Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 281 New Sprouts and Pollen

Lin Zhiqing's idea was not unfounded. She had always been puzzled as to why the mastermind would target Aunt Mu.

But what Asagao said just now brought another image to her mind.

When she was alone with Aunt Mu in the garden, Aunt Mu seemed to have mentioned the words "neutral minister".

However, Aunt Mu hesitated for a moment and ultimately did not say anything.

At the time, Lin Zhiqing thought that they were not in Shuqing Pavilion and that Aunt Mu had something to say but it was inconvenient to say it, so she did not ask in detail.

Looking back now, there's something quite intriguing about this.

When you think about something, related details keep coming back to you.

For example, Lin Zhiqing recalled how Aunt Mu had been slightly distracted when she was analyzing the neutral ministers in the main hall.

If anyone notices Aunt Mu's strange behavior, they will follow Aunt Mu and themselves to the garden.

Then, realizing the implication in Aunt Mu's words, and fearing she might reveal some important information, he decided to strike first and kill Aunt Mu.

This hypothesis is highly likely to be true.

Because it directly relates to whether Lin Congrong's case can be retried.

Let's make a suggestion.

If Aunt Mu noticed something amiss and told Lin Zhiqing about the unusual situation where the neutral ministers collectively opposed the retrial of the case.

Therefore, Lin Zhiqing could use this as a breakthrough point to resolve or change the views of the neutral ministers.

If this step proceeds smoothly, there will definitely be more people supporting the retrial than those opposing it, and they will have a greater voice.

Therefore, Lin Zhiqing's goal of reopening the case of Lin Congrong's treason and collusion with the enemy has been achieved.

But Aunt Mu's move was aborted from the very beginning, making it hard for Lin Zhiqing not to suspect that it was the Zhenyuan Marquis's faction that was behind it.

As for Jiang Liuyun's hypocritical explanations, he can certainly put on an act.

As for the morning glory in front of us, there are currently no problems.

Therefore, if a third party knows about this matter, that third party must be the key.

Furthermore, this person is most likely a member of the Lin family.

Thinking about this, Lin Zhiqing's mind was not at peace.

She had already used her fourth uncle's affair to clean up the Lin family.

But these kinds of things still happen now, either because new recruits have been planted in, or because the old people haven't been properly cleaned up yet.

Suppressing these thoughts, she spoke again:
"Asagao, think carefully about what tripped you up that day."

"Stone?" Lin Yangyang asked.

Asagao shook her head: "It's not a stone, but it's more likely to be a small pebble."

"Moreover, it should be a relatively round pebble."

Lin Yangyang leaned closer to examine Chaoyan's wound: "Your wound is more likely to be a slip than a fall."

"I took a closer look and there are some bloodstains around the bruise. Was the skin scraped or broken at the time?"

“That’s right.” Asagao nodded: “My aunt treated my wound.”

Lin Zhiqing followed Lin Yangyang's gaze and looked at the wound.

That's right, it does look like an area of ​​bruising caused by slipping and friction, rather than a concentrated bruising from tripping.

"Let's go take a look at the garden first." Lin Zhiqing felt that there was no point in talking nonsense here.

The three of them soon arrived at the garden.

Asagao led the two to a location: "Right here, that's where I fell." Lin Yangyang began to carefully observe the path.

Lin Zhiqing then walked towards the grassy area behind the artificial hill. Lin Yangyang searched for a long time but couldn't find anything unusual, and couldn't help but feel discouraged.

Her gaze fell on Lin Zhiqing.

Seeing Lin Zhiqing squatting beside the artificial hill looking at the grass, she also went over:
"Qing-meimei, have you noticed anything wrong?"

“Come and take a look, is there anything different about this place compared to other places?” Lin Zhiqing asked, pointing to a patch of grass behind the artificial hill.

"Different?" Lin Yangyang pinched her chin and looked carefully. "This place is cleaned quite well."

Asagao didn't notice anything amiss and nodded: "It's cleaner than other places."

The reason they all said it was clean was because there were almost no fallen petals or leaves on the patch of grass in front of Lin Zhiqing.

Moreover, the grass here is lush and green.

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

Lin Yangyang scratched her head: "Maybe the wind blew it away. Does that prove that someone was here?"

Of course, this doesn't prove anything, but Lin Zhiqing carefully pointed to the grass on the ground:
"You can tell from these grasses that someone has been here."

Asagao leaned closer, but after looking for a long time, she still couldn't see anything unusual: "Miss, I really can't see any information."

It's normal that you can't see it.

Lin Zhiqing pointed to the lush green grass: "Look, although these grasses look fresh, some of the leaves are yellowish in the middle and greener at the tips."

"What does this prove? Does it mean the grass is malnourished?" Lin Zhiqing still didn't understand.

Lin Zhiqing stopped speaking in riddles:

"Is it possible that the yellowish leaves in the middle are the original leaves, while the lush green leaves at the top are newly grown?"

The grass blades used in the garden are all from seeds that are very easy to germinate and grow vigorously.

Several days have passed since they had their discussion in the garden.

These tips of the grass blades are capable of growing new ones.

As for why it grows, it must be because the original leaves broke or folded.

The old will not go, and the new will not come.

After hearing this, Lin Yangyang immediately realized: "You mean, someone was hiding here back then?"

"Not bad." Lin Zhiqing looked around again and noticed some yellow powder on the grass. She gently touched some of it with her hand.

"Qing-meimei, let me do it." Lin Yangyang grabbed her hand: "If this stuff is poison, then it will be a real problem. If I fall, the Lin family can still be saved, but if you fall, the Lin family will be doomed."

"It's alright, this isn't poison, it's pollen." Lin Zhiqing smelled the floral fragrance in the air.

"How did pollen end up here?" Asagao asked, puzzled.

"It's very likely that someone passed by the flowerbed, and their clothes or feet picked up pollen, which is how they brought the pollen here," Lin Zhiqing said, then stood up and clapped his hands.
"Now you know why this place is so clean, right?"

Asagao asked in confusion, "Didn't you just say it would be blown clean by the wind?"

Lin Yangyang slapped her head and said, "Oh dear, I'm such an idiot. This place is surrounded by artificial hills. Unless the wind is particularly strong, it probably won't blow in."

"Could it be that the murderer returned to the scene while we were helping Aunt Mu with her funeral, to cover up his presence?"

Lin Zhiqing nodded slightly. Her cousin used to be reckless, but now she was quite meticulous despite her rough exterior.

"What exactly tripped me up?" Asagao couldn't figure it out.

“Your tripping that day must have been seen by the murderer. He wouldn’t leave the evidence there; it must have been dealt with,” Lin Zhiqing replied.

Asagao panicked: "Without evidence, where are we supposed to find the murderer?"

Lin Zhiqing, however, had already devised a solution:
"Go find Fourth Uncle and compile a list of the people who served us tea in the past few days during the three time periods."