Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 315 Discarded Like Worthless Shoes

When Lin Zhiqing went to the Hua residence to look for Lin Jingya, she happened to meet Lu Huai inside the same box.

At that time, Lu Huai only said that the Ministry of Revenue had official business.

But Lin Zhiqing has now figured it out: those official duties were actually matters concerning gifts bestowed by the emperor.

When she sent Miss Hua off to her wedding, she heard many people talking about Miss Hua's dowry, saying that there was a painting or calligraphy in the dowry.

At that time, Lin Zhiqing was busy searching for Lin Jingya and was unaware of the imperial gift, so he didn't connect all of this together.

But now everything is clear.

Lin Zhiqing crawled into the box to find Lin Jingya.

Lu Huai crawled into the box to find the imperial gift.

Their purposes differed, but they were all related to the Lin family.

As for the last imperial gift, the sword, Lin Zhiqing didn't know where Lu Huai found it, but it was undeniable that he had indeed succeeded.

He was often away from the Lu family, even busier than Lin Zhiqing.

The more I think about these things, the clearer they become.

Lu Huai's actions, as well as what he said to Lin Zhiqing when he first investigated the poisoning of her cousin, were all running through her mind.

No wonder Lu Huai paid special attention to the Lin family's treasures, especially precious items like rhinoceros hide lacquer.

No wonder, Lu Huai was clearly just a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue, yet he enjoyed the deep trust of the Minister of Revenue.

Lin Zhiqing clutched her chest, trying her best to suppress the pain emanating from it.

She had previously been unwilling to think deeply about when Lu Huai had begun to fall for her.

But now it has been proven that it all started with lies and deception.

Lin Zhiqing couldn't help but wonder whether Lu Huai's feelings for her came from her as a person or from the "Lin Zhiqing" of the past.
Who does he truly love?
This idea grew wildly like a vine, taking root in Lin Zhiqing's heart.

She was already quite unfamiliar with this world, and now she had erected a high wall in her heart, keeping everything about Lu Huai out.

……

Lu family.

“Young Master, Jiang Liuyun did indeed visit the Lin family. Hey, Young Master, wait a minute.” Yun Feng muttered behind Lu Huai, “Why are you walking so fast?”

"You've resolved the matter of the imperial gift; have you spoken to Miss Zhiqing about it?"

"Miss Zhiqing must be very happy to have eliminated a major threat..."

"Yun Feng!" Lu Huai interrupted Yun Feng.

Yun Feng was taken aback. Lu Huai was usually gentle and refined, occasionally sharp-tongued, so why was his tone so serious today?

His mind raced, and he felt that this matter must be related to Lin Zhiqing.

Having followed Lu Huai for so many years, Yun Feng knew very well that the only person who could cause such a large emotional fluctuation in his young master was Lin Zhiqing.

He scratched his head: "Young master, did you have a fight with Miss Zhiqing? Girls are easy to coax."

"If you don't know how, I'll teach you. I'm an expert!"

"Yunfeng." Lu Huai stopped walking, and when he spoke again, his voice was filled with deep weariness and disappointment:
"It would be better if we argued, but she doesn't want to argue with me."

Upon hearing this, Yun Feng was even more puzzled.

However, Lu Huai did not intend to explain. After entering the courtyard, he closed the door, shutting out everyone and everything.

Thinking of Lin Zhiqing's unfamiliar tone, he clutched his chest and slowly sat down by the door.

Yes, it would be better if Lin Zhiqing argued with him. At least he would know that Lin Zhiqing cares about him and wants to resolve the misunderstanding.

Lu Huai's eyes reddened once again.

When he first began investigating the imperial gifts, he never imagined things would turn out this way.

But as the investigation deepened, he grew increasingly afraid that Lin Zhiqing would discard him like trash once she found out he had ulterior motives.

Now, the thing I feared most has happened.

But what is most heartbreaking is that Lu Huai felt that Lin Zhiqing's attitude towards him was almost no different from her attitude towards Jiang Liuyun back then, and was even a bit colder than her attitude towards Jiang Liuyun.

Lin Zhiqing wouldn't listen to his explanations, and even lost trust in him just because of a few words from Jiang Liuyun.

Lu Huai couldn't help but wonder, did Lin Zhiqing really love him? Or had she ever truly loved him?
The conflict between the two seemed like an unsolvable knot.

As this situation arose, even someone as oblivious as Lin Yangyang noticed something was wrong.

Lu Huai, who used to frequently come looking for Lin Zhiqing, has stopped coming.

Lin Zhiqing, who used to talk about Lu Huai every day, has stopped.

Lin Yangyang was naturally very curious about this unusual situation.

But as soon as she opened her mouth, Lin Zhiqing would change the subject.

Gradually, Lin Yangyang realized what was going on.

Lin Zhiqing's younger sister had a fight with Lu Huai, and if Lu Huai were mentioned in front of Lin Zhiqing, Lin Zhiqing would definitely be in a bad mood.

No, Lin Zhiqing's mood isn't very good right now.

Because the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence is causing trouble again.

After returning to Shengjing City, Marquis Jiang Yunhe of Zhenyuan took the initiative to submit a memorial at the first morning court session, hoping to retry the case of Lin Congrong and restore the innocence of the Marquis of Zhenyuan's family.

This low-key approach quickly spread throughout Shengjing City within half a day.

Lin Yangyang usually frequented well-informed places, so as soon as she received the news, she quickly returned to the Lin family to tell Lin Zhiqing.

But when she arrived at Shuqing Pavilion, Lin Zhiqing was doing her hair and makeup, as if she were preparing to receive a guest.

"Qing-meimei, have you heard the news?" Lin Yangyang asked breathlessly.

Lin Zhiqing removed the jade hairpin from her hair and replaced it with a wooden hairpin, then spoke softly:
"Alright, cousin, you should get ready too. Marquis Zhenyuan should be coming soon."

"Marquis Zhenyuan? Jiang Yunhe?" Lin Yangyang stroked her chin: "He still dares to come to our Lin family!"

"Putting aside his accusation that Second Uncle was a traitor, just the fact that Jiang Liuyun was caught having a secret rendezvous with someone should have made them too ashamed to even show their faces."

“There’s no such thing as ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t,’ only interests are eternal. They will definitely have to humble themselves and come to apologize.” Lin Zhiqing changed into a plain set of clothes.

"I know, another news!" Lin Yangyang gritted her teeth.

"Old ginger is spicier. You don't know, once the Marquis of Zhenyuan took action, everyone outside was deceived by him, saying that it was impossible for the Marquis of Zhenyuan to harm Second Uncle."

"I'm going to have to give him a good talking to today!"

“Cousin.” Lin Zhiqing’s voice was quite calm:
"What's the point of his acting? I'd rather he succeed in persuading His Highness the Crown Prince to retry the case."

"Even if he volunteered, there would still be many people who opposed him. Now that he's come to the door, it's just to complete the act."

"Don't be impulsive later. If necessary, you can squeeze out a couple of tears, or you can recount Jiang Liuyun's deeds at Cangxianglou."

"Great!" Lin Yangyang rubbed her hands together, eager to prove herself. "If they dare to come, I'll give them a real show and let them know how powerful we are!"

Lin Zhiqing remained expressionless: "Not only that, but if we're going to do it, we should do it even better."

(End of this chapter)