Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 288 A Familiar Face
"A mole? No." Lu Huai hesitated for a moment before shaking his head slightly.

Lin Zhiqing was somewhat disappointed, but she also knew that such a coincidence was unlikely.

Just as she was about to speak, Lu Huai's slightly hesitant voice came through: "But it's also possible."

Lin Zhiqing frowned: "What does this mean?"

"I wonder if you remember the fire at the Ministry of Justice a few months ago?" Lu Huai asked.

The Ministry of Justice is on fire?
Lin Zhiqing coughed lightly: "I remember."

Not only do they remember, but to this day, no one knows that the fire at the Ministry of Justice was set by Lin Zhiqing in order to examine Aunt Chun's body.

"After the Ministry of Justice caught fire that day, someone broke into the prison and rescued a prisoner. You should have heard about this."

Lin Zhiqing nodded: "I have indeed heard of it."

At the time, this incident served as a cover for Lin Zhiqing. The Ministry of Justice attributed the arson to the people who broke into the prison, which inadvertently saved Lin Zhiqing a lot of trouble.

Lu Huai, unaware of this, frowned slightly:

“When I was investigating people passing through the alley a few days ago, I found that one of the women’s information was not registered with the Ministry of Revenue.”

"According to the laws of Dasheng, the Ministry of Revenue has information on anyone who has not been imprisoned by the Ministry of Justice or whose family has been exterminated."

“This woman is clearly not simple, so I used some means to obtain her information from the Ministry of Justice.”

"This investigation actually uncovered some things."

"Could it be... that this woman is the prisoner who was rescued when the Ministry of Justice caught fire last time?" Lin Zhiqing asked.

“That’s right,” Lu Huai affirmed. “I had someone who saw the woman in that alley draw her portrait.”

"Her appearance is exactly the same as the woman who escaped from the Ministry of Justice during the fire, except..."

Lin Zhiqing was surprised, but quickly realized the meaning behind Lu Huai's words:
"The man who escaped from prison had a mole on his face, but the woman who appeared in the alley didn't?"

“That’s right.” Lu Huai nodded. “Even so, I suspect that these two people are the same person.”

"That little mole was really obvious. Perhaps the woman found a way to cover it up after escaping from prison."

"That's possible. Could you show me that portrait?" Fragments of memories from his time in the Ministry of Justice prison flashed through Lin Zhiqing's mind:
“When I visited my fourth uncle at the Ministry of Justice before, I should have seen a prisoner with a mole on his face, but it has been a long time and I can’t remember clearly.”

"I've seen it before? What a coincidence." Lu Huai said as he opened the painting.

A woman's face came into view, overlapping with the figure in Lin Zhiqing's hazy memory.

Lin Zhiqing frowned as she looked at it.

Seeing this, Lu Huai asked, "Aqing, what's wrong?"

“I have indeed met her, and not just that one time in the Ministry of Justice prison.” Lin Zhiqing’s expression gradually became serious.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Lu Huai asked, "What do you mean?"

“Yongqing, I saw her in Yongqing County!” Lin Zhiqing remembered that when she and Lin Yangyang went to Yongqing, they stayed at an inn.

That night, she brushed past this woman, who at that time still had a mole on the corner of her eye.

Upon hearing the mention of Yongqing, Lu Huai instantly understood why Lin Zhiqing's expression was so serious.

Lin Zhiqing and Lin Yangyang's trip to Yongqing was a spur-of-the-moment decision and did not alert anyone.

It was in Yongqing that Lin Zhiqing uncovered the truth about Lin Congrong's treason. Now she suddenly learns that someone suspected of killing Aunt Mu was also in Yongqing!
This news is truly chilling.

Could it be that their whereabouts have been kept secret by someone else all along?

Could it be that Zheng Kuo, Yan Yu, and these people have already been exposed?
Seeing Lin Zhiqing frowning, Lu Huai spoke up to remind him:

"Ah Qing, did that maid named Yun Jian know about your trip to Yongqing back then?"

"I don't know," Lin Zhiqing shook her head.

Lu Huai nodded: "That's right. No one knows about this. No matter how Yun Jian reports it, she can't say the name Yongqing. How could that woman have received the news and gone to Yongqing with you?"

"Furthermore, did you have any contact at that time?"

Lin Zhiqing shook his head again:
"No, I only caught a glimpse of her in the prison and we passed each other in Yongqing. She saw my face in the prison, but I was dressed as a man when I went to Yongqing, so I'm not sure if she recognized me."

"That's it," Lu Huai patiently explained.

“This doesn’t make sense. If that woman with the mole knew you had noticed her, she certainly wouldn’t have risked harming Aunt Mu.”

"The reason she took action was simply because she thought you couldn't trace her back to her and the authorities couldn't do anything about her."

Lu Huai's words reassured Lin Zhiqing somewhat, and she reported the incident to the authorities the same day Aunt Mu had her accident.

But the authorities haven't been able to find out anything after all this time, while she and Lu Huai actually have more information.

Upon closer examination, she realized that some things did indeed not add up.

For example, if the woman was after them, it would have been better to hide in the shadows than to confront them directly.

Moreover, Lin Zhiqing didn't realize that the man had noticed them at the inn.

If the woman really did follow them, then why is there no news about her going to Yongqing or meeting Zheng Kuo?
Feeling slightly relieved, Lin Zhiqing patiently analyzed:

“If this woman does not have any other twin sisters, then the person I saw in Yongqing and the prison, the person who appeared in the alley, and the contact person Yun Jian mentioned should all be the same person.”

“If she has some connection with the gambling den and has appeared in Yongqing, I can write a letter to Yan Yu to inquire about her.”

Lu Huai strongly agreed with her statement:

"The possibility of twins is small, and the mole cannot be completely removed. If it is the same person, she should have covered the mole when she was out in public."

“Yes, I’m considering something else right now.” Lin Zhiqing frowned.

"Is this person related to Jiang Liuyun or the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion?"

"I found Jiang Liuyun's footprints at the scene of Aunt Mu's death that day, but I can't guarantee that the footprints were unique to Jiang Liuyun."

"My initial confidence stemmed from my desire to bluff him."

"There are only three possibilities in this matter. First, someone deliberately wants to point the finger at Jiang Liuyun and make me focus my attention on him, so as to cover up the woman with the mole."

"Secondly, it was Jiang Liuyun who did it. He wanted to take advantage of my negative mindset to make me think that someone as cautious as him wouldn't leave such an obvious handle."

“Ah Qing, he’s always been a good actor. I don’t think this matter has anything to do with him.” Lu Huai frowned slightly.
"Once we get news from Yongqing and capture this woman, everything will come to light."

Lin Zhiqing sighed softly before nodding.

Rather than a strange third party, she preferred that this woman belong to Jiang Liuyun.

In this way, at least she wouldn't have to worry about a hidden force lurking in the shadows.