she didn't attend in the end, which was unfair to you."
Xiao Cao raised her eyebrows slightly, "That's not what I thought."
"However, even if my adoptive father feels it is inconvenient to continue to take care of me, he can just send me to your place. There seems to be no need for you to marry me. After all, we are still young and there is no need to talk about marriage." So he was still a little confused.
"I don't know about that." In fact, Wei Tingyu was a little skeptical. He thought that Doctor Lin was probably thinking about overturning the verdict.
Of course, it is difficult to speculate on such matters. After all, if you think in this way, it seems that Doctor Lin is suspected of taking advantage of Xuan'er. However, for such a long time afterwards, Doctor Lin almost never came back, and he did not mention overturning the case. It was only when he was asked this time that he told the old stories of the Lin family. Perhaps it was just because he wanted to give Xuan'er a home, and he might not have the chance to come back if he was wandering outside - going in and out of the mountains and forests, fearing that the powerful would step on the weak, and danger was everywhere - instead of fostering her and letting her have an uncertain lifelong event, it is better to solve it once and for all. In case he cannot come back, he will not have any worries in his heart.
Considering the character of Dr. Lin, the more I thought about it, the more I felt that the latter possibility was more likely.
Xiao Cao no longer pursued the question. The carriage was not slow, and it did not take too much time to travel many miles at a time. Nanshan Temple was very popular, with people coming and going in an endless stream. These had nothing to do with Xiao Cao.
In a Zen temple in Nanshan Temple, Xiaocao saw his adoptive father fiddling with herbs. He seemed to be the same as he was a few years ago. His hair and beard were not very white, but he looked a little unkempt. He was very focused on what he was doing, but he still liked to mutter to himself while he was doing things. Even if the things were very familiar, he would recite them aloud.
At that moment, Xiao Cao couldn't help but shed tears, "Dad..."
Doctor Lin paused, and his hands trembled slightly, then he turned around and looked at the strange yet familiar girl, his eyes turned red, and then he smiled, "Xiao Cao'er."
Xiao Cao ran forward and threw himself into Divine Doctor Lin's arms, hugging him tightly, "Dad."
Doctor Lin raised his hand, seeming a little at a loss. After a moment, he reached out and pressed the corner of his eye. His expression softened. He slowly put his hand down and patted her on the back. "You are such a grown-up girl, why are you still like a child?"
"I'm just a child, and I always will be." Xiaocao said angrily.
Doctor Lin laughed, "Yes, yes, our little Cao is always three years old. He is a little baby who likes to act like a spoiled child and needs to be coaxed."
Xiaocao heard the low laughter behind her and she blushed unconsciously. She felt a little embarrassed and annoyed. She subconsciously made a note of Wei in her little notebook and they would settle the score together later.
Xiao Cao stood up and looked at Divine Doctor Lin, "Dad, you've been away for these years, is that ok?"
"Okay, I'm fine. Look at me, do I look like I'm not fine?"
"Then why didn't you come back to see me? Tingyu faked his death and ran away a few years ago, leaving me all alone. I thought that without him, I at least still had you, but you never came back." Xiaocao didn't feel that way before, but now that she talked about it, she felt aggrieved, and there was even a hint of sobs in her voice.
Doctor Lin felt distressed. “Oh, my dear, don’t cry. It’s all Daddy’s fault. Daddy went far away a few years ago, to another country, and discovered some new things. I was delayed for a while. Please forgive Daddy for once.”
"Don't leave in the future, and I will forgive you."
Doctor Lin paused. Was he being set up by his daughter? He was a little confused for a moment.
"Dad..." Xiaocao tugged at Divine Doctor Lin's sleeve and shook it pitifully, "You don't even love me anymore."
Doctor Lin compromised immediately, "Okay, okay, I won't leave." He also knew that at his age, he had been away from home all year round, and his little girl would definitely be worried. He had been away for decades, so it would be nice to settle down.
Xiao Cao immediately laughed, "I knew Daddy is the best."
"You." God Lin couldn't do anything to her, so he waved to Wei Tingyu, "Tingyu, come here."
Xiaocao's words had greatly stimulated Wei Tingyu. After calming down, he controlled his wheelchair and moved forward. "Dr. Lin."
As for addressing, Doctor Lin didn't care about anything else except insisting that Xiaocao call him dad. Even when Xiaocao married Wei Tingyu, Wei Tingyu wanted to change his name, but he didn't let her.
"Has Tingyu met Dad before?"
Wei Tingyu nodded, "Yesterday, Divine Doctor Lin did not enter the Imperial City. The people below reported to me, so I came to check the situation first. I went back to find the files last night. Because my grandfather mentioned it in the early years, but I didn't understand it at the time. Yesterday, Divine Doctor Lin mentioned the Lin family, and I remembered it. It was easy to find the files."
"Dad, why didn't you tell me about the Lin family?"
"You are a little girl, why are you carrying all this?" Doctor Lin looked at Wei Tingyu, "Tingyu, do you want to overturn the case for the Lin family?"
Wei Tingyu nodded, "I have carefully read the files, and the evidence is irrefutable. The Lin family was indeed framed. It is easy to overturn the verdict."
"I didn't know your maternal grandparents did these things." Doctor Lin sighed.
"When my great-grandfather and great-grandfather were alive, it seemed that there was no suitable opportunity to overturn the case. When they died, I'm afraid they were still thinking about this matter. I don't know why, but it seems that they only left a few words to my grandfather. Looking through the files, we can roughly know the reason."
Doctor Lin could roughly guess the possible reasons and expressed his understanding.
"Let's not talk about the past. The problem now is really not serious, so let's ask Divine Doctor Lin. The file can be presented to the emperor today. I believe the matter will be resolved soon."
Doctor Lin was naturally very tempted, but said, "Is it really okay? It would be better not to implicate you, Xiaocao, and the Wen family. In fact, it has been so many years, it doesn't matter whether the case is overturned or not, it doesn't matter if you don't enter the Imperial City."
"Doctor Lin, don't worry. It's really okay. I have some face in front of the emperor. What's more, there is Xuan'er. She is a great doctor. Many people from high-ranking families have been treated by her. When the empress dowager passed away, she discovered the problem in time and saved the face of the royal family. Her medical skills were inherited from you. Although she taught you to this point, everyone naturally respects your medical skills even more. The emperor may even be referring to you in his heart."
Speaking of Xiaocao's medical skills, Doctor Lin was naturally very proud. This little girl's talent was unprecedented. She was not just a genius, but a real genius. "Xiaocao's medical skills are probably better than mine."