Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 376 Old Friend
Lin Zhiqing smiled, but did not reply.

Lu Nanyue rested her chin on her hand: "Did you two have a fight?"

Lin Zhiqing shook her head, then nodded; it should be considered an argument.

"So that's why that brat always has such a long face. So that's the problem!" Lu Nanyue suddenly realized.

She patted Lin Zhiqing's hand: "Xiao Qing'er, although Xiao Huai is my younger brother, I will always stand by your side."

"You and he are both smart people, so I won't say any more to you. Xiao Huai must care about you a lot."

Even after leaving the Lu family, Lin Zhiqing's mind was still filled with these words.

She was somewhat disappointed that she didn't see Lu Huai.

She wanted to properly thank Lu Huai and also wanted to tell him the reason for her unease.

Never mind, let's do it another day.

Lin Zhiqing soon returned to the Lin family home.

Within a single day, news of the death of Li Jinzhi, the son of the Minister of Justice, spread.

This was inseparable from Lin Zhiqing's instigation.

Although no rumors have spread about Jiang Liuyun's involvement in this matter, those keeping an eye on the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence say that Jiang Liuyun has not yet returned to the residence.

This already tells a lot.

Lin Zhiqing became even more certain that she had achieved her goal.

The Minister of Justice has determined that Jiang Liuyun is the murderer of Li Jinzhi, and that he will inevitably become enemies with the Marquis of Zhenyuan's family.

Then Lin Zhiqing had room to manipulate things with the Minister of Justice.

Of the three officials who were involved in the retrial of my father's case, one has now been dealt with.

As for the other two, Lin Zhiqing frowned, unable to think of a solution for the time being.

Zhou Chongzheng, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, was usually upright and honest, and rarely had any open dealings with the Marquis of Zhenyuan's residence.

Wang Yuan of the Censorate was even unwilling to see the Lin family.

Judging by the timeline, the retrial of Lin Congrong's treason case will officially begin in a few days.

The current situation is still unfavorable for the Lin family.

Because so much time has passed, no one can produce conclusive evidence to prove whether Lin Congrong is guilty or innocent.

If only I could see Lin Congrong's old files... Lin Zhiqing sighed.

The case file for the serious crime of treason is strictly guarded. If Lin Zhiqing has complete control over the Ministry of Justice, there is still hope for this matter.

But now, she really can only start with the officials who are being re-examined.

After many twists and turns, things still got stuck at the most difficult point.

Neither Zhou Chongzheng nor Wang Yuan seemed to have any particularly major flaws.

Do not!
A thought suddenly flashed through Lin Zhiqing's mind, and she remembered something.

The wife of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review had a younger brother named Ling Shuo, who suffered from a condition called "peach blossom epilepsy".

Before Lin Congyan's incident, Ling Shuo had received medical treatment at Zeng Jianxintang.

However, when Lin Congyan got into trouble, the royal family deliberately fueled the fire. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review refused to see Lin Zhiqing and also refused to let Lin Zhiqing continue to treat his brother-in-law.

Lin Zhiqing remembered clearly that she had sought help from the Dali Temple Minister's mansion to resolve her fourth uncle's predicament, but was turned away by the Dali Temple Minister's wife.

From then on, she stopped paying attention to Ling Shuo's condition.

Given the current special circumstances, she's been thinking a bit more.

We can't find any flaws in Zhou Chongzheng for the time being, so could we start with Ling Shuo and take a roundabout approach to set a trap for Zhou Chongzheng?
After thinking it over, Lin Zhiqing decided to make a detour to Jianxintang to find Ling Shuo's medical records.

A quarter of an hour later, Lin Zhiqing stood at the entrance of Jianxin Hall.

Under Lu Nanyue's management, Jianxin Hall is now running smoothly. After she stepped inside, she went to the backyard and saw a familiar figure there.

Lin Zhiqing asked Chaoyan to bring over a young boy.

When the young boy saw Lin Zhiqing, his eyes lit up, and he immediately bowed.

"Miss."

After careful observation, Lin Zhiqing confirmed that the child in front of her was indeed the little beggar whom Yongqing had helped her and Lin Yangyang.

After returning from Yongqing, she entrusted the little beggar to Yan Yu.

After Yan Yu arrived in Shengjing, he brought the little beggar boy with him to Jianxintang.

"How are you doing these days? Do you still remember the task I gave you?" Lin Zhiqing asked with a smile.

The little beggar nodded vigorously: "Miss, I remember."

“I had already seen through the people who came and went from Wanliu Pavilion when I was in Yongqing.”

He said this with a proud look on his face.

Lin Zhiqing smiled and said, "In that case, I'll test you later."

"Miss, you can test me now." The little beggar's eyes were full of thirst for knowledge.

Lin Zhiqing was somewhat surprised, but she didn't discourage him, so she smiled and said:
"Okay, then analyze why I came here today."

The little beggar didn't look at Lin Zhiqing, but instead shook his head and began to analyze directly:

"The soil on Miss's feet is very fresh and fertile, and she carries the scent of herbs, similar to that of Sister Nan Yue."

"But there is no such soil in Jianxintang or the entire area around Dongshi. I have only seen it on Sister Nanyue's shoes."

"So, Miss must have come from the Lu family."

"Hmm." Lin Zhiqing nodded. "That's right, I came from the Lu family. What else?"

As if encouraged, the little beggar spoke with even more confidence when he spoke again:
“I have observed that this is the first time Miss has come to Jianxin Hall since I came to the capital, and it must have been a spur-of-the-moment decision.”

"Oh, how did you figure that out?" Asagao also became interested, staring at the little beggar.

The little beggar thought for a moment and said, "If you had made preparations in advance, then Miss should have had a destination when you came, and your pace would have been faster."

"But after Miss arrived here, she did not go to any place immediately, but instead walked around and observed the situation inside the hall."

"So, Miss must have come here during her free time to take a look."

"You're half right," Lin Zhiqing said, patting the little beggar's head.

The little beggar was taken aback, then looked somewhat dejected: "Only half?"

Lin Zhiqing smiled and said, "You've already done very well that you can see half of it."

"Besides, it's because I'm the one who came that I can only see half of it."

"Because I can hide it."

The little beggar was taken aback, then laughed along: "If that's the case, then Miss is too amazing."

“Of course!” Asagao was the first to agree: “No one can fathom the thoughts of our young lady. You, little bean, will understand in the future.”

"Little bean, what's your name?" Asagao found the little guy quite interesting.

"My name is Xiao Yan, it was given to me by my brother Yan Yu," the little beggar replied happily.

Lin Zhiqing's smile froze for a moment. This Yan Yu, is he so perfunctory when naming other people?
However, Xiao Yan seemed to like it very much, and it seems that she got along well with Yan Yu.

"Xiao Yan, someone in Jianxin Hall must have taught you the art of judging the mind. Given time, you will surely achieve great things." Lin Zhiqing never hesitated to praise him.

Perhaps because he grew up among beggars, Xiao Yan was adept at reading people and was very perceptive.

This is exactly the kind of person Lin Zhiqing wants to cultivate.