Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 279 Provocation and Division

He stared at the stars in the sky, quietly offering his shoulder as a gesture of support.

It's unclear how much time passed before Lin Zhiqing's tears finally stopped.

When she looked up again, her eyes had returned to their former state.

Lu Huai breathed a sigh of relief: "Now we can begin our investigation."

"Wait." This time, Lin Zhiqing called out to Lu Huai:

"I suspect that Aunt Mu knew something or stumbled upon something, which is why she suffered such a misfortune."

Lu Huai affirmed Lin Zhiqing's idea:
"Indeed, these are the only two possible explanations. Otherwise, why would the murderer lie low for so long without making a move, only to strike at Aunt Mu a few days ago?"

The two analyzed the situation as best they could, tacitly avoiding mentioning what had just happened.

The two quickly began contacting the people on the list.

But the result was not optimistic.

Most of them were ordinary people passing through that area, some even coming to Shengjing City to do business.

Although she gained nothing, when Lin Zhiqing returned to the Lin family again, both her thoughts and mindset had been sorted out.

What she needs to do now is to carefully consider the clues left by Aunt Mu.

She definitely needs to investigate Aunt Mu's matter.

Firstly, there is still no conclusion in the court regarding the retrial of Lin Congrong's case of treason, so she still has time.

Secondly, the fact that the murderer chose this exact moment to attack Aunt Mu makes his motive quite puzzling.

After ruling out the possibility of a revenge killing or a crime of passion, Lin Zhiqing had a gut feeling that this matter might be related to the recent turmoil in the imperial court.

Either Aunt Mu knows some inside information but hasn't had time to say it yet, or someone wants to cause trouble for Lin Zhiqing and divert her attention.

Thinking of this, her thoughts returned to a few days ago.

She vaguely remembered that Aunt Mu seemed to have something on her mind a few days ago, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

Is there any connection between these two things?
What do the words "female, second" represent?
Lin Zhiqing thought about it carefully, but still couldn't give a reasonable explanation for the two words. He could only roughly determine that the clues pointed to the murderer.

Given the relationship between Aunt Mu and Lin Zhiqing, if they wanted to leave clues, they would definitely choose something that both of them knew as a code.

If we think about it simply, could the murderers really be two women?

Considering Aunt Mu's recent condition, Lin Zhiqing immediately thought of Asagao.

She is Aunt Mu's niece. Aunt Mu's younger brother was born late in life. Judging from her age, Asagao is old enough to be Aunt Mu's granddaughter.

Aunt Mu's hometown had suffered a calamity, which is why she brought Chaoyan here.

Asagao was taught by Aunt Mu how to speak and do things.

Since Aunt Mu has been separated from her for so long, is it possible that she misjudged her personality, or perhaps trusted her too much?

She was the first person, besides Lin Yangyang, to come into contact with Aunt Mu's body.

Lin Zhiqing didn't want to miss any clues, so she tried to include everyone who might be related to the matter in her considerations.

She frowned when Lin Yangyang was mentioned.

Skilled in martial arts, capable of delivering a fatal blow—these keywords all fit Lin Yangyang perfectly.

Moreover, Lin Zhiqing had not forgotten that the reason Aunt Mu appeared outside the Lin family was to follow his orders to find Lin Yangyang.

Regardless, Lin Yangyang can be included in the scope of this suspect.

The second Jiang Liuyun?

Thinking of this, Lin Zhiqing frowned.

My cousin isn't a complicated person. She's never done anything that would be bad for the Lin family or for me while she's been by my side.

This is different from Jiang Liuyun. Moreover, Lin Zhiqing had lost consciousness when she encountered such a calamity in Bianliang.

At that time, Lin Yangyang was the only person by her side. If she wanted to harm herself and the Lin family, that would be the best opportunity for Lin Yangyang to make her move.

Based on these points alone, Lin Yangyang is actually incapable of becoming the second Jiang Liuyun.

After much deliberation, Lin Zhiqing decided to have a conversation with the two of them.

The next day, she summoned Chaoyan and Lin Yangyang to Shuqing Pavilion.

Asagao was in low spirits, and her face showed signs of fatigue.

Lin Yangyang's face was full of concern; he could tell that Lin Zhiqing hadn't been doing well these past few days.

Suppressing these initial judgments, Lin Zhiqing asked about their first encounter with Aunt Mu's corpse.

According to Lin Yangyang, she was able to find Aunt Mu's body because she was particularly sensitive to the smell of blood.

And that road was the only way she could take to get back to the Lin family home.

Why is it an inevitable route?

That's because the Dali Temple had been keeping a close watch on the area around the Lin family's residence, except for the less crowded alley where the guards were more lax.

If Lin Yangyang wanted to enter or leave the mansion, she would definitely choose a place with lax security.

These reasons and information are sound and quite persuasive.

Lin Zhiqing then turned her attention to Chaoyan.

Compared to Lin Yangyang's condition, Asagao's is less stable.

She recounted everything she had seen and heard, but her voice was always choked with emotion.

Lin Zhiqing was no stranger to this state.

Wasn't I the same way a few days ago?

With a slight sigh, Lin Zhiqing carefully observed the two people but found no flaws in their behavior.

Setting aside the two main suspects and the timing of the murder she had analyzed, the only remaining element was the location.

Why that particular alley?

Why was it that particular alley that Lin Yangyang would pass through?
Aunt Mu's wound was fatal from a single blow, which shows that the murderer had a very clear target and acted swiftly.

This is definitely not the result of randomly selecting a location; it's more like a carefully planned operation.

From the perspective of the murderer, and using criminal psychology, the murderer did gain something by committing the crime in that alley.

For example, they could frame Lin Yangyang.

For example, if the clue of "female, second" was deliberately left by the murderer, Lin Zhiqing only needs to follow this clue to think, and Lin Yangyang will definitely be the first person to come into view.

Is the accusation being framed against Lin Yangyang in an attempt to sow discord and divide the Lin family?
This was the first thought that popped into Lin Zhiqing's mind.

However, given the current state of the Lin family, it seems that instigation and division will not affect the retrial of Lin Congrong's case.

Even if we were to use provocation and division to make Lin Zhiqing lose her mind, we should start with Lin Congli, who betrayed his own family for the greater good back then.

Choosing the far way over the near is wrong.

Wait a minute, although the reason for framing Lin Yangyang is a bit far-fetched, Lin Zhiqing seems to have overlooked the simplest logic regarding the location.

How could the murderer know that Aunt Mu was looking for Lin Yangyang through that alley?

Could it be that someone from the Lin family leaked this information, or that the murderer is from the Lin family?

Furthermore, Lin Zhiqing's instruction to Aunt Mu to find someone that day was merely a random one.

Since the order was given randomly, how could the murderer have prepared in advance? How could the murderer have been sure that Aunt Mu would pass through that alley?