Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 248 Return to Beijing
"Leaving tonight, without waiting for Lu Huai?" Lin Yangyang took the empty cup. "Besides, you've just woken up, and it's probably not appropriate for you to travel such a long distance again."

“There’s no need to wait for Lu Huai. He’ll naturally return to Shengjing once he finds out we’re gone.” Lin Zhiqing’s thoughts returned:

"My period of unconsciousness has made me think about some things more clearly."

"Although I had guessed that he would try to stop me, I didn't expect him to be so ruthless."

"Lin Jingya alone does not pose much of a threat to him. Now it seems there is more to the story."

Lin Zhiqing's voice was no longer hoarse, but she still felt a little uncomfortable after saying so much in one breath.

"There's more to the story?" Lin Yangyang seemed somewhat confused. "Wait, Qing-mei, do you know who the person who wanted to kill you is?"

Lin Zhiqing only told Lin Yangyang that someone would attack them halfway, but did not reveal the true identity of the attacker.

At this moment, she pursed her dry lips. Jiang Liuyun's words seemed to indicate that he didn't want to leave the Lin family any way out.

The fact that he took such a drastic step against himself clearly shows that he wanted to break ties with the Lin family. He didn't say anything before because he was unsure and afraid of alerting them.

But now that things have developed to this point, there is clearly no need to hide it any longer: "Cousin, Jiang Liuyun, it was Jiang Liuyun who wanted to kill me!"

"Jiang Liuyun!?" Lin Yangyang's eyes widened, a look of surprise appearing on her face for the first time. She subconsciously shook her head: "He's been so good to you, how could he..."

"Cousin, no one is nice to someone for no reason. Everyone has a motive for their actions."

"Lin Jingya and Jiang Liuyun have a long-standing relationship, and it's possible that they've already pledged their lives to each other in private."

"The poisoning you suffered earlier was something Lin Jingya couldn't have done on her own; it was all orchestrated by Jiang Liuyun behind the scenes."

"Wait a minute." Lin Yangyang sat up from the edge of the bed, her brows furrowed.

"Now that you mention it, I do remember. When we shot Liu Mang with arrows before, he missed!"

"I didn't think much of it at the time. If what you're saying is true, then wasn't he doing it on purpose?"

“That’s right, it was intentional.” Lin Zhiqing nodded firmly.
"But this is not the time to talk about this."

Lin Zhiqing had been thinking about another question ever since he woke up.

If it were merely because of the annulment of the engagement, it wouldn't be impossible for Lin Zhiqing to present the marriage certificate with both hands now.

Jiang Liuyun seemed to have no need to go to extremes, but he insisted on killing Lin Zhiqing.

Unless, he has some reason to want the Lin family and Lin Zhiqing dead.

For example, seizing the Lin family's property.

The possibility of this is extremely slim.

The Zhenyuan Marquis's family is a newly risen noble family in the imperial court, so they can't possibly be poorer than the Lin family.

Of course, Lin Zhiqing has not yet taken stock of the Lin family's hidden assets that she obtained from Lin Qingshan.

Jiang Liuyun might have come for this reason as well.

Besides this, there is another possibility: the existence of the Lin family poses a threat to the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion.

This possibility seems rather small, since the Lin family has already fallen on hard times and has nothing to do with the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion.

Lin Zhiqing shook her head, having no other thoughts for the moment.

She had too many things on her mind, and after the Jiang Liuyun incident, she found that she hadn't been thinking about many things.

I even think that if we had discovered some things earlier, we wouldn't be in such a passive situation now.

Seeing this, Lin Yangyang felt bad, but mostly relieved: "Luckily he didn't succeed. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to return to Shengjing, and what would happen to the Lin family?"

Unable to return to Shengjing—that's the most superficial and simplest thought...etc.

Lin Zhiqing straightened up; she seemed to have overcomplicated things just now.

Yes, why not wait until she gets close to Shengjing before making a move?
Why not take action in Bianliang?

Jiang Liuyun brought so many people with him, and he was also mentally prepared for her flute playing.

This was clearly not a spur-of-the-moment attempt to ambush her; it was premeditated. The most fundamental impact of this incident on Lin Zhiqing was that she could not return to Shengjing.

correct!

Lin Zhiqing and Lin Yangyang exchanged a glance, a golden light flashing in their eyes.

Shengjing City!
Jiang Liuyun wanted to lure Lin Zhiqing away so he could target the Lin family?

But the Lin family of today is not the same Lin family that was once riddled with holes. Even if someone wanted to make trouble for the Lin family, they would not be able to find a reason for it in a short time.

Lin Yangyang frowned:
"No, no, I just said that casually. The Lin family doesn't have any trouble these days, so even if he wanted to cause trouble, he couldn't!"

"No." Lin Qingshan's words gradually came back to Lin Zhiqing's mind.

The Lin family also has a secret, a secret that could be fatal.

A gift bestowed by the Emperor!

"Cousin, hurry up and pack your things. I'll go inform the prefect and leave a message for Lu Huai. I'll leave immediately." Lin Zhiqing didn't have time to think further.

Even if there is only the slightest possibility, he will nip it in the bud.

Lin Yangyang knew the seriousness of the matter and immediately nodded: "Okay!"

Within an hour, everything was ready, and the two embarked on their journey home.

Perhaps because the two were exceptionally cautious, nothing unexpected happened along the way.

The next day.

As dusk fell, the two entered Shengjing City.

At that time, the Lin family was as peaceful as it had been before Lin Zhiqing left.

Inside the main hall, Lin Congyan was frowning as he handled routine affairs.

After Lin Zhiqing left, he went back to his old profession.

But this time it was clearly not as easy.

Just as he was agonizing over this, he suddenly heard a hoarse voice calling out "Fourth Uncle."

When Lin Congyan looked up and saw Lin Zhiqing, a smile appeared on his face.

"Zhiqing, you're back." Lin Congyan noticed that Lin Zhiqing was dressed warmly and had a long robe around her neck, and he was quite concerned.
"Your voice is so hoarse, have you caught a cold?"

“Not bad.” Lin Zhiqing stopped Lin Yangyang from speaking. “I caught a cold on the way, which delayed me a bit.”

"Fourth Uncle, how has the Lin family been lately?"

"Everything is as usual." Lin Congyan nodded: "Perhaps it's because I'm getting old, but I'm finding it a bit difficult to handle these things now."

"It's good that you're back. The Lin family really can't function without you." Lin Congyan said with great emotion.

Lin Zhiqing just smiled slightly and didn't reply. She shook Lin Yangyang's hand and said, "Cousin, go and tell Uncle that we've discussed business with the Hua family."

Lin Yangyang nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

The topic changed so quickly… Lin Congyan frowned: “Zhiqing, is there something you want to tell me?”

Realizing something was wrong, he couldn't help but feel anxious:
"Has something happened to Jingya?"

Lin Zhiqing, holding onto the stool, slowly sat down: "Jingya is alright."

Lin Congyan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

But before he could fully relax, Lin Zhiqing's voice came again:

"Fourth Uncle, are you hiding something from me?"

Lin Congyan was taken aback, and his previously relaxed facial features instantly tensed up.