New and dark light years

Chapter 435 I really don't know why he came to cause me trouble.
Huang Qing's expression turned serious, and he asked, "My lord, is the matter very serious?"

Li Lin said, "It's just preparing for the worst."

Listening from the side, Madam Huang vaguely understood something. She said in surprise, "Lin'er, Qing'er, what are you planning to do? If something really happens, don't be stubborn. The Huang family will seek justice for you."

Li Lin looked at Madam Huang and smiled, "Rather than entrusting our lives to others, we should keep them in our own hands. We are not without the ability to protect ourselves."

Moreover, the Huang family is not reliable now.

Huang Qing asked, "My lord, the paper figures of the Tree Fairy Goddess can be folded, right? I'll have the steward go and buy more paper immediately, and try to gather a thousand paper figures."

"Row."

Li Lin walked over and brought the two paper figures of the Tree Fairy Goddesses to life.

The two paper figures immediately went into the warehouse.

Madam Huang marveled; it was the first time she had ever seen a paper figure come to life.

Li Lin smiled and said, "Then I'll go out first. Remember my words: if the paper figure comes to life, immediately take Hongluan and Madam and follow the paper figure. Understand?"

Huang Qing bowed slightly: "Don't worry, my lord, Qing'er won't do anything reckless."

Li Lin nodded, then turned and left the house.

At this moment, outside the Li residence, there were more than thirty men dressed in the same black uniform robes, each carrying a longer curved knife at their waist.

"The Imperial City Guard?" Li Lin asked instinctively.

The leading man clasped his hands and said, "Commander Li, I am here on the orders of the Chancellor of the Secretariat and the Chancellery to request that you come to the Secretariat and be questioned."

"I understand, I'll set off with you now."

He stepped out, and the leading man waved his hand. More than thirty Imperial City Guard soldiers split into two groups and protected Li Lin in the middle.

It's called 'protection,' but it's actually a disguised form of supervision.

Li Lin wasn't in a hurry and followed them to the Zhongshu Gate.

Upon entering the main hall of Zhongshu Gate, one sees an old man sitting in the middle, his clothes embroidered with golden pheasants, and on either side of him, another old man dressed in peacock official robes.

One second-rank official and two third-rank officials.

In addition, there was a man in the side seat, Gu Shuwen, who was looking at Li Lin with no expression on his face.

"Reporting to my superior, Commander Li has been invited."

The old man in the middle nodded gently.

Li Lin cupped his hands and said, "This humble official, Li Lin, greets the three superiors."

"Commander Li, you have been in the capital for several days now. The customs and culture here are quite different from those in the southern borderlands. Are you getting used to the food, clothing, and lodging?"

They were just having a casual chat, and the old man didn't seem to have any ill intentions towards them.

Li Lin was a little puzzled, but still bowed and said, "Reporting to my superior, I'm used to everything."

“You’ll naturally get used to it, because your Li family are originally from the Central Plains, and you used to live in the capital.” Zhao Pingzhang looked at Li Lin and chuckled, “Do you know how old I am now?”

Li Lin shook his head. He only knew that Zhao Pingzhang was very old, but he didn't really know how old he was.

"Eighty-two years old."

Li Lin was somewhat surprised, because judging from Zhao Pingzhang's appearance, he didn't seem that old; his intuition told him he should only be in his early sixties.

Zhao Pingzhang continued, “When I was sixteen, I went to the capital to take the imperial examination and barely passed. At that time, I stayed in the Hanlin Academy as an editor. The following year, I witnessed the Northern Di army approaching the city and was filled with fear and anxiety. I also saw the then Empress take off her human clothes and transform into a phoenix to repel the enemy for my Great Qi. I also saw her... being sealed on the city wall.” At this moment, Zhao Pingzhang’s eyes were filled with longing.

That look in his eyes seemed to come from recalling the image of his beloved.

Everyone looked at Zhao Pingzhang with some surprise.

Gu Shuwen, in particular, vaguely understood why Zhao Pingzhang was unwilling to let him approve the arrest of Li Lin.

His expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.

Zhao Pingzhang continued, "I also witnessed how the court split into two factions over the Empress's matter, framing each other. In the end, it all ended with the five powerful families and three powerful clans withdrawing in humiliation."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shuwen's expression turned even more unpleasant.

Zhao Pingzhang continued, "Whether it's the Gu family or the Li family, what's past is past. For my sake, please don't fight anymore, okay?"

Li Lin vaguely understood why Gu Shuwen had suddenly turned against him.

So it turns out the Li family and the Gu family have a history of enmity.

Gu Shuwen stood up, clasped his hands and said, “Lord Zhao, I, Gu, am by no means a villain who would frame others for personal gain. Yesterday, more than twenty people were killed near the Liu residence. At that time, there were thunderous sounds, which were the sounds of lightning strikes. Moreover, Commander Li was also present at the Liu family’s residence. I suspect that Commander Li is the murderer, and I have good reason and evidence. I have absolutely no other selfish motives.”

Zhao Pingzhang looked at Li Lin and asked, "Did you kill him?"

"No."

Li Lin naturally wouldn't admit it.

Gu Shuwen said, "The murderer will naturally not admit to killing anyone. Moreover, an assassin broke into my residence last night. I am lucky to be alive and well for the time being, but this matter is inextricably linked to Commander Li."

Zhao Pingzhang looked at Li Lin and asked, "Last night, did Commander Li send someone to assassinate Prefect Gu?"

Li Lin laughed and said, "I did bring soldiers with me, but they are just soldiers, stationed outside the city. I only brought ten personal guards with me. All ten of my personal guards are alive and well, and none of them are missing. If you investigate a little, you will know that I do not have enough manpower to send assassins to kill Prefect Gu."

"Who knows how many more people you secretly brought into the capital!" Gu Shuwen snorted.

Li Lin looked at him and said, "Who knows if Prefect Gu is deliberately trying to harm someone?"

"How dare you slander me, an official?"

"Didn't you slander me first?" Li Lin laughed. "What, you feel bad now that you've been insulted with the same words?"

"You!" Gu Shuwen snorted, clasped his hands and said, "Regarding the matter of Zhao Pingzhang, since the arrival of Commander Li, our capital has not had a single day of peace."

Zhao Pingzhang sighed softly: "The way you two are arguing is almost identical to how the Gu and Li families argued more than sixty years ago. What, do you want to recreate the incident from more than sixty years ago?"

Gu Shuwen looked displeased, but didn't say anything more.

Zhao Pingzhang continued, "I don't care what you do. I will retire in six months. During this time, if either of you causes trouble, you will be in trouble. Prefect Gu, even after I retire, I can still keep you in the position of prefect for several decades. Commander Li, do you still want your position as military governor?"

Upon hearing this, both of them wore strange expressions.

Gu Shuwen was furious, but there was nothing he could do.

Li Lin, however, felt... like he had struck gold.

On the surface, the Zhao Pingzhang incident appears to be a case of both sides being equally blamed, but in reality, it's a matter of favoring oneself.

Li Lin immediately said, "I really haven't done anything about Zhao Pingzhang's matter. It was Prefect Gu who came to cause me trouble, and I don't know why."

His tone was very aggrieved.

(End of this chapter)