Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 261 Overturning a verdict is harder than ascending to heaven!
In the end, the four thousand taels of silver were never given out.

However, Lin Zhiqing left behind five hundred taels of silver notes, which were money for Zheng Kuo's funeral.

After leaving Wanliu Pavilion, Lin Yangyang was no longer as relaxed as she had been when she arrived.

The truth weighed heavily on her heart like a heavy cauldron.

Lin Zhiqing glanced at her and said, "Cousin, don't tell anyone else about what happened today."

"I know," Lin Yangyang nodded.

This concerns important matters of the imperial court; if they were to leak information, it would implicate far too many people.

If the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion is provoked, who knows what it might do.

She temporarily put those things out of her mind and asked Yan Yu about what had just happened:
"Sister Qing, why do you want to give Yan Yu his freedom?"

"Although he doesn't seem very serious, he must be quite capable."

To be able to hide under the noses of the Marquis of Zhenyuan's residence and the imperial court for so long, isn't that quite an achievement?

Lin Zhiqing shook her head: "Cousin, if he is indeed useful to us, I will naturally not refuse."

Lin Zhiqing is not a saint.

Yan Yu's current public identity is that of someone who came from a brothel in Yongqing County.

If someone with such a background were to stay by Lin Zhiqing's side, it would definitely cause a stir.

If someone follows the clues and discovers Yongqing and Zheng Kuo's affairs, the Lin family will lose the initiative.

Moreover, Zheng Kuo could be considered a witness to his father's treason, while Yan Yu was merely a bystander.

He was not very aware of this.

Even if this person possesses martial arts skills, eloquence, good looks, or any other impressive ability, Lin Zhiqing has no use for him right now.

A fine horse can brave dangers, but an ox is better at farming. Each has its own strengths, and this is the way to employ people.

But Lin Zhiqing had no dangerous tasks to entrust to a fine horse, nor any fields to plow with oxen.

Yan Yu may seem carefree and unserious, but he actually has his own ideas.

Instead of keeping him by your side, it's better to offer him some small favors.

In this way, the snipe can play a crucial role at critical moments.

After listening to Lin Zhiqing's analysis, Lin Yangyang nodded seriously: "Sister Qing, you always make it easy for me to understand. I understand now."

"So, what are your plans regarding what just happened?"

She was referring to the matter of exonerating Lin Congrong.

"I need to think about it carefully," Lin Zhiqing said, without answering immediately.

This matter is of great importance, with very few clues and a long time gap, making it extremely difficult to overturn the case.

To overturn a verdict, at least two elements are needed: witness testimony and physical evidence.

Let's start with the witnesses.

In the past few days, Lin Zhiqing has been tracking down the wounded soldiers and veterans that the Lin family has helped over the years because of the imperial gift.

Apart from Zheng Kuo, the others had either already passed away, moved away with their families, or were just marginal figures who didn't know much about what happened back then.

The only person I knew, Zheng Kuo, was already dead.

Furthermore, according to Zheng Kuo, the Imperial Censor who framed Lin Congrong along with Marquis Zhenyuan Jiang Yunhe was a former Imperial Censor, not the current one.

The former Censor-in-Chief had stepped down several years earlier and died not long after.

Looking back now, his death is quite intriguing.

It's safe to say that it's practically impossible to find a single convincing witness to support this claim.

As for the physical evidence, it matches the eyewitness testimony.

Apart from the evidence that Zheng Kuo risked his life to bring out but lost, given the Lin family's strength, it's almost impossible to find any other relevant physical evidence.

Trying to address these two points is incredibly difficult.

Moreover, Lin Zhiqing had not forgotten the purpose of her visit to Yongqing.

She came to Yongqing to find Zheng Kuo in order to counter the Zhenyuan Marquis's use of the imperial gifts for their own purposes. She suspected Zheng Kuo was involved and wanted to gather favorable factors for the Lin family to provide aid to wounded and disabled generals. However, it now seems that Zheng Kuo has little to do with the imperial gifts.

The imperial gift remains a ticking time bomb hanging over the Lin family.

If this time bomb explodes, it's uncertain whether the Lin family will survive, let alone overturn Lin Congrong's case.

With all sorts of things happening at once, Lin Zhiqing's expression wasn't exactly relaxed.

She is now wondering whether these two things can be addressed simultaneously.

The matter of exonerating Lin Congrong cannot be delayed.

The longer it drags on, the more passive she becomes.

Passive defense is certainly not as good as proactive offense.

Moreover, she has something else on her mind right now.

Lu Huai!

Since their last parting, Lin Zhiqing hadn't shown it on her face, but she was extremely worried inside.

Before coming here, during her trip to the Lu family, Lu Nanyue said that she was unaware that Lu Huai had appeared in Bianliang and saved her.

There were only two people, Lu Huai and Yun Feng, but Jiang Liuyun must have brought quite a few people with him.

She didn't understand Yun Feng. Although Lu Huai possessed martial arts skills, he should be inferior to Jiang Liuyun.

In this situation, it's impossible not to worry.

With a jumble of thoughts swirling in their minds, they soon stopped in front of the inn.

Two hours had passed at most, but their mood was completely different from when they left home.

The little beggar had been squatting in the corner of the inn, and his eyes lit up when he saw Lin Zhiqing and Lin Yangyang return.

But he noticed Lin Yangyang's serious expression, bit his lip slightly, and dared not go forward.

Just as he was about to enter, Lin Zhiqing noticed him.

Several more marks appeared on his face; the force was considerable, but still somewhat different from that of an adult.

He must have been beaten up again by those kids who were trying to steal his territory and business.

Lin Yangyang also noticed this.

She was already in a bad mood, so she quickly walked up to the little beggar: "You got hit again? Why didn't you fight back?"

“Take me to them, and I’ll get justice for you. Don’t let yourself be bullied to death without even knowing it.”

She rarely spoke so harshly; she was clearly affected by the Zhenyuan Marquis's family's framing of Lin Congrong.

The little beggar looked troubled and hesitated to speak.

Lin Zhiqing grabbed Lin Yangyang's hand: "You help him today, but what will he do after you leave?"

Lin Yangyang was furious just now, but after hearing Lin Zhiqing's words, she gradually calmed down.

She stood up for the little beggar once, but after she left, those people would only retaliate against the little beggar even more.

The feeling of having a bad guy right in front of her, but being unable to do anything about it, left Lin Yangyang feeling extremely frustrated.
"These wicked people are right in front of me, and I can't do anything about them. It's infuriating!"

Lin Zhiqing released Lin Yangyang's hand: "It's not like there's no other way."

"You can take him to teach those people a lesson, and after that, send him to Yan Yu."

"That butterfly? Isn't he..." Lin Yangyang didn't quite agree.

"Wanliu Pavilion isn't as simple as it seems. Send the person there and have him keep an eye on things for me." Lin Zhiqing turned to look at the little beggar:
“I have a friend in Wanliu Pavilion. He won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do, but he will protect you from hunger, cold, and being bullied.”

"If you are willing to go, I will give you a task."

"A mission? What mission?" Upon hearing Lin Zhiqing say that he wouldn't go hungry or cold, the little beggar didn't hesitate at all.

Seeing this, Lin Zhiqing knew that the little beggar was indeed someone who had suffered and had no evil intentions.
"I want you to observe the people coming in and out of Wanliu Pavilion at all times, including their movements, expressions, and behaviors. Once you have figured them out, we will meet again."

"You... could you do that?"

The little beggar nodded emphatically: "Yes!"