Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 267 The Hidden Place
After seeing Zhou Chongzheng off, Lin Zhiqing's expression darkened slightly.

According to Zhou Chongzheng, the Dali Temple has now begun the search process.

During this period, the Lin family, as the prime suspects, were not allowed to leave their homes freely; they were essentially under house arrest.

She sighed softly, just about to send someone to inquire about the rumors surrounding her and Lu Huai.

But no sooner had she left than Aunt Mu rushed back.

Her words were referring to the affair between Lin Zhiqing and Lu Huai.

After hearing Aunt Mu's news, Lin Zhiqing sorted out the general information.

Then she discovered that these rumors had only started circulating recently.

Judging by the timeline, Jiang Liuyun had already begun arranging all of this before he even returned to Shengjing.

The matter was handled discreetly, and since Lin Zhiqing and Lu Huai were not in Shengjing for several days, they were not able to isolate themselves in time.

The rumors intensified overnight.

Jiang Liuyun has indeed become the "victim" in the eyes of the public!
Ironically, this kind of gossip attracts more attention than anything else.

Jiang Liuyun made two preparations.

Firstly, revealing the matter of the flute player made the Dali Temple target Lin Zhiqing, hindering him from the sidelines.

Secondly, it spreads romantic tales that are of great interest to the public.

The purpose of these two things is simply to restrain Lin Zhiqing, making him overwhelmed and unable to take care of himself.

Only in this way can Jiang Liuyun find an opportunity to continue investigating the matter of the imperial gift.

Having thought all this through, Lin Zhiqing felt a vague unease.

……

The Zhenyuan Marquis's Residence.

Jiang Liuyun was playing chess against himself.

"Your Highness, after the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review left the Lin family, he returned to the Court of Judicial Review to allocate manpower, presumably to search the Lin family's residence." The guard interrupted Jiang Liuyun's thoughts:

"Lin Zhiqing was ordered to stay at home and was not allowed to go out."

Jiang Liuyun put down the chess piece in his hand: "Why do we need to allocate manpower to search the Lin family? Aren't there enough good-for-nothings in the Dali Temple?"

"Go and take some men to secretly and carefully check the area. Who knows, that flute player might appear in our Zhenyuan Marquis's residence."

Jiang Liuyun dared not underestimate Lin Zhiqing.

"Yes, Your Highness." The guard turned to leave.

"Wait a minute." Jiang Liuyun glanced at the envelope on the table next to him: "Send it secretly to the Ministry of Rites."

The guards took the order and left.

Jiang Liuyun slowly got up and put on his outer robe.

His fiancée was having a huge scandal with another man; it would be incredibly irresponsible of him, as her fiancé, not to show up.

He was going to the Lin family's house.

Unfortunately, he never got to step into the Lin family's gate.

The people who stopped him at the door were from the Dali Temple.

The Lin family has been confined to their home; not even a fly can get out.

However, being kept out of the door made it easier for Jiang Liuyun to make a fuss about it.

He pretended to be heartbroken and walked all the way back to the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence, where his expression changed instantly.

Meanwhile, the guards had already led a search of the entire Zhenyuan Marquis's residence, but they had not found any trace of the flute player.

Jiang Liuyun made a quick decision: "Given Lin Zhiqing's personality, she certainly won't turn me away. With the Lin family under house arrest, she's probably busy hiding the Flute Man right now."

"Is there any news about the flute player?"

“Your Highness, the Lin family in Bianliang cannot place any people there, and the Hengzhang area is too vast; we still have no news of them,” the guard replied.

Jiang Liuyun narrowed his eyes: "Have someone keep a close eye on Lu Huai; he must have taken the person away." "If he has any dealings with Lin Zhiqing, it will definitely intensify the rumors and allow them to find out the whereabouts of the flute player." Jiang Liuyun thought deeply, and he spoke again:
"Has the letter been delivered to the Minister of Rites' residence?"

"Delivered." The guard nodded. "The gates of the Minister of Rites' residence were tightly closed, so I placed the letter in his study."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liuyun remained silent.

He went through all this trouble simply to stall Lin Zhiqing so he could then make his move on the imperial gift.

Because the imperial gift was a handle that could deliver a fatal blow to the Lin family.

He has this leverage over him, and it would be a real shame if he couldn't use it against him.

Thinking of Lin Zhiqing's clear eyes, his gaze darkened.

He had never met a woman as intelligent as Lin Zhiqing.

Although Jiang Liuyun did not know how Lin Zhiqing had persuaded the Minister of Rites to postpone the matter of the imperial gift, he did not want to let go of the Minister of Rites's move.

In the matter of the imperial gift, the only breakthrough he could find was the Minister of Rites.

The Minister of Rites has always been cunning. Although he used to be close to the Marquis of Zhenyuan's family, he has always maintained a neutral stance in his actions.

Lin Zhiqing was able to catch such a person because she must have something on him.

Jiang Liuyun didn't know what this leverage was, but he didn't need to know.

Having someone hold a handle over you is like having a sword hanging over your head; it's not a pleasant feeling.

He knew very well that before this, the Minister of Rites had been quite afraid of and wary of Lin Zhiqing.

Because Lin Zhiqing and the Lin family are relatively stable and difficult to shake.

However, if Lin Zhiqing gets into trouble, it would be a good opportunity for the Minister of Rites to eliminate any leverage against him.

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Jiang Liuyun was very confident; he knew that the Minister of Rites would definitely join forces with him.

And now, all he needs to do is wait.

The actions of the Dali Temple quickly attracted the attention of various forces.

The Lin family was once again thrust into the spotlight.

Jiang Liuyun's men kept a close eye on Lin Zhiqing. After learning that Lin Zhiqing was staying at home and that the Dali Temple had begun searching various properties of the Lin family, Jiang Liuyun became increasingly confident.

All he needs to do now is wait for the Minister of Rites to come to his door in person, and then the two of them can work together to expose the Lin family's resale of imperial gifts.

However, the one who came to visit before the Minister of Rites was Zhou Chongzheng, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

Upon learning that Zhou Chongzheng was about to search the Jiang family and several other families, Jiang Liuyun, though displeased, still invited him into the mansion with a smile.

He knew in his heart that this was Lin Zhiqing's doing, and his intuition told him that something was wrong.

Searching the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence and other mansions at this time would not benefit the Lin family, and might even offend several other families who were unjustly dragged into the matter.

Moreover, the Lu family, who might be hiding the flute player, are among them.

But Lin Zhiqing did exactly that.

This gave Jiang Liuyun a sense of foreboding.

Could it be that Lin Zhiqing is trying to shift the blame onto him?

But he had already ordered people to check today, and there was no trace of the flute player at the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence.

Moreover, Lin Zhiqing has been confined to her quarters, and no one else can control the flute player except for her.

Since the Lu family is also being searched, they must be too busy to take care of themselves.

It would be virtually impossible for someone to move a living person to the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence.

Thinking of this, he felt slightly relieved.

But just as he breathed a sigh of relief, a yamen runner from the Dali Temple rushed over.

Jiang Liuyun sensed something was wrong and narrowed his eyes.

"My lord! We've found him! The flute player has been found!" The bailiff's voice was like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears.