Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 391 The Game of Power
"Nothing is impossible." Lin Zhiqing slowly sat back down, her mind clearer than ever before.
"It's more accurate to call him the royal family than the emperor."

Lin Yangyang still found it somewhat unbelievable:

"The royal family previously wanted nothing more than to eliminate the Lin family, so why would they protect those witnesses?"

"Wouldn't that be making enemies of the Marquis of Zhenyuan's household? But the Marquis of Zhenyuan's household is a newly risen noble family in the court, and they are extremely favored!"

"What if the problem lies here?" Lin Zhiqing asked.

"Cousin, with flowers in full bloom and oil blazing over a raging fire, doesn't the current prestige of the Marquis of Zhenyuan's mansion seem familiar to you?"

Lin Yangyang's eyes gradually changed: "The Lin family, the Lin family of the past!"

“Yes, it’s the former Lin family.” Lin Zhiqing’s eyes were deep.

"The royal family kept those witnesses not to help the Lin family, but to check and balance the Jiang family."

"The essence of the art of rulership lies in checks and balances!"

Lin Shi'an took a deep breath: "The royal family doesn't care whether Second Uncle has colluded with the enemy or betrayed the country; what they care about is power!"

"When my second uncle was still alive, the Lin family had two marquises, making them extremely powerful and overbearing, which offended the royal family!"

Lin Zhiqing clenched her fists tightly:
"The existence of those witnesses is a backup plan of the royal family. If the Jiang family ever becomes too powerful, those people will be the key evidence to bring them down."

"But does that mean the royal family knows Second Uncle is innocent?" Lin Yangyang shook her head repeatedly after saying this.
"No, that's absurd."

"My second uncle and grandfather were both heroes of the Great Sheng Dynasty. If the royal family knew about such a serious crime as treason, how could they not uphold justice?"

“Cousin, they’re not upholding justice because this matter just happens to suit their purposes,” Lin Zhiqing said calmly when she spoke again.

"The Lin family is too powerful and attracts too much attention. The royal family has always wanted to get rid of the Lin family."

"But at that time, the Lin family was full of loyal martyrs. If we used drastic measures, it would definitely arouse public anger and lose the support of the people."

"But if we have the pretext of treason, wouldn't it be a legitimate way to eliminate the Lin family?"

Lin Zhiqing appeared to be explaining to Lin Yangyang, but in reality, she was also talking to herself.

Only in this way can those strange points be reasonably explained during the trial.

If we were to say that Lin Congrong, or even the Lin family, made a mistake, it would be that they did too well, constantly being promoted and becoming the dominant family.

What emperors fear most is having one powerful entity with no means of checks and balances.

Looking back now, there are only a handful of military generals in the Great Sheng Dynasty who still hold high positions and great power.

Duke Pei was a powerful figure in his youth, but he later retired from public life and stayed in Shengjing, ignoring the affairs of the court. He was a true neutral.

Marquis Anping, father of Princess Pingning, is a man of great martial prowess, but he is a complete brute with little brains.

Moreover, Marquis Anping was seriously injured on the battlefield when he was young, and could never fight on the battlefield again, thus losing all chance to command troops.

Marquis Zhongyong was brave and resolute in his early years, but after marrying a princess, he lost all real power...

Aside from these people, there are many military officers active in the court these days, but the most powerful is none other than the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion.

This situation is remarkably similar to that of the Lin family in the past.

Lin Zhiqing closed her eyes.

Lin Shi'an gasped: "Regarding the matter of Fourth Uncle, the royal family clearly intended to wipe out the Lin family."

"But after so many things happened to the Lin family, the royal family stopped intervening and did not get involved again."

"I just assume that the royal family doesn't take the Lin family seriously, or that they've realized the Lin family has no ulterior motives."

"Now it seems they've clearly used our Lin family as a weapon!"

“That’s right.” Lin Zhiqing nodded. She had also been puzzled as to why the royal family had suddenly stopped pressuring the Lin family.

Now everything is out in the open.

Just like many years ago, when Jiang Yunhe framed Lin Congrong and brought down the Lin family.

The process is not important; the royal family may not care whether Lin Congrong colluded with the enemy or betrayed the country.

It only looks at the results.

The result was the downfall of the Lin family. Now, their status has reversed, and the Lin family has become a weapon in the hands of the royal family, sharpening its blade against the Jiang family.

However, while the situations are similar, they are not entirely the same.

Lin Zhiqing took a deep breath: "The royal family abandoned the Lin family without hesitation because the Lin family was already barely surviving."

"And now, the royal family is still weighing the options."

"They outwardly do not interfere in the affairs of the Lin family, but they are secretly concerned about how things are developing."

“If our Lin family wins, then the Jiang family will collapse completely, just like the Lin family before.”

"But if the Lin family is still as powerless to deal with the Jiang family's conspiracy as before, then in the eyes of the royal family, the Lin family is just a useless piece of chess."

Lin Zhiqing had made his point very clear by now.

This means that the Lin and Jiang families were merely pawns in the hands of the royal family.

The Lin family was originally a cricket that had been cornered by the Jiang family and was on the verge of defeat, rendered useless.

That's why the royal family was so eager to use Lin Congyan's case to eliminate the useless Lin family.

But the Lin family rebounded from rock bottom and won a decisive victory, so the royal family was once again firmly seated on the throne, watching the two crickets fight.

In any case, the royal family suffers no loss regardless of who wins the fight.

Lin Yangyang understood what Lin Zhiqing meant, her eyes filled with shock, and her lips trembled:

"If that's the case, then wasn't the Lin family also a pawn left behind by the royal family to survive?"

Treason is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family, yet the Lin family has managed to survive until now.

This can only mean two things.

First, the royal family knows the Lin family is innocent, but they don't care.

Secondly, the Lin family is more useful alive than dead.

Their role was no different from that of the witnesses; they were all incriminating evidence deliberately left by the royal family to protect the Jiang family.

But the Lin family in the past was unaware of this.

As for the Jiang family, Lin Zhiqing felt that they probably hadn't realized it before.

But given Jiang Yunhe's temperament, it's impossible that he hadn't noticed all the recent events.

Even if they realized it, they could only grit their teeth and keep charging forward.

The Lin and Jiang families were placed on opposite sides of the scales by the royal family, destined to be locked in a life-or-death struggle, with only one able to survive.

"Is this really the truth?" Lin Shi'an was shocked and completely deflated.

"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle, he..."

"Cousin." Lin Zhiqing took a deep breath.

"The royal family is merely a detached bystander; of course, it's also possible that they are pulling the strings behind the scenes."

"But we must understand that the direct murderer who killed my father was Jiang Yunhe."

Lin Zhiqing snapped out of her reverie, her gaze resolute:

"As for the others, they are mostly indifferent bystanders."

"Now we can only pursue the Jiang family."

"Moreover, since the royal family has set its sights on the Jiang family and is weighing the strength of the Lin family, we should take advantage of this opportunity and use their strength against them!"

"Only when the Lin family is powerful enough will we be qualified to think about other things."

"Therefore, we can only keep these words to ourselves."

"Do you understand?"

Lin Zhiqing's expression had never been so serious.

Lin Shi'an and Lin Yangyang took a deep breath in unison before nodding.