Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 390 The Trader

Her mood was fluctuating today.

There's simply no time to think about anything now.

Upon returning to the Lin family, everyone was overjoyed.

Lin Zhiqing remained unusually calm. After taking Di Ren back to a safe place, she repeatedly confirmed that Di Ren was in good physical condition.

Then, he returned to Shuqing Pavilion.

Lin Shi'an and Lin Yangyang followed closely behind.

"Zhiqing, your eldest uncle and fourth uncle have already gone out to inquire about the Ministry of Revenue."

"My letter has just been sent out in Bianliang."

"Everything is fine at Jianxin Hall."

Lin Zhiqing nodded: "Cousin, thank you for your hard work. Is there any news about Yan Yu?"

"No." Upon hearing this, Lin Shi'an and Lin Yangyang seemed to have been doused with cold water.

Yes, Yan Yu is still missing.

This is not a good thing.

"I suspect he's injured," Lin Yangyang sighed.

"Otherwise, given his personality, he would definitely have risked everything to come back."

"No news is good news." Lin Shi'an pursed his lips. "I've already had people keeping an eye on the Ling and Zhou families."

"If there is any news about Brother Yan, your subordinates will inform you soon."

Lin Zhiqing nodded: "We cannot let our guard down regarding Yan Yu's matter. The Marquis of Zhenyuan's residence will likely also be looking for him."

"Furthermore, no matter what happens at the Ministry of Revenue, we must be fully prepared for a retrial in three days."

"The most important thing now is to find Yan Yu."

"He is the only important witness besides Zheng Kuo who knows the inside story."

"With him here in three days, our bargaining power will be even greater!"

Lin Yangyang pouted: "If we had known this butterfly was so important, we should have kept him far away."

"Bring him over when needed, that way it's safer and more secure."

"No." Lin Zhiqing shook her head: "Cousin, it can't be hidden."

"Sometimes taking the initiative is much more important than passively defending."

"If Yan Yu hadn't gone missing, the Lin family's situation would only be worse now."

"Even worse? What do you mean?" Lin Yangyang asked, puzzled.

Lin Zhiqing only mentioned this topic briefly and didn't elaborate further.

She pursed her lips slightly, as if she was thinking about something.

Lin Shi'an paced back and forth, and said, "Zhiqing, I just feel that there is something strange about this court hearing."

“Me too.” Lin Yangyang rested her chin on her hand:

"The Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review seem to care more about the process than the result."

Lin Zhiqing's mind raced, and she looked at Lin Yangyang: "Cousin, what do you mean by that?"

"Tsk." Lin Yangyang scratched her head: "I can't really explain it in detail."

"But normal people would feel emotionally affected when they hear or see that kind of evidence."

"For example, the surprise was that Lin Congrong really hadn't colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country!"

"Or rather, I'm angry. Lin Congrong is a traitor who colludes with the enemy and betrays the country!"

She imitated the tone of Zhou Chongzheng and others, then immediately reverted to her own tone:
"But they were so focused on competing that they seemed only concerned with what we could do to defeat our opponents."

After saying that, Lin Yangyang shrugged:

"I don't know if this is the right way to describe it, but that's how I feel, it's kind of weird." Lin Shi'an sat down:
"What my sister said is somewhat similar to my feelings. Apart from the Imperial Censor Wang Yuan, the other two really don't care about the outcome of my second uncle's matter."

In addition, there was another matter that made Lin Shi'an frown:

"I thought everyone involved in what happened back then had been dealt with, how come three more could still be found?"

He was referring to the group of soldiers, the servant's son, and the young woman.

Lin Shi'an looked down to the right, clearly deep in thought:
"Given Jiang Yunhe's style of doing things, it's surprising that he left a few survivors."

"But their testimonies are like bullshit, quite outrageous, and completely meaningless. It shouldn't make any difference whether they're alive or dead," Lin Yangyang shrugged.

"No, there is a difference," Lin Zhiqing said.
“My cousin’s idea is correct. Judging from Jiang Yunhe’s ruthless style of killing Zheng Kuo, he would take action even against marginal figures.”

“The more marginalized a person is, the easier it is for us to find flaws in their testimony, just like how the testimonies of those three people were ultimately ruled invalid.”

"This is detrimental to the Zhenyuan Marquis's Mansion. Logically and humanly, the Zhenyuan Marquis's Mansion will not let them off the hook."

"Then how did they suddenly appear? Could it be that they, like Zheng Kuo, have gone into hiding under assumed names?" Lin Yangyang asked.

Lin Zhiqing thought for a while before answering, "It's possible, but with their capabilities, it would be difficult to hide it."

"Zheng Kuo was able to hide because he was extremely careful, and he also had Yan Yu's help behind the scenes."

"Those people didn't seem like they were being cautious."

Lin Shi'an felt a headache coming on:

"So there's someone behind them hiding them, preventing the Marquis of Zhenyuan's mansion from killing them?"

"But besides our Lin family, who would do such a thing?"

The problem is that the Lin family never did it; those three people were even released by the Minister of Justice.

But it makes even less sense to say that the Minister of Justice was protecting them.

The Minister of Justice was in cahoots with the Marquis of Zhenyuan's family, and even in the Lin Congyan incident, he did not show any mercy to the Lin family.

Lin Yangyang and Lin Shi'an thought and thought, but they still couldn't figure out the key.

"Who else but our Lin family would do such a thing?" Lin Zhiqing repeated Lin Shi'an's words softly, her brows gradually furrowing.

Then, for some unknown reason, a look of surprise appeared on her face.

This expression had never appeared on Lin Zhiqing's face before.

Lin Shi'an and Lin Yangyang exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised.

Lin Yangyang spoke up, "Qing-meimei, have you thought of something?"

Lin Zhiqing stood up abruptly, muttering to himself, "No, no, this shouldn't be happening."

Her reaction suggested that she had thought of something extremely unexpected.

Lin Shi'an gently shook Lin Zhiqing's shoulder:

"Zhiqing, what happened? Are you alright?"

Lin Zhiqing bit her lip tightly:

“Cousin, there is only one person in the world who has the ability to protect those people and has been protecting them for so many years.”

Lin Shi'an froze, his eyes brimming with surprise.

It's obvious he thought of that too!
"Who?" Lin Yangyang asked directly, puzzled.

"You mean those high-ranking officials?"

"Sister, no, not any official." Lin Shi'an felt a chill run down her spine, and a layer of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.
"His status is more prestigious than that of any high-ranking official."

Lin Yangyang frowned slightly: "What you're saying makes it sound like only the Emperor is left?"

"The Emperor will protect those people for the Lin family, what are you thinking..."

Lin Yangyang felt that her idea was a bit ridiculous, but after she said it, Lin Shi'an and Lin Zhiqing fell silent.

"Your Majesty?" Lin Yangyang slammed her hand on the table, her expression changing. Realizing she had spoken too loudly, she lowered her voice:
"This, how is this possible?"