Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 383 Meeting an opponent in chess

"boom!"

"Boom!"

Lin Zhiqing suddenly opened her eyes.

She got dressed and woke up Asagao.

Asagao yawned and lit the lamp: "Miss, are you thirsty? I'll go get you some water right away."

"I'm not thirsty." Lin Zhiqing shook his head. "It's thundering outside."

Asagao opened the window and looked out, then nodded: "Miss, judging from the sky, it looks like it's going to rain."

"Go lie down on the bed, don't catch a cold. I'll go get you a hot water bottle."

Lin Zhiqing did not refuse. She walked to the window alone and then felt the cold wind blowing in her face.

She pursed her lips slightly, wondering how Yan Yu was doing.

As she pondered, she heard very fast footsteps approaching her room.

Lin Zhiqing frowned; the voice belonged to Asagao.

What happened?
The next moment, the door opened, and Asagao appeared, her body slightly damp.
"Miss, Young Master Shi'an is waiting for you in the front hall. He said something happened to the Ling family."

Lin Zhiqing's eyes narrowed.

She quickly arrived at the front hall.

Lin Shiquan exuded a chilling aura, and Lin Zhiqing waved his hand:

"Asagao, go to the east kitchen and bring me a bowl of ginger soup."

Then, she quickly asked, "Cousin, what happened?"

Lin Shi'an pursed his lips: "Yan Yu has disappeared."

Lin Zhiqing paused.

Lin Shi'an quickly recounted what had happened:
"Today, as usual, I am lying in ambush outside to observe the situation. According to the people inside, Yan Yu has successfully met with Ling Shuo."

"But in the evening, someone from the Dali Temple went to the Ling family, and then I received news that Ling Shuo was dead."

Two shocking pieces of news in a row made Lin Zhiqing frown: "How did he die?"

"It is said that he died of poisoning," Lin Shi'an said in a heavy tone.

Because he knew very well that Ling Shuo's death meant that Lin Zhiqing's plan had failed halfway.

He felt a growing anxiety: "Could it be that Yan Yu encountered something he couldn't handle and mistakenly killed someone?"

Lin Shi'an was unaware that Yan Yu knew how to use poison, but he knew that Lin Zhiqing had prepared poison in the brocade pouch that he gave to Yan Yu.

Poisoning does indeed match Yan Yu's methods.

But after thinking about it, Lin Zhiqing shook his head:

“Yan Yu is not impulsive. He has many ways to escape, and killing Ling Shuo is the most irrational one.”

"Given his personality, he wouldn't do that."

"How could Ling Shuo have suddenly died?" Lin Shi'an couldn't help but ask.

Lin Zhiqing pondered for a long time before finally raising his head: "Didn't you just say that people from the Dali Temple had visited the Ling family?"

"That's right." Lin Shi'an nodded without hesitation.
"I checked, and it was Madam Ling's people who just sent some ordinary items to the Ling family."

“Cousin, I suspect we’ve been set up,” Lin Zhiqing said calmly.

"Setting up a trap? What does that mean?" Lin Shi'an couldn't figure it out for a moment.

"I mean, the Zhenyuan Marquis's Mansion or Zhou Chongzheng guessed that I would start with Ling Shuo, so they used this as a pretext."

"The current situation is so similar to what happened to Li Jinzhi."

Lin Shi'an sensed something was amiss:
"You mean, the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion killed Ling Shuo and tried to frame us?"

"It may not necessarily be the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence, but that's the gist of it." Lin Zhiqing tried his best to reconstruct the original facts:

"I suspect that Yan Yu and his group were targeted as soon as they entered the Ling family, but Zhenyuan Marquis or Zhou Chongzheng are not sure who exactly is on our side."

"Therefore, during the few days that Yan Yu remained inactive, people in the shadows were also observing him."

"After Yan Yu made contact with Ling Shuo, those behind him mobilized all their forces, trying to pin Ling Shuo's death on Yan Yu and thus frame the Lin family." "But Yan Yu has now disappeared." Lin Shi'an looked worried.

"From what you've said, the situation must be extremely dangerous. Yan Yu, do you think he can escape safely?"

"Our people have not been able to contact him."

Lin Zhiqing thought of the third brocade pouch she had left behind, closed her eyes, and then sighed:

“Cousin, do everything you can to find Yan Yu. Also, I suspect the Zhenyuan Marquis’s mansion will make a move soon.”

"The Ling family's affairs must have been orchestrated by Jiang Yunhe."

"I've already arranged for people to search the entire city." Lin Shi'an asked with some doubt, "Jiang Yunhe, why him? Does Zhou Chongzheng know about this?"

"Such cunning and methods are not something Jiang Liuyun possesses. I don't know if Zhou Chongzheng is aware of this, but something bad will definitely happen at dawn!"

“Jiang Yunhe’s methods are always swift and decisive; he won’t let this opportunity slip by.”

Lin Shi'an couldn't help but take a step back: "In that case, I will immediately inform my uncle and the others to prepare."

Lin Zhiqing nodded.

Seeing this, Lin Shi'an plunged headfirst into the drizzling rain.

Watching Lin Shi'an's retreating figure, Lin Zhiqing, holding onto the chair, slowly sat down.

Things happened rather suddenly.

It seemed that Jiang Yunhe had calculated every step she took.

It feels like meeting your match.

Yan Yu was a very important person.

Aside from Zheng Kuo, he was probably the person closest to the truth about Lin Congrong's treason.

Lin Zhiqing's previous intention to expose Yan Yu to Jiang Yunhe's view was primarily because he knew Yan Yu couldn't hide for long.

Secondly, she wanted to use Yan Yu to catch Jiang Yunhe off guard.

At least when Li Jinzhi's incident occurred, Jiang Liuyun should not have recognized Yan Yu.

However, Jiang Yunhe is cunning and likely has some suspicions about Yan Yu's identity.

Only in this way can they accurately kill Yan Yu this time.

Lin Zhiqing had to admit that Jiang Yunhe's ability to rise from a lowly soldier to the position of Marquis of Zhenyuan was indeed due to his cunning and resourcefulness.

Since Yan Yu's whereabouts are currently unknown, and Zhou Chongzheng has not distanced himself from the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion, the retrial will likely undergo some changes.

Thinking of this, Lin Zhiqing gripped the chair tightly, constantly racking his brains for a solution.

She sat there until dawn.

Then, people from the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate arrived.

The court hearing, which was supposed to begin in two weeks, was brought forward to today, which shows how rushed it was.

The imperial edict did not state that the date for the retrial could not be changed.

The reason given for the earlier announcement was that Wang Yuan, the Censor-in-Chief, had an official assignment to be sent out in half a month, and Zhou Chongzheng, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, also had official duties to attend to.

What a perfect excuse.

The Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion has once again disappeared from the public eye in this matter.

The Lin family has no right to choose the time.

After the three officials left, the rest of the Lin family were still somewhat confused about the situation.

It wasn't until Lin Shi'an recounted Ling Shuo's story that everyone realized what was going on.

Isn't this a classic case of taking advantage of someone's weakness to kill them?

The plan surrounding Zhou Chongzheng has failed. Currently, among the three departments, only the Minister of Justice stands in opposition to the Marquis of Zhenyuan's mansion.

This is far from enough for the Lin family.

Lin Zhiqing looked outside and noticed that the fog had been getting thicker and thicker lately.

The matter seems to be nearing its end.