Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 324 Killing His Brother!?
"He died from poisoning, he really did die from poisoning." Lin Congli didn't deny it, his thoughts seemingly returning to that day, his tone slightly mocking:

"It is better to die from poisoning than to suffer endless torment and be torn apart from one's body."

Lin Zhiqing frowned, because she noticed that Lin Congli's lips turned down and there was no guilt in his eyes, but rather a lot of relief.

Why is it easy?

Lin Zhiqing had a vague feeling that her father's death was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

Sure enough, Lin Congli spoke again the next moment:

"Zhiqing, if I said I didn't kill your father, would you believe me?"

A thunderclap suddenly erupted from the ground!

Lin Zhiqing frowned, and after realizing what Lin Congli was saying, she remained lost in thought for a long time.

Was Lin Congrong not killed by Lin Congli?
But whether it was Aunt Mu or anyone else, their version of events remained the same: after the incident, Lin Congli put aside his own family and killed Lin Congrong to save the lives of the rest of the Lin family.

Now Lin Congli himself says that he was not the one who did it.

If not him, then who could it be?

Moreover, why would Lin Congli suddenly say this when the Jiang family came knocking on his door?

A series of questions quickly entered Lin Zhiqing's mind, and she felt a headache coming on.

At first glance, Lin Congli's eyes were downturned, his lips were tightly pursed, and he looked sad, showing no sign of guilt or lying.

What he said is very likely true!

Realizing this, Lin Zhiqing knew there was more to the story, and she took a deep breath:

"Uncle, I believe you."

Hearing Lin Zhiqing's words, Lin Congli didn't seem surprised: "Zhiqing, I know you don't believe me, but... wait!"

After a moment's thought, Lin Congli looked up in surprise at Lin Zhiqing's face.

Lin Zhiqing looked at him with a firm and trusting gaze, and repeated, "Uncle, I believe you."

This warmed his heart, but also surprised him:

"Zhiqing, you...you actually believe me?"

“Uncle, I can tell,” Lin Zhiqing replied.

Lin Congli chuckled twice: "Look at my memory. You know the art of judging minds, so of course I can tell."

But soon, a hint of bitterness crept into his smile:
"Your father, he can hardly be called smart."

“He was naughty as a child and was often punished, but he never learned his lesson and remained so as an adult.”

"The court of the Great Sheng Dynasty is a murky place, especially the struggles between military generals, where every punch is hard to land."

"After your grandfather got old, his power was almost completely disintegrated. It was precisely because it was too dangerous that your grandfather did not agree to us becoming martial artists."

But Lin Congrong was a born general.

With the common people in his heart, after accompanying Lin Qingshan to the frontier once, he could never let go of that barren yet vibrant land.

He secretly joined the army and rose from a lowly soldier to the revered Marquis Wangshu, where he met Lin Zhiqing's mother.

In Lin Congli’s memory, Lin Zhiqing’s mother was an extremely resilient woman.

She was born in the Nanzhao Kingdom and lived with her brother.

But after her brother went to the battlefield, there was no news of him. Left with no other choice, she embarked on a journey to the frontier to find him.

After finally reaching the frontier, she was met with the news that her brother had died in battle.

She was not defeated; she was just waiting to receive the compensation, find her brother's ashes, and then return to Nanzhao to give her parents an explanation.

But the imperial court's pension was delayed, and in desperation, she sought help from Lin Congrong.

It was precisely because of this request that Lin Congrong discovered that the Dasheng court had consistently failed to properly resettle wounded and disabled generals. This clearly indicated a problem with the Ministry of Revenue.

After winning another battle and returning to the capital, Lin Congrong brought Lin Zhiqing's mother and raised the issue of resettling the wounded and disabled generals.

The Ministry of War passed the matter on to the Ministry of Revenue, which in turn implicated the Ministry of War, and the matter remained unresolved for a long time.

Lin Congrong was still a military man at heart; he couldn't outsmart those scholars.

Despite repeated setbacks, he never gave up seeking justice for the soldiers, and at the same time, he began to pay attention to the plight of women in Dasheng.

Lin Zhiqing then learned the rest of the story.

Her parents had been in love for decades, and all their happiness came to an end on the day Lin Congrong was accused of treason.

As her thoughts returned, Lin Zhiqing felt a dull ache in her heart, a feeling of being connected by blood and bound by an unbreakable bond.

She suppressed the tightness in her chest and spoke again, "Uncle, and then?"

Lin Congli was also a little out of breath. He got up, opened the window, took several deep breaths, and then spoke again:
“After the former Imperial Censor submitted his memorial accusing the Lin family of joining the army and betraying the country, the Lin family members either fled or scattered. Your fourth uncle is away on official business.”

"Your grandfather and I went to your father immediately to confirm the truth of the accusation of treason and collusion with the enemy."

"What did he say?" Lin Zhiqing couldn't help but ask.

"He didn't speak." Lin Congli seemed to be transported back to that suffocating day, his tone somewhat hurried:

He just shook his head and smiled bitterly, saying there was no escaping it.

"Can't escape it? What can't be escaped?" Lin Zhiqing seemed to imagine that scene.

Lin Congli shook his head: "I don't know, none of us know."

“Your grandfather and I were very worried because we did not believe he would do something like betraying the country, but for some reason, he kept silent.”

"Until the people who came to arrest him arrived outside the Lin family's gate, he took out a cup of poisoned wine that he had prepared in advance."

"My father prepared this himself?" Lin Zhiqing never expected things to turn out this way.

Lin Congli nodded: "That's right, he prepared it. He only told me and your grandfather that he had to die for the sake of the Lin family."

"But if he drinks the poisoned wine himself, it would be suicide out of guilt, which would not benefit the Lin family."

Lin Zhiqing seemed to know what Lin Congli was about to say.

Lin Congrong drank poison himself, and there is indeed a strong suspicion that he committed suicide out of fear of punishment.

But this does not mean that he is innocent because he died at the hands of others.

The difference between these two was made up of the lives of everyone in the Lin family.

Draw a clear line!

The word popped into Lin Zhiqing's mind.

Yes, it is indeed about drawing a clear line.

The fact that they died at the hands of Lin Congli proves that the other members of the Lin family were different from Lin Congrong, who colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country.

If the goal is to protect the rest of the Lin family, this is indeed one way.

But... for Lin Congli, this is a huge pot!

He was unfairly blamed and had to endure a lot of open and covert discussions.

But there's no way around it, someone has to take the blame.

Given the Lin family's circumstances at the time, it had to be either Lin Congli or Lin Congyan.

As for Lin Qingshan, he was, after all, the renowned Marquis of Changning, and he was the root of the Lin family. Of course, he could not bear the reputation of murdering his own son.

Over the years, Lin Congli has always been surrounded by discussions about killing his brother. He has unspeakable suffering and seems to be more distressed than Lin Zhiqing imagined.