Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 211 The Rules of the Great Prosperity

If Jiang Liuyun was indeed very familiar with the Liu family, or even acquainted with Liu Mang, then what happened afterward would make sense.

Why was Jiang Liuyun able to escape unscathed despite causing such a commotion at the Liu residence?

Why was he able to pass through the hypnotic array in that wasteland despite not understanding psychology?

Even when faced with a choice between two paths, he deliberately pointed out a seemingly safe one.

Lin Zhiqing dared not even think about what their fate would have been if she had listened to Jiang Liuyun and chosen a different path.

Thank goodness… Lin Zhiqing breathed a sigh of relief.

She even thought back to the day she went to the execution ground with Lu Huai and her cousin to scout it out, when the black-clad men suddenly appeared and chased after her.

At the time, she felt that neither Liu Mang nor the royal family would bother to assassinate Lin Zhiqing when the Lin family was on the verge of collapse.

Because they had all decided that Lin Zhiqing was no longer capable of causing any trouble.

The only people who knew that Lin Zhiqing had a solution were a few members of the Lin family, Lu Huai, Lu Nanyue, and Jiang Liuyun.

Clearly, Jiang Liuyun is more likely to cause trouble than the Lu siblings.

Lin Zhiqing had not forgotten that Lu Huai had made a deal with her.

His aim was to use this incident to expose the true colors of the imperial court to certain individuals.

In summary, the most likely explanation is that Jiang Liuyun sent someone to assassinate Lin Zhiqing.

Fortunately, when carrying out the execution plan, she took precautions to prevent the news from leaking out.

She had already roughly conceived of those challenges in her mind, but she only brought them up on the night before the execution.

As for setting up the scene, that was all done by everyone working together.

The next day, they each went about their duties. During this time, Liu Mang's whereabouts were under their watchful eyes, and no one could get close enough to report a message.

It was precisely Lin Zhiqing's caution that allowed the plan to proceed successfully.

However, even so, Jiang Liuyun still managed to pull off quite a few underhanded tricks.

If Lin Zhiqing hadn't held back during that fight at Xuanwu Gate, and Jiang Liuyun had deliberately lost to the white-haired man, the entire plan would have collapsed.

These doubts prevented Lin Zhiqing from treating Jiang Liuyun's misfired arrow as an accident.

Even the recurrence of his old injury may very well be an excuse to lull everyone into a false sense of security.

At the time, there weren't enough people, so Lin Zhiqing could only let Lin Yangyang lead him and Lu Huai to carry out the next step of the plan.

Lin Shi'an also rushed back to the execution ground after that.

Jiang Liuyun was accompanied only by Lu Nanyue, who did not know martial arts.

Even if Jiang Liuyun slipped away silently, she would most likely not notice.

But time is limited, and by the time Jiang Liuyun arrives at the execution ground, it may be too late.

Liu Mang has already told the truth of the matter.

The Lin family was pardoned, but Liu Mang would also be interrogated.

However, Liu Mang possesses many people's secrets, and Lin Zhiqing believes that these secrets were likely obtained through psychology.

Whether those who have the secret know about it is also a question.

But Lin Zhiqing tends to be unaware of it.

Since Liu Mang had always been safe and sound, it is possible that he used his incriminating evidence to threaten those high-ranking officials, preventing them from taking action against him.

However, after news of the theft at Liu's residence spread, the high-ranking officials did not take any action.

This is not a reaction to knowing that someone has something on you.

Therefore, most of these people would not have taken such a great risk at the execution ground to kill Liu Mang right under the nose of the imperial court.

The only person willing to take such a risk must have a compelling reason to do so.

For example, what did Liu Mang know?
Excluding the incriminating evidence against high-ranking officials, the most likely culprit is the Lin family.

If Liu Mang started making plans so early, then the Lin family was likely being targeted long ago. Lin Zhiqing had previously suspected that someone was manipulating things behind these layers of mystery.

But she had always been puzzled as to who, apart from the royal family, would harbor such malice towards the Lin family, a fallen clan, and even wish for their demise.

If Jiang Liuyun were brought in, all of this would seem to make sense.

Jiang Liuyun and Lin Zhiqing's marriage was arranged a long time ago.

If Jiang Liuyun were unwilling, he would indeed have a long time to plan those things.

This coincides with the time Liu Mang prepared in advance.

Based on previous deductions, all the crises Lin Zhiqing has encountered since arriving in Dasheng have been aimed at destroying the Lin family.

And of course, I am included in the Lin family.

Besides the royal family, Jiang Liuyun was the only one who benefited from this.

Liu Mang is highly likely to be one of Jiang Liuyun's men.

Once Lin Zhiqing dies, the marriage will be considered dead in name only, and the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion will not lose its reputation for being loyal and righteous.

Reputation, it's all about reputation!
Whether it's the Lin family, the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion, or even the royal family, they all eventually used this "reputation" as a fig leaf.

Beneath this fig leaf lies untold blood and flesh, and the sacrifice of countless innocent souls.

But reputation is precisely the rule of this world.

Lin Zhiqing broke the charcoal pencil in her hand.

If Jiang Liuyun truly intends to annul the engagement, then Lin Zhiqing's death is indeed the best option.

After sorting everything out, Lin Zhiqing realized that including Jiang Liuyun as the villain made the whole process seem much more complete.

Things that were hard to understand or grasp now have a direction.

Moreover... these things perfectly match the dream in Lin Zhiqing's subconscious.

Whether it was the feelings she unknowingly developed for Lu Huai, or Jiang Liuyun's actions, bringing up the scenes from her dream was all she had experienced.

Lin Zhiqing only gradually came to understand her own heart after having that dream.

Because her subconscious mind doesn't lie, and even if it did, it couldn't lie to herself.

But everything related to Jiang Liuyun was something she hadn't figured out before.

I've figured it out now, but it's still not good news.

Lin Zhiqing sighed softly.

Actually, it was only a tiny difference.

Her original plan was to discuss annulling her engagement with Jiang Liuyun with Lin Congli after her fourth uncle's matter was settled.

In the past, the Lin family was a disorganized mess, and even if she brought up this matter, it would most likely be rejected, because Lin Congli and others wanted to take advantage of the power of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion.

During this period, whenever the Zhenyuan Marquis's family proposed to annul the engagement, Lin Zhiqing would happily accept it, even if it meant being ridiculed by people in Shengjing City.

But it was just a few words, and it wasn't a big problem for Lin Zhiqing.

The only thing that made her hesitate was Lin Yangyang's reputation.

After arriving in Dasheng, she understood that the individual and the family were interdependent, sharing both prosperity and ruin.

Having spent so much time with Lin Yangyang, Lin Zhiqing had come to know her to some extent.

Putting aside the fact that her father's treasonous act ruined the Lin family's reputation, Lin Yangyang and she herself had a bad reputation in the capital.

Because in the eyes of those high-ranking officials' wives, neither of them were the dignified, quiet, or rule-abiding type.

Lin Zhiqing didn't care about this, and Lin Yangyang cared even less.

Knowing this, Lin Zhiqing had a way to get Lin Congli and the others to agree to the decision to annul the engagement.

But Jiang Liuyun accidentally revealed his true colors at this crucial moment.

A slight difference is a thousand miles away.