Inside Xunyang City.
A quiet teahouse.
Lin Qingqing was sitting on the second floor by the window, gazing at the street not far away. She looked a little solemn, as if she was thinking about something.
A sudden commotion erupted from a nearby street. Then, a line of fully armed soldiers appeared on the otherwise quiet and bustling street, hastily approaching from a distance.
The appearance of these soldiers immediately attracted a lot of attention. People on the street gave way and hid under the eaves, pointing and talking.
The atmosphere in the city has been tense these days, and no one is surprised by it. I'm just a little curious about who's going to be unlucky today!
Just as everyone was discussing this, they saw a row of fully armed and armored soldiers approaching the teahouse quickly and heading straight upstairs.
Inside the teahouse, many people's expressions changed.
Those who had been chatting loudly in the teahouse were now completely silent, not daring to breathe. Watching the soldiers go upstairs, their faces turned grim and their bodies trembled.
These days, such a big thing has happened in the city, and these people have been talking about it in public, pointing fingers at the government and the prefectural government.
Many people have been arrested and imprisoned for this.
Is it coming again today?
Just when everyone was feeling uneasy, this line of soldiers quickly surrounded and controlled the entire teahouse. Then, a man who looked like a general stepped onto the second floor and walked towards the window.
By the window.
Lin Qingqing sat quietly, raised her eyes, and looked indifferently at the general who was approaching her.
Not unfamiliar.
When she and His Highness first arrived in Xunyang City, it was this general who greeted them in the city and took His Highness to the prefectural governor's mansion.
What’s your name…Wang Cheng?
A general under Wang Shiquan.
"Miss Lin, long time no see!"
Wang Cheng approached, and when he saw Lin Qingqing sitting at the table without changing her expression, his eyes became a little complicated. He took a deep breath and quickly concealed the emotions in his eyes.
"Your Excellency invites you."
Lin Qingqing raised her eyes slightly, as if she had expected it, and said calmly: "What do you want to see me about, sir?"
Wang Cheng lowered his head and said calmly, "Miss Lin will know when she goes there... I am just passing on the message and don't know the inside story."
Lin Qingqing sneered contemptuously, stood up and walked out of the teahouse.
"Let's go."
Wang Cheng was stunned, as if he didn't expect her to be so easy to talk to.
He was naturally aware of the person in front of him. He heard that he was the most trusted confidant of Prince Lin and held considerable power.
Today, he was ordered to come and invite this young lady into his mansion. He had originally thought that it would be a long conversation, or even... a battle.
The Prince of Lin died, and many people in the city now blamed the prefect's residence. Although Wang Cheng didn't know the inside story, he vaguely guessed that the prefect was probably involved.
He came here today fully prepared, but he didn't expect Miss Lin to be so cooperative?
For a moment, Wang Cheng felt a vague sense of strangeness in his heart.
disturbed?
Why does it feel like this Miss Lin has been waiting for him for a long time?
…
Prefectural Office.
The atmosphere in the gloomy lobby was tense.
This was not the first time that Lin Qingqing came to the Prefect's Mansion. Some time ago, she had lived in the Prefect's Mansion with His Highness for a period of time, and she had already secretly investigated the layout of the Prefect's Mansion.
She had no worries about entering the prefect's residence alone this time. She calmly walked into the lobby and immediately saw the familiar figure sitting there.
Wang Shiquan.
Wang Shiquan, dressed in a gray robe, was sitting in the hall with an expressionless face. His face showed a bit of vicissitudes and fatigue.
Like an old man in his twilight years, he was shrouded in an indescribable aura.
"Sir, Miss Lin is here."
After Wang Cheng brought the people into the lobby, he stepped aside.
Wang Shiquan slowly raised his head, his gaze settling on Lin Qingqing. A sharp gleam flashed across his face. In an instant, it vanished.
It seemed as if nothing had happened.
Lin Qingqing walked slowly closer, raised her eyes and stared at Wang Shiquan in front of her, expressionless and silent.
A cool atmosphere, with a hint of confrontation.
At this moment, Lin Qingqing seemed to have a bit of the temperament of a kite.
He was equally cold, arrogant, and a bit domineering, but he was not at all inferior to the Xunyang prefect.
She didn't say anything, as if she was in a silent confrontation with the prefect.
Wang Cheng, who retreated to the corner, saw this scene and a hint of astonishment flashed in his eyes.
This Miss Lin didn't even show any respect to the governor when she saw him, and she even looked at him with such an offensive look. She...
Wang Cheng's expression changed slightly as he suddenly thought of something.
At the same time, Wang Shiquan was the first to speak: "Commander Lin?"
His tone was very calm, as if he didn't care at all about Lin Qingqing's rude offense to him, and he slowly said: "It's been a while since I last saw Commander Lin, I wonder if he is doing well?"
Lin Qingqing said calmly: "Don't worry, Lord Governor, everything is fine."
The tone seemed neither cold nor indifferent, but in fact it contained a deep sense of coldness and hostility.
Even Wang Chengdu heard it, and his face turned pale. Was he going to break up with the adults?
However, Wang Shiquan sighed softly and said, "I've been busy with government affairs lately and haven't paid much attention to what's happening in the city... I've heard rumors in the city these past few days that something unexpected happened to His Highness, the Crown Prince of Lin. I wonder if that's true?"
Lin Qingqing sneered in her heart and exposed it without any concealment: "Whether it is true or not, shouldn't the governor know it best?"
Wang Shiquan frowned slightly: "Commander Lin, what do you mean by this?"
Lin Qingqing sneered even more, "Sir, why do you have to pretend to be ignorant when you know the truth?"
Wang Shiquan was silent for a moment.
It seems that he didn't expect the other party to be so naked and not even pretend?
As expected of a subordinate of the Prince Lin, his style of doing things has inherited this.
A hint of anger emerged in my heart, but it was quickly suppressed.
"I don't quite understand what Commander Lin said..."
Wang Shiquan was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "I know that Commander Lin may have misunderstood me..."
"I am deeply saddened by the murder of His Royal Highness. I never imagined such a horrific event would occur within my jurisdiction. Naturally, I feel a sense of responsibility..."
"If you need my help, Commander Lin, please feel free to ask. I will definitely give Commander Lin and Prince Lin an explanation!"
Wang Shiquan's face was full of seriousness and a bit sad, as if he was extremely sorry about the murder of Prince Lin.
Lin Qingqing watched this scene coldly.
The acting is really good.
It's well installed.
People who don't know the truth might be deceived by his appearance.
Thinking of how His Highness and Sister Zhiyuan almost lost their lives, and how so many of her brothers and sisters had been killed and seriously injured, Lin Qingqing's anger surged, and her eyes grew colder. "If the governor summoned me here today just to put on this show, then there's no need for that."
Wang Shiquan's always gentle expression finally changed slightly. He stared at Lin Qingqing and said in a deep voice, "Commander Lin, are you saying that there's no turning back on this matter?"
Lin Qingqing sneered: "Doesn't the governor have an answer in his heart?"
Wang Shiquan's face looked extremely ugly. He knew that the worst outcome had finally come.
He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I know that the accident that happened to Prince Lin was an accident... No one wants this accident to happen. I am very sorry for this..."
"If Commander Lin is willing, I can compensate you..."
However, before Wang Shiquan could finish, he was interrupted by Lin Qingqing coldly: "Master Taishou, do you think our Highness would be short of these things?"
Wang Shiquan fell silent again.
yes!
compensate?
Would the Lin family be short of this little thing?
Treasures? Power? Or something else?
The Lin family owns Linzhou and is extremely powerful and wealthy. Would they be interested in these things?
This is an unsolvable answer.
But Wang Shiquan had to do this.
He was silent for a long time this time, and finally spoke: "This matter is the grudge between your Lin Wang Mansion and me, and has nothing to do with Qin'er."
"so what?"
Lin Qingqing sneered. As expected, everything was within His Highness's expectations.
"Qin'er is innocent..."
Wang Shiquan said in a deep voice: "Let him go."
"I don't understand what you mean, Lord Governor?"
Lin Qingqing shook her head lightly.
Wang Shiquan stared at her: "Now that it has come to this, why do you have to continue to play dumb?"
"Give Qin'er a way out!"
Lin Qingqing's eyes remained calm. "Why do you say that, sir? I have never had any contact with your son... His life or death has nothing to do with me!"
Wang Shiquan stared at her intently: "Are you going to deny that Qin'er was kidnapped by you?"
"Your Excellency has misunderstood. We have never kidnapped your son!"
“…”
At this moment, Wang Shiquan was shrouded in gloom.
Wang Qin was his only son. Even if he was a jerk, he was still the only blood of his Wang family. For Wang Qin's sake, he had to find Lin Qingqing in person and try to rescue Wang Qin.
But Lin Qingqing's attitude at the moment finally made Wang Shiquan's pent-up anger emerge.
"You mean you don't want to talk anymore?"
For Wang Qin, Wang Shiquan has suppressed his anger for a long time.
The person in front of her was just a subordinate of Prince Lin. It was very considerate of her that he could talk to her in a friendly tone.
I didn't expect that the other party would be so ungrateful?!
Lin Qingqing had a blank expression on her face: "Talk?"
"What did you wish to discuss, my Lord?"
"Or do you want to deny that the misfortune that befell our prince was not caused by your Wang family?"
"Are you trying to conceal the truth, sir?"
As Lin Qingqing spoke, the sneer on her face grew wider: "Your Excellency can deceive the people outside, but can you deceive me?"
"Or do you think that we in the Linwang Mansion are fools and would be so easily deceived by you?"
Wang Shiquan fell silent again.
Speechless.
He knew that from the very beginning, this incident had caused great trouble for his Wang family. But now that it had happened, there was no turning back for his Wang family.
"So, you really want to break up with me?"
Lin Qingqing looked at Wang Shiquan with a calm gaze: "I am just a small guard beside His Highness. Naturally, I have no right to tear my face with this prefect. But..."
"I'm not qualified, but that doesn't mean we in the Linwang Mansion are not qualified!"
The tone was powerful.
Wang Shiquan's face was gloomy. How could he not hear the threat in these words?
The relationship has already been torn apart.
Wang Shiquan said sullenly, "Of course, I am no match for you, the Lin Wang Mansion, but do you really think I am afraid of you, the Lin Wang Mansion?"
Lin Qingqing said calmly: "If you are not afraid, why did you come to me today?"
Wang Shiquan's expression suddenly changed, and his tone was icy: "My Wang family has stood in Xunyang County for many years, not just anyone can provoke us..."
At this point, Wang Shiquan suddenly stared at Lin Qingqing: "You don't need to quibble. I know Qin'er is in your hands... Let Qin'er go, and I won't bother with you!"
Lin Qingqing said calmly, "Your Excellency has misunderstood. Where your young master is has nothing to do with me."
"Aren't you afraid of death?" Wang Shiquan's tone was full of threats.
"My Lord, do you want to kill me?"
Wang Shiquan had no expression on his face: "You are just a small guard in the Lin Palace!"
Lin Qingqing's face didn't show any fear. She sneered and said, "Your Excellency is right. I'm just a small guard in the Lin Palace. My life or death is not worth mentioning. But your Excellency..."
At this point, Lin Qingqing paused, and suddenly said expressionlessly: "Who is responsible for the accident that happened to my prince this time? Your Excellency knows better than anyone else..."
"I have already reported this matter to the prince. My prince's character should be familiar to you, my lord!"
"I will definitely investigate this matter to the end when I come to the palace, and I will never give up!"
Wang Shiquan's face was extremely ugly, even pale. At this moment, the little guard in front of him actually gave him a bit of oppression.
"If you have nothing else to do, I will take my leave!"
After saying that, Lin Qingqing turned around, walked out of the lobby, and stopped again.
"Also... I hope you take care of yourself, sir!"
After saying this, Lin Qingqing left without looking back.
Wang Shiquan was left standing in the lobby, looking extremely unhappy.
At the same time, Wang Cheng, who remained silent, also had a grim expression on his face.
"grown ups……"
Wang Cheng finally couldn't help but speak: "So, let her go like this? No, keep her here?"
Wang Shiquan's face was gloomy. Didn't he want to stay?
But the threat in her tone just now was already obvious.
She was just a small guard in the Prince Lin's mansion, and her death was not a pity. But if she died, it would mean Qin'er would die too.
Wang Shiquan can't take this risk!
This Lin Qingqing was just a small guard. Even if she had some power, she couldn't influence the overall situation after all, and killing her would be useless.
"Prince Lin's Mansion..."
Wang Shiquan had a serious expression on his face and was thinking about something when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the door.
"grown ups!"
A figure hurried into the lobby and handed over a piece of information.
"Sir, urgent news has arrived from the Yanzhou border, saying there's activity in Linzhou..."
"In the past few days, various prefectures and counties in Linzhou have suddenly mobilized troops and gathered them at the border..."
Upon hearing the news, Wang Shiquan's face changed instantly.
Station troops?
Is Prince Lin’s Mansion really going to send troops?
"Is this news accurate?!"
Wang Shiquan suppressed the shock in his heart and asked in a deep voice.
The visitor lowered his head and spoke anxiously, "It's absolutely true. Detailed intelligence has arrived from the front. There's a major movement in Linzhou this time, and the leader of the troops is rumored to be... Zheng Zhiming!"
Upon hearing this news, Wang Shiquan's face completely lost all color.
Zheng Zhiming?!
He was not unfamiliar with this name.
One of Lin Hengzhong's four closest confidants, this man's identity is mysterious, and his martial arts skills are unfathomable. The fact that he was the one to take action this time was undoubtedly a sign of his power.
Lin Hengzhong is really planning to mobilize troops?!
Thinking of this, Wang Shiquan finally couldn't sit still anymore.
"Someone come!"
Wang Shiquan's face was extremely grim, and he said in a deep voice: "Prepare the carriages and horses!"
"Where are you going, my Lord?"
"Leave the city!"
Wang Shiquan gritted his teeth and said, "I want to see the governor in person!"
“…”